Commento su Deuteronomio 9:30

גדלים ועצמים ממך [NATIONS] GREATER AND MIGHTIER THAN THYSELF — Ye are mighty but they are still mightier than you (cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 11:24).

שמע ישראל אתה עובר היום את הירדן, "Hear, O Israel: you are going to cross the river Jordan this day." The word שמע in this context means "pay attention to this statement." What did Moses want the Israelites to pay attention to, seeing this was not the date on which they would cross the Jordan, something which was quite clear to them? Moses wanted to draw a line between them and himself. Whereas on this day he knew that he would not cross the Jordan, they knew that they were slated to cross the Jordan. By saying אתה, "you," Moses implied "you and not I." According to Devarim Rabbah 3,11 Moses phrased this line so that the Israelites would understand that they should plead with G'd on his behalf to permit him to cross the river Jordan. Moses was afraid the Israelites would not get the hint; therefore he emphasised the word היום, "this day," meaning that the difference between them was only on that day, i.e. that they would cross now whereas he would not. There would, however, come a time when he too would be allowed to cross the Jordan as we learned in the Zohar volume two page 120 on the verse כימי צאתך מארץ מצרים (Michah 7,15). We deduce from that verse that Moses will lead the Israelites into the Holy Land at the time discussed by the prophet.

You are powerful, etc. Otherwise why does it say, “than you”? It would suffice to say, “to come inherit nations great and powerful.”

Kap. 9. Im vorigen Kapitel waren sie auf die Gefahr hingewiesen worden, die ihrem Glücke aus dem Glücke erwachsen würde, wenn sie im Glücke der Pflicht vergessen würden, die mit jedem Glückszuwachs nur steigt, mit jedem empfangenen Segen Segen zu werden, treuerer, reicherbegabter Diener und Vollbringer des göttlichen Willens; wenn sie endlich Gottes als des Begründers und Spenders dieses Glückes vergessen und in der eigenen Kraft und der Gunst der vergötterten und umbuhlten Naturmächte den Quell und die Bedingung ihres Glückes zu finden vermeinen würden. In dem Moment, in welchem sie aufhören würden, das Volk des Gottesgesetzes zu sein, würden sie auch das Land des Gottesgesetzes verlieren, zu Grunde gehen, wie die Völker wegen ihres Frevels gegen Gottes Sittengesetz zu Grunde gegangen sind.

אתה עובר היום, “you are crossing this day;” this is not to be understood literally, but means: “in the immediate future.”An alternate interpretation of these words: “you are being considered as if crossing the Jordan already on this day.”

Diese Gedanken werden in diesem Kapitel noch weiter verfolgt und ihnen zuerst (Verse 1 — 6) der Untergang der Völker zu zwiefacher Belehrung vor die Seele geführt: Trotz ihrer riesigen Macht gehen die Völker an ihrer sittlichen Entartung zu Grunde, sobald das "Maß ihrer Sünden voll ist" (Bereschit 15, 16). Nicht die Tapferkeit und Übermacht der Eroberer, — die Eroberer sind schwächer und weniger zahlreich als sie, — Gott, der die Herrschaft des Sittengesetzes als Zukunft seiner Menschheit auf Erden bestimmt, ist "das zehrende Feuer", vor dem das Entsittlichte vergeht. Die Eroberer sind nur Gottes Werkzeug, sie besiegen nur, was Gott bereits der Vernichtung übergeben. Und ferner: Ebenso wenig wie Israels Tapferkeit einen großen Anteil an dem Untergang der Völker hat, ebenso wenig hat sein bereits bewährtes sittliches Verdienst einen großen Anteil an der Gottesbestimmung, die es Erbe und Besitznachfolger der dem Untergange verfallenen Völker sein lässt, dass Israel selbstgenügsam meinen könne, das Maß seiner bereits bewiesenen Pflichttreue, wie es hinreichte, um es an die Stelle der Völker in den Besitz des Landes zu bringen, so reiche es auch hin, um es in dem Besitze dieses Landes zu erhalten. Ist es schon nicht so schlecht wie die Völker, so ist es doch noch lange nicht so gut, wie die Bestimmung heischt, deren Verwirklichung sich an den Besitz dieses Landes knüpft. Nicht sein eigenes Verdienst, das Verdienst seiner Väter und die diesen erteilte und an ihm sich erfüllende Gottesverheißung bringt es in das Land. Dieses Verdienst der Väter und diese Verheißung reichen hin, um ihm das Land der Völker zu geben. Aber es wird es nur behalten durch das eigene Verdienst, das es sich noch erst erwerben muss: denn bis jetzt ist es noch עם קשה עורף.

V. 1. שמע ישראל. Das, was ihnen hier zum Bewusstsein gebracht werden soll, ist eben das Gegenteil dessen, was man nach dem äußeren Scheine der Ereignisse urteilen würde. Der äußere Schein der Ereignisse spräche für Israels Tapferkeit und bereits erreichte sittliche Größe. Beides verneint die Gotteswahrheit, darum שמע! — בא ,לבא eigentlich: heim kommen, dahin gelangen, wohin man gehört. —

ירש .לדשת גוים וגו׳ ערים וגו׳ seiner eigentlichen Grundbedeutung nach verwandt mit גרש, jemanden aus seinem Besitze drängen, sein Besitznachfolger werden, kommt gleichwohl ebenso in Beziehung auf den Besitzer als auf den Besitz vor: beerben und erben. So auch hier לרשת גוים und ובצרת — .לרשת ערים (siehe Bereschit 11, 6) unerreichbar gemacht, בשמים, so dass sie der Erde entrückt scheinen.

עם גדול ורם בני ענקים, "a people great and tall the sons of giants." If the Israelites were aware of the nature of these people as is evident from the words אשר ידעת, "whom you know," what was the point in Moses mentioning their attributes? Why did he say twice אתה…ואתה? It would have sufficed to write אתה ידעת ושמעת. The answer is that Moses addressed two groups of people. The first and numerically by far the largest group were the עם בני ישראל. The second group who comprised only Joshua and Caleb were the spiritual elite of the people, especially Joshua who was to be the leader of the people, ready to rule over them. Moses began to address the elite, especially Joshua saying to him: אתה ידעת", "you know (from personal experience)," as he had specific knowledge of the people of Canaan having spied out the land some 38 years earlier. As to the multitude of Israelites, Moses said ואתה שמעת "and you have heard about it."

V. 2. עם גדול ורם. Es ist zweifelhaft, ob גדול sich auf die körperliche Größe oder auf die Größe der Volkszahl bezieht. Neben רם scheint es das letzte zu sein (siehe Bamidbar 13, 22). Es scheint die ganze kanaanitische Bevölkerung Nachkommen der Anaker gewesen zu sein, und würde dies die letzte Bedeutung rechtfertigen. So auch Amos 2, 9 von der ganzen kanaanitischen Bevölkerung: ואנכי השמדתי את האמרי מפניהם ׳אשר כגבה ארזים גבהו וגו.

HE WILL DESTROY THEM, AND HE WILL BRING THEM DOWN. The meaning thereof is that “He will bring them down and He will destroy them” [because, obviously, they could be destroyed after having been brought down, but not vice versa]. The expression ‘yachni’eim’ (He will bring them down) denotes “humiliation,” as in the usage, Seest thou how Ahab ‘nichna’ (humbleth himself) before Me?;¹¹⁰I Kings 21:29. if then perchance their uncircumcised heart ‘yikana’ (be humbled),¹¹¹Leviticus 26:41. and so all [similar expressions]. And the purport thereof is that these peoples were very frightened of Israel. With a trembling heart,¹¹²Deuteronomy 28:65. low spirit and feebleness of hands¹¹³Jeremiah 47:3. they went out [against them in battle], as it is stated, And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, that were by the sea, heard how the Eternal had dried up the waters of the Jordan etc. that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.¹¹⁴Joshua 5:1. It is possible that the expression He will destroy them alludes to the nations greater and mightier than thyself¹¹⁵Above, Verse 1. — and He will bring them down refers to the sons of the Anakim,¹¹⁶Verse 2. for despite all their might and height, their hearts were more humbled than [those of] the rest of the people and they did not go into battle at all, but were hiding in the mountains and in the fortified cities, as it is said, And Joshua came at that time, and cut off the Anakim from the hill-country, from Hebron, from Debir, from Anab, and from all the hill-country of Judah, and from all the hill-country of Israel; ‘with’ their cities Joshua utterly destroyed them,¹¹⁷Joshua 11:21. that is to say he destroyed them “in” their cities [indicating that the Anakim never entered the battlefield]. Similarly, it is said, And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron etc. and they smote Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai.¹¹⁸Judges 1:10. Here likewise it is stated that the Anakim were “in” Hebron, indicating that they were fearful of entering the field of battle.

וידעת היום, "and you know as of this day, etc." Moses emphasises the word "this day" to remind the people that they will not acquire this knowledge only after the conquest but they know as a fact already now that G'd will pass ahead of them, etc. It was important that the people should acknowledge this as fact prior to it actually having happened.

והאבדתם מהר, all the battles you will fight will result in your speedy victory, without your having to exert yourself, nor will you have to lay siege for a long period. In spite of all this, you will not be able to drive out all the inhabitants of the land in short order as the result would be a vacuum and the free roaming beasts would take over the part of the land which you could not populate immediately. (compare Deut. 7,22) This is the reason why I will not let you conduct wars immediately against all the Canaanite tribes. The words לא תוכל, are in the nature of a warning, just as in Deuteronomy 17,15 where the Torah warns against appointing a king who is not born of Jewish parents, or as in Deuteronomy 12,17 לא תוכל לאכול בשעריך, where the Torah forbids the eating in your homes instead of in Jerusalem of certain gifts vowed to G’d by you.

אש אוכלה, “consuming fire.” The meaning is: “like consuming fire.” The reason for the simile is that fire consumes instantly. This is why Moses adds: “you will dispossess them quickly and destroy them.”

V. 3. אש אכלה. Vergleiche Kap. 4, 24: הוא ישמידם והוא יכניעם לפניך, weil eben sie vor der Gottesgerechtigkeit dem Vernichtungsgeschick verfallen sind, beugt Er sie vor dir, lässt Er sie ihre Macht und ihren Riesentrotz vor dir verlieren, so dass du sie besiegtest.

אל תאמר בלבבך SAY NOT IN THY HEART, “My righteousness and the wickedness of these nations brought it about that I possess the land;

SPEAK NOT THOU IN THY HEART. After cautioning that you should not think ‘my power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth.’¹¹⁹Above, 8:17. but instead you are to know that the power over the vanquished was given to you by G-d, and that [the victory over] their mighty ones and fortified cities that you will have conquered [was made possible by] G-d in His Glory Who did it for you in a generally known miracle from Him, he further warned them, “Do not think that G-d did all this for you because of your righteousness; rather, He has done so for you only because of the wickedness of these nations.”¹²⁰Verse 5. Now this is a cause for the destruction of these nations, but he gave no reason for Israel’s possession of the Land. Therefore he reverted and explained, Not for thy righteousness¹²⁰Verse 5. that you will be righteous in conduct, nor even because of the upright heart that you will have, but only because of the wickedness of these nations will they be destroyed, and because of [His] oath to your fathers will you possess the Land, for your sin cannot annul the gift He gave to your fathers since He gave it to them by an oath. And Rashi wrote: “Speak not thou in thy heart — my righteousness and the wickedness of these nations caused me [to possess the Land]. Not for thy righteousness.” But this is not correct.¹²¹Rashi explained that they were not to think that a combination of their righteousness and the wickedness of the nations was a cause of one thing — their coming into the possession of the Land. On this Ramban comments that the verses indicate instead that there are two separate warnings here: “Do not think that because of your righteousness you are coming to possess the Land, and do not think that because of the wickedness of these nations they are driven out from it” (Mizrachi).
Now one should ask, “Has he not said, But because the Eternal loved you,¹²²Above, 7:8. thus establishing that they are beloved on high, and, [as we know], G-d loves only those who are good, for the wicked and him that loveth violence His soul hateth,¹²³Psalms 11:5. and if so, [it is justifiable that] they come to possess the Land also for their [own] righteousness [so, how can he say here Not for thy righteousness, etc.]?” The answer is that there he speaks of Israel in general, and here he reproves that particular generation that has been rebellious against the Eternal from the day they were in the wilderness.

