This week's Parsha opens a five-week series dedicated to the construction of the Mishkan and its furnishings, with each component detailed warranting numerous shiurim on its own. Besiyata Dishmaya, we will have the opportunity to delve into every detail over the coming weeks, and our eagerness to connect with the Mishkan will stand as a merit that guides us towards the rebuilding of the Beit HaBechira. That being said, there is one element that I would like to concentrate on today – the Keruvim – despite it being a vast topic that requires considerably more time to understand and fully appreciate.
The primary kli in the Mishkan, and the first presented to us, is the Aron – the Ark. The Luchot HaEidut were stored in the Aron, and the Mishkan itself is referred to as Mishkan HaEidut. It is at the Aron, from in between between the two Keruvim, that Hakadosh Baruch Hu spoke to Aharon.
They shall make an ark of acacia wood, two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high.
According to the Kli Yakar, each dimension includes a half measure to teach us that no matter how great we may have become, we have not even reached the halfway point! The combination of wood and gold in the Aron also imparts lessons of humility. These aspects, among many others, are lessons we need to learn and internalize.
The Aron was the central component of the Mishkan, leading Bnei Yisrael in their journey through the desert and serving as the conduit for all miracles. The Midrash tells us (Yalkut Shimoni 729; Tanchuma Vayakhel 7), two flames would shoot out from the Aron’s poles and burn all snakes and scorpions, along with the enemies of Bnei Yisrael. The world would be filled with the scent of these miracles, all stemming from the Shechinah and Torah residing within the Aron. For this reason, we are told: חָבִיב הָאָרוֹן מִכָּל כְּלֵי הַמִּשְׁכָּן – the Aron was more beloved than any other vessel in the Mishkan. Rabbeinu Bachya says the name of Hakadosh Baruch Hu – נורא – can be found in the letters of the אָרוֹן, as the Shechinah resides within.
Zooming in on the Aron, we find the well-known images that protruded from its כַּפֹּרֶת (cover), namely, the כְּרוּבִים. As we enter the double month of Adar, there is something for us to learn from these two Keruvim, and our learning will bring us simcha, also appropriate for the month. Let’s begin with the pesukim that introduce the Keruvim:
You shall make a cover of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. Make two cherubim of gold—make them of hammered work—at the two ends of the cover. Make one cherub at one end and the other cherub at the other end; of one piece with the cover shall you make the cherubim at its two ends. The cherubim shall have their wings spread out above, shielding the cover with their wings. They shall confront each other; the faces of the cherubim being turned toward the cover.
The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabbah 4:13) explains the Keruvim and their significance in great detail, including a statement by Rabbi Natan: חָבִיב מַעֲשֶׂה הָאָרוֹן כְּכִסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד – Beloved is the work of the Ark as the Throne of Glory. The Aron was like the Kiseh HaKavod, its cover like the angels hovering above, and its Keruvim like שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ – Heaven and Earth, where Hakadosh Baruch Hu dwells. The Keruvim faced one another just like the Kiseh HaKavod faces Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
Regarding the final pasuk above, and the repetition of the commandment to place the Luchot inside the Aron, Rashi says, it teaches us this should be done while the Aron sits by itself, with the Kaporet added only afterwards. What is the significance of this? The Keruvim cannot be placed atop the Aron while it is empty. Commentators all ask why such a rule is needed, and while we won’t go into all their answers, we will dig in and try to understand the deeper significance of the Keruvim themselves.
What exactly were the Keruvim? What was their appearance?
There are multiple opinions. Rashi, based on the Gemara (Succah 5a), says the Keruvim had the form of a child’s face: דְּמוּת פַּרְצוּף תִּינוֹק לָהֶם. Another opinion is found in a different Gemara (Yoma 54a), which states the Keruvim had the form of a male and female, symbolizing Hakadosh Baruch Hu and Bnei Yisrael. The Rashbam says, they looked like a large bird, based on the Pasuk (Yechezkel 28:14): כְּרוּב מִמְשַׁח הַסּוֹכֵךְ אַתְּ – I created you as a cherub, with outstretched shielding wings. The Ba’al HaTurim adds, they appeared like two friends going back and forth in the study of Torah.
