Midrash su Esodo 33:23

Further, said R. Jochanan in the name of R. Jose: "Three things did Moses request of the Holy One, praised be He! and they were all granted unto him. He asked that the Sheehina shall dwell in Israel and it was granted, as it is said (Ex. 33, 16.) Is it not in that because Thou goest with us? He asked that the Sheehina might not dwell with heathens and it was granted to him, as it is said (Ib.) So shall we be distinguished, I and thy people. He asked that the Holy One, praised be He! make known His ways , and it was granted to him, as it is said (Ib, ib. 18.) And he said, let me see, I beseech Thee, Thy glory, i. e., he said before the Holy One, praised be He! 'Sovereign of the universe, why is there a righteous man who prospers while another righteous person suffers? Some wicked person prospers while another wicked person suffers?' He answered him: 'Moses! the righteous person that prospers is righteous himself, and the son of a righteous one; the righteous one that suffers" is righteous himself but the son of a, wicked one [he suffers for the sins of his parents]; the wicked person who prospers is wicked himself but the son of a righteous person, and the wicked person who suffers is wicked himself and the son of a wicked one.'" The Master said above, "The righteous person that prospers is righteous himself and the son of a righteous one; the righteous one that suffers is righteous himself but the son of a wicked one." Is this so? Behold! It is written (Ex. 20, 5.) Visiting the iniquities of the fathers upon the children; and it is written (Deu. 24, 16.) Fathers shall not be put to death for the children, and we have asked the question as to the contradiction of these two passages, and answered; there is no difficulty. One passage refers to those who continue the [wicked] deeds of their parents, and the other passage refers to those who do not continue the [wicked] deeds of their parents. [Hence we see that a righteous man, even if the son of a wicked man does not suffer?] But we must say that He said thus to him: "A righteous one who prospers, is one who is perfectly righteous; a righteous one who suffers, is not a perfectly righteous one; a wicked one who prospers, is one not really wicked; a wicked one who suffers, is one grossly wicked." And this [saying of Rabbi Jochanan] differs from that of R. Meier, for R. Meier said: "Two requests were granted to Moses and one was not granted, for it is said (Ex. 33, 19.) And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, although he does not deserve it; And I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy, although he does not deserve it." And He said: Thou, canst not see my face. (Ib.) R. Joshua b. Karcha said: "Thus said the Holy One, praised be He! unto Moses: 'When I was willing [to reveal myself] thou wast unwilling (didst hide thy face); now when thou art willing [to see me] I am not willing [to reveal myself ].' " And this differs from the opinion of R. Samuel b. Nachmeini who quoted R. Jonathan; for R. Samuel b. Nachmeini said in the name of Jonathan: "On account of three things Moses earned the merit of the following three things; viz., for And Moses hid his face, (Ib. 3, 6.) he earned the merit of A shining face; for He was afraid (Ib.) he earned the merit of, And they were afraid to come nigh unto him (Ib. 34, 30.); and for To look up to God (Ib. 3, 6.) he earned the merit of. And the similitude of the Lord doth he behold (Num. 12, 8)." [Hence it shows that he was rewarded for hiding his face and differing with R. Joshua B. Karcha]. And then I will remove my hand, and thou shalt see my back; but my face shall not be seen (Ex. 33, 23). R. Chama b. Bizua in the name of R. Simon the Pious said: "This means that the Holy One, praised be He! showed to Moses the knot of the Tephilin (Philacteries)."

(Fol. 53b) (Deut. 28, 10) And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon thee and they shall be afraid of thee. We are taught that R. Eliezer the great says: "This refers to the Tephilin (phylacteries) of the head." Said R. Chana b. Bizna in the name of R. Simon the pious: "Infer from this that the Holy One, praised be He! showed unto Moses the knot of the Tephilin."

