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Ramban on Exodus 25:21/רמב"ן על שמות כ״ה:כ״א

אוְאֶל הָאָרֹן תִּתֵּן אֶת הָעֵדֻת לֹא יָדַעְתִּי לָמָּה נִכְפַּל, שֶׁהֲרֵי כְּבָר אָמוּר (שמות כ"ה:ט"ז) "וְנָתַתָּ אֶל הָאָרֹן אֵת הָעֵדֻת". וְי"ל שֶׁבָּא לְלַמֵּד שֶׁבְּעוֹדוֹ אָרוֹן בְּלֹא כַּפֹּרֶת יִתֵּן תְּחִלָּה הָעֵדוּת לְתוֹכוֹ וְאח"כ יִתֵּן הַכַּפֹּרֶת עָלָיו. וְכֵן מָצִינוּ כְּשֶׁהֵקִים הַמִּשְׁכָּן נֶאֱמַר "וַיִּתֵּן אֶת הָעֵדֻת אֶל הָאָרֹן" (שמות מ':כ'), וְאח"כ "וַיִּתֵּן אֶת הַכַּפֹּרֶת עַל הָאָרֹן מִלְמָעְלָה". לְשׁוֹן רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על שמות כ"ה:כ"א). וְאִם הָיָה זֶה צַוָּאָה, מַשְׁמָעוֹ יוֹתֵר שֶׁאַחַר שֶׁיִּתֵּן הַכַּפֹּרֶת עַל הָאָרוֹן, כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר, יִתֵּן בָּאָרוֹן אֶת הָעֵדֻת, כִּי אָרוֹן יִקָּרֵא גַּם בִּהְיוֹת הַכַּפֹּרֶת עָלָיו. וְעוֹד כִּי יֵשׁ לִשְׁאֹל ג"כ, לָמָּה הֶחְזִיר (שמות כ"ה:כ"ב) "אֲשֶׁר עַל אֲרֹן הָעֵדֻת", כִּי בְּיָדוּעַ שֶׁהַכְּרוּבִים הֵם עַל אֲרוֹן הָעֵדוּת, וּמַה צֹרֶךְ לְפָרֵשׁ עוֹד כֵּיוָן שֶׁאָמַר מֵעַל הַכַּפֹּרֶת מִבֵּין שְׁנֵי הַכְּרֻבִים:
אֲבָל פֵּרוּשׁוֹ, כִּי בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁיְּצַוֶּה בַּכְּרוּבִים לִהְיוֹתָם פּוֹרְשֵׂי כְנָפַיִם לְמַעְלָה (שמות כ"ה:כ'), וְלֹא אָמַר לָמָּה יַעֲשֵׂם כְּלָל, וּמַה שֶׁיְּשַׁמְּשׁוּ בַּמִּשְׁכָּן, וְלָמָּה יִהְיוּ בָּעִנְיָן הַזֶּה, לְכָךְ אָמַר עַתָּה וְנָתַתָּ הַכַּפֹּרֶת עִם כְּרוּבָיו, שֶׁהַכֹּל דָּבָר אֶחָד עַל הָאָרוֹן מִלְמַעְלָה, כִּי אֶל הָאָרֹן תִּתֵּן אֶת הָעֵדֻת אֲשֶׁר אֶתֵּן אֵלֶיךָ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לִי כִּסֵּא כָבוֹד, כִּי אֲנִי אִוָּעֵד לְךָ שָׁם וְאַשְׁכִּין שְׁכִינָתִי עֲלֵיהֶם, וְדִבַּרְתִּי אִתְּךָ מֵעַל הַכַּפֹּרֶת מִבֵּין שְׁנֵי הַכְּרֻבִים, בַּעֲבוּר שֶׁהוּא עַל אֲרוֹן הָעֵדוּת: וְהִנֵּה הוּא כַּמֶּרְכָּבָה אֲשֶׁר רָאָה יְחֶזְקֵאל שֶׁאָמַר "הִיא הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתִי תַּחַת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּנְהַר כְּבָר וָאֵדַע כִּי כְרוּבִים הֵמָּה" (יחזקאל י כ), וּלְכָךְ נִקְרָא "יוֹשֵׁב הַכְּרוּבִים" (שמואל א ד':ד'), כִּי הָיוּ פּוֹרְשֵׂי כְנָפַיִם לְהוֹרוֹת שֶׁהֵם הַמֶּרְכָּבָה נוֹשְׂאֵי הַכָּבוֹד, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דהי"א כח יח) "וּלְתַבְנִית הַמֶּרְכָּבָה הַכְּרֻבִים זָהָב לְפֹרְשִׂים וְסֹכְכִים עַל אֲרוֹן בְּרִית ה'", כַּאֲשֶׁר הִזְכַּרְתִּי (בהקדמה לפרשת תרומה):
וְעַל דַּעַת רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (חגיגה יג:) הֵם צוּרוֹת אָדָם, מִלְּשׁוֹן אֲרָמִית שֶׁתֹּאמַר לְעֶלֶם "רָבְיָא" וְהֶחְזִיר בַּשֵּׁם הַזֶּה הַכָּ"ף שֹׁרֶשׁ, כִּי כֵן הַשֵּׁם, כִּנְעָרִים, לְהוֹרוֹת עַל עִנְיָנָם: וְאִם תַּחְשֹׁב עוֹד לָמָּה הָיוּ פְּנֵיהֶם אִישׁ אֶל אָחִיו (שמות כ"ה:כ') וְלָמָּה הָיוּ מִקְשָׁה (שמות כ"ה:י"ח), תּוּכַל לָדַעַת כִּי רָאוּי לָהֶם שֶׁיִּהְיוּ פּוֹרְשֵׂי כְנָפַיִם לְמַעְלָה, כִּי הֵם כִּסֵּא עֶלְיוֹן וְסוֹכְכִים עַל הָעֵדוּת שֶׁהִיא מִכְתַּב אֱלֹהִים (שמות ל"ב:ט"ז) וְזֶה טַעַם "וּלְתַבְנִית הַמֶּרְכָּבָה", כִּי הַכְּרוּבִים שֶׁרָאָה יְחֶזְקֵאל נוֹשְׂאִים הַכָּבוֹד תַּבְנִית לַכְּרוּבִים שֶׁהֵם כָּבוֹד וְתִפְאֶרֶת, וְהַכְּרֻבִים אֲשֶׁר בַּמִּשְׁכָּן וּבַמִּקְדָּשׁ תַּבְנִית לָהֶן, כִּי גָבֹהַּ מֵעַל גָּבֹהַּ שֹׁמֵר וּגְבֹהִים עֲלֵיהֶם (קהלת ה ז). וְזֶה טַעַם "וָאֵדַע" (יחזקאל י כ), שֶׁרָאָה בְּאֶחָד וְיָדַע בְּאֶחָד, וּלְפִיכָךְ אָמַר "הֵמָּה" (שם). וְהַמַּשְׂכִּיל יָבִין:

