출애굽기 20:33의 주석

וידבר אלהים AND GOD SPAKE — The word אלהים is a term for a judge. Since there are chapters in the Torah of such a character that if a person observes the commands contained therein he will receive a reward and if he never observes them at all) he will not receive punishment on their account, one might think that the Ten Commandments are also of such a character (that no punishment will follow upon the infringement of them); therefore Scripture expressly states, “God spake” — God Who is Judge, exacting punishment (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:1:1).

וידבר אלוקים, after Moses had completed warning the people G’d proceeded to utter all these commandments, as we know from the testimony of Moses in Deuteronomy 5,18 את כל הדברים האלה דבר ה' אל כל קהלכם בהר, “all these words the Lord spoke to your assembled ranks from the Mountain.”

וידבר אלוקים את כל הדברים האלה, G'd spoke all these words, etc. The reason we find the attribute of Justice, i.e. אלוקים mentioned at this point is that G'd gave the Torah to the Jewish people in His capacity as the attribute of Justice as well as in His capacity as the attribute of Mercy. The words וירד אלוקים reflect the attribute of Justice, whereas the words אנכי השם reflect the attribute of Mercy. By saying אנכי ה׳ אלוקיך, G'd also revealed the mystical dimension of both attributes being part of the same essence, something we repeat twice daily when we recite the first line of קריאת שמע prayer.

Elohim refers only to Judge. . . Although it says: “In the beginning Elohim created” (Bereishis 1:1), and: “Elohim said to Noach” (ibid. 8:15), and: “Elohim called to him from the midst of the thorn-bush” (Shemos 3:4), see Re”m here and in 6:2 [for an explanation of these verses].

Kap. 20. V. 1. Vergl. Jeschurun (III. Jahrgang S. 439).

That is the command that He commanded us to believe in God. And that is that we believe that there is an Origin and Cause, that He is the power of all that exists. And [the source of the command] is His saying (Exodus 20:2), "I am the Lord your God." And at the end of the Gemara, Makkot (Makkot 23b), they said, "There were 613 commandments stated to Moshe at Sinai [...] What is the verse [that alludes to this]? 'Moses commanded to us the Torah' (Deuteronomy 33:4)" - meaning to say, the numerical value of [the word,] Torah. And they asked about this and said, "That is 611." And the answer was, "They heard, 'I am the Lord, your God, and '[You] shall have no [other gods]' (Exodus 20:2, 3), from the mouth of the Almighty." Behold it has been made clear to you that "I am the Lord, your God," is included in the 613 commandments. And that is the command about belief in God, as we explained. (See Parashat Yitro; Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 1.)

את כל הדברים האלה לאמר, “all of these words.” The word לאמר teaches that the entire Ten Commandments would be part of a single utterance, something that it is impossible for the mouth of a human being to do. Seeing that this was so, why does the Torah write it as if it had been a number of separate utterances, i.e. אנכי ה' אלוקיך, לא יהיה לך, etc.? This shows that Moses repeated each of the commandments. (Mechilta, Yitro bachodesh, section 4) This appears hard to understand, how did the author of the Mechilta think that Moses contributed to our understanding the Ten Commandments by repeating, or trying to repeat what G–d had done? What was meant is that Moses by adding the cantillations, enabled the people to understand every word. A different interpretation of this Mechilta by Rabbi Baruch: Moses in his repeating the utterance separated between what is the first verse in our chumashim, and the second verse by taking a breath, although basically the two verses are part of the same commandment. Proof of that is the fact G–d is speaking in the first person repeatedly, i.e. “I have taken you out of Egypt; My presence; I am the Lord your G–d; “the ones who hate Me.” “The ones who love Me.” All the other parts of the Ten Commandments are addressed to “you.” This is why the Talmud in tractate Makkot folio 24 states that the first two Commandments were uttered by G–d personally. The Talmud explains that although G–d uttered all Ten Commandments, the people could only hear and understand G–d as speaking the first two commandments. [They had asked Moses to interpret the remainder for them. Ed]

וידבר אלוקים את כל הדברים האלה, The reason for this introduction is that the Torah wishes to show that G-d organises His words just as human beings organise their words prior to expressing them to outsiders. Hence: “G-d spoke all these words:”The word: וידבר here is to indicate that G-d said these words to Himself, in a preparatory manner; subsequently, the word: לאמור, refers to the final draft of this address by G-d to the people.“I am the Lord your G-d;” this is what Job meant when he said: (Job 28,2728) אז ראה ויספרה, הכינה וגם הקרה ויאמר לאדם, “then He saw and gauged it; He measured it and probed it and said to man etc.:” the Torah teaches you what are good manners, i.e. that even if you are an erudite scholar do not be arrogant enough when facing a crowd until after you have weighed carefully every word that you are going to say. You will do well to practice what you are going to say two or three times before actually addressing your words to an assembly of people. It happened once to Rabbi Akiva in a synagogue (Tanchuma item 15 on our verse) that the sages called upon him to read publicly from the Torah scroll, i.e. to accept an aliyah. He declined the honour. When his students asked him why he had declined, quoting that he had taught them a verse in Deuteronomy 30,20, according to which reading from the Torah in public is one of the highest achievements in your life, so how could he refuse such a request? He answered them that indeed this was so, but that he had declined to do so as he had not previously reviewed this particular portion and it would be an insult to the congregation to presume to read to them unprepared as he had been. He should have first gone over that text at least two or three times. He quoted our verse from the Torah as the source of his reticence. If G-d had not addressed the Jewish people before having marshaled His thoughts first, how could he permit himself to do less?

את כל הדברים האלה ALL THESE WORDS — This statement (that God spake all these words) tells us that the Holy One, blessed be He, said all these words in one utterance, something that is impossible to a human being to do — to speak in this manner. Now if this be so, why does Scripture again say the first two Commandments, אנכי and לא יהיה לך? But the explanation is that He repeated and expressly uttered each of these two commandments by itself (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:1:1).

But if he does not fulfill them he does not receive . . . This applies when it is not a time of [Hashem’s] anger. But in a time of anger, Hashem punishes for any mitzvah that is not fulfilled. This is evident from Menachos 41a; see there.

We are told in Menachot 41 that an angel criticised Rabbi Ketinah for not having Tzitzit on his nighgown. The latter retorted angrily: "since when does Heaven punish a person for sins of omission?" The angel told him that at a time when a person is being judged for other errors even sins of omission are also accounted against him. We learn from here that ordinarily a person is not punished for neglecting to observe a positive commandment. G'd indicated here that when He exacts retribution this will also include the positive commandments in the Ten Commandments, i.e. the commandment to believe in Him, to observe the Sabbath by sanctifying it, as well as the commandment to honour father and mother. The words וידבר אלוקים are a reminder that the attribute of Justice deals with both positive and negative commandments.

את כל הדברים האלה, according to Rashi, G-d uttered all these words as a single utterance, something no human being is able to do. If so, why did He repeat the first two commandments a second time? The second time He spelled out each of these commandments separately word by word. This explains why the first two commandments were written in direct speech whereas parts of the remainder were written in indirect speech. The Israelites found it too overwhelming to have to listen to all of this without collapsing, and this is why they interrupted by asking Moses to act as their go between, as related by Moses in verse 16. They had been literally afraid of dying before hearing the end of the commandments.(Rashi bases himself on the Mechilta on our portion) According to the Talmud in tractate Makkot folio,24, the last 8 commandments were each addressed to the Israelites one by one and relayed to the people by Moses. This is hinted at by the numerical value of the letters in the word תורה in the line: תורה צוה לנו משה, “Moses commanded the Torah to us.” The combined numerical value of the word Torah is 611, the other two commandments of the 613 commandments had been communicated to the people by G-d directly, without an interpreter. This interpretation seems reasonable as a close look at the first two commandments creates the impression that the author was speaking about Himself, as opposed to the third and fourth commandment which sound as if the author is addressing an audience, although referring to Himself in the third person. According to Rashi’s commentary, all of the commandments were spoken twice, once by G-d and once by Moses.

לאמר lit., TO SAY — This expression teaches us that they answered to that which required the reply “Yea” (אנכי) by “Yea” and to that which required the reply “Nay” (לא יהיה) by “Nay” (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:1:1).

Why does the Torah repeat: “I am Hashem” and “You must not have”. . . Rashi means as follows: Since they were all said in one utterance, why does it say in Tehillim 62:12: “Elohim spoke one utterance, and I heard two”? This implies that only “I am Hashem” and “You must not have” were said in one utterance, but actually all of them were said in one utterance. Rashi answers, “Because He explicitly repeated. . .” Rashi is saying that they all were said in one utterance, but when Hashem repeated [i.e., explained] them we heard only [the first] two directly from Him. The rest were repeated by Moshe.

When the Torah writes: את כל הדברים, this is a reminder that one cannot accept Torah piecemeal. Anyone who accepts all of the Torah's commandments bar one is considered as having rejected the whole Torah (Bechorot 30).

“Yes” to a positive command. . . Rashi is answering the question: Wherever וידבר is written it always speaks in general, while לאמר introduces the specifics. But here, the specifics are clearly stated: “All these words.” If so, why does it say לאמר afterward? Perforce, to teach us [that they replied “Yes. . .”]. (Re”m)

I have explained in my introduction to פרשת בראשית that when G'd speaks in His capacity as אלוקים, He utters words which are so exalted that a human mouth cannot utter these words or comprehend them. I postulated that the entire Ten Commandments were a single utterance. There were many such utterances by G'd in His capacity as אלוקים during the directives He gave while creating the universe. We may therefore view the revelation at Mount Sinai and the Ten Commandments as a re-enactment of the creation of the universe.

The word לאמור will become intelligible when we examine the format of the Ten Commandments. You will find that sometimes G'd addresses the Jewish people directly, whereas other times, such as in the latter half of verse seven, He speaks of them in the third person, i.e. "the Lord will not hold him guiltless, etc." We find that in the middle of the Sabbath legislation G'd switches from direct speech to "for the Lord created the Heavens and the earth and all that is found therein during six days and rested on the seventh day, etc." Why did G'd switch to indirect speech in those instances?

We have been told in Makkot 24 that Israel was able to comprehend the first two commandments, i.e. their capacity to understand G'd's utterances was enhanced during the time it took to hear this part. Nonetheless, according to the Midrash Shir Hashirim Rabbah section five, the Israelites' souls departed from them when G'd spoke and came to that part and they could not understand anymore. According to the Midrash the remainder of the Ten Commandments remained engraved in fire on top of Mount Sinai until G'd had revived the Israelites with the dew of life. These words then addressed themselves to each one of the Israelites. It is clear then why the first two commandments remained engraved in direct speech, G'd Himself having addressed the Israelites directly. From that point onwards G'd's voice must be perceived as speaking through an angel. It was an angel who said: "it is a Sabbath for the Lord your G'd," or "for during six days He created Heaven and earth, etc.," or "this is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath, etc." G'd's voice was not able to say "it is a Sabbath for Me, etc., or I have made Heaven and earth."

While it is true that the sages in Makkot 23 say that Moses addressed the remaining eight commandments to the people, it is possible that while Moses was able to understand the entire utterance of G'd, he added his voice to that of the angel so that the Israelites heard these eight commandments from the angel and Moses simultaneously. It is quite possible that when we were told in 19,19 that Moses would speak and G'd would respond this was a reference to Moses telling the Israelites the last eight commandments. You will find a comment in Shir Hashirim Rabbah on ישקני מנשיקות פיהו (Song of Songs 1,2), according to which every single utterance was standing on top of each Israelite asking him to be accepted by him. The Israelite would respond positively in each instance. Following this the utterance would embrace and kiss the Israelite and decorate him by placing a crown on his head. If that were so, the word לאמור at the beginning of the Ten Commandments would be amply justified. The words את כל הדברים would allude to the reinforced power of G'd's voice who uttered the entire paragraph as a single utterance. G'd's giving His voice this added power enabled the words themselves to carry on communicating themselves to the Israelites after they had been revived.

There is another element to the meaning of the word לאמור here, similar to the meaning of Deut. 26,18: וה׳ האמירך, i.e. that there was a mutual bond being created between the Israelites and G'd by their acceptance of the Ten Commandments.

We have learned in Tanchuma Toldot that G'd does not associate His name with a person who is still alive because it would be unseemly if such a person were later to become a heretic We know this from Job 15,15 where G'd is described as not even placing His faith in the angels. This was the only reason G'd did not describe Himself as the G'd of Abraham while the latter was still alive. If G'd had not added the word לאמור in our verse it would have appeared as if He associated His name with all of the Jewish people the moment He said: "I am the Lord your G'd, etc." The reason G'd made the Israelites hear His amplified voice was in order to discipline them and to remove the residual pollutants they still suffered from as a result of Adam's sin. Once they were free of this זוהמא, this pollutant, the Israelites became fit to hear G'd's voice and G'd could justify associating His name with the people of Israel.

According to Shabbat 88 where we are told that the Israelites' souls departed from them when they heard the first two commandments, G'd justified associating His name with them as they were no longer alive in the ordinary sense of the word.

Another meaning of the word לאמור is that it refers to secondary messages not spelled out in the text of the actual Ten Commandments. Some of these were in the nature of general rules, others in the form of allusions. We may also perceive the two commandments G'd addressed to the Israelites while they enjoyed a heightened ability to hear and comprehend as the basic roots of all commandments, i.e. the positive and the negative commandments. The commandment commencing with the word אנכי is the basic example of all positive commandments, whereas the commandment commencing with the words לא יהיה לך is the root of all negative commandments. This was the reason G'd was so anxious that all the Israelites should both hear and comprehend these two commandments directly from His mouth. Having heard these commandments from the mouth of G'd would be insurance against the Torah ever being uprooted totally from the Jewish people.

אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים WHO HAVE BROUGHT THEE OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT — That act of bringing you out is alone of sufficient importance that you should subject yourselves to Me. Another explanation: because He had revealed Himself to them at the Red Sea as a mighty man of war and here He revealed Himself as a grey-beard filled with compassion, as it is stated in connection with the Giving of the Law, (Exodus 24:10) “and there was under His feet as it were a brick-work of sapphire”, which is explained to mean that this (the brick-work) was before Him at the time of their bondage; “and there was as the essence of heaven” (i. e. joy and gladness) when they had been delivered (cf. Rashi on Exodus 24:10), thus the Divine Glory changed according to circumstances, — therefore He stated here: Since I change, appearing in various forms, do not say, “There are two divine Beings”; it is I Who brought you forth from Egypt and Who appeared to you at the Sea (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:2:2). Another explanation: because they then heard many voices, as it is said (v. 15) “the people heard the voices (הקלות)” — voices coming from the four cardinal points and from the heavens and from the earth — therefore God said to them, “Do not say there are many Deities”. — Why did God say in the singular אלהיך, “Thy God”, (as though speaking to one person alone)? To afford Moses an opportunity to speak in defence of Israel at the incident of the golden calf. This, is exactly what he did say, (Exodus 32:11) “Wherefore, O Lord, doth Thy wrath glow against Thy people”, for not to them didst Thou give the command, “There shall be to thee no other gods” but to me alone! (Exodus Rabbah 43:5)

I AM THE ETERNAL THY G-D. This Divine utterance constitutes a positive commandment.²⁶⁰See my Hebrew commentary, p. 388. on the position of the Hilchoth Gedoloth on this point. Ramban thus sides with Rambam, who, in his Sefer Hamitzvoth, counted this as the first commandment. See my translation, “The Commandments,” I, pp. 1-2. He said, I am the Eternal, thus teaching and commanding them that they should know and believe that the Eternal exists and that He is G-d to them. That is to say, there exists an Eternal Being through Whom everything has come into existence by His will²⁶¹The universe is thus a result of design, and not merely of necessity. See Guide of the Perplexed, II, 18. and power, and He is G-d to them, who are obligated to worship Him. He said, Who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, because His taking them out from there was the evidence establishing the existence and will of G-d, for it was with His knowledge and providence that we came out from there. The exodus is also evidence for the creation of the world, for assuming the eternity of the universe, [which precludes a Master of the universe Who is in control of it], it would follow that nothing could be changed from its nature.²⁶²“If you believe in the eternity of matter, it leads to the conclusion that if G-d should desire to shorten a fly’s wing or lengthen an ant’s foot, He would not be able to do it” (Ramban, in his sermon, “G-d’s Law Is Perfect,” Kithvei Haramban, I, p. 146). The miracles preceding the exodus, in which G-d’s mastery of the powers of nature was demonstrated, thus refuted the doctrine of the eternity of matter and established that of Creation. And it is also evidence for G-d’s infinite power, and His infinite power is an indication of the Unity, as He said, that thou [i.e., Pharaoh] mayest know that there is none like Me in all the earth.²⁶³Above, 9:14. This is the intent of the expression, Who brought thee out, since they are the ones who know and are witnesses to all these things.

אנכי, “I alone am the Lord; I am the One responsible for creating the material world, for creating egos. Individuals. I am known to you by tradition.”

אנכי ה׳ אלוקיך, "I am the Lord your G'd, etc." The reason G'd repeats "who took you out of Egypt, the house of bondage," was to heighten the contrast between then and now. The Israelites had been enslaved in a country which was notorious for not releasing slaves nor letting them escape (compare Isaiah 14,17). The Israelites had two major strikes against them at the time. They were mired deeply in impurity, and they were under the rule of a king notorious for not letting anyone escape.

אנכי ה' אלוקיך, “I am the Lord your G’d.” This is a positive commandment to believe in and feel absolutely certain of the existence of Hashem as a primordial force that preceded any phenomenon which is part of the material universe, and that He is the sole Creator of the entire universe, that He is our G’d, and that we are His people. We are obliged to serve Him, and He has taken us out of bondage in Egypt. The historical fact that He took us out of Egypt serves as eternal proof of His existence and His express desire to guide our fate. It proves that our Exodus was the product of His will. It also proves that He must have been the original cause in this universe, seeing that once the universe, i.e. the laws of nature had been formulated, no radical changes such as the taking out of a completely assimilated nation such as the Israelites from the midst of another nation was conceivable according to what is considered “normal” in our world. The Exodus was not only testimony to His power, but also to His uniqueness. For all the above reasons, G’d did not commence to identify Himself as the One Who had created heaven and earth, but He identified Himself as the One who had taken us out of Egypt, a visible historical fact witnessed by millions. [No one had been around to watch the universe come into existence. Ed.] Some commentators understand the emphasis on the word אנכי here as meant to draw attention to Hashem saying that He is the One Who had already told Avraham “I will also judge the people who will enslave your descendants and they will depart from that country with great riches” (Genesis 15,13) At the beginning of the Decalogue, G’d introduces Himself as the One who had fulfilled that promise of over 400 years ago. The first two commandments of the Decalogue which were addressed to the people in direct speech, i.e. “I have taken you out, etc.,” were distinct from the other eight in which G’d appears to refer to Himself in the third person, were spoken by G’d to the people directly, whereas the others were relayed to the people by Moses. The fact that our chapter commences with the words: וידבר אלוקים את כל הדברים האלה לאמר, “G’d spoke all these words to say,” as well as the verse in Deut. 5,19 את הדברים האלה דבר ה' אל כל קהלכם בהר, “the Lord spoke these words to you at the Mountain, etc.,” certainly gives the impression that the people had heard all the Ten Commandments directly from G’d’s mouth. Moses adds that all these words were inscribed on the two Tablets, which proves that as G’d was saying the words He simultaneously was inscribing them on the Tablets. Nachmanides claims that there is no question that G’d addressed all of the Ten Commandments to the whole people directly. The problem was that the people did not understand what they were hearing. Moses therefore needed to explain the text to the people, with the exception of the first two Commandments which they both heard and understood directly from Hashem without the need of any intermediary. The point in all this is that at that point in time the people were all on the spiritual level of prophets, who have primary knowledge of the uniqueness of Hashem, and the absolute impossibility to relate to anyone else as something Divine.

The act of bringing you out is sufficient. . . Rashi is answering the question: Why is His Godliness associated with the Exodus, rather than with Creation? Why did the Torah not write, “I am Hashem, your God, who created Heaven and Earth”?

V. 2. אנכי, wir haben schon wiederholt auf die feine Nuance hingewiesen, die אנכי und אני, insbesondere in der Rede Gottes unterscheidet. Während אני die redende Person mehr im Gegensatz zu der angeredeten, als diejenige bezeichnet, von welcher — אנה — ein Wort oder eine Wirkung ausgeht, kündet אנכי den Redenden als diejenige Persönlichkeit an, die der angeredeten innig nahe ist, die sie umfasst und trägt und hält, durch deren Persönlichkeit erst auch die angeredete in Wahrheit ihr persönliches Dasein, ihren Halt und Boden gewinnt. Nichts ist überwältigender als der Gedanke, wie hier mitten in dem Aufruhr und aus dem Aufruhr des in seinen Grundfesten erschütterten Weltalls, Gott sich als die einzige, wirkliche, absolute Persönlichkeit, als das אנכי im Weltall ausspricht, durch welches erst alles andere Sein Möglichkeit und Wirklichkeit erhält, und sich sofort zu dem einzelnen jüdischen Menschen wendet und spricht, ich bin dein אנכי ד׳ אלקיך :אנכי.

אנכי ה' אלוקיך, “I am the Lord your G–d;” how can we understand this utterance as a “commandment?” In which way does it represent an order to the listener? We must understand the words: “I am the Lord your G–d,” as implying that this is something that you must accept as fact, not merely as an article of faith, i.e. “you know, you do not merely believe.” It follows from accepting this as a fact that there is a system of reward and punishment for your actions, as He is capable of meting out reward and punishment as a result of being the Creator. Rabbi Tanchuma adds that this obligation of yours is the direct result of your having been allowed to see Him revealing Himself as a mighty warrior at the sea of reeds, when He saved you miraculously and meted out punishment to your pursuers. At the same time, He appeared to you in the guise of a merciful G–d at Mount Sinai. Do not make the mistake of thinking that the Power that addressed you at Mount Sinai, is a different Power than the One which dealt with the Egyptians. You have merely witnessed G–d manifesting Himself as possessing multiple attributes. The word אנכי is best translated as “I and no one else.” (Mechilta, bachodesh, section 5) A different approach: seeing that at the revelation G–d had been accompanied by tens of thousands of spiritual beings, angels, it was necessary for Him to point out that only He is the Lord, all other beings are merely servants of His. He also used the opportunity to show them that heaven consists of seven layers of what are commonly known as “heaven,” but that only the highest layer is the domain in which His throne is to be found. This event has been recalled by Moses in Deuteronomy 4,35, i.e.אתה הראת לדעת כי ה' הוא אין עוד מלבדו האלו-הים, “you have been given a visual demonstration that only the Lord is the G–d, there is none other." This is also why the first two commandments are addressed in the singular mode, i.e. to each Israelite separately, a fact that Moses took advantage of when pleading on behalf of the people after they committed the sin of the golden calf, when he said to G–d: “I am the only human being to whom You have addressed the first two commandments. The people only heard it from me. Therefore they have not violated a commandment that they have heard from You.” The Midrash adds that this is also the reason why all the other eight commandments were addressed to the Israelites as individuals, not collectively as in Leviticus 25,2-7, for instance, or as in Leviticus 26,3-13. G–d foresaw that individual Israelites in the future, such as the false prophet Micah (Judges chapter 17) who tried to eliminate the first commandment, or King Jerobam (Kings I chapter 12) who tried to abolish the second commandment. The list can be lengthened showing that individuals acted in a way that showed they felt they could ignore one or another basic commandment of the Ten Commandments.” By wording these Commandments in the singular mode addressed to each Israelite individually, none could claim that it did not apply to them. When you count the letters in the Ten Commandments, commencing with the letter א in אנכי and concluding with the letter in ך in לרעך there are a total of 613 letters, signaling to us that all the 613 commandments of the Torah are in one way or another contained in these Ten Commandments which are a summary. In the first chapter of tractate Kidushin, in the Talmud we are told that when the gentile nations heard the first two of the Ten Commandments, they concluded that G–d was concerned only with establishing His own reputation. When they subsequently heard of the commandment to honour father and mother, they changed their mind and accepted also the first two commandments as valid. This is what David referred to in Psalms 138,4: יודוך ה' כל מלכי ארץ כי שמרו אמרי פיך, “all the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord, for they have heard the words coming forth from Your mouth.”

אנכי ה' אלוקיך, “I am the Lord your G-d;” Rabbi Levi is quoted as saying (old version of Tanchuma Yitro 17) G-d appeared to the Israelites as if a multifaceted portrait visible to a thousand people at the same time (by means of refraction) so that all could see Him and vice versa. The people each heard His voice in a similar manner [as of course a visual image was out of the question since even if they had seen one that would be proof that it could not be His “face.” Ed.]. In this way every Israelite was able to claim that G-d had spoken to him individually, saying: “I am the Lord your G-d, etc. This is the reason that G-d had not said: אלוקיכם “your G-d (plural mode,)” but אלוקיך, “your G-d, (singular mode)”. He had addressed all of them in the order in which they stood assembled around the Mountain. This corresponded exactly to G-d’s commandment to Moses in 19,12: והגבלת את העם סביב לאמור, “you are to set bounds to the people around, saying:Do not raise the question that if the people had been used already to receive their daily ration of manna by picking it up around the boundaries of the encampment, and in spite of each one receiving the same amount, its taste would vary in accordance with the imagination of its recipient, then each one would presumably have a different recollection of how G-d’s voice had sounded to him?

מבית עבדים OUT OF THE HOUSE OF SLAVES — This means, from the house of Pharaoh where ye were slaves to him. Or perhaps it only says “from the house of slaves” in the sense of a house belonging to slaves to that the words imply that they were slaves to slaves (a most abject form of slavery)! But elsewhere it states, (Deuteronomy 7:8) “He redeemed thee from the house of slaves, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt”, so that you must now admit that they were slaves of the king and not slaves to slaves and the meaning is: from the house where you were slaves (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:2:5).

The meaning of out of the house of bondage is that they stayed in Egypt in a house of bondage as captives of Pharaoh.²⁶⁴This accords with the interpretation of the Mechilta here: “Out of the house of bondage. They were slaves to kings.” And as Rashi puts it, “from the house of Pharaoh where ye were slaves to him.” He said this to them [in order to indicate] that they are obligated [to accept] this Great, Glorious and Fearful Name²⁵⁹Deuteronomy 28:58. as their G-d, and to worship Him, because He redeemed them from Egyptian bondage. It is similar in meaning to the verse, They are My servants whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt.²⁶⁵Leviticus 25:55. I have also already alluded to above²⁶⁶Above, 19:20. by way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], to the reason why the two sacred Names — [the Tetragrammaton and Elokim] — are mentioned here.
This commandment, in the words of our Rabbis,²⁶⁷Berachoth 13b. is called the obligation “to take upon oneself the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven,” for these words, [i.e., the Eternal your G-d], which I have mentioned, indicate a King addressing His people. Thus the Rabbis have said in the Mechilta:²⁶⁸Mechilta on Verse 3 here. “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.²⁶⁹Verse 3. Why is this said?²⁷⁰Since it says, I am the Eternal thy God, etc., it already means, “I, am not another.” Why then does He state again, Thou shalt not have other gods before Me? Because it says, I am the Eternal thy G-d. This can be illustrated by a parable: A king invaded a country, and his attendants said to him, ‘Issue decrees to us.’²⁷¹“Us.” In the Mechilta: “them,” i.e., the people. He, however, refused, saying: ‘No! When you have accepted my sovereignty, I will issue decrees to you, for if you do not accept my sovereignty, how will you carry out my decrees?’ Similarly, G-d said to Israel: ‘I am the Eternal thy G-d, thou shalt have no other gods. I am He Whose sovereignty you have accepted in Egypt.’ And when they said to Him: ‘Yes,’ [He continued]: ‘Now, just as you have accepted My sovereignty, so you must also accept My decrees.’” That is to say, “Since you have accepted upon yourselves and have admitted that I am the Eternal, and that I am your G-d from the [time that you were yet in the] land of Egypt, then accept all My commandments.”
Now all the [Ten] Commandments are expressed in the singular — the Eternal thy G-d, Who brought ‘thee’ out — and not, as He began to say, [before the Giving of the Torah]: ‘Ye’ have seen;²⁷²Above, 19:4. if ‘ye’ will hearken.²⁷³Ibid., Verse 5. This is because His intent is to warn that each individual is subject to punishment for [transgression of] the commandments, since He addresses Himself to each one individually, commanding him that he should not think that He will judge according to the majority and that the individual will be saved with them. This intent was explained to the people by Moses at the end of the Torah, in the section of Atem Nitzavim.²⁷⁴Deuteronomy 29:17-19. See Ramban there on Verse 17.

אלוקיך, “I keep My promise to be and remain your G’d, I am not to be worshipped through intermediaries, I am to be prayed to directly.”

מבית עבדים, “from the house of bondage.” Although the people did not need to be told this, G’d reminded them that seeing they had been enslaved by a cruel ruler such as Pharaoh, they could certainly not have any objection of trading such a ruler for Hashem. Some commentators see in the words מארץ מצרים the major significance of this line, i.e. seeing that everyone knows that there was no other country in which the Israelites had been enslaved. They therefore stress that the Egyptians being slaves, i.e. being descendants of Cham whose children Noach had condemned to be slaves, had instead become masters over descendants of Shem, had been an especially degrading experience. The fact that G’d had put an end to this geo-politically demeaning situation, deserved especial mention, and therefore the Israelites’ gratitude. [The Egyptians were fourth generation descendants of Cham. (Genesis 10,6-7) Ed.] The Ten Commandments were all formulated in the singular mode, as opposed to the summation of אתם ראיתם, in 20,19 as well as the formulation (plural) אם שמוע תשמעו, “if you will surely hearken, etc.” (19,5). The reason for the variation in the singular and plural mode is to warn the people that they are both individually and collectively obligated to carry out G’d’s instructions, and to refrain from violating negative commandments. G’d wanted to be on record as if He had spoken to every Israelite individually.

Since He revealed Himself at the Sea as One Who is powerful at war. . . I.e., His Godliness is associated with the Exodus, but not regarding all His actions [in the Exodus]. Rather, “Since He revealed Himself at the Sea. . .” Rashi cites, “And under His feet. . .” to show that Hashem’s attributes change according to the situation. And though in the verse it is written, “Who brought you out of Egypt,” Rashi nevertheless explains it as, “He revealed Himself at the Reed Sea,” because that was the culmination of the Exodus from Egypt.

G'd also referred to His dual role as both the Eternal, i.e the meaning of the tetragram and the supreme authority, i.e. אלוקיך. Anyone who rebelled against G'd's decrees would face retribution. G'd manifested Himself in this dual capacity to remove all doubt about philosophies which inspired idol worship by suggesting that He had partners. G'd's taking the Israelites out of Egypt should have dispelled any such doubts about any opposing deities possessing any power at all. מבית עבדים, from the house of bondage. G'd makes the point that since it was He Who liberated us from one master, He is entitled to demand that we show Him obeisance.

Indem dieser Satz nicht als eine Aussage, sondern als מצוה, als ein Gebot gefasst wird, spricht er nicht aus: Ich, ד׳, bin dein Gott, sondern: Ich, ד׳, soll dein Gott sein, und setzt damit als Fundament unserer ganzen Beziehung zu Gott jene Anforderung, die die Weisen unter dem Ausdruck קבלת עול מלכות שמים begreifen.

ה' אלוקין, “the Lord your G-d,” (two separate attributes of G-d) the author refers the reader to his commentary on Genesis 1,1 where he had pointed out that the “plural” ending in the word אלוהים, is not a plural ending at all.

אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים, in doing so I had to overcome all the obstacles that intermediaries (forces of nature, also My creatures and appointed by Me to perform My will) had tried to use to block My efforts. I am the One Whom you accepted as such when you said (Exodus 15,2) “this is My G’d and I want to glorify Him.”

Do not think that there are two dominions. . . Meaning: Just as you acknowledge that I was One at the splitting of the Sea, for there it is written (15:2) זה אלי ואנוהו (in the singular form), so too, you should believe that I am that same God. Therefore Rashi explains, “I am the [same] One Who has brought you out of the Land of Egypt. (Re”m)

The reference to the house of bondage also alludes to the souls whom Israel came to rescue during its enforced stay in Egypt. I have explained this at length on Genesis 46,3 in connection with the expression: "I will make you (Jacob) a great nation there." Kabbalists go further and believe that Deut. 4,7: "for who is a great nation whose G'd is close to them, etc.?" is also a reference to the fact that all Jewish souls past, present, and future participated in the revelation at Mount Sinai. Accordingly, G'd repeated the statement concerning the Exodus because it referred not only to the bodies but also to the souls. The many stray souls which had been imprisoned in Egypt as part of the loot captured by the forces of the קליפה after Adam's sin had also been freed at that time.

Der sogenannte "Glaube an das Dasein Gottes", wie alte und moderne Religionsphilosophien diesen Begriff auszusprechen pflegen, ist noch um Himmelsweiten von dem ferne, was dieser Fundamentalsatz des jüdischen Denkens und Seins vom jüdischen Denken und Sein erwartet. Nicht, dass es überhaupt einen Gott gebe, auch nicht, dass es nur einen Gott gebe, sondern dass dieser eine, einzige, wahrhaftige Gott mein Gott sei, dass Er mich geschaffen und gebildet, dahin gestellt und verpflichtet, und mich schaffe und bilde, erhalte, überwache, lenke und leite, dass ich mit ihm nicht nur in zehntausendster Vermittlung als zufälliges Produkt des Universums zusammenhänge, dessen allererste Urursache Er vor Äonen gewesen, sondern: dass jeder gegenwärtige Atemzug und jeder kommende Augenblick meines Daseins ein unmittelbares Geschenk seiner Allmacht und Liebe sei und ich jeden gegenwärtigen und kommenden Moment meines Daseins nur in Seinem Dienste zu verleben habe, — kurz: nicht die Erkenntnis Gottes, sondern die Anerkenntnis Gottes als meines Gottes, als des ausschließlich einzigen Lenkers aller meiner Geschicke und als des ausschließlich einzigen Leiters aller meiner Taten, erst dies ist die Wahrheit, mit deren Zugrundelegung ich den Boden eines jüdischen Daseins gewinne. Der Anforderung: אנכי ד׳ אלקיך entspricht nur die Erwiderung: !אתה אלקי

אנכי ה' אלוקיך, this is the beginning of the first of the ten Commandments. By means of this declaration G-d commands the people never to forget that is was He Who had redeemed the people by taking them out of bondage in Egypt. As a result, He had now become their new Master. He implies that they are far better off serving Him than remaining slaves to Pharaoh.

Who brought you out. Hashem did not identify Himself as the one who created heaven and earth because there were no witnesses to that event. He also refrained from mentioning that He created human beings since it can be argued that it would have been better for them if they had not been created (see Eiruvin 13b), whereas Hashem wished to mention only the unambiguous good He had done for them.

מבית עבדים, from all exterior coercion in order for you to be free to worship Me, exclusively.

An alternate explanation: Because they had heard many sounds. . . Rashi is answering the question: According to the first explanation, [“The act of bringing you out is sufficient,”] the verse should say only: “Who brought you out of the house of slaves.” Why does it say also, “From the land of Egypt”? Therefore Rashi brings the second explanation, [“Since He revealed Himself at the Reed Sea. . .”]. According to both explanations there is a question: Why does it first say, “I am Hashem,” and only afterward, “You must not have any other gods”? First it should forbid other gods, and then say, “I am Hashem,” conveying: “I alone.” It is not the way to first command a certain action and then forbid an action that is its opposite. Therefore Rashi brings an alternate explanation: “Because they had heard many sounds. . .” So they immediately thought there were many dominions. Therefore, it was necessary to say right at the beginning, “I am Hashem. . .” to convey that there are no dominions besides Me. (Maharshal)

Yerushalmi Sukkah 5,4 commenting on Psalms 22,4: "You are the Holy One, enthroned, the Praise of Israel," states that G'd prefers the praise of Israel to that of anyone else. Whereas others praise the Lord by referring to Him as "the Lord of the universe," or as "the G'd of the angels," He prefers to be called the Lord G'd of Israel. When G'd says here: "I am the Lord your G'd," this means that He is not happy with being defined in any other way than as the G'd of Israel. By saying this, G'd advertised throughout the celestial regions that Israel was superior. By saying: אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים, G'd advertised that Israel was His favourite on earth, and that He had taken them out of a place which had been considered a prison with maximum security. The statement is to be considered as a compliment to G'd. The best proof of this is to be found when Yitro described the Exodus in Exodus 18,1. He had already realised that the experience of the Exodus had stamped Israel as the choicest of the nations for all times. When G'd continues with the words מבית עבדים, the meaning is that He did not take them out of Egypt while the definition "slaves" still applied to them; rather He made the Israelites into free men at the same time. Had G'd allowed the Israelies to escape from Egypt, for instance, they would still have been considered as slaves, their status would not have undergone a change in legal terms. Their status was changed 1) because G'd had pressured Pharaoh in dismissing them, and 2) after Pharaoh pursued them and he drowned with his army, there were no longer any masters who could have disputed the Israelites' claim to being free men.

Als Begründungstatsache für diese anzuerkennende Fundamentalwahrheit, dass Gott der ausschließlich einzige Lenker unserer Geschicke und der ausschließlich einzige Leiter unserer Taten, dass Gott unser Gott sei, werden wir auf jenes von uns selbst erlebte Fundamentalfaktum der Erlösung aus Mizrajim hingewiesen, und dies eben in zwei Momenten vergegenwärtigt: אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים und: מבית עבדים, wovon das eine Gott als den Lenker unserer Geschicke offenbarte und das andere die Hörigkeit und Hingebung all unserer Tatkraft an seine ausschließliche Leitung begründet.

אשר הוצאתיך, “Who has taken you out;” why did G-d choose this activity when He could have said: “I have made you,” or “I have created you?” He could have listed any number of favours that He had performed for the Jewish people already. Each one have them would have established His claim to be their Master and to obey Him. The answer is simple; they would have replied that G-d had performed deeds of loving kindness for the other nations also without requiring them to accept His Torah as a result. The one He listed here He had not performed for anyone else, however. By listing the Exodus as His claim to become their Master, He forestalled any such replies by the people.

Still another reason for the repetition of מארץ מצרים, מבית עבדים is that G'd addressed both bodies and souls separately. He said: "I am the Lord your G'd," in order to make it plain that He was speaking to the souls of the Jewish people. A soul would be able to respond to G'd describing Himself in spiritual terms; it is quite possible that the departure of the souls from the bodies we have mentioned previously took place at the moment when G'd addressed the souls as "I am the Lord your G'd." The souls then recognised their Maker. It is the essence of the souls that once they are no longer within a body they unite with their celestial origin. In Heaven there is no פרוד, separation. When G'd described Himself as "your G'd" (singular), He indicated that the Jewish souls are a single unit even in the terrestrial world which is essentially a world of divisions. This may be what David had in mind in Chronicles I 17,21 where he is quoted as describing the uniqueness of the Jewish people in these words: ומי כעמך ישראל גוי אחד בארץ, "who is like Your people Israel a unified nation even on earth?" Thanks to having been sanctified, the Israelites, like the angels, are all part of one great whole. When addressing the body of the Jewish people, G'd identified Himself in more mundane language, i.e. "Who has taken your bodies out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."

ארץ מצרים, den Gipfel menschengewaltiger Staatskunst und die reichste Fülle von der Menschengewalt dienenden Naturkräften repräsentiert der Staat und das Land, das uns mit seinen Fesseln umfangen findet. Menschengewalt und Naturkraft brechend und nach seinem Willen frei umwandelnd und vernichtend, Menschentrotz und Naturvergötterung richtend, Tyrannei zerschmetternd, und die hilfloseste, mit Füßen getretene Unschuld, Verheißung erfüllend, rettend emporhebend, kurz: mit seiner, Menschengeschicke gestaltenden, unmittelbar in die irdischen Verhältnisse eingreifenden, allgegenwärtigen, allmächtigen, richtenden und liebenden Lenkung hat Gott sich durch unsere Erlösung, unsere "Hinausführung aus dem Lande Mizrajim" für ewig in unser Bewusstsein eingeschrieben, und, der zu uns sprechen konnte: אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים, Den haben wir für alle Zeiten und für alle Verhältnisse als den ausschließlichen Lenker unserer Geschicke anzuerkennen.

The words: "I am the Lord your G'd" also mean that G'd was already our G'd before we came into this world because the Jewish people are considered to be part of the sacred light, i.e. part of G'd Himself as mentioned in Deut. 32,29: "His people are part of G'd Himself." The word "your G'd" always refers to this sanctity which is part of His Light. Kabbalists are quite familiar with this concept. The word אשר means "the reason why." G'd explains the rationale why He took the Israelites out of Egypt, why He made the whole universe tremble at that moment. It had certainly been incumbent upon Him to save remnants of sanctity and to bring them closer to Him.

מבית עבדים. Wir haben schon zu (Kap. 13, 3) bemerkt, wie בית עבדים Mizrajim als eine Stätte bezeichnet, in welcher wir geborne Sklaven waren, wo somit bereits die Tatsache gewaltsamer Freiheitsberaubung aus der zeitgenössischen Erinnerung völlig geschwunden und Sklaventum als unser natürlicher Stand betrachtet war. Die Erinnerung hieran ruft uns ins Bewusstsein, wie völlig unser sozialer Untergang vollzogen war, als Gott uns zur Freiheit und Selbständigkeit hinausrief. Aus dieser Tatsache fließt unsere gänzliche und ganz besondere Hörigkeit an Gott. Wir haben Kopf und Herz und Hand, haben Persönlichkeit und die Rechtsfähigkeit selbständig Güter zu erwerben, zu besitzen, zu verwenden, sowie die Güter selbst nur aus Gottes Händen erhalten, und darum hat Er und Er allein über unsere Personen und Güter zu verfügen, stehen wir mit unserer Person, unsern Kräften und Gütern ganz allein in seinem Dienste, haben Person, Kraft und Gut nur in seinem Dienste zu verwenden, haben ihn allein als den Leiter unserer Handlungen anzuerkennen. Nur diese gänzliche Hingebung an Gott hat uns von den Menschen frei gemacht, nur unter dieser Bedingung sind wir frei geworden und sind wir frei. Während andere Menschen und Völker nur mit ihrem geschöpflichen Dasein Gott verpflichtet sind, sind wir es auch mit unserm geschichtlichen, sozialen. Wir sind unmittelbar aus עבדות פרעה in עבודת ד׳ übergegangen, und: אני עבדך בן אמתך פתחת למוסרי dein/i geborner Sklave; denn du hast meine Bande gelüftet!"

The expression "I am your G'd" also means that G'd remains our G'd both when He employs His attribute of Mercy in dealing with us and when He employs His attribute of Justice in disciplining us.

We have a tradition that one blesses G'd joyfully when something tragic occurs in one's life (Berachot 60). The reason is that when G'd subjects us to discipline He does so in order to insure that our future will be happier, will be guiltless. G'd alluded to this by saying here that even when He is perceived as "only" אלוקיך, the G'd who exacts retribution from you, He is still השם, i.e. the G'd who deals with you from a feeling of loving kindness seeing He has your ultimate welfare at heart.

The division between the words מארץ מצרים and מבית עבדים may also be deliberate, i.e. the first expression refers to the Exodus which has already taken place, while the last expression refers to the liberation in the future when the Messiah will arrive.

The words "who has taken you out of Egypt" also provide the answer to the question why G'd did not simply replace the Egyptians in Egypt with the Jews and established us as the rulers in that land. Why was it necessary to leave the land, to travel through the desert, etc.? Surely the Israelites would have derived greater satisfaction from such a solution to their problems than to have to march to Canaan and there to dispossess a people which had never done them any harm. Moreover, it would have demonstrated G'd's power if He dispossessed the Egyptians of their land! G'd explained that inasmuch as the very land of Egypt was a בית עבדים, a house of bondage, this would not have been appropriate. We read in Deut. 32,8: "when the Supreme G'd handed out the inheritance to the various nations, He established boundaries for the peoples in relation to Israel's numbers." The Zohar volume 1 page 108 comments on this that G'd handed out certain places on earth to the guardian angels of the various nations, and that the only land He did not assign to such guardian angels was the land of Canaan. G'd had reserved the land of Canaan for Himself. The Torah says מבית עבדים, describing the place as one assigned to one of G'd's servants (the guardian angel of Egypt). G'd did not want for the Jewish people to live in a homeland which "belonged" to the guardian angel of the Egyptians. He wanted the Israelites to reside in a country which was directly under His personal guidance.

לא יהיה לך THERE SHALL NOT BE UNTO THEE [OTHER GODS] — Why is this said? Does not the preceding verse state: I — and no other — shall be thy God? But since it states immediately after this, “Thou shalt not make unto thee [any graven image etc.]” I might say that I have only a prohibition that one may not make such gods; whence could I know that one may not retain an idol that has already been made? Perhaps there is no such law! Therefore it states here: “there shall not be unto thee” (thou shalt not have other gods) (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:3:1.)