"This is the law of the burnt offering" (Leviticus 6:2): And what is [the meaning of] burnt offering (olah, literally that which rises)? Rather, it is that it rises in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, and atones for the iniquities of Israel. Since at the time that Avraham made the sacrifice of the ram - as it is stated (Genesis 22:13), "And Avraham raised his eyes and he saw, and behold there was a ram after" - what is [the meaning of] "after?" Rather, [it is to say that] after the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that [Avraham] came to sacrifice his son, Yitzchak, as a burnt-offering with all of his heart and with all of his soul, He sent him a ram [as a replacement]. The Sages said that the ram to be offered instead of Yitzchak was created from the six days of creation. And that is [the meaning of] that which is written, "and behold there was a ram after, etc." "And he took the ram, etc." (Genesis 22:13) - there the Holy One, blessed be He, promised him that at the time when his children would offer burnt-offerings, they would be immediately accepted. The Sages, may their memory be blessed, said, "Were it not that Avraham delayed to check the knife, Yitzchak would have been slaughtered. But he did delay to check the knife. Immediately, the mercy of the Holy One, blessed be He, was aroused for Yitzchak. And the Holy One, blessed be He, said to His retinue, 'See how alacritous this righteous one is to fulfill the words of My statement.' Immediately, He told an angel to rescue him, as it is stated (Genesis 22:11), 'And he said, "Avraham, Avraham," and he said, "Here I am."'" And why did he say, "Avraham, Avraham," twice? Since it was [Avraham's] will to slaughter him and do the will of his Maker, the angel was hurrying and said, "Avraham, Avraham." And from where [do we know] that he checked the knife? As it is stated (Genesis 22:10), "and he took the knife." Count the letters of "and he took the knife" (in Hebrew), and you will find twelve, like the tally of examinations that one does on the knife - upon the flesh, the fingernail and on the three sides (of the knife). And from where [do we know this]? As it is stated (I Samuel 14:34), "and you shall slaughter with this (zeh)" - zeh has a numerical value (gematria) of twelve. And what is [the meaning of] (Leviticus 6:1), "And the Lord spoke to Moshe, saying?" [That it should be said] to Aharon. From here we learn that Moshe only said that which the Holy One, blessed be He, would tell him. And therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said to his credit (Numbers 12:7), "Not so My servant Moshe; in all of My house, he is faithful." And so does it state to Shmuel's credit (I Samuel 3:20), "And all of Israel, from Dan to Beersheva, knew that Shmuel was faithful as a prophet for the Lord." You find that [prophecy] began to come to him when the sons of Eli sinned in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated (I Samuel 3:3), "The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Shmuel was laying in the chamber of the Lord." And was he [really] laying in the chamber of the Lord? Rather this is its explanation: The lamp of God had not yet gone out in the chamber of the Lord in which was the ark of the Lord, and Shmuel was laying in his place, [which was] in a different place. "And the Lord called to Shmuel, and he said, 'Here I am'" (I Samuel 3:4) - but he did not understand who was calling him, since he was [still] a youth, as it is stated (I Samuel 2:26), "And Shmuel the youth proceeded to grow in favor with the Lord, as well as with people." "And he ran to Eli and he said, 'Here I am, as you have called me'" (I Samuel 3:5) - as he thought that [it was Eli that] had called him - "and he said, 'I did not call you my son, return and lay down.'" "And the Lord called Shmuel again, a third time, and he rose and went to Eli and said, 'Here I am, as you have called me'; and Eli understood that the Lord was calling to the youth. And Eli said to Shmuel, 'Go lay down, and if He calls to you, say, "Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening"'" (I Samuel 3:8-9) - but he did not say, "Speak, Lord," but [only] (I Samuel 3:10), "Speak." As he said in his heart, "I do not know if it is the Lord or an angel or something else." And he is equated with Moshe: [About] Moshe, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, (Numbers 12:7), "Not so My servant Moshe; in all of My house, he is faithful"; and [about] Shmuel He said (I Samuel 3:20), "And all of Israel, from Dan to Beersheva, knew that Shmuel was faithful as a prophet for the Lord." Therefore the verse states (Jeremiah 15:1), "Even if Moshe and Shmuel would stand in front of me, My soul would not be towards this people." And he was equated to Moshe and Aharon [together], as stated (Psalms 99:6), "Moshe and Aaron among His priests, and Shmuel among those who call His name." [Shmuel] would brighten the eyes of Israel, as it is stated (I Samuel 3:3), "The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Shmuel was laying in the chamber of the Lord." Moshe and Shmuel were not like Yechezkel, as he said everything that he saw, and as it is stated [it appears that the next section is corrupted, and that the reference is meant to be from Ezekiel 1 - see Etz Yosef] (Isaiah 6:1), "In the year that King Uzziah died, I beheld