אל תאמר בלבבך בהדוף, when you see that you enjoy victory against all odds, so that you realise this victory has to be credited to your enjoying a heavenly assist, do not commit a terrible error.

אל תאמר בלבבו, "Do not say in your heart, etc." We can appreciate that the Israelites were not to credit their own righteousness as the reason they dispossessed the inhabitants of the land of Canaan and therefore Moses had to warn them not to do so. However, why were they not to credit their possession of the land to the sins of the Canaanites when the Torah itself gives this as the reason in verse 5? Perhaps Moses was afraid that the Israelites would think that they were only forbidden to take exclusive credit for conquering the land by ascribing it to their righteousness. However, as long as they would acknowledge that both their own righteousness coupled with the wickedness of the local inhabitants had led to those inhabitants being expelled or killed, this would be acceptable, Moses said that no thought of their own righteousness was acceptable under any circumstances.

אל תאמר בלבבך, when G’d chases out ה' אלוקיך אותם מלפניך, that there are two reasons which resulted in my inheriting this land. 1) the wickedness of the former inhabitants which led to G’d expelling them, so that 2) my righteousness

Moshe warned them excessively to remove two mistaken ideas from their minds. 1. Do not trust yourselves that you will not stumble and sin with idolatry. This is the warning of the Sages, “Do not trust in yourselves” (Avos 2:4). This belief itself and lead a person to be careless with things close to idolatry which can cause him to stumble and lead him to sin… 2. They should not rely on Hashem that He will not destroy the land and lay it waste under any circumstances, even if they worship idols. Do not think that Hashem desires that the Jewish people should live in the land of Israel… and He trusts me that I will not sin.

אל תאמר בלבבך, “do not say, even in your heart, etc.” Rashi says that the meaning of the verse is that you may be tempted when you observe how G’d puts all these people to flight before you to credit your success to a combination of your righteousness and their wickedness. Moses warns you not to credit anything to your righteousness, but that only their wickedness caused them to lose their land. Nachmanides does not agree with this interpretation, i.e. that the Israelites’ righteousness did not have any bearing on their success. Moses is telling the people that whether righteous in deed, or even righteous in their hearts, this could not have been a reason for G’d to dispossess another nation of their heritage. It was only their wickedness that is due to their suffering the fate that will unfold in another few weeks after Moses’ death. He underlines,

My righteousness and the wickedness of the nations was the cause. Rashi is answering the question: In the beginning of the verse it is written, “Do not think ... Because of my righteousness and because of the wickedness of these nations, etc.,” which implies that neither of these reasons caused the Jewish People to inherit. Yet afterwards it is written, “Not because of your righteousness ... rather because of the wickedness of these nations, etc.”! Therefore, Rashi explains the verse as follows: The beginning of the verse, “Do not think ... Because of my righteousness and because of the wickedness of these nations was the cause,” means not to think that both reasons were the cause. “Rather the wickedness of these nations,” alone, caused them to be expelled. Then the land was abandoned, and the first to come could take possession of it. Since you are the first to come, you could take possession of it. [You might ask:] the verse above says, “Rather, out of Adonoy’s love for you and out of His keeping the oath (7:8),” and Adonoy’s love only applies to those who keep his commandments [therefore they should deserve to inherit the land in their own right]! Ramban has already explained [the answer]: The verse above refers to the Jewish People in general [throughout history], but here he is rebuking the generation that rebelled against Hashem.

Do not think that it is a combination of your righteousness and the wickedness of the nations. It is due to the wickedness of the nations and the merit of the Forefathers that you are inheriting.

V. 4. הדף .בהדף: stoßen (Bamidbar 35, 20 u. 24) mit מ fortstoßen (Jesaias 22. 19). בצדקתי, hier und im folgenden steht צדקה dem רשעה gegenüber. צדקה ist die dem göttlichen Gesetze gezollte Pflichttreue. רשעה buchstäblich ja: die Willkür, der Gesetzesungehorsam, verwandt mit רשא ,דשה.

'בצדקתי הביאני ה gave me the edge over other nations desirous of taking over that land so that G’d brought me here instead of them. The fact is that ברשעת הגוים האלה ה' מורישם, G’d dispossessed these nations on account of their wickedness, but לא בצדקתך וביושר לבבך, definitely not on account of your righteousness and your upright hearts. For I want you to remember 'זכור אל תשכח את אשר הקצפת וגו, and not forget how you have angered G’d, etc. However, one of the two factors you cited is correct, namely the wickedness of these nations. The reason that you replaced them (and not someone else) is למען הקים לך את השבועה, in order to fulfill by means of you the oath G’d swore to your forefathers.

בצדקתי הביאני...לרשת, that G’d did all this on account of your being a model of righteousness, and that furthermore the speed with which all this occurred was on account of

Because of the wickedness of these nations. Do not think that Hashem so greatly desires that the Land be settled, that despite all of the wickedness of the nations until now, He did not expel them from the land and leave the land of Israel desolate… Do not think that even if you sin with idolatry, Hashem will not find another nation better than you. For this reason Moshe warned them that both of these ideas are mistaken.

ברשעת הגויים האלה ה' מורישם מפניך, that the Lord dispossessed them on account of their wickedness, because He wanted His retribution against these people to be orchestrated by your destroying them. This would be the very opposite of what David prayed for when he thought G’d was punishing him. He prayed that the judgment should not be executed by man but that he preferred to be punished by G;d directly, not by one of His surrogates, especially one of his peers. (Samuel II 24,14)

לא בצדקתך אתה בא לרשת … כי ברשעת הגוים NOT FOR THY RIGHTEOUSNESS … DOST THOU GO TO POSSESS [THEIR LAND], but (כי) for the wickedness of these nations. — Here you have the word כי used in the sense of "but".

לא בצדקתך, "Not because of your righteousness, etc." Moses meant that the Israelites' righteousness was not a reason for allowing them to dispossess other nations. This did not mean, however, that they were not a spiritually upright generation. Moses said something similar to the people in Deut. 4,4 when he attributed their being alive to their having cleaved to G'd. Such conduct does not, however, mean that other nations were to be killed on account of the Israelites' goodness. Had there not been a covenant with the patriarchs, G'd could not have justified expelling and killing the Canaanites on account of the Israelites. At the same time, the oath sworn by G'd to the patriarchs by itself would also not have resulted in the Israelites' victory over the Canaanites if they had not been wicked. We have a Mishnah in Eydiot 2,9 which states that "although a father confers upon his son certain attributes (genes) such as handsome appearance, intelligence, etc. etc., there is a limit to the effectiveness of such transfer of parental genes after a number of generations. The Mishnah bases this statement on Isaiah 41,4 קורא הדורות מראש, "He (G'd) determines ahead of time for how long the father can transmit his genes to successive generations." Raavad comments as follows on this statement. "G'd foresees whether a generation is deserving, and if so He allows these genes to be transmitted from father to son until a deserving generation arises such as the generation of Joshua. Thus far Raavad. From this we learn that in addition to G'd's promise to the fathers it is also essential that their descendants be worthy of that promise. Accordingly, Moses told the people that their righteousness was not enough by itself to bring about their conquest of the Holy Land. In fact their righteousness did not even help the oath to Abraham to be fulfilled. The only thing it was good for was to ensure that their conduct was no impediment to the good that G'd had promised being fulfilled now.

לא בצדקתך וביושר לבבך, definitely not on account of your righteousness and your upright hearts. For I want you to remember 'זכור אל תשכח את אשר הקצפת וגו, and not forget how you have angered G’d, etc. However, one of the two factors you cited is correct, namely the wickedness of these nations. The reason that you replaced them (and not someone else) is למען הקים לך את השבועה, in order to fulfill by means of you the oath G’d swore to your forefathers.

לא בצדקתך, “not on account of your righteousness;” as mentioned before, be it in deed or even also in thought; the only reason these people will lose their land and lives is their confirmed wickedness. An additional reason why they lose their lands to you, and not to another nation, is the oath Hashem had sworn to your forefathers to give this land in due course to their descendants. In the event that someone might counter that we have a specific verse in the Torah stating that G’d had chosen us because we are beloved by Him, and how could this be unless we had been righteous? Surely, G’d does not love a wicked rebellious people, and if so our righteousness must have played a role in our being victorious in our assault on the Canaanites! The answer is that our sins cannot annul an oath sworn by G’d to our forefathers, seeing that He had given the gift of this land to them reinforced by an oath. Hashem does not only love the good people, so that one could claim that they had had a share in receiving this land as a reward for their goodness. Besides, Moses reminds the people that whereas previous generations of Israelites might have been good, this present generation had been rebellious from the word “go!” How could they even dream that their goodness had played a role in their receiving the gift of this land! Moses now proceeds to illustrate the point he has just made.

לא בצדקתך וביושר לבבך וגו'...כי ברשעת הגוים האלה, “not due to your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart, etc.,...but due to the wickedness of these nations, etc.” This verse causes us to think that if only the Canaanites had been righteous they would not have been dispossessed, would not have been driven out of the land of Canaan. In that event, what would have happened to G’d’s oath to our patriarchs? The situation is as follows: seeing that these nations are wicked they deserve to be exiled from that land. Even if they had been righteous they would not have been allowed to remain in that land seeing the land had been assigned to them only as a פקדון, an object to be held in trust for the real owners. Ever since the time of the patriarchs the “real” owners are their descendants the Jewish people. G’d, however, is able to give these people some other land seeing that the whole earth belongs to Him. This particular land they could not hold on to seeing G’d had already promised it to someone else. Therefore, regardless of the righteousness of the inhabitants of that land they would have to be transferred elsewhere.

AND THAT HE MAY ESTABLISH THE WORD WHICH THE ETERNAL SWORE UNTO THY FATHERS. The purport thereof¹²⁴Since the merits of that generation were not sufficient to bring them victory, the question arises, “Why could not the entry into the Land be delayed for a worthier generation?” Ramban suggests that the verse before us gives an answer to this question. is that He had said and they shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years.¹²⁵Genesis 15:13. And in the fourth generation they shall come back hither.¹²⁶Ibid., Verse 16. Therefore it could not be postponed to a later generation.

V. 5. ישר לבב ist die nur auf das Pflichtgemäße gerichtete innere Gesinnung. צדקה ist die Legalität der Handlung, ישר לבב die Legalität der Gesinnung. Das eine ist wohl ohne das andere denkbar. Erst beides zusammen macht den wahrhaft sittlichen Menschen. Du kannst dich noch weder des einen noch des andern in genügendem Maße rühmen. —כי ברשעת וגו׳. Es sind nur zwei Momente bei deinem siegreichen Einzug ins Land wirksam. Das volle Schuldmass der Völker bestimmt ihren Untergang, und der deinen Vätern geleistete Verheißungsschwur lässt dich an ihre Stelle treten.

ולמען הקים, so that as a result of observing the commandments the nation would merit to inherit the land. We find another instance where, as a result of complying with a command by G’d to wipe out the family of Achav, G’d not only confirmed Jehu as king but extended his dynasty for four generations. (Kings II 10,30)

בי ברשעת הגוים…ולמען הקים…אשר נשבע, "for due to the wickedness of those nations…and in order to keep the oath which G'd swore, etc." None of these reasons would have sufficed by itself. Had the Canaanite nations not been wicked G'd would not have had a legal excuse to dispossess them. Their wickedness by itself was not reason enough to give their land to the Israelites unless the Israelites had also proved worthy to take that land. It is also possible that the meaning of the word מורישם is "He destroys them." If that is so, these people certainly had to be wicked as G'd would not decree upon them what He did in Deut. 20,16: "you must not allow a soul of theirs to remain alive."

