Commentaire de citation sur Isaïe 63:12

AND HE CAME ‘MEIRIVEVOTH KODESH’ (FROM THE HOLY MYRIADS), AT HIS RIGHT HAND WAS A FIERY LAW UNTO THEM. He is stating that the Glory came to Israel from the countless holy ones of the Most High who descended upon the mountain with Him, similar to what is stated, The chariots of G-d are myriads, even thousands upon thousands; the Eternal is among them, as in Sinai, in holiness.²⁸Psalms 68:18. At His right hand was a fiery law unto them, meaning: the fiery law came to them from His glorious right hand²⁹Isaiah 63:12: He caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses. not from the hand of the aforementioned angels, but from the right hand of G-d, Himself and His Glory. And it is possible that meirivevoth kodesh means “from the abundance of His holiness,” for holy, holy, holy is the Eternal of hosts³⁰Isaiah 6:3. with all terms of holiness.

While living in the wilderness they [experienced God’s] glorious manner⁹Middas Tiferes translated here as “glorious manner” refers to how the Jewish Nation’s daily affairs transcending nature, evoked an admiration from the nations of the world as to the spiritual heights of the Children of Israel and their special bond with God. See Ha’amek Davar on Ex. 28:2 explaining that the special clothing of the High Priest elicited kavod (honor) and tiferes (glory), a recognition from the masses of his spiritual greatness and his worthiness of being a Merkava DeShechina. Merkava DeShechina which is referenced below refers to those individuals or groups of people who attain spiritual heights to the extent they are considered as if they support the Divine Throne, with no intermediary existing between them and the Divine Presence. For a further explanation of the Netziv’s understanding of Merkava DeShechina and how those possessing this trait experience worldly affairs transcending nature, see Darkhah Shel Torah, part 3, chapter 3. In Kabbalistic sources Moses was at an even greater spiritual level, being the single human to rise to the level of Tiferes to become the “bridegroom of the Shechinah,” (see the Introduction to Volume One of The Zohar, Pritzker Edition; pages L-LI). “march to the right of Moses,”¹⁰See Is. 63:12, "Who made His glorious arm march at the right hand of Moses." i.e. totally transcending nature; whereas in the Land of Israel their affairs accorded with nature, concealing the providence of God’s Kingdom, may He be blessed. This transformation began during the fortieth year of their being in the wilderness, as we explained in the parasha of Chukas.¹¹See Num. 20:1, “The entire congregation of the children of Israel arrived at the desert of Zin in the first month, and the people settled in Kadesh. Miriam died there and was buried there.” The Netziv comments that the understanding of this verse accords with the Ibn Ezra, who states that “in the first month” refers to the first month of the fortieth year of their travels in the wilderness. The significance of this date was to make known the time of Miriam’s death and to note the start of the period that their affairs would align with nature. This understanding explains the basis of their complaint, “Why have you taken us out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is not a place for seeds, or for fig trees, grapevines, or pomegranate trees, and there is no water to drink” (Ibid. 20:50). Were they not sustained for 40 years prior to that in a wilderness absent of any type of fruit tree etc.!? Rather, they began to experience a gradual diminution of the glory of God’s miracles and thus began to complain, due to their discomfort and fear of having to depend on God’s sustenance being cloaked in the workings of nature. With this transformation to the way of nature did the Nation of Israel wage war against the Canaanites¹²Num. 21:1-3. The Canaanite king of Arad gained courage to wage war against Israel upon discovery that they scouted out the land and were thus not waging war in a miraculous manner, as stated, “he heard that they had come by the route of the scouts.” and Sichon.¹³Num. 21:21-30. The king Sichon was similarly encouraged to wage war against the Israelites, as they requested permission to pass through his land, thus seeming to demonstrate they could not miraculously defeat their enemies. [For this reason] the staff no longer remained consistently in the hand of Moses except for circumstances of special need, as we have explained ad loc.¹⁴When Moses was directed to cause the rock to bring forth water, Num. 20:8 states that God told Moses to “take the staff,” which implies that the staff was no longer consistently in his hands. The staff symbolized God providing Moses authority to act on God’s behalf in a miraculous manner (see Ha’amek Davar on Ex. 4:17).

