פירוש על דברים 4:50

ועתה ישראל, after you have seen the decree of G’d to exile you if you sin, be on guard to meticulously observe His commandments without adding to them or detracting from them. An addition or a detraction will both have destructive consequences for you.

ועתה ישראל שמע אל החוקים, "And now, O Israel, hearken to the statutes, etc." Perhaps Moses referred to 2 separate incidents which had happened to him personally (when he had been remiss.) The first instance was the matter of speaking to the rock when Moses had struck the rock instead in his eagerness to fulfil G'd's instructions. The second instance was the matter of Zimri publicly cohabiting with the Midianite princess Cosbi when Moses had forgotten the ruling that anyone sincerely jealous of such a desecration of the name of the Lord is to execute the sinner forthwith without trial. On that occasion too, Moses had missed an opportunity to sanctify the name of the Lord as we have explained in that context. Even though Pinchas had articulated this halachah in front of Moses at the time (compare Sanhedrin 82) Moses had answered him: "he who reads the letter must execute what is written therein." As a result, Pinchas acquired the merit of the covenant of peace which in truth had been reserved for Moses himself.

ועתה שמע ישראל, “Now, O Israel, listen!” after Moses had concluded the words of admonition and reminded them of their various past sins, all of which had caused negative fallout for them, so much so that only the second generation had been allowed to enter the Holy Land, he hints that their entry into this land was contingent on their not copying the mistakes of their fathers. Moses especially warns the people not to tamper with G’d’s commandments by either adding or subtracting from them. [A major insult of the Creator, Who does not need us, the creatures, to edit His work. Ed.]

ועתה ישראל שמע אל החוקים ואל המשפטים אשר אנכי מלמד אתכם לעשות למען תחיו; “and now Israel hearken to the statutes and social laws I will teach you to perform in order that you shall live.” This verse teaches that learning, studying the Torah is not the main purpose of the Torah but performing the commandments one has studied. Our sages in Avot 1,17 stated this succinctly when they taught לא המדרש הוא העיקר אלא המעשה, “not the study is of the essence but the performance, the deed.” Only performance of deeds is a guarantee of life (both here and in the hereafter).

Kap. 4. V. 1. ועתה ישראל, dieses "ועתה" ist die Aufforderung, aus allem dem, was Mosche bisher aus der Vergangenheit dem Volke zu erneutem Bewusstsein hervorgehoben hatte, das Resultat für die nun anzutretende neue Zukunft zu ziehen. Aus allen gemachten Erfahrungen stellt sich ein Ergebnis heraus, dass "i>Gehorsam gegen den göttlichen Willen" die einzige so unerläßliche als ausschließliche Bedingung für das Heil seiner Zukunft bilde. Mosche geht von dannen, allein die Gesetze, die er ihnen von Gott überbracht und gelehrt, sie enthalten alles, dessen sie zum glücklichen Aufbau ihrer Zukunft bedürfen; ihre Erfüllung und die Art ihrer Erfüllung und den Ernst ihrer Erfüllung dem Volke ans Herz zu reden, bildet daher das letzte Anliegen Mosches vor seinem Scheiden.

'ועתה ישראל וגו, “and now, Israel, etc;” according to the beginning of the Sifri at the beginning of this paragraph, the words: ועתה ישראל, “and now, Israel, etc.;” are Moses’ introduction to relating laws in the Torah, after he had reminded the people why it had taken so long since the Exodus until now and the reason why they were still on the east bank of the river Jordan. He had reviewed how in spite of all the disappointments that their conduct had caused G-d, He had not stopped displaying His fondness for them in a tangible manner each day. He, Moses, would have long ago been able to enter the Holy Land had it not been for the delays caused by them, and his having exhausted the lifespan accorded to him during those years. [His having struck the rock by mistake would have been a scenario that could never have occurred but for their having been condemned to be in the desert for so many years. Ed.] It certainly was time for them now to listen to all the laws that it would be their duty to observe once they crossed the river Jordan

It is possible that Moses' reason for failing to act correctly had been that "his hands were weakened" when he had acted rashly in hitting the rock instead of speaking to it, all because he had not taken the time to reflect on what G'd's proper instructions had been. It is also possible that he felt that the rule קנאים פוגעים בו, that people jealous on behalf of G'd must execute such a sinner, applied only to someone who had seen the actual sin being performed not to someone who had heard about it second-hand. This is why he did not think he had the right to instruct Pinchas to carry out the deed. As a result "he sat on it," and did nothing contrary to his immediate response to hitting the rock when G'd had instructed him to take along his staff at the time. In view of these two failures on his part, Moses now said to the people: "hearken to the statutes, i.e. the laws which lack rationale such as the commandment to speak to the rock at the time. As far as Moses was concerned that instruction was like a חוקה for him, something he did not understand. Moses continued to speak of משפטים, social laws, i.e. the kind of laws which appear to contain an element of social justice such as the law to execute Jews who have sexual intercourse with Gentiles. Both Moses' failures related to one or the other of these types of commandments; this prompted him to warn the Israelites specifically not to become guilty of the mistakes he had made himself, though inadvertently, and which were the reason he suffered from the decree of not being allowed to enter the Holy Land.

— שמע .שמע אל, die aktive spontane Gehörtätigkeit ist eigentlich der geistige Durst (צמא), dessen Befriedigung die geistige Wachstumsfreude bringt (צמח ,שמח), wie ראה das geistige Weiden, die Befriedigung des geistigen Hungers, die konkreten Weltobjekte dem Gedanken bringt, die erst durch die lehrend befruchtende Gehörtätigkeit, zur auflösenden, scheidenden und kombinierenden Entwicklung gelangen. Da wir nur in Worten zu denken vermögen, so wird in Wahrheit allen Denken durchs Gehör vermittelt. — שמע אל ist nun das stete Hinhören auf einen Lehrinhalt, uns nicht damit zu begnügen, ihn einmal erkannt zu haben, sondern ihn uns immer und vor allem da klar und gegenwärtig zu halten, wo er zur Verwirklichung gelangen soll. — שמע אל החקים וגו׳ fordert: keinen Schritt im Leben zu tun, ohne erst die Gesetze zu befragen, welche Normen sie für die Lebenserfüllung enthalten.

למען תחיו, in order that you will continue to live;” the people who had worshipped the Peor had all been killed for having failed to keep such a basic commandment.

Moses concluded this exhortation with the plea "so that you will live and come and take possession of the land which the Lord your G'd is about to give to you." He implied that what happened to him should not happen to them. He added: לא תוסיפו על הדבר, "do not add to the word, etc." This too was a warning to the Israelites that something that happened to him should not happen to them. Torat Kohanim at the beginning of Parshat Acharey Mot (page 1138) describes Rabbi Eleazar ben Azaryah who illustrated the difference in impact between two different kinds of warnings. The first example had a doctor tell his patient not to eat cold foods nor to sleep on a cold floor. The second doctor gave the same instructions but added the warning that not heeding his advice would result in the patient's death just as another patient who had ignored this warning had died. The Rabbi pointed out that the warning of the second physician was taken much more seriously. Moses is compared to the second physician as he could tell the people from his own experience that ignoring the warning had proved fatal for him. He had deviated, i.e. exceeded his instructions by not talking to the rock but hitting it.

אל החקים ואל המשפטים. Es kann nicht genug darauf hingewiesen werden, wie in allen Ermahnungen Mosches חקים in den Vordergrund gestellt sind. Immer erst חקים und dann משפטים. Eben חקים, eben die Gesetze, die unser individuelles, leiblich sinnliches Leben umschränken, mit welchen Gott unserem individuellen leiblich sinnlichen Sein und Wollen sein Maß, sein "nicht mehr noch minder" zugemessen hat, sie bilden die nicht zu beseitigende allererste Grundlage für die Erfüllung unserer Menschen- und Volksbestimmung auf Erden. Sie, die חקים, vor allem die עריות- und מאכלות אסורותGesetze, erzeugen erst Individuen von solcher dem Geistigen und Sittlichen zugewandten Gemütsart, dass von ihnen sich eine auf der Rechtsbasis der משפטים stehende Volksgesellschaft erbauen könne (siehe zu Wajikra 18, 3-5).

ובאתם אתם וירשתם, “therefore it is up to you to inherit” by keeping G-d’s commandments. Do not think or even say, since Moses had been told by G-d that the lsraelites standing in front of Him in Numbers 26,53, who had been told that the land would be distributed to them, this was the kind of promise that could not be revoked if they would prove unworthy.

ולא תגרעו ממנו, "neither shall you diminish from it;" in this instance Moses referred to his failure to do what was required in the matter of Zimri. His failure to demand that someone execute Zimri had been equivalent to his "diminishing" from one of the social laws of the Torah. Moses said ולא תגרעו, "you must not diminish," to indicate that even if by diminishing a law of the Torah such as the בועל ארמי your intention is to save someone's life by your inaction.

אשר אנכי מלמד אתכם. Wiederholt bezeichnet Mosche die Tätigkeit, durch welche er dem Volke die Kenntnis des göttlichen Gesetzes vermittelt hat, nicht als כתיבה, sondern als למוד. Also nicht Schrift, sondern mündliches Wort, mündliche Lehre, תורה שבעל פה, war das Medium, welches das Gottesgesetz im Volke pflanzte, und Mosche gebraucht nicht den Ausdruck הוריתי אתכם ,מורה אתכם ,הורה, sondern: למד. Während הורה, Hiphil von הרה (siehe Bereschit S. 354), einen geistigen Keim in jemanden legen, vorzugsweise die Förderung geistiger Erkenntnis bedeutet, geht לַמֶד, das ja auch Gewöhnen, Üben bedeutet (und in מלמד הבקר Richter 3, 31 geradezu den das Tier zum Pflügen anhaltenden Treibstock, sowie in למודין der Mischna Kelim v, 9 zusammenhaltende Reifen bezeichnet), weit über das bloße begriffliche Erkennen hinüber und bezeichnet einen solchen Unterricht, der die praktische Erfüllung im Auge hat und dazu die vollständige Anleitung gibt. Mosches Gesetzlehre war daher im buchstäblichsten Sinne: תלמוד, und "i>Talmud" ist mosaisches Gesetz.

למען תחיו ובאתם וירשתם: der den göttlichen Gesetzen zugewandte freie Gehorsam schafft uns Leben. Nur indem wir alle unsere Lebenstätigkeiten, unser ganzes Sein und Wollen der Leitung des göttlichen Gesetzes übergeben, seine Bestimmungen in uns aufnehmen und all unser Denken und Empfinden, Reden und Handeln gestalten lassen, kommt unserem "Sein" (היה) der Name "Leben" (חיה) zu, vollendetste Verwirklichung des unserem Sein zu Grunde liegenden, in unserem Sein zu Tage tretenden, Verwirklichung suchenden "Gottesgedankens" (הגה), und nur dann können wir einst auf unseren Lebenslauf zurückblickend sagen: חיינו, wir haben den durch uns zur Verwirklichung kommen sollenden Gottesgedanken verwirklicht! Und wie der freie Gesetzesgehorsam die einzige Bedingung unseres individuellen, sich zum wahren Leben entfaltenden Daseins ist, so ist er auch die einzige Bedingung unseres auf eigenem Boden zu konstituierenden nationalen Lebens. ׳שמע וגו׳ למען תחיו ובאתם וגו.

In engerer Beziehung ist תחיו Produkt von שמע אל החקים und ובאתם וגו׳ von שמע אל המשפטים.

לא תספו YE SHALL NOT ADD — For instance, to place five chapters in the Tephillin, to employ five species of fruit and plants in the fulfilment of the command of Lulab And to place five fringes on one’s garment. Thus, too, must we explain the following words ולא תגרעו, Ye shall not diminish [from it]" (Sifrei Devarim 82:4).

YE SHALL NOT ADD [UNTO THE WORD WHICH I COMMAND YOU] — “such as placing five sections [of the Torah] in the phylacteries, five species in a lulav,²²The four species in the commandment of the lulav are: the palm-branch, the ethrog, the myrtle and the willows. — For phylacteries See Vol. II, p. 168, Note 406. five fringes [in a garment].²³Further 22:12. The same principle applies to the prohibition, neither shall ye diminish from it” [by placing three sections of the Torah in the phylacteries etc.]. This is Rashi’s language. And thus the Rabbis said in the Sifre:²⁴Sifre, R’eih 82. “Whence do we know that you are not to add to [the four species in the commandment of] the lulav,²²The four species in the commandment of the lulav are: the palm-branch, the ethrog, the myrtle and the willows. — For phylacteries See Vol. II, p. 168, Note 406. nor to the [four] fringes?²³Further 22:12. Scripture therefore says, Ye shall not add. And whence do we know that you are not to diminish from them? Because Scripture states, neither shall ye diminish. Whence do we know that if [a priest] began to recite the Priestly Blessing²⁵Numbers 6:24-26. he is not to say: ‘Since I began to bless [the people], I will [further] say, The Eternal, the G-d of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as ye are?’²⁶Above, 1:11. Because Scripture states, [Ye shall not add] unto the ‘word’ — even ‘a word’ you are not to add to it.” However, not only concerning these [commandments] have the Rabbis said [that the prohibitions neither to add nor to diminish, apply], but also in the case of someone who sleeps in a Booth on the eighth Day [of the Festival of Tabernacles]²⁷Leviticus 23:42: Ye shall dwell in Booths ‘seven’ days. Thus the Torah specifically states that the commandment to dwell in Booths applies to seven days only, and not to the eighth Day, which is a separate festival (Shemini Atzereth). Sleeping is part of the commandment “to dwell” in a Booth. [However, because of the general rule that he who feels uncomfortable is exempt from sitting in a Booth, sleeping there, in the colder climates in which we live, is practiced only by those who are very strict in religious observance (Orach Chayim 639:2, R’ma).] with the intent [of performing a religious duty] that he is liable to whipping [for having added to the commandment], as is mentioned in Tractate Rosh Hashanah.²⁸Rosh Hashanah 28 b. So also if he were to observe the Festival of Tabernacles for only six days, he would be transgressing this negative commandment [neither shall ye diminish from it].
In my opinion, even if someone devised an independent commandment [rather than altering an existing one] such as establishing a festival in a month which he had devised of his own accord,²⁹I Kings 12:33. as Jeroboam did,²⁹I Kings 12:33. he transgresses the negative commandment [Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you]. And so did the Rabbis say with reference to the reading of the Scroll of Esther [on Purim]:³⁰Megillah 14 a. “One hundred and eighty prophets³¹In our text of the Talmud: “Forty-eight prophets.” See my Hebrew commentary, page 360. arose in Israel and they did not diminish from nor add even one letter to what was written in the Torah, except for reading the Scroll of Esther [which was instituted by the prophets]. What basis did they have for that? etc.”³²“Rabbi Chiya bar Abbin in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha said: It is a matter of kal vachomer (reasoning from minor to major): If [when Israel was delivered] from slavery to freedom they sang [in praise of G-d], how much more ought they to do so when they were saved from death [that was decreed upon Israel through the plot of Haman] to life!” (Megillah 14 b). The reading of the Scroll of Esther constitutes the praise to G-d for our deliverance (ibid.). And in the Yerushalmi it is stated:³³Yerushalmi Megillah I, 7. On the term “Yerushalmi” see Vol. III, p. 192, Note 44. “Eighty-five elders, among them many prophets, were troubled about the matter [of the new duty to read the Scroll of Esther]. They said, ‘It is written, These are the commandments which the Eternal commanded Moses.³⁴Leviticus 27:34. These are the commandments that [we] were ordered by the mouth of Moses, and Moses told us that no other prophet is destined to establish anything new for you — and Mordecai and Esther want to establish something new for us!’ They did not move from there while discussing the matter, until the Holy One, blessed be He, enlightened their eyes [and they found the new commandment intimated in the Torah, Prophets, and Writings].” Thus you see that [the institution of] this commandment [of reading the Scroll of Esther on Purim] would have been forbidden to them [were it not for the fact that ultimately they found it intimated in the Torah, etc.]; otherwise it would have been included in the principle, thou shalt not add thereto.³⁵Further, 13:1. — It should be noted that at this point Ramban cites the later verse (13:1) instead of the verse here. The reason would seem to be that the verse here relates to adding to, or diminishing from, a Divine commandment, such as placing five sections of the Torah, or only three, in the phylacteries instead of the four sections ordained. The verse of 13:1, however, refers to adding a completely new commandment to the number of Taryag (613) Commandments, or of abolishing altogether one of the Divine precepts. In speaking, therefore, of the prophetic precept of reading the Scroll of Esther on Purim, Ramban thus rightly cites the verse from further on (13:1), for were it not that the prophets and Sages of that time found it intimated in the Torah, the prohibition against instituting such a new commandment would have come under the admonition, thou shalt not add thereto. However, the prohibition against adding [to the Torah] by word of a prophet we derive only from the verse stating, These are the commandments,³⁴Leviticus 27:34. which establishes,³⁶Torath Kohanim, at end of Bechukothai. “From now on, no prophet is permitted to originate anything [in the Torah].” Whatever [laws] the Sages have established in the nature of “a fence [around the Torah],” such as the secondary degrees of forbidden marriages³⁷Yebamoth 21a-b. — that activity of [establishing fences] is itself a requirement of the Torah, provided only that one realizes that these [laws] are a result of a particular fence and that they are not [expressly] from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the Torah.³⁸In other words, the duty devolving upon the Sages to establish “fences” [i.e., safeguards against trespassing the law of the Torah] is specifically stated in the Torah, but the precise terms of these “fences” are not written. — The duty of establishing such preventive Rabbinical laws is based on the verse, ushmartem eth mishmarti (and ye shall keep My charge — Leviticus 18:30), tradition interpreting this to mean: “Make a mishmereth (a protection, a fence as a safeguard) l’mishmarti (for My commandment)” (Yebamoth 21 b).

ולא תגרעו ממנו לשמור, a person should not make the mistake made by King Solomon that he can ignore a prohibition since he knows the reason for the prohibition and can create conditions when such a prohibition would not be justified. [the Torah had forbidden a king to marry too many women, warning that these could lead him astray. Solomon relied on his wisdom not to lead him astray and ignored the Torah’s law with disastrous consequences for his kingdom. Ed.]

לא תוסיפו, “do not seek to improve by adding, etc.;” an example would be adding a fifth paragraph to the four paragraphs of the Torah embedded inside the phylacteries. Nachmanides writes that the addition of a non-existent commandment to form say #614 instead of the traditional 613 commandments, is also included in the wording לא תוסיפו. However, Rabbinic decrees, based on legitimate inter-pretations of the Torah, and introduced as Rabbinic decrees are not included under the heading of the prohibition לא תוסיפו על הדבר אשר אני מצוה אתכם ולא תגרעו ממנו, “do not add to the word that I command you, nor shall you subtract from it.” These Rabbinic decrees, as a rule, serve to protect the average Jew from running afoul of Biblical decrees, and thereby become guilty of various kinds of penalties.

לא תוסיפו על הדבר אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם, ולא תגרעו ממנו “do not add to the words which I command you, nor subtract from it.” This is a warning for man not to try and be smarter than G’d by saying that he will do more than G’d commanded, by thinking that the addition will be considered part of his serving the Lord. This is why Moses had to point out that the Torah is perfect. Not only does it not need additions or subtractions but any addition is in fact a subtraction (Sanhedrin 29). Our sages in Sifri Re'ay 82 quote examples of what the Torah means by additions or subtractions. If someone were to take five paragraphs from the Torah and place them inside the phylacteries of the head, doing so deliberately as an addition to what the sages said, or if he were to present G’d with five species of plants on the festival of Sukkot, instead of the four species mentioned in the Torah, or if a priest were to add a fourth verse to the three verses which form the priestly blessing, such a person would be guilty of violating this commandment.
On the other hand, if someone adds to the various Rabbinic “laws” instituted to protect Biblical laws against infringement and violation by the ignorant, such additions do not qualify as a violation of the commandment Moses speaks about here. Any Rabbinic ordinance introduced for the sole purpose of ensuring the observance of the Torah law as it is and protecting it against violation is not called “an addition.” It is in the nature of a fence around a vineyard, something that does not contribute to or enlarge the vineyard but merely protects it against thieves, marauders, etc. The classic Talmudic example for this is found in Shabbat 13 where the sages are quoted as encouraging a Nazirite to detour around a vineyard. It is not forbidden for a Nazirite to walk through a vineyard. However, if he does not walk through it it will be easier for him to resist the temptation of taking and eating from its grapes, something absolutely forbidden to him by Torah law. In fact, not only does observing the Rabbinic ordinances not constitute a violation of the commandment not to add to the Torah’s laws, but violating Rabbinic ordinances violates a specific Torah commandment of “do not depart from the word that they tell you right or left.” The “they” are the duly authorized Rabbis (Deut, 17,11).

V. 2. לא תספו וגו׳. Jedes uns von Gott erteilte Gebot soll von uns in seiner Integrität zur Ausführung gebracht werden; wir sollen dabei keinerlei Willkür, keinem subjektiven, beliebigen Hinzutun oder Ablassen Raum geben, z. B. nicht mehr oder weniger als die vorgeschriebenen vier Abschnitte der Tefillin, vier Pflanzenarten im Lulab, vier Doppelfäden der Zizith (Sanhedrin 88 b), nicht mehr oder weniger als die vorgeschriebenen drei Berachotsätze im Segen der Kohanim, als die vorgeschriebenen ein, zwei oder vier Bluthingebungen der Opfer (R. H. 28 b). Alle diese und ähnliche Gebote sind ein Gotteswort, eine Gottesrede an uns. Jedes willkürliche Zusetzen oder Abnehmen wäre ein Fälschen des Gotteswortes, ein Hineintragen menschlichen Dafürhaltens in die Wahrheit ewiger Gottesgedanken, ein Hinabziehen göttlicher Institutionen zu der Flachheit menschlicher Äußerlichkeiten.

'לא תוסיפו וגו, “do not add, etc.;” G–d implies that anyone adding to the words of the Torah,-however well meaning he may be,-will in fact detract from the value of the Torah. [If G–d is perfect, something that every believing Jew accepts as axiomatic, any addition to or deletion from His Torah would make it, ergo Him, imperfect. Ed.] For instance, when the Torah decreed 4 strings of tzitzit for the corners of a four-cornered garment, adding a fifth string would not only not make it holier, but would make it useless, and anyone reciting a benediction over such a tallit would desecrate the holy name of G–d by pronouncing such a benediction. The same reasoning applies to sitting in a sukkah for an extra day or adding another a fifth species to a lulav.

לא תוסיפו על הדברת ״, “do not add to the word, etc.” Moses reminds the people that when they had been told in Deut. 1,21 עלה רש “ascend and take ancestral possession,” they had added a condition of their own by requesting to dispatch spies. If they had not done so, they would have settled in the Holy Land 40 years earlier and would not have had to watch a whole generation die in the desert. Their fathers had become corpses in the desert.

לשמר את מצות ד׳ וגו׳, dieses gewissenhafte Innehalten des "nicht mehr und nicht minder" bei Erfüllung der göttlichen Gebote soll eben den Zweck haben, die göttlichen Gebote in ihrer Integrität unverkürzt und rein zur Verwirklichung zu bringen. In dieser Zweckbeifügung glauben wir aber sofort die Erinnerung zu finden, dass, was eben aus gewissenhafter Sorgfalt für möglichst genaue Erfüllung der göttlichen Gesetze und nicht aus dreister Reformierungssucht geschieht, nicht unter dieses Verbot לא תספו ׳וגו fällt, vielmehr eben aus der uns hier und so oft gebotenen שמירה der מצות resultiert. So, wenn der Zweifel, ספק, den יום טוב שני של גליות erzeugt hat, oder wir infolge einer Verschiedenheit der Überlieferungen die eine gebotene תרועה in zwei Weisen als שברים und תרועה darstellen etc. (siehe פ׳׳מ zu ט׳׳ז 2 ,34 א׳׳ח). Ebenso fällt eine wiederholte Erfüllung einer מצוה, wie z. B. תקיעות מיושב und תקיעות מעומד nicht unter dieses Verbot (׳ר׳׳ה תוספו b; — siehe auch 28 חידושי רשב׳׳א zu ר׳׳ה a 16).

ולא תגרעו ממנו, “nor must you diminish any of G-d’s words as spelled out in the Torah. After the debacle with the spies, when some of you had decided to after all fulfill G-d’s command of ascending to conquer, I had warned you that you would do so at your peril and that you would fail and suffer casualties (compare Numbers 14,42.) You decided to ignore my warning and as a result you paid dearly for that omission. (Compare Numbers 14,45) From now on I warn you to accept My commandments as given without emendations of any kind. A different interpretation of the verse commencing with: “do not add, etc.” The verse is a response to the heretics who deny the validity of the Talmud, by quoting this verse and by pointing out that the sages of the Talmud had ignored it, adding laws of their own by the hundreds. The answer of the sages is that the warning not to add or subtract from the laws of the Torah appears only twice, each time in connection with idolatry, i.e. not to violate the belief and service of the One and only Creator. Immediately following this warning, the Torah illustrates its meaning by reminding the people of what happened to those who had worshipped Peor in addition, (verse 3) Also in Deut. 13,1, the Torah illustrates what is meant by this law by reminding people not to sacrifice any of their children to the cult of the moloch. (Deut. 12,31) When it comes to any of the other commandments, however, the sages are not only entitled but encouraged to surround the Biblical laws with “fences,” in order to protect us not to violate the Biblical laws.

Nach הל׳ ממרים) רמב׳׳ם II, 9) brächte dieses Verbot den nationalen Gesetzesautoritäten zugleich die Warnung, dass sie diejenigen Anordnungen, תקנות und גזרות, die sie infolge ihrer Verpflichtung ושמרתם את משמרתי, die Gesetzeserfüllung zu schützen (siehe Wajikra 18, 30) zu treffen hatten, nicht als integrierende Bestandteile des göttlichen Gesetzes, nicht als דאוריתא, somit als הוספה, als "Zusatz zum göttlichen Gesetze" erscheinen lassen, sondern ihnen deutlich und klar ihren דרבנן-Charakter als סייגים, als Schutzgesetze erhalten sollen, eine Warnung, der auch die anordnenden Weisen mit gewissenhafter Sorgfalt nachgekommen sind und entschieden in ihren Überlieferungen und Erläuterungen die Scheidung zwischen דאוריתא und דרבנן aufrecht halten. Kap. 13, 1 steht dieses Verbot noch einmal, und zwar in folgender Fassung: את כל הדבר אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם אתו תשמרו לעשות לא תסף עליו ולא תגרע ממנו. Es ist nicht unmöglich, dass jede dieser beiden Stellen sich insbesondere auf eine dieser beiden Vermehrungen und Verminderungen des Gesetzes beziehe. Unsere Stelle spricht das Verbot im Plural aus: לא תספו על הדבר וגו׳ ולא תגרעו ממנו, dürfte daher die nationale Gesamtheit verpflichten, den schriftlich und mündlich überlieferten göttlichen Gesetzen kein neues Gesetz als göttlich hinzuzufügen, noch einer als von Gott offenbart überlieferten Bestimmung diesen göttlichen Charakter abzuerkennen. Jene weitere Stelle (Kap. 13), die das Verbot im Singular ausspricht, לא תוסיף עליו ולא תגרע ממנו, dürfte hingegen jedem einzelnen die Verpflichtung bringen, ein jedes Gebot ohne Zusatz und ohne Verkürzung so, wie es die Gesetzüberlieferung vorschreibt, zu erfüllen. Hierfür spräche denn auch der Wortlaut: את כל הדבר וגו׳ אתו תשמרו לעשות לא תסף עליו ולא תגרע ממנו. Dieses "אתו" dürfte erkennen lassen, dass das Objekt dieses Verbotes nicht sowohl der Komplex der ganzen Gesetzgebung, sondern jedes einzelne Gebot ist, das in der unangetasteten Integrität seiner Erfüllung geschützt bleiben soll.

YOUR EYES HAVE SEEN. Now Moses comes to forewarn on the details of the commandments, and he begins with [the prohibition against] idolatry which is the root of all [the commandments].

עיניכם הרואות, Moses reminds the people that they had observed the truth of this with their own eyes when their brethren, in their lust, not meaning to commit idolatry, had nevertheless done so, as they had been overcome by their libidos at the time so that they succumbed to seduction. The Torah testifies that their original sin had “only” been to whore with the daughters of Moav. (Numbers 25,1) The Torah, in outlawing sexual relations with non Jews had added that if this law was ignored the result would be intermarriage, idol worship by the children of such a marriage, etc. (Exodus 34,16) Every Israelite who indulged his lust for a Moabite girl had considered himself immune to such a warning. They proved to have been wrong, with the loss of 24.000 Israelites as a result. G’d had wiped out everyone of them who had worshipped Baal Peor. They had been tricked into it without realising it.

עיניכם הראות, "you have seen with your own eyes, etc." Moses meant that the Israelites had first- hand experience of the severity with which G'd punishes idol worship. G'd relates to that sin more harshly than to any other sin. He punishes even the people who have not actually served the idol with any of their limbs or their organs but have merely entertained idolatrous thoughts. G'd destroyed people who intended to worship Baal Pe-or. Kidushin 39 cites Ezekiel 14,5 as proof that G'd punishes the mere intention to indulge in idol worship.

עיניכם הרואות את אשר עשה ה' בבעל פעור, “Your own eyes that have seen what Hashem did with Baal-Peor, etc.” Ibn Ezra says that seeing Moses had mentioned the fact that the people had temporarily settled in the valley facing the temple to this deity, and some worshipped there, Moses begins with the laws of idolatry, pointing out that the people who had worshipped Baal-Peor had paid a heavy price for that. Nachmanides writes that seeing that Moses is about to launch into discussing details of mitzvah performance, he begins with aspects of idolatry, the root of the entire Torah legislation, and warns the people most graphically of the dangers involved in ignoring that legislation.

