Commentaire sur L’Exode 33:15

‎ויאמר אליו AND HE SAID UNTO HIM — This is what I desired: for if it is to be by an angel rather do not bring us up from here.

AND HE [Moses] SAID UNTO HIM: IF ‘PANECHA’ (THY PRESENCE) GO NOT WITH ME, CARRY US NOT UP HENCE. The meaning thereof according to Rashi is as follows: “This is what I desired, for if it be by an angel, rather do not carry us up from here.” But G-d forbid! that Moses should say, If Thy presence go not, after he had already been promised, My presence shall go!
And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that G-d said to Moses: “I Myself will go, and only you will I give rest, for only with you will I go [but I will not dwell in the midst of the people].” But Moses replied: “If Your presence does not go with the whole nation, carry us not up hence.” This is why Moses used the plural, “carry us up.” But this interpretation too, does not fit the verses properly. For Moses said at first, Thou hast not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me⁴⁷⁹Verse 12. — in the singular. Now even at the time of G-d’s good-will, before the sin [with the golden calf occurred], He also said, Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee by the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared,⁴⁷³Above, 23:20. [and yet this promise too is expressed in the singular — to Moses]! And if you will say that the singular there [before ‘thee’, to keep ‘thee’ etc.] refers to Israel [as one unit], then here also it could be explained to refer to all Israel! Besides, if it is so [as Ibn Ezra interpreted], that Moses requested of G-d that He inform him who is the angel He would send with him, then we see that Moses was satisfied with the angel, concerning whom it is said, for My Name is in him,⁴⁷⁵Ibid., 23:21. and G-d answered him with a double, and redoubled, beneficence, over and above that which he had asked for — that He Himself would go!
But this section of Scripture cannot possibly be grasped by one who has not heard the secrets of the Torah. The following is its meaning by way of the Truth. Moses said, and Thou hast not let me know who is the angel Thou wilt send with me, and he requested that He fulfill two things He had said to him: firstly, that I know thee by Name, meaning [G-d said to Moses] that “I will be known to you by My [Great] Name, for your sake” [and this was now Moses’ request, that he be not divested of this highest degree of prophecy on account of the incident of the calf]. It is possible that the phrase, yet Thou hast said, [I know thee by Name], is based upon what He had said to Moses [with reference to the patriarchs], but by My Name the Eternal I made Me not known to them,⁴⁸⁰Above, 6:3. But to Moses He did reveal Himself by His Great Name, as explained there. as I have explained [there]. And secondly Moses had been told: and thou hast also found grace in My sight, meaning that he will find grace, which is the cleaving of knowledge.⁴⁸¹That G-d always be with them in the wilderness face to face (Abusaula). And Moses continued, Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found grace in Thy sight,⁴⁸²Verse 13. in the attribute of justice, show me now the paths of the ways⁴⁸³“The paths of goodness with which You conduct Your world, and by which You are known” (Bachya). even as Thou art known by Thy Name, that I may know Thee to declare Thy Unity, to the end that I may find the great grace; and consider that this nation is Thy people — Thou art their Father, and they are Thy children. It is this that Onkelos intended in translating the verse thus: “make me then know the path of Thy goodness to the end that I may know Thy mercy.” Then the Holy One, blessed be He, answered him, My presence shall go — the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in,⁴⁸⁴Malachi 3:1. for in him My presence will be seen, since it is with reference to him that it is said, in an acceptable time have I answered thee;⁴⁸⁵Isaiah 49:8. for My Name is in him.⁴⁷⁵Ibid., 23:21. ‘Vahanichothi lach’ (and I will give thee rest) through him, that he should not conduct himself towards you with the stringent attribute of justice but with the measure which is inclusive of the attribute of mercy, the usage [of the word vahanichothi] being associated with the expression, Therefore it shall be ‘b’haniyach’ (when) the Eternal thy G-d (hath given thee rest) from all thine enemies.⁴⁸⁶Deuteronomy 25:19. This is similar to that which is said, Thus shall Mine anger spend itself, ‘vahanichothi’ (and I will satisfy) My fury upon them.⁴⁸⁷Ezekiel 5:13. Then Moses answered, If Thy presence — Thou Thyself and in Thy Glory — go not, carry us not up hence, for Thou art to be with us face to face,⁴⁸⁸Deuteronomy 5:4. for such were the conditions [as mentioned] in the section of Va’eira.⁴⁸⁹Above, 6:6-8. Likewise Moses mentioned above, with great power and with a mighty hand,⁴⁹⁰Ibid., 32:11. and so now too he asked that He bring them to the Land with great power and with a mighty hand, just as He took them out with them from Egypt.

אם אין פניך הולכים, now already when we are still encamped, seeing that You have withdrawn Your presence, then You better do not bring us any further from here for it would be preferable for us to remain here in the desert than to enter the Holy Land without Your Presence among us. By staying right here, we would at least be exposed to the manifestation of Your continued Presence.