If we go back to the beginning of Sefer Bereshit, there is an early appearance of Keruvim, in the story of Adam HaRishon being sent out from Gan Eden:
He banished the man and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the Cherubim and the flame of the rotating sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life.
The Keruvim guarded Gan Eden, not allowing Adam HaRishon to re-enter. There, Rashi says based on the Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 9:11), the Keruvim were מַלְאֲכֵי חַבָּלָה – angels of destruction.
So, which one is it? Do the Keruvim resemble young children? A man and woman? A large bird? Two talmidei chachamim? Two angels of destruction? Open Sefer Yechezkel (10), and you’ll find even more options! The Navi speaks of his vision of Heavenly phenomena and reveals to us the image of the Keruvim. He saw what resembled a bull, a lion, an eagle, and a human, and then said: וָאֵדַע כִּי כְרוּבִים הֵמָּה – now I knew that they were keruvim. And there are more! Rabbi Shmaya, one of Rashi’s students, says the golden Keruvim represented the two Serafim (angels) who hovered above the Kiseh HaKavod, as it says: שְׂרָפִים עֹמְדִים מִמַּעַל לוֹ, and we know there were two such angels as it says: וְקָרָא זֶה אֶל זֶה – And one would call to the other. The Ari HaKadosh explains the following Pasuk with yet another option:
Make one Keruv out of one end, and one Keruv out of the other end. From the same piece of gold as the cover itself, you shall make the Keruvim on its two ends.
The Arizal says, מִיכָאֵל מִימִין מְהַלֵל וְגַבְרִיאֵל מִשְּׂמֹאל מְמַלֵל – on one side, the angel Michael sang praise, and on the other side, the angel Gavriel spoke words of acclaim. I’d like to bring one final reference to the appearance of the Keruvim, from Yalkut Reuveni (Pinchas).
There are seven levels of the tzaddikim in Gan Eden, with seven different types of houses.
It is important to know the layout of Gan Eden, as each of us will arrive there one day and we should not appear lost when we enter. The first level is that of Tzadikim who conquered their Yetzer Hara; Yosef HaTzadik is the head of this level. The second level is that of Yesharim, with a corresponding level of angels called Erelim; Pinchas ben Elazar is the head of this level. The third level is that of Temimim, with a corresponding level of angels called Tarshishim; Elazar HaKohen is the head of this level. The fourth level is that of Kedoshim, and Aharon HaKohen is the head of this level. The fifth level is that of Ba’alei Teshuva, with a corresponding level of angels called Meshartei Elyon; Menashe, the wicked king who performed Teshuva, is the head of this level. The sixth level is that of Tinokot shel Beit Rabban, with a corresponding level of angels called Keruvim; Yehoshua, described as נַעַר, is the head of this level. The seventh level is that of Chasidim; the Avot, together with Adam HaRishon, head this level. Pertaining to our discussion, a connection is again made between Keruvim and the faces of children.
Rabbotai, each of these opinions requires multiple hours to break down, and multiple shiurim to explain the relevance and significance of each image invoked. There is one tangent to highlight though. The Maharam of Lublin explains why the Keruvim were to be made out of gold. The Menorah, too, was to be made of gold, but when no gold was available, metal could be used in its place. Something that actually occurred during the days of the Maccabim and the story of Chanukah. The Keruvim, however, required gold and it could not be substituted by any other material. If no gold was available, there’d simply be no Keruvim. The Maharam says the reason for this is because the Keruvim are young children, and the education of children needs to be golden – pure gold with nothing inferior mixed in. Clean and golden.
