The construction of the world’s largest Aron Kodesh was completed this week in the heichel of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo in the yeshivah in Rishon L’Tzion.

The aron, which was entirely handcrafted, is also the largest silver artifact in the world and is an unprecedented achievement in Jewish art.

Key Features of the Aron Kodesh:

• Dimensions: Area: 120 square meters, Length: 20 meters, Height: 6.5 meters.

• Materials: Crafted from over two tons of pure silver. The gilded silver parts are plated in pure gold.

• Cheder Hakodesh: In the center of the aron is a chamber for storing Sifrei Torah, meticulously constructed by leading artisans from the city of Udaipur, India.

• Paroches: The entrance to the Cheder Hakodesh is decorated with a purple paroches woven with gold threads and studded with precious stones, crafted over many months by the best artists in the Kashmir region, India.

• Mezuzah: The smallest mezuzah in the world, measuring 2.7 by 2.7 cm, a beautifully crafted work of art, is on the entrance to the Cheder Hakodesh.

• Copper Fence: The aron is surrounded by a cast copper fence weighing four tons, which was cast in a specialized foundry in Stuttgart, Germany.

The construction took three and a half years and involved 350 artists from 12 countries on three continents. The parts of the aron were transported along complex routes by sea and air, facing logistical challenges, including threats from the Houthis and the war situation to reach the yeshivah.

The aron was fully funded by a Jewish-American philanthropist, a Bobover chassid who dedicated the last few years to this monumental project in memory of the Bobover Rebbe, the Ba’al Divrei Shlomo, z’tl.

The dedication ceremony for the aron and a Hachnasas Sefer Torah took place on Thursday evening with the particpation of thousands of talmidim, Rabbanim and honored guests.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)