You have probably never thought about why you have two ears. The gift of binaural hearing, the ability to hear through both ears, gives us the ability to gauge the direction of sounds in our environment. A crucial skill: had man been created with one ear, he would have no idea which way to run upon hearing a roaring lion.
In fact, the very first time in human history we are told of someone hearing, man’s ability to discern a sound’s movement features prominently.
Just after Adam and Chava eat from the Eitz Hadaat:
וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֞וּ אֶת־ק֨וֹל יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהִ֛ים מִתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ בַּגָּ֖ן לְר֣וּחַ הַיּ֑וֹם וַיִּתְחַבֵּ֨א הָֽאָדָ֜ם וְאִשְׁתּ֗וֹ מִפְּנֵי֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים בְּת֖וֹךְ עֵ֥ץ הַגָּֽן׃
They heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of day; and the man and his wife hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (Bereishit 3:8)
This is the first time we find the common word root ש-מ-ע, to hear, appearing in Tanach.
They sin, they heard the sound of Hashem travelling through the Garden, and they hide.
Now let’s use our binaural hearing:
Which way was the sound travelling?
The Torah shares the detail that the Kol Hashem is moving through the garden, but in which direction? Did they hear the sound moving away from them, or moving towards them?
The answer seems to a debate among the commentaries.
The Malbim explains that Man and Woman were created as perfect creatures. Until this point, they heard the voice of G-d clearly and directly. That sound abruptly changed after their sin. Man has destroyed his pristine state and the clarity that goes along with it. He hears the voice of G-d somewhat muddled. Vayishmiu Kol Hashem Mithalech- they hear the voice of G-d fading off in the distance, the sound of G-d drawing away from them.
The Ramban explains why he finds this explanation faulty. The verse ends with Adam and Chava going into hiding. You don’t hide in fear when a threat is moving away from you! Adam and Chava’s react to this sound by hiding from it; clearly it was approaching them. Vayishmiu Kol Hashem Mithalech- they hear the voice of G-d approaching them, and expecting to be reprimand for their actions, they hid in fear.
The Ramban ends by admitting that his explanation is at odds with the Midrash. The Midrash explains that during man’s first day, G-d’s presence dwelled in our world, but after Adam sinned, it departed to the higher realm. Clearly the Kol Hashem was travelling not towards Adam, but away from him.
Those who come to the Ramban’s defense suggest that the Ramban’s explanation (that Hashem’s presence traveled towards Adam and Chava) can fit with the Midrashic interpretation (that at this point G-d’s presence ascended to a higher world.)
The Talmud (Bava Batra 99a) relates that the position of the Cherubim in the Beit Hamikdash reflected the relationship between G-d and His people. The Cherubim would embrace one another when the Jewish nation adhered to G-d’s will and would look away from one another when the nation sinned.
Surprisingly, when the Jewish nation reached their lowest level as the second Beit Hamikdash was moments from being destroyed, the gemara (Yoma 54b) relates:
אמר ריש לקיש בשעה שנכנסו נכרים להיכל ראו כרובים המעורין זה בזה
Reish Lakish said: When gentiles destroyed the Second Temple and entered the Sanctuary, they saw these drawings of cherubs clinging to one another.
Why did the Cherubim appear in an embrace if the Beit Hamikdash stood on the brink of destruction?
The Bnei Yisaschar explains that at a moment of departure, a relationship is most intense. As G-d allowed the Beit Hamikdash to be destroyed and His nation to be exiled, He felt incredibly close to us. The Cherubim embracing as our enemies penetrated the walls of the Beit Hamikdash represented the intensity of G-d’s closeness as He said goodbye and exiled us.
Perhaps this explains why Adam and Chava hid in fear. At the moment of Hashem’s departure, at the moment that G-d’s relationship with mankind shifted for all eternity, they felt that tremendous closeness. They heard the sound of Hashem approaching them, they felt His presence coming near for a final embrace before it departed.
We spent the past month celebrating our closeness with Hashem through the Yomim Noraim, Sukkot, and Shmini Atzeret. And now it’s time to say goodbye: we just benched Rosh Chodesh welcoming in the month of MarCheshvan. Not because of sin, but because of the reality of the Jewish calendar, we return to a different type of relationship with Hashem. We enter the portion of the year with no yomim tovim. We can hear and feel Hashem moving away from us. To survive spiritually the rest of the year, we must remind ourselves that this time of transition is not one where we should feel distant, but one where we should feel G-d’s embrace. As we return to our everyday schedule, we remind ourselves that in our existence outside the Garden of Eden, in our world without the Beit Hamikdash, and in our days lacking the spiritual highs of the Yomim Noraim, G-d’s presence can still be felt and heard even as it departs.
(Sources: See footnote 529 in the Mechon Hamaor edition of Ramban al Hatorah, see https://www.torahbase.org/the-cherubims-embrace/)
No responses yet