Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does Genesis 3:24 mean when it says Hashem placed keruvim and a flaming sword?
A: After Adam and Chava (Eve) were expelled from Gan Eden (Garden of Eden), Hashem placed keruvim (angelic beings) and a revolving flaming sword to guard the entrance. According to Rashi, this was to prevent them from returning and eating from the Tree of Life, which would grant eternal life in their sinful state. The keruvim symbolize divine guardianship, as they appear elsewhere in the Torah (like on the Ark).
Q: Why was the way to the Tree of Life blocked in Genesis 3:24?
A: The Midrash explains that after Adam and Chava sinned by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, they became mortal. If they had also eaten from the Tree of Life in that state, they would live forever in a flawed, sinful condition. Hashem, in His mercy, blocked access so humanity could ultimately achieve rectification (tikkun) through mitzvot and teshuva (repentance), not through the Tree of Life.
Q: What is the significance of the 'revolving sword' in Genesis 3:24?
A: The 'revolving sword' (lahat ha-herev ha-mithapechet) represents constant divine judgment and the impossibility of returning to Gan Eden through human effort alone. Rambam (Guide for the Perplexed 1:2) notes that such imagery conveys spiritual truths metaphorically—here, the idea that returning to purity requires divine assistance (like the future redemption) rather than physical entry.
Q: Do the keruvim in Genesis 3:24 relate to the keruvim on the Ark?
A: Yes! The keruvim in Gan Eden and those atop the Ark (Exodus 25:18) share a symbolic role: both represent Hashem’s presence and protection. The Talmud (Chagigah 13b) teaches that the keruvim embody divine love and justice. In Gan Eden, they guarded holiness; in the Mishkan (Tabernacle), they symbolized the bond between Hashem and Israel.
Q: Can humans ever return to the Tree of Life?
A: Jewish tradition teaches that the Tree of Life represents Torah (Proverbs 3:18). While the physical Garden is inaccessible, the Talmud (Eruvin 54a) says engaging with Torah grants spiritual 'eternal life.' The Messianic era (as hinted in Midrash Tanchuma) may restore access to hidden divine wisdom, but for now, we connect to it through Torah study and mitzvot.
Expulsion from Gan Eden
The verse (Bereishit 3:24) describes Hashem's actions after Adam and Chava's sin: their expulsion from Gan Eden and the placement of keruvim and a flaming sword to guard the path to the Tree of Life. Rashi explains that the keruvim were angelic beings with faces resembling children (כרובים from the Aramaic root כרביא, meaning "like a child"), symbolizing purity and innocence, now lost due to human transgression.
The Role of the Keruvim and Flaming Sword
According to the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 21:9), the keruvim and the revolving sword represent Divine justice. The sword's constant motion (החרב המתהפכת) signifies that repentance and return are always possible—its blade turns in all directions, leaving no path entirely closed. Ramban adds that the sword's fire symbolizes the yetzer hara (evil inclination), which must be overcome to regain spiritual purity.
Guarding the Path to the Tree of Life
The Sforno teaches that the blocking of the path to the Tree of Life was an act of mercy. Had Adam eaten from it in his fallen state, he would have lived eternally in spiritual corruption. The keruvim thus serve not only as guards but as reminders of the lost closeness to Hashem, which can only be restored through teshuvah (repentance) and adherence to Torah.