Reply To: Short & Sweet

*Teruma: Spokespeople*

Inside the ארון were some of the most consequential items in all of history: the pieces of the first luchos, the second luchos, and the original Sefer Torah that Moshe wrote. And yet, when Hashem spoke to Moshe, his voice did not emanate from inside the ארון. Instead, the voice came from in between the כרובים on the top of the ארון. Why was that?

Perhaps we can suggest that this goes to show that the Torah is not supposed to exist as an interesting intellectual book on a shelf. Hashem’s Presence is only felt when people, symbolized by the כרובים, live their lives based on the Torah.

The Mishkan, the Beis HaMikdosh, and the Torah itself are only there to teach us how to live our lives in accordance with Hashem’s will. But it is up to us to live up to these ideals in our own lives, and only through our actions can Hashem’s Presence be felt.

לע״נ דוד חיים בן ישראל דוב הכהן
לע״נ ר׳ חיים דוב בן ר׳ בןציון שלום