The Symbolism of the Keruvim
Let’s return to our earlier question regarding why the Keruvim could not be placed atop an empty Aron and required that the Luchot be present inside. The Malbim presents a wonderful idea, from which we can also extract an idea related to the holiday of Purim which we’re nearing. Without going into their appearance, he says one of the Keruvim represents Bein Adam la-Makom, and the other Bein Adam le-Chaveiro. The Imrei Chaim of Viznitz says (Terumah 362), given that the Keruvim could only be placed atop an Aron containing the luchot, the right Keruv represents Bein Adam la-Makom, and the left Keruv represents Bein Adam le-Chaveiro, exactly as they are laid out just below in the Aron. And the reason the Keruvim cannot be placed atop an empty Aron is that the entire concept of Bein Adam le-Chaveiro is dependent upon the Torah. It is not defined or determined by the nations of the world and their arbitrary laws. How we are to treat one another was taught to Moshe Rabbeinu atop Har Sinai and passed on to Yehoshua, and eventually to the people. The same goes for the manner in which we are to relate to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Har Sinai, and the Luchot received at Ma’amad Har Sinai, are the foundation of what the Keruvim symbolize, and one cannot build without the foundation present.
The Kli Yakar, combining two of the images mentioned earlier, says that if a teacher is like an angel of G-d, and clean of all sin like a one-year-old child, words of Torah will be sought from their mouth. And to be clean, they must be clean both in terms of Bein Adam la-Makom and Bein Adam le-Chaveiro, as it says: וִהְיִיתֶם נְקִיִים מֵה' וּמִיִּשְׂרָאֵל – you shall be clear before G-d and before Israel. The Keruvim’s wings pointed upwards and downwards, reflecting the teacher fulfilling their mission to pass the words of Heavenly Torah down to their students.
Were the Keruvim identical to one another? From the language of שְׁנֵי הַכְּרוּבִים, we learn they were. Rabbeinu Bachya, however, says that from the additional language of שְׁנַיִם כְּרוּבִים, we can determine they were also not identical. What was identical and what was not identical? They were equal in height, but if one represented a man and the other a woman, they were clearly not identical in that regard. The Torah was given in the month of Sivan, whose mazal (sign) is תְּאוֹמִים – twins, who share the most intimate and profound connection possible. On the pasuk אֲחֹתִי רַעְיָתִי יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי, Chazal say to read the final word as תְּאוֹמָתִי – my twin, representing Hakadosh Baruch Hu and Knesset Yisrael, and the inseparable twinning of Middot Bein Adam la-Makom and Middot Bein Adam le-Chaveiro.
The Keruvim faced one another, as we are told in the pasuk: וּפְנֵיהֶם אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו. Chazal point to the final letter in each of the words, highlighting that שָׁלוֹם is the result – the Torah lives when there is peace not only between man and Hakadosh Baruch Hu, but when there is also peace between man and fellow man. The peace is not only that of two who sit together and study Torah, but it is the peace of שְׁלֵמוּת – completeness and perfection. A complete person is one who equally observes both of the Luchot, represented by the two Keruvim.
Last week, we touched upon Hakadosh Baruch Hu favoring the commandments of Bein Adam le-Chaveiro. These commandments, on the left side of the Luchot, were handed to Moshe Rabbeinu in a font size significantly larger than the commandments on the right, and the Rosh says Hakadosh Baruch Hu prefers these commandments to those between man and G-d.
Do you want more proof? The Talmud tells us the story of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair, who, on a mission to redeem captives, encountered the river Ginnai. He requested the river to part ways for him, but it initially refused, arguing it was also fulfilling its divine purpose with guaranteed success, unlike the uncertain outcome of Rabbi Pinchas’ mission. Rabbi Pinchas threatened to stop the river's flow entirely, prompting the river to relent and part ways for him. Additionally, following the directives of Rabbi Pinchas, the river also parted for a man carrying wheat for Pesach and an Arab nomad accompanying them, ensuring all could pass.
The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh questions why Az Yashir is sung daily in commemoration of Moshe Rabbeinu splitting the sea once, while Rabbi Pinchas parting the waters three times goes unmentioned. He explains that the key difference lies in the timing relative to Matan Torah. Before Matan Torah, it was solely G-d's prerogative to determine the course of events. After Matan Torah, man was endowed with the capacity to influence divine action. Moshe's parting of the sea, occurring before Matan Torah, was a monumental miracle directly orchestrated by G-d, making it a greater feat. In contrast, Rabbi Pinchas, living well after Matan Torah, could exercise his righteousness to indirectly manipulate natural elements, such as redirecting or halting the flow of water.
