Citazione Commento su I Cronache 28:18

Now that G-d had told Israel face to face¹Deuteronomy 5:4. the Ten Commandments, and had further commanded them through Moses some of the precepts which are like general principles to the [individual] commandments of the Torah — in the same way that our Rabbis were accustomed to deal with strangers who come to be converted to the Jewish faith²Yebamoth 47 a: “We inform him of some of the light commandments and of some of the weightiest …” The convert to Judaism is thus not taught the whole Torah prior to his conversion but only some of the essentials thereof, which is followed by his total commitment to observe whatever the Torah will command. Ramban’s language clearly indicates that the procedure of the Rabbis with converts followed the pattern of events at Sinai. — and now that the Israelites accepted upon themselves to do all that He would command them through Moses and He made a covenant with them concerning all this, from now on they are His people and He is their G-d³See Leviticus 26:12. This is in accordance with the condition He made with them at the beginning: Now, therefore, if ye will indeed hearken unto My voice, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be Mine own treasure,⁴Above, 19:5. and He said further: and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.⁵Ibid., Verse 6. They are now holy, in that they are worthy that there be amongst them a Sanctuary through which He makes His Divine Glory dwell among them. Therefore He first commanded concerning the Tabernacle, so that He have amongst them a house dedicated to His name, from where He would speak with Moses and command the children of Israel. Thus the main purpose of the Tabernacle was to contain a place in which the Divine Glory rests, this being the ark, just as He said, And there will I meet with thee, and I will speak with thee from above the ark-cover.⁶Further, Verse 22. Therefore He first gave the commandment about the ark and the ark-cover, for they are first in importance. Next to the ark He gave the commandment about the table and the candelabrum, which are vessels just like the ark, and because they indicate the purpose for which the Tabernacle was made. Moses, however, preceded to mention in the section of Vayakheil: the Tabernacle, its Tent, and its covering,⁷Ibid., 35:11. And then in the following verse mentioned: the ark… and in that order Bezalel made them [first the Tabernacle and then the ark],⁸Ibid., 36:8-38. 37:1-9. because from the practical end it is proper to build the house first [and then make its vessels].
The secret of the Tabernacle is that the Glory which abode upon Mount Sinai [openly] should abide upon it in a concealed manner. For just as it is said there, And the glory of the Eternal abode upon Mount Sinai,⁹Above, 24:16. and it is further written, Behold, the Eternal our G-d hath shown us His glory and His greatness,¹⁰Deuteronomy 5:21. so it is written of the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Eternal filled the Tabernacle.¹¹Further, 40:34. Twice is this verse, and the glory of the Eternal filled the Tabernacle¹¹Further, 40:34. mentioned in connection with the Tabernacle,¹²Ibid., and in Verse 35. to correspond with His glory and His greatness.¹⁰Deuteronomy 5:21. Thus Israel always had with them in the Tabernacle the Glory which appeared to them on Mount Sinai. And when Moses went into the Tabernacle, he would hear the Divine utterance being spoken to him in the same way as on Mount Sinai. Thus just as it is said at the Giving of the Torah: Out of heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee; and upon earth He made thee to see His great fire,¹³Deuteronomy 4:36. so it is written of the Tabernacle, and he heard the voice speaking unto him from above the ark-cover…from between the two cherubim; and He spoke unto him.¹⁴Numbers 7:89. The expression “speaking unto him” is mentioned here twice in order to indicate that which the Rabbis have said in the Tradition¹⁵Bamidmar Rabbah 14:22. that the Voice would come from heaven to Moses from upon the ark-cover, and from there He spoke with him; for every Divine utterance with Moses came from heaven during daytime,¹⁶Vayikra Rabbah 1:3: “But to the prophets of Israel the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself at daytime.” and was heard from between the two cherubim,¹⁴Numbers 7:89. similar to what is said, and thou didst hear His words out of the midst of the fire.¹³Deuteronomy 4:36. It is for this reason that the two cherubim were made of gold.¹⁷Further, Verse 18. — In order to resemble “the fire” that was on Mount Sinai. (Tziyoni). And Scripture so states: where I will meet with you, to speak there unto thee;¹⁸Further, 29:42. and it shall be sanctified by My glory,¹⁹Ibid., Verse 43. for there [in the Tabernacle] will be the appointed place for the Divine utterance, and it will be sanctified by My glory.¹⁹Ibid., Verse 43.