V. 3. עיניכם הראות. Es war dies ja eine Erfahrung aus der damals allerjüngsten Zeit. Die Peorverirrung war ja nach Besiegung Sichons und Ogs. Sie war daher dem zum Einzuge in das Land bereiten Geschlechte in frischester Erinnerung. In hohem Grade belehrend erscheint aber der unmittelbare Übergang von לא תספו und Es wird .עובדי ע׳׳ז zu dem warnenden Hinweis auf den Untergang der לא תגרעו damit die Wahrheit bekundet, dass jede die unantastbare Göttlichkeit des Gesetzes auch nur in Beziehung auf ein Gebot leugnende, menschliches Belieben den göttlichen Satzungen gleichsetzende Willkür einem polytheistischen Gesamtabfall gleichkommt. So hatte Saul einem subjektiven deutelnden Meinen und Belieben auf die Ausführung eines ihm gewordenen Gottesauftrages Einfluss eingeräumt, und statt strikter Erfüllung des ihm klar und deutlich vorliegenden Gebotes, hatte er sich erlaubt weniger und mehr zu tun, als ihm geboten, "i>weniger": indem er unterlassen, an Agag und einem Teil der Beute das ihm aufgetragene Gottesgericht zu vollziehen; "mehr": indem er den besten Teil der Beute zum Opfer bestimmte und damit noch ein besseres, als das von Gott Gebotene, tun zu können vermeinte. Saul hatte somit ganz eigentlich die Warnung: לא תוסיף ולא תגרע übertreten. Da ward durch Samuel das Gotteswort an Saul: החפץ לד׳ בעלות וזבחים כשמע בקול ד׳ הנה שמע מזבח טוב להקשיב מחלב אילים כי חטאת קסם מרי ואון ותרפים הפצר. "Hat Gott also an Empor- und Mahlopfern Wohlgefallen, wie am Horchen auf Gottes Stimme? Siehe, Gehorchen ist mehr als bloßes Opfer, Aufmerken mehr als Fett der Widder; denn Zaubereisünde ist Ungehorsam, Götzen- und Orakeltum eigenmächtiges Vordringen!". מרי, der Ungehorsam, der Gottgebotenes unerfüllt lässt, weil es wirklichem oder vermeintlichem Belieben irgend welchen anderen Faktors nicht zusagt, ist er in tiefem Grunde eine andere Verirrung, als die, welche über die Vollbringung einer von Gott gebotenen oder von Gott gebilligten Handlung noch erst den Zauberwürfel entscheiden läßt? Und הפצר jene Vermessenheit, die selbsterdachte Übungen göttlich Gebotenem verbessernd zur Seite stellt, ist sie in tiefem Grunde etwas anderes, als jener polytheistische Abfall, der dem einen Einzigen nicht alles, nicht sich mit seinem ganzen Geschicke und seinem ganzen Lebensinhalte unterstellt, sondern Ihm zur Seite noch eine andere Selbstherrlichkeit — (das ist אָוֶן von און) — mit ihrem Walten über sein Geschick und ihren Orakeln für seine Taten gelten lässt? (vergl. zu Bamidbar 15, 31).

עיניכם הרואות, “Your eyes which have seen, etc.;” in verse 1 of this chapter Moses had told us to observe the laws of the Torah to ensure that the people whom he addressed would indeed inherit the Holy Land. It was also a warning not to once more miss that opportunity as it had been missed a few months earlier by 24000 of them who had worshipped the Peor. This had happened to them although up until that moment their conduct had entitled them to inherit their shares of that land. The previous generation had all died because of the sin related to the spies, and immediately after that G-d had told me that the time had come to make up for this now, and even now some of the people had wasted that opportunity by worshipping Peor, The time had therefore come to repeat the warning not to deviate by one iota in the laws concerning idolatry.

בבעל פעור ist wohl Ortsbezeichnung, wie Kap. 3, 29: בית פעור und בעל צפון (Bamidbar 33,7).

אשר הלך אחרי בעל פעור, es ist möglich, dass dieser Ausdruck nicht nur diejenigen umfasst, welche rite den Peorkult vollzogen, sondern auch alle die, die nur irgendwie sich bei dieser großen Verirrung beteiligt und sich ihr zugeneigt bewiesen. Es wäre dann die Warnung vor dem Abweichen von irgend einem der göttlichen Gesetze eine um so ernstere.

ואתם הדבקים בה' אלוקיכם חיים כלכם היום, you have all been smart enough to avoid a lure which would end up in your committing an idolatrous act.

ואתם הדבקים בה׳ אלוקיכם חיים כולכם היום, "But you who have cleaved to the Lord your G'd are all alive this day." Why did Moses add the letter ו at the beginning of the word אתם, "you?" This creates the impression as if it were meant to add an additional dimension to what was written before, whereas in fact it does the opposite, it contrasts the people whom Moses faced with those who served the Baal Pe-or. Another problem is why Moses speaks of הדבקים, "the ones who have cleaved," using the letter ה at the beginning of the word to indicate that the people he spoke about had been mentioned on a previous occasion.

V. 4. דבק ,ואתם הדבקים ist der innigste Anschluss an einen andern, ודבק באשתו (Bereschit 2, 24 — siehe daselbst S. 151), der sich somit nicht der leisesten Abneigung bewusst ist. עיניכם הראות heißt es im vorigen Verse, euch liegt die Selbsterfahrung vor Augen. Es ist keiner unter euch, der nicht weiß, dass er sich auch nicht die leiseste Abweichung zum Peor hin hat zu Schulden kommen lassen und darum mitten in der Pest, die die Schuldigen hinraffte, erhalten blieb. Dadurch hat jeder an sich selbst den stärksten Beweis von dem Werte des Gottgehorsams und die stärkste Mahnung zu wandelloser Treue. Diese Erfahrung machte die Gesamtheit in allen ihren Gliedern. Darum der Plural: ׳ואתם וגו׳ ,עיניכם וגו. Die strafende Vernichtung traf aber die Schuldigen mit Rücksicht auf die ihrer reinen Gottesbestimmung einheitlich zu erhaltende Nation, daher Singular: מקרבך. Die Bestimmung Israels als Gottesvolk duldet keine Peorsjünger in seiner Mitte.

Perhaps we can understand the verse by keeping in mind the Talmud's explanation (Sanhedrin 108) on Genesis 6,8 that "Noach found favour in the eyes of G'd." The Talmud says that even Noach was not really worthy of being saved but he managed to find favour in the eyes of G'd. When Moses prefaced his remarks with the word ואתם, "and you," he may have meant that even you the survivors deserved death; however, due to the fact that you demonstrated your cleaving to G'd at a certain time you are alive as of this day. The meaning of דבקות then is that the Israelites did תשובה before they too perished, and this is what saved them.

Moses made a point of saying כלכם, "all of you," to make it plain that he referred to the whole nation. We find that a similar thing occurred in Numbers 25,11 when G'd spoke of not destroying the children of Israel in His jealousy. From G'd's wording it is clear that all of the Israelites had been candidates for destruction at the time. Even though Pinchas had been the instrument of saving most of the people, he could not have accomplished this if the people had not done תשובה at the time already.

The letter ו here may also be understood as a reference to the people who had intended to worship the Baal Pe-or although not having done so in practice. I had explained that these people too had become culpable for entertaining thoughts of idolatry. Moses contrasts what happened to those people with what happened to those who remained alive. Just as the ones who died were punished for evil thoughts, so the ones who remained alive were rewarded for positive thoughts, for mentally cleaving to their G'd. The common denominator between both categories of people then is what went on in their minds. Hence the linkage by Moses using the conjunctive letter ו in the word ואתם. This conforms to the statement in Kidushin 40 that normally G'd counts a good intention as equal to a good deed even when it could not be carried out, whereas He does not consider an evil intention as culpable though the reason the person who had the evil intention and had not carried it out had been circumstances beyond his control rather than his having had a change of heart.

Moses phrased it ואתם הדבקים, to reflect a statement in Berachot 7 that in Exodus 33,16 Moses had prayed that G'd's presence should never rest on the Gentiles. We explained there that Moses meant that even if the behaviour of the Gentiles improves to a degree that would make it plausible for G'd to allow His presence to come to rest on them, he, Moses, prayed that the monopoly of being the carrier of G'd's presence should never be taken away from the Jewish people. When Moses said here ואתם הדבקים בה׳ אלוקיכם, he referred to this unique relationship between the Jewish people and G'd. When you accept this interpretation you will realise that the letter ה at the beginning of this word is justified as it refers to an agreement made between G'd and Moses after the episode of the golden calf.

הדבקים בה׳ אלוקיכם, "who have cleaved to the Lord your G'd." The choice of these two names of G'd used by Moses may be understood in light of what Maimonides wrote in chapter six of his treatise Yessodey Hatorah. He writes that there are seven sacred names of G'd and whoever destroys any of these seven names is guilty of the penalty of 39 lashes. Any letter which is a prefix to the name of G'd may be erased whereas any letter or letters which form a suffix to the name of G'd are treated as if they were an integral part of the name of G'd. Examples for the latter are the letter ך or כם at the end of such names as אלוקיך, or אלוקיכם. These letters have become sanctified by the name of G'd which precedes them and to which they have been attached. Thus far Maimonides on the subject. Moses may have wanted to teach us the lesson that the manner of our attachment to G'd should not be like a letter which forms a prefix of the sacred name of G'd and which therefore may be detached; rather, our attachment to G'd should be like the letters in the suffix of His sacred name which are not subject to erasure or detachment from the holy name itself. Moses illustrates the two varieties of prefixes and suffixes by using first the word ב־שם as the example for the detachable prefix, and אלוקי־כם as the example for the integral suffix which may not be destroyed or detached from the sacred name itself.

The combination of בה׳ אלוקיכם may also teach that our cleaving to G'd should not be merely like the prefix of a name of G'd which does not commit that letter to become sacred, but it should rather be like the suffix in the holy name of G'd אלוקיכם, i.e. inseparable. It is also possible that Moses hinted at the two levels of commitment to G'd amongst the Jewish people, the elite being committed like אלוקיכם, whereas the bulk of the people's cleaving was more like ב־שם. We have an allusion to this thought in Deut. 32,9 כי חלק ה׳ עמו, "for His people are an inseparable part of G'd." The Torah means that part of His people, i.e חלק, are an inseparable part of G'd Himself. This lends further weight to our interpretation.

Another meaning of the sequence of the words הדבקים בה׳ אלוקיכם may be understood in light of the Zohar volume 3 page 238 that when someone performs one of G'd's commandments the Ineffable Name comes to rest on the organ with which the מצוה has been fulfilled. The kabbalists claim that the positive commandments are all alluded to in that name. The negative commandments, on the other hand, are alluded to in the name אלוקים. Moses' use of both these names when describing that the Israelites had cleaved to G'd indicated that he alluded to the fact that they had performed both the positive and the negative commandments.

Moses may also have wanted to illustrate the nature of Israel's cleavage to G'd when he chose these two names. He meant to imply that the Israelites' hearts took pleasure both in G'd and in His commandments seeing that the name "your G'd" made Him their exclusive G'd, so to speak. We find a similar thought in the interpretation by Yalkut Shimoni at the end of Parshat Noach where the author explains Psalms 22,4 ישב תהלות ישראל. We are told there that G'd did not want even the hosts of the heavens to praise Him until after the Jewish people had said: "blessed be the Lord G'd of Israel." The reason is that G'd's uniqueness and Israel's uniqueness form such a strong bond between them. This is the reason you will not find expressions of praise for G'd in the Bible such as "the Lord of the heavens," "the Lord of the earth," or "the Lord of the angels."

חיים כלכם היום, "all of you are alive as of this day." These words are both a continuation of what is written before as well as an introduction to what follows. These words are a continuation of what is written before in the sense of אלוקיכם חיים, "your G'd is alive," as we know from Deut. 5,23. The words are also linked to what follows in the sense that the life which the Jewish people enjoy are a direct result of the source of life, i.e. our G'd. Even though we might be moving around, eating and drinking, etc., this would not be called being "alive." We know (Berachot 18) that the wicked are referred to as "dead" even while they go through the motions of being "alive." The reason for this is that the source they draw their energy from is itself "dead," i.e. is the source of death, i.e. Satan. Moses revealed to the people that the reason for their being alive was their cleaving to the source of life itself.

One may summarise Moses' words in one of two ways: 1) The reason you are alive today is because you have chosen to cleave to the source of life, i.e. the Lord your G'd. 2) The reason you have been found worthy to cleave to the Lord your G'd is because you are alive, i.e. you are righteous. You have demonstrated that you are careful to distance yourselves from "death" and have chosen life instead. Both these meanings are part of what this verse tries to tell us.

When Moses said כלכם, "all of you," he referred to being alive in a particular as well as in a general sense. The "particular sense" means that every individual Israelite was healthy, alive in all his limbs; no one was crippled or otherwise physically handicapped. The Talmud Zevachim 116 explains the words ומכל החי, "and from every living thing you shall bring to the ark, etc." (Genesis 6,19), i.e. Noach was to bring to the ark only animals which did not lack any limbs or organs. Moses alluded to something similar when he said כלכם חיים, i.e. all of you are in perfect physical condition. Our sages in the Mechilta mentioned that all the Israelites who were present at the revelation at Mount Sinai were in perfect physical condition, neither a blind man nor a deaf man amongst them. They base this on Exodus 20,15 "all the people saw the sounds and heard the sound of the shofar, etc." There is no reason to suppose that the physical condition of these people had deteriorated since the revelation. I have already explained elsewhere that any physical ailment is merely a reflection of a spiritual imperfection. The reason that the Torah disqualified priests with a physical blemish from performing service in the Temple is because such a physical blemish is only an external manifestation of a blemish on the person's soul. The Zohar volume three page 4 elaborates on this theme. As to the general condition of the Israelite nation qualifying as חיים "alive" at that time, Moses implied that not a single one of them was not righteous. Moses added the word היום, "as of this day," as he was not in a position to predict whether the people would all be able to maintain the spiritual high they were on at the time he addressed them. After all, man is a free agent, and until the day he goes to the ארץ החיים, "the land of the living," i.e. to the hereafter, there is no guarantee he may not sin.

BEHOLD, I HAVE TAUGHT YOU. The meaning thereof is: “Behold, I teach you today,” just as he said, which I command you this day,³⁹Further 11:13. and which I set before you this day.⁴⁰Thus, although Verse 8 here uses the past tense, it should be interpreted as if it used the present tense. Or the meaning of the expression I have taught you may be that since he mentioned that ye should do so in the midst of the Land whither ye go in to possess it⁴¹In Verse 5 before us. he is then saying: “Behold, at the time when you come into the Land, that I had already taught you statutes and ordinances, even as the Eternal my G-d commanded me.”⁴¹In Verse 5 before us.
Now Moses spoke first of a matter which is basic to all positive and negative commandments [namely, idolatry, which as mentioned above, is “the root of all” the commandments],⁴²So explained in the Tur. The reference is to Moses’ words, above in Verse 3: Your eyes have seen what the Eternal did because of Baal-peor etc. and now he admonished them concerning “the statutes,” which are His decrees, and “the ordinances,” which are the laws, for these need greater reinforcement because the reason for the statutes is hidden from us and also because it is by mishpat (justice) — [ordinances] — that they will establish the Land.⁴³See Proverbs 29:4. And then he states that ye should do so in the midst of the Land⁴¹In Verse 5 before us. in order to admonish concerning all [commandments], for there are many statutes and ordinances which do not apply outside of the Land; or perhaps it suggests that the primary duty [of the fulfillment] of the commandments is in the Land, as I have hinted concerning the secret of [the sanctity of] the Land.⁴⁴See Leviticus 18:25; also further, 11:18. He states further that in the statutes and ordinances there are great benefits that bring honor from men to those who observe them. Even their enemies will praise them for [observing the commandments].⁴⁵See Verse 6. Moreover, a great, incomparable benefit is that G-d would be near to them whensoever they call upon Him.⁴⁶Verse 7. The nations also will contemplate this and know that the statutes were ordained in wisdom and understanding so as to bring the people near to G-d, and they will fear them [i.e., the Israelites], this being the purport of what he said, For what great nation is there that hath G-d so nigh unto them?⁴⁶Verse 7. Additionally, the statutes and ordinances are righteous in themselves,⁴⁷See Verse 8. fair and good for the welfare of society and countries.

ראה, למדתי אתכם, “See, I have taught you, etc.” Moses means that he does not only command them laws and statutes, this day, but is also teaching them how to apply these laws. Alternately, seeing that he had instructed the people to perform these commandments in the land of Israel when they would get there, he is also about to teach them היום, this day (already), how to observe these laws, seeing he will not cross into the Holy Land with them. Or, the meaning is simply: “I taught you these laws so that when you come to the land you can fulfill them.”

ראה למדתי היום חקים ומשפטים כאשר צוני ה’ אלו-הי, “See, I have taught you this day statutes and social laws in accordance with what the Lord my G’d has commanded me.” Moses stresses that he never initiated any thing by himself claiming G’d had told him so. Our sages in Nedarim 37 see another dimension in Moses’ statement, namely that just as he did not charge a fee for teaching G’d’s laws so teachers of Torah must be prepared to teach it gratis, not demanding payment. G’d did not charge Moses for teaching him the Torah either. This is also what Solomon meant in Proverbs 23,23 when he said: “buy the truth, never sell it.” When dispensing Torah knowledge the purpose must never be to turn a profit.

V. 5. ראה eine fernere Tatsache, die ihr als selbsterfahrene festhalten sollt, ist die: למדתי וגו׳ לעשות כן וגו׳ אשר אתם באים וגו׳. Ihr seht, ich habe euch nach mir gewordenem göttlichen Befehle Gesetze und Rechtsordnungen gelehrt, damit ihr sie in dem Lande zur Erfüllung bringet, in welches ihr nun einzieht. Damit ist für eure Bestimmung und für die Bedeutung dieser Gesetze die euch und sie von allem andern charakteristisch unterscheidende Tatsache festgestellt: ihr seid das einzige Volk auf Erden, das Gesetze hatte, bevor es ein Land besaß, und diese Gesetze sind die einzigen, deren Erfüllung nicht als Mittel zu einem Volksdasein und einer aus einem nationalen Boden zu schöpfenden nationalen Selbständigkeit und Wohlfahrt, sondern als ׳קבל derselben dastehen. Jedes andere Volk wird ein Volk durch sein Land und schafft sich dann Gesetze für sein Land. Ihr aber seid ein Volk durch das Gesetz und erhaltet ein Land für das Gesetz. Alle anderen Gesetze sind aus der von dem Lande erzeugten Eigentümlichkeit des Volkes und seiner wechselnden Entwicklungsbedürfnisse hervorgegangen, euer Gesetzgeber — der Mensch, aus dessen Händen ihr euer Gesetz empfangen, — hat euer Land nie gesehen, seinen Boden nie betreten, er war nur der Überbringer des Gesetzes, und sein Grab in der Wüste ist das Gottessiegel an dem Gesetze, das er überbracht, sowie die Wardeiung seiner Ewigkeit und Unwandelbarkeit. Das Gesetz ist das absolute, ihr und das Land seid das Bedingte. Nicht nach eurem und eures Landes wechselndem Geschicke hat das Gesetz sich zu wandeln, sondern nach eurer wandelnden Gesetzestreue wandelt euer und eures Landes Geschick. Mit dem Gesetze im Arme steht ihr als Volk an der Grenze des Landes, das ihr betreten sollt, um dort das Gesetz zur vollen Verwirklichung zu bringen; mit dem Gesetze im Arme werdet ihr — einst des Landes zeitweilig verlustig — immer und immer wieder als Volk dastehen, das keine andere Bestimmung hat, als der Erfüllung dieses Gesetzes zu leben und des Augenblicks zu harren, der ihm wieder den Eintritt in das Land eröffnet, das ihm für die volle Erfüllung dieses Gesetzes gegeben. Ihr seid das Gesetzesvolk, Palästina ist das Gesetzesland, nicht aber seid ihr das palästinensische Volk und Palästina ist nicht das jüdische Land. —

חוקים ומשפטים, “decrees and social laws;” Nachmanides writes that Moses warned against idolatry because this is the most serious sin, threatening the whole fabric of Judaism. He now lists a number of חוקים, statutes, decrees, laws that are G’d’s prerogative to decree without elaborating on them or without sharing their rationale with us, His creatures. On the other hand, the rationale of משפטים, laws governing inter-personal relationships, laws governing civilization without which life on this planet would be pure anarchy, are revealed in most instances, or are subject to scholarly research by examining the Torah text minutely.

כאשר צוני ה׳ אלהי: mit diesem "Lehren" erfüllte ich nur das Pflichtgebot Gottes, in dessen Dienst ich atme, den ich אלהי nenne, durch den ich bin, was ich bin, und der über alles, was ich bin und vermag, zu disponieren hat. Daraus fließt dann (Bechorot 29 a) der große jüdische Grundsatz für alle in der Nachfolge Mosches der Lehre seines Gesetzes lebenden Männer: מה אני בחנם אף אתם בחנם, das die Gesetzerfüllung vermittelnde Lehren des Gesetzes — למד התורה (siehe zu V. 1) — nur als Pflicht zu üben, für deren Leistung keinerlei Vergütung genommen werden darf. Diese Bestimmung umfasst alles von Mosches Gelehrte, somit das ganze göttlich geoffenbarte schriftliche und mündliche Gesetz, und zwar jede, sei es bloß theoretische Erkenntnis oder die unmittelbar praktische Erfüllung fördernde Leistung. Daher denn auch die Sätze: הנוטל שכדו לדון דיניו בטלים להעיד עדותיו בטלין להזות ולקדש מימיו מי מערה אפרו אפר מקלה, wer sich seine Rechtsentscheidung, sein Zeugnisablegen bezahlen lässt, dessen Urteil und dessen Zeugnisablage ist ungültig; wer sich das Sprengen mit dem Entsündigungswasser oder das Einschütten der Asche bezahlen läßt, dessen Wasser ist Höhlenwasser und dessen Asche Küchenherdasche (daselbst). Schön heißt es (daselbst) weiter (Prov. 23): ומניין שאם לא מצא בחנם שילמד בשכר ת׳׳ל אמת קנה ומניין שלא יאמר כשם שלמדתיה בשכר כך אלמדנה בשכר ת׳׳ל אמת קנה ואל תמכור, findest du keinen, der dich im Gesetze unentgeltlich unterrichtet, so schaffe dir den Unterricht für Geld; denn es heißt: kaufe die Wahrheit. Sage dann aber nicht: so wie ich mein Lernen habe bezahlen müssen, so will ich auch mir mein Lehren bezahlen lassen; denn es heißt: die Wahrheit kaufe, aber verkaufe sie nicht. Diese Verpflichtung zu unentgeltlichem Unterrichte in der Gesetzeslehre und zu unentgeltlicher Leistung von der Erfüllung des Gesetzes geforderter Handlungen schließt nicht die Vergütung für andere damit verbundene Leistungen aus, wie שכר שימור für die Beaufsichtigung der Überwachung bedürftiger Schüler, שכר בטילה דמוכח Ersatz offenbar durch die Leistung erlittener Versäumnis, auch nicht den Lebensunterhalt derjenigen, die, um ganz dem Unterrichte und der Gesetzespraxis leben zu können, auf jeden anderen Erwerb verzichten (siehe Nedarim 37, תוספו׳ Bechorot 29 a).

לעשות כן בקרב הארץ אשר אתם באים שמה, “to carry out there in the midst of the land that you are about to come to.” This point had to be underlined, as there are both decrees and laws of a social nature that do not apply in the Diaspora. Alternately, the whole verse is an allusion that the basic purpose of the laws of the Torah was designed for life in the Land of Israel.

ושמרתם AND YE SHALL BE ON THE WATCH [TO DO] — This refers to the study of the laws (Sifrei Devarim 58),

That is that He commanded us to associate with the sages, to gather with them and to constantly be involved with them in all manner of work and interaction - in eating and drinking and business, so that it comes to us to imitate their actions and believe the truth of their words. And that is His, may He be exalted, saying, "and to Him shall you cling" (Deuteronomy 10:20). And this command has also already been repeated - "and to cling to Him" (Deuteronomy 11:22). And in the Sifrei (Sifrei Devarim 49:2), it appears, "'And to cling to Him' - cling to the sages and their students." And they accordingly brought a proof about this obligation of a person - to marry the daughter of a Torah scholar, to feed Torah scholars and to give them business - from His saying, "and to Him shall you cling": And they said, "And is it possible for a person to cling to the Divine Presence? And behold, it is written (Deuteronomy 4:24), 'For the Lord, your God, is a consuming fire!' Rather, anyone who marries his daughter to a Torah scholar, or who marries the daughter of a Torah scholar or who benefits a Torah scholar - Scripture considers it as if he clung to the Divine presence." (See Parashat Ekev; Mishneh Torah, Human Dispositions 6.)

כי היא חכמתכם, observance of the laws of the Torah is your true wisdom and will enable you to resist the lures and challenges by the heretics.

ושמרתם ועשיתם כי היא חכמתכם ובינתכם לעיני העמים, “observe them for in the eyes of the nations this group of laws represents your wisdom and your insight.” Moses points out that apart from the internal value of the laws of the Torah, they have an “external” value, if performed; the success of a Torah observant Jewish nation is credited to our wisdom, which in turn is credited by the nations to these laws, observance of which is perceived as the key to the success of the Jewish nation. An additional benefit accruing to the people for observing the Torah’s laws is that the Shechinah, Hashem’s benevolent presence, will be hovering over us, always close at hand when we need to call upon Him for any legitimate reason.

ושמרתם ועשיתם כי היא חכמתכם ובינתכם לעיני העמים, “You shall safeguard it and perform it, for it (the Torah’s laws) are what the nations perceive as your wisdom and discernment.” The verse teaches first and foremost that all the commandments only come into their own when being performed. Their integrity has to be safeguarded (against reformers) and their substance has to be carried out (when they are positive commandments) or performed by not violating them (in the case of negative commandments). All the worthwhile activities in the world are automatically part of one or more of the Torah’s commandments. The discipline of healing is part of a commandment seeing the Torah tells us that if we listen carefully to its commandments and perform all its statutes and refrain from violating them we will not experience disease, etc., (compare Exodus 15,26) “seeing the Lord is your Healer.” The message is clear: Torah observance=preventive medicine. The same applies to all other scientific disciplines.
Our sages in Shabbat 75 understand the words לעיני העמים in our verse as a reference to the people (astronomers, mathema-titians) who can calculate the movements and timing of the stars in their respective orbits. They go so far as to say that if someone possesses this knowledge and neglects to use it (for the benefit of mankind) he becomes the target of the verse in Isaiah 5,12: “they refuse to acknowledge the work of the Lord and refuse to see His accomplishments.”

This refers to the study of the Mishnah. “Preserve,” is to study, and “fulfill” is to uphold the mitzvos. For whoever does not learn, does not fulfill.

V. 6. ושמרתם ועשיתם, die erste Bedingung der Gesetz wahrenden Hüterpflicht ist: Lernen, wie überall ושמרתם זו משנה (siehe Wajikra 18, 4 u. 5). Da somit in diesem Gesetze euer ganzes Dasein wurzelt und eure ganze Bestimmung und Zukunft, so habt ihr nichts anderes zu tun, als: zu lernen und zu erfüllen! כי היא, denn es, beides zusammen, die שמירה und עשיה, das Studium und die Praxis des Gesetzes, ist eure חכמה und eure בינה für die Auffassung der Völker. תכמה: das Insichaufnehmen der gegebenen Lehrsätze der Wahrheit, בינה: die bei deren Anwendung sich bewährende Gedankenkunst des richtig folgernden und schließenden Verstandes (siehe Schmot S. 363). Welche Wissenschaften und Künste das charakteristische Erbteil der anderen Kulturvölker sein mögen, eure, die jüdische Wissenschaft und Kunst, ist die Wissenschaft und Kunst des Aufbaus eines ganzen Menschen- und Volkslebens auf dem Fundamente des Gottesbewusstseins und der Menschenpflicht, ist die Wissenschaft und Kunst der Erkenntnis und der Verwirklichung des Gottesgesetzes, die Wissenschaft und Kunst der Wahrheit und der Harmonie des Lebens.

ועשיתם — this must be explained according to what it implies: AND YE SHALL DO.

את כל החקים האלה, “all these statutes.” We would have expected Moses to say את כל המצות האלה, “all these commandments.” Why did he mention only the statutes? The fact is that not only do the Gentile nations not praise the Jewish people for these statutes they observe but they make fun of us for performing laws the value of which we do not comprehend. However, when the nations observe that by performing the commandments which do make sense to us the Jewish people have achieved a position of great prominence and success in the world, they reason that there must also be hidden values to the statutes even though such meanings defy our logic. They realize that the Torah does not contain any meaningless laws, כי לא דבר רק הוא, “it is not something empty, devoid of meaning and value.” This is why the Torah quotes the nations as saying: “this must be a wise and learned discerning people.” The words רק, “only,” are their admission that the Jewish people are the only people qualifying for such a compliment.

Through this you will be considered wise, etc. Rashi changes the nouns, “wisdom and understanding,” into adjectives. This is because wisdom and understanding are not valued by the nations in their own right, and therefore it would not be logical for the verse to say, “In the eyes of the nations.” Rashi therefore adds the word תחשבו (you will be considered), meaning that, “your status will be considered as wise and understanding in their eyes.”

לעיני העמים, diese eure Wissenschaft und Kunst des Lebens wird euer Charakteristikum bilden in der Anschauung der Völker. Was der alte Seher gesprochen: יפת אלהים ליפת וישכן באהלי שם die Künste des sinnenschmeichelnden Schönen hat man bei anderen Völkern zu suchen, aber die Kunst, wie man Hütten, Städte, Staaten baut, in welchen Gott seine beseligende Gegenwart bekundet, wird nur bei Sems Söhnen zu finden sein, das wird sich an euch bewähren, und indem ihr ausschließlich dieser Erkenntnis und Erfüllung des göttlichen Gesetzes vor den Augen der Völker lebet, wird euer ganzes Leben eine Propaganda sein für das dem Gottesgesetze huldigende Gottesreich auf Erden.

