זִכְר֕וּ תּוֹרַ֖ת מֹשֶׁ֣ה עַבְדִּ֑י אֲשֶׁר֩ צִוִּ֨יתִי אוֹת֤וֹ בְחֹרֵב֙ עַל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל חֻקִּ֖ים וּמִשְׁפָּטִֽים׃
Ingatlah Taurat Musa, hamba-Ku, yang telah Kuperintahkan kepadanya di Horeb untuk seluruh Israel, yaitu ketetapan-ketetapan dan hukum-hukum.
Kli Yakar
And because it says “This is the statute of the Torah” and not “the statute of the cow,” we learn that the Torah and the red heifer are one matter, just as the Torah is called by Moses’s name, as it says Remember the Torah of Moses My servant (Malachi 3:22), so too the red heifer is called by his name. And the reason for both is one: Because 50 gates of understanding were created in the world, and all were given to Moses except one (Nedarim 38a). And through the 49 gates of understanding that he attained, he had an entrance to come into the secret of God, to interpret the Torah in 49 ways of purity and 49 ways of impurity, as it says And search for it as for hidden treasures (Proverbs 2:4) — the word treasures [matmonim] hints at twice 49 [the first two letters having a numerical of 49], monim [times] being two times, because through this, the words of God are pure words, refined sevenfold (Psalms 12:7), meaning seven times seven.
Similarly, the reason for the red heifer is hidden from all living beings, even from Solomon, of whom it says he was wiser than any man (1 Kings 5:11), and it was revealed only to Moses through the 49 gates of understanding that he attained, as concluded in Yalkut Shimoni (658 on Psalms 12): Silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified sevenfold. Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi interpreted this verse regarding the section of the red heifer, which has seven times seven: seven cows, seven sprinklings, seven burnings, seven washings, seven impure persons, seven pure persons, seven priests. If someone tells you they are lacking, tell him that Moses and Aaron were also included.
We should examine what significance this number has that a verse about refined sevenfold was expounded upon it. Rather, certainly the opinion of this midrash is to give a reason for what is written in the midrash (Yalkut Shimoni 759 on Chukat 19): And they shall take to you a red heifer — to you I reveal the secret of the heifer, but to others it is a statute. And why was it hidden from all living beings? Because it contains the number 49, which hints that its matter can only be refined and purified through the 49 gates of understanding that were revealed only to Moses. Therefore, it remains a statute to others, even to Solomon.
Similarly, the reason for the red heifer is hidden from all living beings, even from Solomon, of whom it says he was wiser than any man (1 Kings 5:11), and it was revealed only to Moses through the 49 gates of understanding that he attained, as concluded in Yalkut Shimoni (658 on Psalms 12): Silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified sevenfold. Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi interpreted this verse regarding the section of the red heifer, which has seven times seven: seven cows, seven sprinklings, seven burnings, seven washings, seven impure persons, seven pure persons, seven priests. If someone tells you they are lacking, tell him that Moses and Aaron were also included.
We should examine what significance this number has that a verse about refined sevenfold was expounded upon it. Rather, certainly the opinion of this midrash is to give a reason for what is written in the midrash (Yalkut Shimoni 759 on Chukat 19): And they shall take to you a red heifer — to you I reveal the secret of the heifer, but to others it is a statute. And why was it hidden from all living beings? Because it contains the number 49, which hints that its matter can only be refined and purified through the 49 gates of understanding that were revealed only to Moses. Therefore, it remains a statute to others, even to Solomon.
Tosafot Yom Tov
AND DID NOT SPEAK WORDS OF TORAH THERE. Rav: they can fulfill their obligation through saying the Blessing after Meals, which is considered speaking words of Torah. For there are three blessings in the Blessing after Meals, the fourth having been instuted at Yavneh, and they correspond to the three “mothers” mentioned later.92See Rav’s commentary ad loc., s.v. shene’emar. They also correspond to the three books of Tanach. Moses instituted the first blessing, and the Torah is called by his name, as in “remember the Torah of Moses” (Malachi 3:22). Joshua instituted the second blessing, and his is the first book of the Prophets. David and Solomon instituted the third blessings, and their books are the first of the Writngs.