כי עם קשה עורף אתה, being stiff-necked and righteous simultaneously is a non starter, as these two character qualities are mutually exclusive. Being stiff-necked means to follow the dictates of one’s own heart, one’s own opinions instead of accepting the yoke of the Creator’s commandments as being supreme. Such a person will reject even theories which have been proven beyond doubt if they conflict with what he deems good or convenient for himself. The simile of a “stiff-necked” person or people described someone who appears unable to turn around and face his teacher, as his neck is too stiff.

וידעת כי לא בצדקתך….זכור אל תשכח, "Know therefore that not because of your righteousness …Remember and do not forget!" What did Moses hope to accomplish by admonishing the Israelites about their having had stiff-necked wicked people amongst them in the past? Perhaps their present righteousness would suffice to let them inherit the land and even to be able to point to their righteousness as the reason for this. Moses' reason may have been that the people reflected that even at the times they had been rebellious this did not result in their march towards the Holy Land coming to a halt. They had explained this anomaly to themselves by reasoning that G'd had to fulfil His oath to the patriarchs. Moses therefore wanted to make it plain that their own righteousness was essential in bringing about fulfilment of that oath. If they were to backslide they could still forfeit the promise to inherit the land.

V. 6. ידעת dein eigenes Bewusstsein muss dir dies sagen, dein בקשה עורף Charakter, den du noch immer bewiesen, steht den Anforderungen des צדק-Charakters diametral entgegen.

זכור אל תשכח, Moses adds proof to his characterising the Jewish people as being stiff-necked by reminding them of how many times during his stewardship of the nation they had angered G’d, so that it reminds one of a dog which returns to his own excrement finding it attractive. This happened again and again although each time they had been subjected to disciplining by G’d, and they learned more about His greatness on each occasion.

V. 7 — 29. Kap. 10. 1—11. Dieses Bewusstsein von der noch andauernden sittlichen Unzulänglichkeit für ihre grosse Aufgabe, wird nun durch einen Rückblick auf ihre Verirrungen während der Wanderung in der Wüste unterstützt, deren Mittelpunkt die Egelsünde bildet, um welche sich die andern nur in Andeutungen gruppieren. Beweist doch nichts so wie diese Egelsünde, wie tief noch der Abstand des Volkes von der Stufe war, auf welcher das Gesetz, das ihnen ward, eine Verwirklichung erwarten durfte, wie daher dieses Gesetz sich erst das Volk gleichsam erobern musste, das sein Träger durch die Zeiten und sein Vollbringer in der Zeit werden sollte, wie es daher von vornherein über das Israel der Gegenwart auf das Israel der Zukunft hinausblicken musste. Es ist aber ein Moment, das in diesem Rückblick besonders hervortritt. Es war ihnen soeben gesagt, dass sie wohl ohne hinreichendes sittliches Verdienst das verheißene Land erobern, nicht aber ohne hinreichendes sittliches Verdienst das Land behalten werden (Kap. 9, 1 — 6 und 8, 19 u. 20). Dieser Rückblick zeigt ihnen klar, wie wenig sie sich auf Grund der den Vätern gewordenen Verheißung etwa einer sittlichen Sorglosigkeit hingeben dürften. Die den Vätern gewordene Verheißung, dass aus ihren Nachkommen ein großes Volk erstehen werde, durch welches alle Geschlechter der Erde sich den Segen gewinnen werden, erfüllt sich und wenn auch zeitlich, ein ganzes Geschlecht dieses Volkes zu Grunde ginge und auch nur eine pflichttreue Seele übrig bliebe, die die große sittlich geistige Bestimmung des Väterbundes fortzutragen fähig wäre (V. 114). Überhaupt darf sich keine Gesamtheit und kein einzelner, wie bedeutsam auch ihre Sendung für das Werk Gottes auf Erden wäre, dem Dünkel hingeben, sie seien unentbehrlich für das Werk Gottes auf Erden, und in diesem Dünkel sündigen. Das בקרבי אקדש erfüllt sich am Volke wie an des Volkes Männern. Über zeitliche Geschlechter des Volkes und über zeitliche Männer im Volke, wie groß sie auch wären, geht die Waltung Gottes ihren Zielen zu hinüber. Auch ein Aharon wird aus seiner Zeit hinausgerufen, um auf Bergeshöhe sein Grab zu finden, während im Tale das Volk ungestört seinen weiteren Zielen entgegenwandert (Kap. 10, 6 u. 7), und wohl mochte Mosche bei diesem Gedächtnis seines Bruders an seinen eigenen sobald bevorstehenden Heimgang denken, der ja allen künftigen Männern in Israel die Mahnung zuruft: Vergesset nicht, selbst ein Mosche war für die Weiterführung der Gotteszwecke entbehrlich. Auch Mosche starb auf Bergeshöhen und das Volk zog seiner Zukunft ununterbrochen weiter entgegen!

אשר הקצפת במדבר, “how you made the Lord your G-d angry in the desert;” this occurred already immediately after the people had broken camp after over 11 months at Mount Sinai. (Ibn Ezra)

V. 7. זכר על תשכח, denke immer daran, damit es dir nicht ganz in Vergessenheit komme. — קצף הקצפת ist der allgemeinste Ausdruck für: Zürnen. Wie כעס, verwandt mit כחש, das Schmerzgefühl über die verletzte Wahrhaftigkeit eines Seins, d.h. das durch die Vorstellung hervorgerufene Schmerzgefühl ist, dass etwas nicht so ist, wie es sein sollte: so ist קצף, verwandt mit כזב, das durch ein den Erwartungen nicht entsprechendes Verhalten hervorgerufene Gefühl der Entrüstung. Insofern ist es auch verwandt mit יצב und קצב, indem es der verfehlten Wirklichkeit das Festgestellte und Feststehende des Erwarteten gegenüber aufrecht hält.

מרה .ממרים הייתם עם ה׳ wird sonst nur mit dem Akkusativ oder mit ב־ konstruiert. ׳ממרים הייתם עם ה kann daher nicht wohl heißen: ihr waret ungehorsam gegen Gott, sondern: ihr waret ungehorsam mit Gott, d. h.: ihr waret nie ganz mit Gott, es gab immer eine Seite, in welcher ihr Gott den Gehorsam versagtet. Freilich liegt darin auch implizite der Trost, dass sie nie ganz Gott den Gehorsam gekündet hatten, auch als ממרים waren sie עם ה׳, sowie sie עם ה׳ doch immer auch ממרים waren.

ALSO IN HOREB YE MADE THE ETERNAL ANGRY. Before even beginning to explain to them the Torah, he [Moses] reproved them for the sins which caused them evil and which were not forgiven: he mentioned the affairs of the spies, and the waters of Meribah. Afterwards he explained the Ten Commandments and the section of the Unity of G-d [Sh’ma], and he admonished them with many exhortations against idolatry; he cautioned them concerning the commandments in general, and he said that they [the commandments] are all good and, in consequence of [observing them] all the good will come to them, and then he commences to explain the individual commandments. But before he mentioned any of the commandments specifically he returned to reprove them and to visit upon them all their iniquities¹²⁷Amos 3:2. which they had committed from the time they received the Torah and henceforth. But the complaints they made before the Giving of the Torah — when they were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea,¹²⁸Psalms 106:7. and the people murmured at Marah,¹²⁹Exodus 15:24. and in Alush¹³⁰Numbers 33:14. See Ramban Exodus 16:1 (Vol. II, p. 217) that it was in Alush that murmuring took place. — he did not mention to them, because, from the time that they received the Torah, they were more obligated to hearken to the voice of G-d Who made a covenant with them. Therefore, he began here, Also in Horeb ye made the Eternal angry, and he mentioned to them the affair of the [golden] calf, which I have already explained.¹³¹Exodus 32:1 (Vol. II, pp. 549-553).

ובחורב הקצפתם, Moses underlines the serious nature of this negative characteristic known as “stiff-necked,” by reminding the people that even at Mount Sinai when G’d had already decided to wipe them out, (verse 14 our chapter) G’d had justified this by referring to their stiff-necked nature. He had not decreed death for them on account of a specific and horrific sin, but on account of their attitude which bode ill for the future, indicated that such a people was not capable of becoming true penitents.

In Choreiv you angered Hashem. Moshe went on at length to refute two false ideas. The first is that you are certain that you will not worship idols. Even at Choreiv, that special occasion, you angered Hashem. Secondly you believe that even if you do worship idols you will not be exiled. But “Hashem was infuriated with you to destroy you,” even though since the beginning of creation He loved you… Moshe went on at length to show that there is nothing which prevents the judgment of Hashem’s attribute of strict justice.

ובחורב הקצפתם, “already at Mount Sinai you angered, etc.” Nachmanides writes that at the beginning of the Book of Deuteronomy, before embarking on elaborating on a substantial part of the Torah, Moses had taken the people to task for collectively committed sins that had not yet been forgiven, such as the sin of the spies and the sin at the מי מריבה, the waters of strife. Following that, he had explained the Ten Commandments in somewhat greater detail. He had especially dwelled on the unique nature of G’d the Creator, and guardian of Israel, and on the eternal bond between Him and the Jewish people. Moses issued specific warnings regarding all manner of idolatry, and he issued general warnings regarding observance of the Torah’s command-ments. Now he begins to zero in on specific commandments, but before beginning to single them out individually he once more recalls the people’s sins committed by them even after they had received the Torah in an act of revelation by Hashem. He did not admonish them on the various acts of insubordination in and around the sea prior to their receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. The reason is that ever since their acceptance of the Torah at Mount Sinai their obligation to keep the commandments had become far greater than before they had entered into a covenant with Hashem. This is why he now prefaces his words by saying: ”already while at the Mountain you angered G’d.”

V. 8. וכחרב. Schon in Choreb, sofort bei der ersten Grundlegung eurer nationalen Bestimmung. ׳ויתאנף וגו, während קצף das unmittelbar durch ein mißliebiges Verhalten, eines andern hervorgerufene Gefühl der Entrüstung ist, ist התאנף: das mit Bewusstsein und Überlegung "Sich in Zorn versetzen" gegen einen andern. Daher steht es vor Strafverhängnissen und sagt, dass sie nicht in leidenschaftlichem Aufwallen, sondern mit sich selbst beherrschender Überlegung gefasst werden. So hier und 1, 37; 4, 21; 9, 20. Auch das התקצף (Jesaias 8, 22) ist ein solches aus Nachdenken hervorgehendes Böswerden mit seinem Gott und König, es ist ein sich in Zorn Hineinreden.

Die Verwandtschaft mit ענף, Zweig, dürfte אנף als eine sich zur Äußerung und einem andern das ihm Gebührende in Wort und Tat zu bringen drängende, innere Stimmung bezeichnen. So ist ja auch עברה, der höchste Grad des Zürnens, von der Anschauung des Aus-sich-hinaus-, Über-sich-hinaustretens gebildet, und עַבֵר, Job 21, 10 heißt: einen zum Äußerlichwerden drängenden Keim in etwas legen, trächtig machen.

ואשב בהר — The verb ישב here means only "staying" (not "sitting"; it means: I stayed on the mountain) (Megillah 21a).

In this sense, the word ישיבה means remaining. I.e., the expression ישיבה stated here means, “remaining.” Otherwise there is a difficulty from a verse written later (10:10), “I stood on the mountain.”

V. 9. לוחות האבנים. Wiederholt werden die Tafeln mit der Stoffbeifügung אבנים genannt. Die Gesetzesworte sind in Stein gegraben, sie sind das Unabänderliche, Absolute wie Stein, daher ja ברית und כרת. (Bereschit 6, 18).

