Komentarz do Wyjścia 32:27

כה אמר הי וגו׳ THUS SAITH THE LORD etc. — Where did he say so? In the command, (Exodus 22:19) “He that sacrificeth unto any god shall utterly be destroyed”. Thus is it stated in the Mechilta.

THUS SAITH THE ETERNAL, THE G-D OF ISRAEL. The reason for this expression³⁸³‘Elokei’ (the G-d of) Israel — the Divine Name which denotes the attribute of justice. is that since the worshippers of the calf had intended to sacrifice to the G-d of Israel, therefore the attribute of justice extracted punishment from them, because they “mutilated the shoots” [of faith],³⁸⁴See Note 308 above. and besides, for the judgment is G-d’s.³⁸⁵Deuteronomy 1:17. It is for this reason that he [Moses], said of the Levites, for the G-d of Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel,³⁸⁶Numbers 16:9. for the Service is to the G-d of Israel, and to His Name they were separated by virtue of this meritorious deed.

עברו ושובו משער לשער; in order to secure atonement for those members of the people who had not actively participated in the sin but were guilty of not having protested the sin. By not now protesting the execution of the guilty ones either they proved deserving of being forgiven.

איש את אחיו…ואיש את קרובו. "every man his brother …or his relative." We need to explore why the Torah had to add the words "and each man his relative," seeing the Torah had already authorised the Levites to kill even brothers who are the closest relatives. We have to remember that there are different categories of "brothers" whose outlook on life and whose lifestyles may be drastically different from one another although they are the sons of the same parents. On the other hand, there are people who are not at all related to each other by blood-ties and yet share the same outlook on life and the same lifestyle. All of this is due to the origin of the respective souls of these people rather than to the origin of their bodies. There are souls whose roots are very close to each other and who become separated from one another by being assigned to bodies which are far apart from one another. The reverse is true also. This is why Moses' instructions to the Levites had to include both such possibilities.

איש את אחיו, if he found him worshipping the golden calf.

כה אמר ה' שימו איש חרבו על ירכו, “thus has the Lord G’d of Israel said: “every man put his sword on his thigh, etc.” Nachmanides writes that what occurred here is not related to Exodus 22,19 זובח לאלוהים יחרם בלתי לה' לבדו, “anyone who offers sacrifices to elohim, (other gods) other than to Hashem will be destroyed.” Here only the people whom G’d had told Moses about, were to be executed, the others were not guilty of a capital offence. The Levites were aware of who had offered sacrifices to the golden calf, and, seeing that it was physically impossible to bring all these people to trial and they had not been warned, the procedure is not recorded here in writing in detail. Time was of the essence, if a greater calamity was to be avoided. By doing what they did, the Levites helped Moses to turn the temporary stay of execution G’d had promised Moses before he descended into a permanent stay of execution. (compare 32,14) We find that almost 40 years later, when the people at Shittim became sexually and ritually involved with the Moabite women (Numbers 25,4-9) similar emergency measures were employed.

כה אמר ה’ אלו-הי ישראל, “thus has said the Lord G’d of Israel, etc.” We do not find that G’d’s instruction by word to Moses of this matter is recorded in the Torah other than that Moses quotes G’d. Nonetheless, he did receive such instructions. Moses refers to the Lord as אלו-הי ישראל in order to teach us that even the makers of the golden calf intended to offer their sacrifices to the “G’d of Israel,” (not to the golden calf). Still, the attribute of Justice decided to punish these people as true heretics as the Torah has taught us (Deut. 1,17) that המשפט לאלוהים הוא, the “judgment,” i.e. the evaluation of our deeds is something that G’d has reserved for Himself. This is the way Nachmanides explains these words. We find something analogous in Numbers 16,9 where Moses tells the Levites that אלו-הי ישראל, “this attribute of Justice has separated, (distinguished) the Levites from the remainder of the community of Israel.” This was another example of G’d exercising His right to evaluate the deeds of men. In that instance it meant that the performance of service to אלו-הי ישראל in and around the Tabernacle would be reserved for the tribe of Levi. Seeing that it had been the members of this tribe who had sanctified the Lord’s name in public, they were rewarded by sanctifying the Lord’s name on a regular basis. The moral lesson is that that the appropriate way to atone for desecration of the Lord’s name publicly is to sanctify it publicly.

“His brother” — having a common mother, and he is an Israelite. Rashi is answering the question: If the entire Tribe of Leivi was righteous, [as Rashi stated above], why does it say that each man [of Leivi] should kill his brother? He answers: “His brother — having a common mother,” for [such a brother] is not a Levite but an Israelite.

From gate to gate. Each tribe had its own court at the entrance to its encampment to judge its own members. Moshe dispatched the Levites to see that the sentences of these courts were carried out. [Even] his brother. The members of each family were responsible for carrying out the sentences against their brethren because they would be the first to suffer if they were not punished, in keeping with the verse, “I shall set My wrath against that man and his family” (Vayikra 20:5).

V. 27. כה אמר ד׳ וגו׳: sie waren gewarnt: זובח לאלהים יחרם (Kap. 22, 19), es war über alle der Untergang verhängt, den sie durch direkte und indirekte Beteiligung verschuldet (V. 10) und es hatte Gott selbst Mosche Einschreiten zur Rettung des Ganzen geweckt und gebilligt (10.— 19 siehe daselbst).

כה אמר, “thus has said the Lord, etc.;” where is G-d recorded as having said this? In Exodus 22,19: זובח לאלוהים יחרם, “whoever sacrifices to a god shall be proscribed.”

