Musar su Deuteronomio 5:32

It is known that Torah study in itself (aside from learning leading to doing) is a positive commandment of the Torah, as it is written (Devarim 5:1): "And you shall study them (the mitzvoth) and you shall take care to do them."

The written Torah concludes with the word ישראל and commences with the word בראשית. We may view the end as firmly connected with the beginning and the beginning as firmly connected with the end. We demonstrate this on שמחת תורה by reading from the beginning of פרשת בראשית as soon as we have concluded the last passage in וזאת הברכה. Our sages have provided an allusion for this when they said: בראשית ברא בראשית, i.e. בשביל התורה וישראל שנקראו ראשית. Israel is the whole purpose of the creation of the universe. It is appropriate therefore that the Torah begin with the word בראשית and end with the word ישראל. The Torah commences with the letter ב, which our sages in the Midrash describe as the letter symbolizing ברכה, blessing. The essence of any blessing is the expansion and the intensification of the prevailing abundance provided by G–d. The purpose of the benediction is to ensure the continuance of these abundant blessings by G–d indefinitely. Torah too is eternal, hence it represents the essence of all blessings. This idea is also alluded to in Psalms 29,11: ה' עוז לעמו יתן ה' יברך את עמו בשלום, "May the Lord grant strength to His people; may He bestow well-being on his people." A question is asked in the Sefer Ha-Bahir as well as in the Ziyoni "Whence do we know that the Torah itself is a blessing?" As an answer the authors cite Moses' blessing in 33,23: "And full of the Lord's blessing the West (sea) and the South, conquer it!" We have a tradition that "West" is a hyperbole for Torah because it is written in Job 11,9: "and broader than the West (sea)." Thus far the Tziyoni.

Commandment 416 enjoins us not to covet the possessions of our fellow-man because once one fixes one's mind on obtaining the possession coveted it will not be long before one initiates steps to execute such a wish. One's desire to possess the object one has focused on will not be suppressed by the owner's unwillingness to sell it or to accept some other form of compensation. One may not even desist in face of the owner physically defending his property against any takeover. One may eventually resort to violence to acquire the property coveted. This is why the Torah writes in 5,19: ולא תתאוה בית רעך וגו'.

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house” (Exodus 20:17); “and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house” (Deuteronomy 5:18). We were warned with this not to make evil plots to take the field or vineyard or anything of (your) [our] fellow, even if one gives their price. And we were warned about the thought of this evil thing, that we should not resolve in our thoughts to do it, as it is stated, “You shall not covet.” And if a person longs for his fellow to sell him a field or a vineyard or [any] of his possessions and [the owner] does not want to sell it - but if he pleads with him with many supplications, he will be embarrassed to answer him - it is forbidden to plead with him, as it is like coercion or duress. And one who covets to take any object and is a respected person - such that if he asked the question, they would not let his eminence down - it is forbidden to ask for [any] purchase or grant, unless he knows that [the owner] would give it to him with [full agreement], and not regret giving it to him in his heart.

Our view is confirmed by the Talmud Sanhedrin 59 where the verse 9,7) ואתם פרו ורבו) is automatically accepted as a commandment which was referred to by the Torah again as a commandment for the Jewish people when G–d tells them to return "to your tents," after the revelation at Mount Sinai (Deut. 5,27).

The eleventh—We find in the Scripture (Deuteronomy 30:19), “Therefore choose life that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed.” And it says (Ibid., 5:30), “That ye may live.” And it says (Ibid., 8:1), “We will live and multiply.” And it says (Ibid., 5:16), “That thy days may be long.” We see that the wicked seem to live like the righteous, and, in many cases, they enjoy the goodness of the world. Therefore, the life of which the Scripture speaks must be the life that comes after death.

The eleventh—We find in the Scripture (Deuteronomy 30:19), “Therefore choose life that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed.” And it says (Ibid., 5:30), “That ye may live.” And it says (Ibid., 8:1), “We will live and multiply.” And it says (Ibid., 5:16), “That thy days may be long.” We see that the wicked seem to live like the righteous, and, in many cases, they enjoy the goodness of the world. Therefore, the life of which the Scripture speaks must be the life that comes after death.

