
(18) Make two cherubim of gold—make them of hammered work—at the two ends of the cover. (19) Make one cherub at one end and the other cherub at the other end; of one piece with the cover shall you make the cherubim at its two ends. (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.
ועשית. אמרו קדמונינו כי צורת כרובים כשני נערים. ופירשו כרוביא בלשון ארמי. והכ"ף משרת. ונכון דברו שהיו כצורת ילדים אם היא קבלה. ושמו המלה לזכר כמו מלת חנוכ' כי כ"ף כרוב שורש. והעד והיו הכרובים כי הה"א ה"א הדעת ואינו לתימה כה"א הכמכת מכהו הכהו. וכאשר חפשתי על מלת כרובים הנה הוא צורות. כמו את כרוב ממשח הסוכך אמר יחזקאל כי ראה ד' פנים לחיה ואחד מהם פני שור. ובמקום אחר על החי' בעצמ' תחת שור פני הכרוב. והטעם הצורה שהזכיר בפעם הראשונה ואמר באחרונה היא החיה אשר ראיתי תחת אלהי ישראל בנהר כבר ואדע כי כרובים המה. וקרא כל הד' כרובים והנה הכ"ף שורש:
AND THOU SHALT MAKE TWO CHERUBIM. Our sages said that the cherubim looked like two youths. They said that the kaf in keruvim is a preposition and the word keruvim (cherubim) means the same as the Aramaic word ke-ravia (like youths). They interpreted the word in a manner that would recall the tradition. They did the same with the word chanukkah. But the kaf in the word keruv (cherub) is a root letter, as the word hakeruvim (the cherubim) in And the cherubim shall (v. 20) proves. Now when I searched for the meaning of the word keruvim (cherubim) I found that it refers to various forms. Ezekiel said that each one of the beasts which he beheld had four faces (Ezek. 1:6). One of these faces was the face of an ox (Ezek. 1:10). At the end Ezekiel says, This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim (Ezek. 10:20). Ezekiel thus called the four creatures cherubim. The kaf in the word keruvim thus is a root letter.


Rabbi Zev Farber - The Cherubim: Their Role on the Ark in the Holy of Holies
The name kerub seems to be a loanword from the Akkadian karibu.[11] The word karibuis a noun derived from the Akkadian root karābu, which means “bless.” The karibu are the blessed ones; they were genies or lower level divine beings who function as supplicants, standing before the god and praying on behalf of others. The karibu were generally pictured as colossal bulls.[12] Apparently, the Torah incorporates the Akkadian concept of karibu in the Hebraicized cherub.
(5) In the center of it were also the figures of four creatures. And this was their appearance:
They had the figures of human beings. (6) However, each had four faces, and each of them had four wings; (7) the legs of each were [fused into] a single rigid leg, and the feet of each were like a single calf’s hoof; and their sparkle was like the luster of burnished bronze. (8) They had human hands below their wings. The four of them had their faces and their wings on their four sides. (9) Each one’s wings touched those of the other. They did not turn when they moved; each could move in the direction of any of its faces. (10) Each of them had a human face [at the front]; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right; each of the four had the face of an ox on the left; and each of the four had the face of an eagle [at the back].
(א) דמות אדם להנה. יש לתמוה שהרי אף דמות שור ואריה ונשר להנה ונראה בעיני לפי שזה אב לכולם קילס הנביא את המרכבה בו והוא דמות פרצופו של יעקב אבינו:
(1) they had the likeness of a man This is surprising, because they had also the likeness of an ox, a lion, and an eagle! [Their human face] had the countenance of our father Jacob.
