Commentaire sur L’Exode 34:10

כרת ברית [BEHOLD, I] MAKE A COVENANT about this.

הנה אנכי כורת ברית, to be in your midst. Compare Megillah 29 “when the Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia the presence of the Lord was “exiled” together with them, i.e. accompanied them; when they were exiled to Eylam the same was true. Even when they were exiled to Edom (by the Romans) this remained true.

הנה אנכי כורת ברית, with regard to your request that I personally go with you, the answer is positive, as well as with regard to your request to grant you and the people a mark of distinction. (33,16) נגד כל העם אעשה לך, I will perform such miracles וראה כל העם and the whole nation will see the greatness כי נורה הוא, that it is indeed awesome; we know this from verse 30 where we read that the people were afraid of coming near Moses. It is also reported in verse 35 that the face of Moses radiated rays of light.

ויאמר הנה אנכי כורת ברית, He said: “here I am about to conclude a covenant.“ G’d announced to Moses that He would make a covenant with him, and perform special distinctions with him and His people as Moses had requested. He added:

אשר לא נבראו בכל הארץ ובכל הגוים, “the like of which have not been created anywhere on earth nor amongst any of the nations.” G’d referred specifically to the arrest of the sun and moon in their respective orbits by Joshua and regarding the radiation of rays of light from Moses’ forehead. This is why G’d added the words: “which I perform with you.” Seeing that in this verse G’d promised Moses that he would experience miracles which had never been performed before, he was encouraged to request such a miracle when his legitimacy as a leader was challenged by Korach and company in Numbers chapter 16. Moses requested that the unrepentant Korach be swallowed up live by the earth (Numbers 16,29-30). I shall discuss that decree of G’d further when commenting on the episode in question.

On this. I.e., on [the promise of] אעשה נפלאות , which has the same meaning as ונפלינו אני ועמך (33:16).

V. 10. הנה אנכי כרת ברית, wörtlich: ich stelle als absolut und unabhängig von äußeren Bedingungen fest. (Siehe Bereschit 6, 18). Da in עַמךָ Mosche der Angeredete ist, so ist auch in אתה und עמָך Mosche der Angeredete, und es kann somit das כל העם אשר אתה בקרבו niemand anders als Israel sein. Gott versichert somit Mosche, er werde Mosche Wirksamkeit in Mitte des Volkes durch Erfolge und Ereignisse begleiten, die נפלאות sein werden (siehe Kap. 3, 20), die außer Zusammenhang mit allem physischen Kausalnexus sich als unmittelbare Schöpferwirkung Gottes ankündigen, und zwar אשר לא נבראו בכל הארץ ובכל הגוים, die weder im Gebiete der Natur noch in dem der Völkergeschichte sonst irgendwo und irgendwann ihres Gleichen gefunden. Es wird somit die "Sendung Mosches" als Unikum in Raum und Zeit dastehen und dadurch die Einzigkeit, Göttlichkeit und Unantastbarkeit ( — נורא — ) des durch ihn gebrachten Gottesgesetzes für alle Zeiten bewahrheitet sein. Eine Dokumentierung, die zunächst für Israel verwertet werden soll. Indem nämlich mit dieser Erwiderung Mosche V. 9 ausgesprochener Bitte willfahrt werden soll, in welcher die ganze Zukunft des Volkes bei der Wiederanknüpfung der Gegenwart mit in Berechnung gezogen, und eine Geschlechter hindurch dauernde Erziehung des Volkes zu der ganzen Höhe des göttlichen Gesetzes in Aussicht genommen ist, muss dieses Gesetz zuvor in seiner ganzen absoluten, von Gott verbrieften und von Gott vertretenen Unantastbarkeit dahin gestellt und dem Volke für alle Zeiten zum Bewusstsein gebracht sein, dass die "Sendung Mosches" als בריאה, als Gottesschöpfung in Mitte der Menschengeschichte dastehe, als solche aber sich von allem anderen ihrem ganzen Wesen nach völlig unterscheide und mit nichts in Vergleich zu bringen sei, was sonst auf Erden unter Völkern als Religion, Gesetz usw. entstanden ist und entstehen wird. Diese "Sendung Mosches" tritt zunächst jetzt an Israel hinan und hat die göttliche Absolutheit ihrer siegenden Kraft in der Gewinnung dieses "harten" Volkes zu erproben.

הנה אנכי כורת ברית, “I hereby make a covenant, etc.” G-d promises to walk with the Children of Israel. He adds: “concerning your question (33,16) ‘how will it be known that both I and Your people are distinguished?’” The answer is: נגד כל עמך אעשה נפלאות, “I will perform miracles in full view of your whole people the like of which I have never performed on earth.”An alternate explanation: the covenant G-d speaks of here is the one spelled out in detail in verse 27: where it is made clear that a new covenant was necessary as the people had broken the original covenant as stated there: כי על פי הדברים האלה כרתי אתך ברית ואת ישראל, “for according to these commandments (words) I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” The commandments referred to are the observance of the three pilgrimage festivals that have been listed already in Exodus 23,16: Passover, Pentecost and the festival of huts. They are repeated here as a reminder, as all three are related directly to the Exodus from Egypt. Seeing that the subject came up, the law concerning sanctification of the firstborn males of humans and pure animals, as well as the donkeys, is also mentioned here again.

אעשה נפלאת — The word נפלאת is an expression of the same meaning as ונפלינו (Exodus 33:16; so that the phrase means: I will make a difference) meaning that you shall be different in this respect from all other peoples — in that My Shechinah will not rest upon them.

נגד כל העם אעשה נפלאות, when the people pray, aware of these attributes which I have revealed, i.e. invoking them,

נגד כל עמך אעשה נפלאות ...וראה כל העם אשר אתה בקרבו, “the distinctive acts which I will perform in sight of the whole people that you are amongst, etc.” G’d says that whatever wonderful acts He would perform henceforth would be on account of His special relationship with Moses, and the people would be beneficiaries seeing that they are included in this covenant. It is not possible to explain this verse as meaning that G’d would perform even greater miracles for the people than He had performed in the past, as we can search the whole Torah and not find any evidence of this having been the case.

כי נורא הוא, “for it is awesome;” this is a reference to Moses having returned from the Mountain while his face was radiating light so strong that the people were scared of him. (34,30)

וראה כל העם הזה אשר אתה בקרבו, however, these miracles which you requested I will perform only for the eyes of this people that you find yourself in provided that they qualify at that time for being עמך, “your people.”

אשר אני עושה; because of your merit. This is one of the meanings of Exodus 33,17 כי מצאת חן בעיני ואדעך בשם, “for you have gained My favour and I have singled you out by name.”