Komentarz do Wyjścia 33:23

והסרתי את כפי AND I WILL REMOVE MY HAND — The Targum renders this by ואעדי ית דברת יקרי “I will remove the guidance of My Glory”; it means: when I shall remove the guidance of My Glory from before thine eyes — to go right away from that place,

BUT MY FACE SHALL NOT BE SEEN — meaning the clear countenance, as I have explained.⁴⁹⁸Above, Verse 18. It is possible that the word achorai (My back — and thou shalt see ‘My back’) is of similar usage as in the verse, Thou hast hemmed me in behind and before,⁴⁹⁹Psalms 139:5. in accordance with the opinion of our Rabbis.⁵⁰⁰Based on this verse in Psalms the Rabbis have said (Berachoth 61 a) that Adam was originally created with two faces (see Vol. I, p. 76). Ramban’s application here of this saying of the Sages is Cabalistic.

וראית את אחורי, where you will be able to glimpse how all the celestial forces below My level of Divinity carry out their activities; but

וראית את אחורי, "you will see My back, etc." The essence of G'd is, of course, not divisible into "front" and "back." G'd is aware of the desire of all His creatures to "see" how His light spells the continued existence of His universe. At the same time it is impossible by definition that any creature can behold this light as it would spell its doom. What did G'd do? He surrrounded His Essence with a kind of "curtain" or screen in order to diffuse the light which would otherwise have proved too blinding. The creation of such a screen created the impression in the beholder that there is something in "front" and something at the "back" of such a screen. When we look at man who is composed of spirit and body, we peceive his body as his "back," and his spirit as his "front", or "face." The "light" that G'd's Essence has made accessible to the spiritually most advanced human being is called "back," whereas the "light" He has screened out is called "front" as it is beyond the screen. This is what G'd meant when He said: "you will see "My Back" but you cannot see "My Face."

וראית את אחורי, after I shall have passed before you during the concluding of the covenant you will be enabled to see this aspect of Me. Jeremiah 34,18 describes the formality of walking between the two halves of the calf which had been cut in half as such a solemn undertaking to honour the covenant concerning releasing former Jewish slaves that he adds the warning that people not honouring the covenant would pay with their lives and not even be given burial. We have therefore several instances where the word ויעבר, passing between the two halves symbolising the two parties to a covenant, is of the essence.

ואעדי ית דברת יקרי . . . This is the Targum of והסירותי את כפי . Rashi explains that the Targum means: “When the guidance of My Glory is removed.”

V. 23. אחרי, nicht mich waltend, die Spuren von mir in meinen Waltungen kannst du und sollst du sehen.

והסירותי את כפי, “and I will remove My hand;” so that Moses’ experience will parallel someone seeing someone’s back, being unable to identify that person.

וראית את אחורי, “you will see My back;” you will see an aura of light which will linger after My essence has passed. The light which precedes Me and which is too dazzling, you will not see.

וראית את אחרי THEN THOU SHALT SEE WHAT IS BEHIND ME — He showed him the Tephillin-knot which is placed behind the head (cf. Berakhot 7a; Menachot 35b).

ופני לא יראו, but understanding of how My execution of My thoughts translates into something concrete, neither you nor anyone else will be capable of “seeing.”

It is also possible that the very mention by G'd of His "face" immediately after mention of His "back," i.e. אחורי ופני, indicated that even the part of Him that He described as "My Back" contained a "face;" however, G'd had arranged that only the rear of that two sided spirit or "light" would be visible so as to provide the prophet with some idea of when he faced a Divine presence.

The word אחורי may have been employed to indicate that Moses would be very close to perceiving G'd's Essence, that He did not "hide" behind multiple screens. If there had remained several "screens" between G'd's Essence and Moses, G'd would have spoken of Achorey Achoray, and not simply of Achoray. Any intelligent and sincere servant of G'd will make only minimum eye contact with his Creator [in other words not look at Heaven beseechingly while engaged in prayer. Ed.] when bowing down during prayer.