לוחות אבנים, “Tablets hewn of stone.” Anyone who does not make his jaws hard as stone in order to study Torah, will not truly merit the Torah. Or; most death penalties decreed by the Torah involve the stoning of the victim. Still another interpretation: the Jewish people received the Tablets through the merit of Yaakov who has been described as אבן ישראל משם רועה, “from thence the shepherd, stone of Israel.” (Genesis 49,24) A further interpretation; it is due to the merit of the Temple.” Rabbi Shimon says it is because of the merit of the King Messiah. He bases himself on a verse in the Book of Daniel: 2,34, חזה הוית עד די אתגזרת אבן די לא בידין, “as you watched a stone was hewn without hands;” (compare Tanchuma, section 10 on our portion)

בעלותי ההרה, “while I ascended the Mountain.” This occurred on the first day of the week, immediately after the revelation on the Sabbath the day before, the seventh day of the month of Sivan.

Wiederholt werden in diesem Rückblick, hier und Verse 11, 18$ .ארבעים יום וגו׳ und 25 sowie 10, 10 die vierzig Tage und Nächte hervorgehoben, die Mosche dreimal: vor Erteilung der ersten Gesetzestafeln, nach Geschehen des Egelabfalls, vor Erteilung der zweiten Gesetzestafeln, fastend vor Gott zugebracht. Es muss diese immer gleiche Vorbereitungszeit vor der Erteilung und Wiedererteilung der Gesetzestafeln, sowie vor der in der Mitte liegenden Wiedererlangung der vollen Gnade, ihre tief innerliche Bedeutung haben. Welchen Einfluss ein solches vierzigtägiges von allen irdischen Beziehungen abgeschiedenes und doch den höchsten irdischen Beziehungen zugewandtes Sein vor Gott auf Mosche Geistesinnere gehabt haben möge, wie namentlich die mittleren, zu der höchsten Gottesoffenbarung über Gottes Walten (Schmot 33, 12 f.) führenden, ihn zu der einer solchen Offenbarung vielleicht entsprechenden Geistesstufe gehoben haben mögen, entzieht sich jeder auch nur ahnenden Betrachtung. Allein die Wirkung, die diese vorbereitenden Zeiten der Abgeschiedenheit des Führers auf das seiner harrende Volk gehabt haben müssen, bietet sich wohl zum Gegenstand der Erwägung. Und da dürften denn diese Zeiten des Harrens sowohl die hohe Bedeutsamkeit des durch Mosche für das Volk zu erlangenden Zieles, dem sie entgegenzuharren hatten, als auch den Abstand der noch unvollkommenen Würdigkeit der Zustände, aus welchen sie einem solchen Ziele entgegenharrten, eben durch dieses vierzigtägige Harren allen Geistern und Gemütern des Volkes zur tief eindringenden Beherzigung nahe gelegt haben.

ואשב בהר ארבעים וארבעים לילה, “I remained on the mountain for forty days and forty nights. This was from the day after the Sabbath of the revelation until dawn of the Friday on the 17th day of Sivan.

Zwischen מתן תורה und קבלת הלוחת liegt noch ein bedeutender Abstand. Jenes brachte die Verpflichtung zum Gesetze, dieses wollte aber durch Übergabe der Gesetzestafeln die Nation selbst zum Wahrer, Vertreter und Träger des göttlichen Gesetzes für alle Zeiten bestellen. Das Gottesgesetz für sie und die Menschheit sollte ihnen anvertraut werden. Das setzt zuerst das treueste Selbststehen auf dem Boden des Gesetzes voraus. Wir begreifen, wie das vierzigtägige Entgegenharren eine Selbstarbeit an sich selber einem jeden im Volke, ein Durchdringen mit dem Vernommenen, ein Befestigen in der נעשה ונשמע-Treue, und damit mindestens als Vorsatz jene Gesinnung habe erzielen sollen, die der קבלת הלוחת-Stufe entsprochen haben würde; begreifen, wie schon die bloße Entfernung Mosche jeden Mann im Volke zur Selbstvertretung des vernommenen Gottesgesetzes hätte aufrufen sollen; begreifen damit zugleich umsomehr Motiv und Bedeutung der שבירת הלוחת לעיניהם, des "Zerbrechens der Tafeln vor ihren Augen", nachdem sie so kläglich diese erste Probe bestanden. Nicht die Verpflichtung zum Gesetze war mit diesem Zerbrechen der Gesetzestafeln geändert. Ihre Unwürdigkeit, Depositäre dieses göttlichen Gesetzes zu sein, ward ihnen damit veranschaulicht.

Mit dem Vernichten des Götterkalbes, mit dem Auftreten des Stammes Levi im Volke, mit dem Hinrichten der Schuldiger und mit dem in der Selbstentkleidung des Horebschmuckes sich aussprechenden Erwachen eines sich selbst richtenden Schuldbewusstseins im Volke, war die verschuldete Gesamtvernichtung abgewendet und die Möglichkeit des Wiedereintritts einer reinen Beziehung zu Gott und zu der großen Bestimmungszukunft angebahnt. Allein dieses Bewusstsein muss zur Gesinnung, und die Gesinnung zum ernsten Lebensvorsatz für künftige Pflichttreue reifen; nie und nimmer ist bloß augenblicklicher Reueausdruck vermögend, kleine oder große Schuld zu tilgen; es muss die Selbstarbeit zur völligen reinen Wiedergeburt den Gnadenbeistand zum Gelingen dieser Arbeit und das Sühnewunder einer die Schuldvergangenheit begrabenden כפרה erringen; und auch dieser Arbeit, der Erringung eines so großen Zieles, wurde eine vierzigtägige Frist gegönnt, die, wie wir zu Schmot 33, 9 — 11 vermutet, von Mosche nicht auf dem Berge, sondern in seinem Zelte außerhalb des Lagers vor Gott zugebracht wurde.

Und es war Mosche das Wiederanknüpfen einer volleren Beziehung Gottes zum Volke, der Wiedereintritt des Volkes in seine Zukunftsbestimmung auf dem Boden einer schuldgesühnten Vergangenheit, "wieder hergestellte Gesetzestafeln neben den zerbrochenen" verheißen. Wieder sind es vierzig Tage, während welcher das Volk die Probe der Entfernung Mosche zu bestehen und das Hinaufarbeiten zu der Höhe der seiner wieder wartenden Bestimmung zu vollbringen hatte, Depositäre des göttlichen Gesetzes für die Zukunft seiner Geschlechter und die Zukunft der Menschheit zu werden.

לוחת TABLETS — This word is written without a ו before the ת, so that it may be read לוחת (a singular form), to indicate that both of them were alike (Midrash Tanchuma, Eikev 10; cf. Rashi on Exodus 31:18 and Note thereon).

כתבים באצבע אלוקים, "written with the finger of G'd." We need to understand what is meant by ועליהם, "and upon them." I have explained in Exodus 31,18 that the words: "written with the finger of G'd" mean that G'd's finger was pointed at the place on the Tablets where the particular letter was to be inscribed and that in this fashion the letter appeared engraved and this is the meaning of חרות על הלוחות, "engraved on the Tablets." Our verse tells us that whereas the area of the outline of the letter on the Tablets remained engraved, the hollow projected a light which emanated from the finger of G'd and appeared on the surface of the Tablets so that the letters appeared as if written on the Tablets though in fact they were engraved. This is what Moses meant when he spoke of ועליהם ככל הדברים אשר דבר השם, "and upon them like all the words G'd had said." The letter כ describes the result of G'd's engraving the Tablets, i.e. that the letters appeared visible as light on the surface of the Tablets.

V. 10. ׳בכל וגו׳ ,ועליהם בכל הדברים וגו: gleich bei dem ersten Anfang der Gesetzesoffenbarung, bei dem unmittelbaren Gotteswort und der unmittelbaren Gottesschrift, reichte das Wort weiter als die Schrift, war in den konzisen Wortlaut der Schrift nur andeutend der reiche Inhalt des gesprochenen Wortes niedergelegt. Vergl. Megilla 19 b: מאי דכתיב ככל הדברים וגו׳ מלמד שהראהו הקב׳׳ה למשה דקדוקי תורה ודקדוקי סופרים ומה שהסופרים עתידין לחדש בין כל דבור ודבור דקדוקיה ואותיותיה של תורה.

ביום הקהל. Es war das Volk unvermittelt vor Gott versammelt und selbst Mosche zum Volke zurückgetreten (siehe Schmot 19, 25).

ויהי מקץ ארבעים יום וגו'...נתן ה' אלי, “it was at the end of forty days,...that the Lord gave to me the two Tablets of stone, etc.” We learn from this verse that on the very day that Moses received the Tablets the golden calf was made. Previously Moses had mentioned only: “G’d gave to me the two Tablets (verse 10), without mentioning a date. This is why here he repeats the receipt of the Tablets adding the date. This is also what Isaiah 17,11 meant when he said: “on the day that You plant you see it grow...but the branches wither away.” The word תשגשגי used for “growing” by the prophet is related to סיגים, “refuse, garbage.” This was a reference to the sin of the golden calf. Targum Yonathan there also translates Isaiah in that sense.

VV. 11 — 14. Siehe zu Schmot 32, 1 f. — ויהי מקץ siehe zu V. 9.

שני לוחות, “two Tablets;” they symbolised bride and groom, as well as the two respective groomsmen and bridesmaids, as well as heaven and earth, the written and oral law, the physical world and the spiritual world. Rabbi Chanina points out that the word luchot, is written defectively, both letters ו, being missing. This is to teach that each Tablet is considered as equally important as is its partner.

ויהי מקץ ארבעים יום וארבעים לילה, “it was at the end offorty days and forty nights;” these forty nights had expired at dawn on the Friday of the seventeenth day in Sivan.

SO I TURNED AND CAME DOWN FROM THE MOUNT. I have already explained in its place¹³²Ibid., Verse 11 (Vol. II, pp. 588-561). that before Moses came down from the mountain [and burned the calf] he prayed for them,¹³³Exodus 32:11-13. and, as a result of his prayer, it was said to him, And the Eternal repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people.¹³⁴Ibid., Verse 14. The word “repented” here is an anthropomorphism (Ibn Ezra). Now, however, he did not mention it because he wanted to give them a [general] review of the great burden and suffering that he undertook for their sake — that they caused him to break the Tablets, to pray for them forty days and forty nights, and also to pray on behalf of Aaron because G-d was very angry with him.¹³⁵Further, Verse 20. Afterwards he mentioned the first supplication¹³⁶Ibid., Verses 25-29. with which he [immediately] before he came down from the mountain besought the face of the Eternal his G-d¹³⁷Exodus 32:11. not to destroy them.

וההר בוער באש, so that you actually committed the sin (golden calf) while the “King” i.e. the presence of the Shechinah, was actually still in your immediate vicinity.

ואפן וארד מן ההר, “I turned and descended from the Mountain;” Nachmanides writes that he has already explained that Moses had prayed on behalf on the people before beginning his descent from the Mountain, as we know from Exodus At the conclusion of that particular prayer G’d had already assured him that He had reconsidered His original intent to wipe out the whole nation. Moses, at this time, does not even refer to that prayer as he is intent on describing the 40 days of continuous pleading on behalf of the people, and even on behalf of Aaron, that he had spent on his return to the Mountain after he had shattered the Tablets 9,17, ואתפוש בשני הלוחות, “I grasped the two Tablets;” this too is part of the admonition, i.e. Moses described that he was unable to refrain from smashing the Tablets. He mentioned this as he wants to elaborate on the second set of Tablets, and what had occasioned the need for such a second set. It is also possible that he hinted at the favour he had done for the people at that time when he had risked immediate death by destroying G’d’s handiwork deliberately. He had done so for the sake of the people, as our sages explain in Shemot Rabbah 46 it is better to be convicted of infidelity while still only betrothed, than to be convicted after already being properly married. As long as the people had not received the Tablets, the final step in the nuptials between G’d and the people begun on the day of the revelation had not yet been taken.

