출애굽기 24:11의 주석

ואל אצילי AND UPON THE NOBLES — these were Nadab and Abihu and the elders —

AND TO ‘ATZILEI’ (THE NOBLES OF) THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. These are Nadab, and Abihu, and the elders mentioned above.⁵⁴⁰Verse 1. They are called atzilim [of the root atzal, to emanate] because the spirit of G-d emanated upon them. Similarly, I have called thee ‘mei’atzilehah’⁵⁴¹Isaiah 41:9. — from those upon whom His spirit has emanated, or the great people upon whom honor has descended from royalty.

ואל אצילי בני ישראל לא שלח ידו, G’d, did not extend His helping hand to enable these nobles and elders to grant them the level of prophetic status while they were oblivious to their five senses with which they perceived while merely human beings. We encounter such a concept in Ezekiel 8,1 when the prophet describes an inspiration received with the words: ותפול עלי יד ה', “and the “hand” of G’d “fell” upon me there.” The use of this phraseology describes the separation of the “normal” senses used for perception employed by the prophet, and his transformation into a super terrestrial dimension. [It is probably impossible to really “translate” this line into the vernacular in any language. The main point our author makes, as opposed to other commentators, is that this “hand of G’d” is not perceived by him as one that is retributive in character, but, on the contrary, as one that elevates the human being to a spiritually higher dimension.” In our context the Torah says that the “visions” achieved by these אצילי בני ישראל, were not further helped along by G’d. Ed.] Examples of people who divest themselves of human senses, or human garb, (a simile for their senses?) are King Saul in Samuel I 19,24 “then he too stripped off his clothes and he too spoke in ecstasy before Samuel, and he lay naked all day and night. This is why people say: “Is Saul too among the prophets?”

ואל אצילי בני ישראל לא שלח ידו, And G'd did not lay a hand on the nobles of the children of Israel; Why did the Torah have to make mention of ואל אצילי בני ישראל? If the Torah had merely written: "He did not lay a hand on them," I would have known already that the subject of the verse are the elders who were mentioned in the previous verse. Perhaps the Torah wanted us to know that the reason why G'd did not lay a hand on these people at that time was that they were "the nobles of the children of Israel." Alternatively, G'd did not want to spoil the prevailing spiritual high and joy of the people by killing so many of their leaders at that time and causing them to be mourned (compare Bamidbar Rabbah 15).

ואל אצילי בני ישראל לא שלח ידו. Even though these people had deliberately lingered over a vision of G’d, feasting their eyes on it, something forbidden as we know from Numbers 4,20, that glimpsing something sacred inside the temple is forbidden on pain of death, at this time G’d did not punish tem. We know of a similar occurrence in Samuel I 6,19 when the subject was the Holy Ark. On the other hand, when afforded a similar opportunity to “see” G’d, Moses was afraid to do so (Exodus 3,6 at the burning bush). Here the nobles and elders were being honoured by G’d with visions, this being due to the covenant being concluded with them at this time. I explained in connection with the covenant of the pieces G’d concluded with Avraham in Genesis 15,17 that Avraham observed G’d as if passing between the pieces of the animals Avraham had cut up. [I could not find this exegesis of our author where it is supposed to be. Ed.] This report of “seeing” a manifestation of G’d resurfaces when the new covenant is made after the sin of the golden calf has been forgiven in Exodus 34,3 where only Moses is allowed to be present, i.e. to look at the mountain before he ascends. Having outlawed visual contact by others, G’d proceeds to announce that He will make a new covenant (Exodus 34,10) replacing the one the Israelites had breached at the golden calf episode.

ואל אצילי בני ישראל, “and against the nobility of the people of Israel, etc.” This is a reference to Nadav, Avihu, and the elders of Israel. The reason why they are described as אצילים is that they had been granted a prophetic vision, the holy spirit had descended upon them. Compare ומאציליה קראתיך, “and from its spiritual elite I have called you forth.” (Isaiah 41,9) Ibn Ezra says the Torah uses the appellation אצילי so as to make a qualitative distinction between Moses on the one hand, and the elders. The reason this was called for was that Moses, at the age of 80, could also have been perceived as one of the ”elders.” The new term אצילי was thus coined here to describe the stature of Nadav and Avihu.

ואל אצילי בני ישראל, “and against the ‘nobles’ of the Children of Israel, etc.” The reason they are referred to as אצילי is that the word is connected to אצילות, “emanation.” Some of the holy spirit had been emanated to them while they were standing at this holy site. The people so referred to were Nadav and Avihu as well as the seventy elders.