1AND IN THE ARK THOU SHALT PUT THE TESTIMONY THAT I SHALL GIVE THEE. “I do not know why this is repeated, for it has already been stated [in Verse 16], And thou shalt put into the ark the Testimony which I shall give thee? One may answer that it intends to teach us that while the ark was still by itself, without its cover, he should first place the Testimony into it and then place the cover on it [for the first time]. Thus we find also when Moses set up the Tabernacle that Scripture says, And he put the Testimony into the ark,¹⁰⁹ and after that it says,¹⁰⁹ and he put the cover of the ark above.” This is Rashi’s language.But if this be a command [as Rashi has it], the sense thereof would rather seem to be that after he puts the cover on the ark as G-d had commanded, [he should then remove the cover and] put the Testimony into the ark, for the term “ark” applies also when there is a cover on it. Moreover, one can also ask why did Scripture repeat the phrase from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the Testimony,¹¹⁰ when it is known already from the preceding verses that the cherubim are upon the ark of Testimony? And what need is there to explain this again, seeing that He has already stated, from above the ark-cover, from between the two cherubim?¹¹⁰ But the explanation thereof is as follows: Because He had commanded that the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high,¹¹¹ but had not said why they should be made altogether, and what function they should serve in the Tabernacle, and why they should be in that form, therefore He now said, and thou shalt put the ark-cover with the cherubim, for they are all one, above upon the ark, because in the ark thou shalt put the Testimony that I shall give thee, so that there be for Me a Throne of Glory, for there will I meet with thee and I will cause My Glory to dwell upon them, and I will speak with thee from above the ark-cover, from between the two cherubim because it is upon the ark of the testimony.¹¹⁰ It is thus identical with the Divine Chariot which the prophet Ezekiel saw, of which he said, This is the living creature that I saw under the G-d of Israel by the river Chebar; and I knew that they were cherubim.¹¹² This is why He is called He Who sitteth upon the cherubim,¹¹³ for they spread out their wings on high in order to teach us that they are the Chariot who carry the Glory, just as it is said, and gold for the pattern of the chariot, even the cherubim, that spread out their wings, and covered the ark of the covenant of the Eternal,¹¹⁴ as I have mentioned.In the opinion of our Rabbis¹¹⁵ the cherubim had the forms of a human being, the word being of the Aramaic language which calls a lad ravya. In that case the letter kaf in the word k’rubim (cherubim) is not part of the root of the word, but merely serves in a comparative function [meaning “as lads”], the name indicating their substance. If you will further contemplate as to why their faces were turned one to another,¹¹¹ and why they were of beaten work,¹¹⁶ you will be able to know that it was proper for them that they be spreading out their wings on high,¹¹¹ for they are the throne of the Supreme One, sheltering the Testimony which is the writing of G-d.¹¹⁷ This is the meaning of the expression, the pattern of the chariot,¹¹⁴ for the cherubim which Ezekiel saw carrying the Glory are the pattern of the cherubim [on high], these being the Glory and the tipheret (beauty); and the cherubim which were in the Tabernacle and in the Sanctuary were of a likeness to them, for one higher than the high watcheth, and there are higher than they.¹¹⁸ And this is the meaning of and I knew¹¹² [and not “and I saw”], for Ezekiel saw one and knew the other [on high]. This is why he said “they” [and I knew that ‘they’ were cherubim]. The student learned in the mysteries of the Cabala will understand.