THOU SHALT HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE MY FACE. Rashi wrote: “Thou shalt have no other gods. Why is this said?²⁷⁰Since it says, I am the Eternal thy God, etc., it already means, “I, am not another.” Why then does He state again, Thou shalt not have other gods before Me? It is because it says, Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image.²⁷⁵Verse 4. From this I would only know that it is forbidden to make an idol. Whence do I know that one may not keep an idol that has already been made? Scripture therefore says, Thou shalt have no other gods.” This is indeed a Beraitha²⁷⁶See Seder Bo, Note 209. taught in the Mechilta.²⁷⁷Mechilta on the verse here. But if this is so, this verse would constitute a negative commandment in itself, being a prohibition against a person who retains an idol on his premises. [The violation thereof] does not make one liable to the death-penalty by the court. So [the question arises]: Why did He state the prohibition against keeping an idol, which makes one liable to whipping, before [He stated] the prohibition against bowing down to idols or worshipping them,²⁷⁸In Verse 5. which makes one liable to extinction [if done intentionally but with no witnesses present], or death by the court [if there were witnesses]?
In my opinion, the final decision of the Law is not in accordance with this Beraitha,²⁷⁶See Seder Bo, Note 209. for it represents the opinion of a single Sage [against the opinion of the majority]. Thus we find it taught in the Sifra:²⁷⁹Sifra, beginning of Seder Kedoshim (Leviticus, Chapter 19). On “Sifra,” See above, Note 52. “Nor make ye to yourselves molten gods.²⁸⁰Leviticus 19:4. I might think that others may make it for you. Scripture therefore says, Nor… to yourselves. From this I know only that [others may not make it] for you, but I might think that you may make it for others. Scripture therefore says, Nor make ye: not for you by others, and not by you for others. It is from here that the Rabbis have derived the principle that he who makes an idol for himself, transgresses two negative commandments: Nor make ye, and Nor… to yourselves. Rabbi Yosei says, ‘He transgresses three negative commandments: Nor make ye, Nor… to yourselves, and also Thou shalt have no other gods.’” Thus you see that Rabbi Yosei’s opinion is that of one against a majority, for it is he who says that the verse Thou shalt have no other gods constitutes a prohibition against retaining an idol [in one’s house]. However, according to the opinion of the first Sage, [which is that of the majority of the Rabbis], it is not so.
The correct interpretation even according to the literal meaning of Scripture is that the usage of the language of the verse here is similar to the expressions: and the Eternal shall be my G-d;²⁸¹Genesis 28:21. to be your G-d.²⁸²Leviticus 11:45. The verse here thus states that excepting the Eternal only, we are not to have others as gods, neither from all the angels above nor from all the host of heaven who are called elohim. This is something like that which is said, he that sacrificeth ‘la’elohim’ (unto the gods) save unto the Eternal only, shall be utterly destroyed.²⁸³Further, 22:19. It is thus a prohibition against believing in any of these beings, accepting them as gods, or saying to them, “thou art my god.”²⁸⁴See Psalms 140:7 and Sanhedrin 60b. This is also the opinion of Onkelos, who translated: “[thou shalt have no] other gods excepting Me.”²⁸⁵Ramban’s intent is evidently as follows: Since Onkelos always translated elohim acheirim as ta’avath am’maya (the deceptions of the nations) — see e.g., further, 23:13 — and here he translated, ela acharan (other gods), it shows that he referred to the angels of above, etc.
Know that wherever Scripture says elohim acheirim, the meaning is “others besides the Glorious Name.” It uses this expression with reference to accepting G-d or worshipping Him, thus saying: “Do not accept them upon yourselves as G-d, with the exception only of the Eternal.” But when Scripture speaks of making idols, it will never say acheirim (others) — [“other gods”] — Heaven forbid!²⁸⁶“When speaking of accepting or worshipping G-d, Scripture could say, ‘Do not accept or worship any other god besides the Eternal.’ But when Scripture warns against making an idol, how could it say [that we are] not to make ‘other gods’ when it is G-d Who has made everything and Who was not made!” (Tur.) Instead it says, Nor make to yourselves molten gods;²⁸⁰Leviticus 19:4. Molten gods do not make unto thee.²⁸⁷Further, 34:17. They are called [gods] because they were made with the intent of serving their makers as gods, but in reference to them, Scripture says, For they were no gods, but the works of men’s hands, wood and stone; therefore they have destroyed them.²⁸⁸Isaiah 37:19.
Thus in the second commandment, He admonished us firstly that we should not accept upon ourselves a master from among all gods excepting the Eternal. He then said that we should not make a graven image or any manner of likeness, [and we are not] to bow down to them or worship them in any manner whatsoever. It is for this reason that He said, Thou shalt not bow down unto them,²⁸⁹Verse 5. The intent of Ramban’s words is as follows: According to his own interpretation that this entire second commandment is directed against worshipping idols, we can understand why it says here in Verse 5, Thou shalt not bow down ‘to them’ and it does not say ‘other gods,’ because the purport of that verse is to be understood in connection with the preceding verse: “do not make a graven image, etc., to bow down ‘unto them.’” But according to Rashi, who interpreted Thou shalt have no other gods (Verse 3) as being a prohibition against keeping an idol, and Thou shalt not make unto thee, etc., (Verse 4) as being a prohibition against making idols, Verse 5 should have said, “Thou shalt not bow down ‘to other gods,’” since the subject of worshipping the idols as gods is here mentioned for the first time. since it is connected with the making [of idols — mentioned in the preceding verse] — which He prohibited the people from bowing down to them. Thus all [of the first three verses in this second commandment] constitute prohibitions against worshipping idols, and their violations all entail death by the court. This verse, [i.e., Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, etc. (Verse 4)], is thus not a prohibition against making idols which one does not worship oneself, [as Rashi would have it]. Further on [in Verse 20], He indeed warns against this, as it is said, gods of silver, or gods of gold, ye shall not make unto thee. Similarly, Thou shalt not make unto thee molten gods,²⁸⁷Further, 34:17. Ye shall not make unto thee idols.²⁹⁰Leviticus 26:1.

לא יהיה לך אלוהים, even though you accepted My Kingdom, you must not at the same time also attribute divine qualities to any other servant of Mine. A violation of this commandment is cited in Kings II 17,33 (the subject being the Samarians, a people transplanted by the king of Assyria from Babylon, Chamass, etc., to where the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom had lived before being exiled by the Assyrians under Tiglat Pilesser. These people are reported as “worshipping the G’d of Israel (as they now were within what they considered to be His domain.) But at the same time they also worshipped other deities. The priest sent by the king of Assyria to teach these Samarians the Jewish religion considered their worshipping the G’d of Israel as quite useless. He told them that unless they worshipped the G’d of Israel exclusively they would likely continue to suffer the incursions of lions, etc.

לא יהיה לך אלוקים אחרים על פני, "Do not have any other gods before Me." Having first commanded us to demonstrate faith in G'd, something which is basically a matter of the heart, G'd adds that it is also important to divest oneself of idolatrous thoughts, even if one does not verbalise them. G'd added the word לך to include the command that one must not even think such thoughts to oneself. We find that such thoughts are culpable (Kidushin 39) based on Ezekiel 14,4-5: "who will bring up his idols to his heart. Thus I will hold the House of Israel to account for their thoughts, etc." We have a tradition that one cannot impose capital punishment on a person unless the warning of such a penalty is spelled out in the Torah. Our verse is the source for this penalty (compare Zevachim 106).

'לא יהיה לך וגו, for I alone took you out of Egypt.

לא יהיה לך אלוקים אחרים, “You must not have any other kind of divinity.” Rashi understands this as not maintaining (יהיה referring to something already in existence) any idolatrous image, seeing that there is a separate commandment following immediately afterwards that prohibits the construction of such images. This latter commandment would by itself have been insufficient, as it would have left open the option of preserving or even worshipping existing idols. Concerning this interpretation, Nachmanides writes that if that were so, G’d’s words: לא יהיה לך, while a prohibition, would not have indicated that violating this prohibition carries the death penalty. Furthermore, why would the Torah first tell us about the lesser sin of not destroying an existing idol rather than inform us of the worse sin of constructing a new idol ourselves? Seeing that the Torah spelled out the death penalty in this world [if tried and convicted by a tribunal. Ed.] and in the world to come [if it was impossible to convict legally or carry out the sentence. Ed.] for worshiping idols, we would have thought that maintaining idols was a minor offense. Whereas there is indeed a view expressed in the Mechilta that the maintaining, i.e. not destroying an existing idol is “only” a warning by the Torah, but not an indictable offense, this is the view of a lone sage, and we do not rule in accordance with that view. According to the plain meaning of the text, the פשט, we need to understand the verses as follows: the meaning of the word אלוהים here is similar to והיה לך לאלוהים or to להיות לך לאלוהים, (Genesis 17,7, for instance) where the meaning is that we must not consider any of the celestial forces which have been imbued with some power by G’d as sharing power with G’d, or even as intermediaries. The fact that these forces are called by the name אלוהים on occasion, as for instance vis a vis Pharaoh (compare Exodus 7,1) is not a factor in our relationship to Hashem. If we were to allow such celestial bodies, or the like to substitute or to rank alongside G’d, it would not only dilute, but eventually ruin, our belief in G’d the sole and unique Creator. We must never address such celestial forces as אלי אתה, ”you are a celestial force in my eyes.” Ibn Ezra explains these verses as not viewing anything in nature as a junior partner to the Creator. This warning was necessary as there were theologians or philosophers who, while recognizing the supremacy of Hashem did not recognize His being absolutely exclusive as such. [If there really were such a thing as אלוהים אחרים, “other deities” (plural, as suggested by the plural ending in the word אלוהים), the Torah should have written לא יהיו לך, in the plural, not לא יהיה לך in the singular, i.e. reminding the reader that the idea of other gods is a non-starter. Ed.]

לא יהיה לך אלוהים אחרים על פני, “You are not to have any other deities in My presence.” We are not to accept any of G’d’s agents, forces, known as Elohim as deities for ourselves, nor any of the horoscopes as guiding our fates. The word אחרים “others,” [which might suggest that there are such. Ed.] is explained in Sifri Eikev section 43 as justified by the fact that they are “different, false” to those who serve them.
Another explanation of the meaning of the word אחרים: the deities whom people serve differ from day to day or from year to year. One day they worship gold, another day they worship silver, a third day they worship wood. The principal reason they are called אחרים is that they derive whatever power they are presumed to possess from אחרים, from “other” sources, they have absolutely no power of their own. This is spelled out in Exodus 34,14, לא תשתחוה לאל אחר, “do not worship a deity which derives its power from another (alien) source!” You are to bow down, i.e. worship only the true source of power, the G’d of Israel who does not derive His power from an external source. This is also the way our sages (Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1,45) interpret Isaiah 44,6 ומבלעדי אין אלו-הים, “there is no god that exists independently of Me.”

Once it has been made, how. . . This refers to an idol that neither he made, nor did others make it for him. It was already made, and he either found it or bought it. How would we know that he may not keep it in his possession? The Torah therefore says: “You must not have” — in every case. (Re”m)

V. 3. לא יהיה לך ist die erste Konsequenz aus dem Fundamentalsatz אנכי, und zwar eine negative. Wie V. 5 noch ausdrücklich motiviert wird, schließt die Anerkennung Gottes die Vergötterung eines jeden andern Wesens aus. Ist Gott Gott, so ist alles, alles andere außer ihm Nichtgott, ist alles, alles andere außer ihm nur sein Geschöpf und Diener, hängt mit jeder Faser seines Daseins, mit jedem Funken seiner Kraft, mit seiner leisesten und größten Wirkung nur von seinem alleinigen, einzig freien allmächtigen Willen ab. Es gibt vor seinem Angesichte — und dieses Angesicht umfasst das ganze Weltall in allen Räumen und alle Weltentwickelungen in allen Zeiten und unser ganzes Seelenleben in allen Regungen — keinen Gott, und nicht die leiseste Vorstellung von der Möglichkeit des Daseins eines solchen andern Gottes soll in unsern Gedanken eine Stätte haben. Es ist damit שתוף, jene Verirrung negiert, die, ohne Gott zu verleugnen, glaubt, Ihm noch ein anderes in Gott- Wesenheit zur Seite stellen zu dürfen und vergisst, dass, Gott noch einen andern Gott zur Seite stellen, den Begriff Gott überhaupt aufheben heißt (Siehe סמ׳׳ג לאוין א׳).

לא יהיה לך, “You must not retain for yourselves;” do not say that you will serve Me as well as other deities. Seeing that only I took you out of Egypt without the assistance of any other powers, it is clear that no other deity deserves your respect. Besides, they are useless even if they had attempted to help you.

אלהים אחרים OTHER GODS — which are not gods, but others have made them gods over themselves. It would not be correct to explain this to mean “gods other than Me”, for it would be blasphemy of the Most High God to term them gods together with Him (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:3:1). Another explanation of אלהים אחרים : they are so called because they are other (i. e. strange) to those who worship them; these cry to them but they do not answer them, and it is just as though it (the god) is another (a stranger) to him (to the worshipper), one who has never known him at all (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:3:1).

AL PANAI’ (BEFORE MY FACE). This is similar in meaning to these expressions: Surely ‘al panecha’ (to Thy face) he will blaspheme Thee;²⁹¹Job 1:11. Now therefore be pleased to look upon me; for surely I shall not lie ‘al p’neichem’ (to your face).²⁹²Ibid., 6:28. He thus admonishes here: “Do not make unto yourselves other gods, for they are before My face, as I look and gaze at all times and in all places at those who make them.” A thing which is done in the face of a person when he is aware thereof is called al panav (before his face). Thus: So the present passed over ‘al panav’ (before him).²⁹³Genesis 32:22. So also: And Nadab and Abihu died… and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office ‘al p’nei’ (in the presence of) Aaron their father,²⁹⁴Numbers 3:4. meaning that Aaron their father saw it and was aware thereof. In the Book of Chronicles it is written: And Nadab and Abihu died ‘liphnei’ (before) their father, and had no children.²⁹⁵I Chronicles 24:2. Since in the above verse (Numbers 3:4), it says that Nadab and Abihu died before the Eternal, Ramban therefore also quotes the verse from Chronicles, where it is stated that they died before their father. Hence the significance of the statement that he saw the remaining two sons performing the Divine Service in his presence. Thus the purport of the verse here is: “Do not make other gods unto yourselves, for I am present with you always and see you in private and in public.”
By way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], you will understand the secret of panim (face) from that which we have written²⁹⁶Above, 19:20. that Scripture warned concerning the Revelation:²⁹⁷See above, Note 17. ‘Panim b’phanim’ (face to face) did the Eternal speak with you.²⁹⁸Deuteronomy 5:4. And you will know the secret of the word acheirim (others), and then the entire verse will come [to light] in its plain meaning and purport. And so did Onkelos say it.²⁹⁹Onkelos translated al panai as bar mini (outside of Me). Thus the sense of the verse is as follows: “Do not worship elohim acheirim, since they were all created, excepting G-d, Who is eternal and has not been created by any being.” See also Note 285 above. It is this which is said, Ye shall not make with Me.³⁰⁰Verse 20. And as Rashi explains it: “Do not make any likeness of My ministers that serve Me.” “For I the Eternal thy G-d am a jealous G-d,³⁰¹Verse 5. i.e., to be worshipped alone, and it is not fitting that you join others to Me. And I am E-il,³⁰²Ramban now continues to explain the two Hebrew words in the above Verse: E-il kana (a jealous G-d). the Mighty One,³⁰³See Ramban on Genesis 17:1 (Vol. I, pp. 214-215). Who has the power in My hand;³⁰⁴See ibid., 31:29. and I am, furthermore, kana, avenging from the one who gives My glory to another and My praise to graven images.”³⁰⁵See Isaiah 42:8.
Now in no place in Scripture is an expression of ‘jealousy’ found in reference to the Glorious Name except in the matter of idol-worship. Thus the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] wrote in the Moreh Nebuchim³⁰⁶Guide of the Perplexed, I, 36. that in the entire Torah and in all the books of the Prophets, you will not find the term burning anger, wrath, or jealousy [applied to G-d] except in reference to idolatry. But of the holy ones of the Supreme One it is written: And the anger of the Eternal was kindled against Moses;³⁰⁷Exodus 4:14. And the anger of the Eternal was kindled against them [i.e., Aaron and Miriam] and He departed!³⁰⁸Numbers 12:9. And it is further written, My wrath is kindled against thee [i.e., Eliphaz the Temanite] and against thy two friends, for ye have not spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My servant Job has.³⁰⁹Job 42:7. However, as far as the term ‘jealousy’ is concerned, [Rambam] is correct [in maintaining that it is not applied to G-d except in reference to idolatry]. And so did the Rabbis say in the Mechilta:³¹⁰Mechilta on Verse 5 here. “I zealously exact punishment for idolatry, but in other matters, I am gracious and merciful.”
In my opinion, jealousy is mentioned only with reference to idolatry in Israel. The reason for the jealousy is that Israel is the treasured possession of the Glorious Name, which He has separated to Himself, as I have explained above.³¹¹Above, 19:4. Now if His people, His servants, turn to other gods, G-d is ‘jealous’ of them even as a man is jealous of his wife when she goes to other men, and of a servant who makes another master for himself. But Scripture uses no such term of jealousy with reference to other peoples to whom He has allotted the hosts of heaven.³¹²See Deuteronomy 4:19.
At this point, I make mention of what Scripture teaches concerning idolatry. There were three kinds of idol-worship. The first [group of idol-worshippers] began to worship the angels, who are the Separate Intelligences,³¹³“For the angels are not material bodies but only forms distinguished from each other… All these forms live and realize the Creator, and their knowledge of Him is exceedingly great” (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Yesodei Hatorah 2:3-8). For Rambam’s version of the development of idolatry, see his first chapter in Hilchoth Akum. See also Guide of the Perplexed I, 49, on figurative expressions applied to angels. because it is known that some of them have rulership over the peoples, something like it is written, the prince of the kingdom of Greece,³¹⁴Daniel 10:20. the prince of the kingdom of Persia.³¹⁵Ibid., Verse 13. They thought that [these angels] have power over them to do good or to do evil, and so each people began to worship the prince appointed over them, as the first [peoples] knew how to identify them. Now these are referred to in the Torah and in all the Writings as other gods, the gods of the peoples,³¹⁶Deuteronomy 6:14. for angels are called elohim, as it is said, He is G-d of gods;³¹⁷Ibid., 10:17. Bow down to Him, all ye gods;³¹⁸Psalms 97:7. For the Eternal is greater than all gods.³¹⁹Above, 18:11. They worshipped the angels even though they admitted that supreme strength and infinite power belonged only to G-d the Most High. Thus did the Rabbis say,³²⁰Menachoth 110a. [with reference to the peoples of the world], that they call G-d the Most High “G-d of gods.” Regarding this kind of idol-worship, Scripture has said, He that sacrificeth ‘la’elohim’ (to the gods) shall be utterly destroyed.³²¹Further, 22:19. It thus mentioned them by the name with which they were known.
The second kind of idolatry appeared when people began worshipping the visible hosts of heaven, some worshipping the sun or the moon, and others worshipping one of the constellations. Each of the nations knew the power of the constellation according to the dominion thereof in their land,³²²See Job 38:33. and they thought that by worshipping them, the constellation would be strengthened and it would help them, something like it is written, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of heaven, etc.³²³Deuteronomy 17:3. And it is further written, And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and to whom they have bowed,³²⁴Jeremiah 8:2. and as it is said in the Torah with reference to the prohibition of idolatry: And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the host of heaven, thou be drawn away and worship them and serve them, which the Eternal thy G-d hath allotted unto all the peoples under the whole heaven.³¹²See Deuteronomy 4:19. That is to say, because G-d allotted them to all the peoples and gave each people a star or constellation, you should not let yourself be allured to worshipping them. Now these are the people who began making the many forms of graven images, Asheirim and the sun-images.³²⁵Isaiah 27:9. They would make the forms of the constellations in the hours of their strength according to their rank, and in the opinion of the people, it bestowed power and success upon them. It appears likely to me that this [form of idolatry] began in the Generation of the Dispersion,³²⁶See Ramban, Genesis 11:2 (Vol. I, pp. 154-155). In describing the beginnings of this second stage of idolatry, Rambam introduces it with this statement: “In the course of time, there arose among men false prophets who said that G-d commanded them, saying ‘Worship that particular star’” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Akum 1:2). Ramban here is more specific and suggests that the beginnings of this kind of idolatry took place in the age of the dispersion of the nations. This would seem to be the intent of Ramban’s words, “It appears likely to me…” when G-d scattered the nations to various countries and the stars and the constellations began holding sway over them according to their divisions. The builders of the Tower had declared their intention to make themselves a name³²⁷Genesis 11:4. and not be scattered, as I have hinted in its place.³²⁶See Ramban, Genesis 11:2 (Vol. I, pp. 154-155). In describing the beginnings of this second stage of idolatry, Rambam introduces it with this statement: “In the course of time, there arose among men false prophets who said that G-d commanded them, saying ‘Worship that particular star’” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Akum 1:2). Ramban here is more specific and suggests that the beginnings of this kind of idolatry took place in the age of the dispersion of the nations. This would seem to be the intent of Ramban’s words, “It appears likely to me…” Now all these groups had false prophets who foretold them future events and informed them through the arts of sorcery and divination some of the things that were to come upon them. The constellations also have lords who abide in the atmosphere as the angels do in the heavens, and know the things that are to come.
Closely related to this kind of idolatry was the worship of human beings. When people of a country saw that a certain individual — such as Nebuchadnezzar — had great power and that his star was very much in the ascendancy, they thought that by accepting his worship upon themselves and directing their thought towards him, their star would also ascend together with his. He would also think that by their attaching their thoughts to him, his success would be augmented on account of the power of their souls directed towards him. This was the opinion of Pharaoh, who, according to the words of our Rabbis, [looked upon himself as a god],³²⁸Shemoth Rabbah 9:7. and of Sennacherib, concerning whose ideas Scripture says, I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High,³²⁹Isaiah 14:14. It is to be noted though that this prophecy was said with reference to the king of Babylon (ibid., Verses 4, and 22). Accordingly, it is difficult to understand why Ramban here mentions Sennacherib who was king of Assyria, and not Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. See however, in Sefer Hage’ulah (Kithvei Haramban I, p. 274) where Ramban writes that Scripture sometimes “interchanges from the name of the king of Babylon to the king of Assyria” and he quotes various verses to prove it. In this sense it may be understood here that Ramban mentioned “Sennacherib” when his intent was really to the king of Babylon. and of Hiram³³⁰Ezekiel 28:2. and his companions³³¹Such as Nimrod. See Chullin 89a. who made themselves gods. They were wicked, but they were not absolute fools.
The third kind of idolatry appeared afterwards when people began worshipping the demons which are spirits, as I will explain with G-d’s help.³³²In Seder Acharei Moth (Leviticus 17:6). Some of them too are appointed over the peoples to be masters in their lands and to harm their beleagured ones and those who have stumbled, as is known of their activity through the art of necromancy, as well as through the words of our Rabbis.³³³Berachoth 6a. See my Hebrew commentary, p. 393. It is with reference to this [third kind of idolatry] that Scripture says, They sacrificed unto demons, no-gods, gods that they knew not, new gods that came up of late, which your fathers dreaded not.³³⁴Deuteronomy 32:17. Scripture ridicules them, [i.e., the Israelites], saying they sacrifice also to the demons who are no gods at all. That is to say, they are not like the angels who are called eloha. Instead, they are gods that they knew not, meaning that they found in them no trace of might or power of rulership. Furthermore, they are new to them, having learned only lately to worship them from the Egyptian sorcerers, and even their wicked forefathers such as Terach and Nimrod³³⁵Genesis 10:9. See Ramban there (Vol. I, p. 147). did not dread them at all. Of this [kind of idolatry] Scripture warns, And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices unto the demons, after whom they go astray.³³⁶Leviticus 17:7.
Thus in this second commandment, the Torah prohibited all [kinds of] worship, save unto the Eternal only.³³⁷Further, 22:19. It is for this reason that He first admonished, Thou shalt have no other gods ‘al panai’ (before My face), which is a reference to the first kind of idolatry, namely, the worship of the angels. This is the intent of al panai, whose secret I have alluded to. Then He further admonished against graven images and any manner of likeness of any thing that is in heaven above,³³⁸Verse 4. which also alludes to mental images of spiritual phenomena, something like it is written, It stood still, but I could not discern the appearance thereof; a form was before mine eyes.³³⁹Job 4:16. And so have the Rabbis said:³⁴⁰Rosh Hashanah 24b. “That is in heaven. This includes the sun, moon, stars, and constellations. Above. This includes the ministering angels.” Of them, too, [the worshippers] would make figures representing the Separate Intelligences³¹³“For the angels are not material bodies but only forms distinguished from each other… All these forms live and realize the Creator, and their knowledge of Him is exceedingly great” (Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Yesodei Hatorah 2:3-8). For Rambam’s version of the development of idolatry, see his first chapter in Hilchoth Akum. See also Guide of the Perplexed I, 49, on figurative expressions applied to angels. which are the souls of the constellations, as happened in the case of the [golden calf], as I am prepared to explain there with the help of G-d.³⁴¹Further, 32:1.

על פני. It is intolerable to honour the servant in the presence of the Master. If that is so with masters and servants that are mortal, how much more so is it true of Eternal G’d and His underlings.

אלוהים אחרים, “other deities.” We must not admit that there are such other deities, even if we refuse to pay any tribute to these supposed deities. It is noteworthy that when the Torah forbids the making of such symbols, such images of other supposed deities, it does not dignify them with the title “other gods, or other deities,” but simply tells us not to make אלוהי מסכה, (Exodus 34,17). There is a subtle difference, in that the making for commercial purposes of a symbol to serve others, when such a symbol is known to be serving others as a deity or symbol of such. When making a symbol of one’s own deity the Torah wants it understood, in addition to the examples mentioned in our verse, that even a symbol of our true faith is totally forbidden to be made. If the Torah had not forbidden to make something אחר, something else, something that is not divine, as a symbol of one’s faith, this would be equivalent to admitting that such a notion would be credible, though foolish. The very idea of עושה אלוהים is laughable, as only The Creator could imbue anything created with divine power if He wanted to, not any creature.

As long as I exist. . . It is commonly asked: Rashi in Devarim 5:7 explains על פני as follows: “Wherever I am, i.e., the entire world. An alternate explanation: As long as I exist.” [Why does Rashi here omit the first explanation?] The answer is: There, Rashi is addressing a different difficulty. It is written there (Devarim 4:25), “When you have been in the Land for a long time. . . and make a statue,” implying that the prohibition on idolatry applies only to the Land [of Yisrael]. Yet there, the Ten Commandments are preceded by: “It was not with our fathers that Hashem made this covenant [against idolatry], but with us” (ibid 5:3). This implies that the prohibition of idolatry applies to the person, and it must be observed [not only in the Eretz Yisrael] in all places. Therefore these two verses seemingly contradict each other. In light of this, Rashi in Devarim first explains על פני as, “Wherever I am,” [thus teaching that the prohibition against idolatry applies in all places]. This is in order to resolve the contradiction. But if so, why is it written, “When you have been in the Land”? [The answer is:] Because the [former] people of the Land were more steeped in idolatry than the other nations. Therefore the verse singles out “the Land” because the B’nei Yisrael needed a stronger warning pertaining to the idolatry in the Land.

The word לך also implies that whereas idolatry practiced by Gentiles is reprehensible, it is not nearly as reprehensible as idolatry by a Jew. When a Gentile serves idols this does not make such an idol into a deity. The object of the Gentile's worship remains unaffected. If a Jew were to turn to idols, however, this would have far greater effect because of the Jew's standing with G'd. It would confer deity status on such an idol, at least in the eyes of the Gentiles.

Der Ausdruck על פני־ kommt übrigens, wie wir bereits (Bereschit 16, 12) bemerkt, von einem der Wahrnehmung des andern missliebigen Vorhandensein oder Geschehen vor. Und auch hier dürfte damit das Raumgeben dem Dasein eines andern Gottes als eine Verletzung der Gott schuldigen Wahrheit bezeichnet sein.

אלהים אחרים, “other deities,” This translation is incorrect. The correct translation is: “deities worshipped by others.” If they are so useless why do they have the title: “deity?” According to Rabbi Yossi in the Mechilta chapter 6 on this verse, (a dissenting voice there) explains the need for G-d to say: לא יהיה לכם אלוהים אחרים, as follows: He said it so that the gentiles would not have a pretext to say that if these “deities” had been called by their individual names in the Torah, instead of simply “non gods,” this would be proof that G-d had had need of them for some purpose at some time. There had indeed been a time when man had referred to such “deities” by the same title as G-d; this happened during the generation of Enosh, a grandson of Adam, when the Torah in Genesis 4,26, reported: 'אז הוחל לקרא בשם ה, “at that time some people called (other forces) by the name that had been reserved until then for G-d.” When that happened, one third of the earth’s landmass was flooded by the oceans rising. [a minideluge as a warning to mankind. Ed.]

על פני BEFORE ME — i. e. so long as I exist; and these apparently superfluous words are added in order that you may not say that no one received any command against idolatry except that generation which went forth from Egypt (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:3:2).

על פני, “in My presence.” We find a similar use of the expression על פני when Eleazar and Ittamar are appointed as priests in the presence of their father Aaron (Numbers 3,4). Here too, the meaning is the same as if the Torah had written לפני, “before Me.” This expression is used in all instances when we are reminded that there is nothing that is hidden from the Lord, and though He is not manifest, nothing does not occur in His presence. The reason why the Torah does not warn against prostrating oneself to idols here, is that it had already included this in verse five which is a conceptual continuation of not making idols mentioned in verse four.

The word יהיה implies that an Israelite having idolatrous thoughts would invent such a deity.

אחרים, according to Rabbi Eliezer, in the same paragraph of the Mechilta, the expression elohim acheyrim means that they coined new names for new deities constantly, i.e. when one proved impotent, they exchanged it for another. If a deity made of gold had proved worthless they substituted one made of silver. He derives this from when Moses said in Deuteronomy 32,17: חדשים מקרוב באו, “new ones, which had come into existence only lately.”

According to Jeremiah 2,19 "that your evil will discipline you," it is the idol you have created which will become the instrument of your punishment.

לא יהיה לך אלוהים אחרים, “you will have no authority over you other than Mine.”

As soon as a Jew makes an additional deity for himself he automatically cannot relate to G'd as the only G'd anymore. This is so even if he has no intention of serving the deity he has made. The Torah speaks of לא יהיה in the singular while concluding the sentence in the plural, i.e. אלהים אחרים, other deities (pl). The meaning is: "there will no longer be a single deity as soon as you have additional deities." Another meaning of this combination of singular and plural is simply that once a person adopts an additional deity this is bound to lead to a variety of other deities he is apt to worship. Sanhedrin 102 illustrates that the Israelites used to worship a large variety of deities proving the point we have just made.

על פני, “in My place;” we find a similar use of this expression in Deuteronomy 21,16: על פני בן השנואה, where the Torah forbids to treat the firstborn son of a beloved wife, that has been born later than the firstborn son of a less beloved wife, preferentially. In other words, as long as the firstborn son of the less beloved wife is alive, his claim to be treated as the firstborn of the father cannot be overruled. We also have this expression when after the death of the two oldest sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, his sons Elazar and Ittamar were appointed as priests in their stead. An alternate explanation: “If you were to accept any of these deities as your gods this would be against My express wishes and would arouse My anger against you.” An example of a similar construction would be: חמס ושוד ישמע על פני, “before Me constantly are grief and wounds.” Or: ,אם לא אל פניך יברכך, “if not he will curse you to your face.” (Job 2,5)

על פני, before Me. We can understand this expression in connection with what Maimonides writes in chapter nine of his Hilchot Yessodey Hatorah that a prophet established credibility as a true prophet if, when he asks the people to disregard one of G'd's commandments on a temporary basis only, that commandment is not one involving idolatry. Anyone tampering with any law involving idolatry automatically disqualifies himself as a prophet. The word על פני means "at any time." Inasmuch as G'd is eternal there would be absolutely no time frame during which the prohibition of idolatry could be suspended.

Another meaning is that G'd is angry at those who idolise anyone else. Some people would have argued that inasmuch as serving one of G'd's agents such as the sun should not anger G'd seeing the worshiper is well aware that the sun is only His agent, the Torah wants to correct that impression. G'd spells this out even more clearly at the end of verse seven where He refers to His jealous nature.

The words are also a warning for the people not to give in to the natural desire to see their G'd. Since G'd is invisible, they are not to substitute some image to symbolise the invisible G'd.

Another meaning is the warning that Israel would forfeit their image amongst the nations as being G'd's people bearing the name of the Lord (compare Deut. 28,10 "all the nations on earth will see that the name of the Lord is proclaimed over you").

פסל A GRAVEN IMAGE — it is so called because it is chiselled out (the root פסל has this meaning).

לא תעשה לך פסל, even if you do not mean to use it as an object of worship.

לא תעשה לך פסל, "Do not make a graven image for yourself, etc." Seeing that G'd had already outlawed even entertaining idolatrous thoughts on pain of death, why would He have to prohibit the making of an idol? If the Torah referred to making an idol for someone else, why did it add the word לך "for yourself?" Besides, if only the construction of an idol as a piece of art is meant, the Torah did not need to add the words: "do not bow down to them" in verse 5! Why does the Torah employ the expression פטל instead of אלוהים אחרים? Why did the Torah have to repeat the words ה׳ אלוקיך in verse 5? G'd had already described Himself as a "jealous G'd," etc.! Why did G'd have to give a reason for the prohibition by saying: "because I am a jealous G'd," etc.? Does He have to justify His objection to the Israelites serving idols?

Because it is carved. It is from the same root as (34:1) “Carve out פסל לך , two stone tablets for yourself.”

ALL THAT IS IN THE WATER UNDER THE EARTH. This expression includes the demons beneath the waters and the inhabitants thereof.³⁴²Job 26:5. And so the Rabbis have said,³⁴³Mechilta on the verse here. “All that is in the water under the earth: this includes the reflected images [which appear in the water].” Of all of them He said, Thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them³⁴⁴Verse 5. in any manner of worship whatsoever, even if the worshipper’s intent is not to remove himself from the authority of the Holy One, blessed be He. Thus He has ordered all these services to be devoted to the Proper Name [of the Eternal], blessed be He.

(Ibid. 4) "You shall not make for yourself an idol (lit., "a carving")": I might think that he may not make one that projects but he may make one that is flat. It is, therefore, written "any likeness." I might think that he may not make a flat one, but that he may make (an idol of) a planting. It is, therefore, written (Devarim 16:25) "You shall not plant for yourself an asheirah." I might think that he may not plant one, but that he may make one of wood. It is, therefore, written (Ibid.) "any wood." I might think that he may not make one of wood, but that he may make one of stone. It is, therefore, written (Leviticus 26:1) "And a covering stone, etc." I might think that he may not make one of stone, but that he may make one of silver. It is, therefore, written (Exodus 20:20) "gods of silver." I might think that he may not make one of silver, but that he may make one of gold. It is, therefore, written (Ibid.) "and gods of gold." I might think that he may not make one of gold, but that he may make one of copper or tin or lead. It is, therefore, written (Exodus 34:13) "Molten gods you shall not make for yourself." I might think that he may not make for himself the likeness of all these but that he may make one of any form. It is, therefore, written (Devarim 4:16) "Lest you corrupt yourselves and make … of any form." I might think that he may not make one of any form, (of human being), but that he may make one of the likeness of an animal, beast, or bird. It is, therefore, written (Ibid. 17) "the figure of any beast, etc." I might think that he may not make the likeness of all of these, but that he may make the likeness of fish, hoppers, reptiles, and creeping things. It is, therefore, written (Ibid. 19) "any thing that creeps on the ground." I might think that he may not make the likeness of sun, moon, stars, and constellations. It is, therefore written (Ibid. 19) "And lest you lift your eyes to the heavens, etc." I might think that he may not make the likeness of any of these, but he may make the likeness of angels, cherubs, ofanim and chashmalim (angelic entities). It is, therefore, written (Ibid. 39) "in the heavens." If "in the heavens," I might think that he may not make the likeness (only) of sun, moon, and stars. It is, therefore, written (Ibid.) "above" — neither the likeness of cherubs or ofanim. I might think that he may not make the likeness of all these, but he may make the likeness of the depths or of darkness. It is, therefore, written (Ibid. 18) "which is in the waters beneath the earth." To include reflected images. These are the words of R. Akiva. Others say: To include shavririm (water creatures). So far did the Holy One Blessed be He pursue the yetzer hara (the evil inclination) to give it no pretext for permissiveness (in this area).

V.4. Die Verirrung steigt, wenn der Vorstellung von dem Dasein eines andern Gottes noch durch irgend eine bildliche Darstellung ein konkreter Ausdruck gegeben wird. פסל: obgleich פסל (verwandt mit פצל, abschälen), seiner Grundbedeutung nach auf Skulptur hinweist und zunächst ein aus Stein oder Holz geschnitztes Bild zu bedeuten scheint, so lehren doch Stellen wie הפסל נסך חרש (Jes. 40, 19), wo das Bild gegossen wird, dass in dem Begriff פסל von der Art der Hervorbringung abgesehen ist und damit eine jede plastische Darstellung bezeichnet wird. תמונה aber, rad. מון, wovon מין, umfasst, wie wir bereits zu (Bereschit 1, 11) bemerkt, eine jede die Art eines Wesens, somit seinen Begriff vergegenwärtigende Darstellung. תמונה kann daher auch das gemalte Bild, ja auch die bloße symbolische Vergegenwärtigung eines Wesens an sich bezeichnen. — Es heißt nun nicht תמונת אשר וגו׳, sondern: תמונה. Es ist somit nicht: Bild und Darstellung dessen, was im Himmel usw. sondern beides ist Akkusativ: mache dir das, was im Himmel etc. ist, nicht in einem plastischen Bilde oder in sonst einer Darstellung. Es ist dies um des im folgenden Verse vorkommenden לא תשתחוה להם וגו׳ wichtig. Ist im V. 4 nur das Bild und die Darstellung Objekt, so bezieht sich das להם usw. auch nur auf diese, und es wäre sodann da eigentlich nur Bilderdienst untersagt. Sind aber dort die im Himmel etc. vorhandenen oder gedachten Wesen und ihre bildliche Darstellung Objekt, so bezieht sich das להם auf beides, auf die Wesen und auf ihre Darstellung und verbietet die göttliche Verehrung beider. — מעל .ממעל wäre jeder über uns befindliche Raum, den wir nur aufsteigend erreichen können. ממעל bezeichnet die Nichtung von dem Anfang dieser über uns befindlichen Grenze aufwärts. Also alles, was nahe oder bis in die unermessliche Ferne über uns ist. Ebenso entgegengesetzt: מתחת, von unterhalb unserer Füße abwärts.

לא תעשה לך פסל וכל תמונה, “do not make for yourself a sculptured image or any likeness (of what is in heaven above or on earth below)” In Deuteronomy 4,15 the Torah supplies the reason for this prohibition when we read: “for you have not seen any likeness (at the revelation)”. You should not be able to say that I am a G-d Who hides Himself, and since no one can see You I am forced to make for myself an image in order to constantly remind myself of You and to prostrate myself before Your image instead, in Your honour.

וכל תמונה lit., OR ANY LIKENESS i. e. the likeness of any thing אשר בשמים THAT IS IN THE HEAVENS.

A picture of any thing in the heavens. . . Rashi explains this so we will not think תמונה is the name of a certain idol [whose image may not be made]. Furthermore, [Rashi says this] because a picture of heaven cannot be made. A picture is a property of an entity; one cannot make a picture that stands [independent of a material entity]. Therefore Rashi explains: “Of any thing in the heavens,” such as stars in the shape of Aries or of Taurus.

Apparently, the Torah speaks about a prohibition of idol worship over and above that which was mentioned in verse 3. It may well refer to the person who believes in the One and only G'd but, who, due to G'd's invisibility, desires to remind himself of His existence and all-pervasiveness by means of a symbol such as a picture or a sculpture. When such a person offers up a prayer he feels more comfortable if he can concentrate on a visual image of sorts; hence he constructs for himself such an image in order to pray more intensely to our One and only G'd. Or, such a worshiper may feel embarassed to bother G'd Himself with all his little problems, but he feels at ease speaking of these problems to someone whom he considers merely a subordinate of G'd. Most of the idol worshipers have fallen victim to this error. Originally, they knew very well that they did not bow down in front of a deity but only in front of one of G'd's servants whom they had decided to adopt as a symbol. The reason that the Torah refers to such a sculpture as פסל and not as אלוה is precisely because that is all the sculpture meant to the person who fashioned it. The word is closely connected to פסולת, refuse, something to be discarded; as such it reminds a person that it has no intrinsic value or power. Another reason the Torah may call it פסל is that it is liable to become worthless as soon as G'd decides to rob it of its value because someone had idolised it. We find something along these lines in Eycha Rabbati chapter 2 where the people of the generation which perished during the deluge [in my edition this seems to apply to the generation of the time of Jeremiah, Ed.] are described as making use of G'd's celestial forces to overcome their enemies. G'd outmanoeuvered them by changing the names of these various forces so that people could not make improper use of their knowledge of the powers invested in these celestial forces. At any rate, G'd said: "Do not make a פסל for yourself (of anything representing celestial forces) even if you are fully aware that it has no intrinsic value." G'd then continued to describe what purpose such a פסל was meant to serve, i.e. to bow down to it.

וכל תמונה, “nor any likeness;” the prefix letter ו seems unnecessary; it is meant to mean: “do not make for yourself a sculptured image of any likeness, even if it is only the face of that creature. Since the reason of making such artwork is to use it as a symbol of G-d, it is idolatrous by definition. You must not even make sculptured images of a widow or orphan.

The reason one is not to bow down to it is the jealous nature of G'd, i.e. He objects to this even if it is not only not meant to offend Him, but to enhance the worshiper's relationship with his G'd. In order to better understand this element of "jealousy" it is worthwhile to look at Numbers 5,14 where the Torah discusses the "jealousy" of a husband who has reason to suspect his wife of marital infidelity. The Torah writes: "and a spirit of jealousy over- comes him (the husband)." There are times when a father has reason to be jealous of his son, or a master of his servant, or a husband of his wife. You know that Israel's status vis-a-vis G'd is like that of a bride to a husband. This theme has been developed at length by Solomon in his Song of Songs. If Israel were to make some other deities for themselves even while they do not deny G'd or rebel against His commandments seeing that He is the Supreme G'd, the "husband" would still be entitled to become jealous. Imagine the wife of a king who falls in love with one of his servants and who would display this affection by paying extra attention to the requirements of this servant. Would the king not become jealous when he observed this and would ultimately stab his wife to death? Our relationship with G'd has to be viewed in a similar light. If one examines the many areas in which the relationship between Israel and G'd is special, one will not have any difficulty in accepting that G'd is "jealous" of preserving this special relationship. This is why He stresses : "I am the Lord YOUR G'd," i.e. our relationship is special. Moses underlines this once more in Deut. 4,19 when he refers to the intermediaries G'd has assigned to looking after the interests of the nations of the world as opposed to Israel who do not need such intermediaries.

G'd therefore warns Israel "do not make a פסל for yourself," i.e. do not destroy yourself by disqualifying your special relationship with G'd. The sin of idolatry brings in its wake a loss of the צלם אלוקים, the image of G'd in which man has been created. We know this from Psalms 39,7: אך בצלם יתהלך־איש, "man can walk upright only as long as he possesses the mark of having been created in the image of the Lord;" The Psalmist means that celestial beings will not take any notice of man once he forfeits his צלם אלוקים. We find a similar thought expressed in Kings II 3,14, when the prophet Elisha tells king Yehoram (the idolator) that "if I had not beheld (respected) the face of King Yehoshaphat king of Yehudah, I would not have even looked at you" the two kings were allied against Moav, Ed.]

אל קנא A JEALOUS GOD — He is jealous to exact punishment, and does not pass over His rights by pardoning idolatry (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:5:1). Wherever: the expression קנא occurs it signifies in old French emportement, English zeal, — determining to exact punishment.

POKEID’ (VISITING) THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHERS UPON THE CHILDREN UNTO THE THIRD AND FOURTH GENERATION OF THEM THAT HATE ME. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that the meaning of the term p’kidah is similar to that of z’chirah (remembrance), just as in the verse, And the Eternal ‘pakad’ Sarah,³⁴⁵Genesis 21:1. which is like: “and the Eternal remembered her.” The purport [of the verse here, according to Ibn Ezra], is that G-d will postpone [punishment] of the wicked person because perhaps he will repent and beget a righteous son. But if the son walks in his father’s ways, as also the third and fourth generations, their memories will be destroyed, for G-d will ‘remember’ [to visit punishment upon them for] what the parents have done, and He will no longer postpone their punishment. All the commentators have similarly interpreted [the above Scriptural expression]. But if this be so, the sins of the fathers will not be visited upon their children nor upon the third generation, but only on the fourth. It would have been proper then for Scripture to say that He will visit the iniquity of the fathers and their sons and of the third generation upon the fourth generation! Perhaps these commentators will say that the sense of the verse is that He remembers the iniquity of the fathers upon their sons, saying [to them], “You and your fathers have sinned.” He does thus with the third and fourth generations, and then takes vengeance upon them, and never again does He visit it upon them, for He destroys them all in their iniquity.
But their explanation is not correct. Scripture mentions G-d’s remembrance of all of them equally, and it does not specify that the vengeance is exacted [only] in the end, i.e., on the fourth generation. Besides, the term p’kidah in conjunction with the word al — [as it occurs here: ‘pokeid’ avon avoth ‘al’ banim] — is not used in connection with remembrance, but rather signifies vengeance [or punishment]. Thus: And on the day ‘pokdi upakad’ti’ (that I do punish, I will punish) them for their sin;³⁴⁶Further, 32:34. In that day ‘yiphkod hashem’ (the Eternal will punish) with his sore and great and strong sword leviathan the slant serpent, and leviathan the tortuous serpent, and He will slay the dragon that is in the sea;³⁴⁷Isaiah 27:1. ‘yiphkod hashem’ (the Eternal will punish) the host of the high heaven on high.³⁴⁸Ibid., 24:21. All of these are expression of vengeance and punishment.
The correct interpretation thus appears to me to be that Scripture is stating that He visits the iniquity, which the father perpetrated, upon his children, and excises them on account of the iniquity of their father, something like it is said, Prepare ye slaughter for his children for the iniquity of their fathers.³⁴⁹Ibid., 14:21. Similarly, He visits it upon the third generation if the sin of the two generations is not yet full, something like [it is said], for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full.³⁵⁰Genesis 15:16. Sometimes He visits the iniquity of all three generations upon the fourth one when their measure [of iniquity] is filled and then he excises them. But in the fifth generation, no one is punished for the iniquity of his ancestor in the first generation. Now in the Book of Deuteronomy, [where the Ten Commandments are restated], He added a vav [to the expression ‘al shileishim’ (unto the third generation), thus making it] ‘v’al’ shileishim v’al ribei’im l’sonai.³⁵¹Deuteronomy 5:9. But the meaning of the vav [there is not the usual “and”] but “or” — [” ‘or’ unto the third generation ‘or’ unto the fourth generation of them that hate me” — as explained above].
Now Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that children’s children are called “children.” This is why He used the briefer term.³⁵²Ibn Ezra tried to answer this question: Since Scripture uses the terms shileishim and ribei’im to signify the third and fourth generations, why does it not say shni’im for the second generation instead of using the term banim (children)? For this reason, Ibn Ezra interpreted banim as meaning “children and children’s children,” for they are both called banim. Hence, Scripture could not use the term shni’im, for that would have meant only the second generation after the sinner, who is the first generation. However, in fact the second and third generations also need to be included here. For this reason, Scripture used banim, which includes the children’s children as well, i.e., the third generation after the sinner. Accordingly, in Ibn Ezra’s opinion, shileishim will mean the children of the third generation, who are the fourth generation after the sinner, and ribei’im will mean the children of the fourth generation, who constitute the fifth generation. Ramban will differ with this entire interpretation. You can understand this from the terms shileishim (the third generation) and ribei’im (the fourth generation).³⁵³Ibn Ezra’s intent is that when you consider the words shileishim and ribei’im, this question will occur: Why does Scripture not use the term shni’im instead of banim? You must then conclude as explained in the preceding note. But this is not so. Shileishim means the third generation in that sin. [Hence, it includes only the father, his children, and his children’s children.] Likewise, ribei’im means the fourth generation in that sin, totalling four sinners. And the verse stated in connection with the thirteen attributes of G-d, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third generation and unto the fourth generation,³⁵⁴Further, 34:7. is to be explained³⁵⁵The Hebrew text possibly lends itself to this translation: “He — [i.e., G-d, Who is proclaiming these thirteen attributes] — is explaining that al b’nei banim (upon the children’s children) is the shileishim (the third generation) and ribei’im (the fourth generation).” In other words, al b’nei banim is in apposition to al shileishim v’al ribei’im. as “the children’s children, who are the third and fourth generations.” It is for this reason that Moses, [when invoking the thirteen attributes] in the case of the spies, turned back [to this specific attribute as expressed here in the Ten Commandments] and said, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, upon the third and upon the fourth generation.³⁵⁶Numbers 14:18. He did not mention “children’s children,” for it is all one, [i.e., “children’s children” is the same as shileishim].
Now Scripture states [that this attribute of punishment applies only to] those that hate Me. That is, if the children hate G-d. If the sinner begot a righteous son, he does not bear the iniquity of the father, as [the prophet] Ezekiel has explained.³⁵⁷Ezekiel 18:20.
From the words of our Rabbis,³⁵⁸Tosephta Sotah 4:1. there appears a proof to the explanation I have presented above, [i.e., that ‘pokeid’ the sins of the fathers, etc., is to be understood in the sense of “visiting” or “punishing”]. From here, they have derived the principle that the [Divine] measure of good is greater than the measure of punishment, for the measure of punishment is for four generations [while that of reward is for thousands]. But if it were as the first explanation has it, [namely, that of Ibn Ezra, that pokeid means “remembers,” thus signifying that He postpones the punishment of the sinner until the fourth generation in the hope that perhaps he will beget a righteous son], then “the measure of good” would have been greater if He postponed punishment even to the tenth generation!³⁵⁹According to Ibn Ezra, the phrase in question represents a measure of G-d’s mercy. He does not punish the sinner immediately but “remembers” it until the third and fourth generations because perhaps he will repent and beget a righteous son. But, asks Ramban, if that were the interpretation, “the measure of Divine good” would be increased if such “punishment” were withheld even to the tenth generation! Why then did the Rabbis in the above-mentioned text speak of the Divine measure of good being manifested in punishment only to four generations when that Divine manifestation would apply even if it were extended to the tenth generation? But according to Ramban, who asserts that this verse represents a measure of G-d’s judgment — for pokeid means “punishing,” and the verse declares that the effects of the punishment are felt up to and including the fourth generation — that question cannot be asked. If punishment were extended to the tenth generation, it would no longer represent “a measure of good.” On the contrary, it would be a harsher judgment.
It is possible that this strict measure [of punishment that is imposed on a sinner and which is felt up to the fourth generation] applies only to idolatry, for it is with regard to this prohibition that He is warning here. However, in the rest of the commandments, [the rule applies that] every one shall die of his iniquity.³⁶⁰Jeremiah 31:30. You will find the hidden secret of visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children in the Book of Ecclesiastes.³⁶¹The allusion is to the verse, One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh (Ecclesiastes 1:4), upon which the Sefer Habahir commented: “that hath come already.” This means that the generation that passes away had come into the sins of the father “that had come already” in a previous generation, and the sins of the father are now visited upon the son, etc. (Ma’or V’shamesh). The mystic doctrine of the transmigration of souls is thus alluded to here. I have already written concerning it.³⁶²Genesis 38:8 (Vol. I, pp. 469-470).