This experience led to a refinement of the character of the Jewish people. The Zohar, Parshat Shemot (Sullam edition page 48), quotes Rabbi Shimon: "When the Divine Presence descended into Egypt, (with Jacob), one חיה of the 4 חיות that form the Divine entourage descended with it. This חיה was called "Israel," i.e. it was accompanied by 42 angels (compare Ezekiel 1,5, and the Malbim's comment there. Ed.). These are the בני ישראל that are reported to have descended to Egypt with Jacob (Exodus 1,1).
and each one had four faces “Each one” means that the human countenance had four faces, as did that of the lion, the eagle, and the ox, totaling sixteen [faces] to one living being. It was thus for each living being, and four wings for each of the faces, totaling sixty-four wings for each living being.
were straight legs [Jonathan renders]: רִגְלִין כֵּיוָנָן parallel legs, this one opposite this one. Another explanation: “straight,” meaning they had no knee joints by which to bend their legs because they do no sitting or lying. Therefore they do not require joints like those of animalsthe upper joint and the lower joint by which it bends its legs to lie down.
יְכַוֵּן רַגְלָיו זוֹ אֵצֶל זוֹ, כְּאִלּוּ אֵינָן אֶלָּא אַחַת, לְהִדָּמוֹת לַמַּלְאָכִים שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְרַגְלֵיהֶם רֶגֶל יְשָׁרָה, כְּלוֹמַר רַגְלֵיהֶם נִרְאוֹת כְּרֶגֶל אַחַת
Your feet should be placed next to each other as if they were only one, to resemble the angels, of whom it is said: ''And their feet were straight feet." Which means their feet [ragleihem] appeared as one foot [regel].
עוד תדע ותשכיל ממוצא פסוק זה, את הכרובים הם חיות הקדש כמו שכתוב (יחזקאל י׳:כ׳) והכרובים הללו הם דבר המתלהט מן החר המתהפכת זהו שאמר ואת להט החרב המתהפכת היא חיה של הקב"ה שיש לה י"ו פנים והיא מדת דינו. ותן כל לבך איך קראן להט והוא דבר נשוא בחרב והחרב נושא אותו כי כן חיות הקדש אע"פ שנראות נושאות הכבוד, הכבוד נושא אותן. וכבר ידעת כי רמוזות הן בארבע אותיות שבשם שהן ראשית השכלים, והמעלה העשירית נרמז ביו"ד שבראשית השם, והנשאר בשם כמנין הפנים שיש לכל החיה המגינים עליו מפני החרב המתהפכת לי"ו פנים. ונכרתו לנו בתורה שכתוב בה עץ חיים היא י"ו בריתות כנגדם י"ג בברית מילה ושלש בקבלת התורה ועמהם אנו נצולים מחרבו של הקב"ה מדת דינו של מעלה שעליה נאמר היא מתהלכת בין החיות.
We also learn from this verse, especially the words, את הכרובים, that these angels are the ones we refer to in our prayers as חיות הקדש. These cherubs are something intangible which flashes from the sword which seems in constant motion, turning over and over. This is always the case with the angels called חיות הקדש. Although they appear to be carriers of the glory of G-d, the fact is that the glory of G-d carries them. You have also learned already that the four letters of the Ineffable name of G-d which represent the pinnacle of all intelligence are alluded to here, i.e. the highest of the ten emanations is represented by the letter י at the beginning of G-d’s name and the remaining letters ה-ו-ה correspond in their numerical value (16) to the 16 facets of the חיות הקדש that we have discussed. The Torah which is called עץ החיים, “the tree of life,” has been given to us by means of 16 covenants, 13 of them are mentioned in connection with the ritual of circumcision, whereas the word ברית, covenant, appears three more times in connection with the Torah’s report of the revelation at Mount Sinai where we received the Torah.
