Thou Shalt Make Images through which to Worship Me
There is an in idol in the Jewish Temple.
I am not talking about Roman emperors or infiltrations or even forced idolatry. I am speaking of the golden statue of two children with wings, called Keruvim, that stand right on top of the Temple’s ark of the covenant. We read about them in this week’s Torah portion, Terumah.
We are not talking about diplomatically placing statues in a corner of the Temple, so that idol-worshipers may pray in peace. Nor is there any evidence that Keruvim exist in order to test our commitment not to worship God through images.
No- these two golden children and their wings, stood on the ark, heart and center in the Holy of Holies- the place we Jews hold more sacred than any other. The Keruvim play a central role in our Temple worship- in fact, the Torah tells us that God spoke through the space between them.
There are beautiful explanations for the existence of Keruvim. We spent time discussing them at lunch yesterday. According to one school of thought, related by our friend Yehuda, they represent God’s encouraging the Jewish people to worship His Oneness through channels recognized from other nations. Hence an idol, as well as Korbanot, the offering of animals.
Another opinion, told by Naftali, holds that these Keruvim, who look at each other but remain slightly apart, give us deep insight into a similar relationship that we have with God.
There are also mystical facets to the Keruvim, that speak of their manifesting our most intimate connections with the Divine.
But what got me this week, was not why there is an idol in our Temple, but that there is an idol in our Temple. I grew up being taught that holiness is accessed through reaching out to a God on high, and by fulfilling commandments from below. God was certainly not found in things. Idolatry not only symbolized a lesser form of divine worship- it was the most false and shallow worship of all.
And yet we are commanded to place an idol, smack in the middle of the holiest place on earth.
I find that awesome. An amazing sense of humor, that God.
Sometimes, explaining a mystifying situation deflates it of its power. Sometimes, mystery stands on its own. To me, the most amazing thing to take from the Keruvim is, “Gee whiz- I have no idea what’s going on here.”
So I want to unpack the week with two things:
1- If ever I believe that I cannot connect spiritually through the physical, I will try to remember the Keruvim, two golden kids with wings, that channel direct communication with the Divine.
2- More importantly, if ever I think that I understand the way the world works, if ever I am sure that I have grasped the lines between my People and other ones, clear boundaries between right and wrong, this person and that, good and bad- if I ever get certain about who is who and what is what, I will try to remember- there is an idol in the Holy of Holies of the Jewish Temple.
May it be a week where we can look at the world through unbiased eyes of wonder and curiosity, that enjoy seeing things as they are, without any need for explanations.
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February 10th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
It’s called”feeling Kruvy” (da, da ,da ala Paul Simon)!
or getting into the “kruv” of things.
Abba and I were feeling kruvy all shabbat.