לא תשתחוה להם, to any phenomena in the universe not man-made.

פקד עון אבות, "Who remembers the sins of the fathers, etc." Having stated that G'd is "jealous," and knowing that in our world anyone who is jealous reacts promptly against the person he is jealous of, G'd might have been expected to react similarly. We know from many thousands of years of history, that people who have given G'd ample reason to be "jealous" appear to enjoy an undisturbed life. Where then was G'd's "jealousy?" Are we, G'd forbid, to assume that G'd was either unaware of these sinners or unable to punish them? The Torah therefore states that if we observe the very opposite of jealousy in G'd's apparent relationship to these sinners, the reason is that though it is His nature to be "jealous," He is also פקד, remembers things, i.e. He does not exact retribution immediately. His patience may extend for up to the fourth generation after the sins committed by the original sinner. G'd vows that His patience does not extend beyond the fourth generation. The reason why G'd practices this patience is that if He were to punish everybody immediately mankind would cease to exist. This is the only reason that G'd appears to turn a blind eye to the sins committed by people. He waits until the sinners' children grow up hoping that these children will pursue a lifestyle more to His liking. When the children of sinners do this it has a positive effect on their parents' standing in the hereafter (Sanhedrin 104). Should the children of the sinner continue the evil ways of their fathers, G'd considers this when He punishes the second generation; or, He may wait for an improvement of the third generation before He includes the sins of the fathers when He punishes that generation for its own sins. He will not defer punishment past the third generation as by that time the family of the original sinner has become so deeply rooted in the domain of the קליפה that there is no hope for rehabilitation by their own efforts. When G'd's "jealousy" finally is displayed against such a family it is much more destructive than had it been displayed already against the original sinner. On no account must we assume that G'd makes a rule of deferring punishment until the fourth generation. As far as G'd's timetable is concerned even punishment meted out in the fourth generation is considered "immediate." Three generations are considered three hundred years, whereas a day in G'd's terms is one thousand years in our terms. This is implied in the Torah saying: על, ועל instead of merely saying that G'd's patience would extend עד דור רביעי, until the fourth generation as the Torah says concerning the reward which will be paid לאלפים "up to two thousand generations."

לשונאי, if their children also hate Me.

לא תשתחוה להם ולא תעבדם, “neither prostrate yourself before them nor worship them.” Any kind of worship even if it does not involve a visible form of obeisance such as prostrating oneself. This is forbidden even if one does not mean thereby to in any way diminish one’s faith and devotion to Hashem.

He is jealous to exact punishment. . . I.e., He intends to exact punishment [if He has not yet done so]. And if He has already punished, this demonstrates His jealousy, for He punishes because of jealousy.

V. 5. Das Verbrechen steigt, wenn einem Wesen oder seiner Darstellung göttliche Verehrung gezollt wird. Diese tatsächliche Gott-Anerkennung eines andern tritt hier in השתחויה und עבודה auf. Beide erscheinen (Sanhedrin 60 a.) als zwei begrifflich zu Unterscheidende Kategorien des Kultus. השתחויה, das Sichniederwerfen, obgleich nicht zu עבודות פנים gehörig. d. h. obgleich es nicht eine zur Huldigung des einen Einzigen in seinem Heiligtume vorgeschriebene Handlung ist, ist gleichwohl vor jedem andern vergötterten Wesen oder dessen Abbild verpönt, selbst wenn es שלא כדרכו, nicht zu dem speziellen Kult dieses Abgottes gehört. Bei den andern עבודות ist zu unterscheiden: עבודות פנים d.i. Handlungen, die zum Ausdruck der Huldigung des einen Einzigen in seinem Heiligtume vorgeschrieben sind, also זיבוח וקיטור וניסוך sind ohne Unterschied irgend einem andern Wesen zuzuwenden verpönt; alle andern Kulthandlungen aber nur כדרכו, nur wenn sie zum gewöhnlichen Kult dieses Abgottes gehören. Vergegenwärtigen wir uns die Bedeutung der symbolischen Handlung des völligen Nieder- und Hinwerfens vor einem andern, sowie die Bedeutung des Begriffes עבודה und der ihm zum Ausdruck dienenden Handlungen, so erscheint השתחויה, das völlige Hinwerfen, als Ausdruck der völligen passiven Hingebung, sowie עבודה als Ausdruck der aktiven, tätigen Hingebung. השתחויה ist die Anerkennung und Huldigung des andern als des alleinigen Gebieters über unser Geschick, עבודה, buchstäblich das Aufgehen in den Dienst eines andern, ist die Anerkennnng und Huldigung des andern als Gebieters über unsere Tat. Jenes ist die Anerkennung des Lenkers unseres Geschickes, dieses die Anerkennung des Leiters unserer Taten. Beides zusammen bildet den Begriff, den wir bereits als ganzen Inhalt unserer Gottes-Anerkennung erkannt haben. Charakteristisch ist es, dass im Tempel des einen Einzigen vor allem עבודה, nicht השתחויה gefordert wird. Sein Tempel ist das Heiligtum seines Gesetzes; דביר, Wortstätte heißt sein Allerheiligstes; und es ist die Gesetzeslade, über welche seine Cherubim ihre Flügel zum Tragen seiner שכינה breiten. Nicht die Huldigung Gottes als einzigen Lenkers unserer Geschicke, erst seine Huldigung als einzigen Gesetzgebers unseres Lebens macht uns zum Juden und setzt diese die erstere stillschweigend voraus. Zum heidnischen Abfall von Gott verlockt aber vor allem der Wahn, als ob noch irgend etwas außer Gott, dem einen Einzigen, einen selbständigen Einfluss auf unsere Geschicke üben könne, darum ist השתחויה vor irgend etwas anderm oder vor irgend einem andern außer Gott ein solcher Abfall von Ihm, dem einen Einzigen. Geschweige denn, dass die Hingebung unserer Lebens-, unserer Tatkraft und unseres genießenden Daseins in den Dienst eines andern, wie diese durch זיבוח וקיטור וניסוך dem Dienste des einen Einzigen geweiht werden, oder ein sonstiges Zuwillenleben, wie dies heidnischer Wahn für den erträumten Willen eines wahnerzeugten Gottes beliebt, den Abfall von dem einen Einzigen bedeutet. Der entsittlichende Einfluss, den עבודה זרה, den der heidnische Götterkult auf das Taten- und Genussesleben der Menschen geübt, wird begreiflich, wenn wir bedenken, wie in ihm ja unfreie Naturgewalten als Götterideale dastanden, denen eben durch unfreie Dahingebung an Naturtriebe und Leidenschaften gehuldigt wurde, und somit Verbrechen und Ausschweifung in den Kreis Götter verehrender Handlungen erhoben werden konnten. Es war ja die zu sinnlicher Lust reizende Begierde selber eine Göttergewalt, und עבודה זרה und גלוי עריות gingen, wie die Weisen lehren, Hand in Hand.

לא תשתחוה להם, “neither must you prostrate yourself before them even if they are not yours and have been made by others.”

לשנאי OF THEM THAT HATE ME — This must be explained in the same sense as the Targum takes it: when they retain in their hands (follow the example of) the evil doings of their ancestors (Sanhedrin 27b); and He keeps (stores up) the mercy which a person does to give a reward for it to the thousand generations of that person’s descendants. It follows, therefore, that the measure of good (reward) is greater than the measure of punishment in the proportion of one to five hundred, for the former is threatened only to four generations whilst the latter is bestowed upon thousands (two thousands at least) (Tosefta Sotah 4:1; see Rashi on Exodus 34:7).

א-ל קנא, I cannot tolerate that someone who worships Me worships also someone beside Me. The reason is that there is absolutely no comparison between Me and any other phenomenon in the universe. I am therefore entitled to stand on My dignity by refusing to be compared.

אל קנא, “a jealous G’d.” We never find the attribute of G’d being jealous in any connection other than with idolatry. He warns us that just as a jealous husband is likely to take revenge on his adulterous wife, so He is going to punish the Israelite who, by breaching the covenant, gives Him cause to display jealousy.

When they retain in their hands the deeds. . . [Rashi knows this] because otherwise, it [contradicts what] is written (Devarim 24:16): “Fathers shall not be put to death for the children, [and children shall not be put to death for their fathers].”

The concept of G'd not displaying His jealousy against the sinners is something very confusing, especially so when such sinners keep piling new sins upon old ones and enjoy success (in their terms). Once one comprehends the fact that G'd may limit such success to four generations the fact that G'd sometimes appears to punish a particular family who do not appear to have been especially sinful becomes acceptable. This is what Assaph had in mind in Psalms 73,17 when he said "I will understand this in light of their eventual fate." He referred to people who were at the tail end of four generations of sinners and now experienced G'd's "jealousy." Whereas G'd never includes sins committed five generations ago in the punishment of a particular generation, the reverse is true of reward. Reward for good deeds may be extended for up to two thousand generations.

Also: räume keinem andern Gott einen Einfluss auf dein Geschick und deine Taten ein, קַנֵא .כי וגו׳ אל קנא, verwandt mit קנה, (etwas zu eigen haben), sein Eigentumsrecht geltend machen, etwas als sein Recht fordern, für das verletzte Recht, des eigenen oder eines andern, eintreten. Es heißt nun nicht מְקַנֵא, ich mache meinen Anspruch auf dich geltend, lasse dich nicht und kein Teilchen aller deiner Beziehungen mir entziehen, sondern: ich bin א׳ קנא, es liegt — menschlich gesprochen — tief in meinem Wesen, ich wäre nicht, der ich bin, wenn ich nicht א׳ קנא wäre, das "קנא" ist ein spezifisches Unterscheidungsmerkmal von allem andern, was die Menschen Götter nennen. Du kannst mich nicht denken, ohne dir zu vergegenwärtigen, dass ich קנא bin. אנכי: als dich und das Universum tragende Persönlichkeit, ד׳: von dessen alleinigem Willen jeder kommende Weltaugenblick abhängt, אלקיך: der ich dich herausgenommen, um dein ganzes Geschick und dein ganzes Tatenleben zu gestalten und zu leiten, bin ich א׳ קנא, bin ich ausschließend, schließe ich alles andere aus und fordere dich ganz, mit deiner ganzen Gegenwart und deiner ganzen Zukunft.

ולא תעבדם, “and you must not serve them;” even if the mode in which they are being served represents something disgraceful and despicable in your eyes.

פוקד עון אבות, the reason why I sometimes wait so long before punishing some of the wicked in this life is that by waiting and noticing that their offspring, i.e. second and third generation continue in their wicked ways their measure of guilt will become so full that I will exterminate that whole family from life in this world. [this is what happened to the family of Jerobam for instance, and that of Omri, his son Achav, etc. ] This was possible only by adding the unrequited sins of the fathers to those of the sons, or even subsequent generations, so that when finally, retribution did come, it wiped out the family completely. This happened in the third generation of the original sinner such as Omri’s grandchildren. It also happened to the fourth generation after Yehu (who himself had been G’d’s instrument for wiping out the family of Omri/Achav) when his great grandson Zecharyah was murdered after reigning only 6 months. (Kings II 15,9) We know about this method G’d employs sometimes already since Genesis chapter 15 when G’d explained to Avraham that his descendants could not expect to take possession of the land of Canaan until the fourth generation, as the sins of the Emorite would not be irrevocable until then. (Genesis 15,16)

פוקד עון אבות, “Who visits the sin of the fathers, etc.;” according to Ibn Ezra the meaning of the word פוקד here is the same as that of the word זוכר, i.e. “who remembers.” The word is used in that sense in Genesis 21,1 where it means that G’d remembered the fact that Sarah had not yet been blessed with child. In our verse it means that Hashem allows even the wicked time to rehabilitate themselves through repentance before imposing the punishment for the sins which they deserve. G’d hopes that during the time He holds the punishment in abeyance the sinner will sire a child who in turn will be righteous, thus retroactively making the sinner’s life worthwhile. However, if both the sinner’s children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren continue in the sinful ways of their forbears, G’d will not continue to delay punishment in the hope that this situation will change. Nachmanides challenges this interpretation of our verse, saying that if it were correct G’d would be visiting the sins not on the third generation but on the fourth generation. This would mean that the second and third generation of the father who went unpunished would also go unpunished. If that were so, the Torah should have written: זוכר עון אבות ובנים ושלישים על רבעים, “He will visit (show remembrance) of the sin of the fathers and the sons and the grandsons on the great-grandsons.” Perhaps what Ibn Ezra had in mind was that G’d remembers the sin of the father to the offspring by saying to the sinful offspring: “you as well as your (deceased) father or/and grandfather have been guilty of such and such.” As a result, the string of generations will be punished by that line being wiped out. However, the Torah does not say that all people, i.e. the sins of all fathers will be subject to an identical consideration by G’d. There are various verses in Scripture which indicate that sometimes G’d will exact punishment from the son or the grandson, as for instance we read in Isaiah 27,1 יפקד ה' בחרבו הקשה where the prophet announces that G’d will remember to punish the nations who have subjected Israel to violence, or Isaiah 14,21 הכינו לבניו מטבח בעון אבותם, “prepare a slaughtering block for their sons in retribution of the sins of their fathers, etc.” In both of these examples G’d is not described as waiting for four generations with exacting His vengeance. Sometimes the third generation will experience G’d’s vengeance, compare Deuteronomy 5,9, other times some descendants will experience it a generation sooner than their brothers, although to the uninitiated onlooker there appears to be no difference in conduct between them. When G’d indicated to Avraham that the Emorites were indeed guilty and deserved to be uprooted, He added that their guilt was not yet complete, i.e. the guilt of some of them, until the fourth generation had been reached, hence the descendants of Avraham could not be given their land until then. (Genesis 15,16). Any fifth generation experiencing G’d’s wrath is not being punished for the sins of the first of these five generations.

פקד עון אבות. — Wer will die ganze Tiefe der Gerechtigkeit und des liebenden Ernstes seiner menschenerziehenden Waltung ermessen, an die Gott mit diesem Ausspruch unser sterbliches Auge hinanführt? Wer will es wagen, auch nur begrifflich zu umschränken, was diese einfachen Worte aussagen?

כי אנכי ה' אלוקיך, “for I am the Lord your G-d;” seeing that you have a benign Master, you have no need to turn to idols.

... And 'that which I see' is that the understanding of the verse is certainly that God visits the iniquity of the parents even upon righteous children. And such was the faith of our fathers; and so did the Sages, may their memory be blessed, say - "A righteous one who has bad befall him is a righteous one that is the child of an evildoer!" And it is something to which [our] senses testify, that the father gives over to his child quite a few good and bad things. And perforce his ways and deeds bring good or bad to his offspring after him. And this phenomenon is one of the secrets of hidden providence in all of the events that happen in the world. 'And God did that they should fear before Him' - as every father loves his offspring; and the worry, lest his sins bring woes also to his children, stops him from always 'following his willful heart,' to one extent or another. And even if it does not stop him, behold those that see his children tormented because of his iniquity will cry out bitterly about him, and that man will 'become a parable and a byword.' And many 'will hear and fear and not do like his acts'... And behold, that which I said that the matter of the visiting of the iniquity of the fathers upon the children is something to which our senses testify, etc., is similar to that which Ralbag explained - that the punishment of the parents continues to the children by happenstance, in the way of "Our fathers sinned and are no more; and we must bear their guilt." And I also know that the understanding of the expression, "visiting the iniquity of the parents upon the children," is not that the punishment should continue to the children by happenstance, but rather that God punishes the children with a clear intention - as in (Exodus 32:34), "and I will visit their sins upon them"; (Hosea 4:9) "and I will visit its ways upon it." Likewise, the content of the word, "visit," is a directed punishment and not one by happenstance - as in (Hosea 9:7), "The days of visiting have come, the days of repayment have come"; (Isaiah 10:3), "And what will you do on the day of visiting." Nevertheless, this is the way of the Torah, to describe to us the the bad and the good as if they intentionally came down from Above as reward and punishment; even if they come about naturally, according to the way of the world. As there truly is nothing in the world that is by happenstance. For everything is the result of His causes, and everything is an outgrowth of the First Cause (see Kuzari 5:9). And just like God inscribed it into the laws of nature that the iniquities of the father bring bad to his offspring after him to threaten people, and just like the Torah said that the Lord is a jealous God, and vengeful and angry to threaten the Children of Israel; so too did it also say that He visits the iniquity of the parents upon the children - as if He did this by way of vengeance and fury - even though the thing happens naturally and is not revenge, God forbid. Rather, it is all for the good of people...

פוקד עון אבות על בנים, “remembering the sins of the fathers to the children.” Ibn Ezra says that the grandchildren are included in the term בנים in this verse. This is the reason why the Torah mentions both third and fourth generations in one sentence, without bothering to mention the second generation at all, seeing that the second generation was already included in the mention of בנים. Nachmanides disagrees with this reasoning, stating that what is referred to as שלשים, is in fact the third generation commencing with the fathers, i.e. the grandchildren of the sinful father. The fourth generation described as רבעים here are the great grandchildren, and the same applies to the list in Exodus 34,7, where G’d reveals to Moses thirteen of His attributes. This is also why Moses, in connection with the sin of the spies, (Numbers 14,18) refers to בנים, שלשים, רבעים. What he meant was that the grandchildren are the third generation. This is also why our sages say that G’d extends goodness to more generations than vengeance, i.e. whereas the sins of the former generations may not be forgotten for 4 generations, their good deeds are rewarded for as long as 2000 generations (verse 6).

I am cognizant (pokeid) of the sins of fathers. Pokeid signifies taking notice of a thing in order to take action regarding it. For this reason one who is assigned to a public office is called a pakid. Another meaning of pokeid is to “deduct.” Thus the Maharit renders this verse, “I deduct from the sins of the fathers in the merit of the children.” This is in keeping with the Sages’ principle that a son can bring his father merit (Sanhedrin 104a).

פקד — verwandt mit בית ,בגד, — heißt: etwas mit dem ihm Gebührenden bekleiden, logisch: mit den ihm gebührenden Attributen, praktisch: mit den ihm gebührenden Bestimmungen, Verhältnissen, Zuständen usw. Von der göttlichen Waltung: über etwas das ihm Gebührende oder Entsprechende verhängen. — עון von עוה, krumm sein, eine krumme Richtung nehmen, somit: die bewusstvolle Ablenkung von der einzigen vorgezeichneten Richtung. Es ist die entsprechendste Bezeichnung für die bewusstvolle Hingebung an ein unserer Bestimmung nicht entsprechendes Ziel; somit der treffende Ausdruck für den bewussten Abfall vom Rechten. (Auch den verwandten אוה und אבה liegt der Begriff einer geistigen Ablenkung von der ursprünglichen Richtung zu Grunde. אוה heißt die Richtung des Gemütes auf etwas noch nicht in unserer Richtung Liegendes, noch nicht Erreichbares. אבה ist geradezu die Aufgebung unserer eigenen Gemütsrichtung und der Anschluss an die eines andern, das Eingehen auf den Willen eines andern mit Aufgebung des eigenen.)

אל קנא, “a philosopher asked Rabbi Yehudi Hanassi since when a superior individual demeans himself by being jealous of someone way below him physically and mentally. The Rabbi answered him if he thought it appropriate that someone should call his dog by the same name as himself? Does it not make sense that he should be angry of being compared to a dog? The philosopher was forced to agree.

לשונאי, “to those who hate Me.” If the member of that generation is a wicked person and he hates the Lord, previous sins of former generations will also be held against him, whereas if the present generation are righteous none of the sins of former generations will be held against them.

Klar ist es, dass dieses "Maß" der göttlichen Waltung nur "לשונאי,, ausdrücklich nur da und dann ausgesprochen ist, wo und wann die auf einander folgenden Geschlechter alle שונאי ד׳ sind, die von Gott ihnen angewiesene Bestimmung hassen, sie "Dorn gleich" als ein Unglück, als eine Trübung und Gefährdung ihres Heiles oder ihres Strebens nach Heil von sich weisen.

פוקד עון אבות, “who remembers the sin of the fathers, etc;” G-d explains that He must demonstrate that He cannot simply “forget” the sins of the fathers, even if He delayed punishment for good reasons. This statement does not mean that the children will be taken to task for their father’s sins, seeing that the principle of each person is executed on account of his own sins not because of the sins of his fathers. (Kings II 14,6) This attribute of G-d must be understood as follows: when a person sins, G-d is apt to delay punishment to give the sinner an opportunity to become a penitent and to therefore rehabilitate himself. G-d’s patience may extend beyond the lifetime of the sinner and even the sinner’s son and grandson. If during these years the descendants of the original sinner have not mended their ways but continue to sin, G-d has to punish the great grandson for his own sins immediately, so that He will not be viewed as “forgetting” the original sin. He does so by removing that fourth generation of sinners from the world. He does so only when these generations successively have all been unrepentant sinners. He relates to such “sinners” in this fashion only if they do not sin inadvertently but “hate” Him and His laws,

Und nun פוקד עון אבות על בנים וגו׳ לשונאי, heißt es: Gott denkt den Abfall der Eltern an Kindern, Enkeln und Urenkeln, wenn sie ihn hassen? Wenn Kinder, wenn Enkel, auch noch wenn Urenkel den Weg des Abfalles fortwandeln, so denkt Gottes Waltung noch an den ersten Schritt, den die Eltern getan, erwägt, dass der Abfall noch nicht Generationen hindurch veraltet, die Umkehr noch möglich, und versucht durch Leidenserziehung die Kinder, die Enkel, oder auch noch die Urenkel wieder zu sich zurückzuführen; ist aber bis ins vierte Geschlecht die Umkehr nicht erfolgt, so geht das weitere Geschlecht in seinen Sünden zu Grunde? — Heißt es: Gott richtet den Abfall der Eltern an Kindern etc., wenn sie ihn hassen? In Schuld und Unglück der in Abfall fortwandelnden und um ihres Abfalles willen gezüchtigten Kinder, Enkel und Urenkel wirkt der Abfall der Eltern fort, die durch ihr Beispiel die Kinder auf den Abweg geführt und durch ihre Verschuldung Sünde und Elend an die Wiege ihrer Kinder zu Begleitern durchs Leben gestellt? — Heißt es, Gott straft die Eltern durch das Elend, das sie mit ihrem auf die Kinder vererbten Abfall auf deren Lebensweg gehäuft? — Heißt es — wie ופקדתם עליהם במשמרת את כל משאם (Bamidbar 4, 27 )— Gott trägt den Kindern, Enkeln und Urenkeln den Abfall der Väter zu sühnen auf? Statt die Eltern sofort um ihres Abfalles willen zu verderben, wartet Gott bis ins vierte Geschlecht, ob nicht noch Enkel und Urenkel wieder gut machen werden, was die Eltern verschuldet, und lässt erst dann das unverbesserliche Geschlecht in der fortgesetzten Schuld zu Grunde gehen? —

לשונאי, to those who hate “Me.” Having said this we might think that G-d operates in a similar fashion in delaying rewards for those who have lived exemplary lives; He therefore assures us that on the contrary, His memory of meritorious deeds performed by the fathers will be taken into consideration of the treatment of their children and children’s children for up to two thousand generations. He adds the words: לאלף דור, “for as long as a thousand generations,” i.e. forever. (Compare Deuteronomy 7,9)

Was jedoch auch immer in Wahrheit dieses Maß der göttlichen Waltung sein möge, zwei Wahrheiten sprechen sich in ihm mit dem ernstesten Ernste zu unser aller Beherzigung aus: Indem derselbe eine einzige Gott, der der Leiter unserer Handlungen sein will, indem derselbe Gott, der der Gesetzgeber für unser Leben ist, uns das Leben für die Erfüllung seines Gesetzes gibt und erhält: so vollziehen wir selber mit der Treue oder dem Abfall von seinem Gesetze den Bau oder die Zerstörung unseres Lebens. Es lebt ein Gott, der den Menschen richtet nach seinen Taten, dem keiner sich entzieht, und der keinen sich entziehen lässt.

Und der Kinder Wohl und Wehe bauen die Eltern mit Treue, mit Abfall. Es sind die Kinder ja Früchte am Lebens- und Geschickesbaume der Eltern. Um unserer Kinder willen sollten wir uns gesund, um unserer Kinder willen uns sittlich und brav, um unserer Kinder willen uns geistig wach und wacker erhalten. So gewiß Gott einem jeden Kinde eine reine Seele mit ins Hiersein gibt, so gewiss gestalten sich die getrübten Neigungen und Anlagen, Schwächen und Gebrechen, welche Eltern mit dem leiblichen Wesen auf die Kinder vererben, zu einer schweren Aufgabe, in deren Überwindung die reine Kinderseele ihre göttliche Kraft zu erproben haben wird, und das Elend, das Siechtum, das Beispiel sittlicher Entartung, mit welchen die Schuld der Eltern die Wiege ihrer kleinen Erdenbürger bettet, ladet diese zu einem harten, steilen Prüfungswege, in welchem sie die Palme sittlicher Erprobtheit zu erringen haben werden. —

Gottlob aber auch, und gottlob aber auch tausendfältig mehr עושה הסד לאלפים לאהבי ולשומרי מצותי lässt Gott aus der Treue, aus der "liebenden Hingebung und der Pflichttreue" der Eltern das Glück der Kinder noch übers tausendste Geschlecht hinaus erblühen! Es bildet die Bravheit, die geistige und sittliche Reinheit und Tüchtigkeit der Eltern einen breiten und mit jedem treuen Folgegeschlechte immer breiter und fester werdenden Boden, aus welchem geistig und sittlich heiter dem Guten zuwachsende Menschengeschlechter erblühen, die selbst von Abwegen leicht sich wieder in den einen Pfad des Rechten und Guten zurückfinden und die die Liebe und Gnade Gottes nimmer verlässt. —

Beides ist die Waltung unseres Einen Einzigen Gottes, der allein die Taten zählt und allein die Geschicke bestimmt. –

Doing kindness. That a person does, [so God will] repay a reward to the thousandth generation. When we find a good characteristic, it is greater than even one evil deed in five hundred, for this one is to four generations, and that one is to the thousandth.

AND HE SHOWETH MERCY UNTO THE THOUSANDTH GENERATION OF THEM THAT LOVE ME AND KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. It appears from the sense of the verse that this Divine assurance is with respect to the subject-matter of the commandments that He mentioned. He is thus saying that to those that love Him, He will show mercy to their thousandth generation. These are the ones who sacrifice their lives for Him, for they are the ones who acknowledge only the Glorious Name and His G-dship and deny all strange gods, refusing to worship them even if they are in mortal danger. They are called “the lovers [of G-d],” for this is the kind of love that we have been obligated to observe even at the sacrifice of life, just as He has said, And thou shalt love the Eternal thy G-d with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might,³⁶³Deuteronomy 6:5. meaning that you should give your very life because of your love of Him, that you should not alter Him for another god, nor join Him together with a strange god. It is for this reason that [the prophet] said of Abraham, the seed of Abraham my friend,³⁶⁴Isaiah 41:8. See Maimonides’ “The Commandments,” Vol. I, p. 4. since he risked his life in order not to worship the idols in Ur of the Chaldees.³⁶⁵See Ramban on Genesis 11:28 (Vol. I, pp. 156-161). The rest of the righteous are called those that keep My commandments.
Now many scholars³⁶⁶So it appears from Rashi’s commentary to Sotah 31 a, and from Rambam’s introduction to the tenth chapter of Sanhedrin. See my Hebrew commentary here, p. 395. have explained that “His lovers” are those who worship Him without the intention of receiving a reward, just as our Sages have mentioned.³⁶⁷Aboth 1:3, “Be not like servants who minister to their Master with the intention of receiving a reward; but be like the servants who minister to their Master without the intention of receiving a reward.” But I have found in the Mechilta that it is said:³⁶⁸Mechilta on the verse here. “Of them that love Me. This refers to Abraham and those like him. And those that keep My commandments. This refers to the prophets and the elders. Rabbi Nathan says that the verse, of them that love Me and keep My commandments, refers to those who dwell in the Land of Israel and give their lives for the commandments.³⁶⁹The reference is obviously to the persecutions by the Roman emperor Hadrian (117-138 Common Era), when the Jews in the Land of Israel were forbidden the practice of Judaism, including the study of Torah. Their determination to remain in the Land of Israel and practice their faith instead of emigrating to more peaceful lands such as Babylon, was at those times constituted as a special manifestation of their love of G-d. ‘Why are you being led out to be executed?’ ‘Because I have circumcised my son.’ ‘Why are you being led out to be burned?’ ‘Because I read the Torah.’ ‘Why are you being led out to be hanged?’ ‘Because I ate the unleavened bread.’ ‘Why are you being lashed with the whip?’³⁷⁰In our Mechilta: “Why are you whipped with a hundred lashes?” ‘Because I took the lulav.’³⁷¹“The Palm-branch.” See Leviticus 23:40. And it says, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.³⁷²Zechariah 13:6. These are the wounds which have caused me to become beloved of My Father in heaven.” Thus Rabbi Nathan explained that the love [of G-d, which is referred to in the verse before us], meant the sacrifice of life for the sake of the commandments. Now the verse here certainly refers to idolatry, for it is with reference to it that we are obligated at all times forever to suffer death rather than transgress [the law].³⁷³Sanhedrin 74a. See Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Yesodei Hatorah 5:2-3. But [Rabbi Nathan] broadened the matter to include all the commandments, [such as circumcision, the study of Torah, the eating of unleavened bread on Passover, the taking of the lulav³⁷¹“The Palm-branch.” See Leviticus 23:40. on Succoth — as mentioned above] — because in the time of religious persecutions, we are obligated to suffer death for any of the commandments³⁷³Sanhedrin 74a. See Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Yesodei Hatorah 5:2-3. [rather than transgress them], as derived from the other verse, And ye shall not profane My holy Name.³⁷⁴Leviticus 22:32. For full discussion of this topic, see my translation of Maimonides’ “The Commandments.” Vol. II, commandment 63, pp. 61-63. And it would also be incorrect to say of the first Sage [in the above Mechilta] — i.e., who said that [those who love Me] refers to Abraham, while [those who keep My commandments] refers to the prophets — that he is of the opinion that the prophets kept the commandments with the intention that they receive a reward! [Thus the explanation of “the many scholars”³⁶⁶So it appears from Rashi’s commentary to Sotah 31 a, and from Rambam’s introduction to the tenth chapter of Sanhedrin. See my Hebrew commentary here, p. 395. mentioned above is refuted by the Mechilta.] However, there is a secret in this [Mechilta]: Abraham risked his life in love³⁷⁵Abusaula, in his commentary on the mystic passages in Ramban, explains this as follows: “Abraham’s power revealed itself in mercy, while that of the rest of the prophets in the ameliorated Divine attribute of justice.” See Ramban, Genesis Vol. I, p. 543. — something like it is written, mercy to Abraham³⁷⁶Micah 7:20. “Know that mercy is love” (Ma’or V’shamesh). — and the rest of the prophets in g’vurah (might).³⁷⁵Abusaula, in his commentary on the mystic passages in Ramban, explains this as follows: “Abraham’s power revealed itself in mercy, while that of the rest of the prophets in the ameliorated Divine attribute of justice.” See Ramban, Genesis Vol. I, p. 543. Understand this.

ועושה חסד לאלפים, on other occasions the reason why retribution is so long delayed is due to the good deeds of someone’s forbears which I have sworn to requite by extending such patience in tolerating the errors of their offspring. [some of our sages attribute the continued existence of the Ishmaelites and their enmity to the Jews to the merit their founding father acquired when voluntarily submitting to circumcision at the tender age of 13. Ed.]

ועשה חסד לאלפים, "and Who performs deeds of loving kindness even to thousands." The main point is that even when G'd pays a reward He does not pay the entire reward in one generation but chooses the installments of such a reward in such a way that it maximises enjoyment of it over many generations. In a certain sense the reward is a form of protection against harmful experiences in store for subsequent generations. Shemot Rabbah 44,3 explains that if G'd had paid all the reward that Abraham was entitled to while he was alive, how (by what merit) would his descendents have been able to secure their livelihood? [how could G'd have found sufficient merit to forgive their descendants the sin of the golden calf? Ed.]

ועושה חסד לאלפים, to the third and fourth generation, fifth, tenth, hundredth and thousandth. The term אלפים mentioned here is equivalent to the אלף דור, 1000 generations mentioned in the parallel version of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 7,9. The two verses need not be a contradiction to one another according to the simple meaning of the text. Here the Torah mentions children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. All “children” are part of the same generation. All grandchildren are the same but second generation. The children after the 1000th generation are referred to as אלפים, or “the plural mode of one thousand.” In Deuteronomy, where children and grandchildren have not even been mentioned, and no mention is made of third and fourth generations, only the final generation to whom G’d extends such love is mentioned. Hence it is natural that this “final” generation qualifying for this loving care by G’d is called אלף דור, i.e. this generation being the children of the 1000th generation. In other words, both verses speak about the same generation being the last generation enjoying this love of G’d for something their originators so long ago did which pleased G’d.

ועושה חסד לאלפים לאוהבי, “and who performs deeds of loving kindness for thousands of generations for those who love Me.” Our sages in Sotah 31 explain the word לאוהבי as meaning: “for those who perform My commandments from a sense of love (for Me), whereas for those who perform G’d’s commandments only out of a sense of fear, i.e. לשומרי מצותיו, He does perform such acts of loving kindness for only one thousand generations. They also say (Sotah 31) that seeing the word לאוהבי, “to those who love Me,” has been written next to the word אלפים, “thousands, or at least two thousand, it is appropriate that it applies to people who perform the commandments out of a sense of love for G’d. On the other hand, the word לאלף דור, “for one thousand generations” (Deut. 7,9), applies to the people who though they perform the commandments do so only because they are afraid of being punished Even though performance of the commandments by such people is not at its optimum level G’d rewards them with disproportionately high reward. In Pessachim 50 our sages interpret the difference between the words in Psalms 57,11 “for Your kindness is as high as heaven,” and Psalm 108,5 where G’d’s kindness is described as “extending even beyond heaven,” by applying the former to people who observe the commandments without the proper intent, and the latter statement as reflecting the reward due to people who perform the commandments with the appropriate intent, i.e. not for what they stand to gain by it but by wanting to fulfill G’d’s purpose. All of this has been explained by Rav who said on that folio that the value of performing the commandments without the proper motivation lies in the fact that eventually one will perform them with the proper motivation. How do we reconcile this statement by Rav with that of Berachot 17 that someone peforming the laws of the Torah for the wrong reasons would better not have been created at all? That latter statement is meant for people who teach Torah to show off their knowledge but who have no fear of the Lord. [It is difficult to know which of many textural emendations on this line is correct. I have assumed that the author agrees with Tosafot Pesachim 50 on the correct interpretation of the statement in Berachot. Ed.]

That a person does. . . Question: Why does Rashi write ונוצר חסד , from 34:7, when here it is written ועושה חסד ? The answer is: So we will not mistakenly think that ועושה חסד refers to Hashem. I.e., that Hashem does lovingkindness for two thousand generations, but no more. [This is not so,] for it is written: “Hashem’s kindness is never-ending, His mercy does not cease” (Eichah 3:22). Thus Rashi brings the verse of ונוצר חסד , which means: when a person does loving-kindness, Hashem stores reward for him for two thousand generations. And so too, the verse of ועושה חסד refers to the person, [not to Hashem]. It means: when a person does loving-kindness, Hashem rewards until two thousand generations.

(Ibid. 6) "for My lovers and for the keepers of My mitzvoth": "for My lovers": our father Abraham and the like. "and for the keepers of My mitzvoth": the prophets and the elders. R. Nathan says: "for My lovers and the keepers of My mitzvoth": the Jews who dwell in Eretz Yisrael, and give their lives for the mitzvoth. Why are you going out to be executed? Because I circumcised my son, the Jew. Why are you going out to be burned? Because I read in the Torah. Why are you going out to be crucified? Because I ate matzoh. Why are you being given a hundred lashes? Because I took the lulav. And (Zechariah 13:6) "wherewith I was beaten in the house of my Lover" — these lashes have caused me to be beloved by my Father in heaven.

לאוהבי, “to those who love Me.” This is a reference to the category of Jews known as “chassidim” by their fellow Jews. [These are people who excel in their piety. Ed.]

Measure for reward is greater. . . Question: Why does Rashi need to tell us this simple mathematical calculation? The answer is: Rashi is resolving a difficulty with the verse in which is written that Hashem rewards for two thousand generations. This cannot mean as it seems, for the world lasts only six thousand years, so from beginning to end is less than one thousand generations! Thus Rashi explains that the verse only comes to teach how much greater is Hashem’s measure for reward. (Kitzur Mizrachi)

ולשומרי מצותיו, and to those who observe His commandments. According to Sotah 31 these words are not connected with the words "to thousands of generations." People who serve the Lord because they are afraid of punishment cannot expect subsequent generations to draw on their unexpired portion of reward for longer than one thousand generations, whereas the unexpired portion of the reward of people who served the Lord because of love for Him may remain valid for up to two thousand generations. The Talmud derives this from Deut. 7,9 where the Torah speaks about a reward extending for one thousand generations.

ולשומרי מצותי, “and to the ones who are observe My commandments;” [the Jews who are careful not to violate any of My negative commandments; the tzaddikim.” Ed.]

לשוא IN VAIN — for no valid reason, idly. What is a שבועת שוא, an oath taken for no valid reason? If one takes an oath declaring something, the nature of which is evident, to be different from what it is: e. g., swearing about a stone pillar that it is of gold (Shevuot 29a).

LO THISA’ (THOU SHALT NOT TAKE) THE NAME OF THE ETERNAL THY G-D IN VAIN. This verse has already been explained in the words of our Rabbis.³⁷⁷Shebuoth 21a. Maimonides’ “The Commandments,” Vol. II, commandment 62, pp. 60-61. He prohibits [here] swearing by the Glorious Name in vain, such as swearing that which is contrary to facts known to man, or swearing to [the truth of] a self-evident fact. For example: if one swears that a pillar of marble is of gold, or that it is of marble, and the pillar is right before them and they recognize it as such [that it is of marble].
By way of the plain meaning of Scripture, the verse also prohibits the taking of the Glorious Name in vain upon one’s lips [even without an oath], the usage of the term [lo thisa] being similar to these expressions: ‘Lo thisa’ (Thou shalt not utter) a false report;³⁷⁸Further, 23:1. Nor ‘esa’ (do I take) their names upon my lips.³⁷⁹Psalms 16:4. Speaking is called thisa, [which literally means “lifting”], because the speaker thereby lifts up his voice. Similarly: ‘masa’ (The burden) of the word of the Eternal;³⁸⁰Zechariah 9:1. also, In that day ‘yisa’ (shall he swear), saying: I will not be a healer,³⁸¹Isaiah 3:7. which means that he will lift up his voice to say so. And in truth, this — [i.e., just taking G-d’s Name in vain even without an oath] — is also forbidden, and in the language of the Sages,³⁸²Temurah 3b. it is called “pronouncing the Name of Heaven to no purpose.” Thus our Rabbis have already said:³⁸³Sifra, Vayikra 2. “Whence do we know that [in dedicating a beast for a sacrifice] a man should not say, ‘Unto the Eternal this is a whole-offering,’ or ‘Unto the Eternal this is a sin-offering,’ but instead he should say, ‘This is a whole-offering unto the Eternal,’ ‘This is a sin-offering unto the Eternal’?³⁸⁴The reason for the prohibition is that if he mentions the Name of G-d first and he immediately changes his mind about bringing the beast as an offering, he will have taken the Name of Heaven for no purpose (Nedarim 10 b, Rashi). Scripture therefore says, an offering unto the Eternal.³⁸⁵Leviticus 1:2. Here the word “offering” is mentioned first and then the Name of G-d follows. And must we not reason by using the method of kal vachomer?³⁸⁶See Seder Bo, Note 208. If the Torah said of him who is about to dedicate [something to Heaven], ‘Let My Name not rest on it until [he has first said] korban (sacrifice)’, is it not logical [that we must not pronounce the Name of Heaven to no purpose]!”
He has placed this commandment after the prohibition of idolatry, because just as it is proper to fear the Great and Fearful Name by not giving His Glory to another,³⁸⁷See Isaiah 42:8. so it is fitting to give glory to His Name. He who takes it in vain profanes it, similar to that which is written, And ye shall not swear by My Name falsely, so that thou profane not the Name of thy G-d.³⁸⁸Leviticus 19:12. Just as He was stringent in the case of idolatry and wrote the punishment [for transgression], i.e., that He is a jealous G-d, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children,³⁸⁹Verse 5. so did He record here the punishment that He will not hold him guiltless. He used this expression instead of saying that He will visit his sin upon him, [as He did in the case of idolatry], because people who swear [in vain] do not consider it a real sin, and they think it is proper that He forgive them. Therefore He said that whosoever toucheth that shall not go unpunished.³⁹⁰Proverbs 6:29. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra has written appropriately on this verse.³⁹¹The purport of Ibn Ezra’s explanation is as follows: When one swears by the Name of G-d, his intent is to imply that just as G-d is true, so is his word true. When he fails to fulfill it, it is thus tantamount to denying Him. The same reasoning applies to an oath taken in vain.
Now the language of this verse, the Name of the Eternal thy G-d, implies that it is as if Moses was speaking, and so also in the case of all the following commandments, whereas in the first two verses³⁹²“First two verses.” When the Ten Commandments are read in public, all the five verses contained in the first and second commandments are read as if they were one verse. Ramban’s language must then be understood as: “the first two commandments.” G-d is speaking: I; Who brought thee out; before Me; For I; Of them that love Me and keep My commandments. It is for this reason that our Rabbis of blessed memory have said:³⁹³Makkoth 24a. “We heard the two commandments — I am the Eternal thy G-d and Thou shalt have no other gods — from the Almighty Himself,” for they are the root of everything. But Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra asked [concerning this tradition of the Rabbis] that Scripture says, And G-d spoke all these words,³⁹⁴Above, Verse 1. and still more clearly it is written [following the Ten Commandments], These words the Eternal spoke unto all your assembly,³⁹⁵Deuteronomy 5:19. and again it is written there, And He wrote them down upon two Tablets of stone,³⁹⁶Ibid., 4:13. meaning that as He said the Ten Commandments to all your assembly, so He wrote them down upon the Tablets!³⁹⁷According to Ibn Ezra, all these verses apparently stand in contradiction to that which the Rabbis have said, i.e., that we heard only the first two commandments from the Almighty Himself. Ramban proceeds to remove the difficulty.
I will explain to you the tradition of our Rabbis [that we heard the first two commandments from the Almighty Himself]. Surely all Israel heard the entire Ten Commandments from the mouth of G-d, as the literal meaning of Scripture indicates. But in the first two commandments, they heard the utterance of speech and understood their words even as Moses understood them. Therefore He spoke to them directly [in the first person], just as a master speaks to his servant, as I have mentioned. From then on, in the rest of the commandments, they heard a voice of speech but they did not understand it, and it became necessary for Moses to explain to them each and every commandment until they understood it from Moses. And so [the Rabbis] explained:³⁹⁸Guide of the Perplexed, II, 33: “Moses spoke, and G-d answered by a voice. In explanation thereof, the Sages said in the Mechilta that Moses brought to them every commandment as he heard it.” I have not been able to identify the exact quotation in the Mechilta. Moses spoke, and G-d answered him by a voice.³⁹⁹Above, 19:19. Therefore [the rest of the Ten Commandments] were addressed by G-d to Moses so that he should tell them thus. The reason [that the first two commandments were spoken to the people directly by G-d] was so that they should all be prophets in the belief of G-d, [His existence, and His Unity], and in the prohibition of idolatry, as I have explained.⁴⁰⁰Ibid., 19:9. Those are the root of the whole Torah and the commandments, just as He said, Assemble Me the people, and I will make them hear My words, that they may learn to fear Me all the days.⁴⁰¹Deuteronomy 4:10. But in the rest of the Ten Commandments, they received their explanation from the mouth of Moses after having heard a voice of words,⁴⁰²Ibid., Verse 12. while in all other commandments [of the whole Torah], they believed in Moses completely.

