The task laid upon Jeremiah had been twofold. Besides giving him charge
over the people in the land of their exile, God had entrusted to him
the care of the sanctuary and all it contained. (59) The holy Ark, the
altar of incense, and the holy tent were carried by an angel to the
mount whence Moses before his death had viewed the land divinely
assigned to Israel. There Jeremiah found a spacious place, in which he
concealed these sacred utensils. Some of his companions had gone with
him to note the way to the cave, but yet they could not find it. (60)
When Jeremiah heard of their purpose, he censured them, for it was the
wish of God that the place of hiding should remain a secret until the
redemption, and then God Himself will make the hidden things visible.
(61)
Even the Temple vessels not concealed by Jeremiah were prevented from
falling into the hands of the enemy; the gates of the Temple sank into
the earth, (62) and other parts and utensils were hidden in a tower at
Bagdad by the Levite Shimur (63) and his friends. Among these utensils
was the seven-branched candlestick of pure gold, every branch set with
twenty-six pearls, and beside the pearls two hundred stones of
inestimable worth. Furthermore, the tower at Bagdad was the
hiding-place for seventy-seven golden tables, and for the gold with
which the walls of the Temple had been clothed within and without. The
tables had been taken from Paradise by Solomon, and in brilliance they
outshone the sun and the moon, while the gold from the walls excelled
in amount and worth all the gold that had existed from the creation of
the world until the destruction of the Temple. The jewels, pearls,
gold, and silver, and precious gems, which David and Solomon had
intended for the Temple were discovered by the scribe Hilkiah, and he
delivered them to the angel Shamshiel, who in turn deposited the
treasure in Borsippa. The sacred musical instruments were taken charge
of and hidden by Baruch and Zedekiah until the advent of the Messiah,
who will reveal all treasures. In his time a stream will break forth
from under the place of the Holy of Holies, and flow through the lands
to the Euphrates, and, as it flows, it will uncover all the treasures
buried in the earth. (64)