The gemara here says, on the regalim they used to roll the curtain aside, and let Israel see the keruvim that were embracing. Rashi says, "like a man embracing a woman". This showed the love between Hashem and his nation, כביכול.
Kind of an amazing idea. This is, after all, a very private thing, the kind of thing that we Orthodox Jews never do in public. Here it was very public indeed.
On the other hand, the love that was shown was between Hashem and his nation, and it was his nation that was seeing it, specifically at the time when all of them came for the regel. Maybe it was private after all.
On amud beis, it says that when the nations came into the heichal (to destroy the Beis Hamikdash), they took these images outside, and said, "The nation whose blessing is a blessing, and whose curse is a curse [see Maharsha. But it reminds me of Bil'am's words], are involved in something like this??!" - and we were lowered in their eyes
(מכבדיה הזילוה).
Apparently, the idea that there could be kedushah in this was beyond them.
Kind of an amazing idea. This is, after all, a very private thing, the kind of thing that we Orthodox Jews never do in public. Here it was very public indeed.
On the other hand, the love that was shown was between Hashem and his nation, and it was his nation that was seeing it, specifically at the time when all of them came for the regel. Maybe it was private after all.
On amud beis, it says that when the nations came into the heichal (to destroy the Beis Hamikdash), they took these images outside, and said, "The nation whose blessing is a blessing, and whose curse is a curse [see Maharsha. But it reminds me of Bil'am's words], are involved in something like this??!" - and we were lowered in their eyes
(מכבדיה הזילוה).
Apparently, the idea that there could be kedushah in this was beyond them.