The Shekhinah represents the highest level of spiritual growth. It is the Divine Presence and the unseen mystical awareness of the Eternal One. In Jewish mysticism the Shekhinah is the feminine principle of the divine and is associated with life and light. According to the Second Commandment no anthropomorphic representation of the Shekhinah is permitted. Herman Wald  based this image on that of the  Biblical artist, Bezalel who had been appointed to create the Ark of the Covenant. “Make two cherubim of gold” (Exodus 25:18). Herman Wald distilled out the wings of the cherubim, to embrace the Holy Ark. Above them float the tablets of the Ten Commandments “to give the impression that the message they carry is floating across the whole world”. The chains symbolize the link between Man and God and the strength and continuity of the Jewish people.