כי היא חכמתכם ובינתכם וגו׳ FOR THIS IS YOUR WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING [IN THE EYES OF THE PEOPLES] — i.e. through this ye will be accounted wise and understanding men in the eyes of the peoples.

אשר ישמעון את כל החקים האלה. Nicht umsonst wird hier für die Anschauung der Völker der ganze Komplex der jüdischen Gesetze חקים genannt. Sind sie doch allesamt das unwandelbare, gegebene Mass für alle Lebensverhältnisse. Andere Völker suchen unablässig das den jedesmaligen, in unaufhörlichem Wechsel begriffenen Zuständen entsprechende Maß der Staatenweisheit. Und weil ihre legislatorischen Schöpfungen nur dem das zeitlich Beschränkte und die Oberfläche der Dinge erfassenden Menschengedanken entspringen, darum sind ihre Normen in ewigem Fluss, und das heute als Heil und Segen bedingende Wahrheit und Recht Verkündete wird vom Morgen als verderbliche Torheit begraben. Nur das jüdische Volk hat ein ewiges Pflichtmaß für alles Sein und Wollen des inneren und äußeren Menschen- und Volkslebens, dem es mit kühner Zuversicht seine Menschen- und Volksexistenz aller Zeiten unterwirft, wissend, dass es eben mit dieser seiner Unterordnung unter Gottes Gesetz sich zum Herrn und Meister seiner Geschicke macht. Wie sein Gesetz, so ist auch seine Geschichte ein von vornherein Gegebenes. Diese, eine ganze Nation in allen ihren Geschlechtern umfassende Hingebung an die Erkenntnis und Erfüllung eines Gesetzes, macht das jüdische Volk zu einer imponierenden geistigen Größe in den Augen der Völker. Sie erhalten Kunde von allen diesen, das jüdische Menschen- und Volksleben gestaltenden Normen und bekennen, dieses große Volk sei doch ein von Weisheit und Einsicht erfüllter nationaler Verein! Es ist zweifelhaft, worauf der im רק liegende beschränkende Gegensatz zu beziehen ist. Vielleicht: so absonderlich auch das jüdische Volkstum erscheint, so kann man doch nicht umhin, es als ein גוי גדול und ein עם חכם ונבון anzuerkennen. Oder: dieses גוי גדול hat seine Größe nur darin und dadurch, dass es ein עם חכם ונבון .ist

כי מי גוי גדול אשר אלוקים קרובים אליו, for it will pay you to be considered intelligent and wise in the eyes of the gentiles seeing that G’d is close to us בכל קראנו אליו, whenever we call upon Him. This teaches the gentiles that we are the chosen people. If the gentiles would consider you as being fools this would be a desecration of G’d’s name for they would then ask derisively: “is this the nation that claims to be G’d’s special nation?” (compare Ezekiel 36,20)

בכל קראנו אליו. Moses refers to matters which have been documented in Exodus 2,24 וישמע אלוקים את נאקתם, “G’d heard their moaning,” and Exodus 14,10 ופרעה הקריב ויצעקו בני ישראל אל ה', “when Pharaoh (in his pursuit) drew near, the Children of Israel cried out to the Lord.” Similar appeals were made before G’d gave them the manna, the quails, and the traveling well. (compare Exodus 16,12 and 17,6)

VV. 7. u. 8. כי מי גוי גדול אשר וגו׳ ומי גוי גדול אשר וגו׳. Wenn dies die Frage sein sollte, welches Volk sich mit Israel vergleichen könnte, so hätte es wohl kaum מי גוי גדול, sondern מי גוי אשר oder besser אי זה גוי אשר heißen sollen. Wir glauben, in מי גוי גדול eine Frage und in אשר לו וגו׳ die Antwort erblicken zu dürfen. Es heißt zuvor, die Völker werden Israel ein großes Volk nennen. Hier folgen nun die Motive: in zwei Momenten wird die Größe eines Volkes gefunden, in der Prosperität nach innen und nach außen und in der Weisheit seiner Staatsverfassung; beide springen den Völkern bei Israel in die Augen. Denn, heißt es, welches ist ein großes Volk? Das ihm nahe Gottheiten hat, d. h. dem seine Gottheiten Aufblühen und Gedeihen, Schutz und Sieg gewähren; ganz so wie in Wahrheit Gott der einig Einzige, dem wir als unserem Gotte huldigen und gehorchen, uns in allen Verhältnissen gewährt, in welchen wir Seiner bedürfen. Und ferner: Welches ist ein großes Volk? Das gerechte Gesetze und Rechtsordnungen hat; ganz so, wie in Wahrheit die Lehre enthält, die Mosche uns von Gott zur Annahme vorgelegt. Eben, dass Israel dieses Gesetz zu ewig treuer Erfüllung angenommen, das bildet seine geistige und sittliche Größe. Gleichwohl ist אלקים קדש; denn da in Wahrheit nur Gott dem Menschen nahe ist, alle Götter Wahn und die in ihnen vergötterten Mächte dem Menschen und seinen Anliegen fern sind, so bezieht sich in Wahrheit אלקים dem Sinne nach auf Gott, und es heißt eigentlich: Welches Volk ist groß? Das einen ihm so nahen Gott hat, wie Gott, unser Gott, uns nahe ist.

בכל קראינו אליו, “whenever we call upon Him.” Whenever we make an effort to call upon His assistance; (compare: Deut.4,29): ובקשתם משם את ה' אלוקיך ומצאת כי תדרשנו בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך, “but from there (exile) you will seek the Lord your G-d; you will find Him if you seek Him out with all your heart and all your soul.

Nicht umsonst ist aber wohl der Hinweis auf die Prosperität des jüdischen Volkes und die darin sich kundgebende Gottesnähe zuerst genannt. Ist sie es ja, die von Gott getragene geschichtliche Erscheinung vor allem, welche die Aufmerksamkeit der Völker auf sich zieht und sie die hohe Bedeutsamkeit des jüdischen Gesetzeslebens ahnen lässt, das eben in diesem äußeren Erfolge, in der von ihm bewirkten Gottesnähe, seine Göttlichkeit dokumentiert.

חקים ומשפטים צדיקים STATUTES AND RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENTS — i.e. proper and acceptable ones.

ומי גוי גדול אשר לו חקים ומשפטים צדיקים, the reason that you will be considered as so wise in the eyes of the gentile nations is because you observe the commandments and statutes of G’d. There is no other nation in existence that can boast such a set of laws which by themselves point the way to G’d’s existence and His wonderful ways. Who else has social laws which have neither been designed for the benefit of the judges nor for the benefit their bureaucracy and their clerks, but serve one interest only the dispensation of justice and fairness? Our sages phrased it thus: “what is justice for one is at the same time fairness, righteousness for the opposing party.” (Sanhedrin 6). Restitution of stolen property to the victim is justice, having returned stolen property makes the erstwhile thief once more a צדיק, a righteous person.

ומי גוי גדול אשר לו חקים ומשפטים צדיקים , “for what great nation possesses statutes and social laws which are fair, etc.?” After having told us in verse 7 of things which are praiseworthy about Israel, Moses now praises the Torah; when using the expression ככל התורה הזאת, he reiterates a point made previously that Torah contains the sum-total of all that is worth knowing.

That are proper and acceptable. Rashi intends to explain: How can the expression “righteous” apply to statutes and laws? For this expression applies only to people! Therefore Rashi explains: “Righteous” [means] “that are proper, etc.,” [an expression] which is applicable to statutes.

רק השמר לך … פן תשכח את הדברים ONLY TAKE HEED TO THYSELF … LEST THOU FORGET THE THINGS — But only then when you do not forget them but will do them in their correct manner, will you be accounted wise and understanding men, but if you do them in an incorrect manner through forgetfulness, you will be accounted foolish.

ONLY TAKE HEED TO THYSELF etc. LEST THOU FORGET THE THINGS. “[Only] then when you will not forget them and fulfill them in their true form, will you be accounted wise and understanding men; but if you pervert them due to forgetfulness you will be regarded as fools.” This is Rashi’s language. But it is completely incorrect.⁴⁸Ramban’s point seems to be that since the verse uses the expression, hishamer (take heed), it should be interpreted as a prohibition as will be explained. According to Rashi, however, it is not a prohibition, but a mere negation: if they do not observe the commandments, they will not be considered wise and understanding men. Rather, this verse, in my opinion, is a negative commandment in which he admonishes [us] severely [as follows]: For, as he stated that we should be careful concerning all the commandments and be heedful to perform the statutes and the ordinances, he again stated: “Only I warn you exceedingly to take heed and guard yourselves very, very much to remember whence the commandments came to you, that you should not forget the Revelation on Mount Sinai,⁴⁹See Vol. II, p. 251, Note 17. nor all the things which your eyes saw there — the thunderings, and the lightnings,⁵⁰Exodus 20:15. His glory and His greatness⁵¹Further, 5:21. and His words that you have heard there out of the midst of the fire.⁵¹Further, 5:21. And you should convey all the things which your eyes saw at that glorious Revelation unto thy children and thy children’s children⁵²Verse 9 before us. forever.” He explained the reason [for this prohibition]: G-d made that Revelation so that you might learn to fear Him all the days and teach your children⁵³See Verse 10. during all generations. Therefore, do so [remember the Revelation and convey it to your offspring] and do not forget it. Thus before mentioning the commandments which were proclaimed there [on Mount Sinai] he admonished with a negative commandment that we are not to forget a thing from the Revelation [of the Eternal at Mount Sinai], and we are never to remove it from our hearts. He further charged in the form of a positive commandment that we should inform all our children from generation to generation of everything that happened there — what we saw and what we heard.⁵⁴Here in the commentary Ramban clearly holds that our duty to remember the Revelation on Sinai is comprised of two parts: 1) the prohibition against ever forgetting it, and 2) the positive duty of informing our children of the event. However, in his notes to Rambam’s Sefer Hamitzvoth (Book of the Commandments), Ramban lists as one of his supplementary commandments the prohibition against ever forgetting the Revelation (see also “The Commandments,” Vol. II, p. 335, Commandment 2), but he does not mention the positive commandment to inform our children thereof (see ibid., Vol. I, pp. 263-265). To resolve this difficulty we must say that Ramban includes the positive duty in the general commandment of teaching our children the words of the Torah (further 6:7; “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 16-18), which of course includes the narrative of the Revelation.
The benefit of this commandment is very great. For if the words of the Torah had come to us only through the mouth of Moses, even though his prophecy was verified with signs and wonders, yet if there [were to] arise in the midst of us a prophet or a dreamer of dreams⁵⁵Further 13:2. and he were to command us [to do] the opposite of what the Torah commanded us, and he [were to] give us a sign or wonder,⁵⁵Further 13:2. then a doubt would enter the people’s hearts. But since the Torah reaches us from the mouth of the Almighty to our ears, and our eyes behold that there is no intermediary, we will reject anyone who differs and who casts doubt [upon the words of the Torah] and will declare him to be false. No sign will help him, nor will any wonder save him from death at our hands for we know his falsehood. It is this which He stated there [before the Revelation], and they may also believe in thee [Moses] forever,⁵⁶Exodus 19:9. See Vol. II, pp. 277-278. for when we shall also transmit the matter [of the Revelation] to our children they will know that the thing was true without doubt as if all the generations had seen it, for we would not testify falsely to our children to cause them to inherit vanity and things wherein there is no profit,⁵⁷Jeremiah 16:19. and they will not doubt at all the testimony we will give them. Instead they will believe for a certainty that all of us saw it with our eyes, and likewise [they will believe] all that we told them. This subject will come up again in the section, If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams etc.⁵⁵Further 13:2. I have already mentioned it there in the section of In the third month.⁵⁸Exodus 19:1. See Vol. II, p. 278.

Look out for yourself and guard your life exceedingly. “Guard yourself” means look after your physical body. It does not add “exceedingly” as it does after the second part of the verse which refers to guarding one’s soul, because one must be even more careful to protect one’s soul than one’s body.

רק השמר לך, even though I have said that you are wise people in the eyes of the gentile nations, be careful not to absorb the views of the wise men of those nations who deny the existence of G’d the Creator and His ability and His supervision of the universe He has created. They may try to convince you with all kinds of intelligent sounding theories.

רק השמר לך ושמור נפשך מאד פן תשכח, “Only beware, and be very much on your guard lest you forget, etc.” According to Nachmanides these words are not merely part of Moses’ speech of admonition, but constitute one of the 365 negative commandments. We must not forget the origin of G’d’s commandments which we heard at the revelation at Mount Sinai when G’d spoke out of the fire, etc., and we witnessed His awesome glory, etc. Moses instructs further- worded as a positive commandment,- that we must inform successive generations of the details of that great event. This is important, even though hearing the laws from the mouth of the incomparable prophet Moses would be enough to obligate us to keep them meticulously. We have had so much proof of the legitimacy of Moses as a prophet that whatever comes out his mouth is bound to have G’d’s approval; nonetheless being reminded that originally these laws were communicated to the people without the use of an intermediary, even one as illustrious as Moses, acts as an anchor to our faith in the sacredness of the Torah. Reminding ourselves of that historic experience of the whole nation at Mount Sinai enables us to call anyone who tries to deny the Divine nature of any part of the Torah a liar. Anyone who challenges this, no matter how many miracles he performs, will not be able to shake our faith, and he reveals himself ultimately as a false prophet. This is why G’d said to Moses in Exodus 19,9 that the very fact that the people as a whole would experience an audible communication from G’d directly, would not only strengthen their faith in G’d, but would also strengthen their faith in Moses as a true mouthpiece of Hashem. By copying down the reports of these events in the holy Torah, this would enable also our children and their children in their time to know that all of this is true, that we are not copying down fairy tales. Our children will not accuse us of feeding them lies, when they can see that we, as well as our parents relate to them only what has been written down and copied faithfully, word by word and letter by letter, for many generations.

Will you be considered wise and understanding, etc. Rashi intends to explain: Why it is written רק (only), which is an exclusionary term? For what is being excluded here? Therefore Rashi says: “Only” is referring to the above verse, “For that displays your wisdom and your understanding etc.” Under which conditions will you be considered wise and understanding? If you do not forget them, etc.

V. 9. רק השמר וגו׳ (Verse 3 und 5) עיניכם הרואות und ראה למדתי וגו weisen uns auf die Selbsterfahrung zweier Tatsachen hin: auf das jeden einzelnen hinsichtlich seiner Gesetzestreue oder -Untreue wägende Gottesgericht und auf die unsere ganze Zukunft absolut bedingende Kraft dieses Gesetzes. Alles aber beruht auf der nationalen Selbsterfahrung der fundamentalen Tatsache der Gottesoffenbarung dieses Gesetzes und der damit unmittelbar verbrieften Göttlichkeit des Gesetzes und außerweltlichen Persönlichkeit Gottes. Diese geschichtliche, durchaus fundamentale Tatsache, die durch unsere eigene Sinneswahrnehmung dokumentierte Gesetzoffenbarung am Sinai, sie ist es daher in allererster Linie, die unseren Geistern und Herzen ewig gegenwärtig bleiben und zu gleicher Beherzigung und Forttradierung von uns unseren Kindern überliefert werden soll. Empirische, von einer ganzen Nation gleichzeitig gemachte Sinneswahrnehmung ist die durchaus beispiellos alleinstehende Basis der geschichtlichen Tatsache der Offenbarung, und die Gesamtüberlieferung von Eltern an Kinder einer ganzen Nation die ebenso beispiellos alleinstehende Erhaltung dieser Tatsache für das Grundbewusstsein aller folgenden Geschlechter.

אשר ראו עיניך, which your eyes have seen.” Compare Exodus 20,18: “and all the people saw the thunder.”

פן תשכח את הדברים אשר ראו עיניך, The reason why G’d has cautioned you to be so much on your guard is that you might forget the evidence of your own eyes, at Mount Sinai, as well as in Egypt and at the Sea of Reeds, and as a result be misled by your mental eyes when interpreting the Torah. This was the purpose of miracles which challenged your intellect, to show you that commonly held concepts are not necessarily true. [perhaps the author has in mind the first such miracle Moses experienced when he observed with his physical eyes that the burning bush did not burn up and turn into ashes. The Israelites, when observing the spectacle of fire within the ice of the hail, the seventh plague, collectively experienced another challenge to the concept that fire and water are totally incompatible with one another. Ed.]

Es sind dies drei Warnungen: ׳שמר נפשך מאד פן תשכח וגו׳ ,השמר לך פן תשכח וגו׳ ׳שכח .השמר לך ושמר נפשך מאד פן יסורו׳ וגו׳ ist nicht eigentlich ein Vergessen aus Gedächtnisschwäche, wie נשה, sondern, lautverwandt mit שגע ,שגה ,שגח (siehe 1. B. M. S. 128) zunächst ein Verlieren aus dem Gedächtnis durch Eingenommenheit von anderem. Die eigentliche Bedeutung von שמר (Bereschit 1, 15) ist das Fernhalten allen Nachteiligen. השמר also: sich von allen einem bestimmten Zwecke entgegenstehenden Einflüssen fern halten. Daher in der Regel mit der Beifügung: לכם ,לך, eigentlich: hüte dich dir, d. h. halte dich von allem fern, was deine pflichtgetreue Selbstbestimmung gefährden könnte. Die Naturbetrachtung und das Geschichtsleben der nichtjüdischen Menschheit bauen sich ohne die beiden, dir durch Erfahrung feststehenden Tatsachen des außerweltlichen Einzigen persönlichen Gottes und des von Ihm ausgesprochenen Sittengesetzes auf. Du sollst bei jeder deiner Betrachtung der Natur und jeder deiner Würdigung des Geschichtslebens stets die dir durch Erfahrung verbrieften Tatsachen zu Grunde legen, von ihnen ganz eigentlich ausgehen. Sie sind dir das Tatsächlichste unter allen Tatsachen der Natur und Geschichte. Erhalte dich inmitten einer, von aus mangelhafter Basis erwachsenen Anschauungen befangenen Welt, deiner geistigen Selbständigkeit. Ihren, lückenhaft erbauten und darum irrigen Anschauungen und deren daher ebenso irrigen Resultaten hingegeben, läufst du Gefahr, eben die Erfahrung jener Tatsachen aus dem Bewusstsein zu verlieren, auf deren Basis allein sich die Wahrheit des Seins und Lebens gewinnt. Darum: hüte dich dir, dass du die Tatsachen nicht vergessest, die deine eigenen Augen gesehen!

והודעתם לבניך, you must therefore relate these experiences you had with your own eyes to your children who have not seen such miracles.

Vor allem aber: שמר נפשך מאד וגו׳. Jene unjüdische Betrachtung des Natur- und Geschichtslebens hat gar leicht einen gefährlichen Anwalt in deinem eigenen Innern. Mit dem Entweichen Gottes aus dem Naturleben geht auch das Naturleben im Menschen geht seine Sinnlichkeit einer selbstherrlichen Vergötterung entgegen, und mit dem Verneinen des Gottesgesetzes für das Geschichtsleben wird der selbstsüchtigen gewalttätigen Menschenherrlichkeit der Thron zurecht gestellt. Beides schmeichelt gar leicht deiner נפש, deinem sinnlich geistigen Wesen und Wollen, verspricht, deine Sinnlichkeit der Unterordnung unter die Sittenheiligkeit und dein Geschichtsleben der Unterordnung unter die Rechts- und Liebesforderungen zu entbinden, die dir das Gesetz am Sinai von Gott gebracht. Darum, wie vor den unjüdischen Einflüssen von außen, so vor allem vor den der Sinnlichkeit und Selbstsucht schmeichelnden Einflüsterungen hüte dein Inneres, dass ihm nicht die Gott und sein Gesetz verbürgenden Tatsachen entrückt werden, hüte vor allem dein seelisches Wesen sehr, dass du die Tatsachen nicht aus den Augen verlierst, die deine eigenen Augen gesehen!

ופן יסורו מלבבך כל ימי חייך und wie du sie im Geiste stets gegenwärtig haben sollst, so lasse sie — ja das Ziel des Ganzen — כל ימי חייך, nicht nur in gewissen Lebensaltern, in gewissen Weihetagen und Stunden, lasse sie, so lange du lebst, bei jedem Atemzuge deines hieniedigen Seins, dein Herz, diese Stätte aller deiner zur Tat strebenden Gedanken, beherrschen und leiten und keinen Augenblick ihm fern werden.

והודעתם לבניך ולבני בניך, und was du erfahren, und was durch deine eigene Erfahrung die unerschütterliche Granitbasis deines ganzen Denkens und Handelns geworden, das sollst du das "Wissen", nicht den "Glauben", deiner Kinder und Kindeskinder werden lassen; was du "gesehen" sollen deine Kinder "wissen"; du sollst es ihnen mit der ganzen Entschiedenheit und Gewissheit des Selbsterlebten also überliefern, dass dein Erlebnis die Wissensbasis aller deiner Nachkommen werde. Es ist dies die von einer ganzen nationalen Gesamtheit empfangene und immer einer ganzen nationalen Gesamtnachkommenschaft überlieferte Tradition, das einzige Medium, wodurch überhaupt geschichtliche Tatsachen auch für die spätesten Enkel Gewissheit zu erlangen vermögen. Beruht doch selbst die Authentizität schriftlicher Aufzeichnungen im letzten Grunde auf der nicht anzuzweifelnden öffentlichen Überlieferung von allen Vätern auf alle Söhne. Daher Kiduschin 30 a die Sätze: כל המלמד את בנו תורה מעלה עליו הכתוב כאלו למדו לו ולבנו ולבן בנו עד סוף כל הדורות, wer seinen Sohn das Gesetz lehrt, den betrachtet die Schrift, als hätte er es ihn und dessen Sohn und Enkel bis ans Ende aller Geschlechter gelehrt, denn es heißt: והודעתם לבניך und dadurch zugleich לבני בניך. Oder, in der dort rezipierten Ansicht, dass hier das Lehren des Gesetzes nicht nur an Kinder, sondern auch an Enkel geboten ist, der Satz: כל המלמד את בן בנו תורה מעלה עליו הכתוב כאלו קבלה מהר סיני שנאמר והודעתם לבניך ולבני בניך וסמיך ליה יום אשר עמדת לפני ה׳ ה׳ בחורב.. Man kann darüber zweifelhaft sein, wer das Subjekt zu "קיבלה" ist, der tradierende Großvater oder der empfangende Enkel. Schon מהרש׳׳א in ח׳׳א zu Berachot 21, 6 schwankt zwischen beiden.

Bezieht sichs auf den empfangenden Enkel, so ist offenbar das von uns oben Entwickelte gesagt: das von dem ersten Geschlecht Empfangene soll von dem Empfänger so fest gehalten und so treu überliefert werden, dass diese Überlieferung vollständig die Stelle des Selbsterlebten vertritt und noch den spätesten Enkel also zur treuen Gesetzeserfüllung verpflichtet, als hätte er das Gesetz selbst am Sinai empfangen.

Auf den überliefernden Vater und Großvater bezogen, dürfte es von diesen fordern, die Überlieferung mit solcher Klarheit und Überzeugungssicherheit zu vollziehen, als hätten sie das Gesetz selbst am Sinai empfangen. Vielleicht liegt auch der Gedanke zu Grunde, indem jemand das Gesetz an seine Kinder überliefert und sich da bewusst wird, mit welcher Treue und Gewissenhaftigkeit er seinem Kinde das überliefert, was er von seinem Vater empfangen hat, tritt ihm die Überlieferung überhaupt in ihrer lebendigen bis zum Sinai hinaufreichenden Authentizität erst recht ins Bewusstsein. Er sagt sich: die Gewissenhaftigkeit und Treue, die er jetzt in der Überlieferung an seinem Kinde übt, hat auch sein Vater an ihm, sein Großvater an seinem Vater und so hinauf bis zu den ersten, die am Sinai standen, geübt, die Kette der Überlieferung führt ein jedes überliefernde Glied durch die selbst bewusste Überlieferungstreue unmittelbar an den Sinai hin, und überliefernd begreift er sich erst als Empfänger vom Sinai.

Etwas auffallend bleibt es, dass sich diese Betrachtung an die Belehrung des Enkels und nicht schon an die des Sohnes knüpft. (Jalkut z. St. hat in der Tat die Lesart: הלומד את בנו תורה. Es hat auch die Lesart: כאילו מקבלה und danach ist wohl unzweifelhaft der empfangende Sohn das Subjekt. Auch Berachot 21 b heißt es nur בנו). Bezieht man das כאילו קיבלה auf die die Überlieferung empfangenden Kinder, so dürfte in der Anknüpfung der Betrachtung an den Enkel vielleicht auch noch der Gedanke liegen: Hört der Enkel aus dem Munde des Großvaters dieselbe Lehre, die ihn auch der Vater gelehrt, so tritt ihm die Gesetzesüberlieferung in ihrer lebendigsten Wahrhaftigkeit vor Augen. Er sieht, sein Vater hat ihn nur das gelehrt, was er selber von seinem Vater empfangen hatte, und liegt ihm da der Schluss nahe, dass so überhaupt die Väter bis Mosche hinauf nur das überliefert haben, was sie von ihren Vätern empfangen hatten, und es wird ihm der Mund des Vaters und Großvaters wie Mosches Mund. —

(Die in diesem Verse zunächst hinsichtlich der Offenbarungstatsache ausgesprochene Warnung vor Vergessen wird Menachot 29 b auf die Kenntnis des Gesetzes ausgedehnt: Wer, heißt es daselbst, wer ein Wort von seiner Gesetzeskunde vergißt, übertritt ein Verbot: כל המשכח דבר אחד מתלמודו עובר בלאו שנאמר השמר לך ושמור נפשך מאד פן תשכח את הדברים, denn כל מקום שנאמר השמר פן ואל אינו אלא לא תעשה denn die Ausdrücke פן ,השמר und אל bezeichnen immer ein Verbot, יבול אפילו מחמת אונס ,ת׳׳ל ופן יסורו מלבבך במסירם מלבו הכתוב מדבר; nicht, wird hinzugefügt, wenn ל das Vergessen in Folge unvermeidlicher Gedächtnisschwäche geschehen; denn in dem ופן יסורו מלבבך liege die Voraussetzung, dass er das Vergessen verschulde. Dies letztere liegt wohl in dem ׳השמר וגו׳ ושמור וגו׳ פן וגו. Man gibt aus Gleichgültigkeit gegen das Gesetz sich anderen Gedankenrichtungen hin, die das Gesetzeswissen aus dem Herzen schwinden lassen.)

יום אשר עמדת THE DAY THAT THOU STOODEST — This is to be connected with the preceding verse thus: [The things] which thine eyes saw … on the day that thou stoodest … at Horeb, — where thou didst perceive the thunder and lightning.

ואשמעם את דברי, "and I will make them hear My words, etc." This is best understood in light of what we learned in Shabbat 146 that when the Jewish people stood at Mount Sinai any residual pollutant dating back to the original sin and its pervasive spiritually negative influence departed from them. I explained in that context that this occurred as a result of the power of G'd's words, and that these words were in fact so overpowering that they resulted in the souls of the Israelites being released from their bodies. This is the deeper meaning of the sages' statement that the pollutants departed from them. This is also what Moses referred to when he quoted G'd as saying: "I will let them hear My words, i.e. the Ten Commandments." When the Torah wrote (Exodus 20,1) "G'd spoke all these words, etc." this is what is meant. The reason G'd did this, Moses explains at this juncture, was so that the people would revere G'd for all future times through having been temporarily released from all spiritually polluting influences. These are the only influences which prevent man from heeding G'd's commandments at all times. If the Jewish people, throughout their long and frequently painful history have managed to remain loyal to their G'd and their religion it is because at least for a time they had been free from such pollutants. This enabled them to revert to what is natural for man, i.e. to revere his Maker.

On the day you stood at Choreiv, etc. One should not say, “You should make known (תודיע) to your children the day you stood,” because והודעתם is written with the suffix mem, meaning “them.” This implies that it is referring to the above, “Lest you forget the words your eyes witnessed ... you will make them known,” meaning to make the words known. If it were referring to the verse following, it should say only, “You should make known to your children.” [Gur Aryeh].

V. 10. יום אשר וגו׳ ist Objekt des ganzen vorhergehenden Satzes: den Tag, an welchem du deinem Gotte gegenüber standest, an welchem Gott, dein Gott, dir persönlich entgegengekommen und du vor Ihm, "seines Dienstes gewärtig" gestanden. Das heißt ja überall עמד לפני (siehe Bamidbar 3, 6). —

יִלְמְדוּן — The Targum is יֵלְפוּן, “They shall learn" (more lit., the action reverts to themselves), while —

For themselves. Rashi is saying: The word ילמדון, which Unkelos translates as ילפון, means, “They will learn for themselves.” But the word ילמדון later on, which the Targum translates as יאלפון, means, “They will teach others.”

אשר ילמדון וגו׳ bezieht sich wohl nicht auf das vorhergehende דברי, es waren dies ja überwiegend Gesetze, die Verwirklichung in der Tat erwarteten, es hätte daher wohl אשר ילמדון לעשות gelautet. Vielmehr ist אשר ילמדון ליראה Zwecksatz des הקהל וגו׳. ואשמעם וגו׳ das ganze Volk soll Gottes Worte unmittelbar vernehmen, damit sie lernen, Gott zu fürchten, so lange sie auf Erden leben und dasselbe Gottfürchten ihre Kinder lehren. Dieser Zweck der Unmittelbarkeit der Gottesgesetzesoffenbarung wird ebenso (Schmot 20, 17) ausgesprochen: כי וגו׳ בא האלחים ובעבור תהיה יראתו על פניכם לבלתי תחטאו.

