Said R. Isaac: ‘It is written, “And I will give youths to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them” (Isa. 3, 4). This is an allusion to the words, “And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold” (Ex. 25, 18). It is also written: “The ark of the Lord which dwelleth between the cherubims” (I Sam. 4, 4); and again it is written, “And he rode upon a cherub” (2 Sam. 22, 11). When He dwells in completeness, He “dwelleth between cherubims”, but when the King is not established on His Throne, He “rides” on “one” cherub.
Said R. Jose: ‘Woe unto the world when one cherub turns away his face from the other, for it is written, “And their faces shall look one to another” (Ex. 25, 20); only then is there harmony in the world.’ Said R. Isaac: ‘We have been taught that the words, “The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover” (Lev. 18, 7) have an esoteric reference to supermundane relationships in addition to their obvious significance. Woe to him who “uncovers their nakedness” (by probing too deeply into the hidden mysteries of the inner aspects of the Divine Essence and the relationship of one to another). Similarly, it is written in regard to Jacob: “fastening from one end to the other”. Happy is the lot of Israel, by whose praises the Holy One, blessed be He, is glorified even as He is glorified above: “Israel in whom I am glorified” (Isa. 49, 3).’
We have been taught that R. Isaac once said: ‘In bygone times a person used to say to his neighbour, “Speak to me on a certain portion of the Torah and I will pay thee for it”; but in our days, even if one person says to another, “Study the Torah and I will reward thee with money for so doing”, no one inclines his ears to listen, and none desires knowledge except those few saints of the Highest in whom the Holy One is glorified, and concerning whom it is written, “And thy people shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified” (Ibid. 60, 21).’
אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק, כְּתִיב (ישעיהו ג׳:ד׳) וְנָתַתִּי נְעָרִים שָׂרֵיהֶם וְתַעֲלוּלִים יִמְשְׁלוּ בָם, הַיְינוּ דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות כ״ה:י״ח) וְעָשִׂיתָ שְׁנַיִם כְּרוּבִים זָהָב. כְּתִיב (שמואל א ד׳:ד׳) יוֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים, וּכְתִיב (שמואל ב כ״ב:י״א) וַיִּרְכַּב עַל כְּרוּב וַיָּעֹף. יוֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים, כַּד שַׁרְיָא לְאִתְיַישְּׁבָא בִּשְׁלִימוּתָא, כְּתִיב יוֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים. (ס"א כד אשתכח בשלימותא) וְכַד לָא שַׁרְיָא, וְלָא אִתְיַישְׁבָא מַלְכָּא בְּכֻרְסְיָא, כְּתִיב וַיִּרְכַּב עַל כְּרוּב חַד, דְּלָא אִתְיַישְׁבָא מַלְכָּא בְּכֻרְסְיָּיה. יוֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים תְּרֵי.
Said R. Isaac: ‘It is written, “And I will give youths to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them” (Isa. 3, 4). This is an allusion to the words, “And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold” (Ex. 25, 18). It is also written: “The ark of the Lord which dwelleth between the cherubims” (I Sam. 4, 4); and again it is written, “And he rode upon a cherub” (2 Sam. 22, 11). When He dwells in completeness, He “dwelleth between cherubims”, but when the King is not established on His Throne, He “rides” on “one” cherub.
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסִי, וַוי לְעָלְמָא, כַּד חַד כְּרוּב אַהְדָּר אַנְפֵּיה מֵחַבְרֵיהּ, דְּהָא כְּתִיב וּפְנֵיהֶם אִישׁ אֶל אֶחָיו, כַּד הֲוָה שְׁלָמָא בְּעָלְמָא. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק, הָא תָּנֵינָן (ויקרא י״ח:ז׳) עֶרְוַת אָבִיךָ וְעֶרְוַת אִמְּךָ לא תְגַלֵּה, וַוי לְמַאן דְּגַלֵּי עֲרָיַיתְהוֹן. כְּגַוְונָא דָּא כְּתִיב בְּיַעֲקֹב, מַבְרִיחַ מִן הַקָּצֶה אֶל הַקָּצֶה. זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִשְׁתְּבַּח בְּתֻשְׁבַּחָתַיְיהוּ כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, דִּכְתִּיב (ישעיהו מ״ט:ג׳) יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בְּךָ אֶתְפָּאָר.
Said R. Jose: ‘Woe unto the world when one cherub turns away his face from the other, for it is written, “And their faces shall look one to another” (Ex. 25, 20); only then is there harmony in the world.’ Said R. Isaac: ‘We have been taught that the words, “The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover” (Lev. 18, 7) have an esoteric reference to supermundane relationships in addition to their obvious significance. Woe to him who “uncovers their nakedness” (by probing too deeply into the hidden mysteries of the inner aspects of the Divine Essence and the relationship of one to another). Similarly, it is written in regard to Jacob: “fastening from one end to the other”. Happy is the lot of Israel, by whose praises the Holy One, blessed be He, is glorified even as He is glorified above: “Israel in whom I am glorified” (Isa. 49, 3).’
תָּאנָא אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק, בְּיוֹמֵי קַדְמָאֵי, הֲוָה בַּר נָשׁ אָמַר לְחַבְרֵיהּ, אֵימָא לִי מִלָּה חֲדָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְטוֹל מָנֶה כְּסַף. הַשְׁתָּא אָמַר בַּר נָשׁ לְחַבְרֵיהּ, טוֹל מָנֶה כְּסַף וְאִשְׁתְּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְלֵית מַאן דְּיִשְׁגַּח, וְלֵית מַאן דְּיַרְכִּין אוּדְנֵיהּ, בַּר אִינּוּן זְעִירִין (נ"א זרעין) קַדִּישֵׁי עֶלְיוֹנִין, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִשְׁתְּבַּח בְּהוּ, דִּכְתִּיב, (ישעיהו ס׳:כ״א) וְעַמֵּךְ כֻּלָּם צַדִּיקִים לְעוֹלָם יִרְשׁוּ אֶרֶץ נֵצֶר מַטָּעַי מַעֲשֵׂה יָדַי לְהִתְפָּאֵר.
We have been taught that R. Isaac once said: ‘In bygone times a person used to say to his neighbour, “Speak to me on a certain portion of the Torah and I will pay thee for it”; but in our days, even if one person says to another, “Study the Torah and I will reward thee with money for so doing”, no one inclines his ears to listen, and none desires knowledge except those few saints of the Highest in whom the Holy One is glorified, and concerning whom it is written, “And thy people shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified” (Ibid. 60, 21).’