출애굽기 3:6의 인용 해설

He covered his face. Comp. And Moses hid his face (Exod. 3:6). He covered his feet, out of reverence.

First we have to understand why G’d repeated the word צור in His instructions to Moses in Exodus 17,6 when all He had to say was והכית בו, “strike it,” seeing that He had already told Moses that the צור was the object he was to concentrate on. This hints that the words והכית בצור, may refer to a different “צור.”
The attribute כבוד we have been mentioning repeatedly is the one that said to Yaakov (Genesis 31,13) אנכי האל בית-אל, seeing that it was this attribute which had been described earlier as the G’d of his father when we read of G’d (introducing) revealing Himself to Moses (Exodus 3,6) saying אנכי אלו-הי אביך אלו-הי אברהם, אלו-הי יצחק, ואלו-הי יעקב, ויסתר משה פניו כי ירא מהביט אל-האלו-הים. ”I am the G’d of your father, the G’d of Avraham, the G’d of Yitzchak, and the G’d of Yaakov; Moses averted his face as he was afraid to look at Elohim.” [The common denominator in the last two verses quoting G’d is the word אנכי coupled with Elohim. Ed.] According to Hoseah 12,5 בית אל is an attribute by means of which G’d addresses human beings. The verse in Hoseah, clearly a reference to Yaakov, reads as follows: וישר אל מלאך ויכל, בכה ויתחנן לו, בית אל ימצאנו ושם ידבר עמנו “He wrestled with an angel and prevailed; he (the angel) cried and pleaded with him. At Bet-El He would meet him, and there He would speak with us.” [The next verse continues (not quoted by our author) “But the Lord, the Lord of Hosts must be invoked as “the Lord.” Ed.]. When G’d said to Moses (Exodus 33,19) אני אעביר כל טובי על פניך, “I shall let all My goodness pass before you,” He referred to His capacity as the attribute כבוד. In Exodus 34,6 this is described as “Hashem passed before him.” I shall explain the apparent anomaly in this verse when we get to it. The verse in Ki Tissa refers to the attribute which is meant in verse 23 of the same chapter where the Torah speaks of the pilgrims presenting themselves את פני האדון י-ה-ו-ה- אלו-הי ישראל.

• In the second statement he reproves Job for having the nerve (Lamentations 3:41) to inquire into matters greater and more wondrous than he can imagine such as the immortality of the soul, the substance of knowledge, free-will and so on. Man does not even comprehend God’s wisdom in those natural things he sees in front of his eyes. And since He has closed the door in front of him (2Kings 4:4), preventing him from entering the inner sanctuary (Leviticus 10:18) to look at God (Exodus 3:6) and to investigate metaphysical matters, he should have hidden his face (Micah 3:4) and not climbed God’s mountain or even touched its edge (Exodus 19:12).

He wrapped his face. [Targum Yonoson rendered,] “and he wrapped his face,”⁸In the same manner that Moshe covered his face at the “burning bush” in Shemos 3:6. and so it states, “wrapped up [לוטה] in a cloth.”⁹I Shmuel 21:10.