Our Gemara on Amud Aleph describes various holy artifacts that were sequestered and hidden along with the Holy Ark so that they would not be plundered when the prophecy of the exile came to pass:
When the Ark of the Covenant was sequestered, the anointing oil, the jar of manna (see Shemos 16:33), Aaron’s staff with its almonds and blossoms (see Bamidbar 17:23), and the chest that the Philistines sent as a gift to Israel were all sequestered with it, as it is stated: “And you shall take the Ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart, and put the vessels of gold that you return Him as a guilt-offering in a chest by its side and send it away that it may go” (I Shmuel 6:8).
What do all of these items have in common? We can say they were in the Ark, but that begs the question as to what it is about these objects specifically that merited such a status.
A possibility is that the oil, manna, and the almonds that grew on Aaron’s staff are symbolic of sustenance and fruitfulness. However, this still leaves the chest of the Philistines as the odd one out. The Rambam (Hilchos Beis Habechira 4:10) lists the articles that were with the Ark, and interestingly does not mention the chest of the Philistines. Perhaps he did not have it in his text of the Gemara?
Another possible explanation is that the manna, the staff, and the chest were all part of miraculous occurrences. The oil too had a miraculous quality of extending way beyond its actual supply (Horiyos 11b). Still, the answer is not satisfying, as surely there were other miraculous events to memorialize? But on second thought, are there other objects that involved miracles which were accessible? Most of the miracles did not have objects that could be memorialized, such as the cloud or pillar of fire, or Miriam’s well. Perhaps the copper snake (Bamidbar 21:9) could have been memorialized like these other items. Oddly, it became an object of veneration in an idolatrous manner (II Kings 18:4), so perhaps it should have been sequestered to keep it out of trouble.
Following that line of thought, we can say that was the reason for keeping these objects by the Ark, so they would not become objects of worship separate from God—similar to the reason that Moshe’s gravesite was kept hidden (see Ralbag Devarim 34:6, Chasam Sofer V’eschanan 27), and why Yaakov did not want to be buried in Egypt (Tanchuma Vayechi 3:2). Since these objects were identified with miracles, they needed to be memorialized in a way that kept people cognizant that they ultimately came from God.
Translations Courtesy of Sefaria, except when, sometimes, I disagree with the translation
Free resource for couples/families:
Over 80 lectures on heathy communication, marriage and sexuality from a Torah perspective Click here
If you liked this, you might enjoy my Relationship Communications Guide. Click on the link above.
Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, LCSW-R, LMFT, DHL is a psychotherapist who works with high conflict couples and families. He can be reached via email at simchafeuerman@gmail.com