V. 15. וההר בער באש, noch kündigte das Feuer auf dem Berge die göttliche Gegenwart an. — על שתי ידי: sie ruhten auf meinen beiden Händen, ich fasste sie nicht, hielt sie nicht, ich war nur ihr Träger und Bringer. Verschieden davon heißt es von den ihrem Stoffe nach dem Menschenwerk angehörenden zweiten Tafeln Kap. 10, 3: ושני הלוחת בידי —

ואפן וארד מן ההר, I turned around and descended from the Mountain,” on the same day, the seventeenth day in Tammuz.

וארא והנה חטאת, “and behold, I saw you had sinned;” what precisely did Moses see? He observed that the letters engraved on the Tablets had flown off. This is why I grabbed the remains and smashed them before your eyes. This can be illustrated by a parable. A Roman or Greek officer was walking along the path, holding the king’s seal in his hands. When he was about to enter a certain country he had to cross a river and in the process the king’s seal with his authorisation fell into the water and when retrieved proved to have become illegible. What did he do? He tore up the paper and smashed the seal as they were no longer of any use to him. Moses’ situation when descending from Mount Sinai was similar to that of that officer, and that is why he smashed the Tablets.

וארא, “I saw;” another parable will illustrate what Moses meant. Moses saw the golden calf the people had made and as a result he broke the Tablets. Imagine a king who had become engaged to be married to a certain lady, having told her that he would send her the marriage certificate, ketuvah¸ after a certain period of time, using his best man as the messenger. By the time the document had been written and he had found his best man, he found out that the lady was not worthy to become his wife. What did he do? He tore up the marriage certificate. His reasoning was that it was in that lady’s interest instead of becoming an unfaithful wife after the marriage ceremony, to remain unmarried when her conduct was subject to a lesser penalty. The same happened with the relationship between G–d and Israel at that time. Israel had become betrothed to G–d at time of the revelation at Mount Sinai. The Tablets were meant to be the marriage document that He would give His people forty days later. When Moses saw how corrupt they had become in the interval, he decided that it was in their best interest to tear up the marriage document, i.e. the Tablets, so as to make their legal status less serious than if they had committed adultery after the wedding ceremony. (Tanchuma, section 11)

AND I TOOK HOLD OF THE TWO TABLETS. This is also meant to be part of the chastisements. He is saying: “your sin was greater than could be borne,¹³⁸See Genesis 4:13. to the point that when I saw you being merry before the calf I could not restrain [my anger] and I broke the Tablets.” He had to mention this because he wanted them to realize the significance of the second Tablets, as he will explain [in the section that follows]. Possibly he is alluding further to the favor he did them when he endangered his own life by breaking the Tablets of G-d for their sake, as our Rabbis have said:¹³⁹Shemoth Rabbah 46:1. “It is better that you [Israel] be judged like an [unchaste] unmarried woman and not like an [adulterous] wife.”¹⁴⁰The Tablets represented the testimony of Israel’s “marriage” to G-d. Under such circumstances the sin of the golden calf would have brought a severe punishment upon Israel, like that of an adulterous wife. By risking his life in breaking the Tablets, Moses turned their status into that of an “unmarried person” and thus lessened their punishment. The second Tablets re-established the original bond between G-d and Israel.

ואתפש בשני הלחות ואשלכם, "and I took hold of the two Tablets and I flung them, etc." Why did Moses have to mention that "he took hold" of something which was already in his hands? Perhaps as long as the Israelites had not yet been guilty of sin the Tablets were suspended in the air slightly above Moses' hands so that he could not actually touch them. This may be what is meant when we were told in verse 16: "and the two Tablets of the covenant "were above my two hands." Moses had not said that the two Tablets were "in his hands." They seemed to carry themselves. Once Moses espied the golden calf, the Tablets lost their holiness so that Moses had to "take hold of them" with his hands.

ואשברם, for I had run out of strength to hold on to them. I have explained this on Exodus 32,19.

I did not tilt my hand and let them fall by themselves, but rather I grasped them and threw them. This was miraculous, for they were placed on his two hands, such that it was impossible for Moshe to grasp them and throw them. He received Divine help for this, which shows that even Hashem had no mercy for these holy tablets.

ואתפוש בשני הלוחות, “I grasped the two Tablets;” this too is part of the admonition, i.e. Moses described that he was unable to refrain from smashing the Tablets. He mentioned this as he wants to elaborate on the second set of Tablets, and what had occasioned the need for such a second set. It is also possible that he hinted at the favour he had done for the people at that time when he had risked immediate death by destroying G’d’s handiwork deliberately. He had done so for the sake of the people, as our sages explain in Shemot Rabbah 46 it is better to be convicted of infidelity while still only betrothed, than to be convicted after already being properly married. As long as the people had not received the Tablets, the final step in the nuptials between G’d and the people begun on the day of the revelation had not yet been taken.

ואתפוש בשני הלוחות ואשליחם מעל שתי ידי , “I took hold of the two Tablets and threw them from my two hands.” Nachmanides writes that Moses describes that he placed his life in jeopardy smashing G’d’s Tablets for the benefit of the people. He considered it as preferable that the people committed infidelity while not married than to their being married at the time (if they had already received the Tablets).

V. 17. ואתפש. Bis dahin trug ich sie auf meinen Händen, ich war nur Träger und Überbringer eines mir anvertrauten Gutes. Beim Anblick eurer Versündigung ergriff ich, handelte ich aus eigenem Antriebe, nach eigenem Entschluss, ich begriff, dass mein Auftrag zu Ende war, dass es Verrat an dem mir anvertrauten Gute wäre, euch zu dessen Depositären zu machen, ואשלכם מעל שתי ידי und warf das zu Boden, was mir zu überbringen anvertraut war.

ואשליכם מעל שתי ידי, “I cast them out of my two hands;” this is what Kohelet 3,5 had in mind when he wrote: עת להשליך אבנים, “there is an appropriate time for throwing stones.” (instead of gathering them in)” He referred to the first set of Tablets. When he continued with: עת כנוס אבנים, “an appropriate time for gathering in stones,” he referred to the second set of Tablets.

ואשברם לעיניכם, “I smashed them in front of your eyes.” I did this in order not to make you guilty of transgressing the laws written thereon. It was written on them that you are not to have other deities, and you had made a golden calf for yourselves.!”.

ואתנפל לפני ה׳ כראשנה ארבעים יום AND I FELL DOWN BEFORE THE LORD, AS AT THE FIRST, FORTY DAYS, as it is said (Exodus 32:30) “And now I will go up to the Lord, perhaps I may atone [for your sin]”. At that ascent, which was the second I made, I tarried there forty days — consequently these terminated on the twenty-ninth of Ab, since he had ascended on the eighteenth of Tammuz. On that same day in Ab He became reconciled with Israel and said to Moses (Exodus 34:1) “Hew thee out two tablets”. He stayed there another forty days; consequently these terminated on the Day of Atonement (the tenth of Tishri). On that same day, the Holy One, blessed be He, was gladly reconciled (i.e. completely reconciled) with Israel and said to Moses, I have forgiven according to thy word. On this account it was appointed for pardon and forgiveness. And whence do we know that He was reconciled with them with complete goodwill? Because it is stated in respect to the forty days of the last tablets (in respect to third period of forty days) (Deuteronomy 10:10), “And I stayed in the mountain according to the first days”! What was the case with the first days? They were passed in God’s goodwill! (for they had not yet committed the sin of worshipping the golden calf). So, too, the last forty days were in God’s goodwill! You must now say (admit) that the intervening forty days were passed in God’s anger (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tisa 31; cf. Rashi on Exodus 18:13).

As it is said, “I will now ascend to Adonoy, etc.” Rashi is explaining: You should not say that Moshe ascended at this time to receive the second Tablets after which he descended on Yom Kippur. For below it is written (10:1), “At that time, Adonoy said to me, ‘Hew for yourself, etc.,’” and Rashi explains there, “At the end of forty days He granted me favor,” which is referring to the same forty days written here. This implies that he did not ascend here in order to accept the second Tablets. Therefore Rashi explains: These forty days are the middle ones when Moshe ascended to pray (for forgiveness), as it says (Shmos 32:30), “I will now ascend, etc.”

V. 18. ואתנפל וגו׳ (siehe zu V. 9). כראשנה bezieht sich wohl nicht auf ואתנפל, sondern auf ארבעים יום. Von den ersten heißt es ja oben ׳ואשב בהר וגו, und ebenso von den letzten Kap. 10, 10. Nur den mittleren, כפרה für die große Versündigung erstrebenden, entspricht das ׳על כל חטאתכם — .התנפל לפני ה, es enthielt ja der Vorgang mannigfaltige Seiten der Verirrung, von den Anstiftern, den bewusst und unbewusst Mithingerissenen, bis zu denen, die zu dem Abfall geschwiegen und nicht für die Gottessache abwehrend eingetreten. — להכעיסו dürfte sich wohl nicht auf לעשות beziehen, sondern auf ׳הרע וגו, das zu tun, was so sehr das Schlechte ist in Gottes Augen, dass, wo es geschieht, es ihm, menschlich gesprochen, schweren Kummer bereitet. Man müsste es denn auf die Gesinnung der Anstifter, des ערב רב, beziehen, die allerdings einen Abfall von Gott beabsichtigten, und das ganze Volk trifft der Vorwurf, dass sie sich an etwas tätig oder schweigend beteiligten, was in erster Absicht geradezu eine Empörung gegen Gott im Sinne hatte.

ואתנפל לפני ה' כראשונה, “I threw myself down before the Lord as I had done the first time;” Moses refers to the first time he had thrown himself down after G–d had told him to desist from pleading so that He could proceed with wiping out the Jewish nation; (Deut. 9,14) He remained in that position until G–d had conceded that He would not wipe out the nation. This was reported as having taken place in Exodus 32,14, where we read וינחם ה' על הרעה, “the Lord renounced the evil,” i.e. punishment He had intended to subject the people to. He had not, at that stage, forgiven, any part of their sin. Now, Moses explains that he faced the problem of obtaining forgiveness for his people. He did so out of fear and dread. (verse 19) As a result of his persistence, G–d decided to pardon the sin which He had originally meant to punish with destruction of the people.

ואתנפל לפני ה' כראשונה ארבעים יום וארבעים לילה .prostrated myself before the Lord, as previously, for forty days and forty nights. This verse does not refer to Rashi’s commentary here that G-d responded to Moses with the words: סלחתי כדבריך, “I have forgiven, in accordance with your words,” alludes to Moses’ second ascent to obtain forgiveness after the sin of the golden calf.(Exodus 32,30.) That quote is Rashi’s own words, for on the seventeenth of Tammus during the first year of the Exodus Moses returned up to the Mountain in order to obtain forgiveness for the sin of the golden calf. The spies had not been dispatched until the twenty ninth day of Sivan in the second year of their wanderings.

As he ascended on the eighteenth of Tammuz, etc. See what I wrote above in Parshas Ki Sisa (Shmos 33:11).

כראשונה, “as originally;” this word does not refer to the word: “I prostrated myself;” it could not have done, as he had not previously asked G-d to forgive the sin of the golden calf. It simply refers to a period of forty days and forty nights. Moses makes the point that he had had to stay on the Mountain without food or drink twice on two separate occasions. This had occurred the first time when he had ascended the Mountain of the seventh day of Sivan in order to obtain the first set of commandments. The ascent in order to secure the forgiveness for the sin of the golden calf commenced on the eighteenth day of Tammus, a Thursday, and he returned at the beginning of the night of the twenty ninth day of the month of Av. During those 40 days he had prayed in his own tent, the one he had erected outside the camp, as G-d had made Himself inaccessible to prayer inside the confines of the camp, as I have explained in my commentary on Exodus 32,11.

