Comentário sobre Êxodo 34:36

פסל לך HEW THEE — He showed him a quarry of sapphire in his tent and said to him: The chips (פסל = פסלת) shall be thine (לך). It was from this that Moses became so rich (cf. Midrash Tanchuma 3:9:29; Leviticus Rabbah 32:2).

Carve out two stone tablets. If the first tablets had not been broken, those who studied Torah would never forget what they had learned. The Divinely fashioned tablets paralleled the angelic level of the B’nei Yisrael themselves and the writing upon them symbolized the Divine word engraved upon their hearts. After the sin, however, just as the B’nei Yisrael returned to the level of ordinary human beings, so were the second tablets of human origin. Nevertheless, God commanded Moshe to carve them himself, knowing that in his saintliness he would prepare them properly to receive the holy script.

Kap. 34. V. 1. Die Bedingung der Wiederkehr der ursprünglichen innigen Beziehung zu Gott ist die Wiederaufnahme seines Gesetzes in unsere Mitte als einzigen Vermittler dieser Beziehung. Hat das Volk das Gesetz gebrochen, so hat es Gott die unbeschriebenen Tafeln hinzureichen, um sich auf die neuen Tafeln das alte Gesetz aufs neue von Gottes Finger zu erbitten. Unsere Übertretungen ändern nichts an dem Inhalt des göttlichen Gesetzes. Gott reformiert nicht das Gesetz nach unserer Schwäche, unverändert wartet das verschmähte Gesetz unserer Umkehr und Rückkehr zu seiner ungeschmälerten Huldigung. — לחת אבנים, oben Kap. 31, 18 heißt es: לחת אבן, sie waren מעשה אלקי׳, und אבן bezeichnet den Stoff. Diese zweiten waren aber dem Stoffe nach dem vorhandenen physischen Reiche entnommen, sie waren aus vorhandenen Steinen gehauen, daher: לחת אבנים. —

ויאמר ה' אל משה פסל לך, “Hashem said to Moses: “carve out for yourself, etc.;” This was said to Moses on the night of the 29th day of Av.

Another explanation of פסל לך is: פסל לך HEW THYSELF — thou hast broken the first tablets, do thou therefore hew others. A parable: this may be compared to a king who travelled to a remote country (more lit., to a province over-sea) leaving his betrothed at home with her handmaids. Through the immoral conduct of her handmaids she also gained a bad reputation (more lit., there went forth against her an evil name). Her bridesman arose and tore up the marriage-contract saying: If the king proposes to kill her I shall say to him, “She is not yet thy wife” (the marriage contract which might have served as evidence being destroyed. The king made enquiry, found that the immorality had been only on the hand maids’ side and became reconciled with her. Her bridesman then said to the king, “Write another marriage contract for her because the first has been torn up”. Whereupon the king replied: You tore it up; do you therefore purchase for her new paper and I will write it for her in My handwriting. So, here, too: the King is the Holy One blessed be He, the handmaids are the mixed multitude, the bride’s friend is Moses, and the betrothed of the Holy One, blessed be He, is Israel — therefore it is said פסל לך, “Hew thyself the new tablets” (Midrash Tanchuma 3:9:30).

אשר שברת: Da hier im Momente der Wiedereinkehr in die Mitte des Volkes und in Mosche gnadenvollstem Momente Gott des Zerbrechens der Tafeln durch Mosche gedenkt, und da ferner dieser Beisatz nicht zu dem ersten Satze der Wiederherstellung der Tafeln durch Mosche, sondern bei dem zweiten Satze der erneueten Gottesschrift steht, so erblicken die Weisen (Schabbat 87 a) darin den Ausdruck der Billigung dieser von Mosche in selbständigem מקנא-Charakter geübten Handlung: יישר כחך אשר שברת, somit so viel als: die du mit Recht zerbrochen.

נכון means PREPARED.

והיה נכון לבוקר ועלית בבוקר אל הר סיני, “Be prepared in the morning; ascend Mount Sinai in the morning.” The wording we would have expected should have been והיה נכון לבוקר ועלית אל הר סיני. Why did the Torah have to use the word בבוקר, “in the morning,” a second time? The Torah wanted to allude to the attribute בוקר, another synonym for the attribute of Mercy. This attribute is usually evident in the morning [as opposed to the attribute of Justice. Ed.] An example of the attribute of Mercy being in the ascendancy in the morning is found in Psalms 5,4 ה’ בוקר תשמע קולי בוקר אערך לך ואצפה, “Lord, hear my voice at daybreak; at daybreak I plead before you and wait.” David prayed for the attribute of Mercy which is the strength of the morning that He should listen to his plea.

Prepared. As in, “Send portions of food to he who has nothing prepared ( נכון ) for him” (Nechemiah 8:10). As opposed to its [other] meaning, “correct,” as in: “If in fact the report is true and correct ( נכון )” (Devarim 13:15).

V. 2. והיה נכון, bereit mit den Tafeln. לבקר ,בבקר, wiederholt wird bemerkt, dass diese Mosche gewordene höchste Offenbarung am Tage, zur Zeit des klaren, wachen, selbständigen Bewusstseins ihm wurde, somit frei von aller träumenden Nachtvision, in die man so gerne von gewisser Seite alle Offenbarung und Prophetie hinüber spielen möchte. — ונצבת לי, wie: ימים רבים תשבי לי (Hoschea 3, 3).

ואיש לא יעלה עמך AND NO MAN SHALL GO UP WITH THEE — Because the first tablets were given amidst great noises and alarms and a vast assembly the “evil eye” had power over them (they did not endure) — there is no finer quality than to be unostentatious! (Midrash Tanchuma 3:9:31).

AND NO MAN SHALL COME UP WITH THEE. None of the elders of Israel at all should go up with you, as they had done at the first Tablets of the Law.⁵⁰¹Above, 24:9.

ואיש לא יעלה עמך, “and no man may ascend with you.” Unlike the first time around, this time the elders were no to accompany Moses even part of the way.

ואיש לא יעלה עמך, “and no one is to ascend together with you.” This wording caused our sages (Tanchuma Ki Tissa 34) to say that the second set of tablets was given to the people without fanfare, in relative secrecy. It is meant to teach you the power of the evil eye. The evil eye is potent even in matters which are being orchestrated by a miracle of G’d. This is why they wound up being broken. The second set never were broken because the evil eye did not have something to focus on.