לא תשא, invoking the name of G’d when swearing an oath. The word נשא is used in this sense in Kings I 8,31 ונשא בו אלה לאלותו, “when someone utters a curse against another in retaliation, using the curse to make his adversary swear an oath,”

לא תשא את שם ה׳ אלוקיך לשוא. "Do not utter the name of the Lord your G'd in vain." There is a tendency for people to believe that if they include the name of G'd in an unnecessary oath no harm is done as the very mention of G'd's name is proof that they revere the Lord's name and this adds to His glory. Besides, they argue that as long as the one to whom such an oath is sworn is unaware that the oath is false, how could G'd's name have been desecrated? All the second party knows is that the G'd mentioned in the oath is the G'd of the person swearing it. So what harm is done? G'd replies to such thoughts by saying: לא תשא "do not (even) elevate the name of the Lord your G'd, etc. Even if you have the intention of conferring honour upon My name, do not do it; G'd will not let anyone get away with such use of His name." The reason is that His name was used falsely or needlessly.

לא תשא, both this commandment, as well as the two following deal with the honour due to G’d. We know that the commandment to honour parents is also almost on the same par as honouring G’d, as in Proverbs 3,9 the verse to honour G’d is introduced with the same word כבד as is the Torah’s instructions to honour one’s parents.

לא תשא את שם ה' אלוקיך לשוא, “Do not mention the name of the Lord your G’d in vain;” according to our sages what is meant is to swear an unnecessary oath, confirming the truth of something universally known as true, by using the name of the Lord According to the plain meaning of the text what is also included is that the holy name of the Lord must not be mentioned in vain even if it is not part of an oath. The use of one’s mouth or lips for speaking is referred to on occasion as נשיאות קול, raising one’s voice. The reason why this commandment follows on the heels of the prohibition to engage in anything related to idolatry is to remind us that just as it is forbidden to accord any part of the reverence, respect, etc., due to the Lord, the Creator to any other phenomenon, so we must not bandy about His name for our own purposes, thereby demeaning it, and making use of Him instead of serving Him. Using G’d’s name in order to confirm one’s own words as true, is as if saying that just as He is truth incarnate, so our words are truth incarnate, a real desecration of His Holy Name. Because this is considered such a serious offense, the Torah warns that this sin is beyond G’d’s willingness ever to forgive completely. Punishment for committing this offense deliberately, just like that of idolatry, may drag out through four generations.

One who swears for naught and meaninglessly. . . Rashi is explaining that we should not think Onkelos’s translation of למגנא , “for nothing,” implies that the one who swears derives no benefit from it — but if he would derive benefit, it would be permitted. Therefore Rashi explains that it means להבל , i.e., an empty and meaningless oath. (Gur Aryeh) See Shavuos 29a, which lists four types of vain oaths.

V. 7. נשא שם השם erscheint geradezu als begriffliche Umschreibung von השָבֵעַ Wir haben dies bereits (Bereschit 21, 23) als die Unterstellung unserer ganzen sichtbaren Existenz unter die Macht des unsichtbaren Einen erkannt, für den Fall, dass ein ausgesprochenes Wort nicht mit der Wirklichkeit übereinstimme, oder nicht verwirklicht werde. Ganz dasselbe heißt נשא שם ד׳, den Namen Gottes auf sich nehmen, d.h. sich dem Namen Gottes unterstellen, sich der in das Irdische eingreifenden Gottesmacht, die sein Name ausdrückt, unterwerfen, sie auf sich herabrufen für den Fall, dass das gesprochene Wort nicht wahr sei oder nicht wahr gemacht werde. Es ist klar, wie im Schwur die beiden Seiten der Anerkennung Gottes: die Überwachung und Leitung unserer Tatäußerungen, wozu ja auch wesentlich das Wort gehört, und die Gestaltung unseres Geschickes vereinigt zum höchsten Ausdruck gelangen. Setzt doch der Schwur beides voraus und will mit der tatsächlichen Unterwerfung unserer ganzen Zukunft unter die Geschick gestaltende Macht Gottes die Wahrhaftigkeit unseres Wortes und die Redlichkeit unseres Handelns beweisen. Daher ist auch umgekehrt ein falscher Eid die höchste Verleugnung in der höhnendsten Weise.

לא תשא את שם, “do not utter the sacred name, etc.” Seeing that you have not ever seen a visual image of G-d, you can obviously not utter an oath by invoking someone else as a deity. Even so, you must not even swear an oath in His name unless there is an absolute necessity to do so, as G-d does not allow His sacred name to be used for profane reasons, or for secular purposes. This is one sin which will not be subject to being wiped out even by repentance, i.e. כי לא ינקה, “He will not consider such a person as being free from guilt.”

לשוא, committing perjury thereby; without doubt this oath will backfire on the one uttering it; כי לא ינקה ה' את אשר ישא את שמו לשוא, for having used His holy name to utterly no purpose. Even if the person swearing such an oath had spoken the truth he will not be free from this sin, how much more so if someone used G’d’s name to swear falsely. It is not compatible with G’d’s honour and dignity that man use His Holy name for his own ends. The only time such an oath is permissible, or in some instances even mandatory, is when it is impossible to arrive at the truth by any other means there being no witnesses to the matter under dispute. As far as swearing a false oath, i.e. perjuring oneself is concerned, the Torah has a separate commandment in Leviticus 19,12 spelling this out. ולא תשבעו בשמי לשקר, “and you must not swear an oath in My name when that oath is a lie.”

Another reason why using G'd's name to make a lie believable is out of the question is because by doing so the person swearing the oath loses his צלם אלוקים, the image of G'd he has been created with and is known by. Such a person will become known instead as שוא, vain, false, worthless. G'd's name is "truth." Anyone associating that name with a lie, makes the name of G'd "fly away," seeing the person doing so has chosen something vain. An apt translation of this verse would be: "do not remove from yourself the name of the Lord your G'd on account of the pursuit of something that is vain, worthless."

Hier ist nun zunächst nicht von dem falschen Eide, sondern von dem unnützen Eide, שבועת שוא, die Rede. שוא, verwandt mit שוה: gleich sein. In eigentümlicher Weise verbindet der jüdische Sprachgedanke die Begriffe des Ähnlich- und Gleichseins mit Begriffen der Nichtigkeit, des Nichtseins. So heißt נדמה ebensowohl: es ist ähnlich geworden, als es ist vernichtet worden. Und so heißt in noch höherm Grade שוה: gleich sein und שוא: nicht seiend, nichtig. Es scheint als wesentliches Merkmal eines wirklichen Seins die Besonderheit, die Eigentümlichkeit begriffen zu sein. Jedes Wirkliche muss ein Merkmal besitzen, das es von allem andern unterscheidet. Jedes Wirkliche ist individuell. Was absolut שוה, d. h. was allem gleich ist, was nicht etwas entgegen zu setzen hat, ist überhaupt nicht, ist: שוא. Ähnlich, aber nicht ganz so ist der Gebrauch des Begriffes: gleich in: gleichgültig zum Ausdruck desjenigen, dessen Sein oder Nichtsein keinen Unterschied macht. Hier ist das: gleich nur relativ oder subjektiv, während in שוא der Begriff absolut und objektiv erscheint. — לשוא heißt nun: zu nichts, somit: zwecklos, erfolglos und שבועה לשוא ist ein zweckloser, erfolgloser Eid, ein Eid, der an sich keine Wirkung hat und haben kann. Das Gesetz kennt vier Arten: 1) ,נשבע לשנות את הידוע לבטל את המצות (4 ,שאי אפשר לו (3 , לקיים את הידוע (2, ein Eid, der die bekannte Wirklichkeit verneint, daß z. B. Stein Gold sei; — der die bekannte Wirklichkeit bejaht, daß z. B. zwei zwei seien; — der sich zu physisch Unmöglichem verpflichtet, z. B.: in siebenmal vierundzwanzig Stunden nichts zu essen; — der sich zu moralisch Unmöglichem verpflichtet, z. B. das Gebot der Zizit nicht zu erfüllen, sich an jemandem zu rächen; — in allen diesen Fällen ist der Eid entweder unnütz, überflüssig, oder zweck- und erfolglos, die Eidessünde ist da auch bei den gelobenden Eiden in dem Moment des Schwörens begangen, der Schwörende ist sofort strafbar, der Eid aber hat keine Folge. Ein unnützer, überflüssiger, zweck- und erfolgloser Eid ist ein Spiel getrieben mit dem ernstesten aller ernsten Verhältnisse des Menschen, mit der Unterstellung seiner Worte und Taten unter die richtende, Geschick bestimmende Waltung Gottes.

לשוא, “in vain.” Do not make a habit of prefacing any parts of your speech by invoking the name of G-d (unless as a pseudonym), even if what you say is the truth. The very habit of uttering G-d’s name on too many occasions will lead you to do so when it is a blasphemy, or an outright lie. If that were to happen it would result in an unforgivable sin, i.e. כי לא ינקה.

There is also an allusion here that a Jew should not bandy about the name of G'd giving the impression to all and sundry that he is a true servant of the Lord whereas in reality in his heart he does not serve the Lord. This is why the Torah chose the expression לשוא, i.e. creating a false impression. It is a warning not to pretend to be G'd-fearing. G'd will not allow such people to go unpunished.

כי לא ינקה ד׳; wirklichen, tatsächlichen Einsetzung des ganzen irdischen Geschickes des Schwörenden für die Wahrheit oder Wahrmachung seines Wortes. כל העולם כולו נזדעזע, die ganze Welt ward erschüttert, lehren die Weisen, Schebuoth 39 a., als Gott am Sinai sein לא ינקה aussprach. Denn eben mit diesem לא ינקה ward die ganze Welt dem Worte des Schwörenden zur Vollstreckung des göttlichen Gerichtes an ihm dienstbar gemacht.

זכור — This word REMEMBER which opens this commandment here and שמור “observe” which opens it in Deuteronomy (5:12) were spoken in one utterance. Similar is, (Exodus 31:14) “Everyone that profaneth it (the Sabbath) shall surely be put to death”, which apparently is in contradiction with (Numbers 28:9) “And on the Sabbath day [ye shall offer] two lambs”, a command necessitating actions which, if done for any other purposes on the Sabbath, would involve a profanation of that day. Similar is, (Deuteronomy 22:11) “Thou shalt not wear a garment of two kinds, [as of woollen and linen together]” and (Deuteronomy 22:12) “Thou shalt make thee tassels”, for the performance of which command wool and linen may be employed in combination. Similar is, (Leviticus 18:16) “The nakedness of thy brother’s wife” (the prohibition of marriage with her), and (Deuteronomy 25:5) “her husband’s brother shall come unto her” (he shall marry her). — This is the meaning of what is said (Psalms 62:12) “One thing did God speak, these two things did we hear” (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:8:1). זכור — This word expresses the verbal action without any reference to a particular time (the infinitive), similar to, (Isaiah 22:13) אכול ושתו “to eat and to drink”; (II Samuel 3:16) הלוך ובכה “to go and to weep”; and the following is its meaning: take care to remember always the Sabbath day — that if, for example, you come across a nice article of food during the week, put it by for the Sabbath (Beitzah 16a).

REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY. After He commanded that we believe in the Proper Name of G-d, blessed be He — i.e., that He exists, that He is the Creator, that He understands [and watches over all that happens to man], and that He is the All-powerful⁴⁰³All these principles of truth were made evident through expressing the first commandment. See Ramban above, Verse 2. — and [after commanding] that we should direct both our faith in all these matters and all honor towards Him alone,⁴⁰⁴This was the theme of the second commandment. and He further commanded that the remembrance of His Name be done in a manner of respect,⁴⁰⁵As opposed to taking His Name in vain, as was stated in the third commandment. He now commanded that we make in this matter a sign and perpetual remembrance to let it be known that He created everything. This is in the commandment of the Sabbath, which is a remembrance of the creation.
Now He said here, ‘Remember’ the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy; and in the Book of Deuteronomy it is written, ‘Observe’ the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy.⁴⁰⁶Deuteronomy 5:12. Our Rabbis have said with respect to these verses:⁴⁰⁷Mechilta on the verse here. Also Shebuoth 20b. “Remember and Observe were both spoken with one utterance.” Now the Rabbis were not so particular as to comment on the other changes of language [between the Ten Commandments written here and those in the Book of Deuteronomy. They commented only on the above-mentioned change] because their intent is to point out that zachor (remember) constitutes a positive commandment, i.e., that He commanded that we remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy and that we do not forget it, [as will be explained further on]. [They considered] shamor (observe), on the other hand, as a negative commandment, just as they have said,⁴⁰⁸Erubin 96 a, etc. “Wherever Scripture says take heed (‘hishamer’), or lest (‘pen’), or do not (‘al’), there is a negative commandment.” It warns us that we should watch it [i.e., the Sabbath] to keep it holy and that we should not profane it, [thus clearly implying both a positive commandment and a negative one with respect to the Sabbath]. It would not have been proper for Moses to change G-d’s words from a positive commandment to a negative commandment. [Therefore the Rabbis were careful to point out that both remember and observe were spoken by G-d in one utterance.] However, the change in the second commandment from ‘and’ any manner of likeness⁴⁰⁹Verse 4. to any manner of likeness,⁴¹⁰Deuteronomy 5:8. omitting the vav (and), and then adding it [to the expression al shileishim (unto the third generation), which is found here in Verse 5, rendering it there in Deuteronomy], v’al shileishim (‘and’ unto the third generation),⁴¹¹Ibid., Verse 9. and all such similar changes in the rest of the Ten Commandments, do not matter, for it is all one. This explanation [of why the Rabbis were particular to comment only on the change from remember to observe] will not be entertained by one who is not used to the ways of the Talmud.⁴¹²See my Hebrew commentary, p. 398, that this is a veiled criticism of Ibn Ezra, who, in his commentary on Verse 1, continued to raise difficulties on this saying of the Sages and finally concluded that “reason does not bear out all these words.” To this came the retort of Ramban: “this explanation, etc.” In a Ramban manuscript, I found this remark expressed in a positive manner: “This explanation will be entertained by him who is used to the ways of the Talmud.” Thus Ramban avoids casting a direct aspersion on Ibn Ezra’s knowledge of the ways of the Talmud. And the Rabbis have expressly said:⁴¹³Berachoth 20b. “Women are obligated by law of the Torah to proclaim the sanctity of the Sabbath,⁴¹⁴The proclaiming of the sanctity of the Sabbath is one of the six hundred thirteen commandments of the Torah. See “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 164-165. because it is said, remember and observe, thus equating them so that all those who are obligated to observe the Sabbath are obligated also to remember it.⁴¹⁵The general rule is: “The observance of all positive commandments that depend on time is incumbent on men but not on women, but the observance of all the negative commandments, whether they depend on time or not, is incumbent both on men and women” (Kiddushin 29 a). Now proclaiming the sanctity of the Sabbath is naturally dependent on time — i.e., the arrival of the Sabbath — and one would therefore say that women are not obligated to observe that commandment. But ‘shamor’ (observe) the Sabbath-day to keep it holy, as was explained in the text, constitutes a negative commandment, and therefore applies to women as well. Now since the Torah equated zachor (remember) with shamor (observe), it follows that women are also obligated in the positive commandment of proclaiming the sanctity of the Sabbath. And since women are obligated in the observance [of the Sabbath] — for women are obligated in the observance thereof, since the observance of all negative commandments is incumbent on women, [and shamor (observe) the Sabbath, as was mentioned above, constitutes a negative commandment] — they are obligated also to remember the Sabbath. Now women would not have been bound to remember the Sabbath — for it is a positive commandment that is dependent on time and is [therefore] not incumbent on women — were it not for this analogy [of remember and observe, i.e., that all who are obligated to observe are bound to remember], which does make it incumbent on them.⁴¹⁶Ramban thus brought proof to his original point that the reason the Rabbis were particular about this change from remember to observe and not about the other changes in the Decalogues, is that here, the change represents a reclassification from a positive to a negative commandment. Hence it became necessary for them to point out that both words were spoken with one Divine utterance.
But I wonder! If remember and observe were both said by the Almighty, why were they not [both] written in the first Tablets? It is possible that in both the first and second Tablets, [only] remember was written, and Moses explained to Israel that observe was [also] said with it. This is indeed the true intent [of the saying of the Rabbis that “remember and observe were both spoken with one utterance]”. And in the Midrash of Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakanah,⁴¹⁷Sefer Habahir, 182. See Vol. I, p. 24, Note 42. the Sages have mentioned also a great secret in this matter of remember and observe.⁴¹⁸See my Hebrew commentary, p. 399. Generally, [in the mystic lore], remembrance is at daytime and observance is at night, and this is the intent of what the Sages used to say on the Sabbath-eve at twilight [when welcoming the Sabbath]:⁴¹⁹Baba Kamma 32b. “Come, O Bride; Come, O Bride; Come, let us go forth to meet the Sabbath, the Queen, the Bride.”⁴²⁰“The Queen, the Bride.” In our Gemara: “the Bride, the Queen.” — These words of welcome constitute to this day the official reception of the Sabbath in the Synagogue service as the worshippers bid “the Sabbath bride” come in peace. And the Sages call the blessing that is recited [over the Kiddush-cup] on the Sabbath-day “the great Kiddush,”⁴²¹Pesachim 106a. for it is the sanctification of the Great One.⁴²²Ma’or V’shamesh. Understand this.
It is also true that the attribute of “remembering” is alluded to in a positive commandment and issues forth from the attribute of love to that of mercy, for he who does his master’s command is beloved of him and his master shows him mercy. But the attribute of “observing” is alluded to in a negative commandment, which goes to the attribute of justice and issues forth from that of fear, for he who guards himself from doing anything which does not please his master does so out of fear for him. It is for this reason that a positive commandment is greater than a negative commandment,⁴²³The question arises: Since, as Ramban writes, a positive commandment is greater than a negative one, why are all punishments for violation of the precepts specified in the Torah only for the negative commandments? This would indicate that the negative commandments are stricter than the positive ones, and indeed, the Rabbis in the Talmud do speak of the negative commandments as being stricter than the positive. Why then did Ramban write that the positive ones are greater? See my Hebrew commentary, p. 399, for lengthy discussion of this problem. In conclusion, the answer presented is as follows: Ramban did not write that a positive commandment is “stricter” than a negative one; he wrote only “greater.” Fulfillment of a Divine positive commandment represents an act of “doing good,” while observance of a negative precept is an expression of one’s “departing from evil.” Between the two — doing good and departing from evil — the former indeed represents “a greater” expression of man’s active dedication to the Divine service. Hence Ramban’s statement above. As for the stricter punishment of the negative commandments, see further in text and also Note 427. just as love is greater than fear, for he who fulfills and observes the will of his master with his body and his possessions is greater than he who guards himself from doing that which is not pleasing to him. This is why the Rabbis have said⁴²⁴Shabbath 132 b, etc. that a positive commandment overrides a negative commandment. And it is for this reason that punishment for violation of the negative commandments is great, — the court punishing the transgressor with whipping or death — whereas no punishment at all is meted out in the case of failure to fulfill the positive commandments, excepting when one is in brazen rebelliousness, such as when he says, “I shall not take the lulav,³⁷¹“The Palm-branch.” See Leviticus 23:40. I shall not make fringes [on my four-cournered garment],⁴²⁵Numbers 15:38. I shall not make a tabernacle.”⁴²⁶Leviticus 23:42. In these cases, the Sanhedrin would whip him until he accepts upon himself to do them, or until he dies.⁴²⁷This rule applies only if the time of the performance is still applicable, but if, for example, the festival of Tabernacles has passed, he is not to be punished for his failure to observe the commandment. See Maimonides’, “The Commandments,” Vol. II, p. 423, where it is clearly so explained. Ramban’s intent is obvious: The violation of a negative commandment entails an act on the part of the sinner, which goes in direct opposition to the King’s command. Hence the punishment is “stricter” than in the case of a violation of a positive commandment, which entails only failure to act in accordance with the King’s desire. Hence if the time for fulfillment of the positive commandment has not yet passed and he is in open defiance of the law, the court may act against him, but if the time for fulfillment has passed, no punishment is to be imposed on him.
In explanation of the word zachor (remember) — [remember the Sabbath-day] — Rashi wrote: “Take care always to remember the Sabbath-day, so that if a food of good quality happens to come your way, you should put it away for the Sabbath.” This is a Beraitha⁴²⁸See Note 209 in Seder Bo. taught in the Mechilta⁴²⁹Mechilta on the verse here. in the following way: “Rabbi Eleazar the son of Chananyah the son of Chizkiyah the son of Garon says: ‘Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy, and remember it from the first day of the week, so that if a good portion happens to come your way, prepare it for the Sabbath.’” But this [Beraitha in the Mechilta] is taught in the name of a single Sage and is not the final decision of the law. In the Gemara,⁴³⁰Beitza 16a. For the word “Gemara,” see Note 204 in Seder Bo. we find that the Rabbis have said: “We have been taught [in the Beraitha]: They have told about Shammai the Elder that all his life, he ate in honor of the Sabbath. How so? If he found a beautiful animal to buy, he would say, ‘This one will be in honor of the Sabbath.’ On the following day, if he would find a more beautiful one, he left the second one for the Sabbath, and ate the first.⁴³¹His eating the first one thus entailed something on which the honor of the Sabbath had rested (see Rashi in Beitza 16 a). Thus all his life he ate in honor of the Sabbath. But Hillel the Elder was guided by another principle. All his deeds were for the sake of Heaven, as it is said, Blessed be the Eternal, day by day He beareth our burden.⁴³²Psalms 68:20. Hillel was thus confident that before the Sabbath, G-d would provide him with his proper needs (Rashi, Beitza). We have also been so taught [in another Beraitha]: The School of Shammai say that on the first day of the week, you should begin preparing for your Sabbath. And the School of Hillel say: Blessed be the Eternal, day by day He beareth our burden.”⁴³²Psalms 68:20. Hillel was thus confident that before the Sabbath, G-d would provide him with his proper needs (Rashi, Beitza). And in another Mechilta⁴³³This is the Mechilta of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai (Hoffman edition, p. 107). For the significance of the expression “another Mechilta,” see Vol. I, p. 603, Note 245. we find: “Shammai the Elder says: ‘Remembering’ — [Remember the Sabbath-day] — means remember it before it comes; ‘observing’ — [Observe the Sabbath-day]⁴⁰⁶Deuteronomy 5:12. — means observe it when it comes. It was told of Shammai the Elder that the memory of the Shabbath never left his lips. If he bought a good article he would say, ‘This is for the Sabbath;’ a new garment, he would say ‘This is for the Sabbath.’ But Hillel the Elder was guided by another principle, for he would say, ‘Let all thy deeds be done for the sake of Heaven.’” And the accepted decision is like that of the School of Hillel. [Thus it is clear that Rashi’s explanation is like that of Shammai the Elder, or of the School of Shammai, while the accepted decision of law is like that of Hillel or that of the School of Hillel.]⁴³⁴See my Hebrew commentary, p. 400, for Mizrachi’s defense of Rashi’s explanation.
In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, the Rabbis have said⁴³⁵In the Mechilta quote further on. See Note 442. that this verse commands us that we should always remember the Sabbath on every day, so that we should neither forget it nor confuse it with the other days.⁴³⁶If each of the days of the week were to have a name of its own — such as Sunday, Monday, etc. — then the Sabbath-day is confused with the other days. But if we refer to the days of the week in relation to the Sabbath — “the first day after the Sabbath,” etc. — then the Sabbath-day stands unique. By always remembering the Sabbath, it will at all times remind us of the creation, and we will forever acknowledge that the universe has a Creator, and that He commanded us regarding this sign, [i.e., the Sabbath], as He has said, for it is a sign between Me and you,⁴³⁷Further 31:13. this being a fundamental principle in the belief of G-d. The meaning of l’kadsho (to keep it holy) is that our remembrance of it should be to the end that it be holy to us, just as He said, and call the Sabbath a delight, the sacred of the Eternal honorable.⁴³⁸Isaiah 58:13. The purport of this is that the resting thereon should be ours because it is a holy day, [which enables us] to turn away from our mental preoccupations and the vanities of the times and instead to give delight to our souls in the ways of G-d, and go to the Sages and to the prophets to hear the words of G-d. This is just as it is said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him [the prophet] today? it is neither New Moon nor Sabbath,⁴³⁹II Kings 4:23. for such was their custom. And so did our Rabbis of blessed memory say:⁴⁴⁰Rosh Hashanah 16b. “From this you learn that on the New Moon and on the Sabbath one must go [to the prophet].” This is the reason [that the Torah commanded us concerning the resting of cattle on the Sabbath], i.e., in order that we should harbor no thought of it in our hearts. And it is for this reason that the Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said⁴⁴¹Chullin 5a. See also Vol. I, p. 332. that the Sabbath is equal in importance to all the commandments in the Torah, just as they have said with reference to idolatry,⁴⁴¹Chullin 5a. See also Vol. I, p. 332. because on the Sabbath we testify to all the fundamentals of the faith — creation, providence, and prophecy. And in the Mechilta we find:⁴⁴²Mechilta on the verse here. “Rabbi Yitzchak says: ‘You should not count [the days of the week] as others count them. Rather you should count them with reference to the Sabbath.’” The meaning of this is that other nations count the days of the week in such a manner that each is independent of the other. Thus they call each day by a separate name or by a name of the ministers [in heaven, such as Sunday, which means “sun’s day,” Monday which means “moon’s day,” etc.], or by any other names which they call them. But Israel counts all days with reference to the Sabbath: “one day after the Sabbath,” “two days after the Sabbath.” This is of the essence of the commandment which we have been obligated always to remember the Sabbath every day [of the week]. This is the literal meaning of the verse, and so did Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra interpret it.
And I say further that this is the intent of Shammai the Elder’s interpretation [mentioned above],⁴³³This is the Mechilta of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai (Hoffman edition, p. 107). For the significance of the expression “another Mechilta,” see Vol. I, p. 603, Note 245. who explained the command remember as meaning “[remember the Sabbath] before it comes.” That is to say, we should by no means forget it. [By counting the days of the week with reference to the Sabbath, forgetting it will thus be impossible.] But in the Beraitha [quoted above], they also mentioned a degree of his piety, i.e., that he would remember the Sabbath even in his eating, for all his life he ate in honor of the Sabbath. Now Hillel himself agreed to the interpretation of Shammai [that we are to count the days of the week with reference to the Sabbath], but in food-matters he followed another principle, for all of his deeds were for the sake of Heaven, and he trusted in G-d that He would provide him with a better portion for the Sabbath than that of all the other days of the week.
However, our Rabbis have yet another Midrash on the word l’kadsho (to keep it holy),⁴⁴³In the Mechilta mentioned further in the text. namely, that we are to sanctify it by utterance of words. This is similar in usage to the verse, And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year,⁴⁴⁴Leviticus 25:10. which requires the sanctification of the court, i.e., that they say of the Jubilee year, “It is hallowed! It is hallowed!”⁴⁴⁵Rosh Hashanah 8 b, Rashi. Here too He commanded that we remember the Sabbath-day by proclaiming its sanctity.⁴⁴⁶See Maimonides’, “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 164-165. And so the Rabbis have said in the Mechilta:⁴⁴²Mechilta on the verse here. “To keep it holy. Sanctify it by reciting a blessing. Based on this verse, the Rabbis have said: ‘On its entrance, proclaim the sanctity of the Sabbath over wine. But from this verse, I know only the sanctification for the day. Whence do we know that this applies also for the night? [We know it] from the words of Scripture, And ye shall keep the Sabbath.”⁴⁴⁷Further, 31:14. Since the word “day” is not mentioned in this verse, as it is in the verse before us, Remember the Sabbath-'day’ to keep it holy, it indicates that the proclamation of the Sabbath is to be observed at its entrance at night. See also further in the text here for a more correct version of this Mechilta as Ramban explains it. This is “the sanctification of the [Sabbath-] day” [to which the Rabbis refer].⁴⁴⁸Berachoth 20b. It is incumbent upon us by law of the Torah, and is not a mere asmachta.⁴⁴⁹Literally: “Support.” Where a law is actually of Rabbinic origin but a Scriptural text is quoted as a support, it is called an asmachta. Thus the Rabbis have said:⁴⁴⁸Berachoth 20b. “Women are obligated by law of the Torah to proclaim the sanctity of the day.” Now this really refers to the sanctification recited at night, for all things requiring sanctification need to be done only once at the time of their entrance, such as the sanctification of the New Moon and the sanctification of the Jubilee year. However, the duty to recite it on the day itself is but an asmachta,⁴⁴⁹Literally: “Support.” Where a law is actually of Rabbinic origin but a Scriptural text is quoted as a support, it is called an asmachta. and [the kiddush at daytime] contains no reference to the holiness of the day — [since only a benediction over the wine is recited] — because it is sufficient that we proclaimed the sanctity of the Sabbath once at its entrance. So also is the recital [of the sanctity of the Sabbath] over wine only an asmachta⁴⁴⁹Literally: “Support.” Where a law is actually of Rabbinic origin but a Scriptural text is quoted as a support, it is called an asmachta. and is not at all a fixed part of the commandment itself.
And in the Gemara Pesachim,⁴⁵⁰Pesachim 106a. the Rabbis have said: “Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy. That is, remember it over wine at its entrance. From this, I know only that it be done at daytime. Whence do we know that it must be done at night? It is from the Scriptural words, the Sabbath-'day.’ [On the version of the Beraitha, the Sages of the Gemara asked]: ‘This Tanna⁴⁵¹A Rabbi mentioned in a Mishnah or Beraitha. is seeking to find a basis for the sanctification at night, and he mentions a verse which speaks of the day! Besides, the main sanctification is at nighttime!’ Rather, you must learn [the above Beraitha] in this way: ‘Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy. That is, remember it over wine at its entrance. From this, I know only that the Sabbath is to be sanctified at night.’ Whence do we know that it must be done at daytime? It is from the Scriptural words, the Sabbath day.” In a similar way we will explain the Mechilta [mentioned above to make it read as follows]: “From this, I know only that the sanctification of the Sabbath is to be done at night, which is the main kiddush. Whence do we know that it must be done at daytime, etc.,” this being but a mere asmachta.⁴⁴⁹Literally: “Support.” Where a law is actually of Rabbinic origin but a Scriptural text is quoted as a support, it is called an asmachta. And from there you will learn that this commandment [of proclaiming the sanctity of the Sabbath] is derived from the word l’kadsho (to sanctify it), while the expression, Remember the Sabbath-day, constitutes the commandment to remember it continually every day, as we have explained. However, in the number of two hundred and forty-eight positive commandments that we have been commanded to observe, both aspects are included in the one commandment of remembering the Sabbath. Know this.

זכור את יום השבת, the infinitive mode tells us that we are to be aware of the Sabbath every day of the week, even while involved in our daily routines. This is also the same mode chosen by the Torah for demanding that we be forever mindful of what Amalek our arch enemy did to our forefathers after they had crossed the Sea on dry land. (Deuteronomy 25,17) The same is true of the infinitive mode chosen by the Torah when urging us to remember the legislation pertaining to the “month of spring,” i.e. the month of the redemption from Egypt. Compare Deuteronomy 16,1 שמור את חודש האביב ועשית פסח.

זכור את יום השבת לקדשו, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." The meaning is that one should remember the Sabbath from the first day of the week. The Torah mentioned the seventh day before it mentioned the six days previous to the Sabbath in order to drive home the point that the Sabbath must be uppermost in our thoughts already prior to the six days preceding it. Were this not so the Torah would have written: "perform your work during six days and remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy."

זכור את יום השבת, remembering something always refers to past events. We have numerous such verses as in Deuteronomy 32,7-8 “remember past history, etc.” Exodus 13,3, as well as Deuteronomy 9,7-8 plus numerous other verses exhort the Jewish people to remember events in the past. Usually, the command to do so is phrased as an imperative. In the Ten Commandments, the expressions zachor here and shamor in the parallel legislation in Deuteronomy are in the infinitive mode. Seeing that both are followed immediately by the command לקדשו “to sanctify it,” (the Sabbath) this makes an imperative of the whole paragraph. The Torah, in a way, commands us to “commemorate” something which G’d had done long before there was a legislation to observe the Sabbath as a day of rest. Already when creating the “day” He had blessed it, i.e. made provisions for those who would observe it not to be deprived by their observance but to find that G’d in His generosity had provided the needs for the people in question. Observing, emulating something G’d had done, is a way of honouring Him. He “ worked” for 6 days before “resting,” so do we as a way of honouring Him.

זכור את יום השבת, “to remember the day of the Sabbath.” Having first commanded us to believe with absolute faith in the uniqueness of Hashem, His power, etc., and the fact that He alone is the Creator, and that He knows what is going on in any part of the universe, including what goes on in our hearts, the outward symbol of this belief of ours is to be demonstrated in our observance of the Sabbath as the day which bears the stamp of G’d’s creative power. Now G’d commands that we observe the Sabbath day as a weekly reminder of His stature, by emulating certain of the attributes He demonstrated when He created the universe. In the first version of the Tablets the formula chosen to refer to this reminder is the word זכור, a positive act of remembering, whereas in the second version of the Tablets, as recorded in the Book of Deuteronomy, the word is שמור, “guard, observe, by not violating,” the negative aspect of emulating G’d’s “repose,” abstention from creative activity on that day. Our sages say that when pronounced by G’d on Mount Sinai, both words were said by Him simultaneously. Although the sages could have made this point about a number of changes between the wording of the Decalogue in the Book of Exodus, as opposed to the one in Deuteronomy, which was formulated by Moses himself, they did not bother to draw attention to this, as only in this instance might Moses be perceived as having changed what sounded like a positive commandment to something which sounds like a negative commandment. They were anxious not to portray Moses as having taken liberties with G’d’s revealed word. When G’d commanded the observance of the Sabbath to Moses, having in mind Moses’ exceptional stature, He formulated the commandment primarily as a positive commandment, i.e.זכור לקדשו. When Moses relayed the same commandment to the next generation who had not stood at Sinai, He warned him to present first and foremost the negative aspects of this commandment, i.e. the work prohibitions, etc. Actually, the observance of the Sabbath, i.e. worshipping the Lord by observing the Sabbath, includes service of the Lord from overriding feelings of love, אהבה, the positive aspect of the commandment, as well as the observance of the law out of considerations governed by awe, by reverence, i.e. by יראה. The latter is expressed by not violating the prohibitions associated with observing the Sabbath. This is also the reason why, in halachah when observance of a positive commandment conflicts with the simultaneous observance of a negative commandment, as a rule, the observance of the positive commandment takes precedence and even displaces the observance of the negative commandment. The word זכור was written in the first version of the Ten Commandments in the written Torah, as it refers primarily to the Sabbath as a remembrance of the מעשה בראשית, G’d’s having created the universe, something concerning which the Torah writes elsewhere זכור ימות עולם, “remember the history of the universe,” (Deut. 32,7) whereas the word שמור was the one written in the second version of the Ten Commandments, as the second aspect of the Sabbath is its commemoration as an historical event experienced by the Israelites with both their bodies and their souls. Nachmanides writes that he is not sure if the word שמור in Deuteronomy was spoken by G’d Himself at all, seeing that it was not written on the Tablets [after all the Book of Deuteronomy, according to tradition was composed by Moses, the text being approved by G’d afterwards. Ed.] He concludes that it is even possible that the word שמור appeared on the original set of Tablets, the word זכור being substituted on the second set of Tablets. It was Moses who told the people that the word שמור had been said to him simultaneously, when he was told what was written on the first set of Tablets, the ones he had smashed. This, in Nachmanides’ view is what the sages had in mind when they said זכור ושמור בדבור אחד נאמרו, “the words zachor and shamor were said as a single utterance.”

זכור and שמור were said in one utterance. . . You might object: Those other verses [that Rashi quotes] are not similar to זכור and שמור . Those contradict one another, while זכור and שמור do not. An answer is: Also זכור and שמור contradict. זכור is a positive mitzvah, while שמור is a negative one. As it says in Zevachim 106a that השמר לך , פן and אל all signify a negative mitzvah. [And שמור is similar to השמר לך .] [So when later it is written שמור , it seemed as though the mitzvah of Shabbos had been changed from a positive one to a negative one.] (Ramban) A further answer: [ זכור and שמור contradict one another because] זכור implies that one should remember not to do work. It is an active term, forbidding the worker to work, but not requiring that no work is done. However שמור implies guarding that no work be done. Perforce, זכור and שמור were said in one utterance.

V. 8. אנכי fordert die positive Anerkennung Gottes als Lenkers unserer Geschicke und Leiters unserer Taten, לא יהי׳ לך spricht die negative, jede andere Huldigung ausschließende Konsequenz dieser Anerkennung aus, לא תשא setzt diese Anerkennung als Basis alles Verkehrs des Menschen mit Menschen, indem der ganze staatliche Menschenbau seinen letzten Halt in dem tatsächlichen Ernst dieser Anerkennung findet, wie sie im Eide, diesem Appell an Gottes Gegenwart und Waltung im Menschenverkehr, zum Ausdruck kommt, und warnt, auch wieder negativ, vor leichtfertigem Spiel mit diesem Ernst. זכור erinnert nun an das uralte Denkmal, das Gott sofort bei der ersten Einsetzung des Menschen zu seinem stellvertretenden "Diener und Wächter" der geschaffenen Erdwelt zur Sicherung dieser Anerkennung gestiftet, dessen Vergessen allein den ganzen abwärts führenden Gang der menschengeschichtlichen Entwickelung und die Erwählung Israels zum wieder aufwärts führenden Gottesherold veranlasst.

זכור את יום השבת, “remember the Sabbath day;” this commandment begins with an infinitive, “to remember;” the reason is because it is a day which should dominate your thinking throughout the week, seeing it is the most important day of the week. Also, the other six days of the week during which you are preoccupied with matters concerning your livelihood are not likely to be “forgotten,” as opposed to the Sabbath, the day of rest. Seeing that it is the spiritual highlight of your week and has been sanctified by G-d, it deserves special attention. The expression: ”to remember,” as opposed to the ”planning” of the six days to follow, is always something that is concerned with the past, one remembers things that have already passed, not things that are to come. [as opposed to the way we use the word in our daily language. Ed] In the second version of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy, the word in the written text is replaced by the word: שמור, as there it is connected to the purpose of the day, to provide constructive rest, למען ינוח, both for yourselves and for your servants and beasts. An alternate explanation: the line זכור את יום השבת “remembering the Sabbath day” is aimed at reminding you of the first time you heard about the concept of the Sabbath at Marah (Exodus 15,25). This is why the word: “remember” is appropriate. Still another exegesis of the infinitive used here is that this day must be remembered every day of the week, and that is why when describing each day of the week, i.e. naming it, we always do so in relation to the previousSabbath, i.e. “the first day after the Sabbath, the second day after the Sabbath, etc. Another approach: the words: זכור את יום השבת in the infinitive mean that you are to be mindful of the Sabbath day at all times, i.e. you should remember each day when the last Sabbath occurred and when therefore the next Sabbath occurs. The reason that you have to do this is so that when the next Sabbath occurs you will not forget it, not fail to observe its commandments. When you understand the line of זכור את יום השבת לקדשו, “keep on remembering the Sabbath day to observe it as a holy day,” it is practically the same as when it says in the second version of the Ten Commandments: “make sure you observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy, i.e. שמור את יום השבת לקדשו. This is what the rabbis meant when they said that the two words were spoken by G-d simultaneously, although we human beings cannot duplicate this exactly. This is what Rashi meant to tell us in his commentary. In our portion the commandment is phrased as a positive commandment, while in the Book of Deuteronomy it is phrased as a negative commandment, warning us not to violate the prohibitions applicable on that day. Our sages spelled this out in the Talmud tractate Eyruvin 96. It is a rule in the written Torah that whenever the expression השמר פן, or אל, occurs in the Torah, this introduces a negative commandment to be careful not to do something, It also includes women as being included in that prohibition. In other words, anyone to whom the warning of שמור is addressed, is automatically included in a commandment which is elsewhere expressed by the positive aspect of that commandment described by the word זכור.

לקדשו, the reminder to remember the Sabbath constantly was intended to ensure that you observe all the commandments associated with the day. Even the order to work six days is intended to ensure that by concentrating on the need to make a living during those days, this will enable such people to take their minds off such mundane matters on the Sabbath.

זכור, “to remember.” Rashi, in commenting on the infinitive mode of the word זכור used here instead of the imperative mode zechor!, as in Deuteronomy 32,7, comments that the commandment means that the memory of the Sabbath day must be foremost in the mind of Israelites not only on the Sabbath day itself, but must be something that we also think of during the six days of the work week. The practical way in which we are to do this is illustrated when the Talmud tells of Rabbis, who, whenever they came across some delicious food item during the week, bought it immediately, with a view to serving it on the Sabbath. Nachmanides, in commenting on that paragraph in the Talmud, (Beytzah 16) in which Shammai and Hillel respectively are described as fulfilling this requirement in slightly different ways, says that the plain meaning of the Torah’s text is that the reason why we must remember the Sabbath day everyday is to ensure that we do not observe the wrong day of the week as the Sabbath. [after all, in nature there is no visible difference between the Sabbath and the other days. It is not distinguishable by seasonal factors nor by the position of the moon in the sky, for instance. Ed.] By thinking of the importance of the Sabbath on an ongoing basis, we will not forget the debt of gratitude we owe the Creator, Who has given us this sign as a gift, reminding us of the dignity of being a creature instead of the product of a mindless act of natural forces. [my choice of words. Ed.] It is a most potent symbol strengthening our faith in Hashem. The meaning of the word לקדשו in our verse, i.e. “to sanctify it,” is that the existence of this special day be constantly present in our minds, that we think of the day as a sacred day, meaning that on that day we refrain from our mundane concerns which preoccupy us during the other six days of the week. We are to devote this day to enhance the spiritual concerns which we are capable of enjoying, and which we are bidden to devote our attention to. Included in this meaning of לקדשו are such activities as visiting our Rabbis, our spiritual mentors, and listening to their words of enlightenment and cheer, by means of which they improve our capacity to enjoy a day of “rest.” The farmer who asked his wife –not knowing that their son had died-why she was visiting the prophet on a day that was neither the Sabbath nor the New Moon, shows clearly that the Sabbath was used as a day on which the ordinary Israelite recharged his spiritual batteries by interacting with the spiritual elite of the nation (compare Kings II 4,23) The reason why the sages declared that observance of the commandment to remember the Sabbath to keep it holy, and not to violate the work prohibitions on that day is equivalent to all the other commandments in the Torah, is precisely this function of the Sabbath to renew our spiritual batteries. We are taught in the Mechilta that part of the sanctity of the Sabbath is that we do not count the days of the week as do the gentiles, but we relate each day to its position vis a vis the Sabbath, as for instance “today is the first day after the Sabbath, today is the second day after the Sabbath, etc.” Our sages, taking a cue from the word לקדשו, “to sanctify it,” tell us that this is why we must recite the sanctification of the day over a cup of wine before both the evening meal and the main meal on the Sabbath day. This ”sanctification” is known as kiddush. (compare Maimonides hilchot Shabbat chapter 29) Whereas the sanctification of the Jubilee year every fifty years requires a court of sages to declare it holy, the Sabbath is sanctified by every individual Jew every week. Remembering the Sabbath and sanctifying it are two separate aspects of Sabbath observance

To constantly remember the Shabbos day. . . I.e., you should constantly be remembering. This is different from זכור ברית אברהם , which means, “Remember it now.” However, remembering Shabbos is continuously ongoing. The word זכור is neither in the infinitive form nor in the imperative form. If it were in the infinitive form, it would not convey taking action [on what one remembers], but [remembering it by] thought alone. And if it were in the imperative form, the ז would not have a kametz. Rather, it is an intermediate form between thought and action. Therefore Rashi explains: “Take heed to constantly remember. . . set it aside for Shabbos.”

The expression לקדשו also implies making preparation such as the sages explained in Beytzah 16 that one should prepare for the Sabbath from the first day of the week onwards.

Es wird daher der Schabbat hier nicht als eine neue Institution eingeführt, die Existenz des Schabbats wird vorausgesetzt, der Schabbat war vorhanden, war schon seit der ersten Existenz des Menschen auf Erden vorhanden, und Israel wird nur verpflichtet, des Schabbats "nicht zu vergessen", wie seiner die ihm vorangegangene und mitlebende Menschheit vergessen hatte und vergisst. Auch die "Heiligung", die der Gottesschabbat durch den von Israel zu haltenden Menschenschabbat finden soll, war nicht mehr neu. Sie war schon im allgemeinen und in Beziehung auf einzelne Seiten der Menschentätigkeit, durch die Sistirung des Nahrungsstrebens in Mara und beim Manna Israel zur Pflicht gemacht. Es war da bereits der Anfang des Menschenschabbats zur tatsächlichen Heiligung des Gottesschabbats eingeführt, und Israel wird hier nur "erinnert", diese Heiligung nicht zu vergessen. Das: שמור את יום השבת לקדשו כאשר צוך ד׳ אלקיך "hüte den Schabbattag, ihn zu heiligen, wie dich Gott, dein Gott bereits verpflichtet", (Dewarim 5, 12) ist daher nichts als eine buchstäbliche Erläuterung des Erinnern wir uns, wie erst in Mara der siebte Tag durch זכור את יום השבת לקדשו die Sistierung der Menschen- und Werktätigkeit den Namen "Schabbat" bekommen haben dürste, so ist זכור את יום השבת nichts anderes, als: שמור את יום השבת כאשר צוך .ד׳ אלקיך

So that if you happen upon. . . Ramban objects: This is against the Halachah, which follows Beis Hillel. In Beitzah 16a it says that the elder Shammai always “ate” in honor of Shabbos. [The Gemara continues and explains that] when Shammai would find a fine animal, he would set it aside for Shabbos. If he then found a finer one, he would eat the first one and put the second one for Shabbos. . . but Hillel conducted himself differently, as it is said (Tehillim 68:20) “Blessed is Hashem day by day.” [He would not put aside fine items for Shabbos, but he would trust that Hashem would provide fine items later.] Re”m answers: Beis Shammai and Beis Hillel disagree regarding food items, and the Halachah indeed follows Beis Hillel. But Hillel agrees with Shammai regarding other items, [for they are less readily available]. And here Rashi is speaking pertaining to other items. However, it seems to me that all this is unnecessary. The Halachah always follows Beis Hillel, except in this case — since Hillel himself, who stated this law, does not disagree with Shammai regarding this matter. It is evident that he does not disagree, since the Gemara says: “Hillel conducted himself differently.” This implies that Hillel did not opine that this is the law. He merely conducted himself in this manner. (Maharshal)

An additional reason why the Torah tells us to remember the Sabbath day is mentioned in Midrash Tehilim 92. Adam was created on the sixth day and sinned on that day. Along came the Sabbath and acted as advocate for Adam in front of G'd. He pleaded with G'd saying: "no human being has ever been killed; why should it fall to my lot to be the first day on which a human being is killed?" As a result of the Sabbath's plea Adam was saved from death at that time. When Adam realised this he composed this Psalm, singing the praises of the Sabbath. The Torah asks us to remember the Sabbath as the day which saved Adam's life because this fact also insured our own existence and that of all of mankind. It behooves us therefore to accord special honour to the Sabbath. The Sabbath proved to be our very life-saver. When someone experiences a miraculous escape on a certain day he will forever treat that day as special year after year on the anniversay of that event. In this instance the miracle did not only occur on the Sabbath day, but the Sabbath itself was the life-saver. It is appropriate therefore that we remember this every week. The Torah wishes us to remember that the Sabbath day is to be in a totally different category from all the other six days of the week.