the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne; and the skirts of His robe filled the Temple." And therefore Scripture calls him, "Son of Man." Four are living but Scripture calls them dead, and these are them: the destitute, the metsora (one stricken with a spiritual skin disease), the blind and one with no children. From where [do I know this about] the metsora? As it is stated, "In the year that King Uzziah died." And why does the verse call him dead (given that he had not yet died)? Rather, because he had become a metsora. As it is stated, "In the year that King Uzziah died," [meaning] that he had become a metsora. "Seraphs stood above Him" (Isaiah 6:2) - in the heavens to serve Him - ["Each of them had six wings:] with two he covered his face" - from modesty that his body should not show before His body - "with two he covered his legs" - so that he not see and peer towards the side of the Divine Presence - "and with two he would fly." And does he [really] fly with the wings? Rather, it is as a result of this that they, may their memory be blessed, ordained that a man should hover on his feet when the prayer leader says (Isaiah 6:3), "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts." And Tanchuma said, "The covering of the feet was because their heel is like the heel of the calf, such that they would not remind [God] about Israel's sin with the calf." "And one called to the other and said" (Isaiah 6:4) - they would get permission from one another, so that one not preempt the other and begin [alone], and [so] become liable for burning; rather they all started as one, and answered, etc. - "and the measure of the doorposts shook" - these were the doorposts of the chamber - "from the voice of the caller" - from the voice of the angels calling. This was the day of the earthquake, about which it is stated (Zechariah 14:5), "it shall be stopped up as it was stopped up as a result of the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, the king of Yehudah." As on the day that Uzziah stood to offer incense in the [Temple] chamber, the heavens and the earth shook and the Seraphs came to burn him (lesorfo) with burning (serefah), as it is stated (Numbers 16:35), "And fire went out from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men offering the incense," because they offered a foreign fire. And this is [why] it calls them Seraphs, as they came to burn him. And the heavens also came to burn him. And the earth [came] to swallow him, as it thought that his judgement was to be swallowed like Korach, who dissented about the priesthood. [So] a heavenly voice emerged and said, "A reminder for the Children of Israel [...], and not be like Korach and like his assembly who dissented about the priesthood" (Numbers 17:5) - "not be like Korach," with swallowing; "and not like his assembly," with burning. But rather "like the Lord spoke through the hand of Moshe, saying to him" - through the hand of Moshe at the bush, as it is stated (Exodus 4:6), "'Put your hand into your bosom and take it out,' and behold his hand was afflicted with tsaraat like snow." [This is] meaning to say that the dissenter be afflicted with tsaraat. And the tsaraat even broke out on his forehead. And [so] he was considered as if he were dead. And so [too,] do you find with Miriam, as it is stated, "Go out, the three of you" (Numbers 12:4). There was no need for Moshe to go out, as he did not say anything to [Aharon]. Rather it was so that he would be available to pray for Miriam, [in order] to heal her. "And He called Aharon and Miriam" (Numbers 12:5) - why did He call them and leave Moshe. As we [only] say part of a person's praise in front of them, but all of it not in front of him. And so [too,] do we find with Noach. Not in front of him, [God] said, "A perfectly righteous man" (Genesis 6:9); but in front of him, He said, "as I have seen you to be righteous in front of Me" (Genesis 7:1). Another interpretation of [why Moshe was not called]: So that he not hear the redressing of Aharon. He said, "Hear nah My words" (Numbers 12:6) - nah is always an expression of pleading - "if you have a prophet of God, I will make Myself known to him though a vision to him" - My Divine Presence will not be revealed to him through a clear lens, but rather through a dream or a trance." And why [were they disciplined]? Because they spoke [badly] about Moshe, as it is stated (Numbers 12:6), "And Miriam and Aharon spoke (tedaber) about Moshe." And dibbur is only a harsh expression in each place." And so it states (Genesis 42:30), "The man, the master of the land spoke (deeber) harsh things to us." [Whereas] ameera is only an expression of supplication. And so it states (Genesis 19:7), "And He said (vayomer), 'Do not act evilly, my brothers.'" "And He said, 'Hear nah My words'" (Numbers 12:6) - all nah is an expression of pleading. And why did it say Miriam first and Aharon afterwards? However it was because she started first, and therefore the verse mentioned her first. And what did they say? "But was it only to Moshe that God spoke?" (Numbers 12:2) That is to say did He only speak to Moshe, that he separated from his wife? "Did he not also speak to us?" (Numbers 12:2) In the same way did He speak to us and we have not separated from the way of the world (marital relations). And how did Miriam know that Moshe separated from the woman? Rabbi Natan said, "Miriam