When the Aron was hidden, the following were hidden with it - the jar of Mann (manna), the flask of anointing oil, the staff of Aharon, its blossoms and almonds; and the box in which the Plishtim returned a gift to the G-d of Yisrael.

Who hid it? (King) Yoshiyahu. When he saw the Pasuk (Devarim 28:36), "Hash-m will bring you and your king that you placed upon yourself, to a nation that is unknown to you and your fathers"; he stood up and hid it.

This is, as it is written (Divrei haYamim II 35:3), "And he said to the Leviim, who taught all of Yisrael, who were holy to Hash-m, 'Place the Holy Aron in the House that Shlomo son of David, king of Yisrael, built; you have no burden on the shoulders'."

He said to them, "If it is exiled with you to Bavel, you will not return it to its place." Rather, (ibid), "Now, serve Hash-m, your G-d, and His nation, Yisrael."

Preparing the anointing oil - (how do we know that it was hidden?) As the Pasuk states (Shemos 30:23-24), "And you, take for yourself...and of cassia 500 (shekel weights) etc.", which totals 1500 (shekel weights).

(R. Meir): "Olive oil - a hin", which is 12 Log, in which the roots (of the spices) were boiled.

(R. Yehuda): He first boils them in water and then puts oil on top of them. After it absorbs the fragrance, he removes it (the oil), in the way of the perfume makers, as the Pasuk states (Shemos 30:31), "Holy anointing oil etc.".

(Beraisa - R. Yehuda bei R. Ilai): The anointing oil made by Moshe in the desert was miraculous from beginning to end. Originally, it contained only 12 Log, as the Pasuk states (ibid), "Olive oil - a hin".

If to pour over the roots, that volume does not suffice, all the more so when it is being absorbed by the fire, the wood and the vat.

That oil was used to anoint the following - the Mishkan and its vessels, the Shulchan (on which the Lechem haPanim were placed) and its vessels, the Menorah and its vessels, Aharon the Kohen Gadol and his sons throughout the seven days of Miluim (inauguration of the Mishkan) and Kohanim Gedolim and kings.

If a king is the start (of a succession), he requires anointing. If a king is the son of a king, he does not require it.

What is the source for this? The Pasuk states (Shmuel I 16:12), "Arise and anoint him, because he is the one." - This one requires anointing, but his son will not require it.

But a Kohen Gadol, son of a Kohen Gadol, requires anointing, even after 10 generations.

All of it will remain in the future, as the Pasuk states (Shemos 30:31), "This shall be the Holy anointing oil for me in all your generations.

Kings are only anointed at a spring, as the Pasuk says (Melachim I 1:33-34), "And have Shlomo, my son, ride on my mule and take him down to Gichon (spring). And Tzadok haKohen and Nasan haNavi shall anoint him there as king over Yisrael."

One only anoints a king who is the son of a king, in a case of dispute.

Why was Shlomo anointed? Because of the dispute of Adoniyahu. Yoash (was anointed) because of Atalyahu. Yehoachaz was because of his brother, Yehuyakim, who was two years old than him. Yeihu, because of Yoram.

Question: Does it not state (Shmuel I 16:12), "Arise and anoint him, as he is the one" - this one needs anointing, but kings of Yisrael do not need anointing?

Answer: Yehoachaz (was anointed) because of his brother Yehuyakim, who was two years older than him.

Question: Did Yoshiyahu not hide it away (before this)?

Answer: Rather, this shows that he was anointed with balsam oil (rather than the regular anointing oil).

One should only anoint kings from a horn. Shaul and Yeihu were anointed from an earthenware flask and their reigns were temporary. David and Shlomo were anointed from a horn and their reigns were permanent.

One may not anoint Kohanim to be kings.

(R. Yehuda Untundaria): As the Pasuk states (Bereishis 49:10), "The sceptor shall not leave (the tribe of) Yehuda."

(Rav Chiya bar Ada): The Pasuk states (Devarim 17:20), "...so that he may prolong (his) days in his kingdom, he and his sons, among Yisrael." What is written after that? (Devarim 18:1), "There shall not be to the Kohanim and Levi'im".

