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The Ark of the Covenant

Answered by Rabbi Azriel Schreiber

Question

What is the Ark of the Covenant?

Answer

The Ark of the Covenant was built by the Israelites in the desert to hold the stone tablets that Moses received on Mount Sinai. The article “Ark of the Covenant” in the Encyclopedia Judaica, Vol. 3, cols. 459-466, has a good summary of all the Biblical references to the Ark.

The Ark disappeared around the time the First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. In 2 Maccabees 2:4 it is stated that Jeremiah hid the Ark in a cave on Mount Nebo (where Moses died). The Talmud (Yoma 53b) records two views: According to R.Eliezer, the Ark was taken to Babylonia; according to R.Yehudah, it was buried somewhere on the Temple grounds.

Follow-up question

Question

I heard heard that many people are looking for the ark. Will it ever be found? Also, as a comment, I can’t think of anything that would do more to restore faith world wide then the re-emergence of the ark.

Answer

The revelation of the Ark is part of the process leading to the Days of Moshiach, as the Ark will become the centerpiece of the Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. That will certainly usher in a time of renewed faith in G-d in the world. In fact, that is part of the process of the Days of Moshiach. Let us hope that this will happen soon.