Torah Study 10 AM

The text does not describe the [cherubim] in detail; it merely

states that they have wings and faces...most likely they were conceived

as having the body of an animal, such as a bull or lion, and

the head of a human…

The question how images of this kind could have had a place

in an otherwise strictly imageless cult has often been asked; it has

not been satisfactorily answered. Apparently the cherubim belonged

to an old mythological tradition that could not be dislodged.

By hiding them away in a place totally inaccessible to the people

at large, the danger of their adoration was minimized. Indeed, the

Bible makes no mention of such adoration ever having become a

problem. One must therefore conclude that the cherubim were

permitted (or perhaps merely tolerated) images, while all others

were prohibited. With the destruction of the First Temple, they

disappeared; they were not reconstructed when the Second Temple

was built. Thereafter, Jewish law rejected even a hint of imagery

that could conceivably lead to idol worship, inside or outside sacred

buildings.