Because the first ones were with great uproar. . . בתשואות means raising the voice.

V. 3. ואיש לא יעלה וגו׳. Mehr noch als bei der Erteilung der ersten Tafeln tritt jetzt, nach dem bewiesenen Abfall des Volkes, das Gesetz völlig von außen an das Volk hinan. Es ist Mosche, der das Gesetz aufs neue erhält, um damit an das Volk hinanzutreten, und der ihm die Stätte im Volke zu erringen hat (siehe Kap. 34, 10). Darum erscheint der Gottesberg jetzt in noch größerer, ja in völliger Isoliertheit. Nur Gott und Mosche sind gegenwärtig.

ואיש לא יעלה עמך, “and no one is to ascend with you.” On the first occasion after the revelation on Mount Sinai G-d’s instructions had been that before ascending the Mountain, Aaron Nadav and Avihu and the seventy elders were to accompany him part of the way. (Exodus 24,1) On this occasion the elders were too ashamed and kept their distance, on account of the people still being in a state of disgrace.

NEITHER LET ANY MAN BE SEEN THROUGHOUT ALL THE MOUNT — even at the foot of the mountain, where Israel had stood at first [during the Revelation].

וגם איש אל ירא בכל ההר, and also no man is to be seen in the entire area around the Mountain.” Even at the base of the Mountain, unlike the first time when the Israelites had stood at the base of the Mountain.

NEITHER LET THE FLOCKS NOR HERDS FEED BEFORE THAT MOUNT — in front of it. For at [the giving of] the first Tablets they had been warned only, no hand shall touch it [i.e., the mountain] … whether it be beast or man,⁵⁰²Ibid., 19:13. and now they were still under that admonition, for the Glory was always on the mountain until the last Tablets of the Law were given. However, at the giving of these Tablets He was now more stringent than at the first Revelation [in requiring that none of the elders accompany Moses]. The reason for all this was that at the first Tablets the Revelation was for all Israel, whereas this one was only for Moses, because of his merit and his prayer, and the Glory revealed on the mountain for [the giving of] the last Tablets would be greater than that of the first ones.

גם הצאן והבקר אל ירעו אל מול ההר ההוא, “neither sheep no cattle are to graze opposite that Mountain.” On the occasion of Moses’ first ascent the warning had only been not to touch this area by hand on pain of death. The reason why so many new restrictions had been added was to make plain to the people that there had been a change in their status. On the first occasion Moses, as their representative, went up to the Mountain to receive the first Tablets after the people had been considered fit to witness the revelation. They were all on a spiritual “high.” This time only Moses remained on such a level, and G’d wanted them to realize that it was only because Moses was highly regarded by Him, and this is why his prayer would be welcome. Seeing that the glory of G’d had remained hovering above the Mountain all this time, unworthy people would be highly at risk if they ventured too near.

וישכם משה בבקר, Moses arose early on the morning of the 29th of Av.

ויקרא בשם ה׳ AND HE CALLED BY NAME, O LORD — We render this in the Targum by, 'ויקרא בשמא דה and he (Moses) called on the name of the Lord.

AND HE STOOD WITH HIM THERE. That is, the Eternal stood — something like it is said, And the Eternal came, and stood⁵⁰³I Samuel 3:10. — with Moses, meaning, that Moses entered into the cloud as he had done at first.⁵⁰⁴Above, 24:18: And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud.

ויתיצב עמו שם. Moses stood there close to G’d, as he had been commanded in verse 2.

ויתיצב עמו, together with Moses who was positioned there, as is written (33,21) ונצבת על הצור, “you will position yourself near the rock.”

He called out in the Name of God ( וקרא בשמא דה' ). [Rashi is saying that] from Onkelos, it is evident that Moshe was the one who called. For if God was the One Who called, Onkelos would say וקרא בשמא ה' , [instead of דה' ], thus conveying: “And Hashem called out in the Name.” (Re”m)

V. 5. ויקרא בשם ד׳, siehe Kap. 33, 19. Es ist die begriffliche Bezeichnung des Vorgangs, der in folgendem detailliert wird.

'ויקרא בשם ה, ”He proclaimed the name of the Lord;” G–d announced that he would walk with the Israelites.

'ויקרא בשם ה, “He called to him, using His name the tetragram.” G-d informed Moses regarding which of His attributes would accompany him. A different interpretation: G-d called to him what is written subsequently, i.e. the list of 13 of His attributes relevant to prayers that were primarily appeals for forgiveness. Our author likes this explanation, citing the fact that the words 'ה and על פניו, have been separated by a p’sik, vertical line.

ויקרא, now the subject is G’d.

'ויקרא בשם ה, G’d called out as He was passing, as will be explained presently. This had been predicted already in verse 19 of the last chapter.

'בשם ה, By calling out G’d indicated that he was about to carry out some specifically Divine activities.

ה׳ ה׳ THE LORD, THE LORD — This is the attribute of Divine mercy. The one (the first ה׳) alludes to God having mercy on the sinner before he sins and the other after he has sinned and repented (Rosh Hashanah 17b).

AND THE ETERNAL PASSED BY BEFORE HIM. This means that He fulfilled His promise to Moses, I will make all My goodness pass before thee.⁴⁹⁴Verse 19.

ויקרא, G’d.

ה׳ ה׳ קל רחום וחנון, "The Lord, the Lord, G'd is merciful and gracious;" Our sages in Rosh Hashana 17 explain the repetition of this attribute of Mercy as the difference between invoking this attribute before man has sinned and invoking it after he has sinned. The Rosh, (Rabbi Asher ben Yechiel) questions why man should be in need of mercy prior to his having sinned. He answers that seeing G'd is already aware that man will sin at some future date, man is already in need of G'd's attribute of Mercy. He suggests an alternative meaning according to which the Torah speaks of someone who contemplates idolatry only with his mind without as yet committing an overt act of any kind. G'd's attribute of Mercy would "call out" to such a person to desist before he performed a punishable idolatrous deed. I must confess that I cannot understand either of the Rosh's two explanations. If man is in need of the attribute of Mercy because of penalties for sins not yet committed, why did G'd create him in the first place, seeing He was aware that he would sin? Was G'd really prepared to judge man for sins he had not committed so that He had to invoke the attribute of Mercy on man's behalf? Concerning a person who contemplates the sin of idolatry, but who had not yet committed an overt act, why would he be considered as not yet having committed a sin seeing that when it comes to idolatry even the intent makes one liable to punishment?