The other explanation Rav mentions is that the three blessings correspond to Scripture, Mishna, and Talmud. We can explain this using the passage in the Talmud in Eruvin 21b: “let us go early to the vineyards”—this refers to the synagogues and halls of study. “Let us see whether the vine has flowered [Heb. parcha]”—this refers to those fluent in Scripture. “Whether the blossoms [Heb. s’madar] have opened”—this refers to those fluent in Mishna. “Whether the pomegranates have bloomed”—this refers to those fluent in Talmud. Rashi there: just as “blossoms” [s’madar] are bigger than “flowers” [perach], so the Mishna goes into greater detail than Scripture. “The pomegranates have bloomed”—they are fully grown, etc. The same is true of the three blessings. The second goes into greater detail than the first, for the first says simply that G-d sustains us, while the second mentions the good land that He gave us as an inheritance, to eat from its fruits and be sated with its goodness. The third goes into even greater detail, for there we pray for sustenance, “sustain us, provide for us, etc.” and for the rebuilding of the Temple, which is the ultimate purpose of inheriting the land, for there we can serve G-d.
Now although I have pointed out how one might compare the Blessing After Meals to the three divisions of Tanach or to to Scripture, Mishna, and Talmud, I am not convinced of the ruling that this is how one fulfills this obligation of speaking words of Torah, as this is clearly not what R. Shimon intended. For our mishna is not dealing with the kinds of sinful people that do not say the Blessing After Meals, which it is a positive commandment in the Torah to say, as all of Avot is devoted to matters of piousness93And not merely the minimal requirements of the law., as per the Talmud in Bava Kamma 30a: “he who wishes to be a pious person should fulfill the words of Avot.” And Rashi’s language here is: and people are in the habit of exempting themselves94Implying not that this is what one ought to do, but that it is what people commonly do thinking it enough to satisfy our mishna—in other words, Rashi has taken this down from a prescription to a description, supportingTosafot Yom Tov’s discomfort with seeing this as a recommended way to fulfill the words of the mishna. through saying the Blessing After Meals.
The other explanation Rav mentions is that the three blessings correspond to Scripture, Mishna, and Talmud. We can explain this using the passage in the Talmud in Eruvin 21b: “let us go early to the vineyards”—this refers to the synagogues and halls of study. “Let us see whether the vine has flowered [Heb. parcha]”—this refers to those fluent in Scripture. “Whether the blossoms [Heb. s’madar] have opened”—this refers to those fluent in Mishna. “Whether the pomegranates have bloomed”—this refers to those fluent in Talmud. Rashi there: just as “blossoms” [s’madar] are bigger than “flowers” [perach], so the Mishna goes into greater detail than Scripture. “The pomegranates have bloomed”—they are fully grown, etc. The same is true of the three blessings. The second goes into greater detail than the first, for the first says simply that G-d sustains us, while the second mentions the good land that He gave us as an inheritance, to eat from its fruits and be sated with its goodness. The third goes into even greater detail, for there we pray for sustenance, “sustain us, provide for us, etc.” and for the rebuilding of the Temple, which is the ultimate purpose of inheriting the land, for there we can serve G-d.
Now although I have pointed out how one might compare the Blessing After Meals to the three divisions of Tanach or to to Scripture, Mishna, and Talmud, I am not convinced of the ruling that this is how one fulfills this obligation of speaking words of Torah, as this is clearly not what R. Shimon intended. For our mishna is not dealing with the kinds of sinful people that do not say the Blessing After Meals, which it is a positive commandment in the Torah to say, as all of Avot is devoted to matters of piousness93And not merely the minimal requirements of the law., as per the Talmud in Bava Kamma 30a: “he who wishes to be a pious person should fulfill the words of Avot.” And Rashi’s language here is: and people are in the habit of exempting themselves94Implying not that this is what one ought to do, but that it is what people commonly do thinking it enough to satisfy our mishna—in other words, Rashi has taken this down from a prescription to a description, supportingTosafot Yom Tov’s discomfort with seeing this as a recommended way to fulfill the words of the mishna. through saying the Blessing After Meals.
