The replica Ark of the Covenant at Beth Shemesh
“When you’re doing something good and you’re finding that you’re making progress in an unexpected way, you almost know that you’re operating in line with the goodness and the essence of the Creator,”Lewis Topper is a US philantropist who commissioned the project to construct a replica of the Ark of the Covenant. The project took three and a half years and involved 17 professionals, artisans and craftsmen from various countries. The design process involved historical and architectural research to reflect the Ark's ancient craftsmanship. Detailed descriptions of its construction can be found in the Old Testsament. To achieve a high level of authenticity, materials and construction techniques of ancient Egypt of the time were used as far as possible. These included a donation of 23.75-carat Egyptian gold, Egyptian acacia wood, special fabric for its lining, the ancient dye colours, and more. There was great attention to symbolic details, scoured from layers of scriptural and rabbinic teachings. It was not a simple project of building a physical contraption. The infusion of authentic details gave the replica profound meaning, of great reverence to the divine.
Lewis Topper
The project faced many construction, engineering and architectural challenges. The Ark was carried into battle so its original construction was obviously very robust. The project actually had a "proof of concept", an initial model created to test the feasibility and functionality of a design which was a low-cost plywood prototype built to explore structural elements and how well it could be carried and supported without breaking or warping. This initial model allowed the team to test joint strength, durability, and carrying stability for long periods, particularly given the absence of modern fasteners in the final design.
The Ark of the Covenant was constructed at Mt Sinai before the Isrealites started out on their 40-year wanderings and before Moses received the Laws of God. At the same time, under God's direction, Moses ordered the construction of the Tabernacle. It was in effect a mobile tentage so that the Israelites could carry it along during their wanderings. The Tabernacle had an inner sanctuary known as the "Holy of Holies" which was where God resided amongst the Israelites. The Ark rested in this sanctuary and was considered the seat of God. The Tablets of the Ten Commandments and other religious effects were thought to be kept in the Ark. The Ark was some sort of communication chanel where God spoke to Moses, the divine voice flowing through between the two cherubims on the top of the Ark. No one was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies except the chief priest once a year and after some purification process.
Each time the Israelites carried the Ark of the Covenant into battle or moved it forward during their journey, Moses recited a prayer invoking God’s protection and presence. (Numbers 10:35):
“Rise up, O Lord! May Your enemies be scattered; may Your foes flee before You.”
And when the Ark came to rest, he would say:
“Return, O Lord, to the countless thousands of Israel.”
This prayer reflects the belief that God’s presence, symbolized by the Ark, would lead and protect them against their enemies. It was both a declaration of trust in God’s guidance and a call for divine intervention on behalf of Israel in times of conflict or transition
After the Israelites entered the Promised Land, the Tabernacle and the Ark rested for the next 369 years in Shiloh, their religious centre. It was later moved to the City of David and eventually housed in Solomon's Temple. In AD 72 the Romans destroyed the Second Temple and the Ark disappeared from history.
The replica Ark was completed recently and unveiled in New York City in June this year, organised by the Israel Heritage Foundation. It was delivered to Israel this October and went on a tour to places where the original Ark had once rested in ancient times. It went to Shiloh, Jerico (where the original Ark had circled the city wall seven times before the walls collapsed), Temple Mount, Palace of David in the City of David, and finally Beth Shemesh.
Beth Shemesh is an oddity and was a miracle of the Ark mentioned in 1 Samuels 4-7. In a battle against the Philistines at Ebenezer, the Israelites were soundly beaten and the Ark was captured by the enemy. The Philistines took the Ark as a spoil of war.
The Philistines were a grouping of 5 city states known as Pentapolis. The Ark was first brought to Ashdod and placed in the Temple of Dagon, the God of the City. The day following the receipt of the Ark, the statute of Dagong was mysteriously destroyed. A plague befell on the city. Residents were inflicted with boils (called tumors) and the city infested by rats. Ashdod passed on the Ark to the next city. The five city states of Ashdod, Asklelon, Gaza, Gath and Ekron took turns to host the Ark and the same plague and rat infestation manifested. After seven months of suffering, and well aware of the stories of the power of the God if Israel in Egypt, the Philistines decided to return the Ark together with appeasement offerings of gold pieces, five in the shape of tumors and five as rats.
The Ark and the golden tumors and rats were placed in a cart pulled by two cows that have never been yoked (ie never been trained to carrying loads, pulling plows, or working under human control). In ancient practices, an animal that had not been yoked was considered pure, untouched by work, and therefore fitting for specific religious rituals or offerings. The fact that the cows were untrained also highlighted the difficulty of their task, as they were less likely to follow directions or walk in a straight path. The Philistines saw this as a test. If the untrained cows went straight toward Israelite territory, it would be a sign that the calamities they were suffering from were indeed due to their possession of the Ark. The cows’ journey without deviation was taken as a divine sign that the Ark’s presence had caused the troubles they experienced. Indeed the cows moved to the Israelite city of Beth Shemesh.
As for the replica, something extraordinary happened when it was placed at the archaelogical site of Shiloh on October 16. After a ceremony and the officiating rabbi had uttered Moses' prayer "May Your enemies be scattered; may Your foes flee before You", within the next minute, the death of the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, occured. For years, Israeli Defence Force had no intelligence on the whereabouts of Sinwar. He was never specifically targetted because his location was unknown. Sinwar was caught in a chance encounter and the IDF had no idea during the fire fight that Sinwar was in the building.
Was the killing of Sinwar providential and a miracle of the replica Ark, or was it just a coincidence?
In ancient times the Ark of the Covenant was carried into battle. But the Ark itself did not win battles for the Israelites. In biblical days it was a powerful object for chanelling a nation's faith on the Divine that drove the confidence to achieve impossible tasks. It was a unifying force for twelve tribes to prosper as a great nation.
The replica, though built as a symbol, resonates with the same themes of divine presence, strength, and national unity that the Ark represented in ancient times. The Ark symbolizes unity, faith, and spiritual connection and holds deep cultural and religious significance for both Jewish and Christian communities. The Israel Heritage Foundation views it as a representation of shared Judeo-Christian values, aiming to inspire a return to these values in the present-day context. The replica Ark was basically commissioned for a call back to the values that counter the destructive and hedonistic culture of neo-liberalism that has engulfed Western societies. Meanwhile, the homecoming of the replica Ark at a time when Israel is at war with seven enemies has great significance and the IDF seems enthused with renewed vigour and faith, willing to embrace and welcome it into every military installation for its blessings.
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