Chasidut do Wyjścia 20:28

"You must not bend etc and not recognize a face" (Deuteronomy 16:20) because it is written "you shall not have other gods before Me [lit. in front of My face]" (Exodus 20:3) and one can explain it like this: behold, the Blessed Creator is called "face of every thing", since every thing has a piece of divinity that makes it present and gives it vitality, and if, God forbid, a person thinks a extraneous thought, or looks at something evil, then one turns away and distances one's face from it. And the extraneous thoughts and the evil sightings and evil passing thoughts are called "other gods" and this is "you shall not have other gods etc" and this is [also] "you must not recognize faces" that is to say, that you will not sin and not think outside thoughts, so that you won't distance the face and become estranged from yourself. "You shall take no bribe because the bribe blinds the eyes of the wise, etc" (Deuteronomy 16:20), and at a first glance don't our eyes see many and many receivers of bribe, and they are healthy, and strong, and they die closing their eyes? But the issue is that the righteous person who is dedicated to Hashem in truth merits high levels in the eyes of His intellect, that is, the higher Wisdom, and this is "the eyes of Hashem are on the righteous" (Psalms 34:16) that the Holy One of Blessing gives merit to the righteous in the eyes of the Higher Intellect, and this is "you shall not take etc because the bribe blinds the eyes of the wise etc", meaning that the person will not merit in the eyes of His intellect in the Higher Wisdom, "and perverts the words of the righteous" that is, the righteous that speak in their holiness the receiver of bribes perverts them, that is, not just that that person will not merit Higher Wisdom, but also if the righteous want to negate their words and return that person to the good, their words will not help that person, since all their words will appear to that person as perverted.

Having understood this concept, we will also ‎understand why the manna was not allowed to descend ‎to earth on the Sabbath, whereas G’d did not interrupt ‎the growth of crops that originated from the ‎‎earth during the Sabbath. Our author refers ‎us to the commentary of Rabbi Moshe Alshich ‎commenting on Exodus 20,11 ‎כי ששת ימים עשה ה' את השמים ‏ואת הארץ‎, “for during six days G’d made the heaven and ‎the earth,‎‏ ‏etc,” that this refers to the ‎אור הישר‎ used by ‎G’d. The seventh day that followed is to be viewed as ‎the response by the creatures to having received such ‎abundant blessings during the preceding six days. In ‎other words, the day is used to show G’d our positive ‎response to His generosity, the response being called ‎the ‎אור החוזר‎ the “reflected light.” The words ‎ויכל אלוקים ‏ביום השביעי‎ (Genesis 2,1) are understood by the ‎‎Midrash as the creatures emulating G’d on the ‎Sabbath in rejoicing and abstaining from “creative” ‎activities, thus “sending back to their Creator the ‎message (reflected light)” that they appreciate the ‎‎“direct light” they had been the beneficiaries of during ‎the preceding six days.‎
‎ We must also consider that the manna having ‎originated in the heavenly spheres, was ‎originally not something tangible, although upon ‎entering the atmosphere, it had to become garbed in a ‎manner compatible with other earthly phenomena. ‎Having it descend on the Sabbath would have negated ‎the concept of the creation which commences with ‎something intangible and converts it into something ‎tangible, but retaining elements of: “direct light.” Earth ‎grown crops never originated in celestial ‎domains in the first place, so that there was no reason ‎to interrupt their growth. On the contrary, according to ‎the Kabbalists, eating and drinking by human beings is ‎not an end itself, but the food is meant to help us to ‎devote more time and effort to spiritual pursuits, i.e. ‎to come closer to the completely disembodied essence ‎of the Creator. On the Sabbath when we are free from ‎the burden of having to secure our livelihood, we ‎return the largesse of G’d experienced during the six ‎preceding days, by commencing a journey in the ‎opposite direction coming closer to the regions from ‎which the manna originated. To summarize: the ‎Sabbath itself is symbolic of the ‎אור החוזר‎, “reflected ‎light.”‎

Let us take a look at how Rashi, the most eminent of all Torah commentators, explained the ‎first verse of the Torah. Quoting Rabbi Yitzchok, Rashi writes: “on the face of it the (written) ‎Torah need not have commenced until the chapter commencing with the laws of the Passover. ‎‎(Exodus 12)” In light of what we have just explained, the fact that the Torah commences as it does ‎is eminently plausible. What did Rashi have in mind then? The background of Rashi, ‎seizing on the explanation of Rabbi Yitzchok as his point of departure of his entire commentary on ‎the Torah, is none other than to remind us of how much the beginning of the Torah has in common ‎with what is written in chapter 12 in Exodus. Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer (quoted in Yalkut Shimoni Yirmiyahu item 263) understands the shape ‎of the letter ‎ב‎ seeing that it is open at one end, as a challenge to heretics to produce the fourth of ‎the four winds, the north wind, if they are able, and thus close the letter, making it ‎סתום‎, hidden, ‎i.e. concealing what is inside it. Our sages (Rabbeinu Bachya Exodus 20,2) view the entire Exodus as ‎a replay of the creation of the universe, the difference being that on that occasion there were ‎human beings who could testify to the power of the Creator, having witnessed all the miracles G’d ‎had performed as a prelude to the redemption. Initially, Rabbi Yitzchok thought that the message ‎about how G’d relates to His universe and the human beings He created, could have been ‎conveyed just as well by commencing with chapter 12 in Exodus. However, since G’d is interested ‎in conveying additional aspects of His function in the universe, He chose to commence with the ‎words: ‎בראשית ברא אלוקים את השמים ואת הארץ‎. Anyone reflecting further on this will certainly ‎understand.‎

