Hebrew Bible Study
Hebrew Bible Study

Chasidut for Exodus 20:16

וַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה דַּבֵּר־אַתָּ֥ה עִמָּ֖נוּ וְנִשְׁמָ֑עָה וְאַל־יְדַבֵּ֥ר עִמָּ֛נוּ אֱלֹהִ֖ים פֶּן־נָמֽוּת׃

And they said unto Moses: ‘Speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.’

Kedushat Levi

Exodus 20,17. “for G’d has come only in order to test ‎you.” Moses refers to the reason why G’d decided to address ‎the first two Commandments to the people directly, not using ‎him as His intermediary. He intended to deeply engrave on the ‎people’s hearts and consciousness he fact that even the most ‎humble of them had heard these words directly from the mouth ‎of G’d so that should the occasion arise each one of them would ‎find it easier to offer his life for the sanctification of G’d’s name. ‎Having undergone the experience they had at Mount Sinai, would ‎make it easier for them to stand up to future tests.‎
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