That day, the Hashem, granted favor to the Israelites joyfully etc. However, on the first day of Elul, Hashem granted favor only regarding the Tablets, but not regarding the golden calf. But on Yom Kippur Hashem said, “I have forgiven, just as you spoke,” which also refers to the golden calf. Therefore, Yom Kippur was designated for atonement and forgiveness rather than the first day of Elul when Hashem showed favor and said, “Carve two stones for yourself.” Rashi’s question, “From where is it derived that He granted complete favor?” means to say: From where is it derived that the second Tablets were given with favor? [Perhaps they were given] out of necessity, for the Jewish People already had accepted the yoke of Torah and mitzvos and entered the covenant, which would be impossible for them to keep [without receiving] the Torah and mitzvos, etc. (Re”m)

And said to Moshe, ‘I have forgiven, just as you spoke,’ etc. Chizkuni explains as follows: Rashi’s commentary, “I have forgiven, just as you spoke,” is not quoting the verse written in Parshas Shelach Lecha (Bamidbar 14:20) regarding the spies. Rather, it is Rashi’s own explanation. For note that the Jewish People made the calf on the seventeenth of Tamuz right after leaving Egypt, and the spies were not sent until the twenty-ninth of Sivan of the second year [after leaving Egypt]. This seems so also from Rashi’s words. For note in Parshas Ki Sisa (Shmos 33:11) Rashi did not quote the verse, “I have forgiven, just as you spoke.” Instead he writes there, “On the tenth of Tishrei Hashem granted favor to the Israelites joyfully and wholeheartedly and He said to Moshe, ‘I have forgiven,’ and then He gave him, etc.”

From where is it derived that He granted complete favor?, etc. For it is possible to think: “Carve for yourself,” was only out of necessity. For the Jewish People already accepted the yoke of Torah and had converted, and it was impossible for them to retract. Therefore, [you could think that] Hashem did not grant them complete favor until Yom Kippur. And Rashi adds, “You may thus say that the interim days, etc,” only for the sake of completing the thought.

FOR I WAS IN DREAD OF THE ANGER. He is stating that because of the anger and the fury wherewith the Eternal was angry with you at first [that He wanted] to destroy you, I stood in awe even now, for there was still [enough] of that great anger upon you to destroy you, even though G-d had already repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people.¹³⁴Ibid., Verse 14. The word “repented” here is an anthropomorphism (Ibn Ezra). Therefore I returned and threw myself down [in prayer] in your behalf for forty days and forty nights until He hearkened unto me that time also¹⁴¹In Verse 19 before us. just as He hearkened the first time before I descended [from the mountain]. For Aaron, also, I prayed at that time when I returned there [to the mountain] because, until he had cleansed [the camp of] the calf, [Moses’ main] concern was but to turn back His wrath, lest He should destroy¹⁴²Psalms 106:23. the [whole] people in a moment, [and hence he did not pray especially for Aaron until he returned to the mountain].

גם בפעם ההיא, in addition to the numerous other occasions when I prayed on your behalf.

To destroy you: As even though He already repented from annihilation, He nevertheless did not repent from destroying that generation... Such that [God's] will was that the infants would survive with Moses until they grew, as it was the scouts. But [in fact] this generation itself survived forty years; whereas at the time of the calf, the decree was to destroy that generation all at one time...

כי יגורתי, וגו', “for I was terrified, etc.;” on account G’d displaying His anger at you in so many ways. First I was afraid that He would destroy you utterly as He had threatened to do; my fear had not yet abated as even the anger described as קצף, is still a great threat to the object of that anger. True, that G’d had relented somewhat, and no longer wanted to wipe all of you out with one fell swoop, but if I spent forty days and nights prostrate on the Mountain praying on your behalf I did so with good reason, until at the end of that period G’d accepted my plea, finally. I also had to pray on account of Aaron. I prostrated myself on that occasion, as I could not do so before. Moses describes the gold dust of the burned golden calf as having been “thrown: into the brook at the foot of Mount Sinai,” instead of mentioning that the people had been made to drink from it as reported in Exodus He omitted this detail out of sensitivity for their feelings. He did not want them to feel like a Sotah, a wife suspected of marital infidelity. Such a woman is made to drink from the water in which the ash of the red heifer has been dissolved.

V. 19. יגר .כי יגרתי וגו׳ gleichbedeutend mit גור wie יטב und טוב. Es scheint, dass אף und חמה das anhaltende äußere und innere Zürnen bedeutet, während קצף wie oben bemerkt, die unmittelbar hervorgerufene Entrüstung bedeutet. Euer Verbrechen war ein solches, dass es an sich eure sofortige Vernichtung verdient hätte, wie dies ja auch sogleich Schmot 32, 10 ausgesprochen war, und wenn auf Mosche sofortige Fürbitte diese auch nicht sogleich eingetreten war, so war doch noch bis zur inneren Umwandlung des Volkes noch voller Grund zu אף und חמה vorhanden. Die Vernichtungsschuld, die noch auf dem Volke lastete, fürchtete Mosche. Dafür כפרה zu erwirken und dieser כפרה das Volk würdig werden zu lassen, war die Bestimmung der mittleren vierzig Tage, wie bereits oben zu V. 9 angedeutet.

גם בפעם ההיא, “also on that occasion.” He had already prayed for them at the sea of reeds, (Exodus 14,15) at Marah (15,25) and at Massah.(Exodus 17,4)

וישמע ה׳ אלי גם כפעם ההיא. Gott hatte ihn schon gleich, bevor Mosche den Berg verlassen hatte, auf seine Fürbitte erhört, das Verhängnis sofortiger Vernichtung nicht eintreten zu lassen (Schmot 32, 14), Gott erhörte ihn auch jetzt nach den vierzig Tagen, vollendete כפרה zu gewähren und Israel aufs neue mit dem Gottesgesetze in seinem Schoße seine weltgeschichtliche Sendung antreten zu lassen. Für den nächsten Zweck dieses Rückblicks lag vor allem daran, dem Volke zum Bewusstsein zu bringen, wie nahe sie bereits daran gewesen, um ihres Abfalls willen der gänzlichen Vernichtung anheim zu fallen, wie sie daher nimmer auf die den Vätern gewordene Verheißung hin sich der Pflichtvergessenheit gegen Gottes Gesetz hinzugeben hätten.

ובאהרן התאנף ה׳ AND WITH AARON THE LORD WAS ANGRY, because he listened to you.

ובאהרן התאנף ה' מאד להשמידו, “ and against Aaron the Lord was very angry wanting to destroy him.” Our sages in Vayikra Rabbah 10,5 explain that the word להשמיד in this verse refers to the death of Aaron’s children. They base this on Amos 2,9 ואשמיד פריו ממעל ושרשיו מתחת, “I destroyed his boughs above and his roots below.” As a result of Moses’ prayer on behalf of Aaron G’d carried out only half of His plan, allowing two of Aaron’s sons to survive. At any rate, this verse is testimony that Aaron was guilty of a great sin in connection with the golden calf, so much so that the penalty was loss of his children. Having read this, we must surely ask: “seeing that Aaron did whatever he did with the purest intentions, לשם שמים, “for the sake of heaven,” (compare author’s comments on Exodus 32,4) and even the text attributes to him only a deed which was wrong not a faulty intention, why would G’d be so angry at him?
The answer is that G’d measures great people by a most severe yardstick, according to Baba Kama 50 even deviating from the straight and narrow by as little as a hair’s breadth becomes a culpable sin. That wording is based on Psalms 50,3 וסביביו נשערה מאד, “and people close around Him will be judged even by a hair.” Even though Aaron’s deed was well intentioned, he personally not having sinned in thought, he became the instrument of the Jewish people not only sinning but desecrating the Lord’s name in public. This is why when Moses confronted him he said to him: “How could you bring such a great sin upon this people?” (Exodus 32,21).
We find proof of the fact that Aaron personally had not committed a sin in Deut. 33,8: ”You tested him at the waters of Merivah.” Moses also called Aaron חסיד in that same verse, i.e. he had not been guilty of any personal sin other than not speaking to the rock or reminding Moses that he was supposed to speak to the rock. I will discuss this further when discussing the verse in question in detail.

Because he listened to you. I.e., but not because he [i.e., Aharon] sinned.

V. 20. וכאהרן וגו׳. Wäre doch selbst Aharon, ohne Mosche Fürbitte, in Folge seines nicht entsprechenden Verhaltens dem sündhaften Ansinnen des Volkes gegenüber, dem Untergange verfallen. Was aber der Priester im Volke ist, das, ist Israel in der Völker Mitte. Beide schützt nicht nur ihre gottgewiesene Stellung nicht vor den Folgen ihrer Verirrungen; ihre Stellung macht diese nur um so verantwortungsschwerer.

להשמידו TO DESTROY HIM — this denotes the extermination of one’s children, and so, too, it states, (Amos 2:9) “And I destroyed (ואשמיד) his fruit (offspring) from above” (Leviticus Rabbah 7:1).

This refers to the death of children, etc. Rashi infers this because it is written להשמידו rather than להשמיד אותו as it says above (v. 19) להשמיד אתכם. Therefore [the lack of the word אותי indicates] it is not referring specifically to Aharon. Rather, it must be referring to his children.

.(אחרי מות AND I PRAYED FOR AARON ALSO, and my prayer availed to atone half, so that only two of his sons died, and two remained alive.

My prayer was effective in atoning for half, etc. I.e., the word גם (also) includes Aharon’s sons.

Two died and two were spared. Their death was caused by a combination of reasons: For this [the golden calf], and for staring brazenly [at the Divine Presence] when the Torah was given, while engaged in eating and drinking. See Parshas Mishpatim (Shmos 24:11), and Parshas Shemini (Vayikra 10:2).

טחון — This is a present tense of continuous action like הלוך וכלות “going on destroying”; moulant in O. F. English grinding (cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 3:6).

AND I CAST THE DUST THEREOF INTO THE BROOK THAT DESCENDED OUT OF THE MOUNT. He did not mention that he made them drink [of the water mixed with the dust of the calf]¹⁴³See Exodus 32:20. by way of humiliating them for their deeds,¹⁴⁴The Hebrew reads: “by way of their honor” — but it is a euphemism. See Vol. II, p. 563 (on top): “disgracing their deeds by grinding etc.” because he did not want to tell them that he had done to them what is done to wives suspected of adultery.¹⁴⁵Numbers 5:16-22.

ואת חטאתכם…לקחתי, "and I took your sin, etc." Moses hinted that when he burned the golden calf this also resulted in his burning the "sin" itself and the power which it represented. Please compare what I have written on Exodus 32,20: "he took the calf which they had made."

V. 21. ואת חטאתכם. Diese völlige Vernichtung und Zerstreuung des Götterkalbes liegt vor den vierzig Tagen. Ihrer wird noch nachträglich, gleichsam nebenher, noch erwähnt, wohl, um gelegentlich auch das handgreiflich Unvernünftige einer solchen Verirrung dem Gedächtnis zu überantworten, dass dem, was Menschenhände bis zur Zerstreuung in alle Winde vernichten konnten, der Wahn irgend eine Spur von Göttlichem innewohnend andichten konnte!

ואכות אותו טחון, ”I beat it into pieces grinding it into dust;” he ground it into dust so that no one could benefit from it.

ואת חטאתכם, “and your sin;” the golden calf (IbnEzra)

דק לעפר, fine as dust; the letter ל in this word has a semivowel, sh’va na.