The first before man sins. . . Explanation: Even though it is known to God that he is going to sin, still He has mercy on him because he has not yet sinned.

VV. 6 u. 7. ויעבר ד׳ על פניו ויקרא וגו׳ ist die Erfüllung des Kap. 33, 19 verheißenen: אני אעביר כל טובי על פניך וקראתי בשם ד׳ לפניך, siehe daselbst. הודעני נא את דרכך, "lehre mich deine Wege in der Einheit ihrer Mannigfaltigkeit erkennen", war der Inhalt der Mosche gewährten ersten Bitte, und sie sollte ihm auf der Erkenntnisstufe, הראני, der zweiten Bitte, sowie auf der der ersten: הודיעני gewährt werden. Sie wird ihm auf beiden gewährt. ויעבר entspricht dem ויקרא ,הראני dem הודיעני. Die Einheit in der Mannigfaltigkeit der Gotteswege zu suchen, war aber Mosche durch das ganze ernste Erlebnis ganz eigentlich angeleitet worden. Es hatte ihn Gott sich in diesem einen Erlebnis in einer Mannigfaltigkeit der Waltungsweisen erfahren lassen, zu welcher er den Schlüssel der Einheit suchte. Dem Volke, das Gott בכח גדול וביד חזקה sich zum Volke herausgegriffen, um in ihm die den Vätern eidlich gegebene Verheißung zu erfüllen, war nach einander zuerst (Kap. 32, 10): ואכלם vollständige Vernichtung ausgesprochen, sodann (V. 14) וינחם: negativ Existenz gelassen, nach vollzogenem menschlichen Gericht an den Schuldigsten (VV. 33 — 35) mittelbare Fürsorge für Weiterexistenz מלאכי ילך לפניך, unmittelbare Leidenserziehung zur Besserung ופקדתי עליהם חטאתם in Aussicht gestellt, dabei die Möglichkeit des völligen Ausscheidens eines in Sünde Verharrenden aus Gottes Menschheiterziehungswerke, אמחנו מספרי, zugegeben, nach dem (Kap. 33, 4) hervorgetretenen Anfang einer tiefen, sich selbst verurteilenden Sinnesänderung, eine dem entsprechende Bessergestaltung der Gottesbeziehung zum Volke in Aussicht gestellt, ואדעה מה אעשה לך, die auch V. 17 zugesichert wurde. In allen diesen Wandelungen der Gottesbeziehungen zum Menschen zeichnet sich eben Gott in der ganzen Hoheit seines persönlichen, d. i. ja eben sittlich freien Wesens im schneidenden Gegensatz zu der physischen Gebundenheit aller sonstigen Potenzen, die der Wahn zu Weltgöttern erhoben, sowie zu all den Abstraktionen, in welche der nicht minder sich verirrende Wahn der Spekulation Gottes Wesen verflüchtigt. Mosche suchte die Einheit in all dieser Mannigfaltigkeit, hatte zu dem Wunsche sich erhoben, diese Einheit in ihrem eigentlichen Born, in der Anschauung des persönlichen göttlichen Wesens unmittelbar zu erfassen, um aus der direkten Anschauung die aus ihr fließende Einheit der Waltungen implizite zu gewinnen. Dieses aprioristische Verständnis der Waltungen ward ihm versagt, allein die göttliche Einheit in aller Mannigfaltigkeit des Waltens und die Mannigfaltigkeit aus dieser Einheit sollte er schauen und verstehen lernen, und das wird hier nun seinem Schauen gezeigt und seinem Verständnis verkündet. Was er geschaut, bleibt unserem Bewusstsein entzogen, allein die Worte, die "Namen", in welchen ihm das Geschaute gedeutet wurde, sind uns verzeichnet, sie dürfen wir nachlallend uns zu einigem Verständnis zu bringen versuchen.

'ויקרא ה' ה, He proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord;” The meaning of this proclamation is that G–d announces that in His capacity as the attribute of Mercy, He continues practicing this attribute not only before man sins but also after man had sinned. This is how the Talmud, tractate Rosh Hashanah folio 17 interprets this proclamation. We need to delve more deeply into this subject. Since when had man been in need of this attribute of the Lord before he had sinned? We are forced to answer that seeing the Lord is aware of what goes on in the innermost regions of our heart, He was aware that we would commit sins even before we had converted sinful thoughts into sinful deeds. This is why both of these “names” of the Lord are actually two separate attributes of the thirteen attributes revealed to Moses at this point. On the other hand, the attribute known as נוצר חסד לאלפים, “storing up kindness for up to two thousand generations,” which apparently are two separate attributes are in reality only a single attribute. Rav Nissim, however, considers these words as two separate attributes, whereas he dos not consider the first word: “Hashem,” as one of the thirteen attributes. The plain meaning of the verse commencing with the words: ויעבור ה' על פניו ויקרא ה', ה' וגו', “the Lord passed by before him, etc.,” is that in times of need for the Lord’s Mercy, these thirteen attributes of the Lord are to be invoked in our prayers for help and forgiveness.

'ה', ה, according to Rashi, the repetition is to describe G-d‘s approachability before one has sinned with His approachability after one has sinned and repented. This is important seeing that sins such as idolatry, if not repented are treated as two sins, i.e. from the moment one contemplated to commit idolatry it is already considered sinful and punishable separately as soon as one had carried out that intention. This is based on Ezekiel 14,5 as interpreted in the Talmud tractate Kidushin, folio 40, למען תפוש את בית ישראל בלבם, “I will hold the house of Israel accountable for their thoughts.”When the sin of the spies was committed, the people were not held responsible for having had sinful thoughts previously, as they had not meant to reject the Hoy land until after they had been misled by the majority of the spies. This is what David refers to in Psalms 66,18: און אם ראיתי בלבי לא ישמע אדוני, “if I had an evil thought in my mind, the Lord would not have listened to it.” In that verse G-d’s name appears only once, in order to make that point.