was alongside Tsipporah when they said to Moshe, 'Eldad and Meidad are prophesying in the camp' (Numbers 11:27); and when Tsipporah heard, she said, 'Woe to the wives of these [men]!' And from what time did Moshe separate? In fact, when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe at Sinai before the giving of the Torah that he should sanctify the people, and say to them, 'for three days do not come close to a woman' (Exodus 19:15). They [then] separated from their wives and Moshe separated from his wife. And after the giving of the Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'Go tell them, "You return to your tents," but you stay here with me' (Deuteronomy 5:27-28) - and do not go back to the way of the world. And [so Miriam knew] when Tsipporah said, 'Woe to the wives of these - they are called to prophecy [and] will be separating from their wives just like my husband separated from me.' And from then, Miriam knew and told Aharon. And if Miriam who did not have intention to disgrace Moshe was punished, all the more so with one who recounts the disgrace of his fellow with evil speech, will that person be punished with tsaraat." "As he took a Cushite (Ethopian) woman" (Numbers 12:1) - the numerical value of Cushite is [equal to that of] beautiful looks. The tally of this one is like the tally for that one. "The Cushite woman" tells [us] that everybody concedes about her beauty, in the same way as everyone speaks about the blackness of a Cushite. "About the matter of the woman" (Numbers 12:1) - about the matter of her divorce. "As he took a Cushite woman" (Numbers 12:1) - what do we learn to say [from here]? Rather, there is a woman who is pleasant in her looks but unpleasant in her deeds, or pleasant in her deeds but unpleasant in her looks, but this one was pleasant in everything. And now he divorced her? And she is called a Cushite because of her pleasantness; in the same way as a man will call his pleasant son, Cushite, so that the [evil] eye not [come to] overpower him. "And the man Moshe was very humble (anav)" (Numbers 12:3) - humble, [meaning] lowly and patient. Another interpretation: "Very anav" is from the expression of answering (oneh), meaning to say that if he had heard these words, he would have known to answer and respond with appropriate arguments. "And the Lord said suddenly" (Numbers 12:4) - when he revealed Himself to them suddenly and they were impure [as a result of] the way of the world, they yelled out, "Water, water." [This was] to show that Moshe acted properly when he separated from his wife, since the Divine Presence was constantly revealed to him, and there was no set time for speaking [with God]. And so did He say to them, "I speak to him face to face" (Numbers 12:8) - face to face did I tell him to separate from the woman - "and a (clear) vision and not with riddles" - and this vision is a vision of speech. And perhaps it is a vision of the Divine Presence? [Hence] we learn to say (Exodus 33:20), "You are not able to see My face." And if you ask, "Behold, it is written (Numbers 12:8), 'and he sees the picture of the Lord?'" [The answer is] that is a vision 'from the back,' like the matter that is stated (Exodus 33:23), "and you shall see My back." "Why were you not afraid to to speak about My servant, about Moshe?" (Numbers 12:8) It does not state, "about My servant, Moshe," but rather "about My servant, about Moshe." [This is] meaning to say, about My servant, even if it is not Moshe; and about Moshe, even if he is not My servant - it would be worthwhile to be afraid in front of him. And all the more so, since he is My servant, and the servant of a king is [like] the king. And you should have said, "The King does not love him for nothing." And if you say that [the King] does not know about [Moshe's] deeds, that is more grievous than the first [mistake of not associating him with the King]! "And the Lord waxed angry at them and left" (Numbers 12:9) - teaches that [only] after He let them know their foulness did He proclaim their excommunication. All the more so with flesh and blood, should a person not get angry with his fellow until after he makes [the other's] foulness known to him. "And the cloud left the tent" - and afterwards - and behold, Miriam was inflicted with tsaraat like snow" (Numbers 12:10). There is a [relevant] parable about a king who said to [his son's] pedagogue, "Strike my child, but do not strike him until I go away from you, as my mercy is upon him." "Please do not place the sin upon us that we sinned and that we blundered. Let her not be like a dead" (Numbers 12:11-12) - just like a dead body transmits impurity through intercourse, so does a metsora transmit impurity through intercourse. "About which upon its exit from its mother's womb" (Numbers 12:12) - it should have stated, "from our mother's womb," but so did Scripture phrase it. And so [too, instead of] "half of its flesh," it should have stated, "half of our flesh." But according to its understanding, it appears to me thus: It is not fitting to leave our sister to be like the dead. Since she exited the womb of the mother of this one (Moshe) that has it in his ability to help, and [yet] doesn't help, behold half of his flesh will be eaten away - as [Aharon's] brother is his flesh. Another interpretation: "Let her not be like the dead" - if you do not heal her with prayer, who will quarantine