לָקֹ֗חַ אֵ֣ת סֵ֤פֶר הַתּוֹרָה֙ הַזֶּ֔ה וְשַׂמְתֶּ֣ם אֹת֔וֹ מִצַּ֛ד אֲר֥וֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָיָה־שָׁ֥ם בְּךָ֖ לְעֵֽד׃
‘‘Take this book of the Torah and place it on the side of the ark of Adonoy, your God’s covenant; and it will be there as witness against you.
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֗ן קַ֚ח צִנְצֶ֣נֶת אַחַ֔ת וְתֶן־שָׁ֥מָּה מְלֹֽא־הָעֹ֖מֶר מָ֑ן וְהַנַּ֤ח אֹתוֹ֙ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה לְמִשְׁמֶ֖רֶת לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶֽם׃
Moshe said to Aharon, “Take a jar and put an omer full of manna in it, and place it before Adonoy to be preserved for your generations.”
וַיְהִ֣י מִֽמׇּחֳרָ֗ת וַיָּבֹ֤א מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־אֹ֣הֶל הָעֵד֔וּת וְהִנֵּ֛ה פָּרַ֥ח מַטֵּֽה־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לְבֵ֣ית לֵוִ֑י וַיֹּ֤צֵֽא פֶ֙רַח֙ וַיָּ֣צֵֽץ צִ֔יץ וַיִּגְמֹ֖ל שְׁקֵדִֽים׃
It was on the next day, Moshe came inside the Tent of the Testimony, and behold! The staff of Aharon blossomed for the house of Levi, a blossom came forth, and bloomed buds and bore ripe almonds.
וְנָתַתָּ֖ אֶל־הָאָרֹ֑ן אֵ֚ת הָעֵדֻ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֶתֵּ֖ן אֵלֶֽיךָ׃
You shall then place in the ark, the Testimony that I will give you.
ונתת אל הארן. כְּמוֹ בָּאָרוֹן: העדת. הַתּוֹרָה, שֶׁהִיא לְעֵדוּת בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם שֶׁצִּוִּיתִי אֶתְכֶם מִצְווֹת הַכְּתוּבוֹת בָּהּ:
(1) ונתת אל הארן — It must be explained as though it were written בארון: [AND THOU SHALT PUT] INTO THE ARK, (2) העדות THE TESTIMONY — the Torah (the Tablets; cf. Rashi on Exodus 40:20) which is a testimony between Me and you that I have ordained the comma...
וְרַבִּי יְהוּדָה – מִקַּמֵּי דְּלַיְתֵי אַרְגַּז, סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה הֵיכִי הֲוָה יָתֵיב? דַּפָּא הֲוָה נָפֵיק מִינֵּיהּ, וְיָתֵיב עִילָּוֵהּ סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה. וְרַבִּי מֵאִיר – הַאי ״מִצַּד אֲרוֹן״, מַאי עָבֵיד לֵיהּ? הַהוּא מִיבְּעֵי לֵיהּ דְּמִתְּנַח לֵיהּ מִצַּד וְלָא מִתְּנַח בֵּינֵי לוּחֵי; וּלְעוֹלָם בְּגַוֵּיהּ – מִן הַצַּד.
Having concluded its current discussion, the Gemara now addresses the details of the aforementioned baraita and asks: And according to Rabbi Yehuda, who says that the Torah scroll rested on the chest that came from the Philistines, where was the Torah scroll placed before the chest arrived? The Gemara answers: A shelf protruded from the Ark and the Torah scroll rested on it. The Gemara asks: And according to Rabbi Meir, who says that the Torah scroll rested inside the Ark, what does he do with this verse: “Take this Torah scroll and put it at the side of the Ark” (Deuteronomy 31:26)? The Gemara answers: He requires that verse to teach that the Torah scroll was placed at the side of the tablets, and that it was not placed between the two tablets, but it was actually placed inside the Ark at the side of the tablets.
לָקֹ֗חַ אֵ֣ת סֵ֤פֶר הַתּוֹרָה֙ הַזֶּ֔ה וְשַׂמְתֶּ֣ם אֹת֔וֹ מִצַּ֛ד אֲר֥וֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָיָה־שָׁ֥ם בְּךָ֖ לְעֵֽד׃
‘‘Take this book of the Torah and place it on the side of the ark of Adonoy, your God’s covenant; and it will be there as witness against you.
