OUR TWO LITTLE ANGELS

“You shall make a cover [for the Ark] of pure gold, two and a half cubits its lengths; and a cubit and a half its width. You shall make two cherubs of gold – hammered out shall you make them – from both ends of the cover. You shall make one cherub from the end at one side and one cherub from the end at the other; from the cover shall you make the cherubs at its two ends. The cherubs shall be with wings spread upward, sheltering the cover with their wings with their faces toward one another; toward the cover shall be the faces of the cherubs.” (Shmot 25:17-20)

The Tabernacle, which is described in great detail in our parsha, was devoid of any graven images or statues.  This accords with the second Commandment that states (Shmot 20:4), “You shall not make yourself a carved image nor any likeness of that which is in the heaven above or on the earth below or in the water beneath the earth.” It is reasonable to expect that an edifice dedicated to the worship of the one and only God would not have any such icons. There was, however, one notable exception and that was the cover of the Ark. As the verses above make clear, the lid featured two golden cherubs, with their wings held aloft. The Ark was the only item that was placed in the Holy of Holies (Shmot 26:33-34). It seems incongruous that in the most sacred part of the Tabernacle (and later the Temple) there were carved images. The Talmud (Yoma 54b) records that when the Temple was destroyed, the enemy removed the cherubs. At the time, the cherubs were miraculously embracing one another like a man and a woman hugging. The enemy mocked the Jewish people and wondered aloud how it was possible that such an image could occupy such a holy space.

The first step in understanding the significance of the cherubs is to identity them. What precisely is a cherub? The Talmud (Sukkah 5b) notes that the word ‘kruv’, cherub, is a contraction of two words, ‘k’ravia’, meaning “like a child”, for “in Babylon they call a child ravia.” One cherub had the face of a young boy and the other had the face of a young girl. When the pilgrims came to the Temple in Jerusalem, the cohanim would pull aside the parochet (curtain) in front of the Holy of Holies so that the masses could see the cherubs. By miraculous intervention, they would be hugging each other, and this indicated the affection that God had for the Jewish people like “the love of a male and a female” (Yoma, ibid). This message to the pilgrims could have been better communicated if the cherubs were an adult man and an adult woman. Why were they constructed in the image of children?

Perhaps an answer can be distilled from the following Midrash (Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:4). “Rabbi Meir said: When the Israelites stood before Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, the Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘Am I giving you the Torah without assurance? Rather, bring Me good guarantors that you will observe it, and I will give it to you.’ They said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, our ancestors will be guarantors for us.’ He said to them: ‘Your ancestors need guarantors.’ To what is this matter analogous? It is to one who went to borrow from the king. The king said to him: ‘Bring me a guarantor and I will lend to you.’ He went and brought him a guarantor. The king said to him: ‘Your guarantor needs a guarantor.’ He went and brought him a second guarantor. The king said to him: ‘Your guarantor requires a guarantor.’ Once he brought him a third guarantor, he said: ‘Know that because of this, I am lending to you.’ So, too, when the Israelites stood to receive the Torah, He said to them: ‘Bring Me good guarantors that you will observe it, and I will give it to you.’ They said before him: ‘Master of the universe, our ancestors are guaranteeing for us.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘I have claims against your ancestors. Abraham, I have a claim against him, as he said: “How will I know” (Bereishit 15:8). Isaac, I have a claim against him, as he loved Esau, and I hated him, as it is stated: “And Esau I hated” (Malachi 1:3); Jacob, who said: “My way is hidden from the Lord” (Isaiah 40:27). Rather, bring me effective guarantors and I will give it to you.’ They said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, our prophets will be guarantors for us.’ He said to them: ‘I have claims against them, as it is stated: “And the shepherds were disloyal to me and the prophets prophesied to the Baal” (Jeremiah 2:8). And it is written: “Like foxes among the ruins, so are your prophets, Israel” (Ezekiel 13:4). Rather, bring me effective guarantors and I will give it to you.’ They said: ‘Our children are guaranteeing for us.’ The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘They are certainly good guarantors, I will give it to you on their account.’ That is what is written: “From the mouths of infants and sucklings You founded strength” (Psalms 8:3), and strength means only Torah, as it is stated: “The Lord will give strength to His people (Psalms 29:11).”

Children are pure and innocent and their Torah learning is without any agenda or arrogance. In fact, the Talmud (Shabbat 119b) states that “the world only exists because of the breath, [i.e., reciting Torah], of schoolchildren.” The Ark, which held the Tablets of the Law and the scroll that Moshe wrote, represented the Torah. Its placement in the Holy of Holies represented the primacy of the Torah within the Jewish people. But there can be no Torah without children who are the guarantors before God that the Jewish people will always remain loyal to its laws. Moreover, children represent the future and Jews have always prioritised the education of their children to ensure that there will be continuity long after the current generation has gone.

This week, the Jewish people buried two pure cherubs, Ariel and Kfir Bibas. May Hashem avenge their blood!  Ariel, aged 4 years and Kfir, aged 9 months, were kidnapped together with their mother, Shiri, on 7 October 2023 from Kibbutz Nir Oz. Their father, Yarden, was also kidnapped but was taken to a different location. Ariel and Kfir were the youngest people to be taken hostage by Hamas on that fateful day. Ever since, the Jewish people have been praying, lobbying and appealing for their safe return. Alas, it was not to be. Although Yarden was returned alive on 1 February 2025, it soon became clear that his wife and sons were dead. Hamas claimed they had been killed in an IDF air raid but this was a lie. Their fate was much worse.  Israeli forensic experts confirmed that the boys had been savagely beaten to death by hand. Ariel, Kfir and Shiri were laid to rest in a single coffin on Wednesday 26 February. Thousands of people lined the streets as the funeral procession made its way to the graveside. Orange balloons, symbolic of the boys’ red hair, were released into the sky. Yarden’s eulogy was one of the most moving addresses I have ever heard and it left me with tears in my eyes. Just as Anne Frank became a symbol of the Holocaust, so too have the Bibas children  become symbols of the massacre of 7 October. I received a video that demonstrated this. An adult Ukrainian immigrant to Israel, who had not been circumcised as a child, underwent brit milah last week. The Jewish name he choose for himself was Ariel Kfir. These little lions (both Kfir and Ariel mean ‘lion’) are the new cherubs that stand in the Holy of Holies. We pray that they will be good advocates for the Jewish people on high and that the manner in which Jews everywhere have embraced them will serve as conclusive proof before Hashem that we are a united people. May we share good tidings soon with the release of the remaining hostages and an end to the war.

Lee, Chani Merryl & Naomi join me in wishing you Shabbat Shalom. Rabbi Liebenberg

Rabbi’s YouTube message: https://youtu.be/EFWundF9nvY?si=qPka46JAzheOEsNJ