"And He rode upon a Cherub, and did fly"
Rabbi Yitzchak speaks here of two Cherubs called 'youths, Metatron and Sandalphon, and how God settles upon them. Rabbi Yosi then tells us that if the two Cherubs turn their faces away from each other, there is no peace in the world. This, we learn, is because there is then no pairing above, and Rabbi Yitzchak points out that a similar idea is conveyed in "the nakedness of your father, or the nakedness of your mother, shall you not uncover." He says that in the old days people cared about Torah, but now only a few are left who do, and these few holy ones are those with whom God Himself prays.
The verses, "Two Cherubs who turn their faces away from each other" and "The nakedness of your mother or the nakedness of your father" pertain to the disjoining of the Right and Left Columns. This separation creates a dangerous imbalance that inevitably prevents peace in our lives. The root of evil is the Left Column - the Desire to Receive for the Self Alone. Left unchecked, its appetite is unappeasable. Like a black hole in deep space, it consumes everything in its vicinity, leaving blackness in its wake. If the Right Column Force of sharing is left unchecked, it will give ceaselessly. However, lacking any aspect of the Left (Desire to Receive), it will never be replenished. Eventually its resources are depleted, and it ends up empty, feeling a tremendous lack.
The Central Column unites these two opposite forces by resisting the Desire to Receive and transforming it into the Desire to Receive for the Sake of Sharing. Jacob and the righteous souls, past and present, who love Torah, now activate the complete consciousness of Central Column (the will to resist our selfish drives and instead think about the next person), which brings the full compliment of Light and genuine peace to the world.
922. Rabbi Yitzchak said, It is written, "And I will make youngsters their princes, and babes shall rule over them" (Yeshayah 3:4). This is in accordance with the verse, "And you shall make two Cherubs of gold" (Shemot 25:18) THAT ARE METATRON AND SANDALPHON, WHO ARE CALLED 'YOUTHS.' It is written, "who sits upon the Cherubs" (I Shmuel 4:4) and also, "And He rode upon a Cherub, and did fly" (II Shmuel 22:11), MEANING ONLY ON ONE CHERUB. HE ANSWERS, When THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, wishes to settle upon them entirely, it is written, "Who sits upon the Cherubs," THAT HE SETTLES ON THEM BOTH TOGETHER. But when the King does not dwell and is not seated on the throne, MEANING WHEN THERE IS NO UNION ABOVE BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE, it is written, "And He rode upon a Cherub." This is because the King, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN, is not seated on His throne, THAT IS MALCHUT. BUT "Who sits on the Cherubs" would imply two.
922. אָמַר ר' יִצְחָק, כְּתִיב וְנָתַתִּי נְעָרִים שָׂרֵיהֶם וְתַעֲלוּלִים יִמְשְׁלוּ בָם, הַיְינוּ דִּכְתִּיב וְעָשִׂיתָ שְׁנַיִם כְּרוּבִים זָהָב. כְּתִיב יוֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים, וּכְתִיב וַיִּרְכַּב עַל כְּרוּב וַיָּעֹף. יוֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים, כַּד שַׁרְיָא לְאִתְיַישְּׁבָא בִּשְׁלֵימוּתָא, כְּתִיב יוֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים. וְכַד לָא שַׁרְיָא, וְלָא אִתְיַישְׁבָא מַלְכָּא בְּכֻרְסְיָא, כְּתִיב וַיִּרְכַּב עַל כְּרוּב חַד, דְּלָא אִתְיַישְׁבָא מַלְכָּא בְּכֻרְסְיָּיה. יוֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים תְּרֵי.
923. Rabbi Yosi said, Woe is to the world when one cherub turns his face away from his neighbor, FOR THIS SHOWS THAT THERE IS NO UNION ABOVE OF RIGHT AND LEFT. It is written, "And their faces shall look one to another" (Shemot 25:20) at the time that there is peace in the world. IT IS IMPLIED THAT IF THEY DO NOT FACE EACH OTHER, THERE IS NO PEACE IN THE WORLD. Rabbi Yitzchak said, We have learned that "the nakedness of your father, or the nakedness of your mother, shall you not uncover" (Vayikra 18:7), MEANING THAT ONE SHOULD NOT SIN BY SEPARATING THE UNION OF MALE AND FEMALE WHO ARE YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER. Woe is to he who uncovers their nakedness, MEANING IF HE BLEMISHES THEM. THEREFORE, IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO DERIVE THIS FROM, "AND THEIR FACES ONE TO ANOTHER." Similar to this, it is written by Jacob: 'Shall reach from end to end,' MEANING THAT HE UNITES RIGHT AND LEFT TOGETHER. Blessed is the portion of Yisrael that the Holy One, blessed be He, praises Himself with their praise as above, IN TIFERET, as it is written, "Yisrael in whom I will be glorified" (Yeshayah 49:3).
923. 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 עֶרְוַת אָבִיךָ וְעֶרְוַת אִמְּךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה, וַוי לְמַאן דְּגַלֵּי עֲרָיַיתְהוֹן. כְּגַוְונָא דָּא כְּתִיב בְּיַעֲקֹב, מַבְרִיחַ מִן הַקָּצֶה אֶל הַקָּצֶה. זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִשְׁתְּבַּח בְּתֻשְׁבַּחָתַיְיהוּ כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, דִּכְתִּיב יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר בְּךָ אֶתְפָּאָר.
924. We have learned that Rabbi Yitzchak said, In the early days, a person would say to his neighbor, 'Tell me a word of Torah, and receive a coin of silver.' Now a person says to his neighbor, 'Receive a coin of silver and study Torah.' No one cares and no one pays attention, except for these few holy ones with whom the Holy One, blessed be He, praises Himself, as it is written, "Your people also shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land forever; they shall be the branch of My planting, the work of My hands, that I may be glorified" (Yeshayah 60:21).
924. 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 קַדִּישֵׁי עֶלְיוֹנִין, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִשְׁתְּבַּח בְּהוּ, דִּכְתִּיב וְעַמֵּךְ כֻּלָּם צַדִּיקִים לְעוֹלָם יִרְשׁוּ אֶרֶץ נֵצֶר מַטָּעַי מַעֲשֵׂה יָדַי לְהִתְפָּאֵר.