ואם אין פניך הולכים, "Unless Your face will go, etc." Moses was not satisfied with G'd's previous offer and said that unless G'd's face would go with them as of now the people would be lost, and there was no point in even beginning their ascent towards the Holy Land. His reasoning was that the only way he could be certain that he had indeed found favour in G'd's eyes was the method employed by G'd in accompanying the Jewish people. He referred to Israel's distinction of G'd relating to them as the Attribute represented by His Ineffable Name. Moses was dissatisfied that only he and not the entire people should be the beneficiaries of the "great light" which G'd had promised to bestow on Moses in verse 14. [The author appears to feel that the fact that G'd did not tell Moses in verse 14 that His Attribute would walk with the people instead of ahead of the people, made Moses refuse the offer. Ed.] He prayed for G'd to accompany the people as His attribute of the Ineffable Name, i.e. as the attribute of Mercy. G'd agreed to this request also when He said: "I will also carry out this matter which you have spoken of for you have found favour in My eyes." G'd was careful to let Moses know that His consent was due to His fondness of Moses, not because of His being fond of the people.

אם אין פניך הולכים, this is not a harping on a request already made and granted, but it is an introductory remark to an additional request by Moses. במה וודע...ופלינו אני ועמך?; Moses asks that he personally will be perceived as enjoying G’d’s special regard, by being distinguished in some visible manner. He argues that if he were to be thus recognisable as G’d’s intimate, this would reflect also on the people he is leading and would show the nations of the world the uniqueness of Israel and its relationship to its G’d.

אם אין פניך הולכים, “If Your essence will not be going…” according to Rashi these were the terms under which Moses was willing to settle for the presence of an angel. He did not mean that his previous words should have been understood as a kind of ultimatum to G’d, seeing that G’d had already assured him with the words פני ילכו, that He, personally, would accompany the people [or Moses, as became clearer in Joshua 6,14 when the angel that had first been appointed here, replaces the one whose stature had been approved by Moses who had remained with the people as long as he lived. Ed.] Ibn Ezra explains that the initial promise by G’d to personally come with him was addressed only to Moses, but not the people as a whole. Moses, in remonstrating, had in mind the people whom he also wanted to benefit from G’d’s personal Presence, rather than that of only an angel of relatively low standing in the celestial hierarchy. This is why he said to G’d: אל תעלנו מזה וגו', “do not lead us up from here” (in the plural mode). Nachmanides rejects this interpretation also, seeing that in his opening remarks Moses had spoken in the singular mode: לא הודעתני את אשר תשלח עמי, “You have not informed me whom You would send with me.” Besides, the whole argument of distinguishing between the angel being for the sake of Moses or the people respectively, is not valid, as in better times before the sin of the golden calf, in 32,20 G’d had said to Moses:הנה אנכי שולח מלאך לפניך לשמרך בדרך, “here I will send an angel ahead of you (sing.) to watch over you (sing.) on the way, etc.” If Ibn Ezra were correct in his distinction between angels for the benefit of Moses and the people, respectively, why did Moses not protest G’d’s promise already in 23,20? This whole paragraph in the Torah is so fraught with mystical aspects which only selected few are privy to, that it is not appropriate to comment on them here in such a public forum. Thus far Nachmanides. Seeing that I have not attained such insights as are required, I have only touched on the subject ever so slightly, limiting myself to the plain meaning of the text.

... As even though Moses did not need to say this, since He already promised that He, Himself, would go with them; he nonetheless wanted to make known Israel's love of His going with them. So he said that if, God forbid, He had not agreed to go with them, they would not have gone up from there until they died - them, their wives, their children, their infants and all that they had. And the wonder is about Ramban, who argued and said, "God forbid that Moses should say, "If your presence does not go," once He promised, "My presence will go!"

That is exactly what I wish. . . Although Hashem already acquiesced to Moshe and said, “My Presence will go,” nevertheless, Moshe wanted to let Him know how much the people cherished His going with them. Thus he said that if, tragically, Hashem would not acquiesce to go with them, the people would not move from there until they died: they, their children and all that is theirs.

VV. 15 u. 16. Indem Mosche die Bitte um die gar nicht zu unterbrechende Unmittelbarkeit der Gottesführung mit der Erwägung: ובמה יודע אפוא וגו׳, also damit motiviert, dass nur durch eine solche unmittelbare, dem Nexus der physischen Weltordnung enthobene ( — das ist ja ונפלינו —) Führung, der Menschheit sich die Tatsache konstatiere, יִוָדַע dass Mosche und Israel von Gott gesandt und von Gott geführt seien: so muss die Verbreitung der Anerkenntnis der Göttlichkeit der Sendung Mosche und Israels außer Israel, im Kreise der Menschheit, doch ein wesentliches Augenmerk bei der Erwählung Mosche und Israels gewesen sein. War es aber wesentliche Absicht Gottes, Mosche und Israel in Mitte der Menschheit als seinen Gesandten und sein Volk zu dokumentieren, so muss die Menschheit eben aus Mosche und Israels Händen etwas im Namen Gottes empfangen sollen, dessen göttlicher Ursprung eben durch die Göttlichkeit seiner Überbringer gewährleistet sein soll, und es kann dies eben nichts anderes als das Gesetz, als die תורה sein, für deren unmittelbaren göttlichen Ursprung eben die ganze unmittelbare Göttlichkeit der geschichtlichen Erscheinung Mosche und Israels, ihrer Überbringer, der Menschenwelt Beweis und Bürgschaft bieten soll. Es spricht hier Mosche seine und seines Volkes welthistorische Bedeutung aus. Zur Übermittelung des Gotteswortes für die Menschheit bedarf es eines Gottesboten und eines Gottesvolkes. Israels Gott offenbarende Geschichte ist das notwendige Vehikel für die Pflanzung des von Gott offenbarten Gesetzes in den Schoß der Menschheit.

