Parashat Teruma: Cherubim, the Ark, and the Path Back to Eden

In Parashat Terumah, the first item the Jewish people are commanded to build for the Mishkan is the Ark of the Covenant, the sacred vessel designed to house the Tablets of the Ten Commandments. Yet, a closer examination reveals a striking paradox: despite the Torah’s repeated prohibitions and warnings against graven images and idolatry, God commands the Jewish people to place two golden cherubim atop the Ark. Not only that, but God further states that He will only reveal himself to Moshe from in between the two cherubim atop the ark! How could God issue a command that seems to contradict one of the most fundamental principles of Jewish faith, and could God-forbid lead to great religious confusion or idolatry? 

This question becomes even more compelling when we consider the sin of the Golden Calf. According to some interpretations, this great sin did not stem from a desire to replace God, but rather from a misguided attempt to create a tangible representation of His presence. In Ezekiel’s prophetic vision of the divine chariot, the cherubim are described as interchangeable with the figure of an ox, and God Himself is referred to as “the One who sits upon the cherubim.” It is possible that the Israelites, misunderstanding these symbols, connected them to their physical reality and constructed a golden calf, proclaiming:

“These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:4)

In other words, their error lay not necessarily in idol worship per se, but in attributing holiness to a physical symbol, rather than recognizing it as a means to perceive the divine presence.

But why, then, did God deem it so essential to command the Jews to place cherubim in such a theologically significant place, despite the spiritual risks clearly involved?

To understand the significance of the cherubim, we must first ask: What do the cherubim represent? We know that cherubim form part of God’s heavenly chariot and serve as intermediaries through which God at times reveals Himself to His prophets. However, their deeper and more eternal role is introduced much earlier, in Parashat Bereishit (Genesis), where the cherubim are placed at the entrance to the Garden of Eden in order to guard the path to the Tree of Life:

“He drove out the man; and at the east of the Garden of Eden, He placed the cherubim and the flaming sword that turned every way to guard the path to the Tree of Life.” (Genesis 3:24)

It is no coincidence, then, that the Jews were commanded to place cherubim atop the Ark of the Covenant, which holds the Ten Commandments and the Torah. In doing so, God reveals to His people where the true Tree of Life resides. After all, The Torah itself is described as:

“It is a Tree of Life to those who hold fast to it.” (Proverbs 3:18)

The message is profound: humanity was never permanently banished from Eden, nor was access to the Tree of Life forever denied. The cherubim, who once guarded the gates of Eden, now stand atop the Ark, showing the way back.

The Sages (Chazal) describe the cherubim as symbols of the deep and intimate bond between the Jewish people and God. Adam and Eve’s transgression created the original rift between humanity and God, leading to their expulsion from the Garden of Eden and the appointment of the cherubim as guardians. Yet, it is precisely for this reason that the cherubim reappear in the Mishkan—not as obstacles, but as expressions of closeness.

The Sages teach that the cherubim were crafted in the forms of a male and a female, perhaps to represent Adam and Eve. When the Jewish people followed God’s will, the cherubim faced one another, and had their faces towards the divine presence of God which rested “between the two cherubim.” In contrast, when the Jewish people strayed, the cherubim turned away from each other, thereby turning their faces away from the divine presence dwelling “between the two cherubim.”

The cherubim, then, are far more than ornamental figures. Rather, they serve as active representations to the state of the relationship between the Jewish people and God. When the covenant between the people and God is honored, a form of cosmic repair occurs—a healing of the rift caused by the exile of humanity from the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life. However, when the Jewish people turn away from the divine covenant, the connection weakens, and the divine presence withdraws.

The cherubim teach a powerful lesson: the relationship with God is not static: it is alive, dynamic, and responsive to human actions. Divine closeness or distance is not arbitrarily imposed from above; it is a direct consequence of our choices. Through the Torah, our Tree of Life which is safeguarded within the Ark, we hold the power to restore the world to its original and pure state—a return to Eden.

Despite the risks posed by such a tangible symbol, God deemed it necessary for the cherubim to stand in the holiest place, at the very center of divine revelation. In doing so, He teaches us that the path back to Eden—depends on one essential commitment: holding fast to the Torah, the true Tree of Life of Israel and all humanity.

May we all merit to draw closer to God with love and devotion, holding firmly to the Torah—our sacred Tree of Life.