Комментарий к Шмот 25:20

פרשי כנפים [AND THE CHERUBIM SHALL] SPREAD THEIR WINGS [ON HIGH] — i. e. that you shall not make their wings touching the body but spreading on high slightly above but almost on the same level with their heads so that the hollow space between the wings and the cover shall be ten handbreadths, as it is explained in Treatise Sukkah 5b.

והיו הכרובים, our prophets have already explained to us that when they had visions involving angels, such angels appeared to them in the guise of cherubs. This means that they had faces like humans but were equipped with wings. In spite of appearing as if physical beings, the fact that they represented disembodied intelligence was indicated by the fact that their motion was ever upwards when the prophet observed them as if being in motion. In other words, any motion ascribed to them was in the direction of facing towards G’d exclusively. Each one of these cherubs, whenever and to whomsoever they appeared, did so according to his respective level, rank, in the celestial hierarchy. והיו הכרובים פורשי כנפים, the cherubs were always in a posture of having extended wings. The human intelligence is one that aspires to attain union with its counterpart (the source from which it is derived). The process leading to this involves the understanding of certain mental disciplines in which the owner of this intelligence divests himself of any and all consideration involving concretization, i.e. concepts involving the material universe. Only in this manner can a human being attain the kind of understanding of the Divine that he is willing and capable of attaining, each according to the level of his intelligence and his piety. Such insights are achieved by intelligently looking at the manifestations of G’d in this world, studying about His attributes by gaining knowledge about how and when He does intervene in history by overriding the laws of nature which He Himself formulated and instituted. Knowing under what circumstances G’d will resort to such extraordinary miracles, and appreciating the rationale behind it, is what enables the prophet at certain times to evoke G’d’s direct involvement in the fates of individuals. When Moses asked G’d הןדיעני נא את דרכך, “please instruct me in Your ways,” (33,13) he wanted precisely these kinds of guidelines. When the Torah describes the cherubs as פורשי כנפים למעלה, this describes the source from which all this inspiration has to come. The sages already explained that these cherubs had the faces of a young boy and a young girl, (Yuma 54) a reference to the initiation of actions originating in a domain which is part of the abstract world. What is initiated there resembles something masculine, as the male is symbolic of initiating matters whereas the female’s role is more responsive in nature. ופניהם איש אל אחיו, this describes that what is initiated in abstract, disembodied regions of the universe, i.e. in heaven, is accepted, received willingly and in a complementary fashion by the creatures in this concrete, i.e. physical part of the universe, Only by a merging of these two basic constituent parts of our universe can “perfection” on earth be attained. The reason why the Torah continues in describing these cherubs as facing the lid of the Ark, i.e. looking downwards whereas their wings are spread upwards, is a reminder that although inspiration originates in heaven, understanding of G’d and how He works can only come by paying close attention and studying what He does in our material, “lower” part of His universe. The ideal means of unraveling the meaning of G’d’s actions is through His revealed word, the Torah, of which the Ark has become the repository. The upshot of the message contained in the symbolism represented by the cherubs, their shape, their posture, etc., is that for us on earth the key to obtain all these insights must be obtained by study of the Torah. By giving us the Torah, allowing us to build the Tabernacle, etc.,

למעלה, toward their heads. ופניהם איש אל אחיו, facing the center area on the surface of the lid. (from the outside toward the center and each other)

One to another. This is to teach regarding strong love, like the groom when he sees the bride, and enjoys just looking at her.

סוככים בכנפיהם על הכפורת , “spreading their wings over the kapporet.” This verse refers to these cherubs which were 10 handbreadths in height; this is the source of the sages proving that the interior height of the Sukkah, exclusive of its covering must not be less than ten handbreadths (Sukkah 5). The cherubs occupied the lower third of the Tabernacle seeing that the interior of the Tabernacle was 10 cubits high and the cubit comprised 6 handbreadths. We have already shown that the height of the Ark including the kapporet but excluding the cherubs was also ten handbreadths, so that the cherubs occupied the upper ten of the lower 20 handbreadths. This is what was meant by the statement that they were standing in the “third” of the Tabernacle, i.e. the lower third. The words סוככים על הכפורת mean that there was enough space beneath their wings to form the minimum height for a Sukkah.

Rather, spread open. . . Rashi is saying that the term פורשי (lit. “shall spread”) means פרושי (are spread open). [Rashi explains that the term is in the passive form] because the cherubim are not living beings [and cannot spread their wings]. It would have been sufficient for Rashi just to explain that פורשי means פרושי . But because פורשי refers to the [action of the] cherubim, while פרושי refers to the [state of the] wings, therefore Rashi says: “Do not make their wings lying” [i.e., in a closed position] — to show that the term refers to the wings.

פורשי כנפים מעלה, “spreading their wings upwards;” the wings were spread above their heads. This was to symbolise humility. [If the head were to be above the wings, this would be a sign of arrogance; this is why Jews always cover their heads when under an open sky. Ed.]

פורשי כנפים, “spreading wings;” to make them look like birds; the reason for this was that birds are viewed as the cleanest creatures (compare what we wrote on verse 18),

Toward the ark-cover. To teach us that the vision of the Holy One and Israel, together, is toward the Torah in the ark, and this is what explains [the saying that] the Holy One, and Israel, and the Torah are one, as it is known.

So that there be ten tefachim in the space. . . [Rashi knows this] because the mishkon was one-third the size of the mikdosh, which was thirty amohs high. The cherubim reached until the top one-third of its height, i.e., ten amohs. But the mishkon was ten amohs high, the equal of sixty tefachim. Therefore the cherubim needed to reach until [the top] one-third [the height] of the mishkon, i.e., twenty tefachim. The ark was one and a half amoh or nine tefachim high, and the cover was a tefach, totaling ten tefachim. [The wings were spread and occupied a space of ten tefachim above the cover, reaching a height of twenty tefachim].

אל הכפורת, “in the direction of the lid of the Ark.” Their faces were turned downwards.

למעלה, “upwards;” above their head; in a posture of modesty and humility. This is matched by the way Isaiah describes his vision of these seraphim covering their bodies with their wings including their faces, (Isaiah 6,2)

ופניהם איש אל אחיו, “and they are to face one another;” these details all prove that these cherubs were not intended to be deities to be worshipped, else they would have faced their onlookers so that these could prostrate themselves in front of them. How is this proof? Supposing there had been only one cherub on the lid of the Holy Ark, or if the face of one of them (if there were two) had been turned toward the people, one could have perhaps understood the symbolism as meaning that their purpose was to inspire awe of them in their onlookers. Seeing, however, that they faced each other, is clear proof that they had no interest in any onlooker. Furthermore, though their wings were pointing upwards, their faces were looking down at the lid, i.e. the space from which G-d’s words would emanate to Moses, and the area in which the Torah was kept. The most important proof that they were not meant to be worshipped by anyone, is the fact that they were in a place that was inaccessible to the people on pain of death. Their function therefore was merely to be servants of G-d rather than His competitors, just as the cherubs (seraphim) in Isaiah 6,2 were perceived as G-d’s servants standing in attendance before G-d’s throne.