Terumah 5766 Exodus – Winged Things
| Terumah 5766 Exodus 25:1 – 27:19
About 7 years ago I tried to get a summer research project with Dr. Jeffrey Tigay, a Middle Eastern Studies scholar at my alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. He told me about some research he was doing on the nature of the cherubs on the ark of the covenant. I looked through books in the Spertus museum, I looked at the collection at Dropsie College, and I looked in the Bible Museum in Jerusalem. I didn’t find much that could help him, but I learned a lot about cherubim. Cherubim in the Bible Exodus 25:20 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. 21 Place the cover on top of the Ark, after depositing inside the Ark the Pact that I will give you. 22 There I will meet with you, and I will impart to you–from above the cover, from between the two cherubim that are on top of the Ark of the Pact–all that I will command you concerning the Israelite people.
For a long time the common image of a cherub, kruv כרוב in Hebrew, was of a young winged child. One possible support for this is the quote in the Talmud (Sukkah 5b, Hagigah 13b) that a Kruv is K’Ravia כרביא, like a child (Ravia in Aramaic). [An etymological dead-end suggests that Kruv is Hebrew for cabbage.] As to the wings, the Bible specifically says not only that the cherubim have wings, but that God sits and speaks from between them, sometimes traveling on them! Ezekiel describes them in detail.
Note above that in one description of the beings, it has the faces of man, eagle, lion, and ox, while the other has faces of man, eagle, lion and cherub. This supports the etymological link between Kruv and the Assyrian “kirubu”=”shedu“, the name of the winged bull (JEncyc). Cherubim in the Ancient Near East Thus, we see that the motif of a griffin (eagle/ox) or sphinx (lion/eagle/man) was common in the Ancient Near East (Phoenicians, Canaanites, Assyrians, Egyptians, etc.). However, this is all well known. What Dr. Tigay asked about was why if the cherubim are guardians or servants of the king, why do they face each other on the Kaporet (lid הכפרת) of the Aron haEdut (Ark of the Covenant ארון העדת). They should be facing away, guarding the throne of God. Cherubs Facing Each Other Now, we know that God sits on the cherubim and speaks from them. What does the tree teach us? It is possible that the cherubim served to show where the abstract, idolless God of the Israelites dwelt (Mikranet). Perhaps the tree is the Tree of Life (from the Garden of Eden) and instead of guarding it as Genesis states, they are looking at it as servants worship a master. We know from Biblical and Post-Biblical sources that the cherubs are not among the ministering angels (Seraphim vaOfanim vaHayot haKodesh). In a part of the Talmud dealing with the Holy of Holies, they said the cherubs looked at each other like a loving couple(Yoma 54a). Perhaps the cherubs were transformed from guardians of God and king to adoring servants of a god who needs no protection. So, we see it is likely that cherubs are an eagle/bull griffin, that the motif represents all-encompassing power (air and land), and that the Bible uses them less to protect God, but to demonstrate that even the mighty must worship him. What I like about this interpretation is that it is another example of the Torah’s ability to adopt and transform the surrounding culture. For millennia, Jews have used this skill to make the world a better place. May we take the symbols of power from the world around us and put them to use in creating a Godly world. Ken Yehi Ratzon. So be it, amen. Wings KRuV RoKheV Ride (RoKheV) on cherubim (KRuV) Ezekiel Shedu, The Winged Bull No Image for God Seraphim Couple See more pictures here |