אחיו HIS BROTHER from the same mother, but from a different father, and who was therefore an ordinary Israelite and not a Levite (Yoma 66b).

PUT YE EVERY MAN HIS SWORD UPON HIS THIGH. Since there were many worshippers of the calf, and they could not have all been brought to the court, therefore Moses commanded all the sons of Levi to put on their swords, in a similar way to that which our Rabbis have said,³⁸⁷Sanhedrin 45b. that if you cannot administer to the guilty the specific kind of death mentioned for his case, you may execute him by any means that you can. Now this procedure was a decision only for an emergency, in order to sanctify G-d’s Name, since those who worshipped [the calf] had not been forewarned [of the death penalty], for who had warned them beforehand? The sons of Levi, however, recognized those whom they killed as the worshippers of the calf. And in the opinion of the Sage who says³⁸⁸Yoma 66b. The Gemara there brings this opinion in the name of one of two Amoraim, Rav and Levi. Hence Ramban writes anonymously: “in the opinion of the Sage who says…” that if there were witnesses [to the act of idolatry] and forewarning of the penalty, the offender’s death was by hand of man, as Rashi wrote,³⁸⁹Verse 20 here. then we shall interpret the meaning of the verse to be that Moses commanded the sons of Levi to put on their swords and take hold of the offenders by force and bring them to court before Moses or before the Sanhedrin. Those who were found to have worshipped the calf in the presence of witnesses and with forewarning, were then put to death by stoning, as is the punishment of those who worship idols, or perhaps their death was by the sword, as is the punishment of a whole city gone astray.³⁹⁰Deuteronomy 13:13-16. Thus all the sons of Levi remained loyal to G-d, and it was they who had warned the people not to worship the calf or sacrifice to it, seeing that Aaron had only commanded to hold a feast to the Eternal alone, as I have explained.³⁹¹Above, Verse 5.
The correct interpretation³⁹²Ramban now goes back to his original thesis, that this whole procedure was a decision under emergency. is in accordance with the opinion of the Sage who says:³⁸⁸Yoma 66b. The Gemara there brings this opinion in the name of one of two Amoraim, Rav and Levi. Hence Ramban writes anonymously: “in the opinion of the Sage who says…” “Those who slaughtered or burnt the sacrificial portions [to the calf] were punished by the sword;³⁹³Even though such an offense makes the offender liable to stoning according to Torah-law, but since the law of the four kinds of death had not been declared yet, the offenders were treated under the law of “the sons of Noah” to whom its form of punishment is applicable (Rashi Yoma 66 b). those who embraced and kissed it, were punished with death [by the hand of Heaven]; those who merely rejoiced in their heart, were afflicted with dropsy,” as is stated in Tractate Yoma.³⁸⁸Yoma 66b. The Gemara there brings this opinion in the name of one of two Amoraim, Rav and Levi. Hence Ramban writes anonymously: “in the opinion of the Sage who says…” Thus it was all a decision under circumstances of emergency, because embracing or kissing an idol does not make one liable to death [by the hand of Heaven] in all future generations.

שימו איש חרבו על ירכו, (see above) Nachmanides writes that there were so many people who worshipped the calf that it was impossible to bring all of them to a tribunal, and moreover, there had not been anyone who had warned these people in accordance with normal judicial requirements. This is why G’d had told Moses to use emergency measures. Our sages, go further and state that the method of execution was also changed, as normally stoning would be the order of the day for convicted idolaters, and all who had witnessed such a deed had to participate in the execution. [This comment does not agree with the Talmud in Yuma, although according to Maimonides hilchot avodah zarah 3,1 it seems clear that stoning is the penalty when proper warning has been administered. Ed.] According to the scholars who hold that warnings had been issued to the people whom the Levites executed on this occasion by qualified witnesses, we must interpret Moses’ instructions to the Levites as having included this proviso. Those who could not be convicted on that basis, instead of being stoned, were executed by the sword. The correct interpretation is according to the scholar who holds that slaughtering animals to idols or burning incense is punishable by death through the sword, whereas other forms of worship such as kissing the idols is punishable by the kind of death preferred by the victim. This is so because the latter type of practicing idolatry has not been punished by death by the Jewish courts throughout the ages. [it was left to the heavenly tribunal to take care of the sinner. Ed.]

AND SLAY EVERY MAN HIS BROTHER. This means that they were not to spare nor conceal³⁹⁴See Deuteronomy 13:9. brother, friend, or relative. And the meaning of the expression, Thus saith the Eternal, the G-d of Israel: [Put ye every man his sword…] is not [as Rashi has it, a command] based upon the verse, He that sacrificeth unto the gods shall be utterly destroyed,³⁹⁵Above, 22:19. since these worshippers of the calf were not strictly liable to death [as has been explained above], but it was a command said to Moses by the Almighty which was not written in the Torah; for when the Glorious Name³⁹⁶Deuteronomy 28:58. repented of the evil,³⁹⁷Verse 14. He commanded Moses, “Since you do not want Me to destroy them, you should slay its worshippers by the sword,” similar to that which is said, Take all of the chiefs of the people, and hang them up unto the Eternal in face of the sun, that the fierce anger of the Eternal may turn away from Israel.³⁹⁸Numbers 25:4. This commandment is thus similar to the one in connection with the manna, where it is said, This is the thing which the Eternal hath commanded: Let an omerful of it be kept etc.³⁹⁹Above, 16:32. There too the original command given to Moses is not written in the Torah. I have already mentioned⁴⁰⁰Ibid., 10:2, and 11:1. similar instances.