The Ark of the Covenant was a golden casket that the Hebrews used to keep the precious Ten Commandment stones. It was kept in the temple in Jerusalem, but on one of the occasions when the temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, it vanished. Now no-one knows where it might be.

The words Aron Kodesh are Hebrew for Holy Cabinet, a place in a synagogue where the Torah is kept in a synagogue. The Ark symbolises a place called the Holy of Holies in the ancient Temple in Jerusalem, which was the focal point of prayer. In the same way, the Ark serves as the focal point of prayer in modern synagogues. Worshippers face the Ark and it is usually placed so that the worshippers are facing Jerusalem. When the Torah scrolls are removed during religious services, the congregation stands, and a solemn ceremony accompanies the opening and closing of the ark doors.