{"id":53158,"date":"2019-04-04T20:10:44","date_gmt":"2019-04-04T17:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=53158"},"modified":"2019-04-04T20:10:44","modified_gmt":"2019-04-04T17:10:44","slug":"a-levitating-ark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-levitating-ark\/","title":{"rendered":"A Levitating Ark?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At the close of the previous chapter, we left the priests immersed up to their feet in water on the eastern bank of the Jordan, waiting with the Ark while the rest of the people crossed over. When that crossing was complete, God instructed Joshua to have the priests \u201cascend from the Jordan\u201d (verses 16-17) and \u201cas soon as the soles of the priests’ feet were drawn up unto the dry ground, the waters of the Jordan returned to their place as before\u201d (18).<\/span><\/p>\n

To which \u201cdry ground\u201d were the priests\u2019 feet drawn up? While logic would have it that the reference is to the west bank of the Jordan\u2014where the rest of the nation awaited them\u2014a remarkable Midrash insists that the priests retreated to the eastern bank, whereupon \u201cthe Ark bore its bearers aloft and crossed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Rabbi David Kimhi (Radak; Provence, 1160-1235), a critic of midrashic excess, wrote:<\/span><\/p>\n

I find this homily [<\/span>derash<\/span><\/i>] perplexing: \u00a0What forced [the rabbis] into [this interpretation] of these verses… \u00a0Even if we were to grant their premise, i.e., that the reference is to the bank of the Jordan whence they entered, [it would mean that] after all the people crossed, the ark followed them across to dry land, and when the feet of the <\/span>kohanim<\/span><\/i> were removed to the dry land <\/span>on the other<\/span><\/i> [western] <\/span>side<\/span><\/i> the waters resumed their course\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

What need is there to have the ark bear its bearers and cross? \u00a0And if such a miracle did actually occur, would not the verse have said [explicitly] that the ark bore its bearers aloft above the water?<\/span><\/p>\n

Despite Radak\u2019s critique, this Midrash reprises itself apropos of 2 Samuel 6:6 ff. When Uzzah reaches out out to prevent the Ark from slipping off the wagon transporting it back from the Philistines, God slays him. His crime, said Rashi: If the Ark could hold its bearers aloft, surely it needed no assistance to keep itself intact.<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo by Vassil:\u00a0Carrying the Ark of the Covenant: gilded bas-relief at\u00a0Auch Cathedral \/ wikimedia<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":53159,"id":53159,"title":"jo4-Cath\u00e9drale_d'Auch_20","filename":"jo4-Cath\u00e9drale_dAuch_20.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo4-Cath\u00e9drale_dAuch_20.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/a-levitating-ark\/jo4-cathedrale_dauch_20\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"jo4-cathedrale_dauch_20","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":53158,"date":"2019-04-04 17:10:30","modified":"2019-04-04 17:10:39","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":800,"height":799,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo4-Cath\u00e9drale_dAuch_20-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo4-Cath\u00e9drale_dAuch_20-300x300.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo4-Cath\u00e9drale_dAuch_20-768x767.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":767,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo4-Cath\u00e9drale_dAuch_20.jpg","large-width":800,"large-height":799,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo4-Cath\u00e9drale_dAuch_20.jpg","1536x1536-width":800,"1536x1536-height":799,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo4-Cath\u00e9drale_dAuch_20.jpg","2048x2048-width":800,"2048x2048-height":799,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo4-Cath\u00e9drale_dAuch_20.jpg","post_full_size-width":800,"post_full_size-height":799,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/jo4-Cath\u00e9drale_dAuch_20-421x420.jpg","home_baner-width":421,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"A 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