אל GOD — This is also an attribute of Divine mercy (it is not, as אלהים, an attribute of stern justice). Thus also does Scripture say, (Psalms 22:2) “My God, my God (אלי ,אלי) why hast Thou forsaken me?” — for surely one would not say to the attribute of stern Justice “why hast Thou forsaken me?”! Thus have I found in the Mechilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 15:2:2.

AND HE PROCLAIMED: ‘HASHEM HASHEM E-IL’ (THE ETERNAL, THE ETERNAL, G-D). These three words are sacred Names of G-d which the Sages call midoth (attributes), being that they constitute the attribute of the Lord of repentance, the attribute of His mercies and that of His goodness.⁵⁰⁵See my Hebrew commentary, p. 522, for some elucidation of these Cabalistic terms. — It is noteworthy that Ramban here follows a long line of authorities who count Eternal, Eternal as separate attributes. See, however, Guide of the Perplexed, Vol. I, p. 193, Note 5, in Friedlander’s translation. The Proper Name of G-d [i.e. the Tetragrammaton], however does not lend itself to any plural form.⁵⁰⁶Ramban’s intent here is to stress the perfect Unity, regardless of the various attributes. This is why he stresses that the Proper Name of G-d [and as stated here: Hashem, Hashem…] does not lend itself to any plural form, in spite of the fact that the various attributes are here cited (Abusaula). And the attributes which are perceived in human terms are ten: merciful and gracious, etc. Thus on one side they are all attributes, and on the other, there are the three which denote the Names of His essence, whereas the Ten are attributes. Now the attributes also represent Names of G-d, for merciful and gracious, long-suffering etc. are all with reference to the essence of G-d the Most High. Therefore it does not say “the G-d Who has mercy, grace, and is long-suffering,” for [that would have meant that these are His ways with the lower creatures; instead it says, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, indicating] that these actions emanate from G-d’s attributes, [which are His essence].⁵⁰⁷Abusaula.

'ה', ה, a reference to the fact that this is the name of the Lord is the One Who originates matters, called non existent phenomena into existence. The repetition of the name a second time means that it is also He Who is eternal, not subject to fading into the nothingness they came from. At the same time it is He Who preserves these phenomena He has called into existence.

This, too, represents the Attribute of Mercy. . . But it is not pure mercy like the Attribute of the Four Letter Name. The Attribute of Mercy has many levels.

I believe that a person is in need of G'd's attribute of Mercy even before he has committed a sin unless he had acquired merits through the performance of G'd's commandments. The merit acquired by performance of positive commandments entitles a person to have G'd invoke the attribute of Mercy on his behalf. Examination of Deut. 11,13 will demonstrate my point. The Torah writes: "It will be as a result of your hearkening diligently to My commandments ….and perform them,…I will give the rain of your land in its season…and you will gather in your harvest, etc." This shows that as a result of performing a good deed one will become the recipient of G'd's goodness. If, on the other hand, a person has been prevented from performing G'd's commandments by circumstances beyond his control he will neither receive the reward promised by the Torah for the performance of the commandments nor will he be punished for non-performance. How then would G'd's Mercy become evident? This is why the Torah refers to G'd's Mercy as something that needs to be invoked even before a person commits a sin. This "Mercy" will assure such a person of a harvest, etc., even if he had been unable to establish a claim to G'd's goodness. In addition, G'd promised Moses that He would invoke His attribute of Mercy even on behalf of people guilty of sinful conduct.

He preserves kindness. He stores up the meritorious deeds of the forefathers on behalf of their descendants. This is an act of pure kindness on God’s part because at the time that the original deeds were performed the offspring were not yet in the world to evoke His mercy. Bearing iniquity, transgression and sin. Iniquity (avon) derives from a root meaning “twist.” It indicates the acts of a mind perverted by heresy. “Transgression” (pesha) indicates acts of rebellion and “sin” (cheit), the misdeeds resulting from unrestrained appetite.

ד׳ :ד׳, das ist die Einheit in aller Mannigfaltigkeit der Manifestationen Gottes in seinem Walten. Der Name, in welchem Gott sich uns nach seiner vollendeten Schöpfung der physischen Welt als den "fortdauernden Schöpfer" in der von Ihm eingeleiteten sittlichen Welt der Menschengeschichte ankündigt, er ist die Einheit in allen, den durch die sittliche Freiheit des Menschen und durch die eben dadurch bedingte Möglichkeit des Abirrens in allen Abstufungen gegebenen Phasen der Menschen- und Menschheitentwicklung gegenüber, sich ebenso mannigfaltig gestaltenden Manifestationen des göttlichen Waltens. ד׳ bleibt ד׳! "Seine Zukunft in dem Menschen und in der Menschheit erziehend gestalten", das ist ein Gedanke, unter welchem sich uns im Lichte dieses Namens כל טובו, die Gesamtgüte seines Waltens für den Menschen und sein Gesamtwirken an dem Menschen, darzustellen vermag. Es ist immer dieselbe "Güte", die immer dasselbe Heilesziel des Menschen und Menschheit erstrebt, ob sie

א-ל; an attribute describing G–d as an honest Judge handing out fair judgment. It is an abbreviation of the word אל-הים, introduced as such an attribute in Exodus 22,8, where the Torah decreed that disputes be presented to a judge, the latter being defined as elohim.

אל, the attribute of Justice, as for instance in Exodus 22,8: עד האלוהים יבא דבר שניהם, “the dispute of both parties has to be dealt with by a judge or a court.”

ארך אפים SLOW TO ANGER — He defers (מאריך) His anger and does not hasten to punish — it may be that the sinner will repent.

