We all know about the raiders of the lost ark. In reading through this week’s Torah portion, I came across another set of heroes, the protectors of the lost ark. In the description of how the Jewish people built the ark, the verse reads “and he made two golden cherubim, he made them of hammered work, from the two ends of the ark cover…” The cherubim were two angelic like figures, one with the face of a young boy and the other a young girl. They “stood” upon the cover of the ark, and it was known that they represented some of the holiest manifestations of G-d ever to be present on this earth.

Inside the ark were various items but most noticeably the Torah scroll (the very same one we read today) and the tablets with the Ten Commandments. The Torah continues “…the cherubim had their wings spread upwards, shielding the ark cover with their wings, with their faces toward one another”. Looking at the complete picture there seems to be a subliminal message here. These children spread their wings to shield the ark cover. Why did the ark cover need a shield?

Obviously they were not protecting the cover; rather they served as guardians for what was inside the Holy Ark. We know that we secure items that are important; items which we can’t afford to lose or which we don’t have the ability to recreate. We put people or systems in place that can protect these important items properly. G-d thought it was sufficient to allow the children to be the guardians of his holy Torah. He thought it sufficient to have them make sure it wouldn’t be lost or forgotten over time. That being said we must give the children the chance to step up and stand for what they are to guard. They are the stars of this show and we must allow them to shine.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Mendy Hecht