출애굽기 19:23의 인용 해설

'ויאמר משה: שש מאות אלף וגו, we need to understand Moses’ words in the same way as when he had told G’d that the people “could not ascend the mountain” in Exodus 19,23. Of course they could have, but it was forbidden which to Moses meant that “they could not.” ואכלו חודש ימים, and he was also concerned about G’d’s threat that the meat would become repulsive to the people. (verse 20) He asked that seeing that there were over 600.000 adult males plus numerous children and women, the livestock of the people could hardly be sufficient to sustain such an ambitious program? He was afraid that possibly G’d had in mind to kill many of the people so that it would be possible to feed the survivors on the meat of their herds and flocks so that G’d’s prediction would come true. Alternatively, G’d would have to perform miracles for these people to supply them with meat, something Moses felt that they had hardly deserved. [at any rate, Moses did not mean to imply doubt about G’d’s ability to make good on what He had said. Ed.]

שימו לבבכם לכל הדברים אשר אנכי מעיד בכם היום, “apply your hearts to all the words that I testify against you this day;” this is not part of the testimony but is simply a form of warning, just as was Exodus 19,21 when G’d told Moses: רד העד בעם, “descend and warn the people.” We have a similar occurrence of the verb העד as “warning” in Exodus 19,23 כי אתה העדות בנו, “for You have warned us.” In this verse Moses warns the people that everyone should pay careful attention to the words of the Torah; this is why he speaks of לבבכם instead of לבכם. He urges people to serve the Lord with both parts of our hearts, the good urge as well as the evil urge, יצר הרע. This is why the sages said in Kidushin 30, quoting G’d: “I did create an evil urge, but I also created the Torah as its antidote.”