Now he who looks carefully at the verses mentioned at the Giving of the Torah, and understands what we have written about them,²⁰See above, 20:16, 24:10, and further here, Verse 21. will perceive the secret of the Tabernacle and the Sanctuary [built later by King Solomon]. He will also be able to understand it from what Solomon in his wisdom said in his prayer in the Sanctuary: O Eternal, the G-d of Israel,²¹I Kings 8:23. just as is said at Mount Sinai: And they saw the G-d of Israel.²²Above, 24:10. Solomon however added the Name the Eternal because of a matter which we have alluded to above;²²Above, 24:10. for the G-d of Israel sitteth upon the cherubim,²³II Kings 19:15. just as is said: And the glory of the G-d of Israel was over them above. This is the living creature that I saw, under the G-d of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim,²⁴Ezekiel 10:19-20. and David said, and gold for the pattern of the chariot, even the cherubim, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the Eternal.²⁵I Chronicles 28:18. Solomon also always mentions that the Sanctuary is to be for the name of the Eternal,²⁶I Kings 5:19. or for Thy name,²⁷Ibid., 8:44. and at each and every section of the prayer he says, then hear Thou in heaven²⁸Ibid., Verse 32 etc. — with the attribute of mercy. And it is further written: If Thy people go out to battle against their enemy… and they pray unto the Eternal toward the city which Thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for Thy name, then hear Thou in heaven,²⁹Ibid., Verses 44-45. and in explanation Solomon said: But will G-d in very truth dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain Thee.³⁰II Chronicles 6:18. And it is written concerning the ark, And David arose… to bring up from thence the ark of G-d, whereupon is called the Name, even the Name of the Eternal of hosts that sitteth upon the cherubim,³¹II Samuel 6:2. and in the Book of Chronicles it is written: to bring up from thence the ark of G-d, the Eternal, Who sitteth upon the cherubim, whereon is called the Name³²I Chronicles 13:6. — for it is G-d Who sitteth upon the cherubim.

AND IN THE ARK THOU SHALT PUT THE TESTIMONY THAT I SHALL GIVE THEE. “I do not know why this is repeated, for it has already been stated [in Verse 16], And thou shalt put into the ark the Testimony which I shall give thee? One may answer that it intends to teach us that while the ark was still by itself, without its cover, he should first place the Testimony into it and then place the cover on it [for the first time]. Thus we find also when Moses set up the Tabernacle that Scripture says, And he put the Testimony into the ark,¹⁰⁹Further, 40:20. and after that it says,¹⁰⁹Further, 40:20. and he put the cover of the ark above.” This is Rashi’s language.
But if this be a command [as Rashi has it], the sense thereof would rather seem to be that after he puts the cover on the ark as G-d had commanded, [he should then remove the cover and] put the Testimony into the ark, for the term “ark” applies also when there is a cover on it. Moreover, one can also ask why did Scripture repeat the phrase from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the Testimony,¹¹⁰Verse 22. when it is known already from the preceding verses that the cherubim are upon the ark of Testimony? And what need is there to explain this again, seeing that He has already stated, from above the ark-cover, from between the two cherubim?¹¹⁰Verse 22. But the explanation thereof is as follows: Because He had commanded that the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high,¹¹¹Verse 20. but had not said why they should be made altogether, and what function they should serve in the Tabernacle, and why they should be in that form, therefore He now said, and thou shalt put the ark-cover with the cherubim, for they are all one, above upon the ark, because in the ark thou shalt put the Testimony that I shall give thee, so that there be for Me a Throne of Glory, for there will I meet with thee and I will cause My Glory to dwell upon them, and I will speak with thee from above the ark-cover, from between the two cherubim because it is upon the ark of the testimony.¹¹⁰Verse 22. It is thus identical with the Divine Chariot which the prophet Ezekiel saw, of which he said, This is the living creature that I saw under the G-d of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim.¹¹²Ezekiel 10:20. This is why He is called He Who sitteth upon the cherubim,¹¹³I Samuel 4:4. for they spread out their wings on high in order to teach us that they are the Chariot who carry the Glory, just as it is said, and gold for the pattern of the chariot, even the cherubim, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the Eternal,¹¹⁴I Chronicles 28:18. as I have mentioned.
In the opinion of our Rabbis¹¹⁵Chagigah 13b. the cherubim had the forms of a human being, the word being of the Aramaic language which calls a lad ravya. In that case the letter kaf in the word k’rubim (cherubim) is not part of the root of the word, but merely serves in a comparative function [meaning “as lads”], the name indicating their substance. If you will further contemplate as to why their faces were turned one to another,¹¹¹Verse 20. and why they were of beaten work,¹¹⁶Verse 18. you will be able to know that it was proper for them that they be spreading out their wings on high,¹¹¹Verse 20. for they are the throne of the Supreme One, sheltering the Testimony which is the writing of G-d.¹¹⁷Further, 32:16. This is the meaning of the expression, the pattern of the chariot,¹¹⁴I Chronicles 28:18. for the cherubim which Ezekiel saw carrying the Glory are the pattern of the cherubim [on high], these being the Glory and the tipheret (beauty); and the cherubim which were in the Tabernacle and in the Sanctuary were of a likeness to them, for one higher than the high watcheth, and there are higher than they.¹¹⁸Ecclesiastes 5:7. And this is the meaning of and I knew¹¹²Ezekiel 10:20. [and not “and I saw”], for Ezekiel saw one and knew the other [on high]. This is why he said “they” [and I knew that ‘they’ were cherubim]. The student learned in the mysteries of the Cabala will understand.