The Lessons of the Keruvim

By Rabbi Moshe Krieger, Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah

In Parshas Teruma, Klal Yisrael is commanded to construct an edifice that will bring the Shechina into their midst — “And they shall make for Me a Mishkan and I will dwell amid them” (Shemos 25:8). The Ramban, in his introduction to the parsha, writes that the aron, which represented the Torah (it contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments), was the main source for the bringing of the Shechina. Therefore, the aron is the first vessel mentioned.

Later, Ramban (ibid. 10) adds that while Moshe was commanded in the singular about building the other vessels of the Mishkan (ועשית), for the aron the command was that “they [the nation] build it” (ועשו). This is because every Jew must have some share in the aron, which symbolizes the Torah.

This leads to a question, however. As central as the aron was to the nation, and as important as it was in causing the dwelling of the Shechina, when the Mishkan was constructed and the Shechina finally descended, from where did Hashem’s voice emanate when speaking to Moshe? We would have thought — from the aron, but in fact, this sound emanated from between the keruvim, two child-like forms situated atop the aron, one at either side. Why did this voice issue from between the keruvim and not from the aron itself?

Moreover, the Sages relate that when the Jews did the will of Hashem, the keruvim faced each other, and when they went against the will of Hashem, the keruvim faced forward, not looking at each other (Bava Basra 99a). In Yoma (54b), it states that during the regalim, when the Jews came to the Beis Hamikdash, the two keruvim would join together in an embrace, an expression of Hashem’s love for Klal Yisrael. What was so special about the keruvim that they were singled out more than the other vessels of the Mishkan, even the aron?

In order to answer these questions, Rav Yerucham Brodiansky cites the Baal HaTurim (Shemos 25:18), that the faces of the keruvim were “like two learning partners engaged in the give-and-take of a halachic discussion.” Meaning, of course the dwelling of the Shechina amid Klal Yisrael depended on the Torah, but not just the Torah in the aron. The Jews had to study the Torah for the Shechina to descend! This is why the keruvim were singled out even more than the aron, as they represented the living source of Torah that truly brings the Shechina.

The keruvim also teach us what type of Torah study can bring the Shechina — not one person learning by himself, but rather two Jews together, with lively give-and-take between them. When a Jew learns by himself, he is liable to make mistakes, but with a partner, his learning is constantly tested. In addition, if he doesn’t understand something, his chavrusa can assist him, and vice-versa, each complementing the other. Moreover, a chavrusa can push his partner to learn with greater effort and reach depths and insights he would never have reached without this push. In short, study partners bring out more Torah from each other.

We see the importance of learning with a chavrusa from Rabbi Yochanan, who literally could not live without his chavrusa, Reish Lakish. When Reish Lakish passed away, Rabbi Yochanan became despondent (Bava Metzia 84a). The sages arranged for him to learn with Rav Elazar Ben Pedas, but to no avail. Rabbi Yochanan called out in frustration: “Whatever I say, he brings me proofs that I’m right! With Reish Lakish, whatever I said, he would ask on it 24 questions. I would have to give 24 answers, and through this, the sugya (subject matter) we were studying became expanded.” Rabbi Yochanan needed the constant questioning and pressure of his chavrusa. Without this, he felt lost, and he passed away a short time afterwards.

Rav Aharon Kotler adds another advantage of learning with a chavrusa — when one explains to the other and aids in his understanding, he is in fact learning and teaching at the same time. This is a higher level of Torah called Toras chessed (see Sukka 49b). All these elements of chavrusa-study help bring the Shechina into our midst.

The Baal HaTurim goes on to say that the keruvim’s child-like form brings out another aspect of the sort of Torah Hashem desires. Whatever age we are, the keruvim teach us that we should study Torah like a young boy, who knows that he still has much to learn. Even if we have mastered some sections of Torah, what about other sections? If we’ve mastered one Maseches, perhaps try to master another Maseches. There’s a very big Shas to learn, and there’s the Yerushalmi as well. There are whole fields of study, such as mussar, halacha, Tanach and more. Perhaps we could learn longer, or deeper, or find ways to be more focused in our learning.

The child-like form of the keruvim calls upon us as well to learn Torah with youthful energy and vigor. Even if you are older and have been learning for many years, Torah should be fresh and exciting as if it were something new. Indeed, the Sages state that we should always view Torah as if it was given this very day (Brachos 63b).

Rav Steinman would illustrate this: “We need to breathe, so would anyone ever say, ‘I’m tired of breathing, it’s the same air every time.’ No one thinks this way, because we know that our lives depend on that next breath of air. The same thing is true of Torah; it is our entire life source!”

The Tchebiner Rav lost most of his family in the Holocaust. When he finally reached Eretz Yisrael, he built a yeshiva and became one of the prominent leaders of the generation. Once, Rav Shalom Schwadron passed by the Tchebin Yeshiva and overheard a voice, which he assumed was of a young helper of the Rav, speaking out a Gemara, saying over each step of the give-and-take with enthusiasm, as if he were explaining it to talmidim. He went inside to see who this was, and was taken aback: it was the Tchebiner Rav himself! This was the way he always learned Gemara.

On a different occasion, as the Tchebiner Rav was giving a shiur, someone informed him that one of his daughters had just given birth (two of his six children survived the war). The shiur participants wished him a hearty mazal tov, knowing how important this event was in the rebuilding of his family. Tragically, several minutes later he was informed that the baby had died.

The Tchebiner Rav paused for a moment, and then said: “Had Your Torah not been my plaything, I would have perished in my affliction” (Tehillim 119:92). He then continued the shiur with his trademark enthusiasm.

On a different occasion, a bachur learning in yeshiva came to the Tchebiner Rav for a bracha. The Rav told him: “The main thing is always to learn Torah with joy.”

“But how can I do that?” asked the bachur.

The Tchebiner Rav looked at him as if he was surprised by the very question. “‘How can I do that?’ What do you mean: ‘How can I do that?’ Abayei and Rava’s discussions are full of life. All you have to do is tap into this! Who could be holding in the middle of a discussion of Abayei and Rava and not be happy?”

May our Torah study bring the Shechina!