Es ist aber dieses Zusammenfallen der זכירה und שמירה, das, nach der Überlieferung der Weisen, auch bei der Gesetzgebung am Sinai zugleich ausgesprochen und vernommen, somit auch in konkreter sinnlicher Wahrnehmung als nicht von einander zu trennende Einheit sanktioniert worden, der feierliche Protest gegen jeden, Gott und sein Gesetz höhnenden Versuch, den jüdischen Schabbat in ein bloß "geistiges Gedenken", זכירה, zu verflüchtigen, und ihm seinen wesentlichen Inhalt, die שמירה, die Enthaltung von Werktätigkeit, somit die שביתה, wonach er heißt, die sein Wesen und seinen Namen bildet, zu rauben. In der פ׳ כג׳) פסיקתא) ist das bedeutsame Wort gesprochen: אמר ר׳ יודן זכור נתן לאומות העולם שמור נתן לישראל, und damit ganz dasselbe gesagt, was wir bereits zum Schabbat des Manna (oben Kap. 16, 23) erläutert. Mit der ersten Einsetzung des Schabbats für die Menschheit war er nur als geistiges Denkmal für die "Erinnerung", das "Gedenken im Geiste" gestiftet. Als solches ging er aber der Menschheit verloren. Zur Wiederbringung und Erhaltung des Schabbats ward Israel die שמירה, die konkrete, sinnlich wahrnehmbare symbolische Betätigung des geistigen Inhalts des Schabbatdenkmals geboten, und eben diese שמירה, nicht die זכירה, die bereits Gemeingut der Menschheit hatte sein sollen, ist das speziell jüdische Schabbatgesetz. Wer daher unserm Schabbat die שמירה nimmt, und sich mit der זכירה begnügen zu können vermeint, vernichtet den ganzen jüdischen Schabbat, zerstört die ganze Institution, die Gott zur Sicherung des Schabbats für die Menschheit in Israel gestiftet.

The Torah says: זכור את יום השבת, that we must remember the day by name. We sanctify the Sabbath by remembering it by name. You may appropriately translate this verse as follows: "Remember the day; what are you to remember? Sabbath." The reason that we are to sanctify it is because G'd's name is also Sabbath. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai states in his Zohar volume 2 page 88 that the name of G'd is Sabbath. Afterwards the Torah amplifies which of the seven days of the week is called Sabbath by writing: "during six days you shall perform all your work and on the seventh day is Sabbath;" this teaches that the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week. [You will note that the word "Sabbath" did not occur in the Torah's description of the creation. Ed.]

Indem aber die Aufgabe, des Schabbats nicht zu vergessen, positiv, זכור, "gedenke", ausgesprochen ist, so ist damit eine positive Tätigkeit geboten, die uns des Tages und seiner Bedeutung inne werden lässt, und indem dieses Gebot nicht imperativisch: זְכור sondern aoristisch: זָכור auftritt, so beschränkt sich diese Anforderung nicht nur auf die Dauer des Tages, sondern geht über dieselbe hinaus, ja ist eine solche, die sich auf alle Zeit erstreckt. Daher zuerst die Bestimmung: זכרהו על היין בכניסתו (Peßachim 106 a.): beim Eintritt des Schabbats die große, uns heiligende Bedeutung des Tages im קידוש auszusprechen. Dass dies über einen Becher Wein und als Einleitung zum häuslichen Mahl zu geschehen hat, ist Anordnung der Weisen, die uns כוס, den Becher, im jüdischen Schrifttum das Symbol des "von Gott dem Menschen zugemessenen Teiles", überall da in die Hand geben, wo ein Verhältnis als göttliche Bestimmung, als von Gott beschieden, beherzigt werden soll, und die zugleich den Schabbat in den häuslichen Kreis, somit da einführen wollen, wo seine Weihe ihre eigentliche Verwirklichung zu finden und ihre eigentlichen Segnungen zu bringen bestimmt ist. —

Daher ferner in der מכאן שמוסיפין מחול על הקדש :מכילתא, die Aufgabe, die Heiligung des Schabbats mit seinem Anfang in die Wochenzeit hinübergreifen zu lassen, die Werktätigkeit schon vor Eintritt des Schabbats zu sistiren, um dem Schabbattage auch im Schabbatgeiste entgegen zu gehen. Ebenso wie aus demselben Grundsatze die Schabbatweihe auch bei ihrem Ausgang in die Wochenzeit hinübergreift und auch die Bedeutung des Schabbats als das ganze Leben heiligende Institution nochmals beim Ausgange in הבדלה ausgesprochen wird, um den Schabbatgeist in das Werk schaffende Leben der Woche mit hinüberzunehmen (siehe סמ׳׳ג, Gebote 29). —

Daher endlich in der לא תהא מונה כדרך שאחרין מונין אלא תהא :מכילתא מונה לשם שבת: die Tage der Woche nicht wie die andern Völker — als jeder einem besondern Gott geweiht oder unter einem besondern Planeten stehend — zu nennen, sondern alle Tage vom Standpunkte des Schabbats aus, als zum Schabbat führend, zu zählen, das Schabbatgedächtnis somit über alle unsere Tage zu verbreiten, und somit als Ziel und Preis unserer ganzen Werktätigkeit den Tag und das Ziel begreifen zu lassen, unser geschaffenes Werk Gott, unserm Herrn und Meister, huldigend zu Füßen zu legen.

ועשית כל מלאכתך [SIX DAYS SHALT THOU LABOUR] AND DO ALL THY WORK — When the Sabbath comes it should be in thy eyes as though all thy work were done (completed), so that thou shouldst not think at all about work (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:9).

That is that He commanded us to sanctify His name. And that is His saying, "and I shall be sanctified in the midst of the Children of Israel" (Leviticus 22:32). And the content of this commandment is that we are commanded to publicize this true faith in the world, and that we not fear the injury of any aggressor. And even though an oppressor seeks to coerce us, we may not listen to him, but rather must give ourselves over to dying; and not deceive him to think that we have denied [God or His Torah] - even if we [regardless] believe in Him, may He be exalted, in our hearts. And this is the commandment of sanctifying [God's] name, that the Jewish people is commanded as a whole - meaning, to allow ourselves to die at the hand of the coercer on account of our love for God, may He be exalted, and our faith in His unity. This is like that which was done by Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah at the time of the evil Nevuchadnetsar, when he commanded to bow down to an image and all of the masses bowed down to it, including the Jews; and there was no one there sanctifying the name of the Heavens. Rather all were afraid; and this was a great disgrace for all of Israel, since the commandment was lost from all of them. And this commandment (in such circumstances) is only commanded in such a large and public stand in which everyone is afraid. And this was a designated publicization of [God's] unity which was designated by God through Yishayah - that the disgrace of Israel not be complete during this stand, but that young men would appear at that difficult time; and death would not scare them and they would allow their lives [to be taken], such that they would publicize the faith and sanctify [God's] name among the masses. This is as He promised us when He said, "no more shall Yaakov be shamed, no longer his face grow pale. For when he - that is, his children - behold what My hands have wrought in his midst, they will sanctify My name, etc." (Isaiah 29:22-23). And the language of the Sifra is, "On this condition did I bring you out of Egypt: On condition that you sanctify My name among the masses." And in the Gemara (Sanhedrin 74b), they said, "Is a gentile (ben Noach) commanded about the sanctification of [God’s] name, or is he not commanded? Come and hear - the Children of Noach were commanded to observe seven commandments. And if you say like this, there would be eight." Behold it has become clear to you that it is among the commandments that are obligatory for the Jews. And they brought His saying, "and I shall be sanctified in the midst of the Children of Israel," as a proof for this commandment. And the regulations of this commandment have already been explained in the seventh chapter of Sanhedrin. (See Parashat Emor ; Mishneh Torah, Foundations of the Torah 5.)

SIX DAYS SHALT THOU LABOR, AND DO ALL THY WORK. The term “labor” applies to work which is not for the needs of the body, such as cooking and the like, something like it is said: and in all manner of labor in the field;⁴⁵²Above, 1:14. when thou tillest the ground;⁴⁵³Genesis 4:12. and ye shall be tilled and sown,⁴⁵⁴Ezekiel 36:9. and as I will yet explain with the help of G-d.⁴⁵⁵Leviticus 23:7. It is for this reason that He said: “Six days you shall work the ground and do all thy work which is for your physical needs and your benefit, something like, bake that which you will bake.⁴⁵⁶Above, 16:23. But on the Sabbath, you shall not do any kind of work, thou, thy son, nor thy daughter — i.e., the minors.” Thus He has warned us against our minor children doing work on the Sabbath with our knowledge and consent. Nor thy manservant, nor thy maidservant means the servants who have undergone circumcision and immersion,⁴⁵⁷And are thus b’nei b’rith (children of the covenant). See Mechilta here. See also above, Note 79. who are obligated to observe all laws of the Sabbath just as Israelites, even as He said in the Book of Deuteronomy, that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.⁴⁵⁸Deuteronomy 5:14. In all [other] commandments of the Torah, observance is incumbent upon them as it is upon women, as is explained in the words of our Rabbis.⁴⁵⁹Chagigah 4 a, etc. And see Note 415 above. Now it would have been proper that He warn them directly, for they themselves are duty-bound to observe the Sabbath. Scripture, however, speaks to us because the servants are in our possession, thus telling us that their resting is incumbent upon us and that if they are not hindered from doing work, we will be punished on account of them. Besides, it is with Israel that G-d speaks in all of the Ten Commandments, [and for this reason, the command is not given directly to the servants].

ששת ימים תעבוד, during those days you will give attention predominantly to mundane matters, most of which involve difficulties and frustrations seeing that such mundane matters concentrate on events in a world which is not ours.

ששת ימים תעבוד, "During six days you shall labour, etc." Seeing that the Torah also speaks about "and you shall do all your work," what exactly did G'd mean when He said: "you shall labour during six days?" We may have to understand this in terms of Leviticus 25,20-21. The Torah quotes the Jewish farmer who has been asked to observe the Shmittah year as asking in the seventh year: "what shall we eat?" The Torah there answers that G'd will command the earth to supply sufficient harvests during the sixth year to last for three years. This is exactly what G'd alludes to here. When the Torah commanded us to keep the Sabbath holy this means that no profane matters are to be performed on the Sabbath. If so, seeing that most people perform enough work on one day to feed themselves on that day, what are they to eat on the Sabbath? G'd answers: "you shall labour for six days and do all your work." The clear implication is that the amount of work you perform on the six days will produce your needs also for the Sabbath. G'd assures those who keep His commandments that they will not suffer any hardship as a result.

ששת ימים תעבוד, For six days you will work (for your livelihood).” The word עבודה refers to activities not performed because of bodily needs, such as tilling the soil. The Torah says that such activities as tilling the earth, or similar type of activities should be performed for six days during the week. On the other hand, the words:ועשית כל מלאכתך, refer to activities which are needed to maintain the body in healthy condition, and activities designed to make life more comfortable and enjoyable. The Sabbath is a day on which neither of these two kinds of activities is to be performed. The prohibition extends to male and female adults as well as their children even while they are minors. It includes even the slaves in a Jewish household who have been circumcised and have undergone the ritual immersion and have thus become subject to the prohibitions applicable to the Sabbath. This is spelled out specifically in the second version of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy Actually, it could be argued that such people deserved to be addressed by G’d directly, just as the Israelites, in order to commit them more deeply to this commandment. However, seeing that the slaves are subject to constant directives by their masters, their employers, the Torah preferred to inform them of their duties via their masters who are in the habit of giving them instructions as to what to do and when, all the time. Furthermore, seeing that at the time when G’d addressed the Ten Commandments to the Jewish people they did not have any slaves, it would have been impractical to orchestrate a special revelation for such slaves at a later time in history.

ששת ימים תעבור ועשית כל מלאכתך “during six days you shall work and perform all your activities.” The meaning of this line is: “during all the six preceding days you will be preoccupied with serving the Lord while you perform your work, just as the patriarchs who served the Lord by the work they performed with herding sheep and cattle and other physical activities. But the seventh day is Sabbath; this day will be devoted to G’d exclusively. You must not perform any labour on it at all.” This is the interpretation of this verse which I have heard attributed to Maimonides.

(Exodus, Ibid. 9) "Six days shall you work": Now is it possible for a man to do his work in six days? The meaning is, rather: Rest as if all your work has been done. Variantly: Rest from thoughts of work. As it is written (Isaiah 59:13) "If you turn your feet back from the Sabbath," (Ibid. 14) "then you will find pleasure in the L rd."

V. 9. תעבוד: nicht als Selbstherrlichkeit, als "Dienst" sollst du dein werkschaffendes Herrschen in Mitte der Erdwelt betrachten, als Dienst im Reiche Gottes, als Dienst deinem Gotte und, in seinem Auftrage, seiner Welt geleistet, in die er dich gesetzt, לעבדה ולשמרה, ihr zu dienen und sie zu hüten, sie durch Aneignung, Umwandlung und Verwandlung aus dem Bereiche physischer Unfreiheit in den Kreis sittlich freier, Gott frei dienender Zwecke zu erheben. In diesem Sinne: ועשית כל מלאכתך sollst du all dein Werk vollbringen. Wir haben bereits (Bereschit S. 44) den Begriff מלאכה definiert. Wie מלאך ein persönliches Wesen ist, das den Willen und den Auftrag eines andern, in dieser Beziehung eines Höhern vollbringt, so ist מלאכה eine jede Sache, die dem Willen und dem Auftrage einer Intelligenz, hier des Menschen, dienstbar gemacht ist, עשית מלאכה ist das Umschaffen eines Stoffes oder einer Sache zu unserm מלאך d. h. einem Stoffe oder einer Sache eine solche bleibende Beschaffenheit aufzudrücken, dass sie fortan für einen von uns gewollten und bestimmten Zweck tauglich werden, somit der Ausführung unseres Willens und unserer Zwecke dienen. Jede עשית מלאכה ist die Ausübung unserer Herrschaft an einem Dinge der Erdwelt. Und diese Herrschaft: תעבוד, sollst du nur als "Dienst" vollbringen.

ועשית כל מלאכתך, “and you may (or must) go about all your weekday activities;” our author does not understand the word: כל in our verse as literally “all” or “every,” but as a euphemism for “part of all your activities,” as for instance in the expression: כל מגפותי, “usually translated as “all My plagues,” which we all know was not meant to mean: “all the plagues at G-d’s disposal.” (Compare Exodus 9,14,) and numerous similar occasions when such an expression is used.

ועשית כל מלאכתך, the type of activities essential for earning one’s livelihood.

Another aspect of the phrase ששת ימים is that once the Sabbath arrives you are to feel that the work week is over; you are not to think about work you have not been able to complete last week and have to continue next week, etc. The domain called ששת ימים and the domain called שבת are mutually exclusive. The author refers the reader to a story related in Shabbat 150 of someone who imposed a penalty on himself for having contemplated repairing a fence which had collapsed on the Sabbath. As a result of his decision not to repair the fence and thereby to expose himself to serious financial loss, a miracle happened and in the place where the break had occurred a caper bush grew which provided him and his family with an adequate income forthwith so that he did not need to restore the breach in the fence.

אתה ובנך ובתך THOU AND THY SON AND THY DAUGHTER — these latter mean the young children. Or perhaps this is not so, but it means your adult children? But you must admit that these have already been placed under this prohibition (by the word “Thou”, because the performance of this command is obligatory upon all adults to whom it was addressed). Therefore these words must be intended only to admonish the adults (implied in the term “Thou”) about the Sabbath rest of their young children (to impose upon the parents the obligation of enforcing the Sabbath rest upon them) (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:10:1). This is the meaning of what we have learnt in a Mishna, (Shabbat 16:6) “A minor who is about to extinguish a fire — we do not listen to him (do not permit him to do this), because his observance of the Sabbath is a duty imposed upon you”.

NOR THY STRANGER THAT IS WITHIN THY GATES. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, “the stranger of the gate” is always the geir toshav,⁴⁶⁰Literally: “resident alien,” so called because he was permitted to dwell within the Land of Israel. The conditions under which he becomes a geir toshav are described here in the text. who came to dwell in “the gates of our cities” and has taken upon himself the Seven Laws of the Noachides.⁴⁶¹See Vol. I, p. 417, Note 148, and see also in index there under “Noachides.” It is he who is called “the stranger who eats the unlawfully-slaughtered animal,” of whom Scripture says, thou mayest give it to the stranger that is within thy gates, that he may eat it.⁴⁶²Deuteronomy 14:21. Therefore, the commandment [prohibiting work on the Sabbath] was not directed to him so that Scripture would be saying: “Do not do any work on it, the home-born or the stranger.” Instead, it is we who are commanded that he do no work for our benefit, just as [we are commanded about] our minors and the cattle, but this commandment is not incumbent upon him and he may do work for himself on the Sabbath. The verse which states, so that the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may rest,⁴⁶³Further, 23:12. speaks of the righteous proselyte who has become Jewish and embraced our Torah, which has commanded him concerning the Sabbath and all the rest of the commandments as well, as He has said, One law and one ordinance shall be both for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you;⁴⁶⁴Numbers 15:16. both for the stranger, and for him that is born in the land.⁴⁶⁵Ibid., 9:14.
However, we have found in the words of our Rabbis that they have interpreted it in the opposite manner. Thus they have said⁴⁶⁶Mechilta on the verse here. that by way of the plain meaning of Scripture, thy stranger that is within thy gates means the righteous proselyte, and ceasing from work [on the Sabbath] is incumbent upon him as it is upon us. The verse, so that the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may rest,⁴⁶³Further, 23:12. includes the uncircumcised geir toshav.⁴⁶⁰Literally: “resident alien,” so called because he was permitted to dwell within the Land of Israel. The conditions under which he becomes a geir toshav are described here in the text. The Rabbis’ intent in so explaining the verses is that first, [i.e., right here in the Ten Commandments], “the stranger” warned is the proselyte who has been circumcised, who is obligated in the observance of the Sabbath as we are. The second verse — [further, 23:12] — includes the uncircumcised [geir toshav]. Therefore, he is likened there to the cattle, as the verse says, that thine ox and thine ass may have rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may rest.⁴⁶³Further, 23:12. Thus He commanded us concerning the resting of all of them alike that they should not work for us, but they may do [work] for themselves if they so wish. Similarly, the servant and the stranger mentioned in the Ten Commandments are alike, being obligated in the observance of all laws of the Sabbath as we are, even as He has said, that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest as well as thou.⁴⁵⁸Deuteronomy 5:14.

שבת לה' אלוקיך, the entire day is to be devoted to spiritual matters. This involves studying Torah, teaching it, performing the commandments associated with it, and enjoying the very nature of such a day on which instead of “serving” the needs of one’s survival in a hostile environment one can concentrate on serving the Master, the provider of life and spiritual inspiration. The Talmud Yuma 76 paraphrases this, saying: “wine and pleasant fragrances have made me intelligently perceptive.”

ויום השביעי שבת, "and the seventh day is Sabbath, etc." The verse means that "by observing the seventh day as Sabbath you confirm that the Lord is your G'd." This is why Shemot Rabbah 25 describes the Sabbath as equal to the entire Torah in importance. Perhaps there is another allusion in the very word שבת which suggests that it is equal to the entire Torah. We know that the commandments which the Israelites heard from the mouth of Moses totalled 611. The other two commandments i.e. the first two of the Ten Commandments they heard directly from the mouth of G'd. The first of these was a positive commandment, the second a negative one. We know that the positive commandments are perceived as originating with the attribute of Mercy seeing it is these for which we receive a reward. The negative commandments are perceived as originating with the attribute of Justice, seeing violation results in punishment. When you look at the numerical value of the tetragram י־ה־ו־ה plus the name א־ד־נ־י you obtain a total of 91. When you add 611, i.e. the commandments Israel received through an intermediary you get the numerical value of the word שבת, =702.

וגרך אשר בשעריך, “and the proselyte within your midst.” According to the plain meaning of the text, whenever mention is made of a גר, literally “a stranger,” in connection with the word שער the gate to your cities, it is assumed that the reference is to a גר תושב, a resident gentile, who has obligated himself to observe the seven Noachide commandments. Seeing that this is so, he is not included in the category of people to whom certain activities known as melachah in halachic terms are prohibited. After all, he is not part of a Jewish household described as applying to האזרח והגר, “the natural born Jew or the stranger who underwent basic conversion.” He is allowed to do for himself what he is not allowed to do on behalf of a Jew. As to the verse which speaks of וינפש בן אמתך והגר, “and the son of your maidservant as well as the stranger, shall recuperate, catch his breath as it were,” (Exodus 23,12) this refers to the fully converted gentile, who is subject to all the laws of the Torah from the moment he has converted. However, our sages in the Mechilta, understand the meaning of the word גר on each of these occasions, exactly in the reverse order. They understand the words וגרך אשר בשעריך as applying to a one time gentile who has fully converted, whereas the word וגר in Exodus 23,12 they understand as referring to a גר תושב, a resident stranger, i.e. one who has embraced the seven Noachide laws. Seeing that this latter stranger is an uncircumcised person, he has been compared by the Torah to the beast mentioned in the same verse as entitled to physical rest, וינפש on that day, and just as beasts must not perform work for Jews on the Sabbath, neither must resident strangers. The resident stranger is free to pursue his own agenda on what is the Sabbath for Israelites.

Because his Shabbos rest is upon you. This is true only if he does the work for the adult’s sake. Otherwise, we neither tell him to extinguish it, nor do we tell him not to. The adult is commanded not to directly cause the minor to do work. (Re”m) However, since Rashi quotes the Mishnah [of the minor who offers to extinguish the fire] word-for-word [and does not take its ruling and apply it to a specific case,] it seems to me to imply that adults must stop the minor [in every case, even when the minor does the work for his own sake]. Rashi explains this law also in Vayikra 11:13, regarding eating non-kosher fowl, and in Vayikra 17:12, regarding consuming blood, and in Vayikra 21:1, regarding kohanim defiling themselves. [And in those places, it presumably is not for the adult’s sake.] (Nachalas Yaakov)

V. 10. ששת ימים וגו׳ ויום השביעי וגו׳, sechs Tage schaffst du, Gott und seiner Welt dienend, dein Werk, und der siebte Tag ist "Werkeinstellung", לד׳ ,שבת, deinem Gotte: am siebten Tage stellst du dein Werk ein, um mit dieser Werkeinstellung immer aufs neue Gott als ד׳ אלקיך zu huldigen, immer aufs neue zum Ausdruck zu bringen, dass jeder kommende Atemzug deines Lebens, sowie jeder nächste Pendelschlag an der Weltenuhr Gott angehört, der dein Gott ist, jeden Anteil an seiner Welt dir zumisst und jede Kraft deines Wesens in seinem Dienste verbraucht wissen will. Du schaffst am Schabbat kein Werk, um eben dein Werkschaffen als "Dienst" Gottes zu begreifen. Deiner Welt beherrschenden Herrlichkeit entkleidest du dich am Schabbat und legst dich und deine Welt ד׳ אלקיך huldigend zu Füßen. —

שבת לה׳ אלוקיך, “as a Sabbath for the Lord your G-d;” and not for you; in other words, during the preceding six days you pursue your own agenda; on the Sabbath, seeing that you are relieved of having to pursue your own agenda, I expect you to pursue My agenda.

אתה ובנך ובתך, the children who are minors observe the Sabbath at the instructions of their fathers.

We also have a statement in Shabbat 118 that if someone observes the Sabbath meticulously his sins will be forgiven even if they included idolatry of the type Enosh was guilty of. When the Torah writes: "and the seventh day will be Sabbath for the Lord your G'd," the word "your G'd" must be understood as "the G'd who is your exclusive G'd," i.e. you have thereby indicated that you have accepted Him as your only G'd. This is derived from reading the words: ויום השביעי שבת לשם אלוקיך, "and on the seventh day you demonstrate by keeping the Sabbath that you are committed only to the Lord your G'd."

:מכילתא ששת ימים תעבוד וגו׳ וכי אפשר לו לאדם לעשות מלאכתו בששת ימים אלא שבות כאלו מלאכתך עשויה ,דבר אחר שבות ממחשבת עבודה "sechs Tage diene und habe all dein Werk getan!" d. h, halte inne, mache Schabbat, als ob dein Werk vollbracht wäre, also: "habe dein Werk vollbracht." Der Wert deines Schaffens ist nicht bedingt durch Erreichung eines bestimmten Zieles, das du dir gesetzt, sondern durch treues Streben nach einem gottgefälligen Ziele. Und so gewiss der treue Arbeiter in Gottes Welthaushalte in jedem Augenblick sein Werk getan hat, sobald Gott ihn abruft, — sei es auch im Verhältnis zum Ganzen ein winziges Bruchstück, sei es auch nur ein geringer Anfang zu einem großen Ziele, sein Ganzes war es, das objektive Ganze, das große Ziel liegt in Gottes Hand, er hat mit dem ihm zugemessenen Maß von Kräften und Mitteln, in der ihm zugemessenen Spanne Zeit, voll das Seinige getan — so habe du mit jedem Schabbat dein Werk vollbracht, es ist dein Meister, der da spricht: genug! und wenn du Ihm genug getan, so habe auch dir genug getan! — Nach einer andern Auffassung hieße es aber: habe all dein Werk getan! d. h. gebiete auch dem Denken an deine Arbeit Stillstand! Denke nicht an dein Geschäft!

לא תעשה כל מלאכה, “do not perform any work of a purely secular nature. The meaning of the word כל in this verse is the same as in the expression לא תעשה כל תמונה, in verse 4, or as in Exodus 22,21: כל אלמנה ויתום, i.e. “any widow or orphan.”

The words שבת לשם are to teach us that if one observes the Sabbath as a day on which one recharges one's physical batteries, this is not what the Sabbath is all about. Unless one demonstrates that the Sabbath is the day of the Lord, one has not observed it in the true meaning of the word.

לא תעשה כל מלאכה. Man hat den ganzen Schabbatbegriff verrückt und das ganze Schabbatgesetz untergraben, indem man לא תעשה כל מלאכה "du sollst keine Arbeit verrichten" übersetzte. Als man anfing, den sinaitischen Fahneneid zu verleugnen, der "das Leben im Einklang mit dem Gesetze" zu halten gelobte, und dafür der Gegenwart die Parole ausgab: "das Gesetz in Einklang mit dem Leben zu bringen" da war es auch das große, die Basis des ganzen jüdischen Lebens bildende Schabbatgesetz, das seine Umdeutung nach den Anforderungen des Lebens erfahren sollte. Ohne im geringsten darum bekümmert, ob denn auch das Gesetz eine solche Auffassung an Händen gebe oder auch nur zulasse, erklärte man den Schabbat als einen Tag der Körperruhe, damit der Geist sich freier Gott zuwenden könne, interpretierte dem entsprechend die verbotene מלאכה als "Arbeit", definierte dann "Arbeit" ganz richtig, — oder wenigstens halb richtig, denn es gibt ja auch Geistesarbeit — als körperliche Anstrengung, nur körperlich anstrengende Arbeit ist am Schabbat verboten, leichte aber und im Dienste geistiger Tätigkeit geübte ist nicht verboten, sagte man, und die "Ausgleichung des Gesetzes mit dem Leben" war vollbracht. Allein nirgends deutet das Gesetz auch nur mit einer Silbe an, dass das eigentliche Wesen der Verwirklichung des Schabbats in etwas über die Einstellung aller מלאכה Hinausgehendem liege, dem etwa diese שביתה nur als Mitteldiene. Überall wird mit der שביתה ממלאכה und in derselben der שבת vollzogen, überall mit עשית מלאכה und in derselben der Schabbat entweiht, כל העושה בה מלאכה, nicht wer am Schabbat nicht zum Gottesdienst gegangen, die Predigt nicht mit angehört etc., wer eine מלאכה am Schabbat getan, !'כל העשה מלאכה ביום השבת מות יומת ,ונכרתה וגו׳ Diejenigen, die den armen Reiseraufleser vor Gericht brachten, erkundigten sich nicht zuerst, ob er denn nicht vielleicht schon zu Gottesdienst und Predigt gewesen und dem Schabbat sein Genüge gezollt habe, oder ob er nicht vielleicht die Reiser zur Bereitung des Schabbatmahles gebrauchen wollte. Er hatte Reiser aufgelesen, hatte Naturprodukte von dem Naturboden ihrer Erzeugung in den Menschenbesitz und für den Menschenbesitz zusammengesammelt, oder er hatte sie in רשות הרבים aufgenommen und hatte sie ארבע אמות weiter gebracht, kurz er hatte eine מלאכה geübt, das genügte, um ihn des Todes schuldig zu finden. Und ebenso enthält der Begriff מלאכה keineswegs körperliche Anstrengung als wesentliches Merkmal. Es kommt fast an zweihundertmal in dem biblischen Schrifttum vor und nicht eine einzige Stelle weist in dem Worte an sich auf anstrengende Arbeit hin, sowie ja auch die Sklavenarbeit in Ägypten nie מלאכה genannt wird. Vielmehr scheint überall, wie wir dies ja auch etymologisch aus מלאך erkannt, nicht die mehr oder mindere Körpermühe, sondern die intelligente Ausführung einer Absicht als wesentlich zum Begriff מלאכה zu gehören. Wüssten wir daher nichts von der mündlich tradierten Erläuterung, wir würden einfach durch die Bedeutung des Wortes und durch das hundertfältige Zeugnis seiner Anwendung in der Schrift genötigt sein zu sagen: לא תעשה כל מלאכה heiße: du sollst keinerlei Werk schaffen! Du sollst deine Absicht an keinem Dinge ausführen, kein Ding zum Träger deiner Idee, deines Zweckes, gestalten, überhaupt: du sollst nichts produzieren! nichts schaffen! Ja, wir würden, ohne die aufklärende Belehrung der Tradition vielleicht veranlasst sein, den Begriff noch weiter und allgemeiner zu fassen und darunter jede Ausführung unserer Absicht an den Dingen verstehen, und es ist eben die Tradition, die uns den Begriff präzisierter, buchstäblicher als עשית מלאכה, als das Machen eines Werkes, als das Machen eines Stoffes zur מלאכה, zum sachlichen Boten unserer Absicht, also als das Machen eines Werkes begreifen lässt. In der Tat tritt denn auch der Begriff des Werkschaffens als das wesentlichste Merkmal des איסור מלאכה am Schabbat in der הלכה hervor. Die am Schabbat verbotene Werktätigkeit muss produzierend, schaffend, nicht zerstörend sein: כל המקלקלין פטורין. Sobald aber der קלקול selbst Vehikel des Schaffens ist, על מנת לתקן, ists מלאכה. Sie muss beabsichtigt, nicht דבר שאין מתכוין sein, ja, es muss das eigentliche Produkt der produzierenden Tätigkeit in der Absicht liegen, z. B. graben, um eine Grube zu haben, nicht aber, um nur die herausgehobene Erde zu benutzen, sie muss nicht מלאכה שאינה צריכה לגופה sein. Die Ausführung muss auch kunstgerecht, nicht כלאחר יד sein, somit von Anwendung der vollen Menschenintelligenz zeugen. Überall tritt die Verwirklichung des Gedankens, und nirgends die größere oder geringere Körpermühe als konstituierendes Merkmal auf. Wohl ist auch Körperanstrengung, werktägiges Schaffen etc. ebenfalls am Schabbat untersagt; allein es fließt dann nicht aus dem Begriff, איסור מלאכה.

ועבדך ואמתך, “nor your male or female slave.” Seeing that the Torah here does not spell out here the reason or purpose for this prohibition, this has been spelled out in Deuteronomy 5,15 where the Ten Commandments have been repeated, i.e. in order to contrast this day with your status in Egypt when you were slaves and never had a day of rest from menial work. It is the lawgiver of this commandment who redeemed you from that status.

The conjunctive letter ו which connects the words תעבוד ויום השביעי suggests that far from not having any work to perform on the Sabbath, you are to perform work of a different nature. On that day the work you perform is for G'd instead of for yourself. Only מלאכתך, your work, is not to be done on that day.

גדולים :אתה ובנך ובתך, religiös mündige Kinder sind schon in dem אתה mitbegriffen, an sie ist ja das Gesetz direkt gerichtet; es sind somit hier nur die kleinen, noch nicht selbst zurechnungsfähigen verstanden. Erwachsene dürfen diese nicht zur Schabbatverletzung anhalten, ja, sind schuldig, wenn es das Kind mit ihrem stillschweigenden Einverständnis tut (Schabbat 121 a., Jebamoth 114 a.) — עבד ואמה, wenn sie völlig durch מילה וטבילה in den jüdischen Kreis übergegangen sind, tragen die Schabbatheiligung als Selbstpflicht; sind sie nicht in den Kreis der jüdischen Gesetzespflicht eingetreten, so haben sie in Beziehung auf die Schabbatpflicht den Charakter des גר תושב, den wir nicht veranlassen dürfen, für uns ein Werk zu verrichten (S. Orach Chajim 304). — אתה וגו׳ ובהמהך, es ist dies לאו דמחמר das Verbot, irgend ein Tier zur Ausführung einer uns verbotenen Werktätigkeit zu veranlassen. Zu unterscheiden von שביתת בהמה, dem Gebote, das eigene Tier von jeder Werktätigkeit frei zu halten, welches in dem Gebote למען ינוח שורך וחמורך (Kap. 23, 12) ausgesprochen ist. — וגרך אשר בשעריך, obgleich גר אשר בשעריך in der Regel sonst als גר תושב verstanden wird, so wird in der מכילתא hier es als גר צדק erklärt, indem גר תושב durch והגר (Kap. 23, 12) seine Bestimmung erhalten. Es scheint aber überhaupt ein Unterschied zwischen גר und גרך zu sein, und überall unter גרך der ganz dir angehörige גר צדק verstanden zu sein. (Vergl. die Stellen: Dewarim 31, 12. 24, 14. 29, 10). Dewarim 5, 14 wird בהמתך beispielsweise durch שורך וחמורך erläutert. שור ist das Tier der Arbeit, חמור des Tragens. Es sind damit die beiden Kategorien der מלאכות bezeichnet, der eigentlichen Produktion und der הוצאה. (Siehe zu Kap. 35, 1.)

וינח ביום השביעי AND HE RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY — If one may say so, He recorded rest about Himself (recorded that He rested) to teach from this an inference à fortiori as regards a human being whose work is performed only by labour and toil — that he should rest on the Sabbath day (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:11:2).

THE ETERNAL BLESSED THE SABBATH-DAY, AND SANCTIFIED IT. The verse is stating that the Sabbath-day will be blessed and hallowed because He has commanded to bless it and glorify it by remembering it. Therefore, He commanded us to rest thereon so that the day will be sacred to us, and that we should not do any work on it. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that G-d blessed this day and sanctified it by endowing it with a greater capacity to enable the soul to receive additional wisdom than on all of the other days. I have already written concerning this matter by way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], on the verse in Vayechulu.⁴⁶⁷Genesis 2:1. Ramban’s discussion of the mystic nature of the blessing of the Sabbath is found there on Verse 3 (Vol. I, p. 60). From there, you will succeed in understanding that the expression ki sheisheth yamim asa hashem — [literally: “for six days the Eternal made”]⁴⁶⁸Here in the verse before us, which is generally translated: “for in six days the Eternal made.” — is not missing the letter beth, [which would make the verse read: “for in six days the Eternal made”]. Rather, the sense of the verse is that G-d made six days⁴⁶⁹Ramban is hinting here to what he wrote on Genesis 2:3, i.e., that the six days of creation allude to the six thousand years which are “all the days of the world.” See Vol. I, pp. 61-64. Thus the sense of the verse here is clearly, “for G-d made six days,” and not, “for in six days G-d made.” The six days represent the six milleniums of world-history, while the seventh millenium “will be wholly a Sabbath and will bring rest for life everlasting” (ibid., p. 64). and on the seventh day He ceased from work and rested.⁴⁷⁰Further, 31:17.

'כי ששת ימים עשה ה, the reason why the Torah repeats this theme on several occasions is to remind man to emulate his Maker, to model his own conduct according to what G’d has revealed about Himself. This can be done by intensive voluntary study of disciplines which we know G’d is fond of.

וינח ביום השביעי, He rested on the seventh day, etc. The Torah cleverly forbids among the 39 categories of forbidden work also such activities which do not involve something causing fatigue. Moving an object from a private domain to a public domain or vice versa does not represent any "work" in the regular sense of the word. There are other such activities (writing two letters of the alphabet for instance) all of which are nonetheless prohibited on pain of death. A person may say to himself that since such acitivities do not involve physical effort why should there be a death penalty for performing such activities on the Sabbath? The Torah answers that the work prohibition is not related to the amount of effort involved. If G'd rested on the seventh day it was certainly not because He had become tired of creating the universe and needed a rest. Isaiah 40,28 puts it succinctly: "He never grows faint or weary." The word מנוחה in the sense of rest as we use it, i.e. rest in order to recover from exhaustion, is quite inappropriate when applied to G'd. Any activity to which the term מלאכה is applicable is prohibited regardless of the physical or mental effort involved.

על כן ברך ה' את יום השבת, as I explained in Genesis. G’d’s “blessing” consisted in His making provisions to make the Sabbath a viable day when the time would come for Israel to observe it. Having provided manna for the people on the Sabbath eve was a reminder of how He had blessed the Sabbath even before it came into existence. ויקדשהו, the “rest” observed on that day by the Israelites is testimony of the holiness of the day which G’d bestowed on it already at the time of the creation.

כי ששת ימים עשה ה' את השמים ואת הארץ, “for Hashem made heaven and earth during six days, etc.” Here the whole concept of the Sabbath is linked to the creation, as opposed to the version in Deuteronomy where it is linked to the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt. In other words, seeing that the slave does not enjoy a day of rest during the week, the Torah underlines that a by-product of the redemption from Egyptian bondage was the entitlement to a weekly day of rest, a day free from the claims on our time and skill by human masters. It is also possible that the reason that the wording of the Decalogue in Deuteronomy is so materially different, when it comes to providing the rationale, is to caution us not to treat our own servants in a manner comparable to the way we have been treated while in bondage in Egypt, but to ensure that our servants enjoy a day of rest per week just as we do..

By giving twice as much on Friday, a “double bread”. . . See Bereishis 2:3, and Shemos 16:22.

V. 11. Also: Sechs Tage sollst du im Dienste Gottes deine von Ihm dir verliehene Herrschaft an den Dingen deiner Welt üben, sie in den Dienst deiner Zwecke bringen und sie für diese Zwecke, Schöpfer gleich, umwandeln, sie alle zu Boten deiner Macht gestalten. Aber der siebte Tag bringt Stillstand dieser deiner Tätigkeit, ein Innehalten deines Schaffens, "שבת", um ד׳ als deinem Gotte zu huldigen: לד׳ אלקיך, — du trittst zurück, um Gottes Herrschaft über deine Welt hin hervortreten zu lassen — wie? Indem du weder unmittelbar, noch durch dir gehorchende lebendige Kräfte mittelbar, deine Herrschaft an den Dingen und Wesen deiner Welt übest: כי ששת ימים וגו׳ וינח וגו׳, denn, wenn Gottes Schöpferwirken jetzt auch ruht, seit dem ersten siebten Tage ruht, Schabbat in der Schöpfung ist, keine neuen Schöpfungen in der dich umfangenden Himmele, Erd- und Meerwelt hervortreten, in Himmel-, Erd- und Meerwelt du alles nur nach in ihnen bereits vorhandenen Kräften und Gesetzen sich gestalten siehst, und höchstens nur dich, den Menschen, immer neue Kombinationen und durch sie gleichsam neue Schöpfungen für seine Zwecke produzieren siehst: so ist doch diesem Weltschabbat eine Weltschöpfung vorangegangen, der מנוחה eine תנועה der שביתה eine מלאכה; erst seit dem siebten Tage ruht die Gottesschöpfung, bis zu diesem siebten Tage hat Gott die Himmel-, Erd- und Meerwelt sechs Tage einer immer größern Vollendung schaffend entgegengeführt, und weil er seit diesem ersten siebten Tage ruht, als Schöpfer dem Menschen nicht sichtbar ist — und doch von seiner Anerkennung als Schöpfer und Herrn der Welt durch den Menschen die ganze Heileszukunft der Welt und des Menschen bedingt ist — darum ברך ד׳ את יום !השבת ויקדשהו, darum hat Gott den Schabbat gesegnet, da er ihn heiligte, darum ist seine Heiligung Segen, darum ist der Stillstand, den seine Heiligung der Menschentätigkeit bringt, keine Beschränkung, sondern Segen; ja alle ברכה, alle Entwicklungszukunft der Menschheit im ganzen und jedes einzelnen im besondern liegt in seiner Heiligung, ist bedingt durch die in ihm gesicherte Anerkennung der Gottesherrschaft über die von ihm geschaffene Welt und den Menschen in ihr, vor welcher die Menschenherrschaft zurückzutreten und sich ihr zum treuen Gehorsam huldigend zu Füßen zu legen hat, — und darum spricht Gott zu dir: זכור את יום השבת לקדשו, bleibe du des von der übrigen Menschheit vergessenen Schabbats eingedenk, ihn durch die dir gebotene Werkeinstellung zu heiligen!

כי ששת ימים עשה, “during the six days of creation preceding the Sabbath of creation, G-d had created the six directions of the spatial universe, i.e. north, south, east, west, up and down. What had He left for you to complete, seeing that He had done it all? This verse is a reminder that there had been nothing left for the Creator to do on that day and that we are to emulate Him as a reminder of this. Just as He had looked at His completed universe, so we are to look at having completed our secular tasks during the preceding six days, before turning to the six days following and the tasks awaiting us then.

ברך… ויקדשהו HE BLESSED … AND SANCTIFIED IT — He blessed it through the Manna by giving a double portion on the sixth day — “double bread”; and He sanctified it through the Manna in that on it none fell (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:11:3; cf. Rashi on Genesis 2:3).

וינח ביום השביעי, seeing that all the ingredients of the physical world had already been put in place. When something is complete מנוחה, a state of productive rest, a period devoid of conflicting demands, tensions, this becomes possible.

ברך ה' את יום השבת ויקדשהו, “Hashem blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.” To make it a blessed day and a sacred day by means of mentioning its holiness and by pronouncing it holy and abstaining from all the activities which have been categorized as מלאכה. Ibn Ezra writes that it is G’d Who blessed the day and sanctified it as He conditioned it so that man’s body can host an additional soul on that day, a soul that enhances his spiritual capacity.

The words כי ששת ימים עשה also mean that G'd created the world in order for it to endure for six days. It follows that He has to "renew" creation i.e. to issue a directive for the universe's continued existence every single day. The means He uses is the soul of the day called Sabbath which He created by "resting." The fact that G'd desisted from creative activity after the sixth day resulted in the Sabbath coming into existence. Our sages in Bereshit Rabbah 10,9 indicate that prior to the Sabbath the world was in a constant state of turmoil. When the Sabbath came the world calmed down. Compare also what I have written on Genesis 2,2.

In Dewarim Kap. 5, 14 wird erläuternd noch eine Konsequenz hervorgehoben, die die mit der Schabbatheiligung immer aufs neue hervortretende Gotteshuldigung sofort für das soziale Leben hat. Es heißt למען ינוח עבדך ואמתך כמוך. Die aufrichtige Huldigung Gottes macht alle Menschen gleich. Der Schabbat macht den Sklaven frei und stellt ihn in gleiche Linie neben den Herrn vor Gott. Wir haben schon oben bei der Einsetzung des Peßach auf die Stellung des Sklaven im jüdischen Hause und im jüdischen Gesetze hingewiesen und wird das dort Gesagte durch diese hervorgehobene Wirkung des Schabbats bestätigt.

על כן ברך ה' את יום השבת, a reference to the “additional” soul G’d has provided for every Jew on this day. This serves as spiritual preparation for the proper enjoyment of such a holy day.

Es heißt dort (das. V. 15) ferner: וזכרת כי עבד היית בארץ מצרים ויצאך ד׳ אלקיך משם ביד חזקה ובזרע נטויה על כן צוך ד׳ אלקיך לעשות את יום השבת, "denke, dass du im Lande Ägypten Sklave warst, als dich Gott, dein Gott, von dort mit starker Hand und mit gestrecktem Arme hinausführte, darum hat dir Gott, dein Gott, geboten, den Schabbat in Tat zu begehen". Gottes war die יד und die זרוע, die "Tatkraft" und "die Macht", die dich aus Ägypten erlöste. Du hattest beide eingebüßt, warst Sklave und hast nur durch Gottes "Hand und Arm" beide wieder erlangt. Gott hat dir beides, Kraft und Macht der Selbständigkeit, nur wieder gegeben, damit du beides nur in seinem Dienste gebrauchest und verwendest — und wenn alle Menschen Gott mit ihrem physischen Dasein als dem Schöpfer der Welt angehören und durch den Schabbat zur Huldigung ihres Schöpfers geladen sind, so gehört Israel auch mit seinem sozialen Dasein Gott als dem Schöpfer seiner Volksexistenz in der Reihe der Völker an. Als daher Gott dem Schabbat Träger und im huldigenden Tatausdruck vor den Augen der Welt verkündende Vollbringer stiften wollte, griff er aus der Mitte der Menschheit dich heraus, dessen "Hand und Arm" mehr als aller andern Menschen sein eigen sind, dessen Selbständigkeit, dessen freie "Kraft und Macht" selber das völkergeschichtliche Dokument, Denkmal und Zeugnis Seiner Herrschaft über die Welt der Natur und Geschichte und in Mitte derselben sind, und verpflichtete dich, durch Niederlegung deiner "Hand und deines Armes", durch Sistirung deiner "Kraft und Macht" an jedem Schabbat das zu aller Welt sprechende Zeugnis für den "Schabbat" abzulegen. Israels ganze Geschichte von Abraham bis Mosche ist nichts als die Gottesschöpfung eines Volkes zum Träger des Schabbats, und so ist der jüdische Schabbat gleichzeitig זכר למעשה בראשית und זכר ליציאת מצרים! (siehe auch zu Kap. 35, 1). (Eingehender siehe die Artikel: "Der Sabbat" (Jeschurun, Jahrg. I. S.192 -— 194,194 — 197.308 — 315, 419 — 428, 527 — 536, 628 — 637; Jahrg. II. S. 264 — 270).

ויקדשהו, He sanctified it entirely, so that the entire day be devoted to matters spiritual.

למען יארכון ימיך THAT THY DAYS MAY BE LONG — If thou honourest them they will be long, and if not, they will be shortened — for the words of the Torah may be explained as concise statements: from what is included in a positive statement we may infer the negative and from what is included in a negative statement we may infer the positive (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:12:2).