Therefore, from the moment the Torah was given, the world is no longer solely sustained by God’s benevolence. At the giving of the Torah, God showed even greater kindness, which is called, “eating from the effort of your hands” (Tehillim, 128:2).⁴³That is, human beings were not in a give-and-take relationship with God, and the life and vitality that He bestowed upon creation was an expression of His gratuitous love. However, with the giving of the Torah, mankind could now earn God’s goodness through fulfilling the Torah – “the effort of your hands.” This allows for an even greater degree of closeness. Even though everything still comes from God’s benevolence, it was God’s desire that with the giving of the Torah man should perform actions which enable him to be conscious of God’s light and the knowledge of God’s existence in this world. This is called, “the effort of man’s hands.” The Torah is the sum-total of all of the creation. With the Torah, every person capable of arriving at the entire level of understanding that God allotted for his creation. This is as it is said in the Zohar (Yitro, 83b): All of the later generations were summoned there, and they all received the Torah at Mount Sinai, each one as befit him. Everything in the Torah is applicable to every individual person. This is as the Zohar says (ibid.): “And God spoke all of these words, saying…” (Shemot, 20:1, directly before the Ten Commandments). “Spoke all of these words,” means – all of these meanings, all of these secrets, all of these mysteries, decrees and punishments. “Saying” – means in order for it to be a uninversal inheritance, as it is written (Devarim, 33) “Moshe commanded the Torah to us as an inheritance.” A story is told in the Midrash Rabbah (Vayikra, 9:3), “Rabbi Yannai saw a man who was finely dressed in the manner of a scholar. He invited him home, and in the course of the conversation discovered that he had no Torah knowledge whatsoever, not in the Gemara, Mishnah, or the Chumash. When the man wanted to lead the Grace following a meal, as is the custom for a guest, Rabbi Yannai said, ‘You may do so by saying these words: “A dog at Yannai’s bread.’” The man seized Rabbi Yannai by the collar and said, ‘You are withholding my inheritance!’⁴⁴That is, “you are denying me a relationship to the Torah.” Rabbi Yannai said, ‘What is your inheritance?’ The man said, ‘Once I was walking past a school, and I heard the children saying, “Moshe commanded us the Torah, an inheritance of the community of Yaakov.” The Torah does not say, “An inheritance of the community of Yannai,” but rather, “An inheritance of the community of Yaakov.”’”⁴⁵The continuation of the story: “Rabbi Yannai then wanted to know in what merit this man was eating at his table. The man said, ‘In my entire life, I always kept silent upon receiving an insult, and I never saw two people arguing and did not make peace between them.’ Embarrassed, Rabbi Yannai said in shame, ‘You possess such good behavior, and I called you a dog.’”

There is a hint as to the secret of the Shem haMefurash (the Explicit Name)²⁵⁷God’s ineffable name, the Tetragrammaton, was audibly pronounced in the Temple only on specific occasions, such as Yom Kippur. as mentioned in the Jerusalem Talmud (Yoma, Chapter 3, Halakha 7), “The High Priest would pronounce the name ten times during the course of the day of Atonement. Those who were close would fall on their faces, and those who were far would say, ‘Baruch Shem Kavod Malkhuto Leolam Va’ed,’ – ‘Blessed is the name of His glorious Sovereignty forever and ever.’ Both the High Priest and the people would not move from their places until it was hidden from them.” At the moment when the people heard the Shem haMefurash, they possessed a knowledge and understanding that is beyond time, space, and the laws of nature, as explained in the previous chapter. Then, when the name was hidden from them, this level of consciousness was also hidden from them, and they returned to the normal level of human understanding, based upon the laws of nature. However, a residue of the experience remained, as they remembered how they once understood. This is akin to the way the Torah says, after the experience of receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai, “now everyone shall go back to their tents.”²⁵⁸Meaning, after the prophetic experience of receiving the Torah at Sinai, where the people, “saw the voices” (Shemot 20:15) and surpassed the limits of human perception and consciousness, they had to “return to their tents”; that is, return back to normal human perception. Similarly, when the High Priest on the Day of Atonement would enter into the Holy of Holies, in a state of sanctity and purity, and with preparation of the heart, he would clearly understand how the Holy Ark did not take up any space. He would perceive this through human eyes. Since his very body reached such a level of purity, he could clearly see and understand that there is no logical contradiction in that the Holy Ark existed and yet did not take up any physical space. The Midrash and the Yalkut both interpret the verse (Vayikra, 16:17), “And no man shall be in the Tent of Appointed Meeting when he shall go in to the holy place to make atonement,” as meaning that a man did not go into the Holy of Holies, but rather an angel of the Lord of Hosts.²⁵⁹The Midrash inteprets the words of the verse, “no man shall be in the Tent of Appointed Meeting,” as including to the High Priest himself; yet it was he alone who was commanded to enter the sanctuary! The implication is that when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, he was no longer a man, no longer a human being. The revelation of Divinity was so powerful that he was transformed into an angelic being. But this was precisly what allowed him to perceive the paradoxical nature of the ark of the covenant, which existed, yet took up no space. It was said of Pinchas, the grandson of Aharon HaKohen, that when the Holy Spirit would rest upon him, his face appeared to be burning in flames. It is recorded in the Zohar Hadash (Midrash Ne’elam, page 18), “When the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies… It is taught, Rabbi Abba said in the name of Rabbi in the name of Rav, the innermost chamber (the Holy of Holies) is just like the Garden of Eden, and when the Cohen would enter, he would enter with his soul and not with his body.” This explains the passage in the Zohar (Parshat Pinhas, 117b-118a), which says that when God was called by his various names and attributes before the world was created, He was called with a view to the future and for the sake of the creation that was yet to be created. For with the creation of the world, the will of created beings would be limited, as explained above.