(R. Yochanan): Yochanan is Yehoachaz.

Question: But the Pasuk states (Divrei haYamim I 3:15), "...the firstborn was Yochanan"? (And as the Gemara stated earlier, Yehoachaz was two years younger than his brother!)

Answer: That refers to the firstborn for royalty (meaning that he reigned first).

(R. Yochanan): Shalum is Tzidkiyahu.

Question: But the Pasuk states (ibid), "the third, Tzidkiyah; the fourth, Shalum"?

Answer: He was the third in order of birth, but the fourth to reign.

He was called Tzidkiyahu, as he 'Tzidak Alav Midas haDin' - he accepted upon himself the attribute of judgment. He was called Shalum, as in his days, the kingdom of Beis Dovid was 'Sheleimah' - ended (meaning that he was the last king of the House of Dovid).

His name was not Shalum or Tzidkiyahu, but rather, Matanyah, as it is written (Melachim II 24:17), "The king of Bavel crowned Matanyah, his uncle, in his place and changed his name to Tzidkiyahu."

(R. Yochanan): The Aron was made using Amos of 6 Tefachim.

Question: Who is the Tana who says that they were 6 Tefachim Amos?

Answer: R. Meir, as the Mishnah (in Maseches Keilim) teaches...

(R. Meir): All of the Amos of the Mikdash were median in size (i.e. 6 Tefachim Amos)

(R. Yehudah): Those used for the building were 6 Tefachim; those used for the vessels were 5 Tefachim.

According to R. Meir, the Aron was 15 Tefachim long, as the Pasuk states (Shemos 25:10), "Two and a half Amos long". (6+6+3 =15)

There were four Tablets in the Aron, two were complete and two were broken, as the Pasuk states (Devarim 10:2), "...that you broke and place them in the Aron".

Each of the Tablets was 6 Tefachim long and 3 Tefachim wide. Place the length of the Tablets along the length of the Aron (one after the other).

Three Tefachim of its length remain empty. A half a Tefach on each side is the thickness of the wall (as the 15 Tefach length of the Aron was the outside measurement), which leaves two Tefachim for the Sefer Torah (written by Moshe Rabbeinu).

The width of the Aron was 9 Tefachim, as it is written (Shemos 25:10), "...and one and a half Amos wide". (6+3=9 Tefachim wide)

There were four Tablets in the Aron, two were complete and two were broken, as the Pasuk states (Devarim 10:2), "...that you broke and place them in the Aron".

The length of each Tablet was 6 Tefachim and its width was 6 Tefachim. Place the width of the Tablets along the width of the Aron and three Tefachim remain - half a Tefach for the thickness of each wall and a two Tefachim space for the Sefer Torah.

(R. Shimon ben Lakish): The Aron was built based on a five Tefachim Amah.

Question: Which Tana uses an Amah of five Tefachim? R. Yehuda. (See above 5(c))

Support (Mishnah in Keilim - R. Yehuda): The Amah for the construction of the building was 6 Tefachim; the Amah for the vessels was 5 Tefachim; and the Aron was a vessel.

According to R, Yehuda, the length of the Aron was 12.5 Tefachim, as the Pasuk states (Shemos 25:10), "Two and half Amah length". 5+5+2.5=12.5 Tefachim.

There were four Tablets in the Aron, two whole and two broken, as the Pasuk says (Devarim 10:2), "...that you broke, and place them in the Aron".

Each Tablet was 6 Tefachim long and 6 Tefachim wide. Place the length of the Tablets along the length of the Aron and half a Tefach remains, a fingerbreadth for the thickness of each wall.

The width of the Aron was 7.5 Tefachim, as the Pasuk says, "1.5 Amah width" - 5+2.5=7.5 Tefachim.

There were four Tablets in the Aron, two were complete and two were broken, as the Pasuk states (Devarim 10:2), "...that you broke and place them in the Aron".