The statement of our sages זכור ושמור בדבור אחד, that "remember" and "observe" -the Sabbath- was said simultaneously (i.e. the difference in the version of the Ten Commandments recorded in Exodus 20,7, and the version recorded in the Deuteronomy 5,11), is linked to the Exodus from Egypt (as distinct from the Sabbath of creation). In Deuteronomy the reason for the legislation is יציאת מצרים, the Exodus, whereas in Parshat Yitro it is מעשה בראשית. Clearly then the Exodus is equivalent to the act of creating the universe, in other words a חידוש העולם. I have explained this at greater length in my commentary on מסכת שבת and on other occasions. Originally, G–d had considered to create a universe that was to be run along the lines of strict justice, מדת הדין. This is hinted at in the story of creation. Rabbeynu Bachyah in his commentary sees a hint of this in the first-forty two letters of the Torah, concluding with the letter ה in the word ובהו. The idea is spelled out more clearly in the Pardes Rimonim of Rabbi Moses Cordovero, in the chapter dealing with names and צירופים.

There is an additional important allusion in this verse which is seized upon by the Zohar in a different context. Accordingly, the performance of a מצוה enhances the "image" of G–d, whereas when one sins one damages G–d's "image" both in the Celestial Regions and on earth. Man's sins leave noticeable imprints on his face; this is the reason that Isaiah 3,9 speaks of: הכרת פנים ענתה בם, "Their faces reflect their sins. Rabbi Moshe Alshich, commenting on Genesis 45,28: אלכה ואראנו בטרם אמות, "I will go and see him (Joseph) before I die," writes that Jacob wanted to determine if Joseph had remained loyal to the Abrahamitic tradition by looking at his face. As soon as Jacob looked at Joseph's face (Genesis 46,29) he expressed willingness to die. The Torah phrases this peculiarly when it writes: "After I have seen that you are alive." At first glance the words "that you are alive" seem superfluous. Jacob indicated by his words that being "alive" in itself was quite meaningless unless Joseph had remained loyal to his father's teachings. Joseph's face reflected G–d's approval, i.e. G–d made Joseph's face light up. One of the ways which result in man's face being illuminated is by means of repentance. When the Jewish people are reminded (Deut. 5,4) that G–d spoke to them פנים אל פנים, "face to face," this is a compliment telling us that their facial features had undergone a change for the better, and that the ugly lines on their faces reflecting their sinful behavior had been erased. Psalms 42,12 speaks of the hope of the sons of Korach. There is no point in being downcast when repentance can cause us to reflect G–d's salvation on our own face; not only this, but we will simultaneously remove the tarnish caused to G–d's "image" by our own sins. The commandment to appear in the Temple three times a year (16,16), caused our sages in Chagigah 2a to say that the word יראה can be read both passively or actively, i.e. "to be seen" or "to see." Their message is that if one comes to the Temple with a positive attitude, i.e. in order to "see" G–d, then one will also be positively "seen" by G–d. This also enables us to understand another verse which is generally held to be almost beyond comprehension.

Know - that the pious one (R. Yosef Karo) and I agreed to make a great effort on the night of Shavuot, and to keep sleep from our eyes. Praise to God, so it was. We didn't stop one moment - listen, and your soul will be revived...

ותקרבון אלי כלכם . Rashi comments that it was a mob that approached Moses. Later on, in 5,20, however, Moses says of the people ותקרבון אלי כל ראשי שבטיכם וזקניכם, "You approached me, all the heads of your tribes and your elders." At that time they asked Moses to become their intermediary since the people were afraid that being exposed to G–d's voice directly would become fatal for them. This latter approach (at the time of the revelation) was correct; children showed respect for their elders. Humility is one of the best traits a person can practice. Only by allowing others זכות קדימה, the right of precedence, can one prove that one deserves a measure of honour oneself.