‎“And Avraham had aged, advanced in years;" the Talmud ‎‎Baba batra 16 understands the word ‎בכל‎ as meaning that ‎Avraham had a “daughter” by the name of ‎בכל‎. Commenting ‎further on this, the Talmud in Chagigah 15 states that a ‎heavenly voice i.e. ‎בת קול‎ [instead of ‎בת כל‎ Ed.] was heard at ‎Mount Sinai calling the Israelites to penance with the exception ‎of Acher, (Elisha ben Avuya) turned apostate.
‎[The text in my edition of the Talmud does not mention the ‎location where this heavenly voice was heard, and it would not ‎make sense that it was Mount Sinai, as the occasion appears to ‎have been at least 50 years after destruction of the second ‎Temple. Ed.]
We need to examine the nature of this “voice” somewhat ‎more closely. Since, according to the Talmud, this ‎בת קול‎ appears ‎to have been a visual manifestation rather than something heard ‎with one’s ears, the statement is enigmatic. Apparently, the ‎Talmud refers to a message that a person hears or is supposed to ‎hear daily as if it were as real as a vision. The true call to do ‎‎teshuvah had originated at Sinai when the people had heard ‎G’d address them directly during the first and second ‎Commandment, until they were so overwhelmed that they feared ‎to die and begged Moses to be their interpreter of G’d’s words. ‎Mount Sinai had been referred to as Mount Chorev in Exodus 3,1 ‎when Moses had his first vision of G’d at the burning bush. On ‎that occasion he had “heard” the voice of G’d. The term ‎בת קול‎ ‎has become the name for a derivative of that first communication ‎to His people through Moses their leader and prophet ever since. ‎At the revelation at Mount Sinai several months later, it had ‎become so real that the people were described as “seeing” the ‎voice rather than as merely “hearing it. (Exodus 20,15) We have ‎explained that the term ‎בן‎ or ‎בת‎ describes the receiving of G’d’s ‎largesse, when it has originated from G’d directly through the ‎merits of the patriarch Avraham. Just as G’d had to “reduce ‎Himself” in terms of His pure spirituality, man has to reduce his ‎‎“physicality,” i.e. his dependence on physical comforts provided ‎by our world somewhat, in order to qualify for receiving these ‎communications from G’d. Each human being desirous of coming ‎closer to G’d by this means has to do so in accordance with the ‎spiritual level he is capable of. The word ‎בת‎ in the language of the ‎‎Mishnah, is the preface used when describing the measure ‎of certain liquids or dry matter that a container can hold. Its use ‎in that sense originates in Ezekiel 45,10. [It may be correct to ‎understand the term ‎בת קול‎ which is usually associated with post ‎Biblical times, when there was no more direct communication ‎with G’d through prophets or even through the urim ‎vetumim on the High Priest’s breast plate, as a prophetic ‎communication from G’d, but at arm’s length. Ed.]‎‎‎

‎“And Avraham had aged, advanced in years;" the Talmud ‎‎Baba batra 16 understands the word ‎בכל‎ as meaning that ‎Avraham had a “daughter” by the name of ‎בכל‎. Commenting ‎further on this, the Talmud in Chagigah 15 states that a ‎heavenly voice i.e. ‎בת קול‎ [instead of ‎בת כל‎ Ed.] was heard at ‎Mount Sinai calling the Israelites to penance with the exception ‎of Acher, (Elisha ben Avuya) turned apostate.
‎[The text in my edition of the Talmud does not mention the ‎location where this heavenly voice was heard, and it would not ‎make sense that it was Mount Sinai, as the occasion appears to ‎have been at least 50 years after destruction of the second ‎Temple. Ed.]
We need to examine the nature of this “voice” somewhat ‎more closely. Since, according to the Talmud, this ‎בת קול‎ appears ‎to have been a visual manifestation rather than something heard ‎with one’s ears, the statement is enigmatic. Apparently, the ‎Talmud refers to a message that a person hears or is supposed to ‎hear daily as if it were as real as a vision. The true call to do ‎‎teshuvah had originated at Sinai when the people had heard ‎G’d address them directly during the first and second ‎Commandment, until they were so overwhelmed that they feared ‎to die and begged Moses to be their interpreter of G’d’s words. ‎Mount Sinai had been referred to as Mount Chorev in Exodus 3,1 ‎when Moses had his first vision of G’d at the burning bush. On ‎that occasion he had “heard” the voice of G’d. The term ‎בת קול‎ ‎has become the name for a derivative of that first communication ‎to His people through Moses their leader and prophet ever since. ‎At the revelation at Mount Sinai several months later, it had ‎become so real that the people were described as “seeing” the ‎voice rather than as merely “hearing it. (Exodus 20,15) We have ‎explained that the term ‎בן‎ or ‎בת‎ describes the receiving of G’d’s ‎largesse, when it has originated from G’d directly through the ‎merits of the patriarch Avraham. Just as G’d had to “reduce ‎Himself” in terms of His pure spirituality, man has to reduce his ‎‎“physicality,” i.e. his dependence on physical comforts provided ‎by our world somewhat, in order to qualify for receiving these ‎communications from G’d. Each human being desirous of coming ‎closer to G’d by this means has to do so in accordance with the ‎spiritual level he is capable of. The word ‎בת‎ in the language of the ‎‎Mishnah, is the preface used when describing the measure ‎of certain liquids or dry matter that a container can hold. Its use ‎in that sense originates in Ezekiel 45,10. [It may be correct to ‎understand the term ‎בת קול‎ which is usually associated with post ‎Biblical times, when there was no more direct communication ‎with G’d through prophets or even through the urim ‎vetumim on the High Priest’s breast plate, as a prophetic ‎communication from G’d, but at arm’s length. Ed.]‎‎‎

‎Genesis 25,22. she said: “if so (that the children already quarrel ‎within my womb) ,what is the purpose of my existence?” We ‎can understand this complaint of Rivkah on the basis of a ‎comment by the Ari’zal that righteous women are spared ‎the pain and discomfort of pregnancy. Rivkah, while experiencing ‎even more than the normal amount of pain and discomfort ‎during her pregnancy, had concluded that this was proof that G’d ‎had not considered her righteous. Moreover, it is a tenet of our ‎faith that if someone is not a “good” person, such a person will ‎not serve as a receptacle for anything holy or potentially holy. ‎Our sages have based this insight on Leviticus 11,15 ‎את כל עורב ‏למינו‎, “and every subspecies of raven each according to its ‎species” (is forbidden to eat). [The word ‎כל‎ in that verse means ‎that even close association with something ritually unclean, i.e. a ‎raven, is an obstacle to such a person hosting holy spirit, etc. Ed.]‎ According to Bereshit Rabbah 63,6 whenever Rivkah ‎passed a Torah academy Yaakov would make an effort to leave her ‎womb, whereas when she passed a pagan temple Esau would try ‎to leave her womb. Thereupon she went to ask G’d about this ‎strange phenomenon. The Midrash states further that the ‎word ‎זה‎ in our verse refers to the fact that originally, -if not for ‎her complaint- Rivkah was slated to become the mother of all the ‎twelve tribes; seeing that she appeared to find fault with G’d’s ‎arrangement, she was told that she would become the mother of ‎only two sons, one of whom would be Esau. One of the sages in ‎the Midrash takes issue with the literal meaning of Yaakov ‎and Esau respectively having shown awareness of when their ‎mother passed a Torah academy or a pagan temple, and states ‎that, of course, this is merely a simile, and that Rivkah consulted ‎with the heads of the academy founded by Shem and ‎subsequently headed by his great grandson Ever. According to ‎another opinion offered, Rivkah knew that the source of holiness ‎is the One known as ‎אנכי‎, and when she exclaimed ‎למה זה אנכי‎, she ‎expressed her confusion how she could be the receptacle of a son ‎who clearly strived for holiness if she was not worthy. On the ‎other hand, if she were worthy, why did she experience such a ‎difficult pregnancy? G’d put her mind at rest, telling her that her ‎difficulties did not mean that she was not worthy, but that the ‎other son who would be unworthy was the one that caused her ‎present problems.‎