In the Yerushalmi's account, the narrative differs, depicting Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair heading to the Beit Midrash when he reached the river just after the ferry had left. Instead of waiting for an hour and admiring the scenery, he commanded the water to part for him. On the opposite shore, his students awaited and, upon witnessing his arrival, inquired if they could also cross in the same miraculous manner. He replied, "Only those who are certain they have never harmed a single person in their lifetime may do so.”
In the latter account, Rabbi Pinchas did not say that one who knows Shas Bavli and Yerushalmi, Shulchan Aruch, Tur, Torat Kohanim, Yalkut Shimoni, Midrash Rabbah and Tanchuma, and Rambam is able. He pointed to one who never hurt another person. Someone like Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach. How do I know that? Because at his wife’s funeral, he didn’t ask her for forgiveness. He knew that he had never hurt or offended her even once in seventy years of marriage! This is the trait Rabbi Pinchas was referring to, a power that can allow us to split the sea.
Keruvim, Purim, and the Roots of Sin
Rabbotai, I would like to bring forth something that appears in the sefer Ne'imot Yomeiru on Purim and add to it another idea which I strongly believe is both true and correct. The Meshech Chochma (Acharei Mot) comments on the preamble to the bracha recited during each Amidah prayer on Yom Kippur: כִּי אַתָּה סָלְחָן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וּמָחֳלָן לְשִׁבְטֵי יְשֻׁרוּן. Why do we include the second title in an era where we do not know what tribe we’re from nor the identities of the twelve tribes. He explains that there are two fundamental sins that persist in our lives and continue to lead us into further transgressions. Firstly, חֵטְא הָעֵגֶל – the sin of the golden calf – is the root of all sins between man and G-d. It is reflected in סָלְחָן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. Secondly, מְכִירַת יוֹסֵף – the sale of Yosef – is the root for all sins between people and it is reflected in וּמָחֳלָן לְשִׁבְטֵי יְשֻׁרוּן. The Satan, wishing to trip us up and cause us to sin again, whips out one of these two original sins to prompt us.
Kuntras Sarati (Ki Tisa) points out a commonality between the two original sins and the Luchot, which were inscribed on both sides: הֵם כְּתוּבִים מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה. When Yosef went to find his brothers and asked the man (angel) where they were, he was told: נָסְעוּ מִזֶּה. Rashi explains this to mean they departed from all feeling of brotherhood, and Siftei Chachamim adds, זֶה in gematria is twelve, meaning they moved away from twelve – i.e., they did not want there to be twelve brothers any longer, but rather eleven. The very next pasuk tells us Yosef eventually caught up with his brothers in Dotan and their reaction was: הִנֵּה בַּעַל הַחֲלֹמוֹת הַלָּזֶה בָּא. The sin of Mechirat Yosef began with זֶה.
The word זֶה is also at the origins of חֵטְא הָעֵגֶל, where we are told Bnei Yisrael suspected Moshe was not returning and uttered the words: כִּי זֶה מֹשֶׁה הָאִישׁ. Furthermore, when it came time to forming the golden calf, we’re told: וַיֵּצֵא הָעֵגֶל הַזֶּה, and in sefer Nechemia we’re told they danced around the calf while declaring: אֱלֹהֶיךָ זֶה אֲשֶׁר הֶעֶלְךָ מִמִּצְרָיִם.
