Myśl Żydowska do Psalmów 92:3

Meanings of some of the detailed instructions. 1) Since the tabernacle was built mostly from voluntary contributions, this parallels the act of kindness and generosity that the universe was created with by G-d. olam chessed yibaneh, the world is built by kindness. (Psalms 89,3) There were no preconditions which had necessitated that the universe come into existence. 2) Just as the tabernacle contained thirteen materials, so the universe consists of nine planets and four basic elements. (Actually fifteen materials are mentioned, but wool coloured three different ways may be considered the same material.) 3) Just as Moses put a stop to the amount of donations being offered, saying dai! enough, so G-d had exclaimed at the time He completed the sixth day of creation, "dai." Ever since His name has become shaddai the One who had said dai. The first item to have been constructed was the holy ark, repository of the tablets and the Torah. According to our Midrashic literature, the Torah had been created prior to the construction of the universe. Next came the lid of the ark, and the cherubs mounted on that lid. These represented the angels, the spiritual beings who are close to G-d, and by means of whom inspiration is conferred upon man. Scriptural proof for this function of the angels can be found in the very last verse of the Bible, Chronicles II 36, 23, in which Coresh reports about having been inspired to build a temple for the Almighty. That the destruction of the holy temple was due to the refusal to heed the angels, is documented in verse fifteen and sixteen of that same chapter. Third, we have the fact that the material used for construction of the cherubs was pure gold. This teaches that the angels are not composed of a variety of materials like human beings. The wings of the cherubs represent an attribute man desires, but has not been granted. See Psalms 55,7 "I said, O that I had wings like the dove! Then I would fly and have rest." The construction of the cherubs does not contradict the commandment not to make images, since in fact they are not physical. Therefore one does not violate the commandment not to reproduce a likeness when one fashions the cherubs. The reason that there are two cherubs, not one, notwithstanding the fact that they were made out of the same material, is to prevent someone making the error that there is more than one uniqueness in this world, namely G-d Himself. This is the reason that at the time of the pilgrimages, the curtain was opened to reveal to the multitude the holy ark and the cherubs mounted on its lid. (Yuma 54 ) The cherubs were seen embracing each other like man and wife. The people would comment that their love before G-d was like the love between man and his wife. The author quotes other sources illustrating that without the love relationship which exists between man and wife, i.e. families, the Divine Presence on earth cannot be expected to manifest itself. The upward lift of the cherub's wings points towards the source of all life, G-d. Nonetheless, the cherubs' stance in covering the holy ark, is indicative of their function to be the intermediary between G-d Himself the Essence, and earth.