Terumah

Back

Forward


25:10

25:11

25:10	Make an ark of acacia wood, 2 and a half cubits long, 1 and a half cubits wide, and 1 and a half cubits high. Ve'asu aron atsey shitim amatayim vachetsi orko ve'amah vachetsi rochbo ve'amah vachetsi komato.
25:11	Cover it with a layer of pure gold on the inside and outside, and make a gold rim all around its top. Vetsipita oto zahav tahor mibayit umichuts tetsapenu ve'asita alav zer zahav saviv.

Commentary:

ark
Aron in Hebrew. See Exodus 37:1-9. A simple box without legs (Rashi). Others, however, state that it had legs (Ibn Ezra on Exodus 25:12) or a lower rim (cf. Yoma 72b).

2 and a half cubits...
The dimensions of the ark were thus 3' 9' x 2' 3' x 2' 3'. According to others, the cubits here were only of 5 handbreadths, and the ark's dimensions were 3' 1.5' x 1' 10.5' x 1' 10.5'.

Some say that the walls of the ark were a handbreadth (3 inches) thick (Yoma 72b, Rabbenu Chananel ad. loc.; Abarbanel; Maaseh Choshev 8:2). According to others, it was one half handbreadth (1.5 inches) or a fingerbreadth (0.75 inches) thick (Bava Bathra 14a; Bareitha Melekheth HaMishkan 6).

layer
Some say that this was like a thin box of gold around the wooden box (Yoma 72b; Ralbag). According to others, the box was gilded with gold leaf (Yerushalmi, Shekalim 6:1. See note on Exodus 30:3.

rim
Or 'crown,' zer in Hebrew. According to the first opinion above (see note, this verse, 'layer'), the outer gold box extended a little more than a handbreadth above the wooden core of the ark, so as to protrude slightly above the cover when it was placed on the ark (Yoma 72b; Rashi; Midrash Agadah). Others say that this implies that the edges of the wooden core should also be covered (Chizzkuni).

Some say that the purpose of this rim was to hold the ark-cover (Rashi; Ralbag). Josephus (3:6:5), however, states that the cover was held on with hinges.

Notice: This computer program is protected by copyright law and international treaties. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this program, or any portion of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law.