And abounding in goodness and truth; keeping mercy upon the thousandth generation — these three denote the attribute of mercy, since He increases the goodness over His strength and might and the truth in His mercies. And ‘notzeir’ (keeping) mercy unto the thousandth generation, for He hath remembered His mercy and His faithfulness toward the house of Israel.⁵⁰⁸Psalms 98:3. Or it may be that the word notzeir means “sprouting,” of the root, ‘v’neitzer’ (and a twig) shall grow forth out of his roots.⁵⁰⁹Isaiah 11:1. And in His goodness He is ‘nosei’ (forgiving) iniquity and transgression and sin. This is of the expression, I have made, and I ‘esa’ (will bear).⁵¹⁰Isaiah 46:4.
The two phrases, and that will by no means clear the guilty, and visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, are an explanation to the one of forgiving iniquity [mentioned before]. It is called an “attribute”⁵¹¹Thus it is now clear that Ramban counts the thirteen attributes as follows: 1. The Eternal. 2. The Eternal. 3. G-d. 4. Merciful. 5. Gracious 6. Long-suffering. 7.-8. Abounding in goodness and truth. 9. Keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation. 10.-11.-12. Forgiving iniquity, transgression and sin. 13. That will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity etc. — See Tosafoth Rosh Hashanah 17 b that such is also the opinion of Rabbeinu Tam. Ibn Ezra likewise follows generally this interpretation. because He clears the sinner by this visitation. And because this act of forgiving is not equal for iniquity, transgression and sin, but instead in each category has its own form of clearing the sinner, it is called in each case “one attribute.”⁵¹²“And the expressions, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers etc., also constitute an independent attribute, for the ‘clearing’ done in this form of forgiving is by visitation, it being another way of forgiveness of sin, that He will not forgive it outright, but visit it upon the generations etc.” (Abusaula).

א-ל, whatever He does is not the result of external pressure, being programmed, [such as trees whose function it is to grow, or water whose function it is to flow downhill. Ed.]

In case he will repent. The second attribute of “Adonoy, Adonoy” is also mercy after he sins. But it applies if he repents immediately, in which case He has mercy on him. However, this attribute is to put off His anger, hoping he might repent.

G'd informed Moses of another aspect of the attribute of Mercy by telling him [by means of the repetition Ed.] that a sinner would not forfeit any of G'd's goodness which he had been in line for before he sinned, and before G'd invoked His attribute of Mercy on his behalf. This thought has helped me make peace with the fact that we observe the wicked who have been spared through G'd's attribute of Mercy continue to prosper to the same degree as they prospered before G'd invoked the attribute of Mercy on their behalf.

als אל, als der Urborn aller Kraft, als der Urhebel aller Bewegung, Kraft spendend und Kraft übend — (אֶל ,אֵל) — sich erweist; oder

רחום, “He Who displays mercy to the poor and needy and saves them.”

רחום, “merciful;” He displays mercy for the poor and saves them from being taken advantage of.

ורב חסד AND ABUNDANT IN MERCY — to those who need mercy because they have not sufficient merits to be saved by them.

Now Moses bowed his head to G-d Who passed by before him, and prayed that G-d should always go in their midst and forgive their iniquity and their sin⁵¹³Verse 9. in whatever they might do, and that He cause them to inherit the Land. Moses, however, did not ask that G-d forgive “our transgressions,” since it is not possible that G-d forgive transgressions, which are sins of a rebellious nature; in those cases He is only to bear them [through visitation] and not to destroy them. It will not be concealed from you why these two Names [If now I have found grace in Thy sight, O Lord, let the Lord, I pray Thee, go in the midst of us…⁵¹³Verse 9.] are written with Aleph Daleth [instead of in the letters of the Tetragrammaton];⁵¹⁴As Moses now prayed for the perfect Unity to go in the midst of Israel. At such time it is as if all is in the Aleph Daleth. Thus the first Name is in place of the Tegragrammaton, and Moses prayed that the Lord [written in Aleph Daleth] go in our midst in the absolute perfection of the Unity of the two Names (Abusaula). it is for this reason that G-d said, Behold, I make a covenant,⁵¹⁵Verse 10. until [all people shall see…] the work of the Eternal that it is tremendous.⁵¹⁵Verse 10.

רחום, merciful to those who are guilty, reducing the punishment they really deserve. David explains this in Psalms 34,18 צעקו וה' שמו, “they cry out and the Lord hears.” G’d sees and sympathises with the anguish of the downtrodden as we know from Exodus 3,9 וגם ראיתי את הלחץ, “I have also taken note of the oppression, etc.”

They do not have sufficient merits. [Rashi knows this] because it is written, “Abounding in kindness,” implying that when the person sinned and his merits cannot shield him from punishment because they are few, nonetheless He tilts the scales towards kindness, and has mercy on him. The first attribute of “Adonoy, Adonoy” is when he has not yet sinned. But this attribute is that He tilts the scales towards kindness even after he has sinned. (Re”m)

als רהום, das einmal mit Kraft und Bewegung von ihr ausgestattete Wesen nimmer verlässt, es liebend erhaltend umfängt, weil es ihr Werk, weil es das Kind ist ihrer schaffenden Liebe — (רחם, der Mutterschoß); — oder

וחנון, and “Who is gracious,” even to the wealthy; anyone dispensing gifts is considered as practicing the attribute of being gracious.

וחנון, “and gracious;” this attribute is also applied to the wealthy, as we know from Psalms 37,21: וצדיק תוע ונותן, “the righteous is generous and keeps giving.” The same expression in the same meaning also occurs in Genesis 43,29: אלקים יחנך בני, “may G-d grant you grace my son (Joseph to Binyamin).” Compare also Numbers 6,25 on the word ויחנך in the priestly blessing, which is understood by commentators as a blessing in which the priest promises the recipient the G-d in whose name he recites the blessing is the One Who provides all living creatures with their daily needs. (B’chor Shor)

ואמת AND TRUTH — faithfully rewarding those who perform His will.

וחנון; He even responds to people who request leniency even though they are not deserving of it.

als חנון nicht müde wird, die bereits verbrauchte, verscherzte Kraft immer aufs neue zu gewähren, die bereits gewährte und bewährte Kraft immer durch neue Begabung zu erhöhen, zu bereichern — (ענן :חנן, die befruchtende, spendende Wolke) —; oder

ארך אפים, “long suffering;” displaying patience with the wicked, instead of punishing them immediately.

