We definitely know that the Ark of the Covenant stood in the Holy of Holies in the First Temple. We also know definitively that the Ark of the Covenant was missing during the Second Temple period. We just don’t know what happened to it. Two days ago the Gemara taught us the tradition that King Josiah hid the ark away so that the Babylonians would not take it into exile. Starting with yesterday’s daf TB Yoma 53 and continuing on today’s daf TB Yoma 54 we learned that there were two other traditions telling what happened to the ark.
A second tradition says that Nebuchadnezzar exiled the
ark along with the Jewish people. “Rabbi
Eliezer says: The Ark was exiled to Babylonia, as it is stated: “And at the
turn of the year King Nebuchadnezzar sent and brought him to Babylonia, along
with the precious vessels of the House of the Lord” (II Chronicles 36:10).
These precious vessels must include the Ark.” (Sefaria.org translation)
Complementing the view that King Josiah hid the ark, “Rabbi
Yehuda ben Lakish says: The Ark was buried in its place, as it is stated: “And
the ends of the staves were seen from the sacred place before the partition,
but they could not be seen without; and they are there to this day” (I Kings 8:8). The expression “to
this day” means forever, as the text might be read at any time. This teaches
that the Ark is hidden in its place.” (Sefaria.org translation)
The third tradition says that the ark was hidden
somewhere on the Temple’s grounds. “Rav
Naḥman said that a Sage taught in the Tosefta: And the
Rabbis say that the Ark of the Covenant was buried in the Chamber
of the Woodshed. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: We, too, have
learned in a Mishna (TY Shekalim-gg): There was an incident involving a
certain priest who was occupied with various matters, and he saw a floor
tile in the woodshed that was different from the others. One of the
marble floor tiles was higher than the rest, suggesting it had been lifted out
and replaced. He came and informed his friend of the uneven tile, but
was unable to finish his report and provide the exact location of the tile before
his soul departed from his body. And consequently they knew
definitively that the Ark was buried there, but its location was meant to
be kept secret.” (Sefaria.org translation)
On top of the Ark of the Covenant were two Cherubim
facing each other with (Exodus 25:10-22). Even though the Second Temple’s Holy
of Holies did not contain the Ark of the Covenant, it did have a mural of these
Cherubim. “Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said:
Actually, Rav Ketina’s
statement is referring to the Second Temple: There was a curtain
at the entrance of the Holy of Holies, and indeed there were images
of cherubs there, i.e., drawn or engraved pictures of the cherubs on the
walls. As it is written: “And he carved all the walls of the house round
about with carved figures of cherubs and palm trees and open flowers,
within and without” (I Kings
6:29), and it is further stated: “And he overlaid them with gold fitted
upon the graven work” (I
Kings 6:35), which teaches that in addition to the cherubs within the
sacred place, other cherubs were drawn on the walls.” (Sefaria.org translation)
Tosefot ד"ה כרובים דצורתא asks an interesting question. Their makhzorim, High Holiday prayer books, were manuscripts. Some of them were illustrated with beautiful images of animals and birds. Tosefot wonders whether these illustrations were appropriate. He answers that these pictures are not forbidden, but inappropriate. He thought that they would distract the davener’s intention, kavanah, from the Holy One Blessed be He.
I own the Nehalel Shabbat Siddur which
uses photographs illustrating the prayers hoping that these photographs would
help the person focus our attention on the meaning of the prayers. In his
review of the Nehalel weekday prayer book Alden Solovey writes:
“the photography is unabashedly Zionist and
boldly Jewish in ethos, reflecting values of learning, charity, family, awe of
God, and the wonder of creation. It is also beautifully
done—with sweeping landscapes, thunderstorms, sunsets, animals in motion
and images from deep space—and profoundly disturbing.
“A majority of the new siddur’s prayers
and pasages are accompanied by photographs. A sunlit view of earth’s
atmosphere illustrates the Aleinu, the idea that God “stretches out the sky and
establishes the world”; Psalm 27 is
accompanied by a bald teen with cancer, effectively
communicating a plea not to be abandoned by God; the concept of
deliverance found in “V’yatziv,” the prayer immediately following the
Shema, is depicted with both death camp liberation scenes and photos from the
Israeli airlift of Ethiopian Jews, Operation Solomon; the notion of God lifting
up those who are bowed down in Psalm 146 is illustrated with a photo of
Israel paraplegic tennis champion Genedi Kahanov.
“There are important moments when prayers
are not accompanied by photography, like the opening of the Shema and the first
pages of the Amidah.
“Michael Haruni, a Jerusalem-based editor
and translator who developed both siddurim, said that, ideally,
a photo’s content will create awareness within the reader, and
merge with the act of prayer. “The photo should become part of a
whole thought directed at God.”
“At first use, the images pushed and
pulled, simultaneously moving me in and out of prayer. With use,
however, a shift occurred: The images took on the effect of musical
background, a sentient reminder of the rich content of the prayer book, which
deepened my attention to text.
“According to Haruni, this is the first
set of siddurim that engages photography of this magnitude into the act of
prayer, an effect that is furthered by using spot color type in the text
to connect photos with words in a prayer: The lines of text on the page
that appear in color is are meant to signal a connection to the photos.
“‘Praying with this Siddur demands a
lively mental and spiritual effort,’ Haruni said. Keeping the photography
in perspective is the challenge and the reward of using the Nehalel Siddurim. Haruni’s guide to using photography
in prayer, available
as a download on the siddur website, offers important guidance.
(For example, ‘We should not rely on the photos, but press our imagination
beyond them.’)” https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/can-pictures-enhance-prayer
What do you think if your prayer
book had illustrations? Would they be a distraction or help your kavanah?
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