We have spoken about the three gifts G–d bestowed upon the Jewish people, i.e. the land of Israel, the Torah, and the Hereafter. Moses received the best possible portions of all of these gifts. I will explain how these respective gifts can be assimilated on different levels. The allusion to the World to Come is mentioned in the Torah chronologically, i.e. after the mention of ארץ ישראל and תורה when the Israelites asked: "why should we die, etc". The Israelites said to Moses: קרב אתה ושמע, "you approach and listen!" G–d also had said to Moses (5,27): ואתה פה עמוד עמדי, "you stand here next to Me!" The letters in the word אתה form the acronym ארץ-תורה-הבא. Even though Moses never entered terrestrial ארץ ישראל he did enter the equivalent of the terrestrial ארץ ישראל in the Celestial Regions even while his soul still lived inside his body. The Zohar in its commentary on פרשת ויחי explains that something similar happened to Jacob. I have copied the comments of the Zohar in my commentary on פרשת ויחי. The reason Jacob succeeded to be buried in terrestrial ארץ ישראל, was due to his close affinity to Celestial ארץ ישראל which represents the attribute of מלכות. What Jacob achieved only after his death, Moses already achieved during his lifetime because he was איש אלהים as he had demonstrated when he ascended to the region of Matronita, described in Pardes Rimonim as the guardian of Gan Eden. After Moses died he ascended to a still higher region called יובל עליון, part of the emanation of בינה. This is what we had in mind when we said that Moses succeeded in penetrating or assimilating the innermost secrets of the three concepts ארץ ישראל, תורה, עולם הבא.

The subject of the three gifts the Jewish people received must be understood on two levels. One level is the manifest one, i.e. נגלה, a gift which everyone can see as having been received. The other level is what we call the נסתר the hidden aspect of these gifts. We find that the word Tov is spelled with different vowels on different occasions. Most of the time it is spelled with the vowel חולם i.e. Tov, whereas sometimes it is spelled with the vowel שורוק i.e. Tuv.

Whenever it is spelled as Tov the reference is to the manifest good. When it is spelled Tuv the reference is to the hidden good. [The author discussed this in Parshat Ba'halotecha, in connection with Moses' offer to Yitro to join the Jewish people. Ed.] In connection with Torah we find the word spelled טוב with both the vowels חולם such as in Proverbs 4,2: כי לקח טוב נתתי לכם, as well as in Psalms 119,72: טוב לי תורת פיך. It is also spelled with a שורוק as in Psalms 119,66: טוב טעם ודעת למדני. In connection with ארץ ישראל we find ארץ טובה in Deut. 8,7 spelled with the vowel חולם, whereas in Isaiah 1,19 we are promised by the prophet "טוב הארץ תאכלו," spelled with the vowel שורוק. With respect to עולם הבא, we find in Deut. 5,16: למען ייטב לך, which our sages (Kidushin 39b) explain as a reference to a world which is totally good.

We also find in Psalms 31,20: מה רב טובך אשר צפנת ליריאך, "How abundant is the good that You have in store for those who fear You," where the word טוב is spelled with the vowel שורוק. The relationship between the words Tov and Tuv may be understood as similar to the difference between "good" and "best." What is manifest is termed "good" what is hidden is termed "best." That which is "hidden" from our eyes is what is visible in a domain where the original light which G–d withdrew from earth to the Celestial Regions after Adam's sin is active. Man can experience both levels of "good" also in this world. In the future, however, there will no longer be two kinds of "good," because the "hidden" light will have become manifest. All "good" will then be spelled with the vowel חולם. There will be no reason to hide the תוכיות, "the content of the innermost regions." It is this future our sages had in mind when they referred to part of the World to Come as עולם הנעלם or עולם שכולו טוב. They found the verse in Deut. 5,16 difficult because the word ייטב in that verse is derived from the word tov spelled with the vowel חולם. In view of this they could not understand why the Torah should refer to the World to Come by spelling the word tov with this vowel. They ultimately came to the conclusion that the reference must be to a world which had become "כולו טוב," had achieved its ultimate objective, a world which is totally good. Whereas the verse in Psalm 31,20 speaks of a time prior to this ultimately good world here on earth and therefore uses the word טוב spelled with the vowel שורוק referring to the hidden good, the word ייטב foresees an even higher level of עולם הבא.

If a person borrows money or household utensils from a friend, he must remember exactly what he has borrowed and take care to return everything. One who has many business interests and is very busy should be very careful not to borrow money or things from people, since he is liable to forget everything and not remember. If someone has done him a good deed he should make a point of remembering it so that he can reciprocate. Concerning charity, one must remember the poor and constantly keep their distress in mind, and thus he will be able to help them. And if a man comes to give testimony in a court of law concerning what he has seen and what he knows, he must be very careful to remember and he must not diminish from or add to that which he saw. See how the Holy One, Blessed be He, has warned us concerning memory. As it is said, "Beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God, in not keeping His commandments and His ordinances" (Deut. 5:11). And it is very important to remember God in all of one's deeds. And thus did David say, "I have set the Lord always before me" (Ps. 16:8).

