Commento su Esodo 31:18

ויתן אל משה וגו׳ AND HE GAVE UNTO MOSES etc. — There is no “earlier” or “later” (no chronological order) in the events related in the Torah: in fact the incident of the golden calf (related in ch. 31) happened a considerable time before the command regarding the work of the Tabernacle was given (ch. 25 and the following chapters). For on the seventeenth of Tammuz were the Tablets broken (when the people were worshipping the calf) and on the Day of Atonement God became reconciled with Israel (after Moses had prayed 80 days for forgivenness; so that it is very unlikely that the command for the building of the Tabernacle should have been given before that day) and on the next day, the eleventh of Tishri (cf. Rashi on Exodus 33:11, at end of comment on ושב אל המחנה), they began to bring their contributions for the Tabernacle which was set up on the first of Nisan. (From the seventeenth of Tammuz until the eleventh of Tishri are almost three months — ימים רבים) (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tisa 31).

AND HE GAVE UNTO MOSES. This is connected with the end-part of the verse, where the word “G-d” is mentioned, thus meaning: “and G-d gave unto Moses.” Just as Scripture mentioned concerning G-d’s communicating with Moses, And G-d spoke all these words,²⁵⁴Above, 20:1. and with reference to the work of the Tablets of Law and the writing thereon it says, And the Tablets were the work of G-d, and the writing was the writing of G-d,²⁵⁵Further, 32:16. so also it says concerning the giving, and G-d gave to Moses.

ויתן אל משה ככלותו, after the Torah described all the spiritual accomplishments which should have resulted from the many days Moses had spent on the mountain with G’d, the Torah now has to explain why all these spiritual accomplishments G’d had envisaged did not in fact materialise so that it became necessary to build a Tabernacle, etc., in order to achieve these spiritual accomplishments via a different route. The Torah explains that the cause of this detour in the spiritual ascent of the people was the abuse they had made of the freedom of choice. They, who had been about to receive the set of Tablets made and written by G’d Himself at the end of Moses’ stay on Mount Sinai for forty days, who were all to personify the ideal of being priests, and a holy nation, rebelled, corrupted themselves, as testified in Exodus 33,6 when they divested themselves of the signs of the covenant G’d had made with them, removing the garments emblazoned with the blood of that covenant.

ויתן …שני לוחות הברית "He gave to Moses….the two Tablets of the covenant, etc." Why did G'd insert the words ככלותו לדבר אתו בהר סיני between the announcement that He gave something to Moses and the announcement of what it was that G'd gave to Moses? We would have expected that the Torah would either write: "After G'd finished speaking to Moses, He gave him the two Tablets, etc," or: "G'd gave to Moses the two Tablets of the covenant after He finished speaking to him, etc." Why this peculiar insertion of the words "after He had finished speaking with him at Mount Sinai?" Why did G'd delay giving Moses the two Tablets until this point in time? Seeing that the only thing which was engraved on the two Tablets were the Ten Commandments, why did G'd not give them to Moses immediately, or a day after the revelation at Mount Sinai? Why did He wait for 40 days?

ויתן אל משה, “He gave to Moses, etc.” Nachmanides writes that the subject of the word ויתן in our verse is the word אלוקים, although it appears only at the end of our verse. The construction is similar, in a sense, to Exodus 20,1 where the lineוידבר אלוקים את כל הדברים האלה , “G’d said all these words, etc.,” refer to what is yet to come, instead of to something that preceded it. The same is true in connection with the Tablets, where the Torah describes these Tablets as having been made by the Lord and inscribed by the Lord only in The handing over of the Tablets to Moses certainly preceded the end of G’d’s dialogue with Moses as is evident from

There is no “earlier”. . . [Rashi knows the sin preceded the command] because otherwise, how could Moshe have known that God reconciled Himself [to the point that they may] make the mishkon? For Moshe told them to contribute towards the mishkon. [And if the command was before the sin,] perhaps God’s subsequent reconciliation was only regarding the giving the [second set of] Tablets, about which Moshe was expressly told (34:1), “Carve out two stone tablets for yourself.” [But perhaps God no longer desired the mishkon.] God needed to give them the second Tablets so they would observe Torah law. God could not reject them from Torah observance because they had already converted and accepted Torah and mitzvos upon themselves. Although they went back to their evil ways [of idolatry], they were like apostate Jews, who are considered Jews in every way — certainly then the Bnei Yisrael, for they had repented, as it is written: “Bnei Yisrael [obediently] took off their ornaments. . .” (33:6). So it was only right to give them the Tablets. But God might not have reconciled Himself also for making a mishkon to dwell in, for the mishkon shows a special love. Perforce, [the sin preceded the command].