And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that the meaning of the verse, And at Taberah, and at Massah etc.,¹⁴⁶Verse 22. The question is, why are these two places mentioned here together, when the offenses took place at different times — that in Massah, before they encamped at Sinai (Exodus 17:7) and that in Taberah, after they left Sinai (Numbers 11:1-3)? Besides, if they are to be mentioned together, then Massah, having occurred earlier, should have been mentioned first. Ibn Ezra answers that, since both offenses were of the same nature, Moses is saying that they acted in Taberah just as they had acted in Massah — they learned no lessons from their former experience. is that because at Taberah the people were as murmerers,¹⁴⁷Numbers 11:1. testing G-d with complaints, therefore Moses mentioned to them that “you angered G-d with the challenge of proving [His power] at Taberah just as you had already done another time at Massah¹⁴⁸Exodus 17:7. and you accepted no correction.”¹⁴⁹See Jeremiah 7:28. He [Ibn Ezra] explained it well. Behold, the sin of testing G-d is a great sin and of a serious nature, as he admonished against it, Ye shall not try the Eternal your G-d, as ye tried Him in Massah;¹⁵⁰Above, 6:16. therefore he cited it to them again here. So also he briefly mentioned to them once again the sin of the spies¹⁵¹Verse 23. because of the great sin it entailed, for with it he completed [this section], saying, Ye have been rebellious against the Eternal from the day I knew you.¹⁵²Verse 24. He stated from the day I knew you in order to allude to their murmurings before the Giving of the Torah.

ובתבערה ובמסה, even though you have seen with your own eyes that because you had made G’d angry the Tablets He had made Himself were shattered, and I had to pray for you and fast for 40 consecutive days and nights, you repeatedly angered G’d again at the locations I just mentioned, as if putting G’d to the test each time.

ובתבערה, ובמסה, ובקברות התאוה, Ibn Ezra says that תבערה, is the name of a place, and that the people never made camp there for longer than a single day. This is the reason why this place has not been listed in the stopovers in Parshat Massey. The reason why Moses lumped together Taveyrah and Massa, is because at both of these locations the people had been guilty of complaining and putting G’d on trial, testing Him. Before the incident at Massa nothing had happened to the people at all. Some scholar says that the attack by Amalek was triggered by the people’s conduct at Massa, and that although Amalek had attacked the rearguard or stragglers of the people, Moses described G’d’s anger as “burning,” concentrating on the more serious sins of the people.

V. 22. ׳ובתבערה וגו. V. 21 war mehr Parenthese und setzt V. 22 den mit der Egelverirrung begonnenen Gedankengang fort. Wie beim Egel, so verfielen sie auch in תבערה und מסה einem zum Abfall sich steigernden Irrewerden an der göttlichen Führung. תבערה war eine Unzufriedenheit mit der göttlichen Führung, מסה ein Zweifel an derselben, und während der Egelabfall sich in einer äußeren Gesamttat vollzog, waren beide, תבערה und מסה, ein mehr innerlich gebliebener, zunächst nur Gott offenbarer Gesinnungsabfall und geben warnend die Tatsache der bleibenden Erinnerung hin, wie selbst der bloße Gedanke, der höchstens in Wort sich äußernde Gedanke, Gott offenbar ist und selbst jeder einzelne mit seinen Gedanken, Gesinnungen und Reden vor Gott steht (siehe Bamidbar 11, 1 und Schmot 17 7). Wie aber innere Empörung das schwerere, dem äußeren Egelabfall verwandtere Verbrechen ist, als der innere Zweifel, so ist auch תבערה vor מסה genannt, obgleich der Zeit nach dieses jenem voranging. An diese geistigen Verirrungen schließt sich dann die Verirrung aus lüsterner Sinnlichkeit in קברות התאוה (Bamidbar 11,4 f).

ובתבערה, “and at Tav-eyrah;” here Moses refers to what happened in Numbers 11,1 we read ותבער בם אש ה', “and a fire from the Lord burned among them.” It consumed the people who had grumbled without spelling out their specific complaints.”

ובתבערה and at Taveyrah; this is a reference to Taveyrah, also known as kivrat hataavah, the burial ground of the greedy ones, where thousands had died for eating too much meat for too long. (Numbers 11,3.) Seeing that this place had two names, Moses mentions both of them.

ובקברת התאוה, when you demanded to eat meat.

ובמסה, “and at massah u’mrivah,” compare Exodus 17,7, where Moses had called this location: מסה ומריבה, “trying and strife;”

ובקברות התאוה, “and at the graves of lusting;” a reference to Numbers 11,34, where thousands died from ravenously eating too many quails.

ובשלוח ה׳ אתכם, "And when the Lord sent you, etc." Moses referred to Joshua and Caleb whom G'd sent to spy out the land telling them: "ascend and take possession of the land אשר אני נתתי לכם, "which I have given to you." A comparison with Numbers 13,2 shows that what G'd had said was אשר אני נתן לבני ישראל, "which I am about to give to the children of Israel." Please look at what I have written on that verse. Moses interrupted recounting what happened during the episode of the golden calf by mentioning the episode with the spies as well as the events at Kivrot Hata-avah, at Massah, and at Taverah, because he wanted to lump together all the occasions when the people had aroused G'd's anger. If he had first completed recounting what happened during the episode of the golden calf he would have created so much of a pause between one act of rebellion and the next that the psychological impact of a series of acts of disobedience which he tried to create would have been diminished.

V. 23. ׳ובשלח וגו, endlich die Erinnerung an den מרגלים-Aufstand, der für das ganze Geschlecht der Wüste so verhängnisvoll wurde, und der in der offenen Empörung נתנה ראש ונשובה מצרימה (Bamidbar 14, 4) gipfelte, worauf wohl das ותמרו את פי ׳ד׳ א hinblickt, aus Mangel an "Zutrauen" in Gottes Versicherung (nicht: האמנתם בו, sondern: לו), ihr "glaubtet" Gott nicht, was Er euch im Gegensatz zu den Behauptungen der Kundschafter versichert hatte, ולא שמעתם בקלו und ihr hattet den Mut nicht, das zu vollziehen, was Er euch geboten hatte, es fehlte euch die ewig frische Kraft des Gottgehorsams, der eben aus dem Gottgehorsam und in dem Gottgehorsam den Mut und die Zuversicht zu allem schöpft und findet.

V. 24. ממרים וגו׳ ist das zusammenfassende Gesamturteil über ihre Vergangenheit (siehe zu V. 7).

ואתנפל וגו׳ AND I FELL DOWN [BEFORE THE LORD … THE FORTY DAYS … WHICH I HAD FALLEN DOWN] — These are the very same forty days mentioned above (v. 18), and it mentions them a second time here, because there is written here (in the next verse) the wording of his prayer, as it is said, “O Lord God, destroy not thy people, etc.”.

AND I FELL DOWN BEFORE THE ETERNAL. He is stating: “I had to cast myself down in prayer for you forty days and forty nights because of this great sin, for at first G-d said to destroy you, until I prayed to G-d and said ‘[O G-d Eternal], destroy not Thy people and Thine inheritance.’”¹⁵³Verse 26. This was his prayer before he came down from the mountain, and it was because of this prayer that he was answered with And the Eternal repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people.¹³⁴Ibid., Verse 14. The word “repented” here is an anthropomorphism (Ibn Ezra). He did not mention the prayer of the forty days and forty nights, for the measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.¹⁵⁴Job 11:9. See also Vol. II, p. 561: “for who can write down the many supplications etc.” I have already explained¹⁵⁵Above, at the beginning of Seder Va’ethchanan. the reason why the Divine Names are written both with Aleph Daleth, and Yod Hei [in Verse 26: O G-d Eternal, destroy not Thy people etc.].

'ואתנפל לפני ה' את ארבעים היום וגו' ואתפלל אל ה ואומר וגו', who is wise enough to understand and explain why Moses had to repeat that he had to fall on his face for forty days? Is it then the custom for the Torah to keep repeating things like ואתנפל אשר התנפלתי?. We would have expected the words ואתפלל, “I prayed,” to immediately follow the words ואתנפל, “I prostrated myself! However, there is a profound wisdom in the sequence of the words the Torah quotes Moses as saying, one that contains an admonition to his people. Moses is using the way he phrases his report of what he did during those 40 days and how he did it, by pre-empting an argument by the Jewish people that just as his prayers had been helpful when they were in the desert, similar prayers would be equally helpful once the people were in the Holy Land and they committed a major sin. The prophets in such days, they would argue, would surely be able to act as their interlocutors then just as Moses had done while he was alive. The point Moses is making here is that at this time their atonement was only in order for G’d not to be perceived as being unable to fulfill His oath of bringing Avraham’s descendants to take over the land of Canaan. In other words, Israel’s pardon was for the sake of not desecrating G’d’s Holy name. Once G’d had demonstrated that He had kept His promise, and that the people concerned had been settled in the Holy Land, as promised, His Holy name would never again be in danger of being desecrated by someone citing the arguments Moses had been able to cite while the people were still in the desert. This is why Moses repeats again the wording of his prayer. He is telling the people that if his prayer had been heard, it was only on account of an irrefutable argument he had been able to advance, namely how the Egyptians and other nations would react to the Jewish people’s annihilation. It follows, that if, G’d forbid the Jewish people, once settled in the Holy Land, would become guilty of similar misdemeanours as had the Canaanites, they would face both death and expulsion. On the contrary, if that were to happen, the gentile nations would not point to G’d’s inability to keep them there as the cause of their misfortune, but they would correctly point to the disloyalty this people had demonstrated by eschewing the laws given to them by their G’d, the One who had driven out the Canaanites. We find this all spelled out in Deuteronomy 29,23-27.

ואתנפל לפני ה', “I threw myself down before Hashem;” Nachmanides interprets these words as “I was forced to throw myself down on your behalf for forty days and forty nights on account of the terrible sin you had committed,” for initially, Hashem had threatened to destroy you all together, until I had completed my prayers.

V. 25. ׳ואתנפל וגו. Dieser Rückblick auf die verirrungsvolle Vergangenheit des Volkes, in welcher die Egelverirrung als die bedeutsamste hervorragt, schließt mit der Mitteilung des Gebetinhalts, mit welchem Mosche während der mittleren vierzig Tage כפרה und von dieser כפרה getragene Wiederanknüpfung des Bundesverhältnisses Israels mit Gott anstrebte und erreichte, um seinem Volke und allen künftigen Geschlechtern seines Volkes die Motive anzudeuten, welche die göttliche Führung, ungeachtet so großer und wiederholter Verirrungen des Volkes, bestimmen konnten, das Volk gleichwohl für die Zukunft zu erhalten und der Erfüllung seiner großen weltgeschichtlichen Sendung inmitten der Völker entgegen zu führen. — אשר התנפלתי: die bereits oben (V. 18) erwähnt sind.

'ואתנפל לפני ה, “I threw myself down before the Lord;” according to Rashi, these are the same forty days of which Moses had spoken already in verse 18. His proof is that he himself wrote: “the forty days and nights,” i.e. the ones referred to already.

ואמר אד-ני אלוקים...אל תשחת עמך, I said: “Lord, G’d, do not destroy, etc.” This had been Moses’ prayer before he descended from the Mountain, a prayer that had been responded to by G’d with the words: “I have reconsidered the evil that I said I would bring upon My people.” Moses did not mention the content of the prayers he offered during his forty days on the mountain after he had destroyed the golden calf, and executed the people most guilty of dancing around that calf for, in the words of Job 11,9, “its measure is longer than the earth,” [it would have been beyond the common people’s ability to comprehend. Ed.]

אדני אלו-הים אל תשחת עמך ונחלתך, “O G’d, attribute of Justice, do not destroy Your people and your inheritance!” We discussed previously that this is a formula for the attribute of Justice. We encountered this already in Deut. 3,24 when Moses introduced his plea אתה החילות להראות with these words. I discussed this formula in connection with Exodus 20,1.