ויאמר אליו, “He said to him:” this whole conversation is difficult to understand seeing that G–d had already assured Moses that He, would walk with them personally as He had said: “I will personally go with you” (33,14). Furthermore, why did Moses say afterwards in verse 16: “how can I know that both I and Your people have found favour in Your eyes, except by the fact that You will walk with us and we will be distinguished vis a vis any other nation?” G–d had already agreed to do what Moses had asked of Him! We may have to understand the whole dialogue between G–d and Moses as follows: G–d’s words: והניחותי לך, “and I will give you rest,” at the end of verse 14 are addressed to Moses personally, but are not a promise to the people. G–d did not promise that the people can feel at “rest,” i.e. reassured so that they would not have to worry about their future. They will not be able to experience the glory of My presence. When Moses heard this, he continued that unless the people can see that You have agreed to personally lead us as You have done in the past, even I do not know that I have found favour in your eyes. At that point G–d responded that He would walk with the people as before the episode of the golden calf. An alternate interpretation: after the words: פני ילכו, “I will personally go (with you),“ Moses understood that G–d’s anger had ceased, and that He now related to the people as He had done when He had said: (Leviticus 17,10) ונתתי פני , “I’ll set My face against him.” (At that time individual wrongdoing had been the subject.) Once My anger has receded from that level, G–d meant, I will give you rest, but not immediately. Upon hearing this, Moses continued pleading saying that this was not good enough for him until the relationship between G–d and Moses as well as the people had been completely restored. G–d’s response to Moses’ “ultimatum” which had been accompanied by Moses refusing to move from that place any further, was: “| have decided to go along with your conditions.”

ויאמר אם אין פניך הולכים, “he said (Moses to G-d) unless Your essence will go etc;” This is a completion of verse 12.

“do not make us leave this place.” We would rather remain in the desert than enter the Holy Land unaccompanied by Your Shechinah, for without it we would undoubtedly incur exile in just a short while.

ואתה לא הודעתני, (returning to verse 12) “and You have not informed me, etc.” first G–d had told Moses that henceforth He would send an angel ahead of the people on their journeys who would expel the Canaanites from their country (compare verse 2 in our chapter). A few verses later (verse 5) Moses had been told to divest the people of their jewelry. Even at that stage G–d had not yet revealed if He, personally, would again walk ahead of the people on their journey through the desert, even though they already had taken off their jewelry at His command. When You said to me: ידעתיך בשם, “I know you by name,” (verse 12) I assumed that You would tell me the name of the angel, i.e. his specific attribute, Moses, at that stage had still been afraid to demand from G–d that He walk with him and the people personally, as G–d had warned that if Ed.] He were to do so any infractions would result in the people being consumed by His wrath (פן אכלך בדרך, verse 3 in our chapter). This is also why he phrased verse 13 with the reference to דרכיך, “Your ways.” The reason he referred to “Your ways” in the plural, was that he did not know which of G–d’s ways (attributes) would be most advantageous for the Israelites. He therefore resolved to ask G–d to reveal all His attributes to Him so that he would know what the situation that the Jewish people found themselves in needed to be appealed to. Thereupon G–d responded by saying: פני ילכו, “I, personally will go,” as this will be most beneficial for you. This is very similar to what we read in Samuel II 17,11: ופניך הולכים בקרב, “and that you yourself will march into battle. [Chushai advised Absalom that in his revolt against his father David, he should march at the head of his troops. Our author shows that the word פנים described the essence of a person as well as the Essence of the Lord.

והניחותי לך, “I will grant you peace of mind seeing that you are in such an emotional uproar. You will now be able to make an intelligent choice. Nonetheless, Moses was still afraid of the possibility that G–d would suddenly annihilate the people if they would anger Him once more. At any rate, he now knew that the word פני G–d had used was meant in its beneficial sense of the word. He realised beyond any doubt that G–d’s personal presence among the Israelites was a great compliment for the people. When Moses realised that this was a time when G–d was very well disposed toward him, he decided to pursue requesting still more details about G–d’s attributes and what each stood for. He went as far as requesting a visual revelation of G–d’s essence. G–d answered him that while he could an experience aural revelation of this, a visual revelation is impossible as long as his soul inhabited a body.