The usual reason cited is that Moses had not wanted to publicise his escape from Pharaoh so that he could not again be informed against, as had happened to him in Egypt. However, if we view all the happenings in the light of the re-incarnation of Abel-- Shet-- Moses, we view the earthly existence of Abel as having been very brief. When his soul was in the body of Shet, he was still in ארץ נכריה, i.e. not within the body he was destined to inhabit ultimately. Once his soul inhabited his present body, it could be said of his body "his eye did not weaken, etc." (Deut 34,7). This proved that his body and soul were well matched. The reason the grave of Moses could not be located (Deut. 34,5) was because his body had not lost its vigour, had not become a cadaver. Not only at the revelation could it be said of Moses that he could stand next to G–d (Deut 5,28).

Let us return to the concept of the basic equality of the concepts of משכן and שבת. It is logical therefore that all the forbidden work-activities on the Sabbath are derived from activities performed in constructing the Tabernacle. This is also why in order to be culpable for transgressing these prohibitions they must have been performed intentionally. The Torah states that the construction of the Tabernacle involved לחשוב מחשבות, thoughtful planning (35,32). This means that everything that was made for use in the Tabernacle was designated to perform its function already when it was merely being processed, long before it became an integral part of the Tabernacle. The various artisans involved had to be familiar with the true significance of the parts they were fashioning, possibly even their mystical aspects. The author proceeds to point out the significance in the wording of the opening משנה of the tractate שבת, (which describes different elements of the act of transferring property from one domain to another), as applicable to the comparison between work performed on the Sabbath and work performed for the construction of the משכן. The work is described as , שתים שהן ארבע בפנים, ושתים שהן ארבע בחוץ, "two categories which are really four, internally, and two categories which are really four, externally." The expression חוץ, outside, is a reference to the negative prohibitions whose purpose is to keep the קליפות, negative, Satan-inspired, influences outside. The expression פנים refers to the positive commandments and their function to bring additional sanctity into our personality. This is also the reason the sages refer to the two different "headlines" of the Sabbath, i.e. זכור ושמור, as having been said בדבור אחד, "in one word." They view the observance of the negative commandments of the Sabbath legislation as no more than the other side of the coin called Sabbath, the first side symbolising the positive commandment זכור את יום השבת לקדשו. [compare Exodus 20,8 and Deuteronomy 5,12 respectively.] Matters concerning the performance of positive commandments are two-fold, i.e. they involve body and soul respectively. Both body and soul consist of hidden as well as revealed aspects. Thus we see that there are a total of four categories. The revealed aspect of the soul is the Torah. Our sages phrased this by stating לא איברי שבתות אלא לגירסא, "The only reason the Sabbath days were created is to enable Torah study to be pursued on those days." The Zohar elaborates that upon its return to the Celestial Regions after the Sabbath, the נשמה יתירה is asked what new Torah insights it had gained during its stay on earth on the Sabbath. By coming up with such new insights the soul is considered as having created new heavens. This is why the Midrash we quoted earlier compared Isaiah 40,22 to the construction of the tent-cloths for the Tabernacle in Exodus 26,1. The message in both statements is that man is able to perform creative acts.

I have found the following comment by Nachmanides on the commandment לא תשא את שם ה' אלוקיך לשוא: "They heard the first two commandments from G–d directly. This is why the sages said that these two commandments are the essence of all the Commandments. How do we reconcile this with the view of Rabbi Eliezer who points out that the Torah says in Exodus 20,1: 'G–d spoke all these words?' Moses said to the people in Deut. 5,19: את הדברים האלה דבר ה' אל כל קהלכם בהר מתוך האש. 'G–d spoke these words to your entire congregation at the Mountain out of the fire.' The Torah (Moses) continues there: 'He inscribed them on two stone tablets and gave them to me' (Moses). This clearly implies that what G–d inscribed on the tablets was exactly what He had said to the people!