Ramban
THE ETERNAL OUR G-D SPOKE UNTO US IN HOREB, SAYING. In my opinion Horeb was the name of a place near Mount Sinai56See Vol. II, pp. 239, 253. where Israel dwelled in the year [of the exodus]. The wilderness was large and therein was the mountain which G-d hath desired;57Psalms 68:17. its name was Sinai and it is for this reason that the entire wilderness is called the wilderness of Sinai,58Exodus 19:1. as it were, “the wilderness of Mount Sinai.” Thus Scripture states, and they came to the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped opposite the mount,59Ibid., Verse 2. meaning that they encamped in the wilderness in a place called Horeb, this being opposite the mountain. It is possible that both the mountain and the wilderness were called “Sinai” because many sneh (thorn-bush) trees were there, and near that mountain was a locality or an inhabited city called Horeb, and there they stopped. And the verse which states, and he [Moses] came to the mountain of G-d, unto Horeb60Ibid., 3:1. [which might indicate that the name of the mountain itself was really Horeb or, perhaps, that the mountain was in the region called Horeb], means that he came to Horeb where the mountain of G-d was. Now the sneh (thorn-bush) [out of the midst of which the angel appeared to Moses] was on that mountain. Moses [at that moment] was in Horeb, the place before it, nearby, where the camp of Israel stood for [close to] a year [after the exodus]. Therefore Moses said, I will turn aside now and see [this great sight, why is the bush not consumed],61Ibid., Verse 3. meaning that he will turn aside from Horeb [and walk] up to the mountain. At times Scripture calls the mountain itself [Horeb], as it is said, And the children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Horeb,62Ibid., 33:6. that is to say “from the mountain which was in the area of Horeb, in its vicinity or before it.” Or it may be that Horeb was the name of the entire region and the mountain was within it. Similarly, Remember ye the law of Moses My servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, even statutes and ordinances,63Malachi 3:22. alludes to all that he was commanded on the mountain, and in the Tent of Meeting which was there in Horeb.
Now I have seen a Midrash in Yelamdeinu Rabbeinu:64Literally: “May our master teach us.” See Vol. II, p. 131, Note 196, for description of this Midrash. “Yea, thou knewest not65Isaiah 48:8. The verse reads: Yea, thou heardest not; yea thou knewest not; yea, from of old … — at Sinai; yea, thou heardest not — at Horeb; yea, from of old thine ear was not opened — in the plains of Moab.” The Midrash thus intimates that Horeb is the place where the Tent of Meeting was, [thus confirming the view that Sinai and Horeb are different places]. However, Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra states66Choreb in Hebrew means “desolation,” or “dryness.” — This interpretation is found in Ibn Ezra’s commentary to Exodus 3:1-2. that Horeb is Mount Sinai, for, because of its desolation and dryness, the sneh (thorn-bush) grows there, so the mountain is known by two names [Horeb and Sinai], both being similar in meaning [“Horeb” referring to its desolate nature, and “Sinai” indicating the thorn-bushes that are products of the dryness].
Now I have seen a Midrash in Yelamdeinu Rabbeinu:64Literally: “May our master teach us.” See Vol. II, p. 131, Note 196, for description of this Midrash. “Yea, thou knewest not65Isaiah 48:8. The verse reads: Yea, thou heardest not; yea thou knewest not; yea, from of old … — at Sinai; yea, thou heardest not — at Horeb; yea, from of old thine ear was not opened — in the plains of Moab.” The Midrash thus intimates that Horeb is the place where the Tent of Meeting was, [thus confirming the view that Sinai and Horeb are different places]. However, Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra states66Choreb in Hebrew means “desolation,” or “dryness.” — This interpretation is found in Ibn Ezra’s commentary to Exodus 3:1-2. that Horeb is Mount Sinai, for, because of its desolation and dryness, the sneh (thorn-bush) grows there, so the mountain is known by two names [Horeb and Sinai], both being similar in meaning [“Horeb” referring to its desolate nature, and “Sinai” indicating the thorn-bushes that are products of the dryness].