Welcome to the short, practical Lelamed Weekly Dvar. Please consider forwarding this to others, and I hope you enjoy... _______________________________________________ The Torah describes the two cherubim on either end of the aron cover as being made from one piece of gold facing each other (37:8). The word used to characterize each end, קצוותו, is spelled with an extra vav not typically there. What is the significance of adding a letter to the word קְצוֹתָֽיו? Rav S. R. Hirsch explains that the extra vav symbolizes the plurality of the cherubim. Just like the two tablets of ten commandments serve as one cohesive list of commandments, the two cherubim also unite to form one entity. The cherubim illustrate that although they, and we, may seem different and on opposing ends, they are still formed from just one piece of gold and join together toward our common goals. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that the duality of its ends are what unites the cherubim, as they symbolically reach for each other. Our differences unite us, and just as G-d and others see the Jewish people as one indivisible unit, we too should unify as a people and act as one. _______________________________________________ Quotation of the week: "We rise by lifting others." - Robert Ingersoll