למשמרת לאות. לְזִכָּרוֹן שֶׁבָּחַרְתִּי בְּאַהֲרֹן לְכֹהֵן וְלֹא יִלּוֹנוּ עוֹד עַל הַכְּהֻנָּה:
למשמרת לאות TO BE KEPT AS A SIGN — i.e. as a reminder that I have chosen Aaron to be the priest and that they should therefore not murmur any more against the priesthood.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: אֵין עוֹשִׂין סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה – לֹא אׇרְכּוֹ יוֹתֵר עַל הֶקֵּיפוֹ, וְלֹא הֶקֵּיפוֹ יוֹתֵר עַל אׇרְכּוֹ. שָׁאֲלוּ אֶת רַבִּי: שִׁיעוּר סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה בְּכַמָּה? אָמַר לָהֶן: בִּגְוִיל – שִׁשָּׁה. בִּקְלָף בְּכַמָּה? אֵינִי יוֹדֵעַ.
§ The Sages taught: A Torah scroll should not be made in such a manner that its length, i.e., its height, is greater than its circumference when it is rolled up; nor should its circumference be greater than its length. They asked Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi: What should the size of a Torah scroll be? Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to them: If it was written on a hide that was treated with gallnuts [gevil ] it should be six handbreadths long. They asked him further: How much should it be if it was written on ordinary parchment [kelaf ]? Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to them: I do not know.
מֵיתִיבִי: אָרוֹן שֶׁעָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה – אַמָּתַיִם וָחֵצִי אׇרְכּוֹ, וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי רׇחְבּוֹ, וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי קוֹמָתוֹ – בְּאַמָּה בַּת שִׁשָּׁה טְפָחִים.
The Gemara raises an objection to what is taught with regard to the length of a Torah scroll from a baraita: With regard to the Ark of the Covenant that Moses fashioned, its length was two and one-half cubits, its width was one and one-half cubits, and its height was one and one-half cubits (see Exodus 25:10), the cubit used for these measurements being six handbreadths. Therefore, the Ark was fifteen handbreadths long, nine handbreadths wide, and nine handbreadths high.
וְהַלּוּחוֹת – אׇרְכָּן שִׁשָּׁה, וְרׇחְבָּן שִׁשָּׁה, וְעׇבְיָין שְׁלֹשָׁה; מוּנָּחוֹת כְּנֶגֶד אׇרְכּוֹ שֶׁל אָרוֹן. כַּמָּה לוּחוֹת אוֹכְלוֹת בָּאָרוֹן – שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר טְפָחִים. נִשְׁתַּיְּירוּ שָׁם שְׁלֹשָׁה טְפָחִים. צֵא מֵהֶן טֶפַח – חֶצְיוֹ לְכוֹתֶל זֶה וְחֶצְיוֹ לְכוֹתֶל זֶה – נִשְׁתַּיְּירוּ שָׁם שְׁנֵי טְפָחִים, שֶׁבָּהֶן סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה מוּנָּח.
The baraita continues: And as for the tablets, their length was six handbreadths, their width was six handbreadths, and their thickness was three handbreadths. The tablets were placed along the length of the Ark, one next to the other. If so, how much space did the tablets occupy along the length of the Ark? Twelve handbreadths, as each tablet was six handbreadths long. Three handbreadths were left there along the length of the Ark, for a total of fifteen handbreadths. Deduct a handbreadth from them: One-half a handbreadth for this wall, namely, the thickness of the wooden Ark itself, and one-half a handbreadth for the other wall. Accordingly, two handbreadths were left there, in which the Torah scroll written by Moses lay.
כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיַּנִּיחֵ֧הוּ אַהֲרֹ֛ן לִפְנֵ֥י הָעֵדֻ֖ת לְמִשְׁמָֽרֶת׃
As GOD had commanded Moses, Aaron placed it before the Ark of Testimony for safekeeping.
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה הָשֵׁ֞ב אֶת־מַטֵּ֤ה אַהֲרֹן֙ לִפְנֵ֣י הָעֵד֔וּת לְמִשְׁמֶ֥רֶת לְא֖וֹת לִבְנֵי־מֶ֑רִי וּתְכַ֧ל תְּלוּנֹּתָ֛ם מֵעָלַ֖י וְלֹ֥א יָמֻֽתוּ׃
Adonoy said to Moshe, “Return the staff of Aharon before the (Ark of) Testimony to be preserved as a symbol to the rebellious people, so that their complaint will end and they not die.”