her, and who will render her impure? As it is impossible for me to observe her, since I am a relative - and a relative may not examine scabs - and there is no other priest in the world. This is [the meaning of] that which is stated, "about which upon its exit from its mother's womb." "God, please, heal her please" (Numbers 12:12) - the verse came to teach you the way of the world (manners), such that one requesting a thing must first say two or three words of supplication, and then make his requests afterwards. "Saying" - what do we learn to say [from here]? [Moshe] said to Him, "Answer me if You will heal her or not," so that He answered him, "And if her father spit in her face [...]" (Numbers 12:14). And why did Moshe not prolong this prayer? So that Israel not say, "His sister is given over to distress and he prolongs his prayer?" "Let her be quarantined for seven days and afterwards she will be gathered" (Numbers 12:14) - and I say that all expressions of gathering that exist with a metsora are because he is sent out from the camps. And when he is healed, he is gathered to the camp; [and] all gathering is an expressions of bringing in. "And the people did not travel until Miriam was gathered" (Numbers 12:15) - the Omnipresent awarded her this honor for the sake of one hour that she delayed for Moshe, when he was sent out to the Nile, as it is stated (Exodus 2:4), "And his sister stood from a distance." She delayed for an hour and all of Israel delayed for her sake for seven days. [The comparison that the Torah nonetheless makes between Miriam when she is struck by tsaraat and a dead body shows that] a metsora is considered like dead. And from where [do we know] that one who does not have children [is considered like dead]? From Rachel, as she said to Yaakov (Genesis 30:1), "Give me children or I am dead." And from where [do we know] that one blind is considered like dead? As it is stated (Lamentations 3:6), "He has made me sit in the darkness, like the dead of yore." And from where [do we know] that one destitute [is considered like dead]? As it is stated (Exodus 4:19), "for all of the men that are seeking your soul (to kill you) are dead." Another interpretation: "This is the law of the burnt-offering, etc." So did our Rabbis teach: The burnt-offering was complete holiness, as it did not come for iniquities. The guilt-offering was brought for thefts. But the burnt-offering was not brought for a sin nor for theft, but it rather came for a thought of the heart. And so one who would have a thought in his heart about something would bring a sacrifice of a burnt-offering, as it is stated (Ezekiel 20:32), "And what goes up (which can also be read as a burnt-offering) upon your spirits."And know that a burnt-offering only comes for a thought of the heart. You learn it from Job, who would sacrifice for his sons, as it is stated (Job 1:5), "And after a round of feasting days, Job sent and prepared them; and rising early in the morning, he would offer burnt-offerings." They said to him, "Job, why are you doing this?" And he would say (Job 1:5), "Perhaps my children have sinned and blasphemed God in their hearts." Hence you find that he arranged atonement for them for the thought of the heart. And this is [how to understand] the sacrifice of the burnt-offering.

(Exod. 33:20:) HE ALSO SAID: YOU CANNOT SEE MY FACE. Moses wanted to understand about the reward for < keeping the> commandments and about the prosperity of the wicked. The Holy One said to him: YOU CANNOT [SEE MY FACE] (i.e., understand about the prosperity of the wicked). Now this word (FACE) can only be a word for the prosperity of the wicked. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 7:10): AND <GOD> REPAYS THOSE WHO HATE HIM [TO THEIR FACE….]⁷⁴In other words, according to Deut. 7:10, the Holy One PAYS BACK THOSE WHO HATE HIM FOR THEIR PROSPERITY, which they are now enjoying. The Holy One said [to him] (in Exod. 33:23): THEN I WILL TAKE AWAY MY HAND. In this world I show you the reward of those who fear <me>, but in the world to come I will show the goodness which is laid up for them. David said (in Ps. 31:20 [19]): HOW ABUNDANT IS THE GOOD WHICH YOU HAVE LAID UP FOR THOSE WHO FEAR YOU.

Another comment on I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious. “I will be gracious to whom we have been gracious” is not written here, but rather, to whom I will be gracious. That is to say, I will be gracious to anyone who desires My graciousness, and I will be gracious unto the one to whom I wish to be gracious. Similarly, I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. He said: Thou canst not see My face (ibid., v. 20). Moses wanted to learn the rewards that were to be given to the righteous and why the wicked were at ease. The Holy One, blessed be He, answered: Thou canst not see My face. My face is mentioned here only with reference to the ease enjoyed by the wicked, as it is said: And repayeth them that hate him to their face, to destroy them (Deut. 7:10). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: And I will take away My hand (Exod. 33:23). That is to say, in this world I will not show you the rewards awaiting those that fear My name, but I shall in the world-to-come: Whereof from of old men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen a God beside Thee who worketh for him that waiteth for him (Isa. 64:3).