And the learned Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that the letter beth of the words b’E-il Sha-dai (by the Name G-d Almighty) connected [with the ensuing words ush’mi Hashem, making it ubish’mi Hashem], which has the following meaning: “And I appeared unto Abraham, etc., by the Name E-il Sha-dai (G-d Almighty), but by My Name the Eternal I was not made known unto them.”⁸Thus according to Ibn Ezra, the sense of the verse is as if it were written: “And I appeared into Abraham…b’E-il Sha-dai ubish’mi — [instead of ush’mi] — Hashem lo nodati lahem (and by My Name the Eternal I was not made known to them).”
The purport of the verse is that He appeared to the patriarchs by this Name [E-il Sha-dai], which indicates that He is the victor [and prevailer]⁹See Vol. I, pp. 215-6 and 556-7, for further discussion of this theme. See also end of Seder Bo in this volume. over the hosts of heaven, doing great miracles for them except that no change from the natural order of the world was noticeable, [as was the case with the miracles performed through Moses our teacher]. In famine, He redeemed them from death, and in war from the power of the sword,¹⁰Job 5:20. and He gave them riches and honor and all the goodness, just like all the assurances mentioned in the Torah [in the section dealing] with the blessings and curses.¹¹Leviticus 26:3-46 and Deuteronomy 28:1-69.
It is not [in nature] that man should be rewarded for performance of a commandment or punished for committing a transgression but by a miracle. If man were left to his nature or his fortune, his deeds would neither add to him nor diminish from him. Rather, reward and punishment in this world, as mentioned in the entire scope of the Torah, are all miracles, but they are hidden. They appear to the onlooker as being part of the natural order of things, but in truth they come upon man as punishment and reward [for his deeds]. It is for this reason that the Torah speaks at great length of the assurances concerning this world, and does not explain the assurances of the soul in “the World of Souls.”¹²This is the world to which the soul goes following the death of the body. At the resurrection, body and soul will be reunited. That world, according to Ramban, is Olam Haba (the Coming World). Ramban thus distinguishes between Olam Han’shamoth (the World of Souls) and Olam Haba. The Olam Han’shamoth is concomitant with this world, and Olam Haba is the world of the future. These [assurances mentioned in the Torah as recompense for the observance or transgression of the Divine Commandments] are wonders which go contrary to nature,¹³“For it is not by nature that the heavens become as iron because we have sowed our fields in the Sabbatical year, etc.” (Ramban, Vol. I, p. 557.) while the existence of the soul [after the death of the body] and its cleaving unto G-d are the proper way inherent in its nature that she returneth unto G-d Who gave it.¹⁴Ecclesiastes 12:7. I will yet explain it further¹⁵Leviticus 26:11. if G-d accomplishes it for me.¹⁶See Psalms 57:3.
Thus G-d said to Moses: “I have appeared to the patriarchs with the might of My arm with which I prevail over the constellations and help those whom I have chosen, but with My Name Yod Hei with which all existence came into being I was not made known to them, that is, to create new things for them by the open change of nature. And Wherefore say unto the children of Israel: I am the Eternal,¹⁷Verse 6. and inform them once again of the Great Name, [i.e., the Tetragrammaton], for by that Name I will deal wondrously with them,¹⁸See Joel 2:26. and they will know that I am the Eternal, that maketh all things. ”¹⁹Isaiah 44:24.
All the words of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra on this matter were thus correct except that he was as one who prophesies but does not know it.²⁰The source of this expression, “he prophesied but did not know what he prophesied,” is in Sotah 12b. Ramban uses the expression here to intimate that Ibn Ezra did indeed allude to the correct interpretation of the verse, namely, that the letter beth in b’E-il Sha-dai is connected also to ush’mi Hashem, making it ubish’mi Hashem, as explained above (see Note 8). But, suggests Ramban, there is still a question to be raised on Ibn Ezra’s explanation, as explained further in the text. Even according to his interpretation, the verse should have said, “And I made Myself known to Abraham, etc., by the name of E-il Sha-dai, but by My Name Hashem, [which describes My true essence], I did not make Myself known to them,” or it should have said, “but by the Name Hashem I did not appear to them.”²¹In other words, why does the Torah use two separate terms: va’eira (and I appeared) and nodati (made Me known)? One term — “appear” or “made Me known” — should have sufficed in both cases. However, Ibn Ezra can answer this by saying that because the prophecy of the patriarchs came to them in the visions of the night,²²Genesis 46:2. See also Ramban, ibid., 15:1 (Vol. I, p. 193). He said here, Va’eira (And I appeared) to them, and because that of Moses was face to face²³Deuteronomy 34:10. He said here, “I made Me not known to them [the patriarchs] as I made Myself known to you [Moses].”
By way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], the verse can be explained in consonance with its plain meaning and intent.²⁴Ramban is suggesting that whereas in other places the mystic teachings of the Cabala do not reflect the plain meaning of Scripture, here “the way of the Truth” is in harmony with the plain meaning and import of the text. He is saying: “I the Eternal appeared to the patriarchs through the speculum of E-il Sha-dai,” just as is the sense of the verse, In a vision do I make Myself known to him.²⁵Numbers 12:6. “But Myself, I the Eternal did not make Myself known to them, as they did not contemplate [Me] through a lucid speculum so that they should know me,” just as is the sense of the verse, And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Eternal knew face to face.²³Deuteronomy 34:10. The patriarchs did know the Proper Name of the Eternal, but it was not known to them through prophecy. Therefore when Abraham spoke with G-d, he mentioned the Proper Name together with the Name Aleph Dalet²⁶Genesis 15:2. See Ramban, ibid., 17:1 (Vol. I, p. 216). or Aleph Dalet alone.²⁷Ibid., 18:30. The purport thereof is that the revelation of the Divine Presence and His communication with them came to them through an ameliorated attribute of justice,²⁸See Vol. I, p. 543. and with that attribute was His conduct towards them. But with Moses, His conduct and His recognition to him were by the attribute of mercy, which is indicated by His Great Name, [i.e., the Tetragrammaton — the Eternal], just as is denoted in the verse, He caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses,²⁹Isaiah 63:12. and it is written, So didst Thou lead Thy people, to make Thyself a glorious name.³⁰Ibid., Verse 14. Therefore Moses does not henceforth mention the name E-il Sha-dai, for the Torah was given with His great Name, as it is said, I am the Eternal thy G-d.³¹Further, 20:2. This is the sense of the verse, Our of heaven He made thee to hear His voice, that He might instruct thee; and upon earth He made thee to see His great fire.³²Deuteronomy 4:36. I have already alluded to the explanation of the word hashamayim (the heaven).³³In Genesis 1:8 (Vol. I, p. 37). May the Holy One, blessed be He, open our eyes and show us wonders in His Torah.