And all those years that the Jewish people were in the wilderness, these two aronot (arks), one the casket of a dead person, and one the Ark of the Shekhinah, were traveling together, and passersby would say: What is the nature of these two arks? They said: One is of a dead person and one is of the Divine Presence. The passersby would ask: And in what way is it the manner of a dead person to travel with the Divine Presence? They said in response: This fulfilled all that is written in this.
(יב) וַיִּשַּׁ֨רְנָה הַפָּר֜וֹת בַּדֶּ֗רֶךְ עַל־דֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ בֵּ֣ית שֶׁ֔מֶשׁ בִּמְסִלָּ֣ה אַחַ֗ת הָלְכ֤וּ הָלֹךְ֙ וְגָע֔וֹ וְלֹא־סָ֖רוּ יָמִ֣ין וּשְׂמֹ֑אול וְסַרְנֵ֤י פְלִשְׁתִּים֙ הֹלְכִ֣ים אַחֲרֵיהֶ֔ם עַד־גְּב֖וּל בֵּ֥ית שָֽׁמֶשׁ׃ (יג) וּבֵ֣ית שֶׁ֔מֶשׁ קֹצְרִ֥ים קְצִיר־חִטִּ֖ים בָּעֵ֑מֶק וַיִּשְׂא֣וּ אֶת־עֵינֵיהֶ֗ם וַיִּרְאוּ֙ אֶת־הָ֣אָר֔וֹן וַֽיִּשְׂמְח֖וּ לִרְאֽוֹת׃ (יד) וְהָעֲגָלָ֡ה בָּ֠אָה אֶל־שְׂדֵ֨ה יְהוֹשֻׁ֤עַ בֵּֽית־הַשִּׁמְשִׁי֙ וַתַּעֲמֹ֣ד שָׁ֔ם וְשָׁ֖ם אֶ֣בֶן גְּדוֹלָ֑ה וַֽיְבַקְּעוּ֙ אֶת־עֲצֵ֣י הָעֲגָלָ֔ה וְאֶ֨ת־הַפָּר֔וֹת הֶעֱל֥וּ עֹלָ֖ה לַה'׃ {ס} (טו) וְהַלְוִיִּ֞ם הוֹרִ֣ידוּ ׀ אֶת־אֲר֣וֹן ה' וְאֶת־הָאַרְגַּ֤ז אֲשֶׁר־אִתּוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁר־בּ֣וֹ כְלֵֽי־זָהָ֔ב וַיָּשִׂ֖מוּ אֶל־הָאֶ֣בֶן הַגְּדוֹלָ֑ה וְאַנְשֵׁ֣י בֵֽית־שֶׁ֗מֶשׁ הֶעֱל֨וּ עֹל֜וֹת וַֽיִּזְבְּח֧וּ זְבָחִ֛ים בַּיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא לַה'...
(יט) וַיַּ֞ךְ בְּאַנְשֵׁ֣י בֵֽית־שֶׁ֗מֶשׁ כִּ֤י רָאוּ֙ בַּאֲר֣וֹן ה' וַיַּ֤ךְ בָּעָם֙ שִׁבְעִ֣ים אִ֔ישׁ חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים אֶ֖לֶף אִ֑ישׁ וַיִּֽתְאַבְּל֣וּ הָעָ֔ם כִּֽי־הִכָּ֧ה ה' בָּעָ֖ם מַכָּ֥ה גְדוֹלָֽה׃ (כ) וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אַנְשֵׁ֣י בֵֽית־שֶׁ֔מֶשׁ מִ֚י יוּכַ֣ל לַעֲמֹ֔ד לִפְנֵ֨י ה' הָאֱלֹקִ֛ים הַקָּד֖וֹשׁ הַזֶּ֑ה וְאֶל־מִ֖י יַעֲלֶ֥ה מֵעָלֵֽינוּ׃
(12) The cows went straight ahead along the road to Beth-shemesh. They went along a single highroad, lowing as they went, and turning off neither to the right nor to the left; and the lords of the Philistines walked behind them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. (13) The people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. They looked up and saw the Ark, and they rejoiced when they saw [it]. (14) The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and it stopped there. They split up the wood of the cart and presented the cows as a burnt offering to the Eternal. A large stone was there; (15) and the Levites took down the Ark of the Eternal and the chest beside it containing the gold objects and placed them on the large stone. Then the men of Beth-shemesh presented burnt offerings and other sacrifices to the Eternal that day....
(19) [But The Eternal] struck at the men of Beth-shemesh because they looked into the Ark of the Eternal, and struck down seventy men among the people, and fifty thousand men. The people mourned, for God had inflicted a great slaughter upon the population. (20) And the men of Beth-shemesh asked, “Who can stand in attendance on the Eternal, this holy God? And who will go up from us?”
(3) They loaded the Ark of God onto a new cart and conveyed it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Abinadab’s sons, Uzza and Ahio, guided the new cart. (4) They conveyed it from Abinadab’s house on the hill, [Uzza walking]alongside the Ark of God and Ahio walking in front of the Ark. (5) Meanwhile, David and all the House of Israel danced before the Eternal with [the sound of] all kinds of cypress wood [instruments], with lyres, harps, timbrels, sistrums, and cymbals. (6) But when they came to the threshing floor of Nahon, Uzzah reached out for the Ark of God and grasped it, for the oxen had stumbled. (7) The Eternal was incensed at Uzzah. And God struck him down on the spot for his indiscretion and he died there beside the Ark of God.
(5) You shall keep watch over the Sanctuary and the altar, that wrath may not again strike the Israelites. (6) I hereby take your fellow Levites from among the Israelites; they are assigned to you in dedication to ה', to do the work of the Tent of Meeting; (7) while you and your sons shall be careful to perform your priestly duties in everything pertaining to the altar and to what is behind the curtain. I make your priesthood a service of dedication; any outsider who encroaches shall be put to death.
וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לֹ֥א תוּכַ֖ל לִרְאֹ֣ת אֶת־פָּנָ֑י כִּ֛י לֹֽא־יִרְאַ֥נִי הָאָדָ֖ם וָחָֽי׃
“But you cannot see My face, for a human being may not see Me and live.”
אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״וְזֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר שָׂם מֹשֶׁה״,
זָכָה — נַעֲשֵׂית לוֹ סַם חַיִּים, לֹא זָכָה — נַעֲשֵׂית לוֹ סַם מִיתָה. וְהַיְינוּ דְּאָמַר רָבָא: דְּאוֹמֵן לַהּ — סַמָּא דְחַיָּיא, דְּלָא אוֹמֵן לַהּ — סַמָּא דְמוֹתָא.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And this is the Torah which Moses put [sam] before the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 4:44)?
If one is deserving, the Torah becomes a potion [sam] of life for him. If one is not deserving, the Torah becomes a potion of death for him. And this idea is what Rava said: For one who is trained, it is a potion of life; but for one who is not trained, it is a potion of death.