Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites
In this Torah portion, God commands the construction of the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the Tablets of the Covenant that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. No one ever saw the Ark; it was the only vessel placed inside the Holy of Holies, where entry was forbidden. As the Israelites wandered in the desert, they were able to see all the sacred vessels of the Tabernacle—except for the Ark, which, due to its immense sanctity, was covered with multiple coverings.
On top of the Ark were two cherubim made of pure gold, about which our portion states:
“The cherubim shall spread their wings upward, shielding the cover with their wings, and their faces shall be toward one another; toward the cover shall the faces of the cherubim be.”
(Exodus 25:20)
From between the cherubim, God would communicate with Moses:
“I will meet with you there and speak with you from above the cover, from between the two cherubim that are on the Ark of the Covenant, regarding all that I will command you concerning the children of Israel.”
(Exodus 25:22)
According to the sages (Talmud Bavli, Bava Batra 99a), the cherubim had the form of infants. When the Israelites fulfilled God’s will, the cherubim faced each other, symbolizing love and affection. However, when the Israelites sinned, the cherubim turned away from one another.
Don Isaac Abarbanel (1437–1509), a biblical commentator, Jewish philosopher, and statesman who served as treasurer for the kingdoms of Portugal, Castile, and Aragon, and as an advisor to the rulers of Naples and the Republic of Venice, explained the significance of placing these particular figures on the Ark in the Holy of Holies:
“Their faces were turned toward one another to teach that everyone called by the name of Israel must first direct their wings and thoughts upward—to serve their Creator in matters between themselves and God. Yet at the same time, their faces must be toward one another, meaning they must love their fellow human beings in matters between one person and another.”
The object that God commanded to be permanently placed in the holiest site on earth—where the Divine Presence dwells—was the pure faces of innocent children, who had never sinned, whose eyes and hearts were directed upward toward the Almighty, and whose faces were turned toward each other in love and affection.
A reflection of this idea is also found in God’s command regarding the construction of the Ark. While the building of the Tabernacle and its vessels was assigned to Moses alone, with each instruction written in singular form (“And you shall make…”), the Ark is unique in that the Torah states, “And they shall make an Ark”—in plural form. This, as explained by Nachmanides (Ramban), indicates that the Ark, which houses the Torah and serves as the seat of the Divine Presence, had to be built by the entire Jewish people, in unity—either in action or in thought.
The Holy of Holies represents love—the love of God for the Jewish people and the love among the Jewish people themselves. This is why, when King Solomon poetically describes the Temple, he refers to the Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant in these words:
“Its interior is filled with love.”
(Song of Songs 3:10; see Rashi and Targum Yonatan there)
The Talmud states that at the moment of the Temple’s destruction, as the Jewish people were sent into exile, the cherubim were found embracing one another:
“When the invaders entered the sanctuary, they saw the cherubim intertwined in an embrace.”
(Talmud Bavli, Yoma 54b)
This teaches that exile and destruction do not signify the end of God’s love for Israel. On the contrary, they mark the beginning of a process of healing and repair, which will ultimately lead to a perfected world and everlasting love.
“Its Interior Is Filled with Love” – Parashat Teruma
Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites
In this Torah portion, God commands the construction of the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the Tablets of the Covenant that God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. No one ever saw the Ark; it was the only vessel placed inside the Holy of Holies, where entry was forbidden. As the Israelites wandered in the desert, they were able to see all the sacred vessels of the Tabernacle—except for the Ark, which, due to its immense sanctity, was covered with multiple coverings.
On top of the Ark were two cherubim made of pure gold, about which our portion states:
From between the cherubim, God would communicate with Moses:
According to the sages (Talmud Bavli, Bava Batra 99a), the cherubim had the form of infants. When the Israelites fulfilled God’s will, the cherubim faced each other, symbolizing love and affection. However, when the Israelites sinned, the cherubim turned away from one another.
Don Isaac Abarbanel (1437–1509), a biblical commentator, Jewish philosopher, and statesman who served as treasurer for the kingdoms of Portugal, Castile, and Aragon, and as an advisor to the rulers of Naples and the Republic of Venice, explained the significance of placing these particular figures on the Ark in the Holy of Holies:
“Their faces were turned toward one another to teach that everyone called by the name of Israel must first direct their wings and thoughts upward—to serve their Creator in matters between themselves and God. Yet at the same time, their faces must be toward one another, meaning they must love their fellow human beings in matters between one person and another.”
The object that God commanded to be permanently placed in the holiest site on earth—where the Divine Presence dwells—was the pure faces of innocent children, who had never sinned, whose eyes and hearts were directed upward toward the Almighty, and whose faces were turned toward each other in love and affection.
A reflection of this idea is also found in God’s command regarding the construction of the Ark. While the building of the Tabernacle and its vessels was assigned to Moses alone, with each instruction written in singular form (“And you shall make…”), the Ark is unique in that the Torah states, “And they shall make an Ark”—in plural form. This, as explained by Nachmanides (Ramban), indicates that the Ark, which houses the Torah and serves as the seat of the Divine Presence, had to be built by the entire Jewish people, in unity—either in action or in thought.
The Holy of Holies represents love—the love of God for the Jewish people and the love among the Jewish people themselves. This is why, when King Solomon poetically describes the Temple, he refers to the Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant in these words:
“Its interior is filled with love.”
(Song of Songs 3:10; see Rashi and Targum Yonatan there)
The Talmud states that at the moment of the Temple’s destruction, as the Jewish people were sent into exile, the cherubim were found embracing one another:
“When the invaders entered the sanctuary, they saw the cherubim intertwined in an embrace.”
(Talmud Bavli, Yoma 54b)
This teaches that exile and destruction do not signify the end of God’s love for Israel. On the contrary, they mark the beginning of a process of healing and repair, which will ultimately lead to a perfected world and everlasting love.
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