Commentaire de citation sur L’Exode 35:34

The Law of the Lord: – Why does he join the idea of the Law with that of the sun? His meaning is, that as the heavens and the sun and the spheres are witnessing to and declaring the glory of God and His wisdom, so the Law and the Commandments which He has commanded His people Israel witness to His wisdom and uprightness, as it says (Deut. 4:8), “(What great nation is there) that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this Law?” And further he says that as the heavens and the sun benefit the world, and through them the world continues to exist, so is the Law, which is perfect and restores the soul, and upon which (depends) the preservation of the soul as the preservation of the world (depends) upon the sun; for the soul in the body is as a stranger in a foreign land who has none to help or assist him, for the agents which minister to the body are for the most part such as follow after the appetites, and she (the soul) is as a solitary one and captive amongst them. So also says Solomon, who compares her to a poor wise man (Koh. 9:15). And notice the Law restoreth the soul in that it teaches man the right way and draws him away from worldly desires and from many stumbling-blocks. And notice it restoreth the soul from captivity and confinement to her (rightful) birth and the place of her glory. And David declares in respect of the Law and the commandments and the judgments, their truth and uprightness. Now the Law (תורה, lit. teaching) is the orderly setting forth of the commandment with reference to the manner of its performance; and this (may be understood) from the general sense of such passages as “I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers (מורי)” (Prov. 5:13); “and to teach (להורת) He hath put in his heart” (Exod. 35:34); for (the Torah) teaches the ordering of a thing, as “the law (Torah) of the beast and of the fowl” (Lev. 11:46); “the law of the leper” (ibid. 14:2); “the law of her that beareth” (ibid. 12:7); “the law of him that hath an issue” (ibid. 15:32); “the law of the Nazirite” (Num. 6:21). Nevertheless the book (itself) is called by the name of the Law (Torah) from Genesis to Deuteronomy, as is written (Deut. 31:9): “And Moses wrote this Law”; “Take this book of the Law” (ibid. 26); (this is) because it narrates the history of Creation and also narrates the affairs of the Fathers; it likewise sets forth every single one of the things which teach about God: that He is the founder of the world, of His goodness and of the beings created by Him, and His providence in the case both of the good and the evil. He mentions the commandments also – that is, what God commanded (man) to do in the ways of the service of God and love of Him, as of a master who gives commandment to his servant. And the testimony – that is, what was testimony between Israel and God, that they had accepted Him for (their) God, and He had accepted them for a peculiar people; cf “the ark of the testimony” (Exod. 25:22); “the tent of the testimony” (Num. 17:23). For the commandments about which Israel received commands – these are the testimony, and also the tables which had on them the Ten Words, which contain (are) the whole Law entirely; and these Words were a great testimony to Israel when they saw His glory on Mount Sinai in the thunderings and lightning; and that great sight was the testimony to them and their children for ever. So also the observance of the Sabbath and the festivals is to them a testimony and a sign and memorial; the (year of) release also, and the jubilee – all is a testimony to them and their children for ever; as it says, “for all the earth is Mine” (Exod. 19:5); “they are My servants” (Lev. 25:55). He says: the precepts of the Lord in respect of the commandments of the understanding which God has ordained and put in the heart; and about these the understanding teaches. He says fear because it is the beginning of the commandments and their root; for the servant, unless he fear the master, will not do his behests, and perfect fear is in secret. He says also judgments – that is, the rules (that are to be observed) between a man and his fellow. Now it is to be noticed he has mentioned for us all the different kinds of commandments except “statutes” (חקים). The reason is that he applies to them (such epithets as) perfect, restoring the soul, sure, making wise the simple, right, rejoicing the heart, pure, enlightening the eyes, clean, true, righteous altogether, to be desired, and sweet; all which it is only admissible to apply to the commandments whose reason is clear and apparent; whereas the “statutes,” such as those regarding the eating of swine's flesh and wearing mixed stuffs and the like, whose reason is not clear to all how could it be said of them that they are to be desired, are sweet and pure? And although they are such to him to whom their reasonableness is apparent, yet this is not apparent to the great majority of men. And he says:

AND THEY CAME, EVERY ONE WHOSE HEART STIRRED HIM UP. This is said with reference to the wise men who did the work, for we do not find the use of this phrase, “the stirring up of the heart,” in connection with those who merely brought the donations; Scripture rather mentions “generosity of heart” with reference to them. Now the reason for using such a phrase, whose heart stirred him up, is because they undertook to do the work, although there was no one amongst them who had learned these crafts from an instructor, or had trained his hands at all to do them. Rather, a person who felt in his nature that he knew how to do such skills, his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Eternal³⁰II Chronicles 17:6. to come before Moses and say to him, “I will do all that my lord speaks.” I have already mentioned this in another section.³¹Above, 31:2. Thus Scripture is stating that there came before Moses every one whose heart stirred him up to undertake the work, and every one whom his spirit made willing brought the offering. Then Moses said to all of them that G-d had called by name Bezalel,³²Further, Verse 30. and Oholiab.³³Ibid., Verse 34. Afterwards Moses called them and every wise-hearted man³⁴Ibid., 36:2. to come before him, and he gave them the whole donation [brought by the people so that they could proceed to do the work].

AND BEZALEL THE SON OF URI, THE SON OF HUR, OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH, MADE ALL THAT THE ETERNAL COMMANDED MOSES. The meaning of this is that everything was done through his direction, for he acted as instructor to all the wise men, and they all did heir work in his presence and showed him all that they had done, just as it is said, And He hath put in his heart that he may teach.¹²Above, 35:34. But all the wise-hearted men also did the work, as it is said, and every wise-hearted man among them that wrought the work made the Tabernacle.¹³Ibid., 36:8. In the opinion of our Rabbis,¹⁴Yerushalmi Peah I, 1; and quoted here by Rashi. this verse is intended to praise Bezalel, and to say that even these things that his master Moses did not tell him, he understood through his own mind in exactly the same way that they had been told to Moses on Sinai.¹⁵See in Seder Vayakheil Note 72. Moses agreed that originally G-d had told him to do it as Bezalel said it should be done. Thus the intention of Scripture is not to state that Bezalel did all the work, but that in all which was done through him, he fulfilled all that the Eternal commanded Moses. It is for this reason that Scripture does not state in connection with anything that was done until now: “as G-d spoke to Moses,” for this would have implied: “as Moses said by the word of G-d,” and he [i.e., Bezalel] changed their order from that which Moses had told him. Therefore Scripture stated everything in general terms, and said that Bezalel did everything as G-d had said, as I have written above.¹⁶Above, 36:8 (towards the end).