Bamidbar Rabbah, that incredible collection of Midrashic teachings on the Book of Numbers, dives deep into this very question. It’s not just a matter of geography, is it? It’s about understanding the intimacy, the incredibly focused point of connection between the Divine and the human.

The Torah says, "The Lord spoke with him from the Tent of Meeting" (Leviticus 1:1). But Bamidbar Rabbah 14 asks: From where in the Tent? The whole thing? That seems… expansive.

So, to narrow it down, the verse clarifies: "From above the Ark cover that was upon the Ark of the Testimony." Okay, that's more specific. But even the kapporet, the Ark cover, isn't tiny. Is it from anywhere above the kapporet?

Rabbi Akiva steps in: "From between the two cherubim!" Those golden angelic figures perched atop the Ark. That pinpoint focus. That’s the place.

But then, Rabbi Shimon ben Azai, with characteristic humility, adds something profound. He says, "I am not as one who is rebutting the statement of my teacher, but rather, as one adding to his statement." Isn't that beautiful? Such respect, such a desire to build upon wisdom, not tear it down.

So, what does he add? He reminds us of the sheer immensity of God. "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth, the utterance of the Lord?" (Jeremiah 23:24). Yet, this vast, infinite Glory constricted itself, focused itself, to speak from that tiny space above the Ark, between the two cherubim, for the sake of Israel. What an act of love!

And it gets even more mind-blowing. Rabbi Dosa brings in another layer of understanding. We know the verse, "For man cannot see Me and live" (Exodus 33:20). Rabbi Dosa interprets this to mean that only in death can we glimpse the Divine. Likewise we see, "All who descend to the dust will kneel before Him, those to whose soul He has not given life" (Psalms 22:30).

Rabbi Akiva takes it a step further. Even the beings that bear God's throne, the angels, haven't fully seen the Glory!

And Rabbi Shimon ben Azai, again adding to his teacher's wisdom, says that not even the ministering angels, whose life is eternal, fully perceive the Divine Glory. Think about that for a moment.

The text continues, "And He spoke to him – but not to the ministering angels who were there." God spoke directly to Moses. The verse tells us that the Voice emerged from the mouth of God, blessed be He, like a stream flowing directly into Moses' ear. The angels were present, witnessing, but the communication was specifically and intimately between God and Moses. As it says, "God thunders wondrously with His voice" (Job 37:5). That is, "and He spoke to him.”

What does this all mean? Perhaps it’s a reminder that even within the vastness of the Divine, there is a place for intimate connection. That even though we may never fully grasp the Glory of God, we can still be touched by the Divine voice, if we listen closely enough. Maybe that "place between the cherubim" exists not just in the Tent of Meeting, but also within our own hearts.