HONOR THY FATHER. Having finished all that we are obligated towards the Creator Himself and His glory, He turns now to command us about those matters which concern created beings. He begins with the father, for in relation to his offspring, he is akin to a creator, being partner with Him in the forming of the child.⁴⁷¹Kiddushin 30 b: “There are three partners in man: the Holy One, blessed be He, his father and his mother.” G-d is our first Father, and he who begets it [i.e., the child] is our last male parent. This is why He said in the Book of Deuteronomy, [Honor thy father… as the Eternal thy G-d commanded thee].⁴⁷²Deuteronomy 5:16. That is, “just as I have commanded you concerning My honor, so do I command you concerning the honor of those who have joined Me in your formation.” Now Scripture has not explained [the nature of the honor we are to give our parents], for it may be derived from the honor mentioned above that we owe to our first Father, blessed be He. Thus, one is to acknowledge [his male parent] as his father and not deny him, saying of another man that he is his father. Nor should he serve him because of his estate or any other benefit he hopes to derive from him. Nor should he take his father’s name and swear “by the life of my father” in vain or falsely. There are other matters which are included within the term “honor,” for we are commanded in every aspect thereof, and they are explained in the words of our Rabbis.⁴⁷³“What is honoring [one’s parents? It entails] providing them with food and drink, raiment and warmth, and guiding their footsteps [when they are old and infirm]” (Kiddushin 31 b). The Sages have already said⁴⁷⁴Ibid., 30b. that honoring parents has been likened to honoring G-d.
Now since this commandment refers to creatures on the earth, He has designated its reward to be prolongation of life on earth which He will give us. But in the opinion of our Rabbis,⁴⁷⁵Ibid., 39b. the purport of the verse is “that thy days may be long and upon the Land.” [It thus expresses two declarations]: He promises that our lives will be prolonged by observing this commandment — i.e., that G-d will fulfill our days in this world and they will be prolonged in the World to Come, which is unending — and that our dwelling will forever be on the good earth⁴⁷⁶A reference to eternal life. which He will give us. And in the Book of Deuteronomy, He expressly stated it: that thy day may be long, and that it may go well with thee, upon the Land which the Eternal thy G-d giveth thee.⁴⁷²Deuteronomy 5:16. Thus they are two promises.

למען יאריכון ימיך, these are the five Commandments which by their observance contribute to your enjoying a life of a single dimension, i.e. length without breadth, another way of stating what the Talmud called in Kidushin 39 “in a world which consists entirely of “length,” [unlimited duration. Ed.]. By performing these five Commandments one renders honour to G’d, as a result of which the one rendering this honour to G’d will himself become part of G’d’s eternal life. Doing this involves knowing that G’d created the universe out of “nothing,” no physical substance. It also involves accepting G’d as the exclusive Divinity in the universe and therefore not worshipping anyone else or anything else. It also involves not only not rebelling against Him in deed, but not contemplating rebellion even in one’s thoughts or speech It involves actively honouring Him, after all, He is our father, our maker. Are we not commanded to even honour our mortal parents?

Honoring one's parents is next to [the commandment to observe] Shabbat to tell you that just as one is obligated to respect Shabbat one is obligated to honor one's parents.

למען יאריכון ימיך, "so that your days will be long, etc." The expression יאריכון implies that this will be a natural consequence; it is not a reward by G'd. Had it been intended as a reward, The Torah would have had to write something like: "I will lengthen your life, etc." The Torah may have taught us that the miraculous feature which attends performance of honouring father and mother is that persons doing so will enjoy long life. There are several commandments which are associated with miraculous phenomena; in all such cases this is not part of the reward for performing them.

כבד את אביך ואת אמך, “Honour your father and your mother.” After G’d had completed the list of duties we have vis a vis Him, He begins a list of primary obligations we have concerning our fellow man. He begins the list with an obligation to honour one’s biological father, as the father is G’d’s partner in the creation of any new human life. Whereas Hashem is mankind’s original father, the biological father is his final, most recent father. It follows that just as G’d commanded us in His capacity as our Creator, our father is entitled to a commensurate degree of honour and respect, as he fulfilled this role on earth. [It goes without saying that man’s mother is the third partner in the creation of every human being after the first pair of humans. Ed.] The Torah does not go into specifics of how such respect is to be shown to one’s parents. A major component of such honour accorded to one’s father is to publicly acknowledge him as such, just as the basic honour we accord G’d is that we publicly acknowledge Him as the Creator. We must not accord similar honour to other males in order to be recognized as the heirs of another male, for instance, for the sake of reaping some other benefit by such recognition of someone who is not our biological father as such. If one swears by the life of one’s father, one must not portray someone else as one’s father, for instance. Our sages have furnished us with a list of other activities the performance of which is considered proof of our observing this commandment. Our sages, in stressing the importance of this commandment, have compared the parents’ claim to be honoured by their children to G’d’s claim to be honoured by His creatures. They derive this, for instance, from the use of the attribute Hashem in this commandment, an attribute which does not occur during any of the last five Commandments, the reason being that those concern inter-personal relations, not man’s relations with his Creator. Seeing that in essence, the performance of the commandment to honour one’s parents concerns itself with issues of relevance in our lives on this earth, the Torah, in its promise of reward also describes this reward in terms of advantages to be enjoyed in our life on this earth, i.e. long life in the land of our forefathers. Our sages say that the promise of the reward is to be divided into two separate promises. 1) Long life; 1a) life in the land of Israel. These two aspects of the reward speak about the terrestrial world, whereas 2) the word יאריכון in itself speaks of a domain in which time is unlimited, the world to come in the celestial regions in the words of the sages: בעולם שכולו ארוך, a world which is not bound by time. Moses elaborates on this further in Deuteronomy 5,16 by adding the words ולמען ייטב לך, “and in order that it will be good for you.” Seeing that there was no obvious need to append the letter ן in the word יאריכו, our commentators see in this a hint that the mother is included in all that is written here.

כבד את אביך ואת אמך, “honor your father and your mother.” Up until now G’d had instructed the people to honor the original father in heaven, i.e. Himself; now He wanted to sign this side of the Tablets with the command to honor progenitors in the lower world, here on earth. In effect, what G’d says here is “just as I commanded you to treat Me with honor and respect, so I command you this day to treat your father and mother who are My partners in creating you with respect and honor. Just as one of the most important aspects of honoring G’d is to acknowledge Him as such, so one of the most important aspects of honoring one’s parents is to acknowledge them as such.
Just as an important aspect of belief and faith in the Lord is the second commandment לא יהיה לך, that you must not exchange Him for another deity, so an integral part of the commandment to honor one’s father and mother is not to deny the fact that they are in fact your father and mother. Just as it is forbidden to swear a false or vain oath in the name of the Lord, so it is forbidden to use the reference to the life of one’s father or mother as a way of reinforcing one’s credibility when swearing a false or vain oath. Furthermore, it is forbidden to serve one’s father because one expects to inherit his wealth or even because one hopes to receive the honor and title one’s father enjoyed during his own life time.
There are numerous details pertaining to the observance of this commandment which our sages have taught us in this regard. To mention but a few: the son is obligated to provide for his father with food, drink, clothing, etc., both as a financial contribution as well as being a physical support for him in case of illness, frailty in his father’s old age, etc. (Kiddushin 31). In Proverbs 3,8 Solomon instructs us כבד את ה' מהונך, “demonstrate your honoring the Lord by using your wealth.” The way one honors the Lord with one’s wealth [seeing He has neither need of it nor use for it, Ed.] is to distribute some of one’s wealth to the poor. One must set aside the various tithes the Torah has instructed us to give to the priest, the Levite, or the poor. Seeing the Torah has set aside tithes and gifts for these people who are not your next of kin, one must certainly provide for one’ parents if the need arises.
As to the reward promised here that he who observes this commandment will enjoy long life in the land of Israel, Rav Saadyah Gaon has explained that seeing that on occasion father and son share many years together on this earth, i.e. the father enjoys in inordinately long life, and as a result the son may feel that the obligation to look after his father in addition to his obligation to look after his own wife and children has become very burdensome, this is the reason why the Torah went out of its way in this instance to promise long life to the son who observes this commandment meticulously. This is not as much a promise of reward as it is a warning not to neglect fulfillment of this commandment as failing to observe it is equivalent to playing with one’s own life. If you are interested in long life yourself, make sure that your father and mother’s lives are enjoyable.
This concludes the first five of the Ten Commandments. They all appear on the same tablet, and, as we have demonstrated, there is conceptual linkage between all of them. To sum this up once more: the first commandment is to believe in the Lord, His existence, His exclusivity. In order that one should not think that it suffices to believe in the Lord and at the same time to believe that He has partners, the second commandment spells out that belief in any partner of G’d is intolerable. In order that someone should not say that seeing that G’d has no partner it does not matter if we bandy His name about needlessly, the Torah had to go on record that this is the very reverse of honoring Him, that one must on no account treat His name as if it were something common or ordinary. Having begun to tell us what is an act of dishonoring G’d, i.e. using His name in vain, the Torah then instructed us in an example of how to honor His name, i.e. observing His Sabbath. If we really want to show that we honor Him and His name we will be meticulous in our Sabbath observance. Having instructed us in how to honor Him by honoring the Sabbath, the Torah then proceeded to instruct us to honor those who have begotten us, i.e. our parents. This concludes my commentary on the first five of the Ten Commandments and how they are related to each other.

From the positive to the negative. [Rashi knows this] because the Ten Commandments are all negative mitzvos, except for the first, which is essential and the basis for all the mitzvos. Therefore Rashi explains that also this one is a negative commandment, for “inference may be made from the positive to the negative.”

V. 12. Die Erkenntnis und Anerkennung Gottes, die אנכי im Geiste von uns fordert, לא יהיה in ihren negativen Konsequenzen ausspricht, לא תשא als Granitbasis des Verkehrs des Menschen mit Menschen proklamiert und זכור im huldigenden Tatausdruck bekannt wissen will, beruht, wie dies die Beifügung: אשר הוצאתיך sofort im אנכי-Satze ausgesprochen und es im Dewarim, wie wir soeben gesehen, nochmals zu זכור erläuternd hervorgehoben worden, wesentlich auf יציאת מצרים. Nicht auf die Erforschungsergebnisse unserer Betrachtung der Natur, auf die geschichtlichen Erlebnisse unseres Volkes, durch welche Gott uns offenbar geworden und seinen Willen uns offenbar gemacht, hat Er unsere jüdische Erkenntnis und Anerkennung Gottes als Lenkers unserer Geschicke und Leiters unserer Taten gegründet. Himmel und Erde hatten zu den Menschen vergebens gesprochen, ja ihre Sprache hatte polytheistische Umdeutung gefunden, und nur die dem jüdischen Volke geschichtlich gewordenen Offenbarungen Gottes haben dem Menschen den monotheistischen Blick und das monotheistische Ohr zum Verständnis der Natur und der Geschichte wieder gebracht. יציאת מצרים und מתן תורה, diese beiden Grundfakta des jüdischen Volkes, welche unsere Gotteshuldigung als des Lenkers und Leiters unserer Geschicke und unseres Lebens konstituieren, sind geschichtliche Wahrheiten, Erkenntnis und Anerkennung geschichtlicher Wahrheiten beruhen aber lediglich auf Tradition, und Tradition beruht lediglich auf treuer Übertragung durch Eltern auf Kinder und auf williger Entgegennahme der Kinder aus den Händen der Eltern. Somit beruht die Fortdauer der großen jüdischen Gottesstiftung lediglich auf dem theoretischen und praktischen Gehorsam der Kinder gegen Vater und Mutter, und כבוד אב ואם ist die Grundbedingung der Ewigkeit der jüdischen Nation. Durch Vater und Mutter gibt Gott dem Kinde nicht nur das physische Dasein, sie sind auch faktisch das Band, das das Kind mit der jüdischen Vergangenheit verknüpft, es Jude und Jüdin sein lässt, und sie sind es, die ihm die Tradition der jüdischen Bestimmung in Erkenntnis, Sitte und Erziehung überliefern sollen. Geschichte und Gesetz soll das Kind aus ihren Händen empfangen, um einst beides ebenso auf seine Kinder zu vererben. Wie es zu seinen Eltern aufschaut, sollen seine Kinder einst zu ihm aufschauen. Ohne dieses Band zerreißt die Kette der Geschlechter, geht die jüdische Vergangenheit der Zukunft verloren, und die jüdische Nation hört auf zu sein. Diese Bedeutung jüdischer Eltern weist ihrer Würdigung die hohe Stellung im Dekaloge an und lässt das Gottesgesetz sprechen: כבד את אביך ואת אמך למען יאריכון ימיך על האדמה אשר ד׳ אלקיך נותן לך!

כבד את אביך, “Honour your father;” elsewhere we have a more detailed formulation of what is meant by “honouring” our parents, i.e. when Solomon spelled this out in Proverbs 3,9 saying: כבד את ה׳ מהונך, “honour the Lord with (part) of your wealth; all G-d asks of us is a small part of the wealth He has granted us, not all of it. We are to emulate Him in our relations with our parents, our progenitors on this earth. In Leviticus, another aspect of our relationship with our parents has been legislated when the Torah writes in Leviticus 19,3 as the first commandment after bidding us to try and become holy ourselves, that we are to revere our parents. When the Torah there continues with repeating the requirement to observe the negative commandments of His Sabbath, it hints at the definition of “reverence” being not to disregard our parents’ instructions. The Torah decrees the death penalty for anyone who curses father or mother (Exodus 21,17) a penalty similar to that decreed for cursing G-d, (using a euphemism, which is difficult to warn him not to use in this fashion) (Leviticus 24,15) (which because not carried out by human tribunal makes that sin practically unforgivable so that the penalty will be karet, posthumous disbarment as member of the Jewish people.) The death penalty for cursing parents is completely natural, as when cursing one’s parents one automatically curses G-d also, as He is one third partner in any human being, having supplied the soul. (Talmud Kidushin folio 30)

על האדמה, by observing the above-mentioned five Commandments you will merit to enjoy life without being exiled from your ancestral land. Observance of the other five Commandments are designed to protect you against falling victim to harm befalling your body, or your property, or your dignity, your standing in the eyes of your peers. Here too, observance includes not only abstaining from violating these Commandments by deed, but also not violating them by word of mouth or even contemplating violation in your mind. Basically, the last five Commandments are addressed to your life on this earth, whereas the former are addressed to ensuring your life beyond the transient life on earth.

Die Bedeutung von כבוד als dem Ausdruck des geistigen und sittlichen Wertes eines Wesens haben wir bereits an andern Stellen aus der Verwandtschaft mit כבֵד, schwer, nachgewiesen. Wir konnten sagen, כבוד sei die geistige und sittliche Schwere eines Wesens. כַבֵּד heißt daher: die Wertschätzung an den Tag zu legen, und כבד את אביך ואת אמך fordert von uns: in jeder Weise und in unserm ganzen Verhalten zu den Eltern unser Durchdrungensein von der hohen Bedeutung an den Tag legen, die Gott den Eltern uns gegenüber erteilt hat. Es gehört dazu in allererster Linie der unbedingte Gehorsam und die zuvorkommende Erfüllung aller ihrer Wünsche, die nur in dem Widerspruche mit dem göttlichen Willen (Wajikra 19, 3) ihre Grenze finden, dessen Herold ja die Eltern sein sollen, und dessen Vermittler zu sein, ja eben die Bestimmung ist, die ihnen die hohe Bedeutung erteilt. Es ist diese Bestimmung der Eltern, und nicht das größere oder geringere Maß von Wohltaten, das sie ihren Kindern erzeigt, in welcher dies "כבוד אב ואם" wurzelt, eine Verehrung, die mit der Großjährigkeit und dem Alter der Kinder nur wächst, über den Tod der Eltern hinausdauert und in ihren unbedingten, großartigen Anforderungen um Himmelsfernen das überragt, was eine gewöhnliche, sogenannte "Vernunftmoral" aus den Erwägungen der Pflichten der Dankbarkeit abzuleiten vermag und ableitet (siehe Kiduschin 30 b. 31, 32). —

אשר ה׳ אלוקיך נותן לך, which the Lord your G-d is giving you (the soil).[The following Midrash appears in the Pessikta de Rav Kahane chapter 21 on the Ten Commandments, but there the Roman is not Turnusrufus, but the Emperor Hadrianus. In my edition, (Mandelbaum) I have not found it. Ed.] The wicked Roman governor Turnusrufus asked Rabbi Akiva why the name of the Lord is mentioned seven times in the first five of the Ten Commandments, while His name does not appear even a single time in the last five of these Commandments? Thereupon Rabbi Akiva went to the palace of Turnusrufus and showed him his lance. The next time he went to the palace he showed Turnusrufus his shield. The next time he showed his armour and his various weapons. When he visited him again and came to his toilet, he found that there was no weapon or defensive shield. Upon asking why this was so, he was told that the Emperor considered it as disgraceful to bring his weapons, etc. to such a place. Thereupon Rabbi Akiva answered him that in the first five of the Ten Commandments the subjects are all sacred or at least honorable. In the second half of the Ten Commandments where the subjects are murder, theft, adultery, perjury, and man’s basic carnal urges, it would not be appropriate that the name of G-d would appear there as if He associated Himself with people guilty of such crimes. An alternate explanation regarding the presence of G-d’s name in the last five of the Ten Commandments. Violation of any of the first five Commandments means sinning against a Being that is infinite, eternal, is permanent, When someone violated one or more of the last five Commandments he only sinned against transient creatures. G-d’s name therefore did not need to be mentioned.

Indem es nicht כבד אביך ואמך, sondern את אביך ואת אמך heißt, so ist damit nicht nur die Person des Vaters und der Mutter, sondern sind auch diejenigen Personen als Gegenstand der Verehrung gesetzt, in welchen die Persönlichkeit des Vaters und der Mutter sich vergegenwärtigt, es soll der Vater auch in der Stiefmutter, die Mutter in dem Stiefvater Verehrung finden (siehe Bereschit 1 zu את השמים וגו׳). Eine gleiche Ehrerbietung wird auch für den ältesten Bruder gefordert.

Dewarim 30. 17, 18 heißt es: ואם יפנה לבבך וגו׳ הגדתי לכם היום כי אבוד לא תאריכון ימים על האדמה אשר אתה עובר את הירדן וגו׳ ,תאבדון, und ebenso daselbst 4.26: לא תאריכון ימים עליה כי השמד תשמדון. Diesem gemäß ist wohl auch hier zunächst von der nationalen Dauer des Volkes in dem ihm zu verleihenden Lande die Rede. Nur wenn die von dem ersten Geschlechte unmittelbar gewonnene Erkenntnis und der mit dem ersten Geschlechte auf dieser gewonnenen Erkenntnis geschlossene Bund durch כבוד אב ואם auf Kind und Kindeskind sich vererben und dadurch noch das späteste Geschlecht in der ganzen begeisternden Frische der Unmittelbarkeit zu Gott und seinem Gesetze wie das erste sich fühlt und bewährt, nur dann ist die Ewigkeit der Nation auf dem ihr zu verleihenden Boden garantiert. כבוד אב ואם bedingt, wie bereits bemerkt, die ewige Fortdauer der Nation. Indem aber das Gebot כבד את אביך וגו׳ nach Form und Inhalt kein nationales, sondern ein individuelles, von jedem Individuum als solchem zu erfüllendes ist, so erblicken auch die Weisen (Chulin am Ende) in dem למען יאריכון ימיך also für den einzelnen die individuelle jenseitige Fortdauer ausgesprochen, wie es für die Nation die hieniedige Unsterblichkeit bedeutet. Dewarim 5, 16 ist auch zu erläuternd hinzugefügt und dadurch כאשר צוך ד׳ אלקיך :שבת wie beim כבוד אב ואם darauf hingewiesen, dass ebenso wie die Schabbatheiligung so auch die Pflicht der Elternehre bereits in Mara erteilt war. שבת und כבוד אב ואם gehören zusammen. Sie sind beide die großen Erziehungsinstitutionen, denen Gott die Zukunft seines Volkes anvertraut. — אריכת ימים ist dort noch durch den Beisatz ולמען ייטב לך dahin erläutert, dass nicht nur die ununterbrochene Fortdauer in alle Zukunft, sondern auch das wahre Heil in aller Gegenwart durch כבוד אב ואם bedingt ist.

לא תנאף THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY — The term ניאוף, “adultery”, is technically only applicable to the case of a married woman, as it is said, (Leviticus 20:10) […the wife of his neighbour], the נואף and the נואפת shall surely be put to death”, and it further states, (Ezekiel 16:32) “The woman that comitteth adultery, that taketh strangers instead of her husband”.

THOU SHALT NOT MURDER. THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY. THOU SHALT NOT STEAL. He is stating: “Now I have commanded you to acknowledge in thought and in deed that I am the Creator of all, and to honor parents because they joined [Me] in your formation. If so, guard against destroying the work of My hands and spilling the blood of man, whom I have created to honor Me and acknowledge Me in all these matters.⁴⁷⁷See Ramban at end of Seder Bo. And do not commit adultery with your fellow-man’s wife, because you will thereby destroy the principle of honoring parents, [causing the children] to deny the truth and acknowledge falsehood. They will not know their fathers and will thus give their honor to another, just as the idol-worshippers do, who say to a block of wood, ‘thou art my father,’⁴⁷⁸Jeremiah 2:27. and they do not know their Father who created them out of nothing.” After that, He warned against stealing a human being,⁴⁷⁹Mechilta on the verse here. for that too brings about a similar [disintegration of values].⁴⁸⁰See Ramban further, 21:15.
With respect to their stringency and penalties, the order of the commandments is as follows: after idolatry comes bloodshed, and after that adultery, and then stealing of a human being and false testimony and robbery;⁴⁸¹Since coveting also relates to action by robbery, Ramban mentions here “robbery” although the tenth commandment speaks of coveting. and he who does not covet, will never harm his neighbor. Thus, He completed all obligations that a person owes towards his neighbor. After that, [in the Seder of Mishpatim which follows], He will explain the ordinances in detail, for he who has been found guilty in any suit to pay his neighbor will pay the amount he is so obligated if he does not covet or desire that which is not his.
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote⁴⁸²In his introduction to the Ten Commandments. [of the commandment, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house… thy neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, etc.], that Scripture adopted a normal course of life. First, it mentioned the neighbor’s house, for an enlightened person will first acquire a house, and then marry a woman to bring her to his house, and only afterwards will he acquire a manservant or a maidservant. But in the Book of Deuteronomy,⁴⁸³Deuteronomy 5:18. it mentions the wife first, because young men desire to marry first [before they acquire a house]. It may be⁴⁸⁴This is Ramban’s own comment. that because the coveting of a neighbor’s wife is the greatest sin of all things mentioned in that verse, [it is listed first].
Thus, of the Ten Commandments, there are five which refer to the glory of the Creator and five are for the welfare of man, for [the fifth commandment], Honor thy father, is for the glory of G-d, since it is for the glory of the Creator that He commanded that one honor one’s father who is a partner in the formation of the child. Five commandments thus remain for the needs and welfare of man.
In some commandments, He mentioned their recompense, and in others He did not. Thus, in the second commandment, He mentioned a jealous G-d;⁴⁸⁵Verse 5. in the third, for the Eternal will not hold him guiltless;⁴⁸⁶Verse 7. in the fifth, that thy days may be long.⁴⁸⁷Verse 12. But in the others, He mentioned neither punishment [for transgression], nor reward [for fulfillment]. The reason for this is that the last five commandments deal with the welfare of man, and behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.⁴⁸⁸Isaiah 40:10. In other words, the recompense for the last five commandments is self-evident. If man observes them, his society will prosper, and if not, the whole fabric of society will collapse. But in the case of idolatry, a warning of punishment is needed because of its great stringency, involving as it does the glory of the Creator.
It appears to me that His saying a jealous G-d⁴⁸⁵Verse 5. refers to the commandment, Thou shalt have no other gods,⁴⁸⁹Verse 3. and that His saying, And He showeth mercy⁴⁹⁰Verse 6. refers to I am the Eternal,⁴⁹¹Verse 2. for punishment comes for [transgressing] the negative commandments, and reward for [fulfillment of] the positive commandments. [He did not mention the reward immediately in the first commandment because] the acceptance of the Kingdom of G-d, [as mentioned in the first commandment], and the admonition against the worship of anything besides Him, constitute one subject. Therefore, He first finished that entire matter and then warned the idol-worshipper of punishment, and then He assured reward for he who fulfills the commandments.
He warned of punishment in case of a vain oath, the Eternal will not hold him guiltless,⁴⁸⁶Verse 7. but He mentioned no reward [for observing it]. For profaning the Sabbath, He mentioned neither excision⁴⁹²Further, 31:14. nor any other punishment, neither did He mention a reward for him that keepeth the Sabbath from profaning it.⁴⁹³Isaiah 56:2. This is because it is included in the first two commandments. He who observes the Sabbath testifies to the Creation and acknowledges his belief in the commandment, I am the Eternal, while he who profanes the Sabbath denies the Creation and admits the eternity of the universe, thereby denying the commandment, I am the Eternal. Thus, [the punishment for profaning the Sabbath] is included in: a jealous G-d, visiting the iniquity,⁴⁸⁵Verse 5. while [the reward for he who keeps the Sabbath] is included in the verse, And He showeth mercy unto the thousandth generation.⁴⁹⁰Verse 6. In the fifth commandment, which concerns the honor due to parents, He mentioned the reward because it is a positive commandment, [and as mentioned above, reward is for fulfillment of the positive commandments].
With reference to the writing on the Tablets of law, it would appear that the first five commandments were on one Tablet, for they are for the glory of the Creator, as I have mentioned, and the second five commandments were on another Tablet. Thus there were five opposite five, something like the Rabbis mentioned in the Book of Creation:⁴⁹⁴Sefer Yetzirah 1:3. This is one of the earliest books on the Cabala. Saadia Gaon was among the first great scholars to write a commentary on it. It is written in profound symbolic language. “With ten emanations,⁴⁹⁵In our version of Sefer Yetzirah: “Ten Emanations”; the word “with” is not present. intangible, as is the number of ten fingers, five opposite five, and the Covenant of the Unity placed directly in the middle.” From this it will be made clear to you why there were two Tablets, for up to Honor thy father, it corresponds to the Written Torah, and from there on it corresponds to the Oral Torah. It would appear that it is this that our Rabbis, of blessed memory, have alluded to in saying⁴⁹⁶Shemoth Rabbah 41:7. that the two Tablets correspond to heaven and earth,⁴⁹⁷Since the Torah was the instrument with which the world was created, the first Tablet containing our duties towards G-d thus corresponds to heaven, while the second Tablet which states our duties to man corresponds to earth (Eitz Yoseph, ibid.) to a groom and bride,⁴⁹⁸The symbol is that of the bestower and the bestowed. Heaven is the bestower and earth is the bestowed. So also is the relationship between G-d and man. to the two friends [of the groom and bride], and to the two worlds [this world and the World to Come]. All these constitute one allusion, and the person learned in the mystic lore of the Cabala will understand the secret.

לא תנאף, this commandment is phrased as applying to sexual intercourse with someone else’s legal wife because this is the most likely scenario; it applies to all forbidden sexual intercourse.

לא תרצח. Wherever the term רציחה appears it refers to killing without adequate justification. A deliberate murderer is to be executed as we know from Numbers 35,16-16. Similar verses in Kings I 21,19 when King Achav had framed someone resulting in judicial murder is also included in this definition of לא תרצח, [though he could have claimed that Naval, the victim, could have been found innocent by the judges. Ed.] When the terms הריגה, or מיתה are used to describe killing this means that there was no excuse for the killer to commit his act. (compare Kayin slaying his brother in Genesis 4,8) On the other hand, in Leviticus 20,16 where the Torah decrees והרגת את האשה, this refers to judicial killing for cause. Concerning the use of the word רוצח, murderer, in Deuteronomy 4,42 as applicable to someone who killed inadvertently, the reason why the Torah used this term there was only because in the same context deliberate murder was also discussed. This is my answer to the heretics who have admitted to me that the Latin translation of the Bible describing רציחה “killing,” without distinction as to the reason for the killing, is sloppy, most inaccurate. They were so careless in spit of the fact that in their “own” books such as Deuteronomy 32,39 we have the line אני אמית ואחיה, “it is I Who kill and resurrect,” showing that the Torah uses different expressions describing different kinds of killing.

לא תרצח , “Do not commit murder.” The order in which the Torah lists the following prohibitions needs to be understood as follows: The Torah, implies that the listener (reader) has appreciated that first and foremost G’d had insisted that He be recognized as THE Creator of the universe and all that there is in it. Next, He had commanded that the parents be accorded honour and respect seeing they are partners in the creation of new human life. It follows that you, human being, must not do things which directly result in your undoing what I had done. First and foremost do not shed the blood of a human being who was created in order to honour Me. You would deprive Me of the honour due to Me by My creatures. The prohibition against committing adultery is similarly motivated, as violating the wife of your fellow man not only is a serious injury, affront to the contractual bond between that wife and her husband, but it undermines the whole principle of enabling children to know who these parents are to whom they are duty-bound to show respect. It introduces lies as something normative into this world, whereas G’d stands for truth, and we are to emulate Him if we claim to be His partners. Stealing, i.e. kidnapping, preventing human beings to live the kind of life G’d wishes them to live, similarly deprives G’d of the worship of Him by the kidnapped person held prisoner. Similar considerations are at the core of the laws not to testify falsely nor to plan to deprive others of their rightful possessions. Such actions proclaim the lie as an acceptable means to achieve one’s ends, the opposite of G’d’s outstanding attribute of אמת, “truth,” the attribute we are to emulate if we really want to be His partners. The first three negative commandments refer to actions performed with one’s body, i.e. with one’s external organs, such as stealing, followed by sins committed with one’s mouth (testimony) and with one’s heart (coveting). In the next portion the Torah deals with a long list of משפטים, violations of the norms of inter-personal relations which need to be judged by a court. As long as one violates only the commandment not to covet without taking action to illegally or even legally acquire the desired object no judges will be involved. In commenting on the sequence of items coveted, described in the Tenth Commandment, Ibn Ezra says that the reason that the house of your fellow man is mentioned first, even before the taking of your fellow man’s wife, is that any intelligent person makes certain that he has suitable accommodation to offer a woman before he asks her to marry him. Only after he has acquired a wife does he acquire man and woman servants to assist in the household chores. The reason why this order is reversed in the version of the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy is that there the Torah addresses young men, who, in their urge to find a mate to marry, do not have the patience to wait until they are economically well established. It is also possible that there Moses talks about someone, who because he lusts after a woman forbidden to him, makes her the focus of all his desires. Nachmanides writes that the first 5 Commandments are designed to honour the Lord, the Creator, the fifth doing so indirectly seeing that in honouring parents one does so as they are the nearest link to the Creator that we have. In honouring them, we indirectly honour Him. All the remaining 5 Commandments are designed to enhance the dignity of the individual person. In some of the Commandments the consequences of observing it or not are spelled out, such as that G’d is jealous and will demand an accounting from those who slight Him, or that He will not easily forgive someone who uses His name in vain, or that the reward for honouring father and mother, though almost a natural in most instances, will be extremely worthwhile. On the other hand, most of the Commandments are not accompanied by promises of reward if observed or threats of retaliation if ignored. This may be explained in that acceptance of the first Commandment and non violation of the second Commandment are really two sides of the same coin, i.e. he who does refrain from all that is forbidden in the second commandment has in fact observed the first Commandment without lifting a finger. The absence of a warning of specific penalties for violations, or the mention of any reward, is also because Sabbath observance, i.e. recognition of G’d as the Creator both by sanctifying the day and by abstaining from work performed as a duty on the six days of the week is actually a way of fulfilling both the first and the second Commandment. The first 5 Commandments appear on the first of the Tablets, whereas the second five appear on the second Tablet [although if the numbers of words or letters were to be matched evenly the arrangement would have at least the fifth Commandment on the second Tablet, Ed.] This is to remind us that the Commandments on each of the Tablets correspond to one another. The Commandment not to commit murder parallels the Commandment of believing in the Lord the Creator, as murdering G’d’s creature undoes some of His work, diminishes His stature. The Commandment not to be disloyal to one’s wife or husband is parallel to the Commandment not to make or serve other deities. We are under oath to the One and Only Creator. The commandment not to use the name of the Lord in vain is parallel to the Commandment not to steal. Eventually, every thief will commit false testimony when he denies the accusation of having stolen. The Commandment to honour father and mother parallels the Commandment not to covet one’s neighbour’s wife, for if he does so successfully and illegitimate children are born from such a union, these children will eventually curse their parents instead of honouring them.

לא תרצח, “do not murder!” The five commandments on the second Tablet are all negative commandments, and I will explain to you the reason for the order they appear in and how they relate to one another. Seeing that the commandment not to worship idols was expressed as a negative commandment, G’d continues here with a list of negative commandments commencing with the commandment not to murder. This commandment and the one following it, i.e. not to commit adultery, share the death penalty for deliberate violation, but seeing the kind of death penalty applicable to these three commandments is not identical the Torah lists the sins according to the severity of the death penalty applicable in descending order. Idolatry is punishable by stoning, (the most severe kind of death penalty); murder is punishable with death by the sword, decapitation, whereas adultery is punishable by death through strangulation. Our sages always mention the following three sins in one breath, i.e. idolatry, sexual licentiousness, incest and murder. [In order to avoid committing any of these in a context of religious coercion and in public, one must choose death rather than violate either of them. Ed.]
The seventh commandment i.e. “not to steal,” speaks of stealing people, kidnapping, not inert objects or animals (Mechilta bachodesh section 8). This kind of theft too is punishable by death through strangulation (compare 21,17). The last three commandments which all deal with different forms of theft, robbery, i.e. greed, are listed in descending order of their severity.

V. 13. Die ersten fünf Sätze proklamieren mit אנכי und לא יהי׳ לך die Erkenntnis und Anerkennung Gottes als Lenkers und Leiters unseres Geschickes und unserer Tat in ihrer positiven und negativen Bedeutung, setzen sie in לא תשא als Basis unseres Einzel- und Zusammenlebens überhaupt, sichern ihr in זכור die immer erneute huldigende Betätigung, und in כבד את אביך ואת אמך die ewige Vererbung durch die Wirksamkeit des Hauses. Die folgenden fünf Sätze proklamieren nun die Konsequenzen dieser Erkenntnis und Anerkennung für das soziale Leben. Ist Gott der eine einzige Lenker der Geschicke und will Er Leiter aller Taten sein, so steht auch jeder deiner Mitmenschen neben dir mit jeder Fuge seines Geschickes unter Seiner Obhut, und jede deiner Handlungen gegen ihn unter Seinem Blick, so ist auch jeder Mensch neben dich von Seinem Willen dahin gestellt, ist durch Ihn Mensch und berechtigt, gleich dir, sein Recht ist von Gott geheiligt, seine Güter alle, sein Leben, seine Ehe, seine Freiheit, sein Glück, seine Ehre, sein Eigentum, sind von Gott ihm angeheiligt: Du sollst sein Leben nicht morden, seine Ehe nicht brechen, seine Freiheit nicht rauben, sein Glück und seine Ehre durch falsches Zeugnis nicht schmälern, ja, sollst selbst die Lust nach allem, was das Haus deines Nebenmenschen ausmacht, und das umfasst alles, was er in dem Bereiche seines irdischen Daseins sein nennt, nicht in dir aufkommen lassen! —

לא תרצח, “do not murder!” The absence of any qualifying adjectives or adverbs means that murder by hand, by tool, or even by silence is equally forbidden. Example: you have obtained information that someone is about to be murdered and you fail to warn the prospective victim. The expression רצח is not applicable unless applied to death caused by illegal means. The expressions מיתה, or הריגה can be applied to death by other means whether legal or illegal.

לא תגנוב THOU SHALT NOT STEAL — Scripture here is speaking about a case of one who steals human beings, whilst the command (Leviticus 19:11) “Ye shall not steal” speaks about a case of one who steals money (another person’s property in general). Or perhaps this is not so, but this speaks about the case of one who money and the other about the case of one who steals human beings! You must, however, admit that the rule applies: a statement must be explained from its context. How is it in regard to, “Thou shalt not murder” and “Thou shalt not commit adultery”? Each, speaks of a matter for which one becomes liable to death by sentence of the court; similarly, “Thou shalt not steal”, must speak of a matter for which one becomes liable to death by sentence of the court, and this is not so in the case of theft of money but only in that of kidnapping (Sanhedrin 86a; cf.Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:3:13).

לא תגנוב, the term “stealing” also includes the “stealing,” i.e. kidnapping of human beings. Even deceiving your fellow man deliberately is called “stealing” גנבת דעת הבריות, “stealing people’s minds, misleading them to believe that lies are truth. (compare Sanhedrin 86)

לא תענה ברעך עד שקר, “do not bear false witness against your fellow.” Please note that the Torah does not write “against your brother,” as it does when forbidding charging interest, (Deut. 23,20) or when it commands you to return found property (Deut. 22,3), or in similar legislation. In all those instances our sages explain the word אחיך as excluding non-Jews. In other words, while it is forbidden to charge (or pay) interest to a Jew, it is not forbidden to charge interest to a Gentile. While one must go out of one’s way to restore lost property owned by a Jew, there is no legal obligation to spend time, energy, and even money to restore lost property to a Gentile. Here the reason the Torah fails to limit the legislation to אחיך, “your brother.” It is clear that one must not bear false testimony against a Gentile, i.e. against Egyptians. Moreover, we find in Exodus 11,20 וישאלו איש מאת רעהו, “they asked each person from his fellow;” it is clear that the word רעהו refers to the Egyptians as the verse would not make any sense otherwise. Not bearing false testimony therefore is a commandment of universal application.
Furthermore, if the Torah had written the word אחיך in our verse we might have concluded that it is in order to testify against (or on behalf of) other relatives, whereas generally speaking a whole list of relatives are unfit to testify together (as a team), on behalf of each other or against each other. Not only is false testimony illegal in such instances but even true testimony is unacceptable. Were this not so the Torah should have written לא תענה ברעך עדות שקר, “do not lie in your testimony against your fellow.” Such wording would have been very misleading as it would have meant that only the actual false testimony is prohibited but that someone who is in collusion with people arranging false testimony would be exonerated by the legal process. The Torah therefore uses ambiguous wording to cover as much ground as possible, i.e. in order to include as many people as possible in the parameters of guilt governing the subject of false testimony. The very word תענה means to “assist,” or “invite.”

רצח .לא תרצח: die höchste Potenz von רשה .רשע, chaldäisch: dürfen, רצה: das berechtigte Wollen. רשע: das Recht und das Gesetz brechende Wollen, rechtlose Willkür (רצע, konkret: durchbohren), רצה: der höchste Rechtsbruch, der Mord. (Nebenher: רזה, der Zustand unbefriedigten Verlangens, mager. רזח, das Schmerzgefühl herbsten Verlustes: die Trauer über Sterbefall). Während הרג und המית auch von dem berechtigten Töten vorkommt, ist רצח immer der Mord. Nur von der an dem Mörder zu vollziehenden Tötung kommt zweimal auch רצח vor, Bamidbar 35, 27 u. 30. Es scheint vom Standpunkt des Mörders gesprochen zu sein. Er fühlt denselben Stahl gegen sich gezückt, den er gegen den Nebenmenschen gebraucht. Vielleicht auch in beiden Fällen nur von der Tötung durch den גואל הדם. Es hängt davon ab, ob — wie es allerdings scheint, — das ירצח את הרוצח des V. 30 auf den גואל הדם zu beziehen ist. — Jede Lebenskürzung, und wäre es auch nur die Beschleunigung des Todes um eine Minute, wird unter שפיכת דמים begriffen Schabbat 151 b.).

לא תענה ברעך עד שקר, this includes spreading slander about people surreptitiously, something generally known asמוציא שם רע, “defaming someone, ruining his reputation.” The principal meaning in our verse is perjuring oneself when testifying against a fellow man

Unter לא תנאף wird Schebuoth 47 b. auch die Warnung vor Kuppelei begriffen und (Nidda 13 b.) darin auch Warnung vor jeder Art Unzucht in weitem Sinne verstanden.

לא תנאף, “do not commit adultery!” Do not argue that whereas it is forbidden to reduce the number of living human beings through murder, there is nothing wrong with increasing the human population even through sleeping with a woman who is someone else’s wife.

לא תגנוב wird vom Menschendiebstahl verstanden, auf welchem ebenso wie auf Mord und Ehebruch Todesstrafe steht.

ענה .לא תענה ברעך ist immer eine veranlaßte Rede. Daher gewöhnlich: antworten. Auch wo es ein Beginnen der Rede bezeichnet, ist es immer eine Rede, die von einem Vorgang, Zustand etc. etc. veranlasst ist, mit der also dem Moment genügt wird. Die Zeugenaussage setzt immer voraus, dass sie von dem wahrgenommenen Vorgange veranlasst ist. Daher ענה ב־ ohne weiteres: Das gegen jemanden aussagen, was der Wirklichkeit der Verhältnisse entspricht, gegen jemanden zeugen. — עד שקר, vergl.: עד שקר העד (Dewarim 19, 18), also: nicht ein falsches Zeugnis, sondern ein falscher Zeuge. Es kann daher auch hier das עד שקר nur als Apposition zu dem in לא תענה enthaltenen Subjekt verstanden werden: Du sollst nicht als Lügenzeuge gegen deinen Nächsten aussagen. Das Gesetz unterscheidet zwischen עד מוכחש und עד זומם, zwischen sachlicher und persönlicher Falschheit der Zeugen, jenes: wenn der Zeuge bei dem bezeugten Vorgange gegenwärtig war, jedoch den Vorgang unwahr aussagt, dieses: wenn er überall bei dem Vorgange gar nicht gegenwärtig gewesen, somit in der Tat gar nicht als Zeuge auftreten konnte; jenes wäre ein Zeuge der Lüge, dieses ein erlogener Zeuge. עד שקר umfasst beides, den erlogenen Zeugen und den Zeugen der Lüge, und eben weil es zugleich אזהרה לעד זומם sein soll (Makkoth 4 b.) heißt es nicht: לא תענה ברעך דבר שקר, was auch schon: "zeuge nichts Unwahres gegen deinen Nächsten" ausdrücken würde, sondern עד שקר: "zeuge nicht als Lügenzeuge gegen deinen Nächsten", so, dass sich die Lüge sowohl auf die Person, als auf die Sache beziehen kann. Dewarim 5, 17 wird das עד שקר durch עד שוא erläutert, und damit ist wohl eben die eine Seite, der erlogene Zeuge, der falsche Zeuge, עד זומם, besonders hervorgehoben. Das Zeugnis eines solchen ist an sich "nichtig"; selbst wenn seine Aussage wahr ist, kann sie doch nicht von ihm bezeugt werden, da er nicht gegenwärtig war. Es liegt darin zugleich die allgemeine Warnung, selbst wenn man von der Wahrheit des Faktums, durch Indizien, durch völlig glaubwürdige Mitteilung anderer etc. etc. subjektiv vollkommen überzeugt ist, dennoch es nicht als Zeuge zu bezeugen, da ein Zeuge nur das bezeugen kann, wovon ihm durch eigene Wahrnehmung Kunde ist. Nur die eigene Wahrnehmung macht ihn zum עד, indem durch geistiges Bewahren des von seinen Sinnen Aufgefassten das sonst Verschwindende: "עוד,", "Dauer" in einem Menschenbewusstsein erhält (siehe zu Bereschit 21, 30).

לא תחמוד, the object you covet should be considered by you as so utterly unattainable that you will not even begin to hatch schemes of how to acquire it. This is the promise made by G’d in Exodus 34,24 that none of our neighbours will covet our land while we are engaged in making the pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Once you begin to covet something belonging to someone else it is only a short step to committing robbery. (compare Joshua 7,21 where Achan ben Carmi who had become guilty of such robbery admitted that it all began with his coveting the items which he stole and hid.)

V. 14. לא תחמוד : Die מכילתא unterscheidet חמדה von תאוה; während dieses nur das innere Sehnen, die Lust bedeutet, bezeichnet jenes auch die in Tat übergehende Lüsternheit, wie: לא תחמוד כסף וזהב עליהם ולקחת לך (Dewarim 7, 25). So auch ולא יחמד איש את ארצך Schmot 34, 24), das doch gewiß nicht heißt: niemand) wird Lust nach deinem Lande haben, sondern: niemand wird aus Lust nach deinem Lande deine Abwesenheit zu einem Einfall in dein Gebiet benutzen. (חמד ist das schon aufgehobene עמד. Dem entspräche auch die Bedeutung von חמט, als das langsam sich fortbewegende Tier: Schnecke). Daher auch רמב׳׳ם (Hilch. Gesela 1, 9): wer nach einem erwerbbaren Gut des Nächsten lüstern ist und ihn so durch Belästigung von Freunden oder auf sonstige Weise so lange quält, bis er es von ihm erhält, selbst wenn er ihm vieles Geld dafür gibt, übertritt das Verbot: לא תחמוד. Dass auch Geldersatz die Übertretung dieses Verbotes nicht aufhebt, gründet sich auf den Wortlaut: (Baba Mezia 6 b.) לא תחמוד לאינשי בלא דמים להו, wonach sie Meinung, dass das Verbot לא תחמוד ohne Geldersatz zu begreifen sei, für einen populären Irrtum erklärt wird. (Eine Auffassung, die jedoch nicht von allen geteilt wird, siehe תוספ׳ [Sanhedrin 25 b.]. Es ist somit die lüstern abgedrungene Erwerbung eines Gutes, selbst wenn dieses nachher juridisch sein Eigentum wird, durch לא תחמור verboten. In Beziehung auf אשת רעד wäre dies z. B. der Fall, wenn jemand den andern zur Scheidung von seiner Frau überredete, oder sonst veranlasste, um sie nachher zu heiraten. Dewarim 5, 18 wird dieses Verbot noch durch: לא תתאוה erläutert und damit zugleich schon das Aufkommenlassen der Lust nach einem Gute des Nächsten untersagt. Es heißt dort: ולא תחמוד אשת רעך ולא תתאוה בית רעך שדהו וגו׳. Bedeutsam steht dort bei אשת רעך nicht: לל לא תתאוה sondern לא תחמד. Bei allen andern Gütern ist die תאוה noch nicht an sich ein Verbrechen, sondern führt zum Verbrechen. Bei dem Weibe des Nächsten ist die תאוה selbst schon חמדה, der lüsterne Gedanke an das Weib des Nächsten ist schon unzüchtige Sinnestat, — das Weib des Nächsten ist מחמד עיניו (Jechesk. 24, 16) — hier fällt תאוה und חמדה zusammen und tritt daher nicht in getrennten Kategorien auf. Hiermit dürfte die Schwierigkeit: מ׳׳גo Verb. 158 sich lösen).

