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Kabbalah teaches that the cherubs above the ark manifest various spiritual forms of love.
According to the Sages, the two cherubs represent the pairing of G-d and the Jewish people. The Sages state that when G-d was pleased with us, the cherubs faced each other; when not, they miraculously turned away from each other.
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In Torah literature, the concepts of
"eating" and "bread" are often used metaphorically to refer to sexual relations,
which bring new life into the world. In a similar way, the Showbread in the
Tabernacle, by effecting supernal spiritual unions, brought divine sustenance,
i.e. life-force, to the physical world.
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The layers of the Ark rectified the barriers of unholiness.
The original intention was for mankind to be aware and conscious of G-d's unity much more directly than it is now. But since the sin of the Golden Calf, the human mind functions on the principle of duality and balance, contrast and juxtaposition.
When the first Tablets were shattered, the direct perception of G-d's will and wisdom was shattered as well.
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The ability to house the Divine Presence progressed over time.
The Tabernacle that Moses built was a temporary structure. Eventually, a stone structure was built in Shiloh and the tapestries of the Tabernacle were spread over it. It did not have a fixed roof, for we were only able to express the lower half of the emotions, that aspect directed toward expression. The higher aspect of the emotions, the emotions as they are informed by the intellect, was "truncated".
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