Cherubs

Make two golden cherubs, hammering them out from the two ends of the cover.                   Exodus 25:18 The cherubs have the faces of babies.                                Rashi

            Anyone privileged to be a parent can easily understand the reason the cherubs had the faces of babies.

            My father commented that the cherubs, as part of the cover of the ark, represent the protectors of the Holy Ark and the Torah held therein, and that they had the faces of babies symbolizes the fact that the future of Torah depends upon our children.

            Indeed, the introduction to Zohar [1b] teaches:

Who maintains the world and allowed the Forefathers to be revealed? The sound of children studying Torah, and because of these children, the world is saved. Concerning them, the verse [Song of Songs 1:11] states: “We will make you ornaments of gold, studded with silver,” these are the children, the youth, as the verse states:  “Make two golden cherubs.”

            We already encountered the cherubs in Genesis, where we read, in connection with the expulsion of the primal couple from Eden:

He drove away the man, and stationed the cherubs at the east of Eden, along with the revolving sword blade, to guard the path of the Tree of Life. [Genesis 3:24]

            Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch notes that the phrase “to guard the path of the Tree of Life” can be understood in two ways: 1] to guard the path to prevent man’s return; 2] to guard the path in order to facilitate man’s return.

             Thus, the cherubs, having the faces of babies, can either prevent or assist our return to Eden. It depends entirely on the education we provide our children.