לא תחמוד אשת רעך, “Do not lust after your fellow man’s wife!” Do not scheme to how bring about her divorce so that you can marry her. The translation of lo tachmod cannot be that you shall not kidnap her are otherwise force her to sleep with you. This prohibition was already included in the prohibition to commit adultery. The first five commandments were all in the category of לא מבעיא, there being no question of their being necessary. The need to accept G-d as Israel’s Master hardly had to be spelled out. Neither did the commandment not to worship competing deities or the need not to swear an oath by any other deity, or to observe the Sabbath, seeing that G-d Himself had observed a Sabbath; nor was there a need to decree to honour one’s parents. Every gentile does so without having been ordered to do so by G-d. Even the last five of the Ten Commandments did not need to be legislated as universal disregard of either of these commandments results in complete anarchy and the destruction of the human race by itself. In most of the Ten Commandments we find two cantillation marks per word (as opposed to only one on a word.). The symbolism that is represented by that fact is a reminder that we have two versions of the Ten Commandments in the written Torah. When the Torah is read in public on the festival of Shavuot, which is the anniversary of the revelation on Mount Sinai, we read the second commandment לא יהיה לך as well as the whole commandment commencing with the word: זכור using the major cantillation marks in order that each one of them be understood as a single verse. The 6th9th commandments are read on that occasion by using the minor cantillation marks, in order to understand them as separate verses. The reason is that although we never find a verse that has only two words, in this instance the Rabbis decided to remind us that we are dealing here with separate commandments. When the Torah is read on an ordinary Sabbath in the month of Sh’vat, however, and the Ten Commandments are read as part of the portion known as Yitro, we read the entire Ten Commandments using the minor cantillation marks as a result of which we make four verses of each one of them. The reason why on Shavuot we read the first and second commandment with the major cantillation marks is to remind us that they were uttered by G-d as a single continuous verse. [The author had explained there that these two Commandments were heard by all of the people from G-d’s mouth without Moses acting as an interpreter. Ed.] [In the second version of the Ten Commandments where the 7thh10th commandments are linked to one another by the prefix letter ו, it is clear that they are to be treated as separate commandments each. Ed.][The author proceeds to spell this out in greater detail. Readers familiar with the significance of each cantillation mark will be able to check this themselves. Ed.]

Im Allgemeinen muss das Gesetz חמדה neben תאוה ,תאוה neben חמדה verbieten, חמדה, damit du nicht glaubest, die Absicht, auf legalem Wege das Gut zu erwerben, gestatte die Lust; תאוה, damit du nicht glaubest, erst mit der Tat beginne das Verbrechen. Wer nicht zum Verbrechen kommen will, muss die Begierde im Keime ersticken, und schon die Lüsternheit ist ein Verbrechen vor Gott, ist eine Versündigung an dem eigenen Selbst, das nur dem reinen, gerechten Streben offen gehalten bleiben soll.

In dem erläuternden Dewarim ist ferner noch bei dem לא תתאוה die Anführung von Beispielen durch שדהו ergänzt, damit nicht geglaubt werde, es sei die תאוה nur auf entwendbare Güter, מטלטלין, wo die Lust um so viel leichter zum Verbrechen führt, verpönt, und es sind endlich alle die Verbote der sozialen Verbrechen durch das ו־ kopulativum zu einem einzigen Satzganzen verbunden, ולא תנאף וגו׳ ולא תחמד, um einerseits die Heiligkeit aller Güter des Nächsten und die Verpönung der verschiedensten Versündigungen gegen dieselben mit einem Gottesspruche zu sanktionieren, andererseits und ganz besonders, um den Schwerpunkt des Ganzen in das Letzte zu legen: "Du sollst nicht morden, und sollst nicht ehebrechen, und sollst nicht stehlen, und sollst nicht als falscher Zeuge zeugen, und sollst nichts lüstern erstreben und sollst darum die Lust zu allem dir nicht Zuständigen in dir nicht aufkommen lassen."

Es ist eben das לא תחמד und לא תתאוה das Gottessiegel an dem sozialen Teile des Dekalogs. "Du sollst nicht morden usw." vermag auch ein sterblicher Gesetzgeber zu dekretieren. Allein "du sollst nicht gelüsten" vermag nur Gott zu verbieten, der Herz und Nieren prüft, vor dem nicht nur die Tat, vor dem auch der Gedanke und die Regung sich vollzieht. Menschen können nur Verbrechen verbieten und begangene Verbrechen notdürftig vor ihr Tribunal ziehen. Allein der Herd, die eigentliche Brut- und Geburtsstätte des Verbrechens entzieht sich ihrer Kognition. Ist aber einmal erst dort das Verbrechen reif geworden, so schreckt die Ausführung selten vor dem strafenden Arm der Menschengerechtigkeit zurück. Darum bleibt aller Staatenbau der Menschen Stückwerk und vergebenes, gebrechliches Bemühen, so lange er nur von der Menschenmajestät getragen und vollendet werden soll, so lange sie "mit Gott" wohl den ersten Grundstein legen, aber ohne Gott das Gebäude aufführen zu können vermeinen, den Dekalog hinnehmen, um darauf die Nebukadnezarsäule menschlicher Vergötterung aufzurichten, nicht die Menschenmajestät dem Staate und den Staat dem Gesetze und das Gesetz Gott unterstellen, sondern umgekehrt die Gotteshuldigung pflegen, um damit der schwanken Menschenhuldigung eine Stütze zu gewähren. Nur erst wenn Gott "König über die ganze Erde" und damit Sein Wille Gesetz der Menschen geworden, werden sich die Kerker schließen und wird das Elend von der Erde weichen. —

Den "Zehngeboten" wohnt übrigens mit nichten eine größere Heiligkeit oder eine größere Bedeutung als irgend einem der andern im Pentateuch ausgesprochenen Gesetze bei. Sie sind weder das ganze Gesetz, noch sind sie heiligere Gesetze als alle übrigen. Ausdrücklich hat Gott sie nur als vorbereitende Einleitung zu der ganzen folgenden eigentlichen Gesetzgebung proklamiert. "Ich komme zu dir", hatte Gott Kap. 19, 9 gesprochen, "damit das Volk höre, indem ich mit dir sprechen und auch in dich für immer vertraue." Ausdrücklich sollte also diese Offenbarung am Sinai nur den Zweck haben, das Volk für die ganze übrige Gesetzgebung, die ihm durch Mosche übermittelt werden soll, vorzubereiten, und ihnen die Tatsache, wie es später heißt, "dass Gott zu den Menschen spreche"; durch Selbsterfahrung also über allen Zweifel hinaus zu bewahrheiten, damit sie auch alle folgenden durch Mosche ihnen zu überbringenden Gesetze mit für immer unerschütterlichem Vertrauen, als "Gottes Wort" empfangen und erfüllen mögen.

Wohl aber sind sie Grundzüge, allgemeine Kapitelüberschriften, zu denen die ganze übrige Gesetzgebung die eigentliche Ausführung bildet.

Betrachten wir die Anordnung dieser Grundzüge, so dürfte darin wohl noch eine Wahrheit sich aussprechen, die für den ganzen Begriff der göttlichen Gesetzinstitution nicht unwesentlich sein möchte. Die erste Hälfte beginnt mit אנכי und schließt mit כבד, die zweite Hälfte beginnt mit לא תרצח und schließt mit לא תחמד. Die Forderung der Gottesanerkennung beginnt mit einer Anforderung an den Geist (אנכי לא יהי׳ לך); allein sie begnügt sich nicht damit, sie fordert ihren Ausdruck in Beherrschung des Wortes (לא תשא) der Werke (זכור), der Familie (כבד). Die soziale Gesetzgebung beginnt mit Anforderung der Tat und des Wortes (לא תרצח ,לא תנאף ,לא תגנוב ,לא תענה); allein sie begnügt sich nicht damit, sie fordert auch den Geist und die Gesinnung (לא תחמד).

Damit ist die bedeutsame Wahrheit ausgesprochen: alles "Religiöse", alle sogenannten "Gottesverehrungen im Geiste und in der Wahrheit" sind nichtig, wenn der Gottesgedanke nicht stark genug ist, seine Kraft in Beherrschung unserer Worte und Handlungen, unseres Familien- und sozialen Lebens zu bewähren. Unsere Tat, in weitester Bedeutung des Wortes, hat erst zu zeigen, dass unsere "Gottesverehrung" echt sei. Und umgekehrt: alle soziale Tugend ist nichtig und hält die erste Probe nicht aus, so lange sie nur äußere Legalität anstrebt, vor Menschen rechtschaffen zu sein sich begnügt, aber die innere Loyalität verschmäht, ihren Halt nicht in der Gewissenhaftigkeit der reinen innern Gesinnung hat, die nur Gott sieht und Gott richtet, und die nur in dem stillen aber steten Hinaufblick zu Gott ihre Wurzel und Nahrung findet. Alles Innere soll sich zur Tat gestalten und alle Tat aus dem Innern quillen, das ist der Hauch, der über den Grundzügen des göttlichen Gesetzes schwebt und beide Tafeln, "die religiöse" und "die soziale"; zu einer untrennbaren Einheit belebt. —

וכל העם ראים AND ALL THE PEOPLE SAW — This statement teaches us that there was not a blind person amongst them. And whence may we learn that there was not a dumb person amongst them? Because it states (Exodus 19:8) “And all the people answered”. And whence may we learn that there was not a deaf person amongst them? Because it states (Exodus 24:7) “We will do and we will hear” (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:15:2).

AND ALL THE PEOPLE PERCEIVED THE THUNDERINGS… 16. AND THEY SAID UNTO MOSES. In the opinion of the commentators,⁴⁹⁹Ibn Ezra in Verse 16. this happened after the Giving of the Torah. It is with reference to this that Scripture says, And ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders, and ye said: Behold, the Eternal our G-d hath shown us His Glory, etc. If we hear the Voice of the Eternal our G-d any more, then we shall die.⁵⁰⁰Deuteronomy 5:20-22.
But such is not my opinion, for it says here, but let not G-d speak with us,⁵⁰¹Verse 16. and it does not say “any more.” Besides, Moses said here to the people, Fear not,⁵⁰²Verse 17. and there it is said, They have well said all that they have spoken.⁵⁰³Deuteronomy 5:25. Moreover, here it is told that they feared only the thunderings, the lightnings, and the smoking mountain, and there it is said that they feared the speaking of the Divine Presence, for they said, For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the Voice of the living G-d, speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived?⁵⁰⁴Ibid., Verse 23. Again, here it is said, And Moses drew near unto the thick darkness,⁵⁰⁵Verse 18. but it does not say that “he entered into it.” [If the events narrated in this section of the Torah happened after the Revelation, it should have said that he came “into the midst of the cloud,” as it says further on in 24:18.]
The correct interpretation regarding this section of the Torah and the [entire] order of events pertaining to the Revelation appears to me to be as follows: And all the people perceived… And they said unto Moses — all this happened before the Revelation. Now at first, [in Chapter 19], Scripture mentioned in sequence all the words of G-d that were commanded to Moses regarding the setting of a boundary to Mount Sinai and the admonition given to the people.⁵⁰⁶Above, 19:24. This is followed [at the beginning of Chapter 20] by the Ten Commandments, and now Scripture refers back and mentions the words of the people to Moses, relating that from the moment they had perceived the thunderings and the lightnings, they moved backwards and stood afar off, further away from the boundary of the mountain that Moses had set for them.
The order of events [on the day of the Revelation] was thus as follows: In the morning, there were thunderings and lightnings and the loud voice of the horn,⁵⁰⁷Ibid., Verse 16. but the Divine Presence had not yet come down on the mountain, something like it is written, And a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the Eternal; but the Eternal was not in the wind.⁵⁰⁸I Kings 19:11. And the people that were in the camp — i.e., in their place of encampment — trembled.⁵⁰⁷Ibid., Verse 16. But Moses encouraged them and brought them forth towards G-d… and they stood at the nether part of the mount.⁵⁰⁹Above, 19:17. While they were standing there at the nether part of the mount in anticipation, the Eternal descended upon the mount in fire and the smoke thereof ascended⁵¹⁰Ibid., Verse 18. unto the heart of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.⁵¹¹Deuteronomy 4:11. The mountain itself trembled⁵¹⁰Ibid., Verse 18. and quivered as mountains do in an earthquake called zalzalah,⁵¹²An Arabic word meaning earthquake. In another Ramban manuscript, the reading is chalchalah. or even more than that. And so it is written, What aileth thee… ye mountains, that ye skip like rams; ye hills, like young sheep?⁵¹³Psalms 114:6. See Pesachim 118 a that this verse refers to the time of the Giving of the Torah. This is not a figure of speech, just as the preceding verse — The sea saw it, and fled; the Jordan turned backwards⁵¹⁴Ibid., Verse 3. — is not a mere figure of speech. Meanwhile, the voice of the horn waxed louder and louder.⁵¹⁵Above 19:19. Then the people saw what was happening, and they moved backwards and stood further away from the boundary [that Moses had set for them]. They all said to Moses that G-d should not speak with them at all lest they die, for by reason of the vision, their pains came upon them and they retained no strength,⁵¹⁶See Daniel 10:16. and if they would hear the Divine utterance, they would die. Moses, however, encouraged them, and he said to them, Fear not.⁵⁰²Verse 17. And they heard him, and the people stood from afar off⁵⁰⁵Verse 18. at their positions, for in spite of all his words, they did not want to come near the boundary [he had set for them]. And Moses drew near unto the thick darkness⁵⁰⁵Verse 18. but did not come into it, and then G-d uttered the Ten Commandments. Now following the Ten Commandments, Scripture did not mention here what the elders said to Moses, for it wanted to explain the commandments and the ordinances in succession. But in the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses mentioned that after the Ten Commandments [were given], all the heads of the tribes and their elders approached him and said to him, “If we hear the Voice of the Eternal our G-d any more, then we shall die,⁵¹⁷Deuteronomy 5:22. for we have estimated our powers [and found] that we could not stand any more the burden of the word of the Eternal G-d.” They had thought that G-d wanted to relate to them all the commandments [of the Torah], and therefore they said, Go thou near, and hear all that the Eternal our G-d may say; and thou shalt speak unto us all that the Eternal our G-d may speak unto thee; and we will hear it, and do it.⁵¹⁸Ibid., Verse 24. And the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed to their words, and He said, They have well said all that they have spoken,⁵¹⁹Ibid., Verse 25. for such was His desire to proclaim to them only the Ten Commandments, and their fear appeared correct to Him.

רואים את, the word רואים as “seeing” is to be understood as like the same word in Kohelet 1,16 ולבי ראה, “and my heart ‘saw.’” Just as the heart cannot see, so people cannot “see” sounds. The meaning is that they understood the meaning of these sounds. They could not continue to endure the volume or nature of thee sounds. The same is explained in greater detail by Moses in Deuteronomy 18,16. They were afraid they would die.

רואים, the author translates this as literally “seeing” with one’s eyes.

וירא העם וינועו, as a result of what the people saw they became afraid, trembled.

וכל העם רואים את הקולות, “The whole nation was able to see the sounds, etc.” This is not the only time that the term “seeing” is used instead of “hearing.” Another such instance is found in Genesis 42,1 where Yaakov is described as “seeing” that there was food for sale in Egypt, a distance of hundreds of kilometers from where he was at the time. What was meant is that he had heard about it, from returning travelers. Our sages understand the verse literally, i.e. that during these exalted moments the people actually saw the sounds, the words. Nachmanides writes that our verse does not describe what the Israelites had seen during the revelation, but what occurred later, and that this is what Moses referred to in Deut.5,20 ותקרבון אלי וגו', “you approached me, etc.” They told Moses at that time that they could no longer endure the voice of G’d and were afraid to die unless Moses from then on would act as their interpreter. Personally, Nachmanides’ opinion is not acceptable to me, considering the fact that the Torah quotes the Israelites as saying words of a similar nature already in our paragraph immediately after the conclusion of the Decalogue. At that point nothing was said about the Israelites being afraid to die as a result of the overwhelming impact of what they had experienced. Furthermore, Moses is already telling the people: “אל תיראו, “do not be afraid (that you will die).” G’d had already commented that the people had done well in requesting that Moses be their interpreter of G’d’s words. (Deut. 5,25) I believe that the chronological sequence of what is reported in these paragraphs is as follows: the paragraph commencing with the words וכל העם (20,15) reports something which had preceded the actual giving of the Ten Commandments. As an introductory preamble, the Torah, i.e. Moses relates all the instructions he had received concerning the fencing off of the Mountain, followed by the proclamation of the Ten Commandments. Now Moses reviews what the Israelites had been saying to him in the course of this whole procedure, reminding them that from the moment they saw thunder and lightning they had trembled, retreated backwards, and taken up a position quite some distance from the bottom of the Mountain, way beyond the security fence Moses had erected. The secret to understanding all this lies in the fact that from early morning on the day of the revelation there were continuous explosion-like sounds of thunder, tremendous flashes of lightning, all of which preceded the manifestation of G’d’s presence. The people reasoned, understandably, that the intensity of these phenomena was likely to increase still further once the Shechinah began to manifest itself. Moses, in order to demonstrate to them that they had nothing to fear, led them closer to the bottom of the Mountain, a location from which the descent of the Shechinah to the top of the Mountain could be observed as a spectacle resembling the smoke arising from a crucible (19,18) all the way to heaven. The very Mountain started trembling, as if they were experiencing a major earthquake. David, in Psalms 114,4 describes the mountains of the Sinai range as dancing like rams. Seeing that, as reported, the sound of the shofar instead of receding, continued to become ever louder, the people reacted accordingly. The description by David in Psalms is not allegorical, just as the description of the sea fleeing from G’d at the time He split the Sea of Reeds, (Psalms 114,3) is not allegorical, but is a factual description of what had occurred. At that point, the people turned to Moses in awe, begging him to become their interpreter. They were willing or even eager to skip the experience of hearing the Lord address them directly. They had not even wanted to respond to Moses’ encouraging overtures to approach the Mountain somewhat closer to the edge of the fence. They observed Moses approach the thick cloud within which the presence of the Shechinah was concealed. He did however, not enter it. At that point, G’d began to recite the Decalogue. The Torah, at this juncture does not report at all what the elders had been saying to Moses, i.e. the recollection of events as presented in Deuteronomy to the new generation, shortly before he himself was to die. At this juncture the Torah’s major concern was to begin to elaborate on all the commandments, primarily the ones dealing with inter-personal relations that are set out in the portion called משפטים in chapters 21-23. In the Book of Deuteronomy, however, Moses does relate that all the leaders of the people after the revelation approached him, expressing their profound fear that if they were to be exposed to more mind-boggling experiences like these they would not be able to endure this. The reason they approached Moses at that time was that they thought G’d would address all the Commandments to them in the manner experienced at the Mountain. They therefore gave Moses their leader carte blanche to accept all these Commandments on their behalf committing themselves to observe any and all of these Commandments they had not been informed of as yet. G’d agreed with the feelings the Israelites had expressed. It had been His intent all along that the people would only hear the Decalogue from His mouth directly.

וכל העם רואים את הקולות, “And all the people saw the sounds (thunder), etc.” The word “saw” in this context is to be understood as “understood, comprehended,” similar to when Yitzchak spoke of ראה ריח בני “look at the fragrance of my son” (Genesis 27,27). He was well aware that fragrance just as sound cannot be seen by the eye. He meant that just as the eye is used to understand something clearly, so he experienced a clear understanding of what his son’s fragrance represented. Similarly, here; the Torah describes that the aural perceptions of the people were as convincing to them as if they had experienced the same thing with their eyes, a normally superior tool for clear perceptions. An alternative meaning could be that the Torah employed the word “saw” because these thunders were invariably accompanied by fire, something very visible to the eye. We have examples of such expressions and meanings in Psalms 29,7: “the voice of the Lord kindles flames of fire.” The people then saw the fire not the thunder. The words of the text may then be understood literally without the Torah telling us of an additional miracle.

This teaches that not one among them. . . You might ask: Did we not already learn this from, “In the sight of all the people” (19:11), as Rashi explained there? The answer is: Here it teaches that they did not go blind after the giving of the Torah. For even if someone looks at the kohanim’s hands while they bless the people [in the Beis Hamikdosh] his eyesight dims, as R. Chagai said in the Talmud Yerushalmi. And this is on account of the Shechinah’s presence upon the kohanim’s hands. [And we would think this applies] here even more so, since the people saw an even greater revelation of the Shechinah.

V. 15. V. 19 heißt es: "Ihr habt gesehen, dass ich vom Himmel mit euch gesprochen". Die Überzeugung, dass ein Wort von einer bestimmten Person gesprochen worden, kann wohl nur durch die gleichzeitige Sinneswahrnehmung des Auges und des Ohres bewirkt werden. Mit geschlossenem Auge werden wir wohl die Richtung im allgemeinen bestimmen können, in welcher unser Gehör einen Laut wahrgenommen, allein wir werden nicht den Punkt, somit auch nicht die Person fixieren können, von der aus derselbe an unser Ohr ergangen. Nur unser Auge findet den Ausgangspunkt des unser Ohr berührenden Schalles. So auch hier. Das Volk sah die zu ihm gesprochenen Laute gleichzeitig mit den Fackelblitzen. Es sah, dass das Wort eben von da aus zu ihm drang, woher die Blitze leuchteten, und sah daher auch den Schofarruf. Es ist dies das buchstäbliche: אתם ראיתם כי מן השמים דברתי עמכם. Und es sah, wie der Berg in Rauch verging, wie das Festeste unter dem Irdischen dieses Nähertreten des Göttlichen nicht ertrug. וירא העם, dies, was es sah, das Berg zündende Heranblitzen der Worte — um so zu sprechen — אשדת — דבריו שמעת מתוך האש, wie es daher kombiniert genannt wird, מימינו אשדת למו, — das machte sie erbeben, und sie traten unwillkürlich zurück. —

וכל העם, “And all the people;” from here on as far as verse 23, לא תגלה ערותך עליו, “you must not reveal your nakedness while on it (the altar),” the sequence of the way in which the Torah has been written is unusual, as the words: ולשומרי מצותיו, “and to those who observe His Commandments,” should have appeared at the end of verse 6. The reason why they do not appear at that point is in order not to interrupt the sequence of the Ten Commandments.

ראים את הקולת [THEY] SAW THE SOUNDS — they saw that which should be heard (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:15:1) — something which is impossible to see on any other occasion.

וירא העם, they understood what they should do.

וינועו, “they trembled.” Our sages (compare Rashi quoting Mechilta)) understand the word as related to זיע, It appears in a similar sense in Isaiah 24,20 נוע תנוע ארץ כשכור, “the earth wobbles like a drunk.” People retreated from that spectacle out of fear.[the word poses many problems even in the Mechilta de Rabbi Yishmael, compare Torah Shleymah, Rabbi Menachem Kasher Ed.] According to the followers of the plain meaning of the text, the פשט, the word is related to תנועה, motion, i.e. the people moved away from this spectacle.

Which came from the Almighty. Rashi is answering the question: וכל העם רואים את הקולות seems to have been before the giving of the Torah, for it is written above (19:16): ויהי קולות וברקים . If so, why was not “They trembled and stood far off” written above, before the Ten Commandments? Therefore Rashi explains that the קולות mentioned here refer to [Hashem’s uttering] the Ten Commandments, [not of the thunder that preceded].

VAYANU’U.’ In the opinion of our Rabbis,⁵²⁰Mechilta on the verse here, and mentioned partly in Rashi. the term nu’a here can only denote reeling to and fro, and so it says, The earth ‘no’a tanu’a’ (reeleth to and fro) like a drunken man.⁵²¹Isaiah 24:20. If so, the verse is stating [two things]: that the people were shaken up, and that out of their fear, they retreated farther backwards and stood afar off. But in the opinion of “the masters of the plain meaning of Scripture,”⁵²²The allusion is to Ibn Ezra, who interprets it so. vayanu’u means that “‘they moved’ backwards from their place and stood from afar,” the usage of the word being similar to: ‘na’ (a fugitive) and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth,⁵²³Genesis 4:12. and so also: ‘vay’ni’eim’ (and He made them wander) in the wilderness.⁵²⁴Numbers 32:13.

לפד ,לפיד, verwandt mit לפת: zwei Dinge mit Gewalt zu einander bringen, auch: seinen Körper mit Kraft zusammenziehen, daher überhaupt: mit einander und in einander verschlungen machen, und לפיד: mit einander verbundene Feuerbrände: Fackel. So auch rabbinisch: לבד, eine engere Verbindung, daher auch: Filz.

רואים את הקולות, “were seeing a visual image of the thunder.” The plain meaning of the verse is that even phenomena normally not subject to being seen, had become visible during the revelation. [In our time: “sound waves had become visible to the naked eye.” Ed.] Kohelet 7,27 already used the verb ראה “to see,” when he said: “see this is what I have found;” he referred to something that no one else before him had been able to find, (with his eyes). Or, compare Exodus 32,1 וירא העם כי בושש משה, “the people saw that Moses was tarrying.”

את הקולת THE SOUNDS which issued from the mouth of the Almighty.

וינועו, a word describing involuntary movements of one’s body, trembling. One is unable to arrest one’s motion i.e. that which is known as נע. The word appears transitively in Numbers 32,13 ויניעם במדבר, “He made them wander in the desert.” It occurs intransitively also in Isaiah 24,20 תנוע ארץ כשכור, “the earth is swaying like a drunkard.” The Israelites’ trembling was inspired by the fright they experienced at hearing G’d’s voice.

The root word נוע means זיע . It is an expression meaning זיע ורתת (shaking). It is not an expression meaning נע ונד (wandering). For afterwards it is written, “And stood far off.”

וינעו THEY MOVED — The root נוע denotes trembling (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:15:3).

Twelve mil, the distance of their encampment. . . You might ask: How does Rashi know they went back twelve mil, not less? The answer is: Since it is written, “Stood far off,” we may infer that until now they [all] were standing near. Even those at the back of the camp were near. And the length of their encampment was twelve mil. Therefore, if not that they were startled backwards twelve mil, those who stood at the front of the camp would still be within twelve mil. If so, how could it say, “And stood far off”? (Nachalas Yaakov)

ויעמדו מרחק AND THEY STOOD AFAR OFF — they moved back startled twelve miles, a distance equal to the length of their camp, and ministering angels came and assisted them — to bring them back, as it is said, (Psalms 68:13) “The angels of the God of Hosts made them move on, move on” (Shabbat 88b).

BUT LET NOT G-D SPEAK WITH US. The Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] noted in the Moreh Nebuchim⁵²⁵Guide of the Perplexed, II, 33. that Onkelos translated but let not G-d speak with us as, “Let not aught be spoken to us from before G-d.” However, he did not paraphrase in [a similar manner] in other such places, for he translated literally, And G-d spoke all these words,⁵²⁶Above, Verse 1. and so also in all places where it says, And the Eternal spoke unto Moses!⁵²⁷Ibid., 6:10, etc. Now the reason for Onkelos’ paraphrasing it here, [according to Maimonides], was that even though all Israel heard the first commandment,⁵²⁸Reference is to the first two commandments, for we heard both of them from the Almighty Himself, as explained above. See also above, Note 392. their capacity for comprehending it was unlike that of Moses our teacher.⁵²⁹Therefore, with reference to Moses, Onkelos translated literally, And G-d spoke, for Moses achieved the highest comprehension humanly possible in prophecy, and therefore he received the word of G-d directly. But where the people were concerned, since their comprehension was of a far lesser degree, Onkelos translated, “from before G-d.” But if [Maimonides’ opinion is correct], why did Onkelos translate literally, For I have talked with you from heaven,⁵³⁰Further, Verse 19. Now here it refers to G-d speaking to the people, and yet Onkelos did not paraphrase it! when he should have rendered it, “It was spoken to you from before Me!” Similarly in the Book of Deuteronomy, he translated literally: These words the Eternal spoke unto all your assembly,⁵³¹Deuteronomy 5:19. [and he did not paraphrase it]! So also he translated literally their words, and we have heard His Voice,⁵³²Ibid., Verse 21. which he rendered as follows: “we have heard the voice of His word; this day we have seen that G-d speaks with man!” Likewise he translated literally, The Eternal spoke with you face to face.⁵³³Ibid., Verse 5. Moreover, [with reference to Moses] he translated, And G-d answered him by a voice⁵¹⁵Above 19:19. as “and from before G-d he was answered by a voice!” [Here Onkelos paraphrased it with regard to Moses himself, which according to Maimonides he should have translated literally!] In fact, such usage already occurs in the Torah with reference to Moses himself! Thus: And he heard the Voice speaking⁵³⁴The Hebrew is midabeir, not m’dabeir (speaking), and Rashi markedly comments that it means “uttering itself” and Moses heard it of himself. It is out of reverence for G-d that this expression is used. unto him,⁵³⁵Numbers 7:89. which Onkelos translated as “being spoken.” So also in the verse, The pillar of the cloud descended, and stood at the door of the Tent, and He spoke with Moses,⁵³⁶Further, 33:9. which Onkelos translated, “and it was spoken!”
But the reason for Onkelos’ translating here, [“Let not aught be spoken to us from before G-d”], is clear. In the entire Revelation, we find Israel hearing G-d’s word only out of the midst of the fire,⁵³²Ibid., Verse 21. and this is what they comprehended. Similarly, that I have talked with you from heaven⁵³⁰Further, Verse 19. Now here it refers to G-d speaking to the people, and yet Onkelos did not paraphrase it! means, by way of the Truth, “from out of the midst of heaven,” and it is identical with out of the midst of the fire.⁵³²Ibid., Verse 21. The purport thereof has already been explained.⁵³⁷Above, 19:20. Now when Onkelos saw here the expression, but let not G-d speak with us, [which indicates direct revelation], and no “partition” is mentioned, he did not deem it fit to translate literally. [That would have implied that in their comprehension of the Revelation, they were equal to Moses], and since in his language [i.e., Aramaic] there is no epithet for the word Elokim,⁵³⁸Throughout his translation, Onkelos does not distinguish between Elokim and the Tetragrammaton. He translates both alike: Ado-noy. he therefore negated here any direct communication to them, [and translated, “Let not aught be spoken to us from before G-d”].
Now the amazing thing in Onkelos’ wisdom is that in the Revelation on Mount Sinai, he did not mention “the Glory of G-d,” or “the word of G-d,” but instead translated: “Behold, I will reveal Myself to you;”⁵³⁹Above, 19:9. The verse reads: Behold, I come unto thee. “G-d will reveal Himself in the sight of all the people upon Mount Sinai;”⁵⁴⁰Ibid., Verse 11. the verse reads: the Eternal will come down. “because He revealed Himself upon it;”⁵⁴¹Ibid., Verse 18. The verse reads: because the Eternal descended upon it. “And G-d revealed Himself upon Mount Sinai.”⁵⁴²Ibid., Verse 20. The verse reads: And the Eternal came down. He did not translate, “and the Glory of G-d revealed itself,” as he translated the expression, the mountain of G-d,⁵⁴³Above, 3:1. at the beginning [of this book] as “the mountain upon which the Glory of G-d revealed itself.” Likewise, Onkelos did so regarding this descent [upon Mount Sinai]; wherever the Proper Name of G-d [i.e., the Tetragrammaton] is mentioned, [he did not translate “the Glory of G-d”]. But when Scripture mentioned Elokim, such as towards ‘ha’Elokim,’⁵⁴⁴Ibid., 19:17. he translated “towards the word of G-d.” Similarly, he translated ‘ha’Elokim’ is come⁵⁴⁵Verse 17. as “the Glory of G-d has revealed itself to you,” and he did not render it “G-d has revealed Himself to you.” Likewise, [he translated where ‘ha’Elokim’ was⁵⁴⁶Further, Verse 18. as] “where the Glory of G-d was.” And so also he translated [‘v’ha’Elokim’ answered him by a voice⁵⁴⁷Above, 19:19. as] “and from before G-d, he was answered with a voice.” All this is clear and lucid to him who comprehends our words explained above.⁵⁴⁸Ibid., Verse 20. Also in Vol. I, pp. 550-552. Similarly, I have seen in carefully-edited texts of Onkelos that he translated literally the verse, And Moses went up into ‘har’ha’Elokim’ (the mount of G-d).⁵⁴⁹Further, 24:13. Since it was after the Giving of the Torah, [he translated even the name Elokim literally, and he did not render it, “and Moses went up into the mountain upon which the Glory of G-d revealed itself”], and so it is written, And they set forward from the mount of the Eternal.⁵⁵⁰Numbers 10:33.

דבר אתה עמנו, "Speak you with us, etc." The people meant that if acceptance of G'd's commandments was dependent on our listening to Him speak to us directly, this was no longer necessary. They said: "it is good enough for us to listen to His commandments as they come out of your mouth; we will consider this binding upon us. We do not wish to endanger our lives by being exposed to G'd's voice any longer." They said to Moses: "if you speak to us ונשמעה, we will be able to hear it (without dying). If G'd were to continue to speak to us we could not hear because we would die."

ויאמרו אל משה, after they had heard the Ten Commandments.

V. 16. ואל ידבר עמנו אלקי׳ ,דבר אתה עמנו . In diesem Ausspruch konstatierten sie, dass Gott ebenso mit ihnen gesprochen, wie ein Mensch mit Menschen spricht. Das Selbsterfahren dieser Tatsache war der wesentliche Zweck dieses ganzen von Gott veranstalteten Ereignisses. Damit war das Tatsächliche, das Reden Gottes zu den Menschen durch die Erfahrung des ganzen Volkes festgestellt und damit die "Offenbarung" das וידבר ד׳ אל משה לאמר, welches das Gesetz in allen seinen Teilen an der Stirne trägt, gegen jede Eskamotage sicher gestellt, mit welcher man die Offenbarung an den Menschen zu einer Offenbarung aus dem Menschen, die Offenbarung an Mosche zu einer Offenbarung aus Mosche, somit die Offenbarung in eine Nichtoffenbarung zu verwandeln täuschend sich bemüht.

דבר אתה עמנו ונשמעה, “you speak with us and we will listen (obey)” They said this as they were afraid of the thunder and lightning.

דבר אתה עמנו, if the Torah had not reported this we would have thought that the people had heard all of the commandments directly from G’d’s mouth.

לבעבור נסות אתכם signifies, in order to exalt you in the world (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:17:2) — that you may obtain a great name amongst the nations because He has revealed Himself to you in His Glory.

FOR G-D IS COME IN ORDER TO ‘NASOTH’ YOU. “I.e., to make you ‘great’ in the world, [to ensure] that you obtain a name amongst the nations [because of the fact] that He in His Glory revealed Himself to you. Nasoth is a term for ‘exalting’ and ‘greatness,’ just as in the verses: Lift up a ‘neis’ (an ensign);⁵⁵¹Isaiah 62:10. ‘k’neis’ (as an ensign) on a hill,⁵⁵²Ibid., 30:17. which is so called because it is high.” Thus Rashi’s language. But this is not correct.⁵⁵³Rashi connects nasoth with neis (ensign, banner). Ramban objects to this because in his opinion, the root of the word nasoth is nasoh (try, accustom). Instead, it is possible that Moses is saying that “it is in order to get you ‘accustomed’ to have faith in Him that G-d is come. Since He has shown you the Revelation of the Divine Presence, your faith in Him has entered your hearts to cleave to Him, and your souls will never be separated from it forever. And that His fear may be before you when you see that He alone is G-d in heaven and upon the earth, you will have great fear of Him.” It may be that Moses is saying that “the fear of this great fire⁵⁵⁴Deuteronomy 5:22. will be before you, and you will not sin because of your fear of it.” And the word nasoth is similar in expression to the verses: And he [David] assayed to go, but could not, for he had ‘nisah’ (tried) it. And David said unto Saul: I cannot go with these; for I have not ‘nisithi’ (tried) them,⁵⁵⁵I Samuel 17:39. something like “accustomed.”
The Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] has said in the Moreh Nebuchim⁵⁵⁶Guide of the Perplexed, III, 24. The Hebrew text here follows Al Charizi’s translation, and not that of Ibn Tibbon. that Moses said to the people, “Fear not, because the purpose of that which you have seen is that when the Eternal G-d, in order to demonstrate your faithfulness to Him, will test you by sending you a false prophet who will aim to reverse that which you have heard, your steps will never slide from the way of the truth, for you have seen the truth with your own eyes.” But if so, the sense of the verse, [according to Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon], is that “in order to be able to prove you in the future, G-d came now so that you should remain faithful to Him in all trials.”
In my opinion, the real “trial” is now, [and not as Rambam has it that “He now came in order to be able to prove you in the future”]. Moses is saying: “Now G-d wanted to try you whether you will keep His commandments,⁵⁵⁷See Deuteronomy 8:2. since He has now removed all doubt from your hearts. From now on, He will see whether ye do love Him,⁵⁵⁸Ibid., 13:4. and whether you want Him and His commandments.” So also does every expression of nisayon mean “test,” such as: I cannot go with these; for I have not ‘nisithi’ them,⁵⁵⁵I Samuel 17:39. which means “I have never tried to walk with them.”
It is possible that this “trial” is for the good [of the one who is being tried],⁵⁵⁹See Vol. I, p. 275. for the master will sometimes try his servant with hard work in order to know whether he will endure it out of his love for him. Sometimes he will do him good in order to know whether he will requite him with additional service and honor for the good he has done him. This is similar to what the Sages have said:⁵⁶⁰Shemoth Rabbah 31:2. “Happy is the person who stands through his trials, for there is no man whom the Holy One, blessed be He, does not try. He tries the rich to see if his hand will be open for the poor; He tries the poor if he can bear suffering, etc.” This is why Scripture says here: “G-d has been good to you in showing you His Glory, which He hath not dealt with any nation,⁵⁶¹Psalms 147:20. in order to prove you whether you will requite Him according to the good He has done to you to be unto Him a people of inheritance,⁵⁶²Deuteronomy 4:20. similar to what He said, Do ye thus requite the Eternal?⁵⁶³Ibid., 32:6. And it is said. “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will visit upon you all your iniquities,⁵⁶⁴Amos 3:2. for the nations are not obligated to me as are you, whom I have known face to face.”

לבעבור נסות אתכם, in order that you become used to prophetic insights which this time were of the highest caliber, i.e. what is known as פנים אל פנים, “face to face.” The people’s experience paralleled that of the prophet Elijah at the same mountain where the fire and the overpowering sound were only an introduction to the קול דממה דקה, to the barely audible voice which heralded the arrival of the Shechinah. On that occasion (Kings I 19,13) Elijah had wrapped his mantle around his face as he was so afraid. Elijah’s prophetic vision at the time was on a very high level, as he was able to freely make use of all his physical faculties. It presumably was only slightly inferior to the level of prophecy achieved by Moses.

אל תיראו, "do not fear, etc." Moses reassured the people that even if the Lord were to continue speaking to them directly they would not die, as G'd had already accomplished His purpose in testing the Jewish people by inspiring awe of Him in them. He had already removed the residue of pollutants that they had still contained within themselves, pollutants dating back to Adam. There was also a second reason G'd had spoken to Israel directly. Once their pollutants had been removed, G'd's presence was able to occupy a permanent presence amongst them and the image of the Lord which original man had been created in had now been fully restored to all of the Israelites. The combination of these two elements was a great barrier to the Israelites sinning again in the future. Anyone who possesses shame, i.e. another word for "fear of the Lord," will not easily be tempted to commit a sin.

נסות, to warn you, to admonish you.

לבעבור נסות, “in order to test, etc.” Rashi, basing himself on the word נס, a banner, something one looks up to, understands the meaning of the line as “in order to elevate you, to grant you greater stature.” Nachmanides understands the meaning to be: “to get you used to supernatural manifestations in order to strengthen your faith.” People who have been granted such revelations will have their belief transformed into knowledge. As a result, they will cling more closely to their Creator.

ובעבור תהיה יראתו על פניכם, “and so that the fear of Him shall remain on your faces, etc.” Mechilta (bachodesh section 8) understands this “fear” as a “sense of shame.” The reason is that fear or reverence are parameters of the heart, whereas shame is something one recognizes in one’s face. This is the reason the Torah refers to it as being על פניכם, “on your faces.” The Torah adds לבלתי תחטאו “in order that you will not sin,” to teach us the psychological lesson that shame inhibits the commission of sin (Mechilta bachodesh section 9).

Because it is raised high. I.e., a banner is called נס because it is lifted up and raised high. Here, too, נסות means “so they will be lifted up.”

V. 17. בעבור ,לבעבור נסות: in dem Übergang zu etwas, in der Absicht, etwas zu erreichen. לבעבור, für diese Absicht: נסות אתכם, damit ihr euch selbst erprobet, ob ihr im Stand seid, unmittelbar das Gottesgesetz zu empfangen, und, indem ihr selbst das Bedürfnis einer Vermittlung fühlet, um so mehr Vertrauen zu dem von Gott gesendeten Vermittler fasset, und auch ובעבור וגו׳, damit der Eindruck dieser Unmittelbarkeit euch ewig bleibe. Geschlossen hat Gott den Bund seines Gesetzes unmittelbar mit euch, er hat zu jedem von euch gesprochen: אנכי ד׳ אלקיך, und jeder von euch hat Ihm und Seinem Gesetze unmittelbar gehuldigt. Keinem Menschen, unmittelbar eurem Gotte habt ihr die Treue geschworen: dies unmittelbar persönliche Verhältnis, das ihr eingegangen, wird euch eurem Berufe festhalten und euch vor leichtsinniger Untreue schützen.

נסות has the sense of exalting and greatness, of similar meaning and root to, (Isaiah 62:10) “Lift up an ensign (נס)”; (Isaiah 49:22) “I will lift up my standard (נסי)”; (Isaiah 30:17) “as an ensign (כנס) on a hill” — and an ensign is called נס because it is something raised on high.

בא האלוקים, G’d’s entourage of angels. We encountered a similar expression meaning the same in 19, 17.

ובעבור תהיה יראתו על פניכם, “and in order that the awe of Him shall be on your faces.” When you realize that He alone is G’d in heaven and on earth, you will be appropriately respectful. This would recall their fiery vision on that occasion. Alternately, the meaning could be related to נסיון, familiarity, being used to something from experience. Compare: לא נסיתי ללכת באלה, “I am not used to wear these.” (David declining King Saul’s armour or uniform before battling Goliath Samuel I 17,39). Maimondes explains the words בעבור נסות אתכם, to mean that “when I want to test you by sending you a false prophet, I steeled you against being misled by allowing you to witness the revelation as a safeguard against any claims by false prophets in the future.” The experience you had at the revelation at Mount Sinai will enable you in all future to be able to resist the lure of the promises that a false prophet is liable to make to you. In addition to this Nachmanides writes that the word refers to a real test, in the constructive manner of the term, and when David declined Shaul’s armour, he meant by saying לא נסיתי ללכת באלה, that seeing he had not had the proper training in handling such garments, he would not want to risk his life by wearing it without first having tested it. When a master assigns a difficult task to a servant in order to see if the servant is equal to the task, the intent may be to bolster the servant’s self-confidence, when he sees that the master expects him to be able to carry out such an assignment. The revelation at Sinai, in a manner of speaking was a compliment by our Master, Hashem Who demon-strated His faith in our being able to endure such a test.

Another meaning contained in the words לבעבור נסות אתכם, is that in the event you would complain in the future why not every Jew has been selected to have prophetic stature, the reason is that you have now indicated you would find the burden to be G'd's prophet, i.e. receive His communications directly, as too awesome. G'd has just tried to elevate all of you to the status of prophet but you have failed this test.

ובעבור תהיה יראתו AND THAT HIS FEAR MAY BE [BEFORE YOUR FACES] — Through the fact that you see that He is feared and dreaded you will know that there is none beside Him and you will therefore fear Him and not sin.

ובעבור תהיה יראתו, this corresponds to what Rabbi Yehoshua answered the Roman Emperor who had asked him when he asked to be shown G’d, that the Emperor first look at the sun. The Emperor, of course, proved unable to do so fearing to be blinded. Rabbi Yehoshua then asked him that if he could not even look at one of G’d’s creations how he could expect to be able to look at G’d Himself?

נגש אל הערפל [AND MOSES] STEPPED NEAR TO THE THICK CLOUD — within the three divisions — darkness, cloud and thick cloud (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:18:2), as it is said, (Deuteronomy 4:11) “And the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of the heaven, with darkness, clouds and dark clouds”. The ערפל is the עב הענן of which God spoke to him when He said, (19:9) “Behold I come unto thee in a thick cloud (עב הענן)” (cf. Rashi on that verse).

Moshe drew near. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer notes that the word nigash (“drew near”) is actually in the passive voice (“he was drawn near”). The Midrash explains that the angels Michael and Gavriel grabbed Moshe by his two hands and brought him before the Shechinah against his will.

ויעמוד העם מרחוק, “The people stood at a distance.” Even though we have read this statement before (19,15), the Torah repeats it to tell us that due to the overwhelming impact of the spectacle they had seen and heard, they had retreated even further from their original position and taken up a new position still further away from the base of the Mountain. Moses meanwhile performed what they had initially been supposed to do themselves.

To the dense cloud (ha’arafel). The numerical value of arafel (385) is equal to that of the word Shechinah.

כה תאמר THUS THOU SHALT SAY — in this (the Holy) language (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:19:1).

YE YOURSELVES HAVE SEEN THAT I HAVE TALKED WITH YOU FROM HEAVEN. He commanded that Moses tell them: “Since you yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven and that I am Master in heaven and upon the earth, do not combine gods of silver or gods of gold⁵⁶⁵Verse 20. with Me, for you have no need of another aid with Me.” The purport of the verse is: Ye shall not make with Me gods of silver, and ye shall not make unto you gods of gold. In my opinion, the explanation of the verse is as follows: “Do not make gods of silver or gods of gold to be to you for gods with Him; and ye shall not make them altogether.” Thus He warned against believing in them, and again warned against merely making them, similar to the verse, Neither shall ye rear you up a graven image, or a pillar.⁵⁶⁶Leviticus 26:1. There too He first admonished against believing in the idols — Ye shall make you no idols, i.e., to believe in them — and then He warned against the mere making of them. By way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], the meaning of the word iti (with Me) is like the Expression al panai (before My face),⁵⁶⁷Above, Verse 3. and I have already alluded to its explanation.⁵⁶⁷Above, Verse 3.
Rashi wrote: “That I have talked with you from heaven. But another verse states, And the Eternal came down upon Sinai!⁵⁶⁸Ibid., 19:20. There comes a third verse to harmonize them: Out of heaven He made thee to hear His Voice, that He might instruct thee; and upon earth He made thee to see His great fire.⁵⁶⁹Deuteronomy 4:36. His Glory was in heaven, and His might was [manifest] upon the earth.” Thus Rashi’s language. But it is not precise.⁵⁷⁰Ramban’s intent, as is evident from the text which follows, is to this effect: The harmonizing of the verses is correct, for so it is stated in the Mechilta, but that which Rashi added: “His Glory was in heaven, etc.,” is not precise, as will be explained that the Glory was upon Mount Sinai. The harmonizing of the verses is indeed a Midrash of the Sages,⁵⁷¹Mechilta on the verse here. and it is true that G-d was in heaven, and His Glory was upon Mount Sinai,⁵⁷²This is unlike Rashi, who wrote that “His Glory was in heaven.” for G-d was in the fire, and it is written, Thou camest down also upon Mount Sinai, and spokest with them from heaven.⁵⁷³Nehemiah 9:13. Thus, it is stated that He was in heaven and His Glory was upon Mount Sinai. All the verses in their various expressions are thus clear to all who know [the mystic teachings of the Cabala]. I have already explained it all above.⁵⁶⁸Ibid., 19:20. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that he who has a discerning heart will understand the meaning thereof in the section of Ki Thisa.⁵⁷⁴Further, 33:21. In harmonizing the above-mentioned conflicting verses, Ibn Ezra also suggests that His Glory came down upon Mount Sinai and the Voice was heard from heaven. This is identical with Ramban’s explanation, and Ramban praises him for it. The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious.⁵⁷⁵Ecclesiastes 10:12.