A great and powerful king once invited one of his loyal servants to accompany him to his treasure ‎chamber where he displayed a store of jewels and other valuable artifacts. The servant was ‎overjoyed at the king having taken him into his confidence by showing him all his valuable ‎treasures. He became proud to be a servant to such a powerful king. Upon reflecting on this ‎however, he suddenly was overcome with trembling when thinking about what a great wrong it ‎would be to disregard even a minor paragraph in the law books the king had issued to his subjects ‎to live by. The psalmist’s words reflect a similar dilemma. How can one at one and the same time ‎be in awe and full of joy? The Talmud B’rachot 30, tries to answer this apparent ‎contradiction by understanding the latter half of the verse as: “when in a place where merriment is ‎the rule, do not forget that it behooves you to be trembling, seeing that you are always in the ‎presence of the Lord.” Abbaye, who, when in an extraordinarily happy frame of mind, was ‎reminded of this by a colleague, responded that as long he was wearing the phylacteries on his ‎head, this served him as a reminder not to forget this injunction.‎

At the time when the Torah was given to Israel, the pshat (simple meaning) and the sod (secret) were given together. Each person understood the pshat and the sod according to his particular level. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Yitro, 83b): All of the various meanings, secrets, mysteries, decrees, and punishments, were all given as an inheritance to all of Israel. This is learned from the words preceding the Ten Commandments (Shemot 20:1), “and God spoke all of these words,” (meaning the pshat and the sod, for the specific purpose,) “to say” (meaning in order to be said and given as an inheritance to all of Israel). The knowledge of the Torah increased in the generation of the desert, for we call this generation the, “dor de’ah” meaning, the generation of knowledge, or the generation of the consciousness of the Torah. With the death of Moshe Rabeynu, the light of the written Torah receded, as it is written in the Zohar (Terumah, 156a), “At the time Moshe died, the sun was darkened in the midst of the day, and the written Torah, which is the aspaclaria d’meira (illuminating mirror),⁶³אספקלריא דמאירה – “A clear lens” means a perfectly lucid source of illumination, a level of clarity unique to the prophecy of Moshe Rabeynu, as the verse says (Shemot 33:11): “And God spoke to Moshe face to face.” This is contrasted with the אספקלריא דאינה מאירה – an unclear lens, or imperfect source of illumination, which is the level of all subsequent prophets, who received their prophecies in visions and dreams, and expressed them using metaphors. Nor were they consciously aware of their own prophecy, as was Moshe. was sealed and locked.” The sanctity of the prophets is inferior to the sanctity of the Torah. This was the beginning of the illumination of the Torah She’ba’al Peh (oral tradition). The Torah She’ba’al Peh is compared to the moon which receives its light from the sun. As long as the sun is shining, we do not see the light of the moon. When the sun sets, then the light of the moon is revealed. The prophets illuminated the light of the Torah She’ba’al Peh. This is as it is written in the Zohar (Kedoshim, 82b): There is a difference between receiving from one’s master, and receiving from the messenger of one’s master. What is the difference? It is written in the beginning of the Pirkei Avot, “Moshe received the Torah at mount Sinai and delivered it over to Yehoshua.” He received it, and then afterwards, transmitted it to everyone. When one receives from another, it is like the reception of the moon from the sun. The light of the moon is entirely a received illumination of the light of the sun.

Deuteronomy 28,12. “Hashem will open for you ‎His bounteous store, the heavens.” Although we have a ‎statement by our sages in B’rachot 33 that G’d’s only ‎‎“possessions” in His treasure chambers are the four cubits of ‎‎“halachah,” i.e. reverence for Him displayed by meticulous ‎observance of the laws of the Torah, [a statement based on ‎Deuteronomy 10,12, Ed.], we also have a rule that ‎although man’s spiritual journey in this world commences with a ‎dose of reverence and awe for Hashem, this is followed by a ‎feeling of pleasure which proves to have been “hidden” within ‎the folds of the garment called ‎יראה‎, awe. The reason why this is ‎so is that had service of the Lord commenced with feelings of ‎pleasure, its ethical value would have been null and void, as ‎‎“serving” the Lord would have been turned into an entirely ‎pleasurable act, not something that is the result of choosing this ‎option in the knowledge that the alternative appeared to offer ‎more immediate rewards. This is the reason why the pleasurable ‎aspects of practicing reverence and awe for the Lord need to be ‎hidden during life on this earth. When man “tires himself out” ‎during a lifetime of service to his Creator, then G’d will open His ‎treasure chamber in the heavens so that he will enjoy pleasure. ‎This has been alluded to in the words of Isaiah 33,6 where the ‎prophet said: ‎יראת ה' היא אוצרו‎,”reverence for the Lord –that was ‎her treasure. (Zion’s)
The word ‎אוצר‎, usually translated as “treasure, or granary,” ‎applies to something stored out of sight, hidden. This “treasure” ‎normally concealed inside the attribute of ‎יראה‎, “fear, awe,” will ‎be released openly, i.e. in due course G’d will “open” these ‎treasures previously kept hidden as a result of the recipient ‎having served the Lord loyally. Our verse therefore concludes ‎with the simile of beneficial rainfall, i.e. G’d’s treasures being ‎openly revealed to the Jewish people as well as the world at large ‎as His gift to them. [During early Jewish history, when ‎Yitzchok, in a year of famine, and although not a farmer by ‎vocation, could plant and his harvest was 100 fold the harvest in ‎normal years, this convinced the Philistines to remain on good ‎terms with him. (Genesis 26,12-14, and 26-31) Ed.] This is ‎also the reason why the Torah once decrees that we observe the ‎Sabbath by writing: ‎זכור את יום השבת לקדשו‎, “remember the ‎Sabbath Day to keep it holy, (Exodus 20,8) and another time ‎שמור את יום השבת לקדשו‎, “observe the Sabbath Day to keep it ‎holy;” (Deuteronomy 5,12). The first time reference is made to ‎serving the Lord by your actively observing the Sabbath; the ‎second time it refers to the time when you will be passive, i.e. ‎receive the reward for having observed the Sabbath here on earth.‎ ‎

