The History of the Keruvim

Understanding the function of the Keruvim in the Mishkan and in Gan Eden

In Parashas Terumah, the Torah introduces the concept of building a Mishkan, a home for the Shechinah. The Parashah covers the construction of the Mishkan and its vessels. One key item is the Aron, which has a special cover called the Kapores. On top of the Kapores are the Keruvim.

The space above or between the Keruvim is where Hashem chose to rest His Shechinah. This spot is seen as the most significant representation of God's presence.

If we rewind back in time a couple thousand years to the sixth day of Creation and the story of Adam and Chava being sent away from Gan Eden, we find a similar use of the Shechinah. Hashem rested his Shechinah over the Keruvim guarding the garden, along with the Lahat HaCherev, a flaming, spinning sword that blocked the entrance.

This leads to some interesting questions: Is there a link between the Keruvim in the Mishkan and those in Gan Eden? And what exactly are the Keruvim?

The Maharal¹, explains that the term 'Keruv' shares a root with 'Merkava' and '…