Negative commandment · Lo Ta’aseh #86 of 613
Not to remove the staves of the ark
שלא להוציא בדי הארון
The verse · Shemot 25:15
בְּטַבְּעֹת הָאָרֹן יִהְיוּ הַבַּדִּים לֹא יָסֻרוּ מִמֶּנּוּ
“The poles shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it.”
The Rambam’s words
Not to remove the staves of the ark, as [Exodus 25:16] states: "They shall not be removed from it."
שלא להוציא בדי הארון, שנאמר "לֹא יָסֻרוּ מִמֶּנּוּ" (שמות כה, טו).
Why · Sefer HaChinuch #96
To not remove the poles of the ark from it
“It is from the roots of the commandment [that it is] because the ark is the residence of the Torah, and [the latter] is our essence and our glory.”
Who & when
“The three commandments of this Order are not practiced today.”
Where in the Mishneh Torah
Hilchot Vessels of the Sanctuary and Those Who Serve Therein הלכות כלי המקדש והעובדין בו