נְקַדֵּשׁ אֶת־שִׁמְךָ בָּעוֹלָם כְּשֵׁם שֶׁמַּקְדִּישִׁים אוֹתוֹ בִּשְׁמֵי מָרוֹם. כַּכָּתוּב עַל־יַד נְבִיאֶֽךָ וְקָרָא זֶה אֶל־זֶה וְאָמַר:
קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ יְהֹוָה צְבָאוֹת מְלֹא כָל הָאָֽרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ:
לְעֻמָּתָם בָּרוּךְ יֹאמֵֽרוּ:
בָּרוּךְ כְּבוֹד־יְהֹוָה מִמְּ֒קוֹמוֹ:
וּבְדִבְרֵי קָדְשְׁךָ כָּתוּב לֵאמֹר:
יִמְלֹךְ יְהֹוָה לְעוֹלָם אֱלֹהַֽיִךְ צִיּוֹן לְדֹר וָדֹר הַלְ֒לוּיָהּ:
We will hallow Your Name in the world, as they hallow it in the heavens above, as is written by the hand of Your prophet, And they called one to another, and said:
‘Holy, holy, holy, is Adonai of Hosts, the fullness of all the earth is His glory.’”
Those facing them say “Boruch...”
Blessed is the glory of Adonai from its place
And in Your Holy Words it is written:
Adonai will reign forever; Your God, Zion, throughout all generations! Praise God.
Significance of Positioning
Rabbenai says that Shmuel says: The cherubs stood miraculously and did not occupy any physical space, as it is stated: “And five cubits was one wing of the cherub, and five cubits was the second wing of the cherub; ten cubits from the tip of its wings until the tip of its wings” (I Kings 6:24). Accordingly, the wings of two cherubs, standing side by side, would occupy the entire twenty cubits width of the Sanctuary. But if so, where, in what space, were their bodies standing? Since their wings alone, which protruded from the sides of cherubs’ bodies, occupied twenty cubits, there was no room left in which their bodies could stand. Rather, one must conclude from the verse that the cherubs stood miraculously and did not occupy any physical space.
Continuing the previous discussion, Rav Ketina said: When the Jewish people would ascend for one of the pilgrimage Festivals, the priests would roll up the curtain for them and show them the cherubs, which were clinging to one another, and say to them: See how you are beloved before God, like the love of a male and female. The two cherubs symbolize the Holy One, Blessed be He, and the Jewish people.
Rabbi Zev Farber
Rav Katina explains the symbolism of the cherubs’ wings touching each other. This represents love and should call to mind the love of God to God’s people, Israel. What Rav Katina does not explain is how the love of two creatures who are exactly the same should come to represent God and Israel. This interpretation likely reflects a midrashic connection between the phrase “spreading wings (פרשי כנפים)” used by Exodus to describe the cherubs and the identical phrase Ezekiel 16:8 and Ruth 3:9 for a man spreading his cloak over a woman.[2]
§ How were the cherubs standing? Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Elazar disagree about this. One says: Their faces were turned one toward the other. And one says: Their faces were turned toward the House, i.e., the Sanctuary. The Gemara asks: But according to the one who says that their faces were turned one toward the other, isn’t it written: “And their faces were toward the House” (II Chronicles 3:13)? How does he explain the meaning of this verse? The Gemara answers: This is not difficult, as their faces miraculously changed directions in reflection of the Jewish people’s relationship to God. Here, when it states that the cherubs faced each other, it was when the Jewish people do the will of God. There, the verse that describes that the cherubs faced the Sanctuary and not toward each other, was when the Jewish people do not do the will of God.
Rabbi Nicole Auerbach
The cherubim are to “confront one another” — ish el achiv, God says, literally like a man to his brother. And it is between these two faces that God promises to make God’s presence known. How fitting that at the heart of this communal building project, which will take the gifts of everyone’s hearts, God will appear between two precious faces placed across from one another as though in conversation.
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
Above the ark were two figures, cherubim. The Torah says that ‘their faces were turned to one another’ (Ex. 25: 20). Ostensibly this was a great risk. The Israelites had been told not to make any likeness that might be worshipped as a god, an idol. The sanctuary itself was constructed in the aftermath of such an episode, the making of the Golden Calf. Why then were figures introduced into the Holy of Holies?... It was between the two cherubs that God spoke to Moses. The message of this symbol was so significant that it was deemed by God himself to be sufficient to outweigh the risk of misunderstanding. God speaks where two persons turn their face to one another in love, embrace, generosity and care.