Attached to the kapporet were two sculpted Cherubs, also made of pure gold. The family of Kehath, of the tribe of Levi, would carry the ark on their shoulders using these poles.Īrtistic rendering of the Ark of the CovenantĬovering the box was the kapporet, a pure gold covering that was two-and-a-half by one-and-a-half cubits. On the bottom of the box, four gold rings were attached, through which two poles, also made of acacia and coated in gold, were put. It was constructed of acacia wood, and was plated with pure gold, inside and out. The Ark was a box with the dimensions of two-and-a-half cubits in length, by one-and-a-half cubits in height, by one-and-a-half cubits in width (a cubit is about 18 inches). The construction of the Ark is commanded by God to Moses while the Jews were still camped at Sinai ( Ex. The Role of the Ark Today Building the Ark The legends associated with this object - and the harsh penalties ascribed for anyone who misuses it - confirm the Ark's centrality to the Jewish faith of that period the fact that Jews and non-Jews alike continue to study and imitate it confirms its centrality even today. One man-made object was considered intrinsically holy - the Ark of the Covenant.Ĭonstructed during the Israelites' wanderings in the desert and used until the destruction of the First Temple, the Ark was the most important symbol of the Jewish faith, and served as the only physical manifestation of God on earth. Today, Jews do not venerate any holy relics or man-made symbols.īut in the history of the Jewish people, there was one exception to this rule. 32), intended to serve as a physical intermediary between them and God. Worship of graven images is harshly condemned throughout the Torah, and perhaps the greatest sin the Israelites collectively committed was the construction of the Golden Calf (in Ex. Indeed, the story of Judaism begins with Abraham who, according to ancient sources, shattered the idols that were the conventional method of religious observance at the time. Ancient Jewish History: Table of Contents| The Temple| The Two KingdomsĪs a general rule, Judaism rejects physical manifestations of spirituality, preferring instead to focus on actions and beliefs.
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