יְלַמֵּדוּן the Targum is יְאַלְפוּן, “They shall teach" (more lit., the action reverts to others).

Es ist aber dieses Gottfürchten, die jüdische Gottesfurcht, kein Produkt unklarer Gefühle und Gemütsstimmungen; Gottfürchten will "gelehrt und gelernt" werden. Wiederholt spricht das Gotteswort von למוד היראה, hier ילמדון ליראה אתי Ebenso: למען תלמד ליראה את ה׳ אלהיך (Kap. 14, 23), למען ילמד ליראה (Kap. 17, 19). ילמדו ליראה (Kap. 31, 13). Gottfürchten wird durch Lernen und Übung erworben, Gottesfurcht ist ein geistiges Wissen und ein sittliches Können, wie beides zusammen ja den Begriff למד ausfüllt. Den ersten Unterricht in dieser jüdischen geistigen und sittlichen Kunst hat Gott selber uns gegeben. Alles folgende ist eine Beschreibung dieses Unterrichtes. Er hat uns, ohne sich uns zu zeigen, sein Wort hören lassen, wir haben Ihn gehört, aber nicht gesehen; Er ist uns also in seiner Unsichtbarkeit durch sein Wort gegenwärtig geworden und es waren Worte seines Gesetzes an uns, durch welche wir in den ewigen Bund mit ihm getreten; dieses ewige Vergegenwärtigen Gottes, des Unsichtbaren, in seinem Worte, in dem Worte seines Willens, dieses ewige Gotthören, heißt: Gott fürchten, heißt ׳ירא ,יראה את ה, verwandt mit קרא: sich Gott in die Seele gegenwärtig rufen. Daher ward sein Wort, das Wort seines Gesetzes, sein "Name", d. i. das, wodurch Er uns gegenwärtig geworden und worunter wir Ihn, den wir nie gesehen, wohl aber gehört, zu denken haben, und wo das Wort seines Gesetzes wohnte, da "ruhte sein Name". ׳ואכלת לפני ה׳ אלהיך במקום אשר יבחר לשכן שמו שם וגו למען תלמד ליראה את ה׳ אלהיך כל הימים (Kap. 14, 23; siehe daselbst). כל הימים אשר הם חיים על האדמה, so lange sie auf Erden, umgeben, umfangen von der ganzen irdischen Sichtbarkeit, sollen sie, über alles dieses Sichtbare hinaus, den unsichtbaren Einen schauen, der ihnen inmitten dieser sichtbaren irdischen Welt gegenwärtig geworden, auf dass er ihnen gegenwärtig bleibe und sie mitten im Irdischen vor ihm wandeln und seine Stimme vom Horeb hören. —

'ותקרבון ותעמדון תחת ההר וגו. Moses refers to Exodus 19,17 ויוצא משה את העם לקראת האלוקים מן המחנה ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר,”Moses led the people out of the encampment in order to meet G’d. They remained standing at attention near the bottom of the mountain.” Anything which is higher than that which is lower by comparison to it is referred to by the preposition על, whereas the place which is lower is referred to with the preposition תחת. [the author warns against understanding both of these prepositions literally as “above” and “below.” Ed.] Thus Genesis 18,1-2 where we find Avraham’s guests (the angels, before he knew they were angels) described as נצבים עליו does not mean that “they were standing above him,” but that when standing beside him they were taller. The wordsתחת ההר in our verse are therefore also not to be understood as “beneath” the mountain, but the preposition is used on account of the people being lower than any mountain, they are automatically תחת in relation to it. The reason why the entire verse had to be written is because in 5,21 Moses related how at the time the people had been afraid that the fire enveloping the mountain would cause their death. Had we not been informed of where these people had been standing at the time we would have had difficulty in accounting for their fear.

V. 11. ותקרבון וגו׳. Es ist nicht leicht, die eigentliche Bedeutung von ערפל zu fixieren. Es kommt, wie hier am häufigsten mit ענן zusammengestellt und in Hiob 38, 9, wo die Gottesallmacht in den das Wasser beherrschenden Gesetzen geschildert wird, das als Meer Damm und Riegel braucht, um seine Gewalt zu hemmen, ויסך בדלתים ים בגיחו מרחם יצא — doch wieder sich von Wolke umhüllen und von ערפל umwickeln lässt, בשומי ענן לבושו וערפל חתלתו. Indem dort "Wolke" des Wassers "Kleid" und ערפל seine "Windel" genannt wird (siehe Ezech. 16, 4 und 30, 21), so erscheint ערפל als die noch engere, das Wasser zusammendrängende, zusammendrückende Umgebung. Im ענן ist das Wasser noch als Dunst verbreitet. In ערפל ist es bereits verdichtet. Andererseits trägt ערפל in vielen Stellen das Merkmal des Dunkeln, Undurchsichtigen: הבעד ערפל ישפט (Job 22, 13). החשך יכסה ארץ וערפל לאמים (Jes. 60, 2). וקויתם לאור ושמה לצלמות ושית לערפל (Jirmija 13, 16). Es scheint daher ערפל die schwarze niederhängende Regenwolke zu bedeuten, in welcher der Wasserdunst bereits fast zu Tropfen verdichtet ist. Vielleicht erklärt sich danach auch die Wortbildung ערפל von ערף, wie ברזל von ערף .ברז, das in ערף, Genick, den Begriff einer lose zusammenhängenden Teilung bedeutet — (das gewaltsame יערף מזבחתם [Hosea 10. 21] ist wohl aus der Genicktötung [Schmot 13, 13 und Dewarim 21, 4] übertragen) — kann sehr wohl dieses Stadium der Tropfenbildung bezeichnen, wie hierfür ja auch יערף במטר לקחי (Dewarim 32, 2), insbesondere אף שמיו יערפו טל daselbst 33, 29) spricht.

ותעמדון תחת ההר, “you were standing at the bottom of the Mountain.” Compare Exodus 19,17: ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר “they stood (at attention) at he base of the Mountain.”

Gesagt dürfte hier sein, dass die ganze Umgebung ringsum in dichte Dunkelheit gehüllt war und nur der Ort in Feuer leuchtete, von woher Gott sein Wort an Israel richten wollte. Dadurch wurden alle Sinne auf diesen einen Punkt gerichtet und das Ohr führte das Vernommene auch unmittelbar auf den zurück, von welchem das Wort zu ihm gelangte (vergl. zu Schmot 20, 15).

וההר בוער באש עד לב השמים חשך ענן וערפל, “and the Mountain was ablaze with fire to the very heart of the heavens, darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.” If you were to say that the beginning of this verse appears to contradict its end seeing that if something burns and is aflame, there is obviously no darkness there? The miracle at the time was that darkness and light coexisted. Moses continues by explaining what took place: The Lord spoke to you out of the fire; what you heard, were the sounds of His voice. However, you had no vision of something by means of a picture, an illustration. The reason that you could not see the vision, the picture, was that it was enveloped by different degrees of darkness. This had to be so, as no human being is allowed a visual image of the essence of the Lord.

עד לב השמים, a figure of speech, as the heaven does not have a heart; it is a simile for the center of heaven, its innermost part. (Ibn Ezra)

AND THE ETERNAL SPOKE UNTO YOU OUT OF THE MIDST OF THE FIRE. I have already explained the matter in its place⁵⁹Ibid., 19:20, and 20:15. See Vol. II, pp. 282-284, and p. 325. that the people heard the speaking of the Great Name, blessed be He, out of the midst of the fire, as they saw His great fire⁶⁰Further, Verse 36. and they perceived it. With this [Revelation] His covenant was declared to them in the ten words [i.e., the Ten Commandments],⁶¹Verse 13: And He declared unto you His covenant … even the ‘ten words’ (i.e., the Ten Commandments). for in all of them they heard the Voice out of the midst of the fire. And the rest of the commandments He commanded me at that time to teach you,⁶²Verse 14. See also Vol. II, p. 305. because I was already established to be a prophet of the Eternal⁶³I Samuel 3:20. by what you saw, just as He said, and they may also believe in thee forever,⁵⁶Exodus 19:9. See Vol. II, pp. 277-278. as I have explained.

קול דברים אתם שומעים, "you (only) heard the sounds of words, etc." The words "the sound of words" may best be understood in connection with Shir Hashirim Rabbah on Song of Songs 1,2: "may He kiss me with the kisses of His mouth." The Midrash explains that every utterance of G'd during the revelation at Mount Sinai resulted in the creation of an angel who would stand by each Israelite and ask him: "are you willing to accept me i.e. the respective one of the Ten Commandments and what other sub-commandments it contained?" The Israelite in question would answer in the affirmative whereupon the angel would embrace him and kiss him. The words קול דברים, "the sound of the words," is a reference to these questions the angels asked the Israelites. Please refer to what I have written in Parshat Yitro (page 671) where I explained that the only words the Israelites heard from the mouth of G'd directly were the first two commandments. They were physically unable to comprehend the other eight commandments though G'd uttered them simultaneously. The other eight utterances were turned into angels. When the souls returned to the Israelites' bodies at the time, they heard those commandments from the angels. This is what the Midrash described.

Hashem addressed you. Later (Devarim 10:4) with regard to the first set of Ten Commandments, which says, “Remember the day of Shabbos” the verse states, “That Hashem addressed to you,” whereas with regard to the second tablets which say “Preserve the day of Shabbos,” (Devarim 5:12) it states, “that Hashem addressed you.” This is because all of Yisroel heard “Remember” but only Moshe heard “Preserve” and the rest of Yisroel did not. They heard other sounds apart from the words that they heard. The amazing fact that Moshe is describing here, “Hashem addressed you” meaning that you heard the sounds of speech but not words.

V. 12. וידבר וגו׳. Ihr nahmet wahr, nicht nur, dass Gott sprach, sondern dass Gott zu euch sprach, dass seine Rede an euch aus dem Feuer gerichtet war, und zwar war es nicht etwa eine Wahrnehmung im Geiste, nicht קול דברים אתם שומעים ,דברים, es war sinnliche Wahrnehmung, ihr hörtet die Wortlaute; darauf war aber auch eure sinnliche Wahrnehmung beschränkt, auch nicht die Andeutung, den Umriss einer Gestalt habt ihr gesehen (siehe zu Schmot 20, 4).

Solely sound. Another amazing fact was that you saw nothing but the image of the sound, meaning that the people saw pictures in the shapes of letters through the tongues of fire.

ותמונה אינכם רואים, "but you did not see an image." How can we understand Moses referring to an image by contrasting it with a sound, i.e. זולתי קול? It seems quite obvious that if one did not see an image that what one heard was only a sound? You may understand this in conjunction with what I explained on the last verse, that the Israelite saw an angel who communicated G'd's words, i.e. the sound to him. This is also a way the Mechilta explains the words: "the whole people saw the voices (Exodus 20,15)." Moses was afraid that the Israelites would think that the angel whom they had seen was the G'd of Israel. He therefore had to underline that all the Israelites saw in addition to the voices described in that verse were the angels described by the Midrash. They most certainly did not see G'd.

V. 13. ויגד וגו׳, wir glauben nicht, dass sonst עשה von ברית vorkommt, אשר bezieht sich daher wohl nicht auf בריתו, sondern ist Objekt von לעשות: das, was er euch zu vollbringen verpflichtet, und ist dieser Relativsatz erklärende Apposition zu בריתו. Das Gesetz, wozu er uns verpflichtet, ist sein ברית, ist die absolute Bedingung seiner Verbindung mit uns, und diesen Bund, nämlich das, wozu er uns verpflichtet, stellte er uns in zehn Sätzen dar. Diese עשרת הדברים sind nicht alles, was er uns gebot, aber sie sind הגדת בריתו, sie sind eine Kundmachung des Bundes, sie geben einen Begriff dessen, was er von uns als seinen Bund mit uns verlangt, sie enthalten die Grundzüge des ganzen Bundesgesetzes. ויכתבם וגו׳, und wie ein lebendiges Wort das Mittel war, wodurch er sich und seine Gegenwart und seine unmittelbare Beziehung zu einem jeden von uns kund tat, so legte Er auch durch seine schöpferisch in Stein diese Worte festhaltende Schrift das ewige Zeugnis seiner Wortoffenbarung in unsere Hände nieder.

ויגד לכם את בריתו, “He declared unto you His covenant.” All the other commandments were revealed to you through me. He instructed me to do so at that time. (Compare verse 14)

ואתי צוה, ה' ללמד אתכם AND THE LORD COMMANDED ME TO TEACH YOU, the Oral Law.

ואותי צוה, in addition to the Ten Commandments.

.ואותי צוה ה’ בעת ההיא..ללמד אתכם חקים ומשפטים , “and the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you statutes, social laws, etc.” These are the other commandments of the Torah, the ones in addition to the Ten Commandments which were commanded at Mount Sinai (Ibn Ezra). Rashi understands the words ואותי צוה as referring to the oral Torah.

This refers to the Oral Law. Rashi is answering the question: “[Adonoy] commanded me,” definitely refers to the previous verse, “He told you His covenant ... the ten statements.” But if the Almighty commanded Moshe to teach the Jewish People at that time (when they had only been commanded the ten statements), then what is “statutes and laws” referring to? Rather, it must refer to the Oral Law that accompanied the ten statements, which includes their general rules, particular details, and all the mitzvos contained in them. Gur Aryeh explains: [Rashi says, “the Oral Law,”] because it is written, “to teach.” For regarding the Written Law, the word, “give,” would be more appropriate. Since it is written, a person is able to learn it by himself [without being taught].

V. 14. ואתי צוה וגו׳ die vollständige Ausführung dieser Grundzüge, die חקים und משפטים, in welchen sie zur Verwirklichung kommen sollen, ließ er euch durch mich zukommen.

לעשותכם אותם בארץ, “for you to perform in the land, etc.” This does not mean that these commandments are not a personal obligation anywhere in the world. It means that the principal purpose of all the commandments is that they be performed in the Holy Land.

לעשתכם אתם בארץ ebenso oben in Vers 5: ץראה ברקב ןכ תושעל. Im תקון סופרים des רש׳׳ד wird eine Bemerkung des א׳׳ת mitgeteilt, die auf das Bedeutsame dieser Akzentuierung aufmerksam macht, welche mit לעשות כן und mit לעשתכם אתם den Gedanken des Satzes zuerst abschließt und das בקרב הארץ und בארץ nur als besondere Nachfügung lässt. Es wäre damit gesagt: die Erfüllungspflicht der Gesetze ist eine absolute, für immer und überall gegebene. Zunächst freilich und zur voll beglückenden Lösung ist uns das Land zum national eigenen Boden der Verwirklichung unserer Aufgabe als Gottes Gesetzesvolk bestimmt.

TAKE YE THEREFORE GOOD HEED UNTO YOURSELVES. He warns them lest they mistakenly follow the voice they heard and they commit the corruption of “mutilating the shoots.”⁶⁴This consists of separating any of the Ten Emanations and worshipping it independently. See Vol. II p. 556, Note 308. He states first the likeness of male or female,⁶⁵Verse 16. [lest they corrupt themselves by making a graven image in the likeness of male or female] of the Being⁶⁶See my Hebrew commentary p. 362. from Whom the voice came. Afterwards he mentioned all that is on the earth of beast and of fowl,⁶⁷See Verse 17. of those that creep on the ground, and of the fish that are in the water,⁶⁸See Verse 18. and then he reverts to the host of heaven.⁶⁹Verse 19. Now I have already explained⁷⁰In Leviticus 18:25; Numbers 11:16. the expression, which the Eternal thy G-d hath allotted unto all peoples,⁶⁹Verse 19. for every nation has a star and constellation, and, above them⁷¹Ecclesiastes 5:7. the angels of the Supreme One, like those mentioned in the Book of Daniel, the prince of the kingdom of Persia,⁷²Daniel 10:13. and the prince of the kingdom of Greece⁷³Ibid., Verse 20. — this being the reason why they [the nations] make of them gods for themselves and worship them. Scripture continues, And you the Eternal hath taken,⁷⁴Verse 20 here. for you are the portion of the Eternal.⁷⁵Deuteronomy 32:9. You are thus not to appoint a prince or helper over yourselves except for Him, for it is He Who brought you forth out of the iron furnace⁷⁴Verse 20 here. when you were in Egypt in the midst of a furnace of fire and wood [i.e., a furnace of affliction] and He took you out from there in spite of their princes against whom He executed judgments.⁷⁶Exodus 12:12. See Ramban there, Vol. II, pp. 129-131. Had He not brought about their downfall you would not have gone out, for they were [so much] in their ascendancy that you would not be able to leave. Thus He has done all this in order that you be “an inheritance” to Him⁷⁷Deuteronomy 32:9: Jacob is the lot of His inheritance. and be to His Great Name a treasure from among all peoples.⁷⁸See Exodus 19:5.

כי לא ראיתם כל תמונה, this is in contradiction to a category of philosophers believing that beyond the celestial phenomena we observe in the sky there are none that are more substantial and influential, and these are the only ones which existed since prehistoric days.

ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם כי לא ראיתם כל תמונה, “But you shall greatly beware for your souls, for you did not see any likeness.” Seeing that you know clearly that you did not see any phenomenon, image, at the time when G’d revealed Himself, you must take care in the future never to make such a likeness, no molten image or sculpture; there are nations which serve and worship some domestic animal or free-roaming beast, whichever they encounter first on that day. The astrologers have written that the zodiac sign cancer places some of its power on such animals and causes them to bite or otherwise cause damage.[The point of worshipping these animals would be to neutralize their destructive power against the person worshipping them.]

V. 15. השמר לנפש .ונשמרתם מאד לנפשתיכם kommt durchaus sonst nicht vor (nur noch einmal in ähnlichem Zusammenhange Josua 23, 11; siehe unten), wie השמר לך, השמרו לכם. Wenn, wie wir dies oben V. 9 erläutert, השמרו לכם die Forderung stellt, sich (accus.) von jedem fremdartigen Einfluss fern und dadurch sich (dat.), d. i.: der eigenen pflichttreuen Selbstbestimmung zu erhalten, so würde: ונשמרתם לנפשתיכם fordern: erhaltet euch euren Seelen, d.h. lasset euch durch nichts dem leitenden und entscheidenden Einfluss eures seelischen Wesens entziehen. Bedenken wir, dass es sich nach allem folgenden hier darum handelt, uns die Begriffsreinheit und die Überzeugungsgewissheit von der übersinnlichen und doch einzig hohen realen und persönlichen Wesenhaftigkeit Gottes, des unsichtbaren Einen, durch keinerlei Einreihung in den Kreis sinnlicher Existenzen rauben oder auch nur trüben zu lassen: so tritt die Überweisung dieses unseres Bewusstseins an das Forum unserer Seelen und das Gebot, Wacht über uns zu halten, uns diesem Forum durch nichts entfremden zu lassen, in hohe Bedeutsamkeit. Nächst Gott gibt es nur noch ein Wesen, von dessen individueller Realität und persönlicher Existenz, obgleich unsichtbar und von keinen Sinnen zu erfassen, ein jeder von uns doch die unmittelbare Überzeugungsgewissheit in sich trägt, und das sind unsere Seelen, unsere נפשות; sie sind es daher, die, auf sich selbst reflektierend, die reale persönliche Existenz eines sinnlich unerfassbar Unsichtbaren begreifen und mit der Überzeugungsgewissheit des eigenen Selbsts die Überzeugungsgewissheit von Gott erfassen. So gewiss wir unseres Selbst sind, so gewiss sind wir Gottes. Darum "ist es unsere Seele, die wir zu Gott hintragen, darum sehnt sich, schmachtet, durstet unsere Seele nach Gott" —אליך ה׳ נפשי אשא, נכספה, כלתה, צמאה, נפשי לאלהי (Ps. 84, 3 und 42, 3 u.s.) Darum "sucht unsere Seele Gott in den Nächten" נפשי אויתיך בלילה (Jes.26, 9), darum "hängt unsere Seele an der Nachfolge Gottes" דבקה נפשי אחריך (Ps.63, 9). Darum "leistet unsere Seele das Weihegelöbnis Gott" (daselbst 103, 1. 2 u. 22 und 104, 1 u. 36). So das Wort der Weisen Berachot 10 a: In Hinblick auf welche Beziehungen hat David diese fünfmalige Aufforderung an die Seele gerichtet, das Weihegelöbnis an Gott auszusprechen? הני חמשה ברכי נפשי כנגד מי אמרן דוד, in Hinblick auf die Ähnlichkeiten Gottes und der Seele, לא אמרן אלא כנגד הקב׳׳ה וכנגד נשמה: Wie Gott die, ganze Welt erfüllt, so die Seele den ganzen Körper; wie Gott sieht ohne gesehen zu werden, so sieht die Seele und wird nicht gesehen; wie Gott die ganze Welt nährt, so nährt die Seele den Körper; wie Gott rein, so ist auch die Seele rein; wie Gott in dem Weltinnern unfindbar thront, so die Seele unfindbar in dem Innern des Körpers; das Wesen, das so fünffach Gott ähnlich ist, möge Gott, den ihm fünffach Ähnlichen, preisen. מה הקב׳׳ה מלא כל העולם אף הנשמה מלאה את כל הגוף מה הקב׳׳ה רואה ואינו נראה אף הנשמה רואה ואינו נראית מה הקב׳׳ה זן (גירסת ילקוט דן) את כל העולם כלו אף הנשמה זנה (גרסת ילקוט דנה) את כל הגוף מה הקב״ה טהור אף הנשמה טהורה מה הקב״ה יושב בחדרי חדרים אף הנשמה יושבת בחדרי חדרים. יבא מי שיש בו חמשה דברים הללו וישבח למי שיש בו חמשה דברים הללו (siehe ח׳׳א מהרש׳׳א).

כל תמונה, “any visual image.” Compare Exodus 20,10: לא תעשה כל מלאכה, which cannot mean: “you must not do every work,” but must mean: “you shall not perform any kind of work, such as, etc.” The author refers the reader to additional examples of this formulation in Exodus 22,21, as well as in our verse, תמונת כל סמל, as well as verses 17 and 18 in our chapter. In all of these examples the word כל does not mean “all,” but “any.”

Im מדרש תהלים (siehe ילקוט zu Ps.103) wird diese Parallele noch weiter ausgeführt: die Seele trägt den Körper und Gott trägt seine Welt, die Seele überdauert den Körper und Gott überdauert seine Welt, die Seele ist einzig im Körper und Gott einzig in seiner Welt, die Seele genießt keine Nahrung, so auch Gott, die Seele ist das Höchste im Körper und Gott das Höchste in seiner Welt, die Stätte der Seele ist unfindbar und so auch die Stätte der Gottesherrlichkeit. הנפש סובלת את הגוף והקב׳׳ה סובל את עולמו הנפש מבלה את הגוף והקב׳׳ה מבלה את עולמו הנפש יחידה בגוף והקב׳׳ה יחיד בעולמו הנפש אינה אוכלת ושותה והקב׳׳ה אינו אוכל ושותה הנפש למעלה בגוף והקב׳׳ה למעלה בעולמו הנפש אינו ידוע מקומו והקב׳׳ה ברוך כבוד ה׳ ממקומו.

ונשמרתם מאד לנפשתיכם heißt daher in diesem Zusammenhange: erhaltet euch um alles in der Welt dem Erkenntniseinfluss eurer Seele, deren Bewusstsein ja dem sinnlich Unfassbaren eine realere Existenz als dem sinnlich Fassbaren zuerkennt, damit euch Gott eben in seiner Außersinnlichkeit die realste Existenz in höchster Reinheit bleibe.

Ebenso Josua 23, 11: ונשמרתם מאד לנפשתיכם לאהבה את ה׳ אלהיכם die reine jüdische Seele wallt von selbst Gott, ihrem Gotte, zu und ihre volle Liebeshingebung an Gott ist die höchste Seligkeit. Wachet über euch, dass ihr euch diesem Einfluss eurer Seelen erhaltet, und um alles in der Welt lasset euch durch nichts diesem reinen Zuge eurer Seelen entreißen, כי אם שוב תשובו ודבקתם ביתר הגוים וגו׳.

סמל means “form”.

סמל; a symbol of something, as in Ezekiel 8,3 סמל הקנאה המקנא, “a likeness, a symbol, of the jealousy which provokes jealousy. (an ancient idol)

תמונת כל סמל, something that would reflect the belief of those who hold that every perishable, ephemeral phenomenon in this world has a counterpart in the celestial regions which it is derived from, and that people made themselves replicas of what they thought the original looked like.

V. 16. פן תשחיתון ist Fortsetzung des mit ונשמרתם begonnenen Gedankens und כי לא ראיתם וגו׳ ist Parenthese. Lasset euch durch eure Seelen leiten — denn eure Seelen, nicht eure Sinne, haben Gott am Horeb geschaut, eure Sinne haben nur gehört — damit ihr nicht in das Verderbnis sinket, euch irgend eine sinnliche Darstellung von Gott zu machen. Wie zu Bereschit 6, 11 bemerkt, bezeichnet שחת eigentlich: Grube, das Hinabsinken, das Hinausfallen aus der Richtung zum geistigen und sittlichen Heile. Es sind das nicht einzelne Verirrungen, kein bloßes Abirren vom rechten Wege, denen ein Wiederzurechtfinden, ein Wiedereinlenken in die rechte Bahn möglich bleibt, in deren Ebene man sich noch befindet, sondern eine prinzipielle Gesunkenheit, das Einnehmen eines ganz anderen und zwar niedrigeren Standpunktes, von dem aus kein Weg zum Wahren und Guten führt. Es ist der Abfall von der geistigen und sittlichen Wahrheit. Daher, wie die Weisen bemerken, der spezifische Ausdruck für das Hineingeraten in die polytheistische oder unsittliche Verderbnis, ע׳׳ז und ג׳׳ע, die in der Regel Hand in Hand gehen und sich gegenseitig erzeugen.

פן תשחיתון, “lest you will become corrupt;” this refers to the previous verse in which the people had been reminded that even during the revelation at Mount Sinai they had never had a visual image of their G-d. How much less are they allowed to fashion imaginary images of Him, and become thoroughly corrupted in their belief in the One and only but invisible G-d, their Creator.

ועשיתם לכם וגו׳. In dem Zusammenhange mit dem vorangehenden כי לא ראיתם וגו׳ ist hier nicht vor dem Abfall an einen anderen Gott, sondern vor der Verirrung gewarnt, uns Gott, der uns mit seinem Gesetzeswort am Sinai gegenwärtig geworden, unter irgend einer bildlichen Form darzustellen. Jede solche Darstellung zöge Gott in den Kreis aller anderen sinnlich darstellbaren Existenzen hinein und wäre eine Gedankenverneinung Gottes, des außersinnlichen, außerweltlichen, sittlich frei persönlichen Einen! Daher zuerst das allgemeinste Verbot jeder plastischen Darstellung. פסל (verwandt mit פצל schälen, wovon בצל die Schalenknolle, Zwiebel) ist das plastische aus einem Stoff gehauene oder geschnitzte Bild (auch wohl ein gegossenes — Jes.40, 18). תמונה ist, wie bereits bemerkt, auch schon der allgemeine Umriss, der wohl die Gattungsform, wenn auch nicht das Individuum erkennen lässt. סמל, ein selten vorkommendes Wort, scheint in Verwandtschaft mit שׂמלה den Begriff von "Form" überhaupt zu bezeichnen, das "Kleid", der Körper. פסל תמונת כל סמל verbietet daher ausnahmslos jede plastische Darstellung irgend einer Form, selbst einer Komposition der Phantasie. — תבנית. Wie בנה nur von der Gestaltung eines architektonischen oder organisch lebendigen (Bereschit 2, 22) Baues vorkommt, so bezeichnet auch תבנית nur das Modell einer Baukonstruktion oder eines organisch lebendigen Wesens und seiner Teile. תבנית יד, תבנית משכן וכליו (Ezech. 8. 3). So hier Darstellung von Menschen- und Tierwesen. Indem diese Darstellung aber תבנית, eigentlich Konstruktions- und Strukturbild heißt, so ist eben damit gesagt, dass mit solcher Darstellung kein ästhetischer Zweck, sondern die Vergegenwärtigung des Objekts in der durch seine Gliederung gegebenen Bedeutung beabsichtigt werde. תבנית זכר אז נקבה ist die Darstellung einer Menschengestalt.

אשר תעוף בשמים, ”which flies in the heavens.” There are many places in the Bible where the atmosphere is simply referred to as שמים, “heaven.” The author refers the reader to his commentary on Genesis 1,20, where he dealt with this topic.

ופן תשא עיניך AND LEST THOU LIFT UP THINE EYES to ponder on the matter, and to set your heart to go astray after them.

חלק ה' אלוקיך אותם לכל העמים, He arranged for them to appear in a manner appropriate for the needs of each respective nation, according to their individual differences. This very fact proves how wrong those are who believe in the universe’s existence being the result of “the big bang,” i.e. forces, sources of energy, which operated without design, happenings which are totally random, haphazard. How could zodiac signs be of significance unless a superior intelligence had arranged for them? (compare Maimonides, Moreh Nevuchim 20,2 quoting Aristo.)

אשר חלק, in order to provide light. According to the principal meaning of the text the meaning is that these celestial bodies were put at the disposal of all nations to serve them. By doing so G’d wanted to show that He is not concerned about their competition as influences that could override His authority in the universe.

אשר חלק ה' אלוקיך אותם לכל העמים תחת כל השמים, “which Hashem your G’d, has apportioned to all the peoples under the entire heaven.” Each nation has been assigned a star that acts in a manner of speaking as their guardian angel, supervises their fate. [Hence the study of astrology. Ed.] This is why they made themselves visual images of these stars, etc., eventually, even worshipping those images as if they had power independent of the Creator.