Each Tablet was 6 Tefachim long and 6 Tefachim wide. Place their width along the width of the Aron and 1.5 Tefachim remain. The thickness of the wall was one fingerbreadth on each side, leaving one Tefach - half a Tefach on each side of the Tablets for accessibility. (According to this opinion, the Sefer Torah of Moshe was not kept in the Aron.)

Question: How did Betzalel construct the Aron?

Answer (R. Chaninah): He made three boxes, two from gold and one from wood. He put the (smaller) gold box inside the wooden box and then the wooden box inside the (larger) golden box.

He then covered the rim with gold, as the Pasuk states (Shemos 25:11), "And you shall cover it with pure gold on the inside and on the outside.

Question: What does the word 'you shall cover it' teach?

Answer: It includes the upper rim.

Answer #2 (Reish Lakish): He made one box and covered it with gold. As the Pasuk states (ibid), "And you shall cover it with pure gold on the inside and on the outside."

Question: What does the word 'you shall cover it' teach?

Answer (R. Pinchas): To include the edges between the boards (that are not visible).

Question: What was the arrangement of the text on the Tablets?

(Opinion #1 - R. Chaninah ben Gamliel): Five commandments on each Tablet.

(Support): The Pasuk states (Devarim 4:13), "And He wrote them on two Tablets of stone" - five on each.

(Opinion #2 - Rabbanan): All ten on each Tablet.

(Support): The Pasuk states (ibid), "And He told you His covenant, which He commanded you to do, the Ten Commandments, and He inscribed them on two stone tablets.

(Opinion #3 - R. Shimon ben Yochai): There were 20 on each Tablet, as the Pasuk states (ibid), "And He wrote them on two stone Tablets". (Note: The Vilna Gaon replaces this quote with the phrase (Shemos 32:15), "Written on both sides", meaning that all of the Ten Commandments were on each side of each Tablet.

(Opinion #4 - R. Simai): There were 40 on each Tablet, as the Pasuk states (Shemos 32:15), "on one side and on the other side they were inscribed" - quadrangular. (The Tablets had dimensions of 6X3X3 Tefachim. Thus, there were 4 surfaces (of 6X3), on each Tablet, upon which to write the Ten Commandments.)

(Chananyah, nephew of R. Yehoshua): Between one Commandment and the next were written the details and letters of the Torah, as it is written (Shir HaShirim 5:14), "studded with Beryl (Tarshish)", like the (color of the) Great Sea. (This Pasuk in Shir haShirim is an allusion to the Tablets. They are compared to the Mediterranean Sea, as R. Shimon ben Lakish will now explain.)

When R. Shimon ben Lakish would reach this Pasuk, he would say, "Chananyah, the nephew of R. Yehoshua taught me well. Just as in the sea, between one large wave and the next are smaller waves, so between one Commandment and the next, the details and letters of the Torah were written".

Question (R. Tanchuma to R. Pinchas): The following Pasuk agrees with R. Yehuda, not R. Meir (as it indicates that the Sefer Torah of Moshe was not in the Aron - see earlier Sections 5) and 6))...

What is R. Yehuda's source? The Pasuk states (Devarim 31:26), "Take this Sefer Torah and place it to the side of the Aron, the Covenant of Hash-m etc."

According to R. Yehuda, the Sefer Torah was placed in a type of box made on the outside of the Aron.

What is R. Meir's source? The Pasuk states (Shemos 25:21), "And you shall place the Kapores (cover) on top of the Aron and into the Aron you shall place the testimony that I will give you."

According to R. Yehuda, there is no (assumed) chronological order in the Torah. Rather (you can reverse the reading of the two parts of the Pasuk and say), "You shall place the testimony that I will give you in the Aron"; and then afterwards "You shall place a Kapores (cover) on the Aron from above".

(R. Papa citing R. Shimon ben Lakish): The Torah that HaKadosh Baruch Hu gave to Moshe was given as white fire engraved on black fire. It itself is fire, it is mixed with fire, cut out from fire and given from fire, as it is written (Devarim 33:2), "From His right hand was a fiery Law for them".