Kuntras Sarati takes this parallel and loops in the story of Purim. Upon being told Mordechai had torn his clothing and was observing public mourning, Esther relayed a question to him: מַה זֶּה וְעַל מַה זֶּה. Had she wanted to know why he tore his clothing, she’d have asked him exactly that, in clear language. What she was really asking about was the source of the decree to destroy Bnei Yisrael. Was it due to the sin of Cheit HaEigel or due to the sin of Mechirat Yosef. The response hinged on understanding the origin of this gezeira, of which Mordechai was aware, thanks to Eliyahu HaNavi who unveiled to him the schemes of the wicked Persians – the evil ones who have still not been wiped from the earth. Their animosity towards Am Yisrael remains unchanged from the days of Haman. Mordechai’s actions in the moment help us determine it was not on account of חֵטְא הָעֵגֶל, as no clothes were torn at that incident and no sackcloth worn at Har Sinai. However, both elements appear in the story of מְכִירַת יוֹסֵף:
וַיִּקְרַע יַעֲקֹב שִׂמְלֹתָיו וַיָּשֶׂם שַׂק בְּמׇתְנָיו.
Yaakov tore his robes and placed sackcloth on his loins. Mordechai was telling Esther the decree to eradicate Bnei Yisrael stemmed from מְכִירַת יוֹסֵף, and thus, she knew how to respond in prayer (See Rav Rosenblum English Shiurim – Ki Tisa 5783).
Rabbotai, perhaps, by way of drush, we learn a similar idea in our Parsha: וַעֲשֵׂה כְּרוּב אֶחָד מִקָּצָה מִזֶּה וּכְרוּב אֶחָד מִקָּצָה מִזֶּה. Why this particular language of a Keruv on this side and a Keruv on that side? Because one of them represents Bein Adam la-Makom, whose sins originated with the זֶה of Cheit HaEigel, and the other represents Bein Adam le-Chaveiro, whose sins originated with the זֶה of Mechirat Yosef.
This leads us to a profound and beautiful idea. The Luchot were connected to each other, embodying a bond of shalom similar to the relationship between the two faces of the Keruvim facing one another. Chazal say, in Avot D’Rabbi Natan, that when Moshe was set to come down from Har Sinai, Hakadosh Baruch Hu told him to leave the Luchot behind. לֶךְ רֵד כִּי שִׁחֵת עַמְּךָ – set the Luchot down and head back to the nation who is rebelling. The seventy elders, also on Har Sinai albeit slightly lower down, awaited Moshe Rabbeinu and saw him preparing to shatter the Luchot. What was their reaction? They grabbed onto the side reflecting Bein Adam le-Chaveiro and didn’t let him break it. They pointed out how it was only two commandments on the other side – Bein Adam la-Makom – that were transgressed, and there was no reason to jettison everything. Moshe Rabbeinu responded, “If there is no Bein Adam la-Makom, there is no Bein Adam le-Chaveiro,” and he shattered them. The two sides were attached, like twins and the Keruvim. There could be no peace if either side was turned away from the other.
A half-shekel was later brought as atonement for Cheit HaEigel. Why a half-shekel? We’re told the value of one shekel was twenty gerah, and thus, a half-shekel is the equivalent of ten gerah. Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai says (Yerushalmi Shekalim 2:3:5): לְפִי שֶׁעִיבְּרוּ עַל עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּיבְּרוֹת – Because they transgressed the Ten Commandments [each of them shall give ten gerah]. But did they really transgress the Aseret HaDibrot? Did the Zekainim not have a valid point – that it was only half of the Luchot transgressed? No, there is no such thing. It is a package deal – all or nothing, both sides connected together like inseparable twins.
David HaMelech says (Tehillim 53:2): אָמַר נָבָל בְּלִבּוֹ אֵין אֱ-לֹהִים הִשְׁחִיתוּ וְהִתְעִיבוּ עָוֶל אֵין עֹשֵׂה־טוֹב׃ The fool has said in his heart, There is no G-d. They have acted corruptly, and they have done abominable iniquity: there is none that does good.
When someone wants to stray and do wrong, the first thing they do is declare there to be no G-d. As long as there is G-d, there is also fear which keeps a person in line, either preventing them from sinning or swaying them to return through Teshuva after sinning. One who wants to stray, first removes that consideration from play. With no belief system in place, corruption immediately follows. Without “אָנֹכִי”, all bets are off, and all morality and order quickly vanish. David