ופן תשא עיניך השמימה, “not to raise your eyes skyward.” There is a difference between the word השמים and the word השמימה, just as there is a difference between מצרים and מצרימה. The name of the political entity, the state, is מצרימה, whereas the word מצרים includes the entire country, region. We have proof of this distinction in Numbers 20,15 where Moses describes the descent of the family of Yaakov from the land of Canaan as וירדו אבותינו מצרימה, ונשב במצרים, “our forefathers descended to the state of Egypt and they settled in “greater Egypt.” Similarly here. When the Torah describes השמים, this includes any part of the sky visible to the eye anywhere. All parts of the sky are the same for that purpose. This is why the Torah also writes תחת כל השמים at the end of this verse. However, when the Torah speaks of השמימה, it refers to specific areas of the sky, areas known for certain constellations of stars, etc. They are areas where certain patterns of stars always appear at intervals that are subject to human calculations. Seeing that certain such constellations appear to presage certain happenings at certain times, some people err in ascribing powers to these constellations. This is why the Torah warns the Jewish people not to raise their eyes to such parts of the sky and the constellations visible there. The “seeing” the Torah speaks of is not with the physical eye but with the mental eye, i.e. the conclusions derived from this “seeing.” This is why G’d told Avraham in Genesis 15,5: הבט נא השמימה וספור הכוכבים, “take a look at the sky and count the stars, etc.” He took him to a place from which he could look down at the stars (Bereshit Rabbah 44,12).

To speculate about the matter and to set your heart, etc. Rashi is answering the question: It is written, “Or lest you raise your eyes [heavenward], etc.” But will a person come to worship them just because he raises his eyes heavenward? Therefore, Rashi explains: “To speculate about the matter, etc.”

V. 19. ופן תשא (Verse 16 — 18) verbot die Vergegenwärtigung Gottes unter irgend einem Bilde. Hier folgt nun das Verbot des Sternenkultus, der Vergötterung der Himmelskörper, deren wirklicher und vermeintlicher Einfluss auf die Gestaltung der irdischen Dinge wohl die vornehmlichste Quelle der Abgötterei gewesen. Der Anblick des Gesamthimmels, des als das "Doppel dort" die Erde allseitig umspannenden Weltenraums, und darin "der Sonne" (nach ihrem hebräischen Namen schon untergeordnet als erster "Diener", als "Küster" in Gottes großem Weltendome sich ankündigend) und des Mondes und der Sterne, der ganzen großen Himmelswelt, die trotz ihrer zahllosen in größter Mannigfaltigkeit der Größe und des Glanzes, der Entfernung und des Laufes dem denkenden Menschen doch als צבא, als ein einheitliches, einem Einzigen unterstehendes, von Seinem einheitlichen einzigen Willen regiertes Heer sich darstelle — der Anblick könnte dich gedankenlos hinreißen, du könntest statt deiner נפש, deinen Sinnen folgen und in ihnen selbstherrliche Mächte deines Geschickes erkennen, והשתחוית להם denen gegenüber du dich machtlos hinzuwerfen, ותעבדם und deren vermeintliche Gunst du durch ersonnenen Huldigungsdienst zu erwerben hättest. — אשר חלק ה׳ אלהיך וגו׳. Es heißt nicht: אשר חלק להם ה׳ את כל העמים וגו׳, dann wäre damit gesagt, Gott habe ihnen eine Herrschergewalt über die Völker eingeräumt, so aber sagt es das Gegenteil: sie sind der Völker Anteil, auf sie sind die Völker angewiesen, sich die Wirkungen ihrer physischen Kräfte durch die Herrschaft des Menschengeistes für den Aufbau und Ausbau ihres Einzel- und Volkslebens dienstbar zu machen, und es ist Gott, dein Gott, der sie für diese ihre Lebenserfüllung den Völkern zugeteilt, dessen Wohlgefallen sie daher durch den sittlichen Pflichtgebrauch dieser ihrer Weltstellung zur glücklichen Lösung derselben allein zu suchen hätten, den sie aber vergessen haben und dadurch von der Hoheit der ihnen bestimmten sittlichfreien Weltherrscherstellung in die Unfreiheit eines physischen Naturgötterdienstes hinabgesunken sind. In der reinen Weltstellung sind die Naturgewalten der Anteil der Menschen, in der Verirrung sind die Menschen der Anteil der Naturgewalten.

לכל העמים, “unto all the peoples;” the luminaries shine for all of mankind, regardless of their religious orientation. They shine equally for the dumb and the intelligent, the righteous or the evil doers. Anyone who worships such phenomena which do not distinguish between different categories of creatures, must surely consider himself as having been greatly humiliated by such “gods.”A different interpretation about the words: לכל.....אשר חלק העמים, “which He has assigned to all the nations.” According to this approach, the phenomena in the sky are indeed intended to exert a degree of awe for all the other nations, barring the Jewish people. You, the Jewish people whom G-d has chosen as His inheritance on earth, it behooves not to bow down to any power but to Him. They need not be in awe of any other phenomena in nature.

אשר חלק ה׳ WHICH THE LORD ASSIGNED to give light to them (to all peoples) (Megillah 9b). — Another explanation: which God assigned to them as deities; He did not prevent them from going astray after them, but He allowed them to err (to slip) through vain speculations, in order to drive them out from the world. Similarly it states, (Psalms 36:3) "He (God) made him err (slip) through his eyes (i.e. through what his eyes behold) until his iniquity be found and he be hated” (Avodah Zarah 55a).

וראית את השמש ואת הירח, “and you will see the sun and the stars.” The words ואת הכוכבים do not refer to the multitude of the stars in the sky but to the 7 basic planets (pre-Copernicus astronomy) The word כוכבים (pl) means the minimum plural i.e. 2; the letter ה at the beginning adds another 5, making a total of 7 stars or planets. Add the words צבא השמים, and you have the 12 zodiac signs, the horoscopes. The word כל includes the ministering angels. The reason the Torah adds the words ונדחת before writing והשתחוית להם, “you will bow down to them,” is to remind us that anyone doing that will automatically be נדחה, cast out, much as one casts out a person from a certain location so that he falls and dies.

To provide them with light. Rashi is answering the question: It is written, “And worship them ... has made them available, etc.” But did the Holy One Blessed Is He make them available for all the peoples to worship them?

Another explanation: [He made them available] as deities. He did not prevent them, etc. Hashem did not make them available as deities, for He did not create them for this purpose. However, He did not prevent them, etc. Rather, He caused them to slip with matters of nonsense, for it appears to them that the benefit they get is attained by worshipping the stars. But in reality they are bad, [and their purpose is] to banish the people.

From blundering after them, etc. The first explanation is problematic, for why does it say, “to them”? Do the stars shine only for them? Therefore, Rashi says, “Another explanation.” Yet, the second explanation is problematic, for why did Hashem create something in the first place that will cause people to err? Is it not written, “The world was built with kindness (Tehillim 89:3)”? Therefore, both reasons are necessary.

מכור — a כור is a vessel in which one refines gold.

ואתכם לקח, to walk in His paths and to cleave to Him. Seeing that this is so, you have no need for depending on messages the gentiles perceive as being contained by their horoscopes.

ואתכם לקח ה', “but you- Hashem took out personally, etc.” Seeing that you are part of Hashem you have never had an intermediary appointed by Him to look after you, but He Himself takes care of you. He took you out of the iron crucible that is Egypt, and in doing so He overcame all the protective guardian angels that were appointed to look after the vital interests of the Egyptians. If Hashem had not first overcome those forces appointed by Him, you would never have been able to escape from there.

The iron crucible. The was the true intended purpose of the slavery in Egypt, to refine the Jewish people as gold is purified in a crucible. He wanted to remove the dross so that only the pure gold would remain. The impurities which were the wicked, died during the plague of darkness, and only those who remained were chosen to receive the Torah. If Hashem would have increased the Jewish people and showered them with all kinds of goodness without the slavery in Egypt, they would not have been willing to accept the Torah which forbids so many actions which they would have been accustomed to. Therefore it was Hashem’s plan to enslave them under the yoke of a harsh kingdom. Through this they were purified and refined until they were able to accept the Torah willingly.

V. 20. ואתכם לקח ה׳ וגו׳. Und eben nun, um mit euch wieder den Aufbau eines neuen reinen Menschentums zu beginnen, hat Gott euch aus diesem ganzen Naturnexus herausgerissen, da Er euch aus "dem Eisentiegel", aus Mizrajim, "geläutert und geeint" für solchen Zweck herausgeführt. Mit eurer völkergeschichtlichen Auferstehung aus völkergeschichtlichem Tode im Gegensatz zu allen Konstellationen der ganzen übrigen natürlichen Ordnung der Dinge, mit eurem ebensolchen Völkerwandel unter der unmittelbaren, durch nichts vermittelten, Ihn und Ihn allein verkündenden Leitung Gottes als sein עם נחלה, als das aus der naturvergötternden Entfremdung ihm zuerst wieder zugefallene Erbe, sollt ihr eben das welthistorische Meteor am Völkerhimmel sein, das die Völker allmählig zu dem Bewusstsein zurückführt, dass Gott, der in eurem Geschick und Leben als euer Gott sich offenbarende Alleine, dass ה׳ אלהיך es ist, der alle die Naturgewalten, vor deren Macht sie huldigend knieen, eben den Menschen "zugeteilt" hat, auf dass sie, wie ihr, Ihm und Ihm allein huldigend, alles das in Gott ebenbildlicher Hoheit sich zu Füßen sehen sollen, vor dem, ohne diese freimachende Huldigung des einen Einzigen, sie in unfreier Entwürdigung zitternd hinabsinken. —

ויוצא אתכם מכור הברזל, “He has taken you out of the iron crucible;” Rabbi Akiva says that by this G-d (Moses) refers to the gentiles who burn their first born sons as sacrifices to their “so called” deities. (Yakut Shimoni on this verse, quoting Pirkey de Rabbi Eliezer).

Zur rechten Würdigung des Ausdrucks: אשר חלק ה׳ וגו׳ (V. 19) ist es nicht unwichtig, auf die sprachliche Tatsache hinzuweisen, dass die Summe dessen, was den unser Geschick bedingenden Weltanteil bildet, speziell: חֵלֶק genannt wird. בהמה שמן חלקו (Habak. 1, 16), חלקם בחיים (Ps.17. 14), ומה חלק אלוה ממעל (Job 31, 2). Ganz besonders aber begreift der jüdische Mensch "Gott" als seinen einzigen wirklichen Weltanteil, als das einzige, was er wirklich "hat" im Leben und durch welchen erst alles andere, sofern er es hat, sein wird. חלקי ה׳ אמרה נפשי (Klagel. 3, 24), ׳ה מנת חלקי ובסי (Ps.16, 5) usw. Oder umschreibend: מי לי בשמים ועמך לא חפצתי בארץ כלה שארי ולבבי צור לבבי וחלקי אלחים לעולם (Ps.73, 25 u. 26). Daher in dem großen, die höchste Daseinsrealität und Wesenheit Gottes im Gegensatz zu der Richtexistenz und dem Scheinwesen der Götter des Heidentums feiernden Jirmijakapitel: ׳לא כאלה חלק יעקב כי יוצר הכל הוא וגו (Kap. 10, 16). Dem gegenüber denn auch Israel, in seiner gänzlichen Hörigkeit und Hingebung an Gott für seine sittlichen Erlösungszwecke in der Menschheit, Gottes חלק genannt wird כי חלק ה׳ עמו. (Dewarim 32. 9). ונחל ה׳ את יהודה חלקו (Secharja 2, 16). כיום הזה: wie es nun eben jetzt zur Verwirklichung steht.

התאנף means, HE WAS FILLED WITH WRATH.

AND THE ETERNAL WAS ANGERED WITH ME FOR YOUR SAKES, AND SWORE THAT I SHOULD NOT GO OVER THE JORDAN. He repeated it in this place [despite having already mentioned it above, 1:37] as if to say: “The Eternal commanded me at that time to teach you⁷⁹Verse 14. the commandments that ye might do them in the Land whither ye go over to possess it;⁷⁹Verse 14. now accept instruction from my mouth, for I must die in this land, (I must not go over the Jordan),⁸⁰Verse 22. and I will not be able to teach you in the Land [of Israel] and so do not forget there what I have taught you [here], nor what you have seen at Sinai.”
By way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], Moses is stating: Take good heed of yourselves lest you corrupt yourselves, for the Eternal was angered with me in His concern over this matter⁸¹Aside from the mystical allusions here implied, Ramban’s words can also be interpreted as follows: In addition to the several categories of graven images against which Moses warned the people, there was yet one more fear. They might deify Moses himself, since he was their leader and lawgiver. It was therefore necessary that he die in the wilderness lest the people consider him immortal and worship him as a deity (T’cheileth Mordechai; see my Hebrew commentary, p. 363). lest ye forget the covenant of the Eternal your G-d⁸²Verse 23. in the devouring fire on the top of the Mount,⁸³Exodus 24:17. and you will make the likeness of any thing,⁸²Verse 23. this being the sense of the expression, which the Eternal thy G-d commanded thee.⁸⁴Verse 23. Thus we were warned against making the likeness of any thing as commanded us from the mouth of the Eternal (T’cheileth Mordechai). This has already been alluded to in the section Chukath Hatorah.⁸⁵Numbers 20:1 — Vol. IV, p. 217: “The Truth etc.” And Rashi wrote: “Which the Eternal thy G-d commanded thee — which He commanded thee not to do.” This is the simple meaning of Scripture. But one learned in the mystic teachings of the Cabala will understand these verses in the light of their true meaning. And the sense of the verse For the Eternal thy G-d is a devouring fire⁸⁶Verse 24. is “as you have seen on the top of the Mount, ”⁸³Exodus 24:17. the intent being that it is the attribute of justice that is jealous of idols [and as the verse concludes, a jealous G-d].⁸⁶Verse 24. From this verse⁸⁶Verse 24. you will understand the expression the Eternal thy G-d that is always mentioned in the Book of Deuteronomy.

וה׳ התאנף בי על דבריכם, "G'd was angry at me on account of you." Moses repeated this once more, not content with what he had said already in 1,37. He also repeated twice: "not to let me cross the Jordan and not to let me come to the good land." He meant that he suffered not only from the decree of having to die in the desert but from another decree i.e. that even his bones would not be buried in ארץ ישראל although he had made sure that both Joseph's remains and the remains of the brothers would be buried in holy soil (compare Jerusalem Talmud Sotah 1,10). The first time he mentioned the word לבלתי he referred to his not entering the Holy Land while alive, whereas the second time he mentioned that word he referred to not even being brought to burial there. Moses repeats the same theme in another form when he says in verse 22: "I am going to die in this land and I will not cross the Jordan." He means that he will neither cross the Jordan alive nor dead. He contrasts this with the Jewish people, his charges, whom he congratulates by saying: "you will cross and inherit the land." The form of address is what is known as לא זו אף זו, i.e. "not only will you cross the Jordan but you will even take possession of that land."

וה' התאנף בי, “And Hashem became angry at me, etc.” Moses repeats what he had said to the people already in Deut. 1,37, to tell them that G’d had told him at that time to teach the Israelites the laws they would have to observe once they were in the Holy Land. He uses this opportunity to tell the people to hear the laws from his mouth now seeing that soon there would not be a chance for him to teach them, as he was not going to die in the land of Israel, but near where he stood, on the east bank of the Jordan. The paradox of the situation is that Moses had taken the people out of Egypt so that they could keep the Torah in the land of Israel, and he, who had been appointed to teach them the Torah, would not live to experience this.

VV. 21 u. 22. וד׳ התאנף בי usw. Ich muss euch verlassen, ihr ziehet allein hinüber in die neue Zukunft, wo ihr euch als das ׳עם נחלת ה zu beweisen haben werdet, darum השמרו לכם usw.

התאנף בי על דבריכם, “He (the Lord) was angry at me on your account; in spite of this I am warning you: “be on your guard!”(verse 23)

על דבריכם means, "on your account”, "because of your doings”.

Devarim Rabbah approaches the meaning of the words על דבריכם by means of a parable. A person had lost some money in a dark place. He said to himself that if he were to ask people to light up the area for him so that he could retrieve his money no one would pay any attention to him. What did he do? He threw a gold coin amongst the people present and started yelling that he had a single gold coin and now he lost it. He begged people to provide some light so that he could retrieve his coin. The people brought a lantern; once he had retrieved his coin he asked them to wait a little longer until he could find the rest of his money. Eventually, he did retrieve all his money. Moses, or G'd if you will, found himself in a similar situation. Once G'd would make the effort to resurrect Moses, He would wait a little longer to resurrect his generation with him at the same time. After all, Moses had taken them out of Egypt (so that they could be considered his "money"), and it would only be fair that he would bring them to their destination, the land of Israel. Thus far the Midrash. This is an illustration of the word על דבריכם, i.e. if it were not for G'd wanting to bring the Israelites of the generation of the Exodus to the Hereafter eventually, there would have been no need for Moses to be buried on the East Bank of the Jordan.

על דברים wie על דבר שרי על דבר־ (Bereschit 12, 17) usw. in eurer Veranlassung, oder vielmehr in Veranlassungen von euch, und dürfte dieser Plural sich wohl daraus erklären, dass das bittere Gefühl, aus welchem die mit so schmerzlichem Verhängnis bestrafte Verirrung Mosches hervorgegangen, nicht lediglich dem letzten Vorgange, bei welchem es zum Ausdrucke kam, seinen Ursprung verdankte, sondern nur die letzte Folge aller der bitteren Erfahrungen war, die Mosche in der langjährigen Führung seines Volkes zu machen hatte. הארץ הטובה (siehe Kap. 3, 25).

כי אנכי מת וגו' אינני עבר BUT I MUST DIE [IN THIS LAND], I MUST NOT PASS OVER [THE JORDAN] — Since he was to die, how could he pass over? But he meant: I must die and even my bones will not pass over (Sifrei Bamidbar 135).

כי אנכי מת, I have to warn you very insistently, seeing that I will not be crossing the Jordan with you. Compare Deuteronomy 31,29 where Moses predicts the corruption of the people at some point after his death.

כי אנכי מת בארץ הזאת, “for I am going to die in this land;” this is why I must warn you now not to forget my teachings, as once you have crossed the Jordan I will no longer be with you. If I would have been able to cross with you, I would have been in a position to actively prevent you from forgetting the Torah.

אינני עובר את הירדן, “I am not going to cross the river Jordan.” You will therefore realise that what I am telling you is not for my benefit, but for yours. I will no longer have to fulfill the Torah’s commandments.

תמונת כל means, THE LIKENESS OF ANYTHING.

השמרו לכם, “Take care of your selves!” Even though I am not crossing the river with you, I am exhorting you to be most careful.

He added, "things," as the word, "all," is always attached to another word. And see that before it was written (4:16), "the likeness of all symbols."

The likeness of any object. Rashi is answering the question: Wherever the word כל (any or all) is written in Scripture, the word afterwards is connected to it. Many examples are found, such as in this Parsha: “All the years (v. 10),” and “Any form (v. 16).” Therefore Rashi explains that it is as if Scripture had written, “any object.”

V. 23. שכח ברית .השמרו לכם heißt nicht sowohl ein Vergessen, als ein Außerachtlassen des Bundes (vergl. Prov. 2, 17). — אשר צוך ה׳ אלהיך: in Beziehung worauf Gott dich in Pflicht genommen (vergl. Kap. 2, 37 und Wajikra 4, 2). Die Warnung: השמרו usw. lautet im Plural, ist somit an das ganze Volk in der Vielheit aller seiner Angehörigen gerichtet, אשר צוך spricht aber zur nationalen Gesamtheit in ihrer Einheit. Es kann daher auch wohl ׳אשר צוך וגו den Gedanken ausdrücken: welches dir dein Gott zu überwachen aufgetragen. Die nationale Gesamtheit soll darüber wachen, dass der Bund mit Gott von keinem ihrer Angehörigen durch irgend welche Abgötterei gebrochen werde.

אשר צון ה' אלוקיך, “which the Lord your G-d has commanded you.” These words refer to the beginning of the verse, i.e. for you not to forget the covenant with the Lord. An alternate interpretation: the words quoted mean: “as I have commanded you.”23.4.23.

אשר צוך WHICH THE LORD [THY GOD] COMMANDED THEE — i.e. which He commanded you not to make.

That He commanded you not to make. Rashi is answering the question: Did the Holy One Blessed Is He command you to make an image [as a literal reading of the verse would imply]? Therefore, Rashi explains: That He commanded you not to make.

אל קנא A JEALOUS GOD — jealous to take vengeance, in O. F. emportment; glowing in his anger to exact punishment from those who worship idols (cf. Rashi on Numbers 25:11).

אש אוכלה הוא, a fire which consumes other fire, thereby destroying the soul together with the body.

He is jealous to take vengeance, etc. Rashi explains: He is not called “jealous,” because He has the attribute of jealousy (God forbid), for He is neither jealous, nor angry, nor quarrelsome. Rather, He is called “jealous,” because He quarrels and shows anger to punish idol worshippers. Since the vengeance only comes as a result of the jealousy, therefore “A jealous Almighty,” is written instead of, “A vengeful Almighty.”

V. 24. אש אכלה ,כי ה׳ אלהיך וגו׳: alles andere verliert neben Ihm seine Existenz. אל קנא: er ist קונה שמים וארץ, er steht über allem und jeglichem als Eigner und macht sein Hoheitsrecht an allem und jedem geltend. Ausschließende Einzigkeit ist sein Wesen. Du kannst nichts neben Ihn stellen, kannst Ihn in keiner Weise dem Kreise anderer Existenzen durch bildliche Darstellung einreihen, ohne Ihn ganz und gar zu verleugnen. Nur in Seiner außersinnlichen, durch nichts darstellbaren. nur dem denkenden Gedanken zugänglichen, einzigen persönlichen Wahrheit bleibt er dir der allgegenwärtige, alles tragende, allem Sein vorangehende, alles Sein bedingende Seiende, dem jeder Atemzug deines Wesens zuwallt und jede Regung deines Lebens dient (vergl. zu Schmot 20, 5).

אש אוכלה הוא, “He, (the Lord) is a devouring fire.” He is comparable to a devouring fire.

א-ל קנא, [I am paraphrasing the author here. Ed.] Jealousy is based on someone observing that something contractually exclusively his, as for instance the, fidelity of his wife- is being offered or provided for someone else. If a master’s servant provides the services he is supposed to provide only for his master to others, this arouses the master’s jealousy. If a Jew in any shape or form makes available to idolatrous cults the services he is supposed to perform for G’d, he arouses G’d’s jealousy.

ונושנתם AND YE SHALL HAVE BEEN LONG [IN THE LAND] — He gave them a vague intimation that they would be exiled from it at the end of 852 years, according to the numerical value of the word ונושנתם, but He sent them into exile earlier, at the end of 850 years. He did this two years earlier than the numerical value of ונושנתם, in order that the prophecy should not be fulfilled in them “that ye shall utterly perish” (v. 26). This is the meaning of what is said, (Daniel 9:14) “And the Lord hastened in regard to the evil, and He brought it upon us, for the Lord our God is צדיק” — i.e., He acted charitably (צדקה) with us, in that He brought it (the evil) two years before its assigned time (Sanhedrin 38a; Gittin 88a).

KI’ (WHEN) THOU SHALT BEGET CHILDREN, AND CHILDREN’S CHILDREN, AND YE SHALL HAVE BEEN LONG ESTABLISHED IN THE LAND. The purport of this verse is that it mentions and affirms that “when ye shall beget children and children’s children, and because you will have been long established in the Land and dwelled in security, you may perhaps forget G-d — I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day⁸⁷Verse 26. Ramban’s point is thus that we are not to understand Verses 25 and 26 as expressing two independent thoughts [When thou shalt beget children … I call heaven and earth …], but instead they constitute one statement, as follows: “Should a longer period of security in the Land create a tendency among the people to idolatry, heaven and earth will witness Israel’s loss of the Land.” that ye shall speedily perish, for He will not be long-suffering with you seeing that you worshipped idols.”
Now this section, although constituting a warning, opened [with the word ki — “when” and] not with the expression im — “if” [which would be here more appropriate, since it speaks of a hypothetical condition of future time]. The reason is that he [Moses] was virtually prophesying about their affairs, and therefore he spoke in an equivocal manner — using an expression which in addition to being a warning [to avoid the sin of idolatry] also contains a prediction of things to come [when the warning will not be heeded]. He was thus saying that if they do so the following will happen to them, but he does not decree that they will do it. Therefore our Rabbis have said⁸⁸Gittin 88 a. that in the numerical-value of [the letters in the Hebrew word] v’noshantem (and ye shall have been long established)⁸⁹The numerical-value of the Hebrew letters in the word v’noshantem is equivalent to 852 [vav = 6; nun = 50; vav = 6; shin = 300; nun = 50; tav = 400; mem = 40; — totalling 852]. Thus at the end of 852 years from the time that Israel came into the Land the exile was to occur. G-d, however, brought this about two years earlier in order that the prophecy — they shall “utterly perish” — at the end of that period should not come to pass. By bringing about the exile two years before the terminus of 852 years, G-d voided the prediction of total retribution. — It is of interest to note that in his Sefer Hage’ulah (Book of Redemption) Ramban similarly writes of the future redemption that, after it will have occurred, the allusion to that date will be found in this section of the Torah (Kithvei Haramban, Vol. I, p. 263). he alluded to the time of the exile following the destruction of the First Sanctuary. It was thus a tradition [among the prophets and Sages of the generations] that this section of the Torah contains an allusion to the time of the exile, and, when it actually came to pass, they understood the allusion by contemplating this section [and interpreting the hidden message of the prophecy in light of the historical event].

להכעיסו, to cause the benevolent presence of G’d to remove it self from Israel, in order to clear the way for the people to be just like the gentile nations, free of the yoke of the Torah’s commandments.

כי תוליד בנים, “When you beget children, etc.” Nachmanides understands the word כי here to mean “after.” Moses warns that after having gotten used to being in the land, having raised children and grandchildren, there may came a time when you take your possession of that land for granted, and you might forget the Lord Who has made all this possible for you.

כי תוליד בנים ובני בנים, “When you will beget children and grandchildren, etc.” The reason this paragraph adjoins the passage warning the Israelites against becoming guilty of idolatry is because Moses foresaw that in the future the Jewish people would become guilty doing precisely this on holy soil in the land of Israel. Proof that this paragraph is a prediction, not a mere theoretical discussion of what might happen, is that the paragraph does not commence with the conditional word אם תוליד,” if you will beget,” but Moses says כי תוליד, “when you will beget, etc.” Seeing that it is the prophet’s task to rebuke his people, and at this time Moses was the prophet, it was up to him to react to what he foresaw in his prophetic vision.

Eight hundred and fifty-two years etc. It is written regarding the building of the first Beis Hamikdosh (Melochim I, 6:1), “And it was in the four hundred and eightieth year, etc,” and the first Beis Hamikdosh stood for 410 years [for a total of 890 years until the first exile]. Subtract from them the forty years that the Jewish People were in the wilderness which is included in the total, because the verse counts the time of leaving Egypt. We find that they were in the Land for only 850 years. They did not reach 852 years, the numerical value of ונושנתם, as Rashi explains.

V. 25. כי תוליד. Nicht sogleich nach dem Eintritt in das Land fürchtet Mosche die Gefahr der Verirrung, aber er sieht sie kommen, je länger sie im Lande sein werden, sieht sie kommen, wenn erst das zweite und dritte Geschlecht im Lande geboren sein wird, ונושנתם בארץ: und sie "alt" geworden sein werden im Lande. ישן ist nicht wie זקן der Gegensatz von "jung", sondern der Gegensatz von "neu", "frisch", wie ja schon in den Begriffen "Dunkel" und "Schlaf" liegt, die ja auch mit ישן bezeichnet werden (siehe Bereschit S. 58 u. 319). Wenn die Nation erst zwei, drei Generationen hinter sich im Lande hat, werden sich ihre Bürger als aus dem Lande entsprungen, mit dem Lande verwachsen begreifen; es wird die Zeit, in der sie noch heimatlos und bodenlos gewesen, ihrem Bewusstsein völlig entrückt werden und sie gänzlich ihres Ursprungs und dessen vergessen, dem sie das Land und jede Daseinsdauer im Lande verdanken. Richt umsonst hat Gott mit seinem: למען תוכר את יום צאתך מארץ מצרים כל ימי חייך die ägyptische Erlösungstatsache in unser tägliches Bewusstsein zu immer frischem Gedenken verwebt, nicht umsonst seine Feste und seine großen Schemita- und Jobelinstitutionen zu ewig wiederkehrenden national gemeinsamen Erkenntnis- und Bekenntnistaten dieses Ursprungs und der Gotthörigkeit des Landes gestiftet, nicht umsonst das כבש בן שנה, das "Junge" der Herde zum ewigen Symbolausdruck seines Volkes in dessen Beziehungen zu ihm bestimmt. Wir haben in unseren individuellen und nationalen Beziehungen zu Gott keinen größeren Feind, als dieses die Begeisterungsfrische unseres Gottörigkeitsbewusstseins in "Blasierteit" verkehrende "Altgewordensein im Lande der Verheißung", wenn das, was als "Verheißung" das sehnsüchtige Ziel unserer Wünsche und Hoffnungen gewesen, "unser" geworden und wir "im Besitze verjähren". —

'כי תוליד בנים וגו, “when you beget children etc.” Moses warns the people not to take their settlement in the land of Israel for granted even after they have lived there for several generations. Their tenure in the land is contingent on their continuing to observe the Torah and all of its commandments. If they failed to do, not only would they endanger their tenure of the land, but they would endanger their continued existence as G–d’s people. [If, say after six generations in the Holy Land, the people who had not been witnesses to all the miracles G–d had performed before the first generation settled in that land, they would claim that there was no reason why their tenure is linked to Torah observance, just as their neighbour’s tenure to their respective lands is not contingent on a set of laws of their religion, Moses warns them against such a fatal error. Ed. According to the Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin, folio 38, the numerical value of the letters in the words: ונושנתם בארץ, “and you will be long established in the land,” (852) אבוד תאבדון, “you will be utterly wiped out in verse 26. G–d did us a great favour when the exile began after 850 years of tenure, so that the threat of utter destruction of the Jewish nation since the time Joshua crossed the Jordan did not have to be fulfilled. This has been hinted at in the Book of Daniel 9,14: וישקוד ה' על הרעה ויביאה עלינו כי צדיק ה' אלוקינו, “Hashem hastened the calamity and brought it upon us, for Hashem is righteous in all He does (but we did not heed His voice).”