אתם ראיתם כי מן השמים דברתי עמכם, we need to understand this in terms of Psalms 113, 5-6 המגביהי לשבת המשפילי לראות, “enthroned on high, sees what is below, in heaven and on earth.” [The psalmist does not perceive of heaven and earth as being two totally separate domains being separated by some sort of impenetrable barrier making it necessary for G’d to come to earth to see what is going on down here. Seeing that the whole universe is full of His glory at all times, this would be impossible. Rather, He perceives of a gradual transition between the two domains, without any visible void or barrier between them. G’d’s raising men or “lowering” Himself, is a figure of speech, describing merely that when He so wants it both domains can merge. At the revelation of Mount Sinai, such a merging of these domains had taken place. Ed.]

אתם ראיתם כי מן השמים דברתי עמכם, “you have seen that I spoke with you from the heaven.” Seeing that all the Israelites had witnessed with their own eyes all the miracles G’d had performed beginning with the ten plagues in Egypt and now culminating in the giving of the Torah, G’d repeated both at the beginning (19,4) of the Decalogue and at its end the words: “you have seen.” At this point G’d wanted to clarify that though His attribute כבוד had been at Mount Sinai, the voice they heard had not emanated from Mount Sinai but from heaven, as I have already explained previously.

In this language. But here, [unlike 19:3,] Rashi does not explain it as, “In this order.” For here, the order does not matter.

VV. 19-—23. Diese fünf enthalten die bedeutsamste und folgenreichste Konsequenz aus der Tatsache der Unmittelbarkeit unserer Beziehung zu Gott, die durch die Offenbarung am Sinai von dem ganzen Volke und jedem einzelnen in ihm durch eigene Wahrnehmung erfahren worden.

אתם ראיתם כי מן השמים דברתי עמכם, “You have seen that I spoke with you from the heavens. G-d points out that although He spoke to them from the heavens they still did not see any image of His glory. Moses makes that same point again in Deuteronomy 4,15, where he relates what transpired at Mount Sinai to the new generation. Seeing that this is so, you are also not to make an image symbolising Me, as you never saw an original that you could have made a copy of. Even if you were to use precious metals such as silver and gold, this would not do justice to Me.

אתם ראיתם YE HAVE SEEN — There is a difference between what a person himself sees and what others relate to him, for what others relate to him sometimes his heart is divided in its opinion so that he does not believe (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:19:1).

Sie haben gesehen, dass Gott unmittelbar mit allen und jedem gesprochen, haben damit gesehen, dass es keines Mittlers und keiner Vermittlung bedarf, auf dass Gott uns nahe trete. Dies soll für immer jeden Versuch bei uns verbannen, irgend etwas, — sei es auch, um uns Gott dadurch zu vergegenwärtigen, — neben Ihm zu gestalten. Wenn Gott uns sich und seine besondere Gegenwart uns sichtbar werde machen wollen, so werde es der Segen sein, in dem wir seine besondere Nähe gewahren sollen; nicht in einem Bilde, in seinen Wirkungen sollen wir Gott erschauen und seiner gewiss werden. —

כי מן השמים דברתי THAT I HAVE SPOKEN [TO YOU] FROM HEAVEN — But another verse states, (Exodus 19:20) “And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai”, and thus the two verses appear to be contradictory! There now comes a third verse and harmonises them: (Deuteronomy 4:36) “Out of heaven He made thee hear His voice that He might instruct thee; and upon the earth He showed thee His great fire” — His glory was in the heavens but His fire and His power were upon the earth. Another explanation: He bent down the heavens and the heavens of heavens, and spread them out upon the mountain; similarly it states, (Psalms 18:10) “He bowed the heavens and came down” (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:19:2) .

Wohl wird Symbolisches in unserer Mitte sein, symbolische Darstellungen, symbolische Objekte, symbolische Handlungen, allein — da liegt der schneidende Gegensatz aller jüdischen Symbolik — es soll das nichts sein, dessen der Mensch bedarf, um sich das Göttliche, sondern dessen Gott bedarf, um dem Menschen das von Ihm, Gott, geforderte Menschliche zu vergegenwärtigen.

לא תעשון אתי YE SHALL NOT MAKE WITH ME — Ye shall not make an image of My ministers that minister before Me in the heights (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:20:1).

לר תעשון אתי אלוהי כסף, seeing that you have experienced with your own senses that you do not need to resort to intermediaries in order to communicate with G’d do not construct for yourselves such intermediaries even for communicating with Me.

לא חעשון אתי אלוהי כסף, "Do not make with Me silver deities, etc." Why did the Torah have to add the word אתי, "with Me?" Our sages in the Mechilta understood this word as referring to the cherubs on the Holy Ark, seeing the voice of the Lord was supposed to speak to Moses from between these cherubs. The meaning of ואלוהי זהב is that you should not elevate the importance of such silver deities to the level of something made of gold. The repetition of "do not make" entitles us to understand the verse thus: "Do not make silver deities; if you did so at least do not consider them as something valuable such as gold." Even if the item you have constructed does not have a face, or likeness of anything in heaven or on earth that one could bow down to, do not make it for yourselves. The Torah stresses לכם, i.e. it is not only forbidden to make something like that אתי "with Me," but even if it has meaning only for yourself.

אלוהי כסף ואלוהי זהב, even in order to remind you of the G’d in heaven.

לא תעשון אתי, “Do not make (images) of what is with Me;” our sages understand this to mean that we must not reproduce images of phenomena we see in the skies, i.e G’d’s primary domicile.

V. 20. לא תעשון אתי, ihr sollt nichts gestalten bei mir! Was ihr, die Menschen, aus euch gestaltet, um euch Übersinnliches zu vergegenwärtigen, das werden immer אלהי כסף וגו׳, das werden immer Göttergestalten. Die Menschen vergegenwärtigen sich Göttliches in Sinnbildern, — das sollt ihr nicht: לא תעשון כדמות שמשי המשמשין לפני במרום כגון אופנים ושרפים וחיות הקדש ומלאכי השרת — (מכילתא, ר׳ נתן) שלא תאמר עושה אני כמין דמות ואשתחוה לו; ja selbst bildliche Darstellungen, die ihr dir geboten, musst du auf die Ausführung dieses Gebotes beschränken, nur in meinem Auftrage und nach meinem Auftrage sollst du und darfst du daher Cherubim gestalten, Ich lasse dich dir Menschliches vergegenwärtigen, willkürlich würdest du dir Göttliches vergegenwärtigen, und dein Symbol würde ein Götze שלא תאמר הואיל ונתנה תורה רשות לעשות בבית המקדש הריני עושה בבתי כנסיות ובבתי מדרשות ת׳׳ל לא תעשו לכם oder: לפי שהוא אומר ועשית שנים כרובים זהב אמר הריני עושה ארבעה מכילתא ת׳׳ל אלחי כסף וגו׳ אם הוספת על שנים הרי הם כאלהי זהב was ihr euch machet, wird immer אלקי כסף, immer ein Gottessymbol sein! Selbst die Tempelräume in ihren architektonischen Dimensionen, die Tempelgeräte in ihren numerischen Konstruktionsverhältnissen dürfen nicht nachgebildet werden: לא יעשה אדם בית תבנית היכל וכו׳ שולחן כנגד שולחן מנורה כנגד מנורה וכו׳ (Rosch Hasch. 24. a. b)

לא תעשון אתי, “you are not to make in addition to Me.” (some kind of symbol out of either silver or gold)” in verse 4 the pronoun לך, “for yourself,” had followed this commandment, whereas here the pronoun אתי is used. If you were to ask how you could possibly serve Me in practice when all these restrictions apply, the answer is that I require only a simple earthen altar upon which you can present your offerings to Me. Slaughtering the appropriate animals on such a structure is all that is required.

אלהי כסף GODS OF SILVER — This statement is intended to lay down a prohibition regarding the Cherubim which you will make to stand with Me — that they shall not be made of silver, for if you make any alteration in them by making them of silver and not of gold they will be before me (regarded by Me) as idols.

לא תעשו, because there are people who err who would believe that there is some substance to such “deities.” Although G’d commanded the Jewish people when legislating the building of the Tabernacle, that two golden cherubs were to be part of lid of the Holy Ark, those were not constructed as deities, but as symbols of the cherubs surrounding the throne of G’d in the heaven. They were not made to be objects of worship.

אלוהי כסף ואלוהי זהב לא תעשון לכם, “gods of silver and gods of gold you shall not make for yourselves.” Nachmanides writes that after the Israelites had seen that Hashem spoke to them from the heavens and that He is Overlord in the heavens, do not assign anything to Him as a partner, i.e. such as silver or gold. The message of our verse is that the Jewish people have no need for additional external help such as is provided by material wealth represented by silver and gold. The reason why the expression לא תעשון, “do not make, construct,” is repeated twice in the same verse, is because the first time it refers to the faith people have in such values, whereas the second time the warning is not to make visible symbols of such faith in material goods. The Torah also separately forbade the making of a hewn deity which represents an abstract belief. (Verse 4) Ibn Ezra explains that G’d uses the fact that He spoke to the people directly, without intermediary at Mount Sinai as proof that the people have no need to revert to intermediaries, neither astrology nor material goods in this terrestrial world to assure their well being and to deify such values as the source of their good fortune. Idolaters are foolish enough to expect such images representing what they perceive to be independent values to intercede on their behalf with the Creator.

The Torah refers to two different kinds of worship of another deity. One kind of worship is that by a person who really believes that such a deity is real and he yearns to worship it. Concerning such a person the Torah says: "do not make with Me אלוהי כסף, a deity you yearn to worship. Inasmuch as the soul of the Israelite is rooted in the celestial spheres and as such is part of G'd, if a person worships another deity also in his heart, he is so to speak attaching some of that deity to G'd Himself. The author bases all this on both Deut. 32,9 and on the mystical aspect of a statement in Eycha Rabbah 1,31 according to which the original serpent is holed up in a tower and the question is how to dislodge it without destroying the tower in the process. The answer suggested is that one calls on the services of a snake charmer so as to lure the snake out of its lair. When a person serves idols with all his heart he allows Satan to lodge within the very root of his being (like in the Tower in the story in the Midrash). This root of a person, i.e. his soul, is a sacred place, however. Solomon refers to such a tragic situation when he speaks of the slave turned master in Proverbs 30,22. When the Torah speaks of לא תעשון אתי אלוהי כסף, it refers to deities one serves because of a genuine conviction, longing.

ואלהי זהב AND GODS OF GOLD — This statement is intended to lay down a prohibition that one may not add to the number of two Cherubim which are prescribed: for if you make four they will be regarded by Me as gods of gold (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:20:2).

The second category of idol worshiper is the person who is well aware in his heart that such deities are worthless and ineffective but they perform such service in order to reap some immediate and indirect benefit therefrom for themselves. For instance, such a person may ask a third person to pay him a sum of money in order to go through the motions of consulting such deity on the third person's behalf. The person who performs such sham service says to himself that inasmuch as G'd wants to be served by the heart, and he himself believes in the One and only G'd with all his heart, he has not really done anything wrong seeing in his heart he despises any kind of idolatry. Concerning such form of pro forma idolatry the Torah writes ואלוהי זהב לא תעשו לכם, do not perform idolatrous rites even if your intention is merely to earn some gold pieces.

לא תעשו לכם YE SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELVES — Ye shall not say: Behold I will make Cherubim in the Synagogues and the Houses of Study of the same kind as I make in the House of Eternity (a term for the Temple at Jerusalem); on this account it states: “ye shall not make for yourselves” (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:20:2).

The Torah reveals that the sin of such a person is that he demeans himself in order to make money by having recourse to idolatry. This is why the Torah writes לכם when speaking of such a person, as opposed to the אתי which the Torah used to characterise a person who believes in the deity he worships. In the case of the person who pretends to believe in the idol, the effect on his personality is not as traumatic as the one described in the Midrash we have quoted where the serpent is portrayed as having found refuge in his very root.

מזבח אדמה AN ALTAR OF EARTH [SHALT THOU MAKE] — i. e. an altar attached to the earth, meaning, that they should not build an altar upon columnes or upon a base but it must rest upon the actual ground. Another explanation is, that one should fill the hollow interior of the copper altar (Exodus 27:8) with earth at the time when they encamp, and then erect it for the purpose of sacrifice (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:21:1).

AN ALTAR OF EARTH THOU SHALT MAKE UNTO ME. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra explained that He is saying: “Ye shall not make with Me gods of silver, or gods of gold⁵⁶⁵Verse 20. to receive power from heavenly creatures through them, that they be intermediaries between Me and you, for in every place where I cause My Name to be mentioned I — I in My Glory — will come unto thee and bless thee.⁵⁷⁶Verse 21. You have no need at all for an intermediary.” And according to the opinion of the Rabbis concerning [the verses here, i.e., that they speak of] the altars that were made in the Tabernacle and in the Sanctuary,⁵⁷¹Mechilta on the verse here. He mentioned the commandment of the altars of earth and of stones⁵⁷⁷Verse 22. in order to say that they also make the altars for G-d alone and that there they shall sacrifice the burnt-offerings and the peace-offerings, and not to the demons in the open field.⁵⁷⁸Leviticus 17:5-7. In every place where they will mention His Name, He will come upon them in His Glory to make His Divine Presence dwell among them and to bless them.

מזבח אדמה תעשה לי, you do not need to build elaborate temples for Me either, using precious materials. It suffices if you will erect an earthen altar. I am available to be prayed to and to respond.

מזבח אדמה תעשה לי, seeing that the nations of the world construct around their places of worship, אשרות surrounding their altars with those, as we know from Judges 6,25 where G’d commands Gideon to destroy both, G’d tells the Jewish people that “even if you do construct an altar for Me do not construct it from materials other than earth.” A Jewish altar, according to our author, is to have a smooth surface only. [According to the verses mentioning אשרה, i.e. Deuteronomy 16,21 where the planting of such is prohibited, or Jeremiah 17,2 where such places of worship are associated with child offerings, it seems clear that an אשרה contains trees, which is the reason that in the Temple courtyard no trees were allowed. Ed.] ואם מזבח אבנים, even if you want to construct a more durable altar, one made of stones, as directed in Deuteronomy 26,5

מזבח אדמה תעשה לי, “an earthen altar you shall make for Me.” Some commentators see in this verse a message not to decorate the altar with any artwork on its walls, etc., and this is why the verse is followed by the injunction that if the altar is made of stones these stones are to be smooth, without engravings of any kind, either recessed into the stone or protruding from the stone. Other commentators understand the whole verse as G’d telling us that He does not expect us to erect fancy buildings for Him, buildings made of gold or silver, but to erect the most simple structure for Him which He will be happy to take up residence in on earth, the only condition being that we will offer our sacrifices to Him, exclusively. Nachmanides writes that Ibn Ezra means that the entire verse is to be understood in conjunction with the report in Parshat Mishpatim (chapter 24) where Moses is described as erecting an altar (central) and 12 smaller altars, one for each tribe, called מצבה, on which the priests, i.e. the firstborn offered meat-offerings to Hashem, most of these animals being consumed by their owners. These offerings represented the sealing of the covenant entered into by the people with G’d at the revelation. Assuming that the Torah reports the events surrounding the revelation in chronological order, the sequence is as follows: G’d tells Moses to remind the people (20,20) that they have seen visual evidence that Hashem spoke to them from the heaven in His capacity, as the attribute י-ה-ו-ה. On the one hand, you must not make beside Me silver or golden gods (material values which you revere as if they were gods), but I do permit you to erect altars made of earth, or of smooth stones in order to offer sacrifices to My attribute of Hashem, be they burnt offerings or meat-offerings, and these may be offered without restriction of location. I will bless you at these sites wherever they are. These blessings will be both of spiritual and material dimensions. The Torah writes: ואם מזבח אבנים תעשה לי which creates the impression as if the building of an altar is a voluntary thing, entirely up to you, although it is, of course, a precondition to the offering of sacrifices. The meaning of the line is: “if and when the time comes when you will inherit the land and a Temple is to be built, when the altar will be a solid structure, it must not be decorated with pictures, etc., but the stones must be perfectly smooth. There must not be any steps by which to ascend it. Seeing that the subject of the altar came up, mention is made here already of details of the altar, although we would have expected to hear about it much later, either when the Tabernacle’s furnishings are discussed, or in the Book of Kings when Solomon constructs his Temple and all of these details are recorded for posterity.

Attached to the earth. . . [Rashi knows this] because otherwise, why is it called “earthen”? For it was made of copper-plated acacia wood, as it is written in 27:1. (R. Noson)

V. 21. Du sollst nicht gestalten, was bei mir, vielmehr lasse ich dich gestalten, was bei dir; nicht Himmlisches zu dir herabzuziehen, sondern alles Irdische zu mir emporzuheben ist deine Aufgabe; und wenn du zu mir hintrittst, hast du dir nicht zu vergegenwärtigen, was du dir im Himmel bei mir vorstellst, sondern wie Ich will, daß sich alles bei dir gestalten soll, die Erde und nicht der Himmel soll dir gegenwärtig sein, wenn du zu mir hintrittst; die durch Menschentat zu Gott emporzuhebende Erde soll der Altar darstellen, den du mir erbauest. Einen "Erdaltar": unmittelbar von der Erde auf soll er sich erheben שיהא מחובר מאדמה (באדמה?) שלא יבננו לא על גבי מחילות ולא על גבי כיפין (Sebachim 58 a.) "nicht auf Höhlen und nicht auf Wölbungen darf er gebaut sein", selbst ein faustgroßer Zwischenraum würde schon den Altar פסול machen, (תוספתא פ׳ט אהלות ר׳ש שם, טו׳) אין מעלין עולות גבוה מן הארץ טפח, der Wanderaltar des Stiftzeltes war selbst ein Erdaufwurf, von einem hohlen Würfel — נבוב לוחות — umkleidet. —

מזבח אדמה, “an altar of earth which does not lend itself to carve images upon, is what you should erect for Me;

תעשה לי THOU SHALT MAKE FOR ME — this implies that from its very beginning it shall be made for My Name (i. e. for the service of Me).

בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי, at any lace which at one time or another I select to serve as such a place for communing with My servant. Compare Isaiah 12,4 הזכירו כי נשגב שמי, “declare that His name is exalted.

בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי, “wherever I permit My name to be mentioned.” According to Ibn Ezra the line means “at any site where there is some memory of My presence to be recorded.” When, in the future, you will have occasion to visit such a site, I will make a point to also bestow My blessings on you there.

That are from your sheep and your cattle. Rashi added the words “That are” in order that the phrase, “Your sheep and your cattle,” will be an explanation of, “Your burnt-offerings, your peace-offerings.” And Rashi understands את in the sense of מן (from). Thus it is as if the verse said, “Slaughter your burnt-offerings and your peace-offerings from your sheep and from your cattle.”

וזבחת עליו, nicht auf ihm, aber mit Hinblick auf ihn, um an ihm und auf ihm die עבודות דם ואיברי׳, resp. אימורים zu vollziehen, wurde die שחיטה des Opfertiers vollzogen; nicht Vernichtung soll die שחיטה sein, vielmehr in dem Hingeben an die durch den מזבח repräsentierte Hinanhebung alles Irdischen zu Gott ihr positives Ziel und darin so wesentlich ihre Bedeutung finden, dass, wenn im Moment der שחיטה der מזבח im geringsten schadhaft gewesen, alle dort geopferten Opfer פסול geworden, מזבח שנפגם כל הקדשים שנשחטו שם פסולין (Sebachim 59 b.)! Ebenso durfte auch rückblickend von keinem Opfer genossen werden, wenn der Altar schadhaft geworden, מזבח שנפגם אין אוכלין בגינו שירי מנחה קדש קדשים קדשים קלים (das. 60 a.). Liegt doch ohnehin, wie wir bereits zu Bereschit 8, 20 bemerkt, in זכה nicht sowohl der negierende Begriff des Tötens, als vielmehr der positive des Mahlbereitens, und מזבח ist nicht sowohl die Schlachtstätte, als vielmehr die Mahlstätte, wo das Opfer לחם אשי ד׳ wird.

וזבחת עליו, “you will slaughter upon it;” not literally upon it, but “thereby;”

וזבחת עליו AND THOU SHALT SACRIFICE (slaughter) עליו — i. e. near it, in the same sense as, (Numbers 2:20) “and by him (ועליו) the tribe of Manasseh”. Or perhaps this is not the meaning, but it means “[thou shalt slaughter] upon it”, in its literal sense? This cannot be so, because it states, (Deuteronomy 12:27) “[And thou shalt offer thy burnt offerings] as regards the flesh and the blood upon the altar of the Lord thy God”, but the slaughtering shall not be on the top of the altar (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:21:2).

אבא אליך וברכתיך, you do not need to employ artificial means made from silver or gold to attract My benevolent providence, for I can come to you anywhere and bless you when you but mention My name in prayer.

Wherever I will permit you. . . אזכיר is a transitive verb involving a secondary object, [conveying: I permit you to mention My Name. Rashi knows this] because otherwise, it should say תזכור שמי (you mention My Name). Rashi explains “My Name” as “My special Name” — the Explicit Name — which was permitted to be uttered only in the Beis Hamikdosh, where the Shechinah resides. However, other Names of Hashem may be mentioned elsewhere.

Also: nicht der Himmel, die durch unser Wirken zu Gott emporzuhebende Erde soll uns gegenwärtig sein, wenn wir zu Gott hintreten, und auf ihr haben wir in עולות unser "Taten"-Leben und in שלמים unser "genießendes" Leben, sei es im Gefühle bescheidenster Stellung als צאן, oder im Bewusstsein freiester Selbständigkeit als בקר, zu Gott hinanstrebend zu weihen (siehe zu Wajikra Kap. 1 u. 3).

את עולותיך ואת שלומיך, “your burnt offerings and your peaceofferings;” the burnt offering must be presented on the northern section of the altar and the peaceofferings on its southern section. Whence do I know that only the northern half of the altar is suitable for the performance of these presentations? We derive this from Leviticus 14,13: ושחט את הכבש במקום אשר ישחט את החטאת ואת העולה, “he is to slaughter the sheep on the place where he will slaughter the burnt offering and the sinoffering.” (Compare Mechilta “bachodesh” chapter 11) What precisely did the Torah mean when writing: במקום הקדש, “on the place that is sanctified?” These words are to teach that any part of the altar‘s surface that is in the northern section of it is acceptable.

את עלתיך ואת שלמיך THY BURNT OFFERINGS AND THY FEAST OFFERINGS which are from (belong to) thy flocks and thy herds. [את צאנך ואת בקרך are thus a further explanation of the words את עלתיך ואת שלמיך‎].

אזכיר את שמי, wo ich will, dass meines Namens gedacht werde, d. h. wo ich meine besondere Gegenwart bekunden will, dass man sage: ד׳ שמה, "dort ist Gott!" da wirst du mich nicht im Bilde zu schauen haben, da wirst du mich in dem Segen erkennen, den ich dir bereiten werde. Vergl. die Ausdrücke: ושמו שמי על בני ישראל ואני אברכם ,שם ד׳ נקרא עליך ,להיות שמי שם ,לשכן שמו שם ,המקום אשר יבחר ד׳ לשום את שמו שם und sonst.

וזבחת עליו, “you are to slaughter upon it” Why are these words necessary? To teach that even an ordinary Israelite, not only a priest, may perform that part of the service, as we accept the principle that the act of slaughtering an animal sacrifice is acceptable even when performed_by a non priest. (Talmud tractate B’rachot, folio 31.) Any step commencing with the placing of the animal’s blood into a special receptacle is reserved for the priests, According to the Talmud in Yuma folio 27, non priests were allowed on the area immediately surrounding the altar. [We are speaking of the copper altar situated outside the Temple building. Ed.] In the Talmud Sukkah, 45, it is stated specifically that on the festival of Sukkot, the people at large walked around that altar carrying their aravot, willow branches.

בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי IN ALL PLACES WHERE I MENTION MY NAME — This means: where I will give you permission to mention My Proper Name, there אבא אליך וברכתיך I WILL COME TO THEE AND I WILL BLESS THEE — I will make My Shechina rest upon thee. From this you may learn that He did not give any permission to mention (pronounce) His Proper Name except in the place where the Shechina would come — and this is the Chosen House (another term for the Temple at Jerusalem). He gave permission to the priests to pronounce His Proper Name there whilst lifting up their hands to bless the people (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:21:3; Sotah 38a; and Rashi on Numbers 6:27).

בכל המקום, “on any place,” seeing that the Tabernacle, after the Israelites had crossed the river Jordan was to stand at different periods in Gilgal, Shiloh, Nov and Giveon, before being moved to Jerusalem, we know that the presence of G-d’s glory was not limited to a single area in the Holy Land. From the above words the sages derived this principle, as the Torah did not bother to spell out the names of any specific place.

ואם מזבח אבנים AND IF (according to Rashi, AND WHEN) [THOU WILT MAKE ME] AN ALTAR OF STONES — Rabbi Ishmael said: Every time the word אם it used in the Torah it refer to some action the doing of which is optional, except in three instances. Here: ואם מזבח אבנים תעשה לי — you see that this אם is used in the sense of כאשר, “when”, the meaning being: “And when thou makest me an altar of stone, לא תבנה אתהן גזית THOU SHALT NOT BUILD IT OF HEWN STONE, for, as a matter of fact, it is obligatory upon thee to build an altar of stone, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 27:6) “of whole stones thou shalt build [the altar of the Lord thy God]”. Similarly, (Exodus 22:24) אם כסף תלוה את עמי is obligatory and signifies: “when (אם) thou lendest My people money”, and not, “if thou lendest”, because it is said, (Deuteronomy 15:8) “And thou shalt surely lend him”; consequently this אם also is used in the sense of כאשר “when”. Similarly, (Leviticus 2:14) ואם תקריב מנחת בכורים, for this refers to the meal-offering of the Omer which is obligatory and therefore the trantlation is, “And when (ואם) thou offerest the meal-offering of first-fruits”, and not, “if thou offerest”. You must therefore admit that these instances of אם are not conditional, meaning “if”, but they are absolute, and that they are used in the sense of כאשר, “when” (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:22:1; Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 306; cf. Rashi on Leviticus 2:14).

AND IF THOU MAKE ME AN ALTAR OF STONE. The meaning of the word v’im (and if) in an obligatory commandment⁵⁷⁹Since it is obligatory upon us to build an altar of stone in the Sanctuary, the question arises: Why does the Torah here use the word v’im (and if)? Ramban proceeds to answer this question. is: If the time comes that you will be worthy to inherit the Land and to build Me an altar of stone, beware that thou shalt not build it of hewn stones, for you may think to make it so to enhance the beauty of the structure. In his commentaries,⁵⁸⁰Further, 24:4. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra’s opinion is that [the verse here refers] to the altar of the covenant [mentioned] in the section of V’eileh Hamishpatim.⁵⁸¹Ibid. The sense of the expression, ‘and if’ thou make Me an altar of stone is thus as follows: “Make Me now an altar of earth, and if you will merit it, then you shall make Me an altar of stone for the altar of the covenant.” See Ibn Ezra here.
By way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], the verses are in methodical arrangement: “Ye yourselves have seen that from heaven I have talked with you with My Great Name, and ye shall not make before My face gods of silver, or of gold. But I permit you to make an altar to Me alone and to sacrifice thereon burnt-offerings, and also peace-offerings, in every place where I cause My Name to be mentioned for I will come unto thee and bless thee — with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that coucheth beneath.”⁵⁸²Genesis 49:25. The word azkir (I will cause it to be mentioned) is associated with the expression: He hath been mindful of us, He will bless.⁵⁸³Psalms 115:12.

לא תבנה אתהן גזית, in order to make it look more impressive.

ולא תבנה אתהן, for if you were to construct it from hewn stone, i.e. involving metal tools, the artisans are in the habit of engraving pictures, symbols, etc. on these surfaces to commemorate themselves or their favourite deities. In order to forestall this, I command you not to use metal tools which could make such engravings. (compare Isaiah 44,12-13)

חרבך הנפת עליה, “you have raised your sword over it.” This verse forbids contact of iron tools with the altar. Elsewhere this is spelled out as:אבנים שלמות תבנה, לא הניף עליהם ברזל, “you shall construct it of whole stones, stones which have not been worked on with iron.” (Joshua 18,4) The Torah uses the word ברזל and חרב interchangeably, as the sword is made of iron. A sword is an instrument meant to kill, an altar is a means to foster peaceful relations between man and G’d, and between man and man. Ibn Ezra offers another reason for this legislation, i.e. the Torah is concerned that part of the holy altar (the parts of the stone chiseled off when making smooth surfaces), should not wind up in the garbage container, whereas the other part of the same stone has become sanctified. Alternately, the Torah does not want people to scoop up these stone chips and to make out of these remains an altar for idolatrous practices. Nachmanides queries both the aforementioned commentaries, pointing out that the Torah did not forbid the altar to be made of hewn stones, it only opposes the use of iron when hewing these stones. This point is made explicitly not only here, but also in Deut. [not quite. Ed.] Accordingly, not only the legendary shamir’s glandular secretions are acceptable as tools to shape the stones for the Temple, but so are tools made of silver of copper. Our sages (Mechilta) see the reason for this injunction in the desire of the Torah to fulfill the positive commandment of building an altar in the most perfect manner, bearing in mind that the task of the altar is to become an instrument to lengthen our lives on this earth. How does it look when we use as tools to achieve this objective instruments that are designed to shorten man’s life? My personal feeling (Nachmanides writing) about this commandment is that the reason that a חרב is called by that name, i.e. something that is מחריב, destructive by nature, and something that was Esau’s primary tool, he being a destroyer, so much so that in blessing him his father Yitzchok expressed the hope that he would at least use the word to lengthen his own life and not die in fruitless battles. The sword’s power extends beyond the terrestrial spheres to the celestial regions for during the ascendancy of the planet Mars, the red planet, the planet that alludes to blood, warriors are notoriously successful. In consideration of all this, neither the Tabernacle nor the Temple built by Solomon contained anything made of iron, the material swords are made of. The only things made of iron that had any function in either the Tabernacle or the Temple were the knives used to slaughter the sacrificial animals. [even these were not used inside the structure itself but in the courtyard where the altar for meat offerings was situated, and where the slaughtering of such animals took place. Ed.] The Mechilta draws attention to the fact that the Torah writes concerning the use of stones hewn with iron tools, that they must not be used in building the altar, i.e. they were permitted to be used in building the Sanctuary and the Holies of Holies. However, Solomon applied a more stringent interpretation of the underlying concept, and did not use such tools in the construction of the Temple itself either.

You can derive from these things a fortiori. . . Rashi is saying: Should you ask, “What does the stone care if we bring anything that cuts and destroys upon it?” the answer is: so we will learn from it a fortiori. The same applies to Rashi’s final comment on the next verse.

V. 22. ואם וגו׳, und wenn du nicht mehr wandern wirst, sondern eingegangen sein wirst in staatliche Stetigkeit und dann auch den wandernden Altar in einen festen Altar aus Steinen umzuwandeln haben wirst, dann soll jeder Stein deines Altars dir die Heiligung und Gottesweihe deines ganzen Staatenlebens predigen. Kein Eisen darf einen Stein berührt haben, aus welchem du deinen Altar erbauen willst, kein Eisen einen Stein berühren, aus welchem du deinen Altar erbaut hast, der Stein, über welchem du dein Eisen geschwungen, ist damit entweiht zum Gottes Altar (רמכ׳׳ם הל׳ בית הבחירה ,א׳). Nicht Zerstörung, Aufbau des Lebens ist die Bestimmung des Altars, und nicht das Schwert, das Instrument der Gewalt, hat sich eine Weihe am jüdischen Altar zu holen, das Recht und die Menschlichkeit haben den Altarbau zu vollziehen, und ihr Reich, nicht die Herrschaft des Schwertes, von dort auszugehen. Neben dem Steinaltar hatte in der Steinhalle das jüdische Recht seine ewige Burg, und nicht das Schwert, der Altar ist das Symbol der jüdischen Gerechtigkeit.

ואם מזבח אבנים, “And if an altar made of stones, etc.” Rashi comments on these words, (quoting Rabbi Yishmael of the Mechilta) that everywhere in the Torah where the word: אם appears, what follows is something voluntary, as opposed to mandatory, with the exception of three times, our verse being one of these three. Our author warns us that if someone were to raise the question that the line in Exodus 21,30: אם כופר יושת עליו, “if ransom is laid upon him,” this is not something voluntary, this is not something mandatory, as the Torah in that paragraph does not describe events that are bound to occur, and the verse only deals with the consequences of such events after they have occurred. The meaning of our verse is that if it is your desire to build an altar out of stones, (instead of only earth) you are free to do so provide that these stones have not been touched with metal tools when being shaped. [The Torah considers “stones” as included in the definition of “earth.” Ed.] You must use whole stones to build an altar. The reason follows, i.e.

גזית — This has the meaning of cutting (גזיזה), the stones being thus called because one hews them and cuts them with an iron tool (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:22:1).

FOR IF THOU LIFTETH UP ‘CHARB’CHA’⁵⁸⁴Literally: “thy sword.” The significance of it is explained further on in the text. (THY IRON TOOL) UPON IT THOU HAST PROFANED IT. This is to prohibit the touching of the stones of the altar with an iron tool, just as He said, Thou shalt build the altar of the Eternal thy G-d of unhewn stones;⁵⁸⁵Deuteronomy 27:6. thou shalt lift up no iron tool upon them.⁵⁸⁶Ibid., Verse 5. He mentioned iron here by the term cherev (sword), because all iron tools that have sharp edges are called cherev. Thus it is said of a sword, And Ehud made him ‘cherev’ (a sword) which had two edges;⁵⁸⁷Judges 3:16. and of a blade it is said, Take thee a sharp ‘cherev’ (sword).⁵⁸⁸Ezekiel 5:1. Of hatchet and hammers with which a building is demolished it is said, And he shall break down thy towers ‘b’charbothav’ (with his axes).⁵⁸⁹Ibid., 26:9. Similarly, an iron tool with which stones are cut is called cherev.
According to our Rabbis,⁵⁹²Mechilta on the verse here. the reason for the commandment [against building an altar of stones which have been touched by iron] is the glorification of the altar: [It is not right] that that which shortens life [i.e., iron] is to be lifted up against that which prolongs life. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra said that this is in order that the chips of the stones should not remain in the dunghills, while part of them [i.e., the stones] is built into G-d’s altar, or that the chips should not be taken to make an altar for the idols, since their worshippers might do so, hoping that perhaps this will bring them success. And the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] wrote in Moreh Nebuchim⁵⁹³Guide of the Perplexed, III, 45. that this prohibition is an extraordinary precaution against making stones into certain shapes, thus being hewn stones, for such was the custom of the heathens [to build their altars with hewn stones].⁵⁹⁴Thus by prohibiting the building of an altar with stones which have been touched by iron, the Torah gave us an extraordinary precaution to guard against idolatry.
But I say that the reason for the commandment is that a sword is made out of iron and is the destroyer of the world. In fact, this is why it is called cherev (sword) [which is of the same root as churban (destruction)]. And since Esau whom G-d hated⁵⁹⁵Malachi 1:3. is the inheritor of the sword — for to him it was said, And by thy sword shalt thou live⁵⁹⁶Genesis 27:40. — and the sword is his power in heaven and upon the earth — for with [the power of] Mars and the stars [which influence] bloodshed, the sword succeeds, and with them Esau’s might is shown — therefore it must not be brought into the House of G-d. It is this reason which Scripture mentions expressly: “You should not build [the altar] of hewn stones, for in lifting up any iron to make them, you have lifted up your murderous sword, and increased victims; and thus you have profaned it.” It was for this reason that there was no iron in the Tabernacle, for even its pins, which would have been better if made of iron, were made of copper.⁵⁹⁷Further, 27:19. Similarly, in the Sanctuary⁵⁹⁸Literally: “The Permanent House,” a synonym for the Sanctuary in Jerusalem, which cannot be built in any other location. It stands in contrast to the Tabernacle, which could be moved from place to place. there were no vessels of iron except the ritual slaughtering-knives, for slaughtering [of the sacrifice] was not an act of “worship” [requiring a priest].⁵⁹⁹Yoma 42a.
Scripture prohibited only the building of an altar with hewn stones if touched by iron, for so it is clearly stated, when thou lifteth up thy sword upon it thou has profaned it, and still more clearly, thou shalt lift up no iron tool upon it.⁵⁸⁶Ibid., Verse 5. But if he comes to chisel them with silver tools or the shamir,⁶⁰⁰A worm that pierced stones with its touch. which our Rabbis have mentioned,⁶⁰¹Sotah 48b. it is permissible, even though the stones are not whole. This law will refute the reasoning of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra.⁶⁰²If, as Ibn Ezra suggested, the reason for the commandment is that the chips of the stones should not be on a dunghill while the stones be in the altar of G-d, why then is it permissible if the chiselling is done with a silver tool? The same question applies to Rambam’s explanation that the commandment is a precautionary measure against idolatry. The reason advanced by the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] is also incorrect on account of this law.
Now [when building the Sanctuary], Solomon added a stricture in the commandment, i.e., that no tool of iron was heard in the House while it was in building⁶⁰³I Kings 6:7. even though it was permissible, [the prohibition applying only to the altar]. Thus we were taught in the Mechilta:⁶⁰⁴Mechilta on the verse here. “Thou shalt not build it of hewn stones. You are not allowed to build the altar of hewn stones, but you may build the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies of hewn stones. And how do I explain the verse, And there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the House, while it was in building?⁶⁰³I Kings 6:7. They were not heard ‘in the House,’ but outside of the House they were heard.” What happened was thus as follows: They would remove the stones from their mountains with iron tools and chisel them there with iron, just as they also cut with iron the trees and the cypresses⁶⁰⁵Ibid., Verse 31. which were in the House. And so it is written, And they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the House with hewn stone.⁶⁰⁶Ibid., Verse 31. When they brought them to the House to build the walls, they did not fix them with iron, nor did they lift up any iron tool upon them as is the custom of builders. And that which Scripture says, It was built of whole stones from the quarry,⁶⁰³I Kings 6:7. does not mean that they were whole and complete; they were whole only insomuch as they had no notch deep enough for the nail to halt over on passing upon the edge,⁶⁰⁷Chullin 18a. but they were smooth and even. The meaning of the word masa⁶⁰⁸It was built of whole stones ‘masa’ (I Kings 6:7) is generally translated “at the quarry.” Ramban interprets masa to mean “great,” and the sense of the verse is: “it was built of whole large stones.” is “great”; for when they moved them from the mountain, they did not divide the rocks into many stones as is the custom of the builders, and they did not fix them there, nor did they set them into the building with hammers or axes as any other building is built. Solomon did not want it to be built [with any iron tool], or that the sound of iron be even heard in the whole Mount of the House. All these strictures were for the purpose of removing iron from it. This is according to the opinion of Rabbi Yirmiyah in Tractate Sotah.⁶⁰⁹Sotah 48b. In our Gemara: Rabbi Nechemyah. But according to Rabbi Yehudah, the hewn stones were for Solomon’s own house, not for the Sanctuary. According to his opinion, the verse stating, And they quarried great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the house with hewn stone,⁶⁰⁶Ibid., Verse 31. means that they also quarried hewn stones which were for his own house. So also it appears from the plain meaning of Scripture, that he built the court with hewn stone, as it is written, And he built the inner court with three rows of hewn stone,⁶¹⁰I Kings 6:36. and he placed himself under restriction [to build with unhewn stone] only in the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies. All this was for the sake of removing iron from the Sanctuary. And regarding the iron without weight which David prepared,⁶¹¹I Chronicles 22:14. that was to make instruments of it [with which] to cut the trees and to quarry the stones.

לא תעלה במעות, “you must not ascend by means of steps, etc;” this legislation was for the honour of the altar itself. Seeing that the altar is the means by which the sins of the Jewish people are atoned for, it is appropriate to treat it not only with courtesy but to accord it honour. [If I understand the thoughts of the author correctly, the emphasis is on the fact that the altar stands “only” in the courtyard. Whereas it does not need special legislation to demand a dress mode inside the Temple which does not reveal any flesh not engaged in the actual performance of the Temple service, one might have thought that the rules pertaining to the altar which was outside the building, would be less stringent. Therefore the Torah wrote a special verse telling us that the sanctity of the altar is equivalent to that of the furnishings inside the structure, the היכל and the קדשי קדשים. Ed.]

כי חרבך, “for your sword, etc.;” the word כי, here is used as an alternate proposition for the word אם. “if.” The altar is meant to promote peace and life, whereas the sword is used to shorten life. Something that had been shaped by the same material as that used to shorten life, could not serve as a symbol of peace and life, (Talmud Midot chapter 3 Mishnah 4)ותחלליה, “and you have profaned it.“ We have been told about the penalty for violating this commandment without having previously been informed of the prohibition. The Torah rectifies this by spelling out the prohibition not to use metal tools in hewing the stoned for such an altar in Deuteronomy 27,5: לא תניף עליהם ברזל, “do not wield an iron tool over them.

כי חרבך הנפת עליה — This word כי is used here in the sense of פן, which signifies “perhaps it may be” (and it does not mean “because”) — “perhaps it may happen that thou liftest up thy iron tool above it”.

ותחללה THEN THOU HAST PROFANED IT — Thus you may learn that if thou liftest up thy iron tool above it thou profanest it. The reason of this is, because the altar is created (its purpose is) to lengthen man’s days and iron has been created (one of its purposes is) to shorten man’s days, it is not right that an object which shortens man’s life should be lifted up above that which lengthens it (Mekhilta, Middoth 3:4). And a further reason is: because the altar makes peace between Israel and their Father in Heaven, and therefore there should not come upon it anything that cuts and destroys. Now, the following statement follows logically, à fortiori: How is it in the case of stones which cannot see nor hear nor speak? Because that they promote peace Scripture ordains, “Thou shalt not lift up against them any iron tool!” Then in the case of one who makes peace between a man and his wife, between family and family, between a man and his fellow, how much more certain is it that punishment will not come upon him (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:22:2).

ולא תעלה במעלות AND THOU SHALT NOT GO UP BY STEPS [TO MY ALTAR] — When thou buildest an ascent to the altar thou shalt not construct it of steps, échelons in old French, but it shall be even (i. e. the surface shall be unbroken) and sloping (cf. Rashi on Exodus 27:5).

NEITHER SHALT THOU GO UP BY STEPS UNTO MINE ALTAR. Because He began the commandment of the altar, He therefore completed it and did not postpone it until He would command about the subject of the sacrifices in Torath Kohanim⁵⁹⁰Literally: “Law of the Priests.” Generally, it is another name for the Book of Leviticus. This is proof to the words of the Sages,⁵⁹¹Mentioned above in Verse 21, that the altars referred to here are those of the Tabernacle and the Sanctuary. Now since these altars were ascended by a ramp connecting them with the ground, this verse, which states that the altar should not be ascended by steps, fits in with the general subject. But if it is as Ibn Ezra wrote, (mentioned here in the text above, Verse 22), that the altar of stone referred to here was the altar of the covenant made at Mount Sinai the present verse does not fit in here because that altar had no ramp. which are not really in need of defense.
The reason for [the prohibition against ascending the altar with] steps is that the fear of the altar and its enhancement is for the glory of G-d. Each of G-d’s commandments has many reasons, there being many benefits in each for body and soul.
Mishpatim

ולא תעלה במעלות, even though I do not bother you to undertake all kinds of architecturally attractive structures in order for you to qualify for My making My residence among you, you must be extremely careful not to be disrespectful when approaching the top of My altar. [exposing of one’s flesh is considered a sign of disrespect. Ed.]

ולא תעלה במעלות, this is why the ramp leading to the altar in the Temple was so long, i.e. it was 32 cubits long in order to achieve a height of only ten cubits. They also used to sprinkle salt on the surface of this ramp in order to prevent the priests from slipping on the surface when ascending same.

Do not make it as a row of steps. . . Rashi is answering the question: [Why does the verse prohibit the kohein to go up the steps?] If the altar was made with steps, the kohein is compelled to use them to go up. And if the altar was not made with steps, there is no reason that he use them. Thus Rashi explains that the prohibition is on the builder. When he builds the altar, he should not make steps.

V. 23. Und wie ein Prediger des Rechts und der Menschlichkeit, dieser Genien der zu Gott emporstrebenden Gesellschaft, der Altar sein soll, so soll er auch ein Prediger keuscher Sittlichkeit, dieses Fundamentes des Göttlichen im Menschen sein, ohne welches auch Recht und Menschlichkeit vergebens in der Gesellschaft gesucht werden. Mit גלוי ערוה werden die Höhen des Altars nicht erstiegen! ותשחת הארץ לפני האלקים ist die älteste und ernsteste Erfahrung der(Bereschit 6, 12) ותמלא הארץ חמס Menschengeschichte.

ולא תעלה במעלות על מזבחי, “and do not ascend My altar by steps.” The word עליו restricts this prohibition to taking big steps to the altar, not including the manner in which you can walk in the Temple itself. (Mechilta בחדש, section 11)

אשר לא תגלה ערותך THAT THY NAKEDNESS BE NOT UNCOVERED — because on account of these steps you will have to take large paces and so spread the legs. Now, although this would not be an actual uncovering of one’s nakedness (of the parts usually kept covered), since it is written, (Exodus 28:42) “And thou shalt make for them (the priests) linen breeches [to cover the flesh of their nakedness]”, still the taking of large paces is near enough to uncovering one’s nakedness that it may be described as such, and you would then be treating them (the stones of the altar) in a manner that implies disrespect. Now the following statement follows logically à fortiori: How is it in the case of stones which have no sense (feeling) to be particular about any disrespect shown to them? Scripture ordains that since they serve some useful purpose you should not treat them in a manner that implies disrespect! Then in the case of your fellow-man who is made in the image of your Creator and who is particular about any disrespect shown to him, how much more certain is it that you should not treat him disrespectfully! (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:23:1)

Fassen wir diesen Epilog der "Zehngebote" zusammen, so ist er den drei Hauptverirrungen entgegengekehrt, die unser Verhältnis zu Gott untergraben und die bis in ihre letzten Ausladungen aus unserer Mitte zu bannen, die Bestimmung der göttlichen Gesetzgebung ist. Es sind dies: שפיכת דמים ,עבודה זרה und גלוי עריות, die Spitzen der Verbrechen gegen Gott, gegen den Nebenmenschen, gegen uns selbst. V. 20 u. 21: ג׳׳ע :23 ,ש׳׳ד :22 ע׳׳ז. Gott, die Gesellschaft und der Mensch, das sind die Objekte des göttlichen Gesetzes, und nicht "was bei Gott im Himmel ist", sondern wie diese unsere Beziehungen auf Erden sein sollen, das, kündigt dieser Epilog an, wie es den Inhalt der Gesetzgebung bildet, soll es, und es allein auch den Inhalt der symbolischen Sprache des Heiligtums und der Heiligtümer bilden. Der Altar wie das Gesetz, beide haben nur den Menschen und den göttlichen Aufbau und Ausbau des Menschlichen auf Erden zum Gegenstande.