V. 26. ואתפלל (siehe Bereschit S. 286 f). — ׳אדני וגו (siehe zu Kap. 3, 24). Der erste Name, der Gott als seinen Herrn und sich als Gottes Diener, als das seines Dienstes gewürdigte Werkzeug begreift, spricht ebenso die völlige Hingebung an jede Gottesentscheidung aus, als er die Seite berührt, von welcher aus Mosche auf die Entscheidung betend einzuwirken wagt, die ja eben keine andere, als das Werk selber ist, in dessen Dienst Mosche mit seiner Sendung stand. Der zweite Name spricht die ganze Tiefe der göttlichen Waltung aus, deren Gerechtigkeit, ja deren strafende Gerechtigkeit selbst nur eine andere Erscheinungsform der ewig sich selbst gleich bleibenden göttlichen Liebe ist, die selbst beim herbsten eine Gegenwart vernichtenden Verhängnis nur das Aufblühen eines reineren Lebens der Zukunft im Auge hat.

'ואמר ה, Moses uses G-d’s attribute spelled with the letters aleph dalet.

אל תשחת עמך וגו׳: sie sind עמך, sind doch die einzige Volksgesellschaft, die die Hörigkeit an dich und die Verpflichtung zu dir als einziges Bindemittel ihrer Zusammengehörigkeit und ihrer sozialen Vereinigung haben, ונחלתך: und sie sind gleichsam das "dir" aus dem heidnischen Götterwahn der übrigen Menschheit wieder zugefallene "Erbe", אל תשחת: "lasse sie doch nicht mitten in dem Wege zu dem Ziele, das du mit ihnen vorhast, plötzlich zu Grunde gehen!" das ist doch ganz eigentlich שחת (siehe Bereschit S. 166).

אשר פדית בגדלך, in ganz außerordentlicher Weise, mit dem Einsetzen deiner "Größe", d. i. deiner alle anderen Wesen und Mächte spezifisch überragenden Wesenheit und Macht, hast du sie dir ausgelöst, ׳אשר הוצאת וגו, sie waren der Menschengewalt verfallen und du hast sie mit der Gewalt obsiegender Gewalt frei gemacht. — Solltest du all dieses Außerordentliche vergebens getan haben wollen? War dir ihr Wesen, ihre geistige und sittliche Stufe nicht offenbar, als du sie, und gerade sie aus allen Völkerfamilien der Erde herausgegriffen, um deine Größe und deine Macht an ihnen zu offenbaren? Du hast doch gewiss das tief Innerste ihres Wesens gekannt, als du sie für deine Zwecke erwähltest — sollten die Motive, die bei ihrer Erwählung die bestimmenden waren, nicht auch für ihre Forterhaltung Fürsprache üben dürfen?

V. 27. זכר וגו׳. Sind sie nicht die Söhne Abrahams, Jizchaks und Jakobs, die du so voll würdigen konntest, deine Diener zu nennen, die es so rein und ganz in den verschiedensten Prüfungslagen waren und blieben, — sollte von, dem hehren Charakter dieser Ahnen keine Spur sich auf die Enkel vererbt haben, sollte von deren edlem Menschtum kein Keim in den Enkeln schlummern, der sich einst zu gleich edler Vollendung hinausleben werde, so dass aus solcher Stammeswurzel dereinst in reicher Ernte den Ahnen gleiche Enkel deinem Dienste erstehen? Gedenke, was die Ahnen waren, was die Enkel werden können, und siehe ab von der — augenblicklichen, vorübergehenden — Unwürdigkeit ihres gegenwärtigen Geschlechts! Von der "Härte", "Zügellosigkeit" und dem "Leichtsinn" des gegenwärtigen Geschlechtes siehe ab, und gedenke des willigen Gehorsams, der Pflichttreue und des Ernstes, die ihre Väter als deine "Diener" bewährten!

אל קשי העם הזה, ”to the stubbornness of this people.” The letter ק in the word קשי, has the semi vowel sh’va na.

To its wickeness. At the Golden Calf there were two sins. 1. Those wicked people who intended to worship idols. 2. The entire generation who took the gold rings and helped to build the Calf which caused the trouble. Even though most of the people did not intend to worship idols, as we have explained, nevertheless they profaned Hashem’s name, for which one is punished even for unintentional sin. This explains the repetition here “To its wickedness and to its sin.”

BECAUSE THE ETERNAL WAS NOT ABLE TO BRING THEM INTO THE LAND WHICH HE PROMISED THEM. During the affair of the spies, Moses said, [that the nations will say] Because the Eternal was not able to bring this people into the Land which He swore unto them, therefore He hath slain them in the wilderness,¹⁵⁶Numbers 14:16. meaning, they [the nations] will say that as they [the Israelites] approached and were near to the Land, and He saw that He was not able to be victorious over those nations He slew them [the Israelites] in the wilderness. But here [with reference to the calf] he [Moses] said [that the Egyptians would claim], and because He hated them, He hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness,¹⁵⁷In Verse 28 before us. since this hatred already existed in Egypt before He took them out from there. The purport of this was that, since at the time when the calf was made, they were still close to Egypt and far from the land of Canaan, the Egyptians would claim that even when they were still in Egypt, He realized that He lacked the power to bring them into the Land of which He spoke to them within hearing of the Egyptians. Therefore He hated them that it [His Name] should not be profaned in the sight of the nations¹⁵⁸Ezekiel 20:9. in whose sight He made Himself known to them [the Israelites]. He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt to slay them in the wilderness¹⁵⁷In Verse 28 before us. in a place where their fate would not become known. This is the intent of the verse, [Why should the Egyptians speak, saying:] for evil did He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains?¹⁵⁹Exodus 32:12. meaning, that He planned this evil design against them before He brought them out from among the people of Egypt to slay them between the mountains, a place that no man passed through, and where no man dwelt.¹⁶⁰Jeremiah 2:6. The point of these arguments was that the nations would speak of the Eternal, the G-d of Israel, [in a manner as they speak of other gods], speaking against Him [saying:] ‘As the gods of the nations of the lands,’¹⁶¹II Chronicles 32:17. similar to what is stated, and now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia.¹⁶²Daniel 10:20. I have already mentioned something of this subject.¹⁶³Leviticus 18:25 (Vol. III, pp. 268-269).

Because of Hashem’s inability. Moshe changed the words here, from what he said at Mount Sinai. There he said, “Why should Egypt be able to say, “He brought them out with evil intent to kill them in the mountains’” (Shemos 32:12). Moshe said that when Hashem was planning on entirely destroying the Jewish people, and the concern was the others would say that Hashem brought them out of Egypt to destroy them, not to make them His people. However, here, once Hashem had reconsidered, and there was no longer concern that He would destroy the entire nation, Moshe said that the nations would think that Hashem was unable to bring them into the land of Israel, and only wanted to bring them to the desert so that their children could dwell there.

מבלי יכולת ה' להביאם אל הארץ, “beyond G’d’s ability to bring them to the land, etc.” Nachmanides points out that in Moses’ prayer to G’d after the debacle with the spies he uses the expression מבלתי יכולת ה' אל הארץ אשר דבר להם ומשנאתו אותם הוציאם להמיתם במדבר, instead of the words used here, i.e מבלתי יכולת ה' להביא את העם הזה אל הארץ אשר נשבע להם וישחטם במדבר.. Why, did Moses mention G’d’s oath to bring the people to the Holy Land in Numbers 14,16, whereas he did not mention a word about G’d having hated this people already in Egypt, and the orchestration of the Exodus only being a preamble to mask G’d’s inability to keep His promise? At the sin of the golden calf he only mentioned that G’d had “said” that He would bring them there? Nachmanides reminds us that the supposed argument by the nations Moses presents to G’d, must be understood in terms of how matters appear to these nations. If G’d had made the people perish after only a few weeks away from Egypt, the surviving Egyptians would have interpreted this as proof that G’d had never intended the people to get to Canaan, but had wanted to kill them where no one would be a witness to His inability, but in fact G’d had already hated the people in Egypt, and that is why He had allowed them to suffer so long. The Canaanites could not have used quite the same argument after the people had survived and prospered in the desert for a year and a half. They, and the surrounding nations, would have concluded that the Jewish G’d, though willing to bring the people to Canaan, had found out that after all this was beyond His power, and rather than have witnesses to His failure, He had killed His own people.

V. 28. ׳פן יאמרו וגו. Und du hast ja nicht nur um ihrer und ihrer Ahnen willen für sie und an ihnen getan, was du getan, Erleuchtung und Belehrung der übrigen Menschheit war ja mindestens in gleichem Maße dein Augenmerk bei all dem Außerordentlichen, was du für dieses Volk getan — und wenn du sie nun nicht zu dem ausgesprochenen Ziele führst, wenn du sie in der Wüste hinsterben lässest, so würde damit ja gerade das Gegenteil von dem bewirkt werden, was erzielt werden sollte; ohnmächtig gegen ein höheres Fatum und menschenfeindselig, wie heidnische Gottheiten in der Vorstellung ihrer Verehrer erschiene auch Gott der eine Einzige in der Auffassung der Völker, denen doch gerade an Israels von Gott geleitetem Geschicke eine Ahnung von der freien Gottesmacht und der liebenden Gottesgröße aufgehen sollte.

ומשנאתו אותם, “and because He hated them;” they reasoned that G–d may never have had the intention of giving them the land of Canaan, but He lured them into the desert out of His hatred for them, in order to let them perish in the desert.” This concept is also found in the Book of Hoseah 2,16, where the prophet speaks of G–d saying that He will punish the idol-worshipping Israelites precisely in such a manner: הנה אנכי מפתיה והולכתי המדבר והמתיה בצמא, “I will speak to her coaxingly and lead her into the wilderness and let her die through thirst. [The author misquoted parts of verses 8 and 16 in that chapter to arrive at this comparison. Ed.

ומשנאתו אותם, “or because of His hatred for them;” the letter ו at the beginning of the word ומשנאתו is to be understood as if the Torah had written: או, “or.” We have numerous occasions where the letter ו means “or,” for instance in Exodus 12,5: מן הכבשים, “or from amongst the sheep;” or in Exodus 21,17: ומכה אביו ואמו, “or if someone strikes his father or his mother,” to mention just a few.

והם עמך ונחלתך, “seeing that they are Your people and Your inheritance.” Moses means that “You” employed these two attributes when You took them out of Egypt. If You do not forgive them, the Egyptians will interpret this as inability on Your part to carry out Your plan. They will retroactively lose all the respect they gained for You as a result of the miracles You performed for the Jewish people.

V. 29. והם עמך וגו׳ und sie sind doch noch und bleiben doch für immer in den Augen der Völker und im Vergleich zu ihnen עמך ונחלתך; wie tief auch gesunken, und wie fernab von ihrem hohen Ziele, sind sie doch dir näher als alle andern, tragen sie doch deinen Namen, sind sie nach ihrer Bestimmung עמך ונחלתך und ihrem geschichtlichen Ursprunge nach die, die du mit Offenbarung deiner "Weltschöpferkraft" und deiner "Völker beherrschenden Macht" hinaus in die Freiheit geführt.

והם עמך ונחלתך, “seeing that they (the Jewish people) are Your people and Your inheritance.” Moses was forced to remind G–d of this as G–d had said to him before He commanded him to go down from Mount Sinai with the two Tablets שחת עמך, “your people have become corrupted.” (Exodus 32,7)

Mit allen diesen Wahrheiten התפלל, durchdrang Mosche sein Inneres, und mit ihnen erfüllt und von ihnen getragen, wagte er die Bitte an Gott: אל תשחת! und es war schon oben V. 19 gesagt: וישמע ד׳ אלי גם בפעם ההיא, dass Gott ein Wiederanknüpfen seiner Beziehungen zu Israel verhieß.

Dieser Wiedererwählung Israels waren die dritten vierzig Tage geweiht, auf welche in folgendem zurückgeblickt wird.