Exodus 20,2 I am the Lord your G’d Who has taken you out ‎of the land of Egypt from the house of slavery.”
On ‎the expression ‎מבית עבדים‎ “from the house of slaves,” Rashi, ‎quoting the Mechilta, says that it refers to Pharaoh’s palace ‎where they were slaves. The basis for this exegesis appears to be ‎that G’d did not give the Torah to the Jewish people until after ‎the Exodus from Egypt because there is a difference between ‎keeping the Torah out of fear (of punishment) and keeping the ‎Torah out of love for G’d. People who keep the Torah out of a ‎feeling of love for G’d are called: ‎בן‎, “son,” as in ‎בני ישראל‎, “the ‎Children of Israel,” whereas people keeping the Torah out of fear ‎are still considered ‎עבדים‎, “slaves.” Had the Israelites received the ‎Torah prior to their redemption from Egypt they would have ‎accepted it out of fear, so that G’d could not have taken them out ‎of Egypt legally, as they “belonged” to the Egyptians, having been ‎their slaves. Having received the Torah after the Exodus, when ‎they were free men, they certainly had not been under duress in ‎accepting it, but had done so out of love for the G’d Who had ‎redeemed them. G’d therefore is explaining in the verse above ‎that the time had come now when He was able to give them the ‎Torah in their capacity of their being His children.‎

Deuteronomy 5,7. “You shall not have any other ‎deities beside Me.” Regarding the expression: ‎על פני‎, it is ‎important to read Rashi’s comment on these words in ‎Exodus 20,3. He understands these words literally, i.e. “as long as I ‎‎(G’d) exist.” Rashi considers it necessary to explain his own ‎words (based on the Mechilta) by saying that the Jewish ‎people should not say that idolatry is forbidden only for the ‎generation whom G’d addressed at that time. Anyone reading ‎these words of Rashi surely must ask what could possibly ‎have made Rashi think that we could misinterpret this ‎commandment and pervert it in such a fashion? The answer is ‎that when the Israelites heard this commandment from G’d’s own ‎mouth at Mount Sinai, they were (temporarily) in a super ‎terrestrial domain, something that could not be said of future ‎generations, nor of the gentiles of the same generation. This is ‎also why according to halachah, gentiles are not forbidden ‎to also worship some kind of “junior partner” in addition to ‎‎Hashem. [Catholics are not considered idolaters. ‎Ed.] The Torah, according to Rashi based on the ‎‎Mechilta, therefore warns future Jewish generations not to ‎use the same excuse for worshipping “junior partners” of G’d ‎based on this argument. The meaning of the words: ‎על פני‎ in the ‎sense of “as long as I exist,” therefore is that this law is applicable ‎for Jews eternally.‎
The positive part of the verse’s message is that seeing that ‎G’d is eternal, deserving people have access to the Torah on the ‎same plane as had the generation during which the Torah was ‎first revealed at Mount Sinai. The most important step in this ‎direction is to serve G’d exclusively as the only deity. The divine ‎souls of all the Israelites, due to their status, are potentially able ‎to attain the same spiritual plateau that the Israelites at the ‎revelation at Mount Sinai had attained in their time. When ‎‎Rashi said that the meaning of the words ‎על פני‎ is: “as long ‎as I am alive,” he meant that G’d assures us in this verse that ‎what could happen at Mount Sinai, i.e. that He could speak ‎directly to man, basically can happen again provided that we are ‎worthy and worship only Him with all our heart.‎

A third nuance gleaned from the words: ‎החודש הזה לכם ‏ראש חדשים, ראשון הוא לכם‎; it is generally agreed that at the ‎time of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, G’d ‎employed His attribute of ‎גבורה‎, “might,” against the ‎Egyptians while at the same time employing His ‎attribute of ‎חסד‎, “loving kindness, “ toward the ‎Israelites. This is based on ‎כל בכוריהם הרגת ובכורך גאלת‎, ‎‎“While You killed all their firstborn You redeemed Your ‎firstborn.” (quote from the prayer ‎עזרת אבותינו‎, recited ‎every morning after the kriyat sh’ma. (The ‎phenomenon described here is known to Kabbalists ‎asגבורה שבחסד ‏‎, “might as a byproduct of kindness.”) The ‎catalyst that triggered G’d to display His might was the ‎loving kindness He felt impelled to show His people. ‎We find that G’d employed two opposing attributes at ‎one and the same time. To the question which of the ‎two attributes G’d gives preference to, the answer is ‎surely: “to the loving kindness,” as we have it on the ‎authority of Micah 7,18 ‎כי חפץ חסד הוא‎, “for He desires ‎loving kindness.” The expression ‎חפץ חסד הוא‎, implies ‎that even when G’d is compelled to display the ‎attribute of Justice, another aspect of the term ‎גבורה‎, He ‎does so only because otherwise His attribute of loving ‎kindness, ‎חסד‎ could not prevail under the existing ‎conditions. By applying the attribute of Justice to the ‎enemies of His people, He can show His people that ‎He deals with them by means of the attribute of loving ‎kindness, ‎חסד‎. When the Torah speaks in our verse of ‎ראשון הוא לכם‎, “it is first for you,” G’d informs the Jewish ‎people that as far as they are concerned the “new” ‎element in G’d’s relationship with different parts of ‎mankind is that seeing that they are from now on His ‎people, He will deal with them first and foremost on ‎the basis of the attribute of loving kindness. [The ‎patriarchs did not require this “concession;” in fact ‎Yaakov had volunteered after the dream with the ‎ladder to be henceforth dealt with on the basis of the ‎attribute of justice, and this is why he said “‎והיה ה' לי ‏לאלוקים‎, “and Hashem will henceforth be my ‎‎elokim, Judge.‎‏"‏‎ ‎‏)‏Genesis 28,21)]‎
G’d applying the attribute of ‎חסד‎ to the Jewish ‎people in the first instance is reflected in the first verse ‎of the Decalogue, where he introduces Himself with the ‎words: ‎אנכי השם אלוקיך‎, He is the attribute of Justice only ‎subsequent to being the attribute of Mercy, kindness.‎