This is the secret dimension of Deut. 5,5: ואנכי עומד בין ה' וביניכם "I stand between G–d and you." It is well known to students of the Kabbalah that the root of אנכי stems from the emanation בינה. We have explained that בינה=יובל=דרור=50, freedom, i.e. גאולה = redemption. When Moses was in Heaven, i.e. had attained the 50th level of בינה, he had a "clear vision." This means that he viewed things through the original light which G–d had withdrawn from earth after Adam's sin. This is another way of explaining that G–d spoke to both Moses and the people of Israel פנים בפנים דבר ה' עמכם, "G–d spoke to you face to face" (Deut 5,4). If the Jewish people were on such a level it suggests that there were no מחיצות, no barriers between them and G–d. How do we explain that Moses is supposed to have provided a barrier between them, i.e. "I was standing between G–d and you?" We must conclude that there was indeed no barrier, that once Moses utilized the original light this removed his presence as a barrier. By receiving the Torah and attaining the above described level of בינה, Moses had fulfilled his mission as the re-incarnation of הבל. He added the letter ה from הבל to his name. He ascended the Mountain which was burning with fire until the very heart of Heaven, i.e. עד ל"ב השמים (Deut 4,11). The word לב is a reference to the total of 32 paths that lead to these insights, the basis of the whole Sefer Yetzirah (chapter 1, section 1) The letter ה which was added to Moses' name further symbolized that he had received and assimilated all the five books of the Torah. I have found the following in the writings of the Arizal: When the Torah quotes Moses saying: בבעלותי ההרה לקחת לוחות האבנים "When I ascended Mountain in order to receive the stone tablets, etc." (Deut 9,9), you can take the first letters of the first three words and construct the acronym הבל. This supports our contention that Moses completed the task of הבל by attaining the fiftieth level of בינה.

This is the secret dimension of Deut. 5,5: ואנכי עומד בין ה' וביניכם "I stand between G–d and you." It is well known to students of the Kabbalah that the root of אנכי stems from the emanation בינה. We have explained that בינה=יובל=דרור=50, freedom, i.e. גאולה = redemption. When Moses was in Heaven, i.e. had attained the 50th level of בינה, he had a "clear vision." This means that he viewed things through the original light which G–d had withdrawn from earth after Adam's sin. This is another way of explaining that G–d spoke to both Moses and the people of Israel פנים בפנים דבר ה' עמכם, "G–d spoke to you face to face" (Deut 5,4). If the Jewish people were on such a level it suggests that there were no מחיצות, no barriers between them and G–d. How do we explain that Moses is supposed to have provided a barrier between them, i.e. "I was standing between G–d and you?" We must conclude that there was indeed no barrier, that once Moses utilized the original light this removed his presence as a barrier. By receiving the Torah and attaining the above described level of בינה, Moses had fulfilled his mission as the re-incarnation of הבל. He added the letter ה from הבל to his name. He ascended the Mountain which was burning with fire until the very heart of Heaven, i.e. עד ל"ב השמים (Deut 4,11). The word לב is a reference to the total of 32 paths that lead to these insights, the basis of the whole Sefer Yetzirah (chapter 1, section 1) The letter ה which was added to Moses' name further symbolized that he had received and assimilated all the five books of the Torah. I have found the following in the writings of the Arizal: When the Torah quotes Moses saying: בבעלותי ההרה לקחת לוחות האבנים "When I ascended Mountain in order to receive the stone tablets, etc." (Deut 9,9), you can take the first letters of the first three words and construct the acronym הבל. This supports our contention that Moses completed the task of הבל by attaining the fiftieth level of בינה.

When G–d gave the Jewish people the Torah at Mount Sinai, the people said to Moses: ואת תדבר אלינו, "You speak to us," that Moses should be the intermediary between G–d and them because they were afraid they would die if they would be exposed to G–d's voice any longer (Deut. 5,20-25). We may assume that the Israelites did not speak about this concern of theirs to the elders [which would have been the normal channel of communication with Moses at that time. Ed.], but, since they were afraid to look and die, they turned to Moses directly. Their concern was that the very fact that they had achieved such a high level of insight had brought them so close to G–d that their souls would return to their Creator and remain there due to the affinity established with Him. Such a "death" achieves far more in the way of תיקון, rehabilitation, than any ordinary death meant to atone for sins committed. It would have been a greater תיקון even than that achieved by Ben Azzai's death as a result of his entering the פרדס, even though his death was of the category described in Psalms 116,15. The elders mentioned in the Mishnah outlived Joshua.