V. 11. Im feindlichen Sinne Hand an jemanden legen, heißt in der Regel: שלח יד ב־ (es kommt allerdings in diesem Sinne zweimal auch שלח יד אל־ vor: Bereschit 22, 12 u. Job 1, 12). Es dürfte auch schwerlich hier gesagt sein, es seien die V. 9 genannten Erlesenen Israels von Gott nicht feindlich berührt worden, obgleich sie zu seiner Erscheinung hinangetreten waren. Es war ja gar keine Veranlassung dazu, da sie auf ausdrückliches Geheiß Gottes hinangegangen waren. Dagegen heißt יד ה׳ auch die Gewalt des Gottesgeistes, die den Propheten fasst und ihn in das Bereich der Prophetie emporhebt. — אצל, wovon אֵצֶל: neben, heißt zunächst eine räumliche Absonderung, und Jesaias 41, 9, wo אצילם noch einmal vorkommt, ומאציליה קראתיך, scheint es, synonym mit dem vorangehenden אשר החזקתיך מקצות הארץ, die räumlich Gesonderten, Entfernten zu bedeuten. Wir vermuten daher, daß mit אצילי בני ישראל auch hier die in der Entfernung Stehenden, aus der Nähe des Berges und der Gotteserscheinung Ferngehaltenen, somit das in seiner Umgrenzung verharrende Volk bezeichnet sei. Die den Berg hinan in die Gottesnähe Berufenen (V. 9) wurden von der יד ד׳ ergriffen, und darum ויראו, sahen sie את אלקי ישראל usw. Bis zu den ferner Stehenden sendete aber Gott את ידו nicht, vielmehr ויחזו ( — im Verhältnis zu ראה, dem mehr konkreten und nahen Sehen, heißt חזה [wovon חָוֶה Brust] ein inneres oder ein Fernsehen —) "sie schauten Gott innerlich im Geiste" oder: "sie schauten zu der fernen Gotteserscheinung hinan", ויאכלו וישתו, ohne dass sie dem gewöhnlichen, normalen, von Sinnlichkeit umschränkten irdischen Standpunkte enthoben worden wären. Die von der Prophetie Ergriffenen wurden zu Gott emporgehoben, den zu dieser Stufe nicht emporgehobenen Israelssöhnen trat Gott im Bewusstsein nahe, sie fühlten die Nähe Gottes in ihrem Innern beim Opfermahle (V. 5), sie genossen die Seligkeit der Gottesnähe mitten im irdischen Leben, jene höchste, normale Blüte des jüdischen Lebens und Strebens vor Gott, die ja auch Dewarim 27, 7 bei dem erneueten Ausdruck des am Sinai geschlossenen nationalen Bundes mit dem Gesetze (vergl. das. 5—7 mit unserm Kap. V. 4 u. 5) also lautet: וזבחת שלמים ואכלת שם ושמחת לפני ד׳ אלדיך. — Megilla 9 a wird das אצילי בני ישראל nicht auf das ganze Volk, sondern auf die נערי בני ישראל V. 5) bezogen, die als die für die gottesdienstliche Familienrepräsentanz geweihten Erstgeborenen אצילים, die "Ausgesonderten" genannt werden. Auch dann dürfte das לא שלח ידו und das ויחזו וגו׳ in dem von uns geglaubten Sinne zu verstehen sein.

לא שלח ידו, “He did not raise His hand;” G-d had reason to punish the people who had been granted this vision because they carried on as if this was nothing extraordinary, by eating and drinking. [According to this interpretation, at this time, immediately before the giving of the Torah, G-d did not wish to spoil the joyous mood of the people. An alternate approach to these lines: all the Torah tells us is that in spite of having been granted such visions, and one could have expected that this would have made them temporarily like angels, like Moses who on Mount Sinai went for 40 days and nights without food or drink, these “nobles” of the people had not attained that level of prophecy. They could continue to eat and drink without thereby harming themselves.

לא שלח ידו HE LAID NOT HIS HAND — This implies that they well deserved that God should stretch forth His hand against them (Midrash Tanchuma, Beha'alotcha 16).

The meaning of the expression He laid not His hand, is that since He had said, But let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Eternal, lest He break forth upon them,⁵⁴²Above, 19:24. therefore He let it be known here that they had been careful to observe that command and that He did not break forth upon them, and that the nobles of the children of Israel were worthy of that which they saw in this vision; thus the meaning of the verse is that they beheld G-d but they did not break through to come up unto the Eternal.⁵⁴²Above, 19:24.