כי תוליד בנים ובני בנים, “When you shall beget children, and children’s children;” Moses implies that when he warned the people not to forget the Lord’s covenant, he did not refer to the generation he was addressing. He was not worried that they would forget. What he was concerned about was future generations, who had not been eye witnesses to what the Lord had done for the Jewish people.

ונושנתם בארץ, “and you are long established in the land;” our sages in Gittin 55 find in these words an allusion to the length of time the Israelites would enjoy independence in the land. The numerical value of the letters in the word ונושנתם is 852. Solomon’s Temple was completed 480 years after the Exodus as we know from Kings I 6,1. The Temple stood for 410 years before it was destroyed by Nevuchadnezzar King of Babylon. This gives you a total of 850 years after deducting the 40 years the Jewish people were in the desert before they gained their own land. The reason that G’d allowed the Temple to be destroyed 2 years prior to the time allotted to it was to ensure that the decree of absolute destruction [no rebuilding] would not have to be kept, seeing that the people had not been allowed to enjoy the full number of years allotted to their independence. We read in our verse the words כי אבד תאבדון מהר, which mean “you will perish utterly and quickly.” G’d in His mercy, accelerated the destruction of the Temple so that He would not be bound by this prediction. We find an allusion to this in Daniel 9,14: “Hashem hastened the calamity and brought it upon us, for Hashem is righteous in all His deeds which He has done.” Daniel means that the very premature destruction of the Temple was an act of righteousness enabling the Temple to be rebuilt 70 years later.

“For Adonoy our God is righteous He acted charitably etc.” Rashi is answering the question: How is it righteous of Hashem that He precipitated the evil and brought it upon us? The answer is that it was righteous of God to bring the evil before the time of ונושנתם [after 852 years, when the Jewish people would “have grown old in the Land” and deserve to be completely destroyed, as stated below in v.26]. See Maseches Sanhedrin 38a.

He states and ye make a graven image, ‘t’munath kol’ (even the form of any thing),⁹⁰In Verse 25 before us. but does not say “and you will worship it or bow down to it.” Instead he says, and ye shall corrupt yourselves, for “the graven image” spoken of here is the form of Kol (All)⁹¹See in Vol. I, pp. 291-293. and on account of “corruption”⁹²I.e., of “mutilating the shoots” of faith (Ma’or V’shamesh). See above Note 64. He prohibited it, as I have explained above.⁹³Above, Verse 15 and 21.

והשחתם. Wie der Gedanke an den in der Geschichte eures Ursprungs euch offenbar gewordenen außersinnlichen Einen als den einzigen wirklichen Träger eures Seins und des Weltganzen erblasst, drängt sich die Sinnenwelt mit ihrer vermeintlichen selbstherrlichen Realität euch in den Vordergrund und ihr werfet euch der "heidnischen Gesunkenheit" in die Arme, die alles individuelle und nationale Menschendasein nur als Produkt der sinnlichen Weltmächte begreift, die ein Land zur Wiege eines Volkes gestalten und denen es zugleich als Diener und Meister sein Geschick abzuringen hat. — Es ist dann nicht mehr Gott, der euch in Seinem Lande und durch Sein Land segnet, je nachdem ihr euer Tun und Lassen Seinem euch geoffenbarten Willen gemäß regelt, sondern es ist dieses Land selbst mit allen in ihm sichtbar wirkenden sinnlichen Potenzen, in denen ihr Gewähren und Versagen eures Gedeihens erblicket, ועשיתם פסל תמונת כל: und die ihr euch in sinnlicher Darstellung vergegenwärtigt und endlich dahin gelanget, dass ועשיתם הרע בעיני ה׳ אלהיך להבעיסו, dass ihr in Gott, mit seinem die stete entsagungsfreudige Unterordnung eurer Sinnlichkeit fordernden Gesetze nicht den Spender, sondern den Hinderer eurer Lebensfreuden erblicket, zu dem in prinzipiellen Gegensatz zu treten, euch die Heilesrettung eurer Lebensrichtung dünkt. —

ונושנתם בארץ, “and you have become old established in the land;” you will therefore take it for granted and not worry about ever losing that land.

העידתי בכם I CALL AS WITNESSES AGAINST YOU [THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH] — Behold I summon them to be witnesses that I have warned you.

את השמים ואת הארץ, as spelled out in 11,17 where it is described that these “witnesses” would withhold the harvests the people depend on if they failed to observe the laws of the Torah.

העידותי בכם היום “I call up against you as witness this day!” that you will perish in short order, (if you ignore my warnings) for He will not have a great deal of patience with you once you have become guilty of idolatry. Even though this paragraph is in the nature of a warning, Moses did not phrase it as if it were something conditional, i.e. he did not preface it with the word “אם, etc.” The reason is that over and above being a warning, this is a prophecy, and prophecies are not prefaced by “if.” Nonetheless, any prophecy predicting something disastrous need not come true, it is by its very nature a warning, exhorting people to make fulfillment of the prophecy unnecessary. The wording of this paragraph is also what prompted our sages to conclude that Moses in this paragraph alludes to both the destruction of the first Temple, as well as to the destruction of the second Temple. They read this into the wordsונושנתם בארץ, “you will have been in the land for a long time,” and they see in the use of the words בנים ובני בנים a double meaning, as if Moses was exhorting the people to have enough בינה, good sense, to conduct themselves in such a way that what he foresees will not have to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I have designated them to be witnesses, etc. I.e., they are witnesses as to Hashem’s warning, but they are not witnesses as to the committing of the sin. For the Jewish People had not yet done evil in Hashem’s eyes.

V. 26. העידתי: eben die Himmel und die Erde, das ganze sichtbare Universum, dem eure vergötterten Weltmächte angehören, stelle ich wider euch zu Zeugen auf. Das Geschäft des jüdischen Zeugen ist: Mahnung und Warnung vor der verbrecherischen Tat, und Anklage und Strafvollstreckung nach der vollbrachten; und seine Mahner und Warner und endlich seine Strafvollstrecker lässt Gott Himmel und Erde an euch sein, wenn ihr Seinen ausschließenden Dienst mit dem Dienste dessen vertauscht, was Himmel und Erde umfasst. Euch wird die Welt, euch Himmel und Erde nicht anlächeln, wenn ihr Gottes Wohlgefallen einsetzet, um ihre Gunst zu buhlen. ושברתי את גאון עזבם ונתתי את שמיכם כברזל usw. lautet die Strafverwarnung (Wajikra 26, 19 ff.) und ׳ונתתי מטר ארצכם בעתו וגו׳ וחרה אף ה׳ בכם ועצר את השמים וגו die Alternative, die wir nach Kap. 11. 14 ff. uns und unseren Kindern täglich wiederholt zur Wahl zu stellen haben.

את השמים ואת הארץ, “both heaven and earth;” Moses refers to all the stars in heaven, as well as to the permanent and unalterable phenomena that are part of the earth. [The rock of Gibraltar, the Himalayan Mountains, etc. Ed.] (Compare Ibn Ezra)

כי אבד תאבדון מהר מעל הארץ וגו׳ durch den Beisatz מעל הארץ וגו׳ ist dem Begriff אבד die Bedeutung einer völligen Daseinsvernichtung genommen und ihm nur die Bedeutung eines relativen Verschwindens, des völligen Entferntwerdens aus dem Lande, gegeben. So auch: ואבדתם מהרה מעל הארץ הטובה (Kap. 11. 17). Es wird ihnen angekündigt, dass, wenn ihr Abfall bis zu der vorher bezeichneten Höhe gelangen sollte, sie dann rasch aus dem Lande entfernt werden würden, לא תאריכון ימים עליה כי השמד תאבדון. Verglichen mit der beschränkenden Relation des תאבדון מעל הארץbezeichnet das absolute השמד תשמדון offenbar die gänzliche Vernichtung, die ja auch ohnehin der Grundbedeutung שמד innewohnt. So Amos 9, 8: הנה עיני ה׳ בממלכה החטאה והשמדתי אתה מעל פני האדמה אפס כי לא השמיד אשמיד את בית יעקב ׳נאם ה. Mit כי השמד תשמדון ist daher das Motiv offenbart für ihre rasche Entfernung aus dem Lande, sobald ihr Abfall ein gewisses Stadium erreicht haben werde. Sie sollen dann nicht länger im Lande bleiben, denn sie würden dort ihrer gänzlichen Vernichtung entgegeneilen.

Ihre rasche Entfernung ist ihre geistige und sittliche Rettung. Sie müssen Land und staatliche Selbständigkeit verlieren, um nicht in denselben Grad der Entartung zu verfallen, welcher über die kanaanitische Bevölkerung vor ihnen den Stab der Vernichtung gebrochen. Damit ist denn dasselbe gesagt, was die Weisen so bedeutungsgroß an den Zahlenwert des verhängnisvollen Wortes "ונושנתם" geknüpft. Der Zahlenwert von ונושנתם ist 852. Wir blieben jedoch nur 850 Jahre im Lande, 440 bis zum Tempelbau (der 480 Jahre nach dem Auszuge aus Ägypten, somit 440 Jahre nach dem Einzuge in das Land stattfand — Kön. I. 6, 1) und 410 Jahre des Tempelbestandes. Das Verhängnis der Vertreibung trat daher zwei Jahre vor der mit ונושנתם angedeuteten Frist ein, צדקה עשה הקב׳׳ה עם ישראל שהקדים שתי שנים לונושנתם (Gittin 88 a) und diese rasche Vertreibung war eine wohltätige Rettung der Nation. Staat und Tempel gingen zu Grunde, aber das Volk ging, mit einem ihm noch gebliebenen Rest seines geistigen Erbes im Herzen, der Lösung seiner großen Aufgabe in der Zerstreuung entgegen.

AND YE SHALL BE LEFT FEW IN NUMBER. He is stating that we will be left as a minority among any of the nations whereto G-d will lead us, for He will scatter us as the four winds of the heaven,⁹⁴Zechariah 2:10. but in our totality we are many [i.e., Israel will remain a large nation, but because of our dispersion we are in a minority in each of the many countries] — praise be to G-d [that in our totality we are many]!

ונשארתם מתי מספר, “and you will be left few in number.” This is not a reference to the total number of Jews, but a prediction that due to the dispersal of the people in the Diaspora, each host country will have only a small number of Jews. If a census were to be taken of all the Jews in all the various countries, they would still amount to a sizable number.

V. 27. והפיץ וגו׳. Ihr werdet auseinander- und hingestreut unter die Völker, Ihr werdet nicht zusammenbleiben im Exil, unter alle Völkerschaften werden einzelne von euch kommen. Dieser Zerstreuung unter die Völker dürfte ein zweifacher Zweck innewohnen. Sie werden nirgends eine kompakte numerische Größe bilden und vor der politischen Verirrung geschützt bleiben, in welche sie ihr einstiges Staatenleben geraten ließ, und sie werden eine unter die Völker gestreute Gottesaussaat sein, und בעמים, in der Mitte des sozialen Völkerlebens die Idee einer anderen Welt- und Lebensanschauung und einer anderen Lebenserfüllung wecken und pflegen. Ist doch הפיץ nicht nur eine zerstörende Zerstreuung, sondern auch das Ausstreuen einer Saat, והפיץ קצח (Jes.28, 25), und יזרעאל, "Gottessaat" ward (Hosea 1, 2) Israels Galutname, als dies Verhängnis an ihm in Erfüllung ging. ׳ונשארתם מתי מספר וגו obgleich gering an Zahl, bleibet ihr doch ein gesondertes גוי unter den גוים, eine besondere Nationalität unter den Nationen. Erwägt man, dass, so weit bekannt, man noch heute höchstens vier bis fünf Millionen Juden, also höchstens die doppelte Zahl der aus Ägypten gezogenen zählt, erwägt man, dass diese Zahl bereits zu Davids Zeiten erreicht, ja überschritten war, erwägt man, dass trotz des Abgangs der zehn Stämme zur Zeit des zweiten Tempels (nach Peßachim 64 b) sich die Volkszahl auf mehr als zwölf Millionen berechnen ließ, so dass nach Josephus während der Belagerung Jerusalems über eine Million umgekommen sind, und man daher kaum mit der Annahme fehlgeht, dass beim Untergange des jüdischen Staates durch die Römer mindestens noch vier Millionen Juden in der ganzen Welt vorhanden waren: so scheint in der Tat, trotz der vielbesprochenen Geburtsvermehrung der Juden, ihre Anzahl in allen den langen Jahrhunderten des Exils stationär geblieben zu sein und sich durch eine besondere göttliche Fügung das hier angekündigte ונשארתם מתי מספר בגוים וגו ihr bleibet gering an Zahl, unausgesetzt zu verwirklichen. —

ועבדתם שם אלהים AND THERE YE SHALL SERVE GODS — Understand this as the Targum does: And there ye shall serve peoples who serve idols, for since you serve those who serve them (idols) it will be as though you serve them.

AND THERE YE SHALL SERVE GODS. “When you serve their worshippers it is as though you serve them [the idols].” This is the language of Rashi. Now I have already explained the secret thereof that he who dwells outside of the Land is as if he worshipped the idols,⁹⁵Kethuboth 110 b. and the expression, [and there ye shall serve gods] the work of men’s hands indicates that the service begins with those on high and descends to the idols below,⁹⁶I.e., there they will be not only under the sway of the heavenly powers assigned by G-d to guide the destinies of the various nations from on high, but they will deteriorate until they worship idols, the work of men’s hands, below. as I have mentioned in the section Acharei Moth.⁹⁷Leviticus 18:25.

ועבדתם שם אלוהים מעשה ידי אדם, when Jews find themselves outside of the land of Israel against their will and in the course of time they are invited by member of their host country, they are not guilty of deliberately performed idolatrous practices. (Avodah Zarah 8).

ועבדתם שם, as per Onkelos, i.e. you will be servants of idolaters

ועבדתם שם אלוהים, “and there you will serve gods.” Moses refrained from adding the word אחרים, “alien, i.e. alien deities, as the Torah does on other occasions. This is an allusion to the Israelites who claim that when in the Diaspora people who engage in idolatry are not ritually impure.

ועבדתם שם אלוהים מעשה ידי אדם, “and there you will serve (worship) a god which is the work of man.” This is not a prophecy that the Israelites when in exile in host countries will themselves worship idols, G’d forbid. The meaning is that once you have been exiled you will become slaves to people worshipping idols, so that indirectly you will be serving such idols (Onkelos).

Since you will serve those who worship them, etc. Rashi is answering the question: Just because Hashem will disperse them among the peoples, they will serve man-made gods? The answer is: As the Targum, etc.

V. 28. ועבדתם שם אלהים: dort werdet ihr dem heidnischen Götterwesen, das euch mit seinen Reizen so anlockend erschienen, untertan, und werdet die Macht seines Einflusses kennen lernen, werdet in schmerzlicher Erfahrung kennen lernen, was aus den Menschen wird, wenn ihre Gottheit Götter sind מעשה ידי אדם, die sie sich selbst geschaffen, עץ ואבן usw. Es ist hier das Heidentum in seiner konkreten Erscheinung geschildert. Das von ihm Ausgesagte dürfte aber jede Auffassung, sowohl die exoterische populäre, die die Gottheit als dem geschaffenen Bilde innewohnend anbetet, als die esoterische, die Auffassung der gebildeten Eingeweihten treffen, die in dem Bilde die symbolische Darstellung weltbeherrschender Naturkräfte verehrte. Jene war, nach den Büchern der Propheten, der allverbreitete Volksglauben. Von ihm gilt im buchstäblichsten Sinne מעשה ידי אדם עץ ואבן וגו׳. Aber auch das gebildete Heidentum, das in seinen Götterbildern die symbolische Darstellung personifizierter Naturmächte erblickte, verehrte ja in Wahrheit Gottheiten אשר לא יראון ולא ישמעון ולא יאכלון ולא יריחון. Die Kräfte, die sie vergöttern, sind ja nur physische Gewalten "ohne objektive Intelligenz und ohne subjektives Bewusstsein" sie sehen und hören nicht: es fehlt ihnen die objektive Wahrnehmung, sie schmecken und riechen nicht: es fehlt ihnen das subjektive Bewusstsein. Weder was die Dinge "an sich" sind, noch was die Dinge "ihnen" sind, nehmen sie wahr, sie haben weder Geist noch Willen, sie stehen daher in ihrer bloß physischen blinden Unfreiheit tief, nicht nur unter dem Menschen, sondern sogar tief unter allem organisch Lebendigen, wo auch nur auf niedrigster Stufe der Anfang eines wahrnehmenden und wollenden Bewusstseins andämmert. Wo aber der Mensch bloß physischen Gewalten sich anbetend niederwirft, sein Schicksal und sein Tun und Lassen der Macht blinder Notwendigkeiten unterstellt, da entkleidet er sich selbst seiner geistigen Hoheit und nur entsittlichend wirkt auf ihn seine Götterverehrung, כמוהם יהיו עשיהם כל אשר בטח הטוב (Tehillim 115, 8). Die blinde Unfreiheit seiner Idole wird sein Ideal, ןעבדתם ׳ם אלהים וגו׳ und ihr werdet, der heidnischen Welt unterworfen, die ganze Wucht dieser entsittlichten Idolaterie kennen lernen.

'ועבדתם שם וגו, “and there you will worship, etc.” We find a similar construction in Chronicles II 15,3: וימים רבים לישראל ללא אלוהי אמת, וללא כהן מורה, וללא מורה וללא תורה.”^^!has gone many years without the true G-d, without a priest to give them instruction, and without teaching and without the Torah.”

ולא יריחון, as spelled out in Psalms 135,17 אשר אין רוח בהם, “these idols are not even alive, cannot even breathe.”

אשר לא יראון, because they do not do what they do out of their own free will, as do the members of the host nations who by fashioning the same kinds of sculptures or drawing similar pictures do so as an act of admiration for the idols they worship. When the members of the host countries make such sculptures they mean to draw attention to the force in the universe which is responsible for such phenomena in our day and age. [in the author’s time, art, generally, was legitimate only if it claimed to represent matters compatible with the dogmas of the Church, for instance. Ed.] The members of the host countries labour under the mistaken belief that the “originators” of the phenomena they worship produced what they produced out of their own volition; they do not realise that these “originators” had been programmed to do this by G’d the Creator. They pray to these phenomena thinking that these have the power to help them. Moses, representing G’d, says that the fact is that no phenomenon in this physical universe is able to do anything unless it has first been sanctioned by G’d.

ולא יאכלון ולא יריחון, “that are unable to either eat or use a sense of smell.” Nachmanides writes that in the fist half of the verse Moses describes the inability of such so-called deities to ”see,” or to “hear,” meaning that they most certainly do not qualify for the title “deity.” By referring now to their inability to eat or smell, he adds that such so-called deities do not even possess the minimal attributes of all living creatures, the ability to eat or to use their sense of smell. In other words, these man-made objects are just that,-mere objects.

אשר לא יראון ולא ישמעון ולא יאכלון ולא יריחון, “deities which are neither able to see, to hear, to eat or to smell.” In this verse Moses mentions only four of the basic five senses of man, omitting to mention the sense of touch. There was no need to mention that sense separately as it is included in the statement “who cannot eat.” There was no need to mention more than one of the two senses that serve as tools of perceptions by the body. The three senses, sight, hearing, and smelling are considered mental, spiritual senses and this is why we often find them associated with G’d. Examples are: “The Lord saw” (Genesis 6,5 and many others) “G’d heard” (Numbers 11,1 and others). “The Lord smelled” (Genesis 8,21). When David describes the impotence of the idols in Psalms 115,7, he had to mention that the idols’ hands are unable to use the sense of touch, ידיהם ולא ימישון, seeing he had not mentioned the inability of the idols to eat.
From this paragraph we can learn something about the importance of the five senses which are the principal tools man employs in all his activities. They are needed to fulfill the commandments of the Torah, and, inversely, they enable man to commit trespasses against the Torah. Man’s reward or punishment is due to the manner in which he employs these five senses. The reason that G’d provided man with five such senses is that they correspond to the five Books of the Torah. They also correspond to the five occasions on which “light” is mentioned in the story of creation. They also correspond to the five names by which the soul is known. They represent the complement of the body, making it the residence of the soul. The soul displays its activities by means of these five senses This is why the Torah/Bible condemns idolatry by pointing out that these idols cannot use any of their senses. Any image, cast or otherwise, which is devoid of the means of experiencing the sensations we experience by means of our senses is a priori incapable of helping anyone. How can idolaters say to their deities in times of stress: “arise and save us!” These idols are unable to rise, much less save (compare Jeremiah 2,27).
The infinite wisdom of the Creator made five different parts of the body the seat of these five senses and made them gateways to the spiritual, abstract soul. Even our “scientists” admit that the manner in which these senses have been “planted” in man is phenomenal and reflects the wisdom of the Creator. The sense of touch extends throughout the body of man, any part of man’s exterior feels, tingles, hurts, when coming into contact with other phenomena. The sense of smell extends beyond the boundary of our skin, outwards. We can perceive by means of it matters which are relatively distant. The sense of hearing covers a wider area than the sense of smell, enabling us to perceive things even further distant. The sense of sight enables us to perceive matters far further removed from us than most of the phenomena we can perceive by the sense of hearing. It is the sense which we need most of all.

NOR DO THEY EAT, NOR SMELL. The purport thereof is to state that they [the idols] remain inanimate stones⁹⁸Habakkuk 2:19. as they were to begin with, having no spirit of life at all, not even mortal life, as does man. For at first he said, which neither see, nor hear, meaning that they are not G-d and see not the suffering of their servants, nor hear their prayers, nor save them from their troubles.⁹⁹See Isaiah 46:7. And then he went back and said that they do not even have the inferior [mortal] life of man. Thus the one who makes them is more honored than they. Or perhaps the sense of the verse is in relation to the honor of the Supreme One, the verse thus stating: “which neither see the suffering of their worshippers, nor hear their prayers, nor eat, since no fire ever comes out from before them and consumes their offerings,¹⁰⁰A reference to Leviticus 9:24. The fire from heaven, which descended upon the offerings placed on the altar, indicated that G-d’s Presence was in their midst (see also I Kings 18:38). Such a miracle never occurred among idol-worshippers. nor smell their [offerings’] sweet odors.”¹⁰¹See Leviticus 26:31. Now Scripture adopted the general usage of language, but in fact the idols have none of these senses.

ומצאת, even though you will not have a Temple at your disposal once you are exiled, not any of its sacred vessels.

ובקשתם משם….בכל לבבך, "and you will seek (G'd) from there with all your heart, etc. Verses 29 and 30 require analysis. [Basically, the author tries to explain why repentance is mentioned only after exile, and why exile by itself does not appear to be classified as an affliction. Ed.] Remember there are two types of penitence. There is the kind of repentance which is self-induced when people become aware they have sinned and want to rehabilitate themselves to be in good standing with their Creator. The second type of repentance is only the result of the sinner first having suffered severe afflictions at the hands of his enemies, etc. The words: "you will seek from there the Lord your G'd" refer to the people whose repentance was not due to their first having suffered persecution, but was motivated by their fondness of G'd. Moses promises "you will find Him because you seek Him with all your heart" even though you may have committed the most serious sins, such as idolatry, as detailed in verse 28. The fact that you found your way back to G'd will save you from having to experience afflictions.

ומצאת, “and you will find.” Seeing that the previous verses addressed the people en masse, as a plural, we would have expected Moses to write this verse also in the plural instead of switching to the singular, “you (individually) will find.” Had Moses continued in the plural the impression would have been created that the needs of the Jewish people of which he speaks are due only to the fact that they are in exile. It would have sounded as if G’d responds only to communal prayer, communal requests and not to that of the individual. There would have been a precedent for this seeing our sages in Berachot 8 have said that G’d does not despise communal prayer, i.e. that the prayer of a congregation is more effective than that of a mere individual. The Talmud there quotes Job 36,5: “Surely He is mighty, is not contemptuous,” as the source of its message.
For these reasons Moses made a point of telling us that G’d does respond to individuals who seek Him out.

V. 29. ובקשתם משם. Aus diesem Gegensatz wird euch die erhebende, frei machende Nähe des einen Einzigen, wahrhaftigen lebendigen Gottes, der Israels Weltanteil als ה׳ אלהיו geworden, erst recht im Herzen aufleuchten, "ihr werdet ihn suchen und werdet ihn finden", werdet seiner erleuchtenden, sittigenden und frei machenden, seiner euch sittlich adelnden und beglückenden Nähe selbst als Heloten einer heidnischen Welt inne werden, wenn ihr בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך, mit allem euren "Wollen" und allem euren "Sein" תדרשנו nur Ihn um seinen Willen befragen und nur Ihn um seine Hilfe angehen werdet. Beides heißt ׳דרש את ה. Israels ganze Galuthgeschichte mit seiner siegreichen Ausdauer nach außen, mit seinem beglückenden Streben nach Erleuchtung und Veredelung im Innern, ist eine fortgesetzte Offenbarung des lebendigen Gottes im Gegensatz zu dem toten und tötenden Heidentum. —

כי תדרשנו בכל לבבך ובכל נפשך בצר לך, the reason why you will be able to find your way to G’d is that your conditions in exile will be so tough that you will turn to G’d sincerely with all your heart and all your soul.

Concerning the people who become penitents only after having experienced severe afflictions, Moses says: "when you are in dire straits and all the retributions G'd has warned you of have found you at the end of days, you will return to the Lord your G'd and hearken to His voice." Moses makes clear that this repentance is not self-induced and that is why he does not characterise this repentance as being בכל לבבך, "with all your heart." The only reason you decided to become penitents is to escape the afflictions and persecutions. These penitents will have to compensate for their lack of whole-heartedness when they decide to rehabilitate themselves by absorbing more afflictions before their account with G'd is finally settled. This is the precise opposite of what happens to their counter-parts who adopted the path of penitence before they had become victims of afflictions. In their case their very penitence protects them against the afflictions which they had been in line for because of the sins they had committed. According to this interpretation the words בצר לך in verse 30 belong to what preceded them. The meter of the verses then is as follows: "When you seek out the Lord you will find him because you strive for Him with all your heart;" alternatively (the second scenario), "when you are in trouble and as a result become a penitent, even though not with your whole heart, these afflictions will still find you because you have not become a true penitent. In either event, G'd will not destroy you as He is a merciful G'd, etc."

These three verses may also be explained in the following fashion. ובקשתם משם, "You will seek from there," i.e. once you find yourselves in exile amongst other nations and you pray for your daily needs. The Torah does not speak about the exiled Israelites praying for deliverance from their exile; they only pray to make their existence tolerable. The Torah goes on ומצאת, "and you will find," i.e. G'd is approachable even in exile. Otherwise you would perish in exile. The Torah uses the singular, i.e. "you (singular) will find," as not every Jew who prays on foreign soil, in exile, will find Him responding to him. The reason only selected individuals will find that G'd responds to them even when they are in exile is that they seek G'd with their whole heart. Prayer in exile has to be far more intense than prayer on holy soil in order for G'd to respond favourably.

When Moses mentions בצר לך, "when you are in trouble," this is an assurance that there will come a redemption, i.e. at a time in exile when things appear totally intolerable, "when all these afflictions have found you and you have been reduced to greatly diminished numbers." This will be a sign that the end of days is at hand and that what you experience are the birthpangs of the Messiah. The Torah promises that at least at that time G'd will encourage the exiled Jews to do תשובה. This is the promise contained in the words ושבת עד ה׳ אלוקיך ושמעת בקולו, "and you will return to the Lord your G'd and hearken to His voice." The Torah explains the reason for this promise by saying that "the Lord your G'd is merciful."

Perhaps this is the argument of the angel Michael about whom the Zohar Chadash page 30 writes "here the end of days has already arrived and G'd has still not encouraged the hearts of the Jews to become penitents!" I have explained that passage elsewhere in a different context. Meanwhile our eyes are trained on G'd and we anxiously await that He will open His treasure of pure spirit to open blind eyes and to incline our hearts in order for us to appreciate how invaluable it is to enjoy His friendship.

AND THOU WILT RETURN TO THE ETERNAL THY G-D, AND HEARKEN UNTO HIS VOICE. This, too,¹⁰²See above, Verse 25 towards end. is an allusion to the redemption from [the exile in] Babylon, that they will repent to G-d and confess [their sins] before Him and hearken to the voice of the prophets that He will appoint for them. Therefore, he promised them that He would not destroy them, nor forget the covenant of their fathers, as He said, And I will remember My covenant with Jacob etc.¹⁰³Leviticus 26:42. And at the end of this book he will allude to the future redemption¹⁰⁴See Ramban further, 32:40. Also 28:42, at end. as I have explained,¹⁰⁵Leviticus 26:15. and I will yet mention it with the help of G-d.¹⁰⁴See Ramban further, 32:40. Also 28:42, at end.

באחרית הימים, at the end of your exile, as Moses had predicted in Deut. 30,1-2.

ושבת עד ה' אלוקיך ושמעת בקולו, “then you will return unto Hashem your G’d, and you will heed His voice.” This too is an allusion to the redemption from the Babylonian exile when the people did return to Hashem and confessed their sins before Him [in the days of Ezra, Ed.] having listened to the exhortations of the prophets He had put at their disposal. In view of this, Moses was able to reassure the people that they would not disappear from the stage of history. This is reflected in Moses quoting G’d’s promise that He would remember His covenant with the patriarchs. (Leviticus 27,42) At the very end of our passage (verse 40) Moses hints at the final redemption, after which there will be no more exile.

