Halakha Keluaran 19:19: Mishneh Torah, Foundations, Mishneh Torah, Shofar, Sukkah and Lulav, Mishneh Torah, Torah Study & Sefer Chasidim

If so, wherefore is it written in the Torah, "And there was under his feet" (Ex. 24,10), "Written with the finger of God" (Ex. 31,18), "The hand of the Lord" (Ex. 9,3), "The eyes of the Lord" (Deut. 11, 12), "The ears of the Lord" (Num. 11,18) and more like expressions? All such terminology is in accordance with the conception of sons of man who cannot recognize aught but corporeal things, and the words of the Torah is like human speech, but they are all attributes; for example, it is said: "If I whet My glittering sword," (Deut. 32. 41.); Hath He a sword, or doth He slay with a sword? But it is a metaphor, so is all metaphorical. As testimony thereto, one prophet says that he saw the Holy One, blessed is He! "His raiment was as white snow" (Dan. 7,9), and another saw Him "With crimsoned garments from Bozrah" (Isa. 63,1); Moses our Master himself saw Him at the Red Sea "as a hero engaged in battle," (Ex. 15.3) and upon Sinai as "a garbed minister of a congregation (Ex. 19.19.), to say: He hath neither form nor image, but all is a vision of prophecy and a mirage, the absolute truth of the matter no human mind comprehends or is able to fathom it or penetrate it. It is even this what it says in Scripture: "Canst thou find out the deep things of God? Canst thou attain unto the purposes of the Almighty?" (Job. 11,7).

We may not mention malkhiot, zikhronot and shofarot of punishment — such as [in] zikhronot, "And all flesh shall remember that, etc." (Psalms 78:39); [in] malkhiot, "with outpoured anger shall I rule over you" (Ezekiel 20:33); [and in] shofarot, "Blow the shofar on the mountain, etc." (Hosea 5:8). Nor [may we mention] the remembrance of an individual — even if it was for good — such as "Remember me, O Lord, in the desire of Your people" (Psalms 106:4); and "Remember me, my God, for the good" (Nehemiah 13:31). And recollections (pikdonot) — such as "I have surely recalled you" (Exodus 3:16) — are not the same as remembrances. But one may mention the punishment of idolatrous nations, such as "The Lord reigned, nations tremble" (Psalms 99:1); "Remember the day of Jerusalem to the Children of Edom" (Psalms 137:7); [and] "the Lord, God, will blow with the shofar, and go in the storms of the south" (Zechariah 9:14). All of these verses: "Hear Israel, the Lord, our God, the Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4); "You have been shown to know" (Deuteronomy 4:35); "And you shall know today and place upon your hearts, etc." (Deuteronomy 4:39) — their content is kingship. Even though there is no mention of kingship [in them], it is surely like, "The Lord will reign forever and ever" (Exodus 15:18); [and] "And then He became King in Jeshurun, etc." (Deuteronomy 33:5).

If the master instructs the disciples personally he should give the instructions direct, but if he instructs through an interpreter, the interpreter stands between him and the disciples, then the master speaks to the interpreter and the interpreter in turn, recites the lessons to all the disciples. When the disciples ask questions, they ask of the interpreter, he repeats the question to the master, the master answers the interpreter, and the interpreter answers the questioner. The master shall not raise his voice above the voice of the interpreter, nor shall the interpreter raise his voice when he repeats the question to the master, above the master's voice. The interpreter is not permitted to diminish from or add to, or change, aught in the master's lesson unless the interpreter be either the father of the master, or the master's master. The master says to the interpreter: "so was I instructed by my master or so was I instructed by the master, my father," and when the interpreter repeats these words to the audience, he speaks in the name of the master and mentions the name of the master's father or of the master's master, and he says, "thus was said by the master named so and so", although the master himself did not pronounce the name of the master of whom he heard it, as it is forbidden to call by name either one's master or one's father.⁴Kiddushin, 31b. C.