Exodus 20,5. “Who, while remembering the guilt of the ‎fathers to the children if the children continue to hate Him, ‎while at the same time showering thousands of generations ‎of those who have loved Him with His loving kindness.” ‎The essence of these words is that on the one hand, by exacting ‎retribution for sins G’d minimizes the impact of these sins, i.e. the ‎residue of the guilt.‎
The word ‎פקד‎, in the sense of diminishing, is familiar to us ‎already from Samuel I 20,25 when on the occasion of the festive ‎meal on the New Moon David’s chair was vacant, and the King ‎remarked on this as something lacking. The opposite is the case ‎when people are rewarded for meritorious deeds by G’d. Paying ‎them a reward does not detract from the good deeds they had ‎performed, so that they should consider themselves as having ‎been “paid off,” but, on the contrary, is a stimulus to such people ‎adding more meritorious deeds in the future. This idea is expressed ‎by the words ‎עשוה חסד‎, i.e. G’d does not only “repay” the just and ‎the pious, but He adds a “bonus.,” known as ‎חסד‎.‎

Exodus 20,8 “keep remembering the Sabbath day to keep ‎it holy.” In the review of the Ten Commandments by Moses ‎in Deuteronomy 5,12 the Torah writes: ‎שמור את יום השבת לקדשו‎, ‎‎“observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”
‎[Moses there adds the apparently unnecessary words: ‎כאשר צוך ה' אלוקיך‎, “just as the Lord your G’d has commanded ‎you.” Apparently, aware of the slight variation in the text from ‎our verse, Moses reassures the people that this is not a deviation. ‎Ed.]‎
‎[Most students in elementary school are already familiar ‎with the line in the hymn of ‎לכה דודי‎ that ‎שמור וזכור בדבור אחד ‏השמיענו א-ל המיוחד‎, “shamor and zachor the One and ‎only G’d has let us hear as a single word.” Ed.] The source ‎of the words in the hymn are found already in the Talmud Rosh ‎Hashanah 27. The deeper meaning of this somewhat enigmatic ‎statement is that the commandments of the Torah may be ‎divided into two parts; 1) the actual physical performance of the ‎commandment; 2) awareness at the time of performance of the ‎underlying intention of the Creator when He gave us this ‎commandment.. The qualitative difference between these two ‎aspects of the commandment is that only the performance is of ‎the essence, the underlying intention of G’d when formulating ‎the commandment is secondary.‎
There is, however an exception to this rule, and this ‎exception is the commandment of keeping the Sabbath holy. In ‎this instance the Torah clearly spelled out what our thoughts ‎must be when observing the Sabbath properly, i.e. the fact that it ‎is a testimonial of G’d having created the universe in the 6 days ‎preceding the first Sabbath. When a Jew refrains from doing any ‎of the activities which are forbidden on the Sabbath but he fails ‎to reflect on the fact that the sanctity of this day is due to G’d ‎having bidden us to remember that he created the universe in the ‎‎6 days preceding the original Sabbath, such a Jew has not ‎observed the commandment of “keeping the Sabbath.” Seeing ‎that the ‎זכירה‎, “the remembering,” primarily by reciting the ‎‎Kiddush is an integral part of the Sabbath is cited first ‎shows that as opposed to the other positive commandments ‎where the performance by the body is the primary element, this ‎is not the case in respect of the commandment of the Sabbath. ‎The very expression ‎זכר למעשה בראשית‎, “in commemoration of ‎the process of creation,” (on several occasions (in both the ‎‎shacharit and mussaph prayers) is proof that our ‎sages viewed this element of the Sabbath day as an essential part ‎thereof, no less so than the abstention from the type of work that ‎G’d “rested” from, i.e. ‎וינפש‎, on the original Sabbath of creation. ‎The Sabbath is the symbol of our faith that G’d preceded the ‎universe and therefore is the only Being in the universe deserving ‎to be worshipped as Deity.‎ ‎

Exodus 20,8 “keep remembering the Sabbath day to keep ‎it holy.” In the review of the Ten Commandments by Moses ‎in Deuteronomy 5,12 the Torah writes: ‎שמור את יום השבת לקדשו‎, ‎‎“observe the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”
‎[Moses there adds the apparently unnecessary words: ‎כאשר צוך ה' אלוקיך‎, “just as the Lord your G’d has commanded ‎you.” Apparently, aware of the slight variation in the text from ‎our verse, Moses reassures the people that this is not a deviation. ‎Ed.]‎
‎[Most students in elementary school are already familiar ‎with the line in the hymn of ‎לכה דודי‎ that ‎שמור וזכור בדבור אחד ‏השמיענו א-ל המיוחד‎, “shamor and zachor the One and ‎only G’d has let us hear as a single word.” Ed.] The source ‎of the words in the hymn are found already in the Talmud Rosh ‎Hashanah 27. The deeper meaning of this somewhat enigmatic ‎statement is that the commandments of the Torah may be ‎divided into two parts; 1) the actual physical performance of the ‎commandment; 2) awareness at the time of performance of the ‎underlying intention of the Creator when He gave us this ‎commandment.. The qualitative difference between these two ‎aspects of the commandment is that only the performance is of ‎the essence, the underlying intention of G’d when formulating ‎the commandment is secondary.‎
There is, however an exception to this rule, and this ‎exception is the commandment of keeping the Sabbath holy. In ‎this instance the Torah clearly spelled out what our thoughts ‎must be when observing the Sabbath properly, i.e. the fact that it ‎is a testimonial of G’d having created the universe in the 6 days ‎preceding the first Sabbath. When a Jew refrains from doing any ‎of the activities which are forbidden on the Sabbath but he fails ‎to reflect on the fact that the sanctity of this day is due to G’d ‎having bidden us to remember that he created the universe in the ‎‎6 days preceding the original Sabbath, such a Jew has not ‎observed the commandment of “keeping the Sabbath.” Seeing ‎that the ‎זכירה‎, “the remembering,” primarily by reciting the ‎‎Kiddush is an integral part of the Sabbath is cited first ‎shows that as opposed to the other positive commandments ‎where the performance by the body is the primary element, this ‎is not the case in respect of the commandment of the Sabbath. ‎The very expression ‎זכר למעשה בראשית‎, “in commemoration of ‎the process of creation,” (on several occasions (in both the ‎‎shacharit and mussaph prayers) is proof that our ‎sages viewed this element of the Sabbath day as an essential part ‎thereof, no less so than the abstention from the type of work that ‎G’d “rested” from, i.e. ‎וינפש‎, on the original Sabbath of creation. ‎The Sabbath is the symbol of our faith that G’d preceded the ‎universe and therefore is the only Being in the universe deserving ‎to be worshipped as Deity.‎ ‎