ויחזו את האלוקים, they achieved a vision of their concept of G’d similar to a prophetic vision.

ויאכלו וישתו, the burnt-offerings, עולות, were consumed by the altar, whereas the peace-offerings, שלמים, described as “meat-offerings, זבחים, were eaten by the people mentioned here. (compare verse 5)

לא שלח ידו, “He did not stretch out His hand (punitively).” Nachmanides writes that seeing that the Torah had warned both the priests and people not to ascend the Mountain as this would constitute a breach of the protective fence around the Mountain, (19,24) the Torah refers to the fact that these people had not committed any breach of the rules and therefore did not deserve punishment. Had they done so, they would not have been found worthy to experience a prophetic vision. The whole line of ויחזו וגו' must be understood as what these people did do or experience, meaning that they did not disregard the prohibition of approaching too closely to the Mountain. Some commentators contrast what did not happen here with what happened when G’d did stretch out His hand to Moses to give him the Tablets. This would mean that the people experiencing these visions at this time did not receive encouragement from G’d .

לא שלח ידו, “He did not stretch out His hand.” This wording proves that they deserved to experience disciplining or worse by G’d.
ויחזו את האלו-הים, “they gazed at G’d.” This is a repetition of what had been described earlier with the words ויראו את האלו-הים (24,10). The principal meaning of these verses is that the nobles were content to gaze at G’d from afar and not breach the security fence around the mountain.
ויאכלו וישתו, “they ate and they drank, etc.” According to the plain meaning of the text they considered the day a festival in view of their having been granted such insights and having survived the experience. This would be comparable to Yaakov who had said after his struggle with the protective guardian of Esau (Genesis 32,31) “for I have seen G’d face to face and my life has been spared.” This is also why the High Priest used to make a feast at the end of Yom Kippur every time after he had come out of the Holy of Holies without having been harmed in body or spirit by the experience (compare Yuma 70).

לא שלח ידו…ויאכלו, He did not lay a hand;…they ate, etc. Why did the Torah mention once more ויחזו and was not content with the words ויראו? Our sages in Vayikra Rabbah 20,10 claim that these people feasted by means of their vision of G'd, ויחזו. Their very visual experience provided the kind of satisfaction for them that ordinary people under normal circumstances experience as the result of consuming food and drink. This still does not provide an adequate explanation for the fact that the verse reports what G'd did not do as a consequence of an activity by these people which had not even been described. The Torah should have mentioned the eating and drinking before mentioning G'd's reaction or apparent lack of reaction, i.e. His patience in deferring punishment. At any rate, the word ויחזו is quite superfluous even after the explanation of the Midrash.

ויחזו את האלוהים, according to Rabbi Tanchuma, (Vayikra Rabbah 20,10) they had behaved arrogantly craning their necks, etc., acting inappropriately and trying to translate their vision into something terrestrial, such as physically enjoying food and drink.

ויחזו את האלהים AND THEY BEHELD GOD [AND DID EAT AND DRINK] — They gazed at him intimately as though their association with Him were a matter of eating and drinking. Thus does the Midrash Tanchuma, Beha'alotcha 16 explain it. Onkelos, however, does not translate the passage this way (i. e. he does not take it in a depreciative sense that Nadab and Abihu and the elders acted improperly. His translation is: they beheld God’s Glory and rejoiced in their offerings which were accepted as though they were eating and drinking). —

And they did eat and drink. This means that they ate there the peace-offerings at the lower part of the mountain before G-d previous to their returning to their tents, for peace-offerings have to be eaten within an enclosure; in Jerusalem they were eaten within the wall of the city,⁵⁴³Zebachim 112b. in Shiloh⁵⁴⁴The Tabernacle stood in Shiloh, in the territory of the tribe of Ephraim, for three hundred and sixty-nine years. After Shiloh was destroyed by the Philistines, the Tabernacle stood in Nob and then in Gibeon — a period of fifty-seven years — and then finally the Sanctuary was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem. they could be eaten within sight of Shiloh,⁵⁴³Zebachim 112b. and here they were eaten before the altar at the lower part of the mountain, and not in the camp.

ויאכלו וישתו, afterwards they made a festive meal which they consumed without their normal senses having been in any way transformed or temporarily become neutralised. They prepared this festive meal congratulating themselves on a higher spiritual dimension which they felt they had achieved.

