Parashat HaShavua - Terumah
וְהָי֣וּ הַכְּרֻבִים֩ פֹּרְשֵׂ֨י כְנָפַ֜יִם לְמַ֗עְלָה סֹכְכִ֤ים בְּכַנְפֵיהֶם֙ עַל־הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶת וּפְנֵיהֶ֖ם אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֑יו אֶ֨ל־הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶת יִהְי֖וּ פְּנֵ֥י הַכְּרֻבִֽים׃
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.
This week’s Torah portion Terumah provides the instructions for building the Mishkan (Tabernacle). Included in the Tabernacle are the cherubim, the angel/mythic beings that were intended to protect the ark of the covenant, just as they were to protect the Garden of Eden. The Talmud (Bava Batra 99a) asks whether these Cherubim faced each other - as stated by the words “וּפְנֵיהֶ֖ם אִ֣ישׁ אֶל־אָחִ֑יו” (confront each other) or faced the Holy Temple, implied by the words אֶ֨ל־הַכַּפֹּ֔רֶת יִהְי֖וּ פְּנֵ֥י הַכְּרֻבִֽים (turned towards the cover) and stated more explicitly in a verse in Chronicles.
The first resolution the Talmud offers is that the faces of the Cherubim changed directions reflecting the status of the relationship between God and the Jewish people. When the Cherubim faced each other, it was a sign that the Jewish people were acting in accordance with God’s will. Whereas, when they faced the Ark, it was a sign that they were not acting in accordance with the Divine will.
The second resolution is that the Cherubim were like students leaving their master. They faced each other, but did not want to turn their back towards the Divine. In this way, they were standing at a 45 degree angle.
Both of these resolutions suggest that there is something very powerful, especially in relationships, about looking each other in the eye, face to face. In the former, an ideal Divine-human relationship is reflected in the Cherubim when they face each other. And in the latter, the Cherubim need to find a way to both look at each other, and to remain in eye contact with the Ark, their teacher. Even as they part ways, students always want to show their full respect and therefore do not direct their back to the teacher, but hold on to the intimacy for as long as possible.
My favorite word in this pasuk is סֹכְכִ֤ים. I think the sound of the word - sochechim - sounds like the wings of birds flying in the heavens. This word is translated as shielding. This word reminds us of the word סכך (Sechach)- the tree branches that are placed on top of the Sukkah - meant to symbolize God’s protection of the Israelites in the desert. Here, the wings of the Cherubim are protecting the Ark of the Covenant.
On Mondays and Thursdays, before we open the Ark during the morning prayer, we recite the words:
אל ארך אפיים ורב חסד ואמת אל תסתר פניך ממנו
Almighty who is slow to anger and of great kindness and truth, do not hide your face from us
חוסה ה׳ על עמֶּךָ וְהושִׁיעֵנוּ מִכּל־רע
spare Your people and deliver us from all evil.
When the Cherubim are described in this week’s Torah reading - they are intended to shield the Ark, which means they offer yet another barrier between us and God, and their position - facing each other and the Ark - remind us of the importance of intimacy in the Divine-human relationship. Which of the two will lead us to redemption? Perhaps the Cherubim reject this dichotomy and suggest that every relationship that relies on vulnerability also demands safeguards that protect its fragility.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Dahlia Kronish
High School Associate Head