V. 18. ויתן אל משה, das Subjekt des Satzes, Gott, ist im Satze nicht aus gedrückt, ist somit aus allem Vorhergehenden vorausgesetzt, dem sich der Vers somit anschließt. Die Erteilung der Tafeln ist daher kein besonderer Akt, sondern ist eben dasjenige, das alles Vorangehende zum Abschluss bringt, dem alles Vorangehende, als bedingender Voraussetzung, zur Vorbereitung dient. Wenn Gott Kap. 20, 2l gesprochen: מזבח אדמה תעשה לי, diesem Altarbau alsdann in משפטים den Aufbau der Nation auf die Grundlagen des Rechts, der Humanität und der Sittlichkeit in seinen Grundzügen vorangehen ließ, sodann in תצוה תרומה und כי תשא bis hierher den Bau seines Heiligtums anordnete: so hat ja dieser ganze Bau, wie sich im ganzen und allem einzelnen ausspricht, gar keine andere Bedeutung, als Wohnstätte des göttlichen Gesetzes zu sein, des Gesetzes, dessen Erfüllung die Gegenwart Gottes bedingt, in dessen Huldigung die Huldigung Gottes ihre Betätigung finden will, und als dessen, seinen göttlichen Ursprung bekundendes Zeugnis eben diese Tafeln als sichtbare Bewohner des Heiligtums einziehen sollen. Für dieses "Zeugnis" war die ganze Wohnung zu errichten. Auf sie wird sofort bei der angeordneten Herstellung des ersten allerheiligsten Gefäßes, Kap. 25, 21, hingewiesen. Die Wohnung haben die Menschen hinzustellen, den Bewohner — nicht eine von Menschenhand verfertigte Darstellung irgend eines Göttlichen, wie in anderen Tempeln, sondern die von Gotteshand gezeichnete Verwirklichung des Menschlichen, kein menschliches Götterbild, sondern ein göttliches Menschen- und Volksideal — den Bewohner gibt Gott.

ככלותו לדבר אתו, “when He had concluded speaking with him;” at the end of the sixteenth day in Tammuz, (just before dawn on the seventeenth)

ככלתו WHEN HE FINISHED [SPEAKING] — The word ככלתו is written defectively (without a ו after the ל) to intimate that the Torah was handed over to Moses as a gift (note the word ויתן), complete in every respect, even as the bride (the word ככלתו is taken to be connected with “כלה”, bride) is handed over to the bridegroom completely equipped with all she requires — for in a period brief as this which Moses spent on the mountain, he must have been unable to learn in its entirety every law to be derived from it. Another explanation why the word is written defective is: just as a bride (כלה) bedecks herself with 24 ornaments — those which are mentioned in the book of Isaiah (ch. 3) — so a scholar (תלמיד חכם) ought to be thoroughly versed in the contents of the 24 books of Scripture (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tisa 16).

שני לוחות העדות, the ones of which we heard in Exodus 24,12 where G’d had told Moses prior to his ascending the mountain: “I will give you there the Tablets of stone, etc.” Before G’d had a chance to give the people the written Torah they already began with the golden calf episode so that G’d had to tell Moses to precipitously descend from the mountain warning him that his people had become corrupt. (32,7)

He could not have learned it all. . . Therefore, God gave it to him as a bride [is given to a groom] — i.e., as something that he acquires as his.

According to our sages in the Zohar, volume 2 page 93 all the 613 commandments are somehow contained in the text of the Ten Commandments. Seeing that this was so, the words: "when He had finished speaking with Moses at Mount Sinai," are a hint that seeing the entire Torah is somehow part of the two Tablets, G'd had to wait until He had taught Moses the entire Torah at the end of forty days. The words "שני לוחות העדות" are merely a description of what it was G'd spoke to Moses about for forty days. This comment disposes of both our questions at one and the same time.

לדבר אתו: zuerst waren alle gesetzerteilenden Gottesreden דבור אל משה; nur passiv, empfangend und aufnehmend, verhielt sich Mosche zu dem gesetzgebenden Gottesworte; ככלתו, bevor aber die Gesetzgebung vollendet war, hatte Mosche also die Gotteslehre in sich aufgenommen, nach der Erläuterung ריש לקיש's im רבה, wie der bereits vollkommen unterrichtete Schüler den Gegenstand nochmals in aktiver Gemeinsamkeit mit dem Lehrer durchspricht, daher nicht לדבר אליו, sondern שני לחת — .לדבר אתו העדת wir haben schon zu Bereschit 1, 14 bemerkt, wie der חסר geschriebene plur. fem. die Pluralität mehr als eine Einheit darstellt, d. h. als einen einheitlichen gemeinsamen Begriff, der in mehreren Objekten zusammen seine Verwirklichung findet. So werden hier auch die beiden Tafeln durch die Schreibart לחת als eine gemeinsame, sich gegenseitig ergänzende Einheit begreifen gelehrt, לא זו גדולה מזו, eine genau so groß wie die andere (ש׳׳ר), die Tafel der Gott zugewandten Pflichten, sowie die der sozialen Pflichten, beide gleich groß, beide gleich schwer, nur beide in gleicher Wichtigkeit zusammen das eine göttliche Gesetz konstituierend (siehe oben zu 20, 14). Bildeten sie ja auch zusammen einen geschlossenen Würfel, von dem jeder die Hälfte darstellte (siehe zu Kap. 25, 10). — לחת אבן. Während die Lade, die es aufnehmen soll, vom "Baume" ist, ist die Gesetzestafel von Stein. Das Gesetz ist unveränderlich gegeben, wir, dessen Empfänger und Vollbringer, haben uns eben an ihm und um und durch dasselbe in ewigem Fortschritt zu entwickeln. כתבים באצבע אלקי׳ so unmittelbares Gotteswerk, wie "die Himmel das Werk seiner Finger" (Ps. 8, 4), so augenscheinlich von Gott zeugend, wie die Wunder Ägyptens ein "Fingerzeig Gottes" waren (Kap. 8, 15).