ויאכלו, “they ate, etc.” they consumed the part of the peace-offerings that all Israelites may consume, at the foot of the Mountain, They did not take the meat back to their tents.

Perhaps we must understand the Torah's intention by referring to Exodus 33,23 where G'd speaks about removing his "palm" in order for Moses to see His "back" instead of His "face." At that point G'd made it clear that even someone on Moses' spiritual level who had experienced G'd's presence revealing Himself as no other mortal before or after him, had to be prevented from beholding G'd's face. G'd inserted a divider between Himself and His face. In our verse the Torah reveals that G'd did not insert such a divider between Himself and the vision of these אצילי בני ישראל, "nobles of the children of Israel," because they were אצילים. He permitted them to feast their eyes on this vision.

ויאכלו וישתו, “they ate and drank,” just as we know from Avraham, Yitzchok and Yaakov, that when they made a pact with human beings, they invariably sealed it by having a festive meal with their partner. (Ibn Ezra) This whole verse was inserted in the Torah in honour of Moses who, when experiencing prophetic visions did not need to sustain his body by food and drink, as he had attained the level of disembodied beings who do not depend on such means to renew energy they had spent.

אצילי means “the great men”, as, (Isaiah 41:9) “I called thee from the chief men (אציליה) thereof”; (Numbers 11:17) “And he increased (ויאצל) some of the spirit” (cf. Rashi on Numbers 11:17 and Onkelos on 11:25); (Ezekiel 41:8) “six cubits in its size (largeness) (אצילה‎)”.

The meaning of the expression and they drank, is that they made it an occasion for rejoicing and festival, for such is one’s duty to rejoice at the receiving of the Torah, just as He commanded when they finished writing all the words of the Torah upon the stones, And thou shalt sacrifice peace-offerings, and shalt eat there; and thou shalt rejoice before the Eternal thy G-d.⁵⁴⁵Deuteronomy 27:7. And with reference to Solomon it is written, Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee etc.,⁵⁴⁶II Chronicles 1:12. and immediately after that, he came to Jerusalem… and made a feast for all his servants.⁵⁴⁷I Kings 3:15. “Said Rabbi Eleazar:⁵⁴⁸Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1:9. From here you learn that we make a feast at the finishing of the Torah.” With reference to David, Solomon’s father, it is likewise said that when the people gave of their free-will towards the building of the Sanctuary, And they offered sacrifices unto the Eternal, and offered burnt-offerings unto the Eternal etc., and they did eat and drink before the Eternal on that day with great gladness.⁵⁴⁹I Chronicles 29:21-22. Similarly, here too on the day of the “wedding” of the Torah,⁵⁵⁰Taanith 26b. they did likewise.

וישתו, “they drank;” they used the occasion of receiving the Torah for organizing a great feast on that day to express their happiness at having received the Torah. We find that a similar festivity took place when the Torah, at the end of 40 years, was engraved on the stones taken from the river Jordan. (Deut. 27,7) Some commentators understand the Torah’s mentioning that the elders ate and drank as the Torah’s way of drawing attention to the contrast with Moses who, forthwith, ascended the Mountain and remained there for 40 days neither eating nor drinking. Moses most certainly did not have lesser visions than the elders, and yet he did not feel the need to eat for supplying his body with food on such an occasion.

We have to understand the whole verse as follows: "They saw the G'd of Israel," i.e. they saw a great light symbolising the G'd of Israel, but they only looked at what was beneath His feet. Seeing that G'd had not laid a hand on them for doing so, i.e. He had not taken measures to deny them this vision, they now indulged in ויחזו, an intensified look, something which provided them with the kind of satisfaction ordinary people get through the intake of food and drink.

ויאכלו, “they ate;” they ate of the peace offerings mentioned in verse 5 of our chapter.

You must not wonder why these people were allowed a vision which was even denied to Moses. When G'd placed His palm before the eyes of Moses this was not to prevent him from having the intellectual/spiritual vision enjoyed by the nobles of Israel. The kind of intellectual/spiritual vision the nobles enjoyed as an exception was something Moses enjoyed on a year round basis. G'd merely wanted to prevent Moses's eyes from attaining a far greater vision, a revelation of a far more exalted vision of G'd. Whereas G'd has words which he employs to convey such concepts, I would not even attempt to record such ideas in print for fear some unworthy person will get to read them, someone who does not deserve the spiritual illumination such words provide.