Exodus 20,9.“during six consecutive days you are to labour ‎‎, (in the mundane sense of the word) and carry out all your ‎activities, and the seventh day shall be a Sabbath for the Lord ‎your G’d;” this verse may be understood best with the help ‎of B’reshit Rabbah 2,2 on the words: ‎ויברך ויקדש אותו‎ (Genesis ‎‎2,3) who explains the word ‎ויברך אותו‎, “He blessed it,” as referring ‎to the double portion of manna that descended on the eve of the ‎Sabbath, and the word ‎ויקדש‎, “He sanctified it,” as referring to the ‎absence of the manna on that day.‎
It is common knowledge that different people act differently ‎when they have something to say. Some, in order to get what ‎they have to say, “off their chest,” say whatever they have to say ‎without pauses, others insert pauses where appropriate during ‎which time they mentally phrase what they will say next. This is ‎reflected in how we relate to the 6 workdays of the week and to ‎the Sabbath. During the six working days we try to accomplish ‎whatever it is that we wish to accomplish without allowing for ‎pauses, which we consider a waste of time. Not so, on the ‎Sabbath, a day on which our “work” if it may be described as ‎such, is primarily performed by the mind, i.e. the formulating of ‎thoughts. This is why the manna could not descend to the ‎physical world, ‎עולם העשיה‎ on the Sabbath, seeing that the ‎Sabbath, intrinsically, is not part of that “world.” It is devoted to ‎maintain our unbroken connection to the ‎אין סוף‎ and with other ‎segments of the celestial worlds. The inhabitants of these regions, ‎by definition, cannot appear, i.e. reveal their true nature, in our ‎domain, so that even when an angel “visits” the terrestrial ‎regions, this is not to be understood as a ‎התגלות‎, revealing its ‎nature to us. These “semi-revelations can occur only on ‎weekdays.” On the Sabbath the means of communication with ‎the celestial domains is restricted to our brain, i.e. through the ‎appropriate thoughts. The statement quoted above i.e. ‎ברכו במן ‏וקדשו במן‎ “He blessed it through the manna and sanctified it ‎through the manna,” therefore must be understood as: the ‎blessing descending on the manna (which had fallen on the ‎previous day). The ‎מחשבה‎, thought, is the precursor of the ‎דבור‎, ‎the word, i.e. benediction recited over wine on the Sabbath gives ‎meaning to the manna on that day. Without it the manna on ‎that day would not be an expression of G’d’s blessing. The ‎Sabbath being “a Sabbath for the Lord,“ therefore means that we ‎His creatures give meaning to this day by sanctifying it. The ‎manna, i.e. the concept of manna, having been blessed by the ‎Jewish people observing the Sabbath by mouth and by deed, ‎prepares the conditions during the six days of the week for the ‎manna to descend on earth again as G’d’s expression of His largess ‎for His people. Proper observance of te Sabbath conveys to us ‎emotionally that the day is one on which we reconnect with our ‎spiritual origin, the ‎אין סוף‎, the eternal essence of the Creator.‎

Exodus 20,9.“during six consecutive days you are to labour ‎‎, (in the mundane sense of the word) and carry out all your ‎activities, and the seventh day shall be a Sabbath for the Lord ‎your G’d;” this verse may be understood best with the help ‎of B’reshit Rabbah 2,2 on the words: ‎ויברך ויקדש אותו‎ (Genesis ‎‎2,3) who explains the word ‎ויברך אותו‎, “He blessed it,” as referring ‎to the double portion of manna that descended on the eve of the ‎Sabbath, and the word ‎ויקדש‎, “He sanctified it,” as referring to the ‎absence of the manna on that day.‎
It is common knowledge that different people act differently ‎when they have something to say. Some, in order to get what ‎they have to say, “off their chest,” say whatever they have to say ‎without pauses, others insert pauses where appropriate during ‎which time they mentally phrase what they will say next. This is ‎reflected in how we relate to the 6 workdays of the week and to ‎the Sabbath. During the six working days we try to accomplish ‎whatever it is that we wish to accomplish without allowing for ‎pauses, which we consider a waste of time. Not so, on the ‎Sabbath, a day on which our “work” if it may be described as ‎such, is primarily performed by the mind, i.e. the formulating of ‎thoughts. This is why the manna could not descend to the ‎physical world, ‎עולם העשיה‎ on the Sabbath, seeing that the ‎Sabbath, intrinsically, is not part of that “world.” It is devoted to ‎maintain our unbroken connection to the ‎אין סוף‎ and with other ‎segments of the celestial worlds. The inhabitants of these regions, ‎by definition, cannot appear, i.e. reveal their true nature, in our ‎domain, so that even when an angel “visits” the terrestrial ‎regions, this is not to be understood as a ‎התגלות‎, revealing its ‎nature to us. These “semi-revelations can occur only on ‎weekdays.” On the Sabbath the means of communication with ‎the celestial domains is restricted to our brain, i.e. through the ‎appropriate thoughts. The statement quoted above i.e. ‎ברכו במן ‏וקדשו במן‎ “He blessed it through the manna and sanctified it ‎through the manna,” therefore must be understood as: the ‎blessing descending on the manna (which had fallen on the ‎previous day). The ‎מחשבה‎, thought, is the precursor of the ‎דבור‎, ‎the word, i.e. benediction recited over wine on the Sabbath gives ‎meaning to the manna on that day. Without it the manna on ‎that day would not be an expression of G’d’s blessing. The ‎Sabbath being “a Sabbath for the Lord,“ therefore means that we ‎His creatures give meaning to this day by sanctifying it. The ‎manna, i.e. the concept of manna, having been blessed by the ‎Jewish people observing the Sabbath by mouth and by deed, ‎prepares the conditions during the six days of the week for the ‎manna to descend on earth again as G’d’s expression of His largess ‎for His people. Proper observance of te Sabbath conveys to us ‎emotionally that the day is one on which we reconnect with our ‎spiritual origin, the ‎אין סוף‎, the eternal essence of the Creator.‎

