It is for this reason, that I was pleasantly surprised to read a very main stream rabbi, Shlomo Riskin, writing on a very mainstream website, Jerusalem Post, about what some may consider a taboo area in terms of topics for divrei torah.
For those of you who are fans of the weekly parasha like me, you will have found the past months quite difficult. You see, the torah starts with some great narratives and heroes, Abraham and Sarah, Tamar and Yehuda, Joseph and the decent to Egypt, Moses, the great Exodus… and after this gripping formative narrative, …. well on the face of it… a whole lot of boring details about an ancient temple which was essentially a massive slaughterhouse of animals with literally a river of blood flowing through it.
From Parashat Terumah onwards great detail is given about the construction of the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary that was the centre of the Israelites' religious life during the years they wandered in the wilderness. The Book of Leviticus (named thematically so due to it’s laws concerning the Levites and the sacrificial cult) deals almost exclusively with this topic. For a non temple fan like myself, what can I learn from the parshiot at this time?
Rabbi Riskin piqued my interested again in parsha with his commentary on the parsaha last month entitled Parshot Vayakhel-Pekudei: Sacred Sex.
Referencing the pasuk "The cherubs were with wings spread upwards, sheltering the Ark cover... with their faces toward one another" - (Exodus 37:9) he explained the symbolism of these two lovely headpieces of the Ark by quoting the following from the Babylonian Talmud, Yoma 54a.
"Rabbi Katina said, 'When the Israelites would ascend [to the Holy Temple] on the festival, [the priest/kohen] would roll up the curtain for them, and display for them the cherubs, who were joined together [in an embrace].' The priest/kohen would then tell them, 'Behold the beloved feelings for you on the part of the Omnipresent are like the beloved feelings of a male for a female' "
Rabba bar Rav Shila explains that "[The cherubs appeared in the engravings] as a man joined in an embrace with his female companion"
Hold on! Hold on! So the cherubs were embraced in a sexual manner on top of the ark. Many would think that this would be the last place for such an image to appear. But no! In fact Rabbi Akiva who taught that if each of the 24 books of the Bible is holy, the Song of Songs(which deals exclusively with an erotic relationship between young lovers) is the Holy of Holies.
And Rabbi Akiva did not merely mean to say that the lover in the Song of Songs is the Almighty and the beloved is the nation Israel; after all, the sages have already taught us that no verse is to be completely detached from its literal meaning. Therefore what R. Akiva is teaching is a lofty truth: every proper and passionate love relationship between man and woman resembles the cosmic love between God and Israel. Love is a sacred feeling, marriage is a sacred union.
So what’s the message young Ittay learns from this? Well, young kids are always going to be interested in learning about sex, and frankly, I think the Torah is generally going to be the last place they look for such information. But no, perhaps the torah, if more divrei torah were explored in such a manner, should be the first place to learn about sex. Rabbi Riskin concludes:
So it is tragic when our young receive their sex education from the street or from impure movies and Internet porn. Our educators must be trained to teach about sexual relationships from our Bible, just as these teachings once emerged from the engravings of the cherubs. Parents must explain to their children not only the evils of immorality, and not only the legitimate joys of marital sex, but also the sanctity of the sexual union from the perspective of Judaism. Sex must once again be joined to love and marriage, and be seen as one of the great wonders of a fulfilled family life. And such education has to begin no later than the sixth grade!
6 comments:
Hi Ittay,
What do you make of this??
Why were the kruvim 'intertwined' when Israel went into exile and was abandoned by God??
Yoma 54a
Rabbi Kattina said: When the Israelites came up to Jerusalem during the pilgrim festivals, the parochet would be removed for them and they would be shown the Cherubim, which were intertwined with one another. They would be told, “Look, You are beloved before God as the love of male and female.”..........Resh Lakish said: When the heathens entered the Temple and saw the Cherubim whose bodies were intertwisted with one another, they carried them out and said: These Israelites, whose blessing is a blessing, and whose curse is a curse, occupy themselves with such things!
yes. that's a tough one. I always assumed the embrace of the kruvim was a symbol of peace and harmony in the kingdom... but why should they be embracing when the jews are ine xile. I can see why the 'heathens'(Romans) were confused.
Hi
Please consider writing news pieces or an op-ed for Jewrusalem: Israeli Uncensored News. We strive to present different views and opinions while rejecting political correctness. Ideally, we try to make the news "smart and funny." Thus, your input is very welcome.
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Alex
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Great post.
In response to why an "intermingled" image of the Kruvim is negative I would like to bring the teaching of the students of Rabbi Akiva. The idea of angels is that they give "kavod, zeh l'zeh". The students of R' Akiva became so close that they lost that idea of "respect for one another". In this world everyone is an individual, which means we must feel for each other's individual pain and happiness and not be jealous of another or ignore another's suffering. Perhaps the Kruvim intermingled is a sign that we lacked "kavod, zeh l'zeh".
Yes! This is a maamar of the Lubavitcher Rebbe as to why they were embracing when they were about to be sent into galus - just as a husband is obligated in onah (marital relations) before he goes on a trip away from his wife, the Shechina was about to go into a 2000 year old galus and He was obligated to be together... it says there that galus is like pregancy - the head and feet are at the same level, meaning, the Jewish ppl think they are not special, just like everyone else. But when the birth happens, geulah, the head is on top and the Jewish ppl can carry out their G-d given responsibility of being a light unto the nations.
PS Rebbitzin Sheindy Bilgrei gives a fascinating look at the mitzva of unity, with this idea of the keruvim embracing, the idea of Hashem's unity, the most basic concept in Judaism, being reflected in our physical unity, and how a woman is makor habracha because by drawing down energy from the man, in physical seed, that brings bracha to him as well because half of the energy goes to the woman and half to him. Mashpia and mekabel. Halevai we should all learn about s education like this!
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