שמות, פרק כ״ה, פסוק י״ט

The crafting of the Ark's solid gold cover and the angelic figures upon it requires great precision, both in their placement and their method of creation. The instructions carefully specify placing exactly one cherub on each end, preventing any misunderstanding that multiple figures belong on a single side [רש״י, ביאור יש״ר, פרדס יוסף]. The primary approach among commentators is that the figures stand at the very outer edges along the length of the Ark [אבן עזרא, בכור שור, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, a different perspective suggests they are positioned closer to the middle of the cover's width, ensuring the Divine Presence faces outward toward the Sanctuary [רשב״ם].

The method used to form these figures is entirely unique, demanding that they remain inseparable from the cover as a single, unbroken piece [שד״ל]. They cannot be crafted separately and attached later. Instead, the gold block of the cover itself must be hammered until the figures naturally emerge and protrude from the base [רש״י, ביאור יש״ר, קאסוטו]. To maintain an even distribution of the precious metal, the right figure is hammered from the excess gold on the right side, and the left figure is drawn from the excess gold on the left [מלבי״ם]. This method is specific to the Tabernacle; years later, the cherubim King Solomon built in the Temple were separate structures and not an integral part of the Ark's cover [חזקוני].

Beyond the physical hammering, these two figures must be formed and brought out of the gold simultaneously, rather than finishing one before starting the other. This unified, joint creation represents God's intention, present from the dawn of the world, to bestow a unique and continuous blessing upon Israel [העמק דבר].

Though the specific visual details of the cherubim are not explicitly outlined, their general form was widely recognized. They are associated with the winged beings that carry the Divine chariot and represent the blowing winds. Because the surface area of the cover is quite small, they are not depicted as four-legged animals. Rather, they are designed as standing figures, traditionally understood to have the appearance of youths with wings [קאסוטו].