(Bamidbar 12:6) "And He said: Hear, I pray you ("na"), My words": "Na" is a term of imploration. Now does this not follow a fortiori, viz.: If He who spoke and brought the world into being speaks (thus) with the terrestrial creatures, how much more so flesh and blood (speaking to one another)! R. Shimon b. Yochai says: What is the intent of "Hear, I pray you, My words"? They wished to enter into the words of the L-rd, whereupon He asked them to wait until He had finished. How much more so should one not enter into the words of his neighbor, (who may thereby lose his "train of thought.") (Ibid.) "If there be prophets (among you), 'the L-rd' (i.e., the immanence of My name) I invest him with in a vision; in a dream I speak to him." — But perhaps, just as I speak with the prophets in a dream and a vision, so I speak with Moses. It is, therefore, written (Ibid. 7) "Not so, My servant Moses. In all of My household, he (alone) is to be trusted": aside from the ministering angels. R. Yossi says: even more than the ministering angels. (Ibid. 8) "Mouth to mouth I spoke to him": Mouth to mouth I told him to separate from his wife. (Ibid.) "and in (clear) revelation": This refers to the revelation of His words. You say: the revelation of his words; but perhaps (it refers to) the revelation of the Shechinah. It is, therefore, (to negate this) written (Shemot 33:20) "You shall not be able to see My face, for no man can see My face and live." R. Akiva says: "no man" — literally. "and live" (i.e., "and the live ones"): This refers to the ministering angels, who live forever (i.e., They, too, cannot see His face.) R. Shimon says: I do not rule out the words of my master; I add to them, viz.: "and live": Even the holy creatures, who bear the throne (of glory), do not see the glory. R. Elazar b. R. Yossi says: Not only do they not see it, they do not even know where it is, as it is written (Ezekiel 2:12) "Then a spirit lifted me and I heard behind me a sound of great tumult. Blessed is the glory of the L-rd from His place" (wherever it may be). R. Dossa says: "For a man will not see Me vachai": "When he lives" ("vachai") he cannot see Me, but he sees Me when he dies. And thus is it written (Psalms 22:20) "Before Him shall bow down all who go down to dust, whose spirit does not live." (Bamidbar, Ibid.) "and not in riddles": What is the intent of this? Because it is written (Ezekiel 17:2) "Son of man, propound a riddle," then just as I speak to the prophets in riddles, I (sometimes) speak to Moses in riddles; it is, therefore, written "and not in riddles." (Bamidbar, Ibid.) "and the configuration of the L-rd does he behold." This is a vision of His "back." You say it is a vision of His back, but perhaps it is a vision of His "face." It is, therefore, written (Shemot 33:23) "And I will remove My hand and you will see My back, but My face will not be seen." Moses sought to understand the ways of the Holy One Blessed be He — whereupon He said to him: "and you will see My back, etc.": My ways in the world to come, I will reveal to you; but, as to My ways in this world — "You shall not be able to see My face," as it is written (Ezekiel 2:10) "And He spread it (the scroll in the "hand" of G-d) before me, and it was written face and back." Now don't even the light-minded and commoners do this, writing face and back? Why mention it then? (The intent is:) "face" — (what transpires) in this world; "back" — (what transpires) in the world to come. "face" — the serenity of the righteous and the affliction of the wicked in this world; "back" — the reward of the righteous and the punishment of the wicked in the world to come. (Ezekiel, Ibid.) "and written upon it were "kinnim, hegeh, and hi": "kinnim" — the afflictions of the righteous in this world, viz. (Ibid. 32:16) "This is a kinah (a dirge) and intone it"; "hegeh" — the reward of the righteous in the world to come, viz. (Psalms 92:4) "(Rejoice) on an assor (a ten-stringed instrument), on a psaltery, on higayon (like 'hegeh') and harp"; "and hi" — the punishment of the wicked in the world to come, viz. (Ezekiel 7:26) "hoveh (like 'hi') upon hoveh shall come." (Bamidbar, Ibid.) "And why did you not fear to speak against My servant, against Moses": Let it not be written "against My servant." (The intent is) that in speaking against Moses, it is as if You have spoken against Me. (for he is "My servant"). An analogy: A king had a governor in a province, and the people speak against him. The king says to them: You have not spoken against My servant, but against Me! And if you say (that you are not speaking against Me), but that I do not know his (evil) ways, this (i.e., to say that I am ignorant of his ways) is even worse than your first (offense)!