The Torah writes: (4,33-5,20) הקול מתוך החשך וההר בוער באש." Seeing that fire and darkness are almost exact opposites, how do we explain that the Israelites heard the voice of G–d both from out of darkness and from out of fire? Clearly there is a mystical dimension to this. Another word for fire is שלהבת. This word divides into הבל and שת, the names of the two people reincarnated in Moses. The word חשך, darkness, on the other hand, refers to Cain who ended up in darkness. The Arizal explains the relationship between אדם, חוה, קין, והבל still better. אדם is perceived as having emerged from the second highest emanation חכמה which in turn is equivalent to כח מ"ה. This means the combination of the soul, נשמה plus the "junior" power symbolized by the number 45, the numerical value of אדם, the concept of Man. חוה emerged from the next lower emanation בינה. She was אם כל חי, "the mother" of all subsequent human beings. קין והבל originated in the domain of דעת, [an emanation in the center line of the diagram, below כתר but above תפארת. Ed.] הבל had received input from the emanation חסד, as suggested by his name (as we demonstrated before) whereas קין had received 5 units of input from the emanation גבורה, which is fed by the emanation בינה. This גבורה is sort of a קן, i.e. nest, receptacle for the חכמה. The combined units of input from the emanations בינה and חכמה are 10; they account for the letter י in the middle of his name. This is the deeper meaning of Psalms 84,4: ודרור קל לה, where the letter ק is written larger and which separates between דרוד and the letter ן. This is to alert us to the fact that דרור, freedom is equated with בינה, i.e. יובל =50. קין was predominantly part of חוה, who represented בינה; this is why she said קניתי איש את ה' when she bore him. By this she meant to say: "I have acquired a man with G–d, i.e. as distinct from "with Adam." Having said that קין was the "receptacle" of input from both חכמה and בינה, and in view of the letter ן at the end of his name alluding to the fifty gates of בינה, we can understand what G–d meant when He asked Cain אי הבל אחיך, "Where is your brother Abel?" G–d criticized Cain who should have remembered that he was the שומר, the receptacle for his brother. Cain represented the female, Abel the male. The female is the receptacle for the male. The word אי may be understood as an acronym of אינך יודע "Don't you know?" Furthermore, the letter א alludes to בינה, whereas the letter י alludes to חכמה. When G–d's name is spelled א-ה-י-ה, this symbolizes His manifestation in the emanation בינה, whereas when it is spelled י-ה-ו-ה it symbolizes His being manifest in the emanation חכמה. Seeing that the reference to אחיך most definitely refers to someone male, G–d made it clear that Cain represented the female in that pair, i.e. the sister, אחות. When G–d had told Cain previously -when the latter was upset that his offering had been rejected- (Genesis 4,5-7), הלא אם תיטיב שאת, "Surely if you do right there is uplift (forgiveness)!" the word שאת could be read as אשת, "wife of." In the future the אשת חיל, woman of valor, will be described as the crown of her husband, and at that time G–d will govern the world using the emanation גבורה i.e. דין, seeing that mankind will be on such a high level that G–d does not have to make allowances for man's weakness and employ the attribute of רחמים as He does in this present world.

The sages also consider the words: על פני as alluding to the fact that חלק ה' עמו, יעקב חלק נחלתו. Other deities are part of אלוקים, peripherally connected to G–d, whereas the Jewish people who are described as "cleaving to G–d" are as closely attached to G–d as one's face, i.e. פנים. "Face to Face did the Lord speak with you" פנים אל פנים דבר ה' עמכם, (Deut.5.4). There is another reverse aspect to this "face to face" relationship, a relationship that could be called a "back to back" relationship, אחוריים לאחוריים. When G–d "expanded" into this physical world, He allowed for both kinds of attachment to man, i.e. "face to face," and "back to back." The Hebrew word אחרים symbolises this relationship, hence the term אלוהים אחרים describes the way the pagans relate to their god, which is itself an outgrowth of the סיטרא דשמאלא, the "left side" of the diagram depicting the emanations. The philosophers of the Gentiles as well as their rulers are all well aware of the existence of G–d as the Ineffable Name, and when they refer to Him they describe him as אלוקי האלוקים, "the G–d of G–ds." Their attachment to G–d does not extend beyond the level of אלוקים אחרים, i.e. what we described as אחוריים. The commandment לא יהיה לך warns us not to slide backwards into a peripheral relationship with G–d when we have been chosen to have a much more intimate relationship --a personal one-- with Him. Perhaps we can define the meaning of על פני as G–d saying that someone who has been granted access to what to others is the most hidden aspect of G–d, the אין סוף, must not squander such a close relationship by addressing himself to subordinate instruments of G–d. [Here I have paraphrased the author's remarks. Ed.]