Exodus 20,17. “for G’d has come only in order to test ‎you.” Moses refers to the reason why G’d decided to address ‎the first two Commandments to the people directly, not using ‎him as His intermediary. He intended to deeply engrave on the ‎people’s hearts and consciousness he fact that even the most ‎humble of them had heard these words directly from the mouth ‎of G’d so that should the occasion arise each one of them would ‎find it easier to offer his life for the sanctification of G’d’s name. ‎Having undergone the experience they had at Mount Sinai, would ‎make it easier for them to stand up to future tests.‎

Exodus 20,17. “for G’d has come only in order to test ‎you.” Moses refers to the reason why G’d decided to address ‎the first two Commandments to the people directly, not using ‎him as His intermediary. He intended to deeply engrave on the ‎people’s hearts and consciousness he fact that even the most ‎humble of them had heard these words directly from the mouth ‎of G’d so that should the occasion arise each one of them would ‎find it easier to offer his life for the sanctification of G’d’s name. ‎Having undergone the experience they had at Mount Sinai, would ‎make it easier for them to stand up to future tests.‎

Exodus 20,19.“You have seen that I have spoken with you ‎from the heavens. Do not make in addition to Me a deity of ‎silver, etc.” G’d tells the people that just as He conducts the ‎fortunes of the universe by glorifying in His people Israel ‎exclusively, by having given His Torah only to them, after having ‎introduced the Decalogue with the words: “I am the Lord, your ‎G’d, etc.;” although the Torah could have found in the universe ‎complementary partners more outstanding than the Israelites, He ‎chose the Jewish people as the most appropriate partner for the ‎Torah to demonstrate His love for this people. One of the reasons ‎was that He had found in the Jewish people a nation yearning for ‎guidance from heavenly sources rather than from mortal human ‎sources. Seeing that this is so, G’d warns the people not to ‎commit a fatal error by treating any other deity as if it were on a ‎par with Him. It would be the greatest insult to Hashem to ‎be compared by His people to any other phenomenon in the ‎universe. ‎

Exodus 20,19.“You have seen that I have spoken with you ‎from the heavens. Do not make in addition to Me a deity of ‎silver, etc.” G’d tells the people that just as He conducts the ‎fortunes of the universe by glorifying in His people Israel ‎exclusively, by having given His Torah only to them, after having ‎introduced the Decalogue with the words: “I am the Lord, your ‎G’d, etc.;” although the Torah could have found in the universe ‎complementary partners more outstanding than the Israelites, He ‎chose the Jewish people as the most appropriate partner for the ‎Torah to demonstrate His love for this people. One of the reasons ‎was that He had found in the Jewish people a nation yearning for ‎guidance from heavenly sources rather than from mortal human ‎sources. Seeing that this is so, G’d warns the people not to ‎commit a fatal error by treating any other deity as if it were on a ‎par with Him. It would be the greatest insult to Hashem to ‎be compared by His people to any other phenomenon in the ‎universe. ‎

Once we have appreciated this, we will also understand the ‎opinion of Nachmanides who writes that it is a commandment to ‎mention the Sabbath on each of the days preceding it. This is the ‎reason why when we recite the daily psalm at the end of our daily ‎morning prayers we commence with mentioning what day of the ‎week it is by linking it to the Sabbath, i.e. “today is the first day ‎of the Sabbath.” [We do not say: “this is the first day of ‎the week,” for instance. Ed.] According to Nachmanides ‎this is the reason that the Torah writes ‎זכור את יום השבת לקדשו‎, ‎‎“remember the day of the Sabbath to sanctify it,” instead of ‎merely writing: “remember the Sabbath to sanctify it.” (Exodus ‎‎20,8). The message is that we are to remember the Sabbath every ‎day of the week, the word ‎זכור‎ not being in the imperative mode ‎but in the infinitive mode. By doing so we indicate how we look ‎forward to keeping the Sabbath at the end of the week. Having ‎looked forward to the Sabbath in such a fashion ensures that ‎when the day arrives we will honour it with all our heart and will ‎not, G’d forbid, commit any act which would desecrate its ‎holiness. From all the above it follows that if Moses had ‎announced the fact that the manna would not descend on the ‎Sabbath as soon as He had been told about this by G’d, the people ‎could have prepared themselves for this day until Friday and the ‎desecration by some people of the Sabbath might well have been ‎avoided. The sudden announcement shortly before the onset of ‎the Sabbath took everyone by surprise and resulted in some ‎people not treating the Sabbath with the respect due to it.
The word ‎לשמור‎ in our verse need not be understood as “to ‎observe,” but may equally well be understood as “to await,” as it ‎is understood in Genesis 37,11 where it describes Yaakov’s ‎reaction to Joseph’s dream in which he saw sun and moon bowing ‎down to him. It means that Yaakov awaited further developments ‎before deciding if there was any substance to Joseph’s dream. This ‎is also how Rashi understands the word ‎לשמור‎ in our verse, ‎when he writes that Moses was punished by G’d not excluding ‎him from the accusation leveled at the community at large. He ‎was the indirect cause of the desecration of the Sabbath by the ‎people, as he had failed to prepare the people for the advent of ‎the Sabbath. They should have eagerly awaited that day, i.e. have ‎looked forward to it with great expectations.‎