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“Has the time come for this house to be destroyed?”
There is a pervasive sense of loss throughout the Talmud, with the references to the destruction of the second Temple, which was the golden house that united the Jewish people from its mount in Jerusalem. Today’s Daf Yomi provides an even deeper sense of loss through the brief but profound moments before the first Temple – Solomon’s Temple was forever lost.
The Temple had thirteen gates, including four in the north of the courtyard, four in the south, three in the east and two in the west. The gates are worth mentioning because of their wonderful names and significance. They included The Upper Gate; the Gate of Kindling; The Gate of the Firstborn; The Gate of Water; The Gate of Jeconiah;
Where is the Ark of the Covenant Today?
Does anyone know where the Ark of the Covenant is today? Was it taken by the Romans when the Temple was destroyed?
The Aish Rabbi Replies:
Thank you for raising the interesting topic. The Talmud (Yoma 52b, 53b-54a) explains that the Ark was actually removed from the Temple quite early, at the end of the First Temple era – and the Second Temple never had one.
According to one opinion it was taken to Babylonia at the time Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and exiled King Jeconiah and the upper classes. (He then placed Jeconiah’s uncle Zedekiah on the throne for another eleven years, until the final invasion and the Temple’s destruction.) This is implied by II Chronicles 36:10 which states that King Nebuchadnezzar exiled Jeconiah to Babylonia “with the precious utensils of House of God.” (See also Isaiah 39:6.)