ארך אפים, “slow to anger,” (Whose patience with man’s foibles) is long lasting. Our author quotes Daniel 7,12 as explaining the meaning of this term, saying that G-d grants an extension of life to those who have already forfeited it, waiting for the sinner to repent and change his way. Or, it may mean that by letting the sinner die without granting such an extension of life on earth to him, this is in order to ensure that this sinner does not lose his chance to have an afterlife by sinning further. A different interpretation: seeing that G-d is eternal He has great patience, seeing that He will always be able to exact judgment from the sinner, as opposed to a human being, who, because he is mortal, cannot always afford such patience.

ארך אפים, both to the righteous and to the wicked. The reason? To encourage them to do teshuvah.

als ארך אפים die Größe der Geduld bewährt, die der Zeitigung der mit allen Gewährten und Wiedergewährten beabsichtigten Frucht sittlicher Lebensentfaltung Frist gönnt, der sittlichen Schwäche, in welcher ja eben die Möglichkeit der sittlichen Größe seines zum freien Gehorsam berufenen Geschöpfes wurzelt, die harrende Rücksicht schenkt, die gerne wartet und wartet, bis sich das göttlich Freie in ihm im Kampfe mit den Versuchungen der Sinnlichkeit emporgearbeitet, und in dieser Erwartung auch dem noch Unedlen und Unvollkommenen die Kraft gebende und erhaltende und wiedergebende Liebe erhält — (ארך אפים, siehe Bereschit 2, 7; Schmot 15, 8) —; oder, wo das bereits Gewährte in treuer Zielentsprechung aufgeht,

ורב חסד, “and abundant in goodness;” when a person’s merits and demerits are in balance, G–d tips the scales so that the merits predominate. Our sages in the Talmud, tractate Sotah folio 11 describe this as G–d’s attribute of goodness is stronger than His attribute of decreeing punishment where called for.

ורב חסד, “abounding in kindness;” He is on record as remembering good deeds of the patriarchs and their descendants for up to 1000 generations whereas sins are not remembered for more than 34 generations. (Compare Talmud Sotah, folio 11)

ורב חסד, inclining toward leniency in administering justice. Our sages define this as מעביר ראשון ראשון, He decides in favour of the accused when his merits and demerits are in balance.

als רב הסד so unendlich reich in segnender Förderung des Strebens, in beglückender Erfüllung des Wollens eines Strebenden und Wollenden erscheint, eben in dieser Zufriedenheit und Glückseligkeit spendenden Liebeshingebung an die Beglückung eines Wesens so רב, so groß, so reich, so unerschöpflich in der Mannigfaltigkeit sich zeigt, jedem gerade die ihm eignende Art der Freude und des Heiles bereitet — (חסד: die gänzliche Hingebung an den andern, daher ja auch im Piel: חַסֵד preismachen; lautverwandt mit אשד: der Erguss) —; oder zugleich

ואמת, “and truth.” G–d can be depended upon to honour His promises, unless, through sin, the recipient of the promise has forfeited it. In such situations it is the sin, not G–d, which interfered with fulfillment of any promise.

ואמת, “and faithful;” He keeps what He promises.

ואמת, the adjective רב, “abundant” mentioned in connection with the attribute חסד also applies to the attribute אמת. The mention of the attribute אמת is important as if we had only known about G’d’s patience with the sinner, i.e. ארך אפים, we might have concluded that the sinner might eventually get away with his sin. The attribute אמת is a reminder that if the sinner who enjoyed G’d’s patience did not use it to repent, his sins will catch up with him. G’d does not wipe out the sin. It also refers to what our sages described as the meaning of Deuteronomy 10,17 that G’d does not show favoritism, i.e. an illustrious’ father such as Avraham cannot save his son Yishmael from punishment, nor a Yitzchok his son Esau. Similarly, it includes the fact that G’d does not accept “bribes,” and that sins cannot be offset by good deeds so that the sin goes unpunished.

als רב אמת in der überströmenden Fülle seiner hingebenden Liebe doch in ebenso reichem Maße und eben solcher Mannigfaltigkeit der Weisen die subjektiv und objektiv, die sich und dem andern treu bleibende Wahrheit bewährt, die die Liebe nicht, menschlicher Schwäche gleich, das mit allem unveräußerlich zu erreichende wahre Ziel der Gotteszwecke und wahre Heil der in Liebe umfangenen Wesen preisgeben lässt, sondern ebenso zu versagen weiß, wenn die Gewährung das wahre Ziel und das wahre Heil gefährdend, wenn die Versagung dem wahren Ziele und dem wahren Heile förderlicher ist, die die reichste Gewährung mit so viel Versagung zu mischen weiß, dass die Gewährung dem damit Beglückten nicht verderblich werde und ihn das Gewährte selber nicht des Gewährten unwert werden lasse, und in dieser Erziehungstreue — (אמן ,אמת) — so reich, so mannigfaltig sich bekundet, als in jedem einzelnen Menschen ein eigengeartetes Erziehungsproblem sich darbietet —; oder