לוחות אבן, “Tablets of stone.” This word is used as meaning that the raw material that these Tablets were made of was indestructible, i.e. not subject to disintegration by natural wear and tear. An alternate interpretation: the word was used as a hint that most capital offences when committed deliberately are subject to the penalty of death by stoning.”[Seeing that the Tablets had been made in the celestial regions, the word “stone” had to be used as we are not familiar with the raw material used, and since Moses smashed them, no one even ever saw the Tablets. Ed.]

לדבר אתו TO SPEAK WITH HIM the statutes and the judgments contained in the section beginning with ואלה המשפטים (ch. Exodus 21 ff.).

The statutes and laws. . . Rashi is answering the question: It is written, “When He finished speaking with him.” What were the matters that God had finished speaking with Moshe? It cannot be the command of erecting the mishkon, as the golden calf incident preceded it, as Rashi explained above. Therefore Rashi explains that He finished speaking with him the statutes and laws in parshas Mishpatim. Re”m writes: This section connects [chronologically] to the end of parshas Mishpatim, where it is written (24:18): “Moshe came into the midst of the cloud and. . . remained on the mountain for forty days.” [Everything in between — the command of the mishkon and the section about Shabbos — was actually after the golden calf incident. And that which Rashi says here, “The statutes and laws in parshas Mishpatim,”] is not in accordance with R. Yishmael. For he says that the ו of ואלה המשפטים indicates a connection to that which preceded: just as the Ten Commandments were given with thunder and lightning, and said in the assembly of all Israel, so too were the laws [of parshas Mishpatim presented. However here, Rashi explains that these laws were said to Moshe alone, during his forty days on the mountain.]

כתובים באצבע אלוקים, "written by the finger of G'd." The Torah here describes what we have have learned in Tanchuma Parshat Eykev that the tablets had been "hewn" from underneath the throne of G'd. Perhaps our verse alludes to this with the words מעשה אלוקים, "the work of G'd (32,16)." We have explained that there are many "lights" of sanctity in the Celestial Regions as alluded to by Solomon in Kohelet 5,7: כי גבוה מעל גבוה שומר וגבוהים עליהם, "for there is One higher than the high Who watches and there are high ones above them." The Zohar volume 2 page 53 relates a miraculous story according to which Moses encountered the angel Sandal during his ascent to Heaven. He disabled this angel and subsequently the angel Mattat. The angel was afraid that the fire above Moses' head would burn him. We are told in Deut. 4,24 that "G'd is a devouring fire." His holy fire consumes every other fire. The Torah tells us here the manner in which the Tablets were written.

לדבר אתו TO SPEAK “WITH” HIM — The use of the word אתו “with him” teaches us that Moses first heard the laws from the mouth of the Almighty and that then they both again repeated each Halacha together (Exodus Rabbah 41:5).

This teaches that Moshe. . . Rashi inferred this because it is written, “Speaking with him,” rather than, “Speaking to him.” Perforce, “This teaches that Moshe would. . .”

The words: "written with the finger of G'd" mean that G'd drew the shape of the letter with His "finger," i.e. using one of the kinds of light at His disposal. It (the light) assumed the appearance of a finger opposite the Tablets corresponding to the dimensions of the requisite letter G'd wanted to inscribe. G'd did this in order to ensure that no more and and no less than the letter should be engraved on the Tablets themselves. Seeing that the light G'd used to do this with was more powerful than the light the Tablets were made of, the light of the "finger" penetrated the requisite area of the Tablets. We may perceive of that area on the Tablets as having either been devoured or pushed aside. What remained were holes forming the letters G'd had engraved. Thanks to the superior power of the light of the "finger" the inscription became visible from either side of the Tablets. This is what is meant when the Torah wrote in 32,16, that the Tablets were written from both sides, i.e. that the inscription was deeply engraved. The Torah uses the expression חרות על הלוחות "engraved on the Tablets," instead of saying חדות בלוחות, engraved in the Tablets. This is the allusion to G'd having placed His finger "on" i.e. opposite the material of the Tablets as we have explained.

לחת TABLETS — The word is written defectively לחת (without a ו between ח and ת), thus intimating that they were both alike in every respect (Exodus Rabbah 41:6).

It is written לחת to indicate. . . [Since לחת is written without a ו , it connotes that] it was like there was only one Tablet.