V. 30. בצר לך וגו׳: es scheint, dass dieser Gegensatz zu einem letzten Kampfe sich aufrafft und Israels באחרית הימים eine letzte Bedrängnis wartet. Aus dieser letzten Bedrängnis, und durch alle gemachten Erfahrungen geläutert und gestählt, wird Israel am Ende der Tage zum vollen und dann unverbrüchlichen Gottesgehorsam zurückkehren.

Mit ה׳ אלהיך (V. 29) geht die Anrede vom Plural in die Einheit des Singulars über. Das Leidensverhängnis vollzieht sich an allen einzelnen in der ganzen Vielheit ihrer Zerstreuung, es bleibt keiner davon verschont. Und auch die erleuchtende und läuternde Wirkung dieser Leiden muss sich an der ganzen Vielheit aller einzelnen bewähren. Allein mitten in dieser zerstreuten Vielheit bleiben sie doch eine geistige und sittliche Einheit, und in dem Zurückstreben aller zu dem einen Einzigen kommt diese Einheit der jüdischen Vielheit zum Bewusstsein und erhält die allzerstreuten Vielen ohne sichtbares äußeres Band, als das um den einen Einzigen geistig vereinigte eine und führt es zu diesem Einen als seine Einheit zurück: ובקשתם משם את ה׳ אלהיך ומצאת וגו׳ וגו׳.

לא ירפך means, He will not let loose of thee so as not to hold thee fast by His hands. The expression לא ירפך is an expression signifying: He will not cause something (our Hiphil) — He will not give thee any looseness, i.e. He will not separate you from Him. Similar is (Song 3:4) “I hold him fast, and I will not let him loose (אַרְפֶּנוּ )”, which is not vowelled אֶרְפֶּנוּ (which is Kal and an impossible form of the root רפה “to be loose”). Always the expression “letting slack (רפה)” in the Hiphil refers to one who causes looseness to others or to one who causes it to himself. For example (2 Kings 4:2) הרפה לה means, “give her looseness”; (Deuteronomy 9:14) הרף ממני means, “Give looseness to thyself from off me”.

He will not cause you to be weakened, etc. I.e., the word ארפנו [erpenu], is the simple (קל), intransitive verb form. For example, “Behold, the day faded (רפה) into evening (Shoftim 19:9),” and, “Their spirit subsided (רפתה) (ibid. 8:3).” Therefore, Rashi explains that לא ירפך [yarpecha, rather than yerpecha], is the causative (הפעיל), transitive verb form. Its meaning is, “He will not cause you to be weakened.” (Re”m).

V. 31. כי אל רחום ה׳ (siehe Schmot S. 489). Denn Gott verlässt dich nicht, weil er bereits so viel für dich getan, weil du das Produkt seiner ganz besonders fürsorgenden Waltung bist. רחמים ist ja die Liebe des Schöpfers zum Geschöpf, weil es sein Geschöpf ist. Daher kann die Bitte: זכר רחמיך ה׳ וחסדיך כי מעולם המה (Ps.25, 6) Gott an alle die Wohltaten erinnern, die Er bereits von je uns erzeigt hat, um auch seiner ferneren Liebe gewiss zu sein. — הרפה את־ לא ירפך heißt etwas, das man ergriffen hat, loslassen, אחזתיו ולא ארפנו (Hohel. 3, 4). בצדקתי החזקתי ולא ארפה (Hiob 27, 6). Gott gibt dich nicht auf. Gott hat dich einmal für seine besonderen Zwecke herausgegriffen und für diese deine Bestimmung so Großes an dir getan. Er hält dich für diese seine Zwecke mit dir fest, wie sehr du auch bis dahin dich gegen ihn vergangen. ולא ישחיתך, darum läßt er dich nicht zu Grunde gehen, du bleibst für die Zukunft deiner Bestimmung erhalten. ׳ולא ישבח וגו. Diese Unverlierbarkeit deiner Bestimmung ruht auf dem ברית אבותיך, war mit diesem mit ihnen geschlossenen Bunde bereits gegeben, alles auf einem ברית Beruhende, als ברית Ausgesprochene, erreicht unter allen Umständen seine Verwirklichung. (Siehe zu Bereschit 6, 18.)

The word ארפנו [arpenu] is not vocalized ארפנו [erpenu], etc. I.e., the word ארפנו should not be vocalized with a shva under the aleph, and a patach under the reish, it would be a form of the word, “heal (רפא).” But now that ארפנו is vocalized with a patach under the aleph and a shva under the reish, it is a form of the word, “weaken (רפה).”

“Leave her alone” — let her be released, etc. Its meaning is, “Let her be released,” which is an example of the causative verb form.

“Leave Me alone” — release yourself from Me. Its meaning is, “Leave Me alone,” which is an example of the reflexive verb form.

לימים ראשנים is the same as על ימים ראשנים [ASK NOW] REGARDING THE FORMER DAYS.

FOR ASK NOW OF THE DAYS PAST. He states “G-d will not forgive you, nor will He be long-suffering with you for idolatry and corruption with graven images and all forms of likenesses, for He has done with you what He has never done with any nation. He has made you hear the voice of G-d speaking out of the midst of the fire¹⁰⁶Verse 33. so that His fear may be before you¹⁰⁷Exodus 20:17. and that you declare His Unity and not corrupt yourselves. He has taken you to Him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs and by wonders¹⁰⁸Verse 34. so that you should not worship anything beside Him. Thus you have been shown all this with your eyes that thou mightest know that the Eternal, He is G-d,¹⁰⁹Verse 35. that He is One, and His Name One,¹¹⁰Zechariah 14:9. and there is none else beside Him.¹⁰⁹Verse 35. For out of heaven He made thee to hear His voice¹¹¹Verse 36. to teach you the discipline of wisdom;¹¹²Proverbs 1:3. and upon the earth He made thee to see His great fire¹¹¹Verse 36. burning unto the heart of heaven,¹¹³Above, Verse 11. and all His words thou didst hear out of the midst of the fire.¹¹¹Verse 36. And He brought thee out ‘b’phanav’ (with His presence),¹¹⁴Verse 37. similar to ‘al panav’ (before His presence), with His great power which is in His presence. And since the Great Name is G-d in heaven above and upon the earth beneath, and there is none else¹¹⁵Verse 39. you shall keep His commandments and His statutes so that it may be well with thee¹¹⁶Verse 40. in heaven above, and that thou mayest prolong thy days¹¹⁶Verse 40. upon the earth beneath.”

כי שאל נא, the proof of what I said that G’d will not forget the covenant made with your forefathers is that at Mount Sinai during the revelation all of you had been elevated to the level of prophecy. When I took you to be My people this did not mean that each and everyone of you by their own merits had deserved to be elevated to that spiritual status. I did this on account of the patriarchs. The difference between you and the gentile nations is that although the exceptional gentile may have experienced prophetic insights, there never has been a nation who have experienced something similar as a whole nation as you did at Mount Sinai.

כי שאל נא לימים ראשונים, “Wish you would examine the history of mankind, etc.” Nachmanides writes that this verse introduces Moses explaining why Hashem, otherwise of almost unending patience, delaying retribution, will not do so if the Israelites become guilty of idolatry. Anyone examining history cannot fail to become aware of how much G’d has done for His people. He has not bothered to do anywhere nearly as much for any other nation on earth. He has revealed His existence, His presence, His power, to this people as to no other people. If, instead of loyalty and gratitude they were to turn their back on Him, what possible use could it be, to tolerate this and wait patiently for them to recognize the error of their ways? [I paraphrased a little. Ed.]

Regarding the early years. [Rashi inserts, “regarding”] because one cannot inquire of years.

V. 32. כי שאל נא לימים וגו׳ למן וגו׳ ולמקצה וגו׳. Wenn שאל mit ל־ konstruiert ist, so bezeichnet ל־ nicht die Person oder den Gegenstand, an welche die Frage gerichtet, sondern den Gegenstand, nach welchem gefragt wird. Das ל־ ist die sachliche Beziehung der Frage. So: למה זה תשאל לשמיַI. (Bereschit 32, 29 und Richter 13. 18). In dem so häufigen שאל לו לשלום. (Bereschit 43, 27 usw.) ist sowohl die Person als die Sache mit ל־ bezeichnet. Es ist die Erkundigung nach der Person in Beziehung auf ihr Wohlbefinden, nach dem persönlichen Wohlbefinden des Gefragten. Es drückt das Interesse an seiner Persönlichkeit aus. Hier heißt es auch nicht: frage die ganze Vergangenheit und die ganze Erde, sondern: schaffe dir eine Kenntnis von der ganzen Vergangenheit und von der Gegenwart auf der ganzen Erde. Weshalb denn auch nach unserem Texte (Chagiga 12 a) das der menschlichen Erkenntnis geöffnete Forschungsgebiet nach Umfang und Grenze durch למן היום אשר ברא אדם על הארץ und למקצה השמים ועד קצה השמים zeitlich und räumlich auf die Geschichte seit Erschaffung der Welt und auf die innerhalb der geschaffenen irdischen Welt vorhandenen Dinge weise umschränkt wird. Alles vor der Schöpfung und jenseits der irdischen Dinge Liegende, מה למעלה מה למטה מה לפנים מה לאחור (siehe תוספ׳ daselbst), ist dem menschlichen Forschen versagt. Die innerhalb dieser Grenze eröffnete Geschichts- und Naturerkenntnis ist aber im Sinne unserer Stelle nicht nur etwas Gestattetes, sondern etwas in möglichst weitem Umfange zu Wünschendes, weil nur dem mit solchem Umblicke gerüsteten Geiste sich vergleichend die jüdische Weltstellung in ihrer ganzen Eigentümlichkeit erschließt.

'כי שאל נא וגו, “You only have to inquire, etc.;” if you were to ask why G–d is so much more strict with us than with other nations, all you have to do is to ask yourselves if there is any nation whose fate has been as carefully supervised by G–d as yours from the time of Avraham; in light of all that He has done for you, do you not think that He is entitled to measure you by different yardsticks?

כי שאל נא, “for ask now of the days past;” make enquiries of earlier generations if any nation ever experienced what you have been granted to experience;” seeing that we have been granted more privileges than any generation of mankind experienced, our G-d is especially mindful that we do not prove ungrateful.

ולמקצה השמים AND FROM ONE END OF HEAVEN — i.e. and also ask of all the creatures from one end to the other end of heaven. This is its plain sense, but a Midrashic explanation is: it teaches us regarding Adam's height, that it reached from earth to heaven, and that this is the very same measurement as from one end of heaven to the other (Sanhedrin 38b).

Regarding the height of Adam etc. For it is written, “That Hashem created Adam on earth [and from one end of the heavens, etc.]”

הנהיה כדבר הגדול הזה [ASK] … WHETHER THERE HATH BEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS GREAT THING — And what is the great thing? What is stated in the two following verses: השמע עם וגו׳ DID EVER A PEOPLE HEAR, etc., and

Which reached from earth to heaven, etc. The phrase, “And from one end of the heavens,” means, “the height of Adam was from earth to heaven.” For if understood simply, then what is the meaning of, “[Inquire ... from the day Hashem created Adam] until the end of the heavens”?

Which is the same measurement, etc. [On one hand] the verse implies [that Adam’s height was] “from one end of the world until the other,” as it is written, “and from one end of the heavens to the other end of the heavens [east to west].” Yet, [on the other hand] it implies that Adam’s height was “from the earth until the heavens,” as it is written, “...on earth until one end of the heavens.” How can this be resolved? Rather, it is the same measurement, etc. In other words, the circumference of the heavens — its uppermost limit — is one end [of the heavens], and the center of heaven — which is the earth — is the other end [of the heavens], and this measurement is exactly the same as, “from the heaven until the earth.” It is as if the verse says, “From one end of the heaven until the other, which is from the heaven until the earth.” According to this, the expressions, “From the earth until the firmament,” and, “From the earth until one end of the heavens,” and, “From one end of the heavens until the other end of the heavens,” and, “From one end of the world until the other end,” are all the same, they only differ in what they are called.

VV. 33 u. 34. השמע וגו׳ או הנסה וגו׳. Aus einem solchen Umblick wird sich dir ergeben, dass du das einzige Volk auf Erden seiest, dem Gott aus seiner Unsichtbarkeit in die Gewissheit sinnlicher Wahrnehmung hinausgetreten und in der Bekundung seiner unmittelbaren Waltung offenbar geworden. Du bist das einzige Volk, das Gott und seine Waltung nicht glaubt, sondern weiß. Du bist der einzige Depositär der Offenbarung Gottes, seiner Waltung und seines Willens an die Menschheit: darin liegt die Ewigkeit deiner Bestimmung und die geschichtliche Unsterblichkeit deines Wandelns in Mitte der Völker. Darin liegt der Aufschluss des לא ירפך ולא ישחיתך usw. כי שאל נא וגו׳.

השמע עם וגו׳ ויחי. Dieses Vernehmen der Gottesstimme übersteigt nicht das menschliche Vermögen an sich. Dem ersten Menschen in seiner ursprünglichen reinen Stellung war Gott nahe auf Erden und er vernahm das ihn anweisende Wort Gottes. Und auch die einzelnen Erlesenen seiner Nachkommen, ein Noach, Abraham, dessen Sohn und Enkel, mit welchen Gott die Wiederkehr auf Erden einleitete, vermochten die Gottesrede zu vernehmen und wurden derselben gewürdigt. Aber noch kein Volk in seiner Gesamtheit ward auf diese Stufe gehoben und noch dazu in eine persönliche Unmittelbarkeit, die normal den in die Gottesnähe gehobenen Geist von den Banden der leiblichen Sinnlichkeit zu lösen geeignet wäre. Sollte doch eben in die hieniedige sinnliche Leiblichkeit hinein und für einen Gott nahen Fortwandel in der hieniedigen sinnlichen Leiblichkeit mit dieser Offenbarung der Grund gelegt werden.

או הנסה וגו׳. Es ist nicht unmöglich, dass dieses נסה und ebenso הנסה דבר אליך תלאה (Job 4, 2) nicht Piel, sondern Niphal ist. Hier stände es dann in reflexiver Bedeutung: hat sich wohl ein Gott darin erprobt, darin seine Machthoheit und Herrschaft gezeigt, לבוא: dass er mitten in irdische Verhältnisse hineingetreten, לקחת לו גוי: sich, für seine besonderen Zwecke und seine ausschließliche Leitung, ein Volk heraus zu greifen, מקרב גוי: das völlig in die Macht eines anderen Volkes untergegangen und von einer anderen Nationalität umschlungen war, במסות: mit sein Machtvermögen bekundenden Taten, באתת: mit seine Gegenwart beweisenden Zeichen, ובמופתים: mit Geist und Gemüt bezwingenden Belehrungstaten, ובמלחמה: mit offenem Kampf gegen die Gehorsam Versagenden, ביד חזקה: mit einer Macht, die sich stärker bewies, als das für stärkst Gehaltene, ובזרוע נטויה: und mit einem Herrscherarme, der weit über alle irdische Hoheit und Herrschergebiete sich erstreckt, ובמוראים גדולים: und mit Erfolgen, die die Furchtbarkeit seines Wollens und seiner Macht in ihrer ganzen Größe erkennen lassen, בכל אשר עשה usw. allem dem vergleichbar, was Gott, den ihr alle, jeder in seiner Besonderheit, als den Lenker eurer Geschicke und den Leiter eurer Taten verehret, in Ägypten: לעיניך, zu eurer einheitlichen, gleichzeitigen, somit über allen Zweifel erhabenen Gesamterfahrung vollbracht hat.

הנסה אלהים which means, HAS ANY GOD DONE MIRACLES (לבוא לקחת לו גוי וגו׳ ,(נס TO GO AND TAKE HIM A NATION [FROM THE MIDST OF A NATION] etc. — All these letters ה are interrogative prefixes, and therefore they are vowelled with Chataph Patach: הֲנהיה, הֲנשמע, הֲשמע, הֲנסה.

או הנסה אלוקים, even though G’d from time to time may have seen to it that certain people among the gentiles escaped what seemed like imminent disaster, such instances were limited to a few select individuals;

או הנסה אלו-הים לבא לקחת לו גוי מקרב גוי במסות, Or, did G’d ever attempt to remove one nation from the midst of a nation with displays of power, etc.” the word מסות is the same as נסיונות, “display of power,” such as when Moses offered Pharaoh that he could determine when he wanted the plague of frogs to disappear (Exodus 8,5). באותות, “with miracles,” i.e. certain signs on Moses’ staff. ובמופתים, “and with wonders.” This is a reference to the Ten Plagues. ובמלחמה, and with war, i.e. G’d fighting the Egyptian army at the Sea of Reeds. We read there that Pharaoh said: “for the Lord is fighting against Egypt” (Exodus 14,25). וביד חזקה, “and with a strong hand.” This is a reference to the Israelites leaving Egypt ביד רמה, with their hands held high.” ובזרוע נטויה, “and with an outstretched arm.” This is a reference to the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire in which G’d manifested Himself during the Exodus. ובמוראים גדולים, “and with awesome deeds.” This is a reference to the splitting of the Sea and the drowning of the Egyptians in it. במצרים לעיניך, “in Egypt before your eyes.” The word לעיניך is a figure of speech which occurs frequently after the Torah had first spoken in the plural and then suddenly reverts to the singular, i.e. the eyes of an individual instead of the eyes of the people collectively. A well known example of such a construction is found in Leviticus 19,9 where the Torah writes ובקצרכם את קציר ארצכם לא תכלה, “when you (collectively) will harvest the grain harvest of your lands, you (individual) must not completely cut, etc.”
It is possible that Torah here wanted that our verse commenced with the letter א and concludes with the letter כ, seeing that the combined numerical value of the these letters is the same as the name of G’d אהיה, i.e. 21. It was this name with which Moses’ mission to the Jewish people commenced (Exodus 3,14) a form of the attribute of Justice contained within the attribute of Mercy. Seeing that the whole purpose of the Exodus was the acceptance by the Jewish people of the Torah at Mount Sinai, it is fitting that Moses continues after mentioning the degree to which G’d extended Himself to orchestrate the Exodus, אתה הראת לדעת, “you have been given visual knowledge that the Lord is the G’d, etc.,” a reference to the unforgettable experiences at Mount Sinai. In verse 36, מן השמים וגו’, you find all the letters of the aleph bet, just as in the Ten Commandments you also find all the letters of the aleph bet. The Ten Commandments also commence with the letter א and conclude with the letter כ, just as does our verse here.

ובמלחמה, and in war; Moses considers the crossing by the Jewish people of the sea of reeds the end of a “war” as he had referred to G–d as conducting war in the song of thanksgiving he composed after that event, as well as in the critical hours preceding it. Compare Exodus 14,14: ה' ילחם לחם, “the Lord will fight on your behalf.”

?או הנסה, “or did He ever test or examine?” This is all part of the questions you must ask yourselves

במסות BY TRIALS — through trials imposed upon Him He showed them His mighty deeds, as e.g., (Exodus 8:5) “Boast yourself over Me”, whether I am able to do so: here you have a trial (putting God to the proof).

במסות באותות, all of which proved that your good fortune was not due to some coincidence but had been planned by G’d.

לקחת לו גוי מקרב גוי, “to take for Himself a nation from the midst of another nation, etc.;” after all, you were Egyptians just like all the other Egyptians. We have proof of this from Ezekiel 20,7: ואומר אליהם איש גלולי עיניו השליכו, “I also said to them: cast away everyone of you all the detestable things that you are drawn to.”

באתת i.e. BY SIGNS to confirm that he is the messenger of the Omnipresent, as e.g., (Exodus 4:2) “What is that in your hand?"

ובזרוע נטויה, ready to inflict further chastisements to demonstrate that that if the afflicted person did not respond with penitence You would continue to discipline him.

ובמלחמה, “and by war;” for the Lord fought on their behalf against Egypt. (Exodus 14,25)

ובמפתים these are WONDERS: — that He brought upon them (the Egyptians) wondrous plagues.

ובמוראים, “all very visibly.” [The author, basing himself on the Targum traces the word to ראה, “to see.” Ed.]

ובמלחמה AND BY WAR, at the Red Sea, as it is said, (Exodus 14:25) “For the Lord fought for them".

הראת — Understand this as the Targum has it: Thou hast been shown. When the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah, He rent open to them the seven heavens, and just as he rent open the higher regions so did He rend open the lower, so that they saw that He was alone (sole God). On this account it is stated, "Thou hast been shown that thou mayest know [that the Lord is God, there is none besides Him]" (Pesikta Rabbati 20 towards the end).

אתה הראית, G’d has shown you all this.

The word הראת according to Targum Unkelos means “You were shown”, etc. I.e., the word הראת means, “you were shown,” rather than, “you showed.” Otherwise, the Targum should say אחזית (you showed) instead of איתחזיתא.

V. 35. אתה הראת לדעת. Dein Bewusstsein von Gott ist kein Glauben, sondern ein Wissen, und dein Wissen beruht nicht auf einem Berichte, auch nicht auf der Vermittlung einer schließenden Gedankenverbindung, dein Wissen von Gott beruht auf der Gewissheit selbsteigener, unmittelbarer, gleichzeitiger Sinneserfahrung deiner ganzen Gesamtheit. אתה הראת לדעת: deinen eigenen Augen ist hinreichend zu sehen gegeben worden, um zu wissen, dass Gott, der dir unter diesem Namen offenbar geworden, der einzige wirkliche Gott ist, den die übrigen Menschen unter so mannigfaltigen Wahngebilden suchen und glauben, אין עוד מלבדו: und dass außer Ihm allein nichts anderes in selbständigem Sein vorhanden ist. Er allein ist das absolut Seiende, alles andere Sein ist nur durch ihn bedingt.

לדעת, for you to know and understand beyond any doubt כי ה' הוא האלוקים, that Lord is the G’d Who is responsible for every phenomenon in the universe, that He has created it.

ליסרך, to bring you to the level of prophecy on the occasion of your receiving the Torah, Your experience at that time paralleled the experience of the prophet Eliyahu at the same mountain in Kings I 19,11 when he first experienced a tremendously powerful wind, etc. He also, like you experienced the fire (Kings I 19,12), before being addressed by G’d.

מן השמים השמיעך את קולו ליסרך, "He made you hear His voice out of the heaven in order to discipline you, etc." The meaning of this verse is similar to what I have explained on Exodus 20,1. I have already referred to it on verse 12 in our chapter where Moses underlined that the people did not see a visual, image during the revelation at Mount Sinai. We mentioned that the people heard the first two of the Ten Commandments directly from G'd. This is what Moses meant when he said: "out of the heaven, etc." The meaning of the word ליסרך is "in order to remove the residual pollutants from you;" we have explained this concept already repeatedly. When Moses said ועל הארץ הראך את אשו, "He showed you His fire on the earth," he referred to the manner in which the Israelites heard the other eight of the Ten Commandments. He alluded to the people "seeing" those sounds in the form of fiery flames which had been "hewn" from G'd's words. I have explained already that Exodus 20,15 referred to this phenomenon with the verse: "and the whole nation observed the sounds, etc." Moses elaborated on this once more in verse 12 of our chapter which mentioned the absence of a visual image for the people to see at that time.

From the sky. Hashem gave two proofs to know this. Firstly, “From the sky” this shows the level of prophecy and they heard it themselves… First “He made Hisi voice audible to you to afflict you” that it is almost impossible to attain the level of prophecy without afflicting the body… And afterwards, “You heard His words” and after the power of prophecy there is no more room for doubt, and you do not need philosophical investigation.

מן השמים השמיעך את קולו, “He let you hear His voice from the heavens.” The verse means that G’d’s voice emanated from heaven in order to be heard by you, but you did not hear any sound until G’d’s voice had reached the fire so that you appeared to hear His voice as coming out of the fire. If this were not the correct meaning of the verse, how could Moses first say: “you have heard the voice of G’d from the heavens,” and only afterwards: “you heard His words out of the fire?”

V. 36. מן השמימ וגו׳ Er ist dir in Seiner gleichzeitig Himmel und Erde erfüllenden und in dein Inneres dringenden Allgegenwart gegenwärtig geworden, du hörtest Seine Stimme, sahst Sein Feuer auf Erden und vernahmst Seine Worte aus dem Feuer.

The words: "and you have heard His words out of the fire" are most appropriate as they refer to the last eight of the Ten Commandments, the "fire" referring to the angel which materialised and asked each individual Israelite if he accepted the commandment in question.

ותחת כי אהב AND BECAUSE HE LOVED — i.e., and all this was because He loved thy fathers.

ותחת כי אהב את אבותיך, having done all this because He loved your patriarchs, ויבחר בזרעו, He chose the descendants of only one of them (Yaakov) .

ויוציאך בפניו, as documented in Exodus 12,12 and 23,21.

ותחת כי אהב את אבותיך, “and because He loved your forefathers, etc.” according to Ibn Ezra the reference is to the three patriarchs.

ותחת כי אהב את אבותיך, “and on account of His having loved your patriarchs, etc.,” i.e. He allowed you to hear His voice because He loved your forefathers.

And all this was because He loved [your fathers]. Rashi is answering the question: Why is the word ותחת (and because) written with a letter vov? Rashi answers: Because it is a continuation of the previous verses, “...and all this, etc.”

V. 37. ותחת כי אהב. Diese dir durch יציאת מצרים und מתן תורה gewordene Gotteserkenntnis bildet das Eigenartige deines völkergeschichtlichen Wesens und Berufes, und es setzt sich in dir nur der mit Erwählung deiner Väter gegründete ברית fort, dessen schon V. 31 gedacht war. — ויבחר בזרעו אחריו. Normal kann sich das suff. sing. nur auf Gott beziehen, und זרעו אחריו wäre die Ihm von den Vätern erzeugte und zu Seiner Nachfolge erzogene Nachkommenschaft, wie וימלא אחרי (Bamidbar 14, 24) מוכיח אדם אחרי (Prov. 28, 23). — בפניו: mit seiner unmittelbaren Leitung (vergl. Schmot 33, 14 u. 15).

ויבחר בזרעו אחריו, “and chose their seed after them;” this is a hint to Yaakov; if the Torah had written: בזרעם אחריהם, it could have been interpreted as eight nations. (the six sons of Keturah, Esau and Ishmael) all of whom had emerged from Avraham and Yitzchok) in addition to the Jewish people.

ויוצאך בפניו AND HE BROUGHT THEE OUT BEFORE HIM — like a man who leads his son before him, as it is said, (Exodus 14:19) “And the angel of the Lord that went [before them] moved and went behind them" (see Rashi on that verse). — Another explanation of ויוצאך בפניו AND HE BROUGHT THEE FORTH IN HIS PRESENCE: — i.e. in the presence of his fathers, as it is said, (Psalms 78:12; see Rashi on that verse), “In the presence of their fathers He did wonders". Do not be surprised that it refers to them (the fathers) in the singular number (by בפניו), for you see it has already written about them in the singular number, viz., “And he chose his seed after him" (instead of “their seed after them").

ויוציאך בפניו, by performing a series of miraculous deeds

ויבחר בזרעו אחריו, “and chose his offspring after him;” the singular mode of the word זרעו, “his offspring,” shows that Moses refers here specifically to Yaakov, the last of the patriarchs. Had Moses used the plural mode זרעם, he would have been referring to the eight nations descended from Avraham.

ויבחר בזרעו אחריו, “and He chose “his seed” after him. Clearly the subject is Yaakov, the third of the patriarchs. This is why the Torah says: “his seed” instead of “their seed.” Had the Torah used the plural “their seed,” both Esau and Ishmael would heve been included in the “chosen people.” This is also the reason why the Torah wrote in Parshat Eykev, 10,15: “but the Lord your G’d was fond of your forefathers (pl) to love them, and He chose (of) their seed after them you from amongst all the nations, etc.” Seeing the Torah had written בזרעם “their seed,” which could have been interpreted as “all their seed, i.e. including Esau, etc.,” the Torah had to conclude that verse by saying “בכם” you, meaning “only you of all their seed.”
Instead of using the preposition תחת, the Torah could have written more commonly used prepositions such as בעבור or למען. The reason the Torah chose the word תחת, a word which occurs on only two more occasions, once in connection with the מרכבה, the Divine “carriage,” may be an allusion to the מרכבה which is supposed to be supported on terrestrial earth by the patriarchs and the Jewish people as a whole.

Like a man who leads his son before him, etc. The word בפניו (literally, “in His presence,”) here means לפניו (before Him). Similarly (below 25:9), “And she shall spit before him (בפניו).” Also, according to Rashi’s second explanation, בפניו means “before him.” The only difference is that in the second explanation, “before him,” refers to the forefathers.

ויוציאך בפניו, and Who brought you out from its presence (the Egyptians’) as was spelled out presently, in Exodus 12,41: “יצאו כל צבאות ה' לעיני מצרים, “all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.” This is not the only time in the Bible that Egypt is referred to in the singular mode, i.e. בפניו instead of בפניהם. One example that comes to mind, is Exodus 14,10: והנה מצרים נוסע אחריהם, and behold: Egypt is marching after them, instead of “are marching after them.”

ממצרים, from Egypt; להוריש, G’d intended to take you out of slavery, a state in which you would not have been able to appreciate His intentions.

ויוציאך בפניו, “He took you out before Him.” According to Ibn Ezra, Moses refers to the anger at the Egyptians that prompted G’d to release the Israelites. In Leviticus 26,17 we also find the word פנים as meaning “anger.” Other commentators understand the word בפניו as referring to an angel of G’d. Compare Isaiah 63,9 ומלאך פניו הושיעם, “and the angel signifying His Presence, delivered them.”