als נוצר חסד לאלפים die dem zu Liebenden zu spendende Liebe nicht auf ihn selber beschränkt, nicht über ihn allein ausschüttet, vielmehr dann eben dem Guten den höchsten Segen erteilt, wenn alles Gute ein Keim des Heiles in tausendster Fortwirkung in Zeit und Ewigkeit, und vor allem das Gute selbst ein Baum des Heiles wird für sein fernstes tausendstes Geschlecht, so, dass der Gotteswaltung kein Mensch und kein Volk nur in der Individualität seiner einzelnen Erscheinung und in der Spanne seiner Gegenwart gilt, sondern im Zusammenhange mit allen Zeitgenossen und mit aller Zukunft gegenwärtig ist, und der von ihr einem Menschen, einem Volke erteilte Segen nicht nach dem beschränkten Maße des Individuums und der zeitlichen Gegenwart zu ermessen ist, sondern nur der den ganzen Umfang der dem Guten zugewandten Liebe zu ermessen vermöchte, der all den Segen mit berechnete, den Gottes Waltung aus dem Leben und Streben des Guten für alle Zeitgenossen und namentlich für Kind und Kindeskind bis zum tausendsten Geschlechte hervorblühen lässt. Dunkel und verborgen wie die Wurzel, unscheinbar verschlossen wie die Knospe, mag der Keim des Segens in dem Leben eines Guten erscheinen, um so kraftvoller und lichtvoller und lebensvoller wird er in Kind und Kindeskindern aufgehen — was ist der eigene Glücksgenuss der Fülle aller Segensgüter gegen die lohnende Seligkeit eines solchen Wurzel- und Knospendaseins für die Segenszukunft einer in alle Ewigkeit reichenden Geschlechtsreihe! — Wir wagen zu meinen, dass eben eine Anschauung dieser die Unendlichkeit mit dem flüchtigen Dasein und zeitlichen Wirken eines Menschenindividuums verknüpfenden Weise der göttlichen Waltung ganz besonders Mosche zum Verständnis der Wege Gottes gewährt worden, weil vor allem sie es ist, die die Beschränktheit unseres nur die räumliche und zeitliche Gegenwart umspannenden Blickes Bescheidenheit in Beurteilung der Wege Gottes zu lehren geeignet ist, und darum dürfte gerade diese "Weise" der göttlichen Waltung mit einem großen נ unserer Aufmerksamkeit empfohlen sein — (נצר davon נצר: die Knospe, die künftigen Blüten- und Fruchtkeime schützend und zeitigend in sich verschließend. חסד ist sowohl die höchste Stufe des vom Menschen zu übenden Guten, die völlig selbstlose Hingebung an das Heil anderer, als der höchste Ausdruck für die von Gott dem Menschen sich erweisende Liebe. נצר חסד kann daher ebensowohl heißen: er lässt das vom Menschen geübte Gute Segensknospe für alle seine Nachkommen werden, lohnt somit die höchste Güte des Guten nicht an ihm selber, sondern an seinen Kindern und Kindeskindern, und gewährt eben damit dem "selbstlosen" חסיד den ihm eigenen höchsten Segen; oder: er lässt seine vom Guten errungene höchste Liebe eine Segensknospe für alle dessen Nachkommen werden, er übt seine höchste Liebe, indem er den Guten Heileswurzel und Knospe für Kind und Kindeskinder werden lässt. Man sieht, es fällt dies im Grunde zusammen, und dürfte sich damit eine Eigentümlichkeit in der Auffassung der Weisen erklären. Ihre Erläuterungen fassen nämlich sehr häufig חסדי ד׳ als die vom Menschen zu übende חסד auf. So: Jeruschalmi Kiduschin 4, 1: ג׳ מתנות טובות נתן הכ׳׳ה לישראל רחמנין ובישנין וגומלי חסדים וכו׳ גומלי חסדים מניין ושמר ד׳ אלדיך לך את הברית ואת החסד אשר נשבע לאבתיך (Dewarim 7, 12) Ebenso Jeruschalmi Sanhedrin 10, 1: אם ראיתם זכות אבות שמטה וזכות אמהות שנתמוטטה לכו והידבקו בהסד (nach der Lesart im Jalkut: מאי טעמא כי ההרים ימושו והגבעות תמוטינה (בגמילות הסדים וחסדי מאתך לא ימוש (Jes. 54, 10). So auch Midrasch Psalm zur Stelle חסד אל כל היום (Kap. 52, 3); Babli Sucka 49b zu den Stellen: חסד ד׳ מלאה הארץ (Ps. 33, 5) מה יקר חסדך א׳ (Ps. 36, 8) חסד ד׳ מעולם ועד עולם על יראיו (Ps. 103, 17) und ferner. Alle diese Auffassungen dürften in der Anschauung wurzeln, dass nur die neidlose Selbstlosigkeit eines חסיד der חסדי ד׳ fähig sei, nur ein solcher gerade in den das zu lohnende Individuum weit überschreitenden חסדי ד׳ seine reichste, lohnendste Beseligung zu finden vermag. Nur einen Chanina ben Doßa wird es mit höchster Seligkeit erfüllen, wenn von ihm es heißen könnte: כל העולם כולו ניזון בשביל חנינא בני וחנינא בני דיו בקב חרובין מע׳׳ש לע׳׳ש die ganze Welt wird um der Tugend meines Sohnes Chanina willen gespeist, und mein Sohn Chanina hat an einem Maß Johannisbrot genug von einem Freitag zum andern! (Taanit 24 b), daher nur עם חסיד תתחסד (Ps1. 18, 26) kann Gott nur mit einem חסיד seine חסד üben, und חסד ד׳ setzt von selbst חסד auf Erden voraus) —; oder

als נשא עון dem Reumütigen, Sühnesuchenden, Rückkehrwollenden die Last der Krümme

ופשע und der Empörung

וחטאה und des Leichtsinns

abnimmt und übernimmt, für ihn das Wunder aller Wunder, das Herausheben der in leidenschaftlichem, aber bewusstvollem Abweichen von dem Geraden, in sich empörender Auflehnung gegen das Gesetz, oder in der Leitung des Gesetzesgeistes entfallenem Leichtsinn (siehe Bereschit 39, 9) verübten gesetzeswidrigen Tat aus dem Notwendigkeitsbande der Ursächlichkeitsordnung übt, nach welcher jedes Unrecht, jede Versündigung gegen Gottes Gesetz Unsegen im äußeren Leben und weiteres Unrecht im inneren Leben erzeugt, das Wunder aller Wunder, das Nichtgeschehenmachen einer Tat hinsichtlich ihrer Folgen übt, dem Unrechtfertigen zur Gradheit, dem Frevelnden zur Gehorsamstreue, dem Leichtsinnigen zum Ernste, und allen zu dem von keiner Vergangenheit getrübten Heile verhilft; — oder aber

ונקה לא ינקה keinen Menschen, auch nicht der geringsten seiner Sünden ohne sein Zutun "entschlägt", ohne aufrichtiges, fortan das Bessere wollendes Bereuen den Menschen den Folgen seiner Handlungen überlässt, die auch aus der geringsten Abweichung unheilbringend hervorwuchern; — oder endlich

als פקד עון אבות denkt — richtet — straft — aufträgt (? siehe zu Kap. 20, 5) den Abfall der Eltern an Kindern bis ins vierte Geschlecht, und, wie das Gute und der Gute zu einem mit den Früchten ihres Heileswirkens in die Unendlichkeit reichenden Baum unter Gottes Waltung werden, also auch das ungesühnte Unrecht, aber nur bis ins vierte Geschlecht, Unsegen und Prüfungsschwere den Kindern bringen, oder noch der Kinder Güte den Abfall der Eltern sühnen lässt (siehe daselbst) —:

immer, in welcher Gestalt die Mannigfaltigkeit dieses Schemas der göttlichen Führungen in die Erscheinung treten möge, immer ist ד׳ :ד׳, immer ist es die eine, reine Gottesgüte, die das eine Ziel des Menschenheils in aller dieser Erscheinungsmannigfaltigkeit erziehend herbeiführt.

