- Torah and Jewish Thought
- General Questions
Ark of the Covenant Poles
Question
Exodus 25:15 states
The poles of the ark shall be in the rings; they shall not be removed from it.
Numbers 4:6 states
They shall place upon it a covering of tachash skin and on top of that they shall spread a cloth of pure blue wool. Then they shall put its poles in place.
My question is if Hashem said to never remove the poles, why is Moshe instructed to "put its poles in place" after covering for moving?
Answer
Shalom Ronald,
The poles were not allowed to be totally removed from the ark, but they could and would slide back and forth, until it was time to travel. At that time, they would slide the poles into their exact place where the rings would fit into two grooves which were on the poles, which prevented the poles and ark from sliding when the carriers went up or down an incline.
With Love of Israel,
Rav Ari Shvat