Dangerous Secrets: Yoma 54a

The Rabbis debate whether the Holy Ark, which contains the second set of tablets received by Moses at Sinai, were hidden at the site of the Temple in Jerusalem or taken with the Jews into exile. The following story supports the idea that the Ark stayed in Jerusalem.

A priest was passing the time idly, and saw a part of the floor in the Temple was different than the surrounding floor. The priest went to tell his friend, but died suddenly before he was able to finish the story. They realized that the priest had stumbled on the Ark's hiding place. How had the priest been passing the time? Rabbi Chelbo taught, 'The priest was playing with his hatchet.'

It was taught in the Rabbi Ishmael's study hall: Two priests whose wounds had made them unfit for the main Temple service were working with the woodpile, and one of their axes slipped away and fell in the same spot [as in the other priest's story]. Fire came out and devoured the ax.