Do not be puzzled that it refers to them (the fathers) in the singular, etc. Rashi is answering the question: Why then is it written, “before him”? According to the second explanation above, “before him” refers to their fathers, [so why then is] in the singular form? Rashi explains: “And He chose his descendants after him.” In other words: Consider even the first explanation where, “before him,” poses no difficulty because it refers to Hashem. Nevertheless the phrase, “...your forefathers, He chose his descendants after him,” is difficult to understand. For it must be that, “He chose his etc,” refers to the forefathers, even according to the first explanation. Nevertheless it says, “his descendants after him,” which is in the singular form. If so, even according to the second explanation where, “before him,” also refers to the fathers, it is not difficult to understand, though it is written in the singular form. And both explanations are necessary: The first explanation is problematic, for it should say, “And He took you out and led you before Him.” Therefore Rashi says, “Another explanation, etc.” But the second explanation alone is also problematic — since the forefathers already had died, then what is the meaning of, “in front of him”? Therefore the first explanation is also needed.

ממך מפניך — Invert it (the order of the words) and then explain it accordingly: to dispossess from before thee (מפניך) nations greater and mightier than thee (ממך)

לתת לך את ארצם, which is really G’d’s favourite land, one that is always ready to help its inhabitants to achieve their perfection on earth.

כיום הזה, when you have already commenced the conquest by occupying the lands formerly owned by Sichon and Og.

כיום הזה, as on this day; the day on which the Israelites had conquered the lands of Sichon and Og.

כיום הזה AS AT THIS DAY — i.e., As you see today.

וידעת היום, it behooves you therefore to understand how these miracles confound any theological theories that are not in agreement with Jewish tradition.

וידעת היום, "and you should know this day, etc." What is it that the people should know about on this day rather than on any other day? What knowledge were they to store up in their hearts? Perhaps Moses referred to the need to subdue the evil urge which lurks within all of us. Moses may have referred to 10 such pieces of information which the Israelites were to store up in their hearts.

V. 39. וידעת היום: Aus allen deinen bisherigen Erfahrungen schöpfe nun die gewisseste Überzeugung, והשבת אל לבבך, und wenn sie dir einmal aus dem Herzen geschwunden oder schwinden zu wollen droht, so bringe sie dir immer wieder auf Grund dieser von dir erfahrenen Tatsachen zu Herzen, dass ד׳ הוא האלקים usw. ממעל — מתחת. Gott ist Gott im Himmel ממעל: von dir aufwärts in dem ganzen ungemessenen Weltenraum der Höhe, und auf Erden מתחת: von dir abwärts in dem ganzen ungemessenen Weltenraum der Tiefe. Durch die Beifügungen ממעל und מתחת wird Himmel und Erde noch näher präzisiert zum Ausdruck für die Totalität des Weltalls.

והשבות אל לבבך, having carefully examined all these factors you are to establish firmly in your heart which is the truth, namely כי ה' הוא האלוקים, that the Lord known to us as Hashem is the true G’d, the word itself indicating that He is victorious in any competition who make similar claims because He is eternal. His fame extends both בשמים, in the celestial spheres above, as well as על הארץ מתחת, for you will realise that the very order which exists among celestial phenomena, their predictability to the second, is proof that Someone is guiding them, has programmed them.

1) The Talmud Berachot 5 suggests that if the evil urge becomes active our first line of action should be to "drag him to the Torah Academy," i.e. to counter him by Torah study. If this fails, we must remind him of the day we will die, an effective means of putting him in his place.

אין עוד. You will also realise that it is quite inconceivable that there could be more than One such supreme authority over all these phenomena. Among disembodied spiritual forces it is quite impossible for two such forces to co-exist as equals. One such force, power, must be superior to the other.

2) Sukkah 52 describes that in the future G'd will "slaughter" Satan in front of the eyes of all of Israel. Moses commanded the people to store up an awareness of this day in the future in their hearts. Awareness of this will be a valuable tool in the fight against the evil urge.

3) Moses also referred to the Day of Judgment. What will a person do when G'd presents him with a list of all his sins on that day? How profound will be his feeling of shame at that time when he will be found wanting in front of an audience of illustrious souls and angels? Reminding oneself of this scenario will help one to subdue one's sinful instincts

4) Moses may have had in mind a statement in Baba Batra 84 that the reason the sun appears so reddish looking in the morning and in the evening is that it has just passed by the gates of hell whose fires have reddened it. One look at what happens in the course of a day will convince a person that the people who violate G'd's commandments will experience retribution. The reddish appearance of the sun is a reminder of where this retribution is handed out. Moses advises us to concentrate on what goes on in the world by day, i.e. היום.

5) He may also have alluded to what the kabbalists say i.e. that the sphere of sanctity is known as "day," whereas the sphere of alienation (from G'd) is known as "night." Parts of the world which belonged to the sphere of sanctity may become "alienated" through the deeds of man so that man will find himself as belonging to that sphere. This is why Moses prayed in Psalms 91,5 that G'd "should remove the fear of night." When Moses said וידעת היום, "know the (sphere called) day," he meant that we should endeavour to know this sphere; it would then follow automatically that we would pursue the proper path in life.

6) He may also have referred to something we have been taught by the Zohar volume three page 178 that in order to conduct oneself properly it is necessary to review every night what one has done during the day so as to repair any spiritual damage one had become guilty of by day. When a person keeps track of his deeds on a daily basis he will repent all the inadvertently committed mistakes he has become guilty of, and he will confess them. Unless he does this, his sins are liable to create within him a lack of sensitivity to having made mistakes, even inadvertent mistakes. This is why Moses commanded the people to make sure they would become aware of their actions on a daily basis, i.e. היום, this very day; do not wait until the Day of Atonement to confess your sins and to rehabilitate yourselves. If you do this, והשבות אל לבבך, you will ensure that your heart remains conscious of and sensitive to your shortcomings.

Moses may also have alluded to the day the soul was placed in the body of a person. According to Zohar volume one page 233 on that day G'd exhorts the soul which has come from the celestial regions to observe the commandments of the Torah while on earth, threatening with a variety of penalties for non-observance, but also promising reward for observance. When Moses said היום in our verse, he referred to the day when the soul began its journey on earth.

8) Moses may also have alluded to something we learned in Chagigah 12 that the present material world on earth is called לילה, "night," whereas the celestial regions are known as יום, "day." When observing life in this material world man will observe that often what occurs is the very opposite of what he expected to occur, such as the wicked enjoying the good life whereas the pious frequently live a life of suffering. Moses advises us to concentrate on life in the eternal regions, i.e. in the Hereafter instead of falling victim to the lure of what the transient life on earth appears to offer the sinner. He reminds us by saying והשבת אל לבבך that G'd has an ironclad answer to all these apparent perversions of justice we observe in this world and that all the sinners will be punished while the pious will be rewarded in due course.

9) Moses may also have alluded to an interpretation in Shabbat 28 on Genesis 1,31: "it was evening it was morning the sixth day." According to the Talmud the letter ה before the word ששי refers to a pact made by G'd with His creation that in due course He would give Israel the Torah on the sixth day (of Sivan). Moses reminds the people never to forget that glorious day which they had experienced when G'd had revealed Himself at Mount Sinai. They were to remember that creation itself continues to exist only for the sake of that day. This must be enough to remind their hearts to be constantly aware of the awesomeness of their obligation to observe the path of Torah. The words כי ה׳ הוא האלוקים are a continuation of the words והשבות אל לבבך. By contemplating the day on which G'd revealed Himself on Mount Sinai, the whole world found out that there is no other G'd in heaven nor on earth. This is parallel to what we learned in the Mechilta on Exodus 20,2 that when G'd began the decalogue He referred to having manifested Himself publicly when He took the Israelites out of Egypt. The author of the Mechilta there quotes Isaiah 48,16 who said: לא מראש בסתר דברתי, "From the beginning I did not speak in secret."

10) Moses may also have alluded to something we learned in Shemot Rabbah 25,12 that the commandment of the Sabbath is equal in weight to all the other commandments combined. It is in the nature of the evil urge that first he undermines a Jew's desire by saying to him that it is quite futile to endeavour to keep all the commandments, he would never succeed, so why even bother? At the same time, when a Jew has become aware of his sins and he wants to rehabilitate himself Satan tells him that he deludes himself if he thinks that a person who has become guilty of so many sins has a chance to purify himself through penitence. Moses counters these two arguments of Satan. Concerning a person's inability to observe all the commandments, Moses points to the fulfilment of a single commandment, that of היום, the Sabbath day, and assures the Jew that fulfilment of the Sabbath legislation is equivalent to fulfilment of all the 613 commandments. It is not so hard therefore to be a Torah-observant Jew. The scriptural proof for the value of this commandment is found in Exodus 16,25: "for the Sabbath is the day." Moses tells us to concentrate on the meaning of that day and the fact that it is equal in weight to the combined commandments of the Torah, and that this will keep us from sinning. The same thought is also useful for the sinner who wants to become a penitent and who has been told by Satan not to waste his time. If the sinner concentrates on that day and starts by observing the Sabbath he has gone a long way towards rehabilitation. G'd will give him credit for having observed all the 613 commandments.

ושמרת את חקיו, Once you have understood all this you will naturally observe all of G’d’s statutes. Jeremiah 10,7 already expressed this as a given when he asked (rhetorically) מי לא ייראך מלך הגוים, “who would not be in awe of You, King of the nations?”

נתן לך כל הימים, "which He gives to you for all time." Seeing that Moses told the people to observe the Torah in order to enjoy long life, he was afraid that the people would interpret that by observing the commandments of the Torah G'd would lengthen their lifespan on earth. As a result of such reasoning the people might also argue that this was proof that just as man's life on earth is limited in time (compare Job 14,5 "his days are determined, You know the number of his months"), so possession of the Holy Land would also be subject to limitations in time. Moses therefore corrects any such impression by going on record that a) G'd would add years to the people's lives if they observed the Torah, and b) assuring them that G'd's gift of the land to the Jewish people is a gift in perpetuity. It follows that when he mentioned "in order that you will have a long life on the earth, etc," Moses meant that they would not die prematurely, just as we have been told in Deut. 11,21. As to the land itself, it will remain Israel's forever.

V. 40. ושמרת את חקיו וגו׳. Dieses dein ganzes Wissen von Gott soll aber die einzige Wirkung haben, dass du in dieser gotterfüllten Welt, in welcher Sein Wille überall gebietet und Seinem Willen alles dient, auch nur das eine Anliegen kennst: seine הקים und מצות, mit welchen Er all deinem Wollen "Schranke" und "Aufgabe" gesetzt, gewissenhaft erfüllest, אשר ייטב לך, womit allein du dein und deiner Kinder Heil gewinnen kannst, ולמען תאריך, und wovon allein die Dauer deines Bleibens in dem Lande bedingt ist, das Gott dir für alle Zeiten gibt, das für ewige Zeiten das Land deiner Bestimmung bleibt, das du aber immer nur so lange innehaben wirst, als du dieser Bestimmung dich treu erweisest.

ואת מצותיו אשר אנכי מצוך היום, כל הימים, the reason you will be observing these laws for all time is that the religion will not be renewed or altered, ever.

אז יבדיל — The imperfect form יבדיל instead of הבדיל is to be thus explained (cf. Rashi on Exodus 15:1): He set his attention to be zealous for the matter, — to set them apart. And although they were not to serve as cities of refuge until those of Canaan proper (the western side of the Jordan) were set apart for that purpose, Moses said, Any duty that it is possible for me to perform I will perform (Makkot 10a).

THEN MOSES SEPARATED THREE CITIES. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained it to mean: “on the day that Moses separated three cities [to function as cities of refuge], he then said the words of the covenant [as stated in the following section].” But it is not correct. Rather, it is to be understood in its simple sense. Moses had gathered all Israel to explain to them the Torah and he began with words of reproof; after he uttered in their presence his words of reproof concerning what they had done, the admonishments about idolatry and the Unity of G-d, and completed [his statement] to them with the charge that they observe His statutes and His commandments so that it may be well with them — then he said in their presence before them: “Now we shall fulfill the commandment that G-d has commanded us, and Bezer in the wilderness, Ramoth in Gilead, and Golan in Bashan will be cities of refuge that every manslayer that kills any person through error may flee thither.”¹¹⁷See Verses 42-43. And although they would not legally provide refuge until [the cities of refuge] in the land of Canaan [on the western side of the Jordan] were set apart, Moses said, “‘If a commandment has come to our hands we shall fulfill it,’¹¹⁸Makkoth 10 a. so that it may be well with us.” Afterwards he called with a great voice to all Israel that were there and said to them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances etc.,¹¹⁹Further, 5:1. for now he commenced to speak of the commandments and the explanation of the Torah, as I have explained at the beginning of the section These are the words.¹²⁰Above, 1:1.

אז יבדיל משה שלש ערים, after he had concluded with his introduction to the detailed discourse on the Torah. The reason why he set aside these cities at that time was to show the Israelites how the observance and carrying out of G’d’s commandments is of such supreme importance, and that he, though about to depart the earth, wanted to perform at least this commandment, the observance of which is linked to the land of Israel.

אז יבדיל משה, Why did the Torah interrupt Moses’ speech which were coherent, sequential and continuous, and it now introduced another subject in the form of a narrative? Actually, Moses had dwelled at length on the past and the time had come to do what the Torah had said at the outset, i.e. to elaborate on aspects of the Torah on which Moses had either not elaborated previously, or had not presented to the people at all, or felt that it was essential to repeat the legislation in question to prevent problems after he was no longer on the scene to deal with them.
The subject of the cities of refuge is of concern to the judges and the whole system of the judiciary introduced by Moses as the first subject of legislation which he reviews. Already in chapter one, Moses addressed primarily the judges on whom rests the responsibility of ensuring a functioning government. In chapter 19,2 the Torah commands the setting aside of 3 such cities of refuge each on the west bank and on the east bank of Jordan (verse 9). Since it did not mention the three cities Moses had already established on the east bank of the Jordan this had to be added here, to show that the numbers given in the Torah are flexible, i.e. that as the territory of the Jewish people expands the need to add more such cities may arise. The command issued in Numbers 35,14 was not to be effective immediately as the Israelites had not yet crossed the Jordan. Moses had nonetheless set aside such cities although they did not yet function as such.

אז יבדיל משה שלש ערים, “Then Moses set aside three cities, etc.” According to Ibn Ezra the Torah means that on the day that Moses set side these three cities he addressed the words of the covenant to the people. Nachmanides writes that this is not correct, but that Moses assembled the whole nation (at the beginning of what is related in this Book) in order to explain the Torah to them, doing so in a spirit of admonition. When he concluded with his general admonitions, he warned them about specific sins, such as idolatry, the importance of remaining aware at all times of the uniqueness of the Creator. He concluded by exhorting them to observe the various statutes and general commandments of G’d in order to ensure their continuous well being, to ensure that Hashem would continue to shower His goodness upon them. Having done so, he invited the people to assist him in keeping the commandment of setting up cities of refuge. After that he proclaimed in a loud voice: שמע ישראל וגו', as we read at the beginning of chapter 5. He had commenced with explanatory comments of the Torah, and had similarly concluded with that theme [during the assembly reported in these 4 chapters. Ed.]

אז יבדיל משה שלש ערים בעבר הירדן, “at that time Moses set aside three cities on the east bank of the Jordan.” This introduction is to inform us that when Moses set aside these three cities on the east bank of the Jordan he immediately proceeded to renew the covenant G’d had concluded with the previous generation at Mount Sinai (chapter 5 which follows). Even though Moses was well aware that these three cities would not become operational as cities of refuge until the other three cities of refuge on the west bank of the Jordan had been set aside, he wanted to fulfill at least half the commandment while he was still alive. This should serve as an important lesson to us how to relate to the commandments in general. There certainly could hardly have been anyone who had performed more commandments during the previous 40 years since the Torah was given than Moses, who had taught all these commandments to the people. If he was so concerned as not to leave even a half a commandment unfulfilled this should be our inspiration to emulate him.
Perhaps this gives us a better insight into the true meaning of a comment by our sages according to which Moses became personally wealthy from the chips of the second set of Tablets which he had been told to fashion himself before coming up the mountain. The sages use the wordsפסל לך , “carve out for yourself” as meaning that the left-overs of this raw material became Moses’ personal property and that we are speaking about a very precious kind of stone (compare Exodus 34,1 and the comment in Nedarim 38). A more ethically inspiring approach would be that G’d chose the word פסל, an allusion to פסולת, rejects, left-overs, to teach that even seemingly inconsequential commandments are to be rated highly. The true measure of Torah and mitzvah performance is not the attention we give the impressive commandments, the ones which command a high degree of visibility but the loving attention which we lavish on the apparently minor commandments, the ones frequently neglected as the person who performs them does not reap any recognition for them from his peers.

He gave thought in his heart to be concerned about the matter, etc. Rashi is answering the question: The word אז (then) means immediately. Yet the word יבדיל (set aside) is in the future tense. Therefore, Rashi explains that it refers to his intentions [I.e., Moshe intended then to set the cities aside in the future]. But Re”m explains: Setting aside these cities is not an ongoing action, thus the present tense does not apply to it. Therefore Rashi explains that it refers to his intentions. In other words, Moshe constantly had in mind to set aside these cities until they were actually set aside.

V. 41. אז יבדיל. Mosche berichtet, dass, nachdem er durch alles Bisherige dem Volke seine Beziehung zu Gott und seinem Gesetze und die Abhängigkeit des Landesbesitzes von Erfüllung dieses Gesetzes zum Bewusstsein gebracht hatte, er auch sofort hinsichtlich des Gesetzes, das ihnen sogleich bei der Verteilung des Landes zur Verwirklichung obliegen wird (Bamidbar 35, 10), so weit es bereits in dem transjordanischen Lande zur teilweisen Ausführung kommen konnte, die entsprechenden Bestimmungen getroffen hat, obgleich, wie daselbst V. 13 bemerkt, die Wirkung des Gesetzes erst nach dessen voller Erledigung im cisjordanischen Landesgebiete in Kraft treten sollte. Die hohe fundamentale Bedeutsamkeit dieses Gesetzes der Aufnahmestädte haben wir daselbst zu entwickeln versucht, und unter Vergegenwärtigung des dort Bemerkten tritt die hier berichtete Anordnung im Zusammenhange mit der vorangehenden Ermahnung zur treuen Erfüllung des ganzen Gesetzes in ein noch helleres Licht. Ist doch der durch die Einordnung der ערי מקלט in die Landesverteilung gleichsam zum topographisch offenkundigsten Ausdruck gelangende Fundamentalgrundsatz von der gottebenbildlichen Menschendignität eben der Fundamentalsatz, der nächst dem im Vorgehenden entwickelten Grundsatze von der Einheit und Einzigkeit und außersinnlichen Persönlichkeit Gottes und mit ihm zusammen die Granitgrundlage des ganzen Judentums bildet.

אז יבדיל משה שלש ערים, “then Moses set aside three cities, etc;” the expression אז is usually reserved as introduction to a poem, a song; compare Exodus 15,1, so that its appearance here is somewhat puzzling. When the people had heard the legislation about the cities of refuge in Numbers 35,33, where the Torah decreed that blood spilled of a person who was innocent could never be atoned for by a payment of ransom, they were afraid that even if someone were to commit a killing unintentionally he would be subject to the death penalty; Moses reassured them that there was another method by which such a person could atone for his negligence in having caused the death of an innocent person, i.e. his being forced to reside in a city of refuge until the death of the High Priest at that time. When they heard this they broke out in a song of relief. This was remindful of the proverb that (only) if someone has tasted a dish does he really know what it tastes like. Moses, who had had cursed an Egyptian who had slain a Jew by using the holy name of the Lord, had been forced to flee and reside outside his homeland for close to 60 years. He therefore understood that this was a very harsh penalty. [Our author clearly belongs to the school of thought that does not consider Moses as a hero for taking the law into his own hands. Ed.]

אז יבדיל משה, “then Moses separated;” after having defeated Sichon and Og; the commandment to establish cities of refuge had been given already in Numbers 35,14. Here the Torah only mentions that it now had been carried out as the requisite land had been conquered. Moses mentions it only as one of many positive measures he had undertaken on the people’s behalf. Although he could have described this in the first person, i.e. “I set apart these cities,” it was not in his nature to do so, just as he did not do so in Leviticus 1,2, when he described “if anyone of you is willing to offer an offering to the Lord,” he actually had himself in mind. The same is true of Exodus 16,32, and numerous other occasions in the Torah.

בעבר הירדן מזרחה שמש ON THE SIDE OF THE JORDAN TOWARDS THE SUN-RISING — i.e. on that side which is on the east of Jordan (not the side of the Jordan that is east of Canaan proper).

מזרחה שמש, “toward the rising sun.” Our sages have said that anyone who kills a person has to flee eastward in the direction of the rising sun. Mortality was decreed upon man who was placed by G’d in Gan Eden which the Torah had described as east, i.e. מקדם. Exile is a reminder of this tragic first (disobedience) error committed by man. We also know that Kayin, who had slain his brother Hevel, was exiled in an easterly direction as he is reported subsequently to have settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden (Genesis 4,16).

On that side which is, etc. Rashi is explaining: “Across the Yardein” may refer to the eastern side [of the Yardein] or to [the western side of the Yardein, ie.,] the side of the Land of Israel. Therefore the verse says, “where the sun rises,” to let us know which side of the Yardein it refers to, and that it is not the [western] side of the Land of Israel where the sun sets.

אז יבדיל (siehe Schmot 15, 1).

מזרחה שמש, “on the east side facing the sun” All the murderers listed in the Bible fled eastward. Adam, whose penalty for eating from the tree of knowledge was supposed to be death, fled in that direction, seeing that he had caused the mortality of every human being. (Compare Genesis 3,24, “he took up residence east of gan eden). Kayin who had murdered his brother) settled also in the east as we know from Genesis 4,16.

מזרחה שמש — Because it (the word מזרחה) is in the construct state the ר is vowelled with Chataph (vocal Sheva), the meaning being, “the rising of the sun", i.e., the place of the sun's rising.

The letter reish is vocalized with a chataf. I.e., it is vocalized with a sheva, which is called a chataf.

V. 42. לנום שמה וגו׳. Hier wird das Gesetz nur in der Allgemeinheit seiner Bestimmung berührt. Das Ausführliche siehe Bamidbar 35, 9 ff. und Dewarim 19.

את בצר במדבר, “the city Bezer in the desert;” In the next verse the Torah continues with the words וזאת התורה. It seems difficult to account for this sequence of subject matter. Our sages in Makkot 10 used this sequence to teach us that the words of Torah are equivalent to the refuge offered by the cities of refuge. They may even afford refuge from the angel of Death himself. The Talmud reports that the angel of Death wanted to take Rav Chisdah but he was so immersed in his studies hat he had no opportunity to snatch his soul until a diversion was created by a heavy beam in the academy falling down. The sound momentarily distracted Rav Chisdah so that the angel of Death could snatch his soul. Similar stories are told about David.
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said that the protective angel of the Roman Empire (Edom) will make three errors in the future. He bases this on Isaiah 63,1: ”Who is this coming from Edom, in crimson garments from Bozrah — who is this majestic in attire?” The angel believes that Bozrah was also a city of refuge whereas only Bezer is such a city. Another error the angel of Edom will make is that he thinks that these cities serve as refuge for both intentional and unintentional killers, whereas they only afford protection for unintentional killers. Thirdly, he thinks these cities protect angels and humans alike. The fact is that they only protect human killers, not angels.

ואת בצר במדבר, “and Betzer in the desert.” This is what Solomon referred to when he said in Proverbs 28,17: “a man burdened with blood guilt will flee to a pit;” he referred to someone who had incurred this guilt inadvertently, or even in self defense, i.e. accidentally. After Reuven (Genesis 37,29) found the pit in which he had left Joseph empty, i.e. he had to assume that he had been the cause of Joseph’s death; he supposedly fled to that town in the desert, later on in the territory of Reuven on the east bank of the Jordan.

ואת ראמות בגלעד, “and Ramot in Gilad;” from here we could infer that the tribe of Menashe did not own any land in that region. On the other hand, the Torah wrote in Numbers 32,40 that Moses gave the Gilad to Machir, son of Menashe. How are we to account for this discrepancy? We must assume that the tribes that settled on the east bank of the Jordan all shared some territory formerly known as Gilad. The same appears the case when the Torah wrote in Deut.3,12: וחצי הר הגלעד ועריו נתתי לראובני ולגדי, ויתר הגלעד נתתי לחצי שבט המנשה, “and I gave half of the mountain of Gilad and its towns to Reuven and Gad; and the remainder of the Gilad I gave to half the tribe of Menashe.”

בארץ המישור לראובני, “in the land of the plain of the tribe of Reuven.” The reason this is mentioned first is that Reuven had tried to save the life of Joseph at the time when he prevailed on his brothers not to kill him (Genesis 36,21-22). This is why the first city of refuge was situated in Reuven’s part of the east bank. This is the meaning of Proverbs 28,17: “a man oppressed by blood guilt will flee to a pit, let none give him support.” The “pit” mentioned in that verse is a reference to the territory of Reuven of whom the Torah writes in Genesis 37,29: “Reuven returned to the pit.”

וזאת התורה AND THIS IS THE LAW — this which he was about to set forth after this chapter.

וזאת התורה, the theoretical, philosophical part of the Torah. The word זאת refers to what has just been concluded.

V. 44. וזאת התורה: die durch יציאת מצרים und מתן תורה zum Bewusstsein gekommene Wahrheit von "Gott" und die durch die ערי מקלט proklamierte Wahrheit vom "Menschen" sind die Grundlagen des jüdischen Volkslebens, und dieses Buch, in welches Mosche dieses niedergeschrieben, ist das "Gesetz", welches Mosche darin schriftlich als die unverbrüchlich gegebene Norm für all ihr Verhalten Jisraels Söhnen niedergelegt hat.

אלה העדות … אשר דבר THESE ARE THE TESTIMONIES … WHICH [MOSES] SPAKE — Those are the very same testimonies which he spoke when they came forth from Egypt; and he again repeated it (this law) to them in the plains of Moab.

אלה העדות, what follows are the practical, tangible aspects of the Torah.

They are the very same [testimonies, etc.] that he spoke when they went out of Egypt, etc. Otherwise, why does the verse say here that Moshe addressed Bnei Yisroel when they came out of Egypt? Rashi explains that, “These are the testimonies,” is connected to, “And this is the Torah (v. 44).” Meaning: This is the Torah, [referring to] the testimonies set forth after this chapter, are the very same testimonies that Moshe spoke when they went out of Egypt, and they were reviewed and taught to Bnei Yisroel in the plains of Moav. The verses are [as if they were] abridged.

V. 45. אלה העדות, und es sind dies dieselben עדות für unsere Erkenntnispflege und חקים ומשפטים für unser sittliches und soziales Verhalten, die Mosche auf dem ganzen Zuge von Ägypten durch die Wüste und zuletzt noch in dem bereits eroberten transjordanischen Gebiete im Anblick des verheißenen Landes "mündlich" an die ganze Nation zum Ausspruch brachte.

אלה העדות והחוקים, “These are the testimonial laws and the statutes;” wherever a paragraph is introduced with the word אלה, this constitutes a break with what had preceded it. (Sh’mot Rabbah 1,2) What the Torah says it that the laws given to the people after the Exodus from Egypt have now been concluded. Laws that follow were not revealed to the people until the fortieth year. The details of laws pertaining to cities of refuge were not revealed until now. [Exodus 21 13, in which mention is made of a place where an inadvertent killer can flee to, apparently did not provide details. Ed.]

העדות, the word means the same as התראות, “encounter,” it is used in this sense in Exodus 19,21: רד העד בעם, “descend and warn the people by meeting them.” [Normally the word עדות means “testimony,” eye witness report, i.e. the witness had been present at the occurrence about which he testifies. Ed.]

אשר הכה משה, whom Moses and Israel had defeated, etc. How could the Torah describe this as having occurred "when the Israelites left Egypt," when we all know that this war occurred in the fortieth year of the Israelites' wanderings? Perhaps all the Torah wanted to say was that ever since the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt it had been one of the objectives to defeat these two kings. In fact, had it not been for the debacle with the spies, the Israelites would have defeated these two kings in the second year after the Exodus.

Furthermore, the Torah may hint that the terror of the Israelites defeating them had been part of the lives of the kings of these two countries and their people. For every practical purpose then these kings and their countries could have been considered as defeated already at that time (compare Bereshit Rabbah 80 that these kings had a tradition they would fall victim to the Israelites). The fact that the Torah speaks about the Israelites inheriting these lands only in the next verse instead of at the end of verse 46 indicates that our interpretation is correct.

אשר בעבר הירדן WHO WERE BEYOND THE JORDAN — On the east side of Jordan, because the other side was on the west. [This means on the side opposite the western side.]

He mentioned here and they took his [Sihon’s] land in possession, and the land of Og king of Bashan etc. from Aroer etc.¹²¹Verses 47-48. the sense of it being that he reverted to what he had stated at the beginning of this book, that the explanation of this Torah was [given] after he had smitten Sihon etc.,¹²²Above, 1:4. and he further explained here that this expounding of the Torah was also after they took all their lands [of Sihon and Og] in possession, that is, after he divided them among the two and a half tribes [Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Menasheh].

ויירשו את ארצו, they inherited his country after having conquered land that had been inhabited, suitable for settlement. This land would offer the opportunity to observe all of G’d’s commandments in it. They would not need to fear invaders, etc. This is where Moses began his review of the Torah and his speech of warning the people of the importance of remaining loyal to G’d.

ויירשו את ארצו ואת ארץ עוג מלך הבשן, “they inherited his land as well as the land of Og, King of Bashan.” Seeing that Moses reverted back to what he had been speaking about at the beginning of his review of the Torah, a review occasioned by the successful campaign against Sichon and Og, this subject is touched upon again to show that Moses continued with his discourse explaining the Torah.