זכור את יום השבת לקדשו. This commandment testifies to the eternal nature of G–d, that He created the world out of nothing. We have a tradition that the two formulas זכור ושמור בדבור אחד נאמרו, the one here and the one in Deuteronomy were uttered by G–d simultaneously (Rosh Hashanah 27). The first version in our portion mentions the Creation, something which demonstrated חידוש העולם, G–d creating the universe in 6+1 days. The second version in Deuteronomy 5,12, introduced by the word שמור, mentions the Exodus, the occasion when G–d was seen to establish new ground rules for the universe. There He proved that He was the Creator. The meaning of His name י-ה-ו-ה was demonstrated in Egypt. Our sages say that when one consecrates the Sabbath over a cup of wine one alludes to a world in the future which will be on the spiritual level of the Sabbath all the time (Pesachim 106). We will merit that world of the future by observing the שמור part of this commandment in this present world. The Sabbath in the world of the future represents the mystical dimension of the emanation בינה, where the יין המשומר the wine from the days of גן עדן, has been preserved and is awaiting us.

When that time arrives, the Talmud's statement about the three "finds" that G–d has made will really be true. The word תלפיות, is the reference to that ideal world when all the potential G–d has placed in man will become realized. At that time the word תולדות, will once again be spelled plene, just as it had at the time when the Torah could still write אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם. The reason Israel is mentioned as the last of these finds -contrary to the chronological order- is, that at that time Israel will truly fulfill its function, only then will Israel truly be a “find.”

If another person sinned against him by speaking to him in an oppressive manner let him forgive him instantly, declaring, “May the Master forgive anyone who has caused me anguish.” Then let him recite the bedtime Shema with concentration, after which he should be careful to read the Ten Commandments every night. Specifically, he should read them as they appear in Parashas Va’eschanan. For in Parashas Yisro it is written, “Remember [the Shabbos day]” (Shemos 20:8), reflecting the attribute of the day, while in Va’eschanan it is written, “Keep [the Shabbos day]” (Devarim 5:12), reflecting the attribute of the night (Zohar 1:48b and 2:138a). Through this recitation a person attains two crowns [corresponding to “We will do” and “we will hear”]. For this reason the Ten Commandments have two sets of ta’amim [musical cantillation marks], one written above the letters and one written below them. In the morning, before leaving the house one must first wash his hands. Then let him go to the mezuzah and place his hand upon it, reflecting that the Holy One Blessed is He is the real Master of the house, whereas we are merely his houseguests. And let him reflect on the name Shadd-ai, as was mentioned in the first chapter. Afterwards he should say three times, “May Hashem guard my going out and my coming in, in life and peace from now on.” Then he should say, “Know Him with all your ways and He will straighten your paths” (Mishlei 3:6). This verse encompasses the entire Torah. It also contains twenty-six letters corresponding to the numerical value of Hashem’s four-letter name, which is the “Holy of Holies.” Moreover, the verse begins with the letter beis [the value of which is 2] and ends with a kaf [the value of which is 20], for a total of 22, corresponding to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Let him recite this verse six times while turning towards the six directions: East, South, West, North, up and down. And let him have in mind that he is delivering his life to the Holy One Blessed is He, Ruler of the six directions of the world. In this way he subjugates his soul and body to Hashem.

We have learned in Kidushin 41: The commandment to be מקדש את האשה devolves first and foremost on the actual groom, though it may be performed by anyone he designates. When the Jewish people left Egypt, G–d (the groom) personally performed the act of קדושין: The Torah says of G–d: ועברתי בארץ מצרים (Exodus 12,12). The ceremony was, however, also performed by a messenger whom G–d had designated, viz: וישלח מלאך ויוציאני, "He sent an angel (messenger) and took me out" (Numbers 20,16). The actual wedding ceremony, the נישואין, must be carried out by the groom personally, not a stand-in. The giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai symbolised this wedding ceremony between G–d and the Jewish people. This wedding took place on the Sabbath, an occasion when G–d spoke to Israel פנים בפנים דבר ה' עמכם, "Face to face did G–d speak with you" (Deut. 5,4). The usual time for man and his wife to join conjugally is on the Sabbath. This is part of the mystical aspect of marriage.