Shabbat comes in 5.29 pm: goes out 6.33 pm
Judaism does not allow graven images, yet statues were part of the ancient tabernacle/ark carried through the desert. The statues of two angels were created facing one another, with their wings touching behind their backs.
The Talmud describes them as the faces of a man and a woman in an embrace. (Talmud Yoma 54a) God would speak from between the faces of the Cherubim.
I like the idea that these symbolize that God can be found where people meet one another face-to-face. In this modern age when it is so easy to send a tweet or e-mail that can be misunderstood. The Cherubim teach us that in face-to-face meetings with one another we can find God and transform the world.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Paul Arberman