נצר חסד means God keeps (stores up) the mercy which a person does in His presence,

נוצר חסד לאלפים, He preserves the accumulated merits of the fathers and will let the children draw on these merits.

Iniquity, transgression and sin. Iniquity (avon) refers to intentional sin; transgression (pesha) to acts of rebellion and sin (cheit) to inadvertent infractions. The vav between “transgression” and “sin” does not mean “and” but “like.” Thus the sense of the verse is, “Bear iniquity and transgression as if they were only inadvertent sins”.

Which the person does before Him. I.e., not the kindness that Hashem intends to do for him. [Rashi knows this] because נוצר applies only to that which has already been done.

נוצר חסד לאלפים, “extending kindness to a thousand generations;” G–d undertakes to extend kindness to the descendants of the good and righteous fathers even of sinners. This concept has been repeated in Deuteronomy 7,9: where a time limit of one thousand generations is the limit. Rash’bam explains the apparent contradiction with our verse where the word לאלפים appears to mean at least two thousand, that we find, grammatically speaking, that a fourth generation, normally described as דור רביעי, is on occasion described as רבעים, with the plural mode ending. The same is true here. (Compare our verse) Therefore אלף or אלפים, can mean the same thing on occasion.

נושא עון ופשע, “He welcomes the penitent, even those who sinned deliberately or out of obstinacy.”

לאלפים TO THOUSANDS — to two thousand generations (the plural, “generations”, and “two” is the least that this can imply; cf. Rashi on Exodus 20:6).

נושא עון, premeditated sin.

He does not clear those who do not repent. Although the second attribute of “Adonoy, Adonoy” also entails mercy for those who repent, the difference is: the attribute of “He clears” waives the sin and clears him as if he never did it, without bestowing any goodness upon him. Whereas the second attribute [of “Adonoy, Adonoy” bestows goodness upon him]. And this is the difference between the plain meaning, and the interpretation [of our Sages]: the plain meaning conveys that He does not completely waive the sin but exacts retribution for it bit by bit. Whereas the interpretation [of our Sages] is that He waives the sin completely. (Re”m)

נושא עון, “He forgives iniquity;” when the iniquity was the result of the person having been unable to resist the evil urge, G–d does take that into consideration.

ונקה לא ינקה, “but He does not let the sinner go completely free of retribution.”

עונות — These are sins committed presumptuously (with premeditation). פשעים — These are sins committed rebelliously.

ופשע, sins intended to challenge G’d.

Five hundred fold for regarding the Attribute of Good. . . Explanation: one generation of the Attribute of Retribution corresponds to five hundred generations of the Attribute of Good. Accordingly, the four generations of the Attribute of Retribution correspond to the two thousand generations of the Attribute of Good.

ופשע, “He does so on occasion even when the sin represented an act of rebellion against Him.” (Compare Kings II 3,7) where this term is applied to the King of Moab.

פוקד עון אבות, “Who remembers the sins of the fathers;” [G-d explains why punishment is not meted out to the first generation of sinners, as if it were, mankind would soon be exterminated, there being no one free from sin. Ed.] When two people carry a burden it seems lighter than if one alone has to carry it. The same is true for three people carrying a load together. On the other hand, how long can G-d be perceived as ignoring our sins without inviting us to believe that He does not care or cannot exact penalties? He therefore imposes partial punishment, delaying the balance if the sinner does not repent, or forgiving the penitent sinner by delaying the unexpired guilt indefinitely. He therefore exacts that part from the third or fourth generation of the original sinner. [This is not unfair, as if the original sinner had received his entire punishment, the grandson would never have seen the light of day. Ed.] This is the thirteenth of the “visibly” beneficial attributes of G-d. If you were to counter that the Torah has written: לא יומתו אבות על בנים, “children must not be executed for the sins of the fathers,” (Deut. 24,16) this applied to the human tribunal, not to the celestial tribunal.

ונקה לא ינקה AND WHO WILL BY NO MEANS CLEAR THE GUILTY — According to its plain sense this means that He is not altogether indulgent to sin (He does not entirely remit the punishment), but little by little exacts punishment from, him (the sinner). Our Rabbis, however, have explained: ונקה, And he clears — He clears those who repent, לא ינקה, He does not clear — but does not clear those who will not repent (Yoma 86a).

וחטאה, additional to the taunting sin called פשע. We encounter an illustration of this in Jeremiah 11,15 כי רעתכי אז תעלוזי, “for you exult while performing your evil deeds.” We must remember that the degree of evil committed by different people is never a duplicate, i.e. each one commits evil according to his own agenda; hence G’d’s reaction to such evil varies after taking into consideration all the circumstances. This is why all these attributes have been enumerated separately.

וחטאה, ”as well as unintentionally committed sin;” this has been spelled out in detail, in Leviticus 4,2 as well as the remedial action that has to be taken by the guilty party.

פקד עון אבות על בנים VISITING THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHERS UPON THE CHILDREN — when they retain in their hands (follow the example of) the evil doings of their ancestors. This must be the meaning because in another verse of a similar character it has already been stated: of them that hate Me (cf. Exodus 20:5: Visiting the iniquity of fathers upon the children, upon the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me (Berakhot 7a; Sanhedrin 27b).

ונקה, even though G’d wipes the slate clean for those penitents motivated by their love for G’d and not by their fear of punishment, לא ינקה, He will not do this for the ones whose only motivation for turning penitent is their fear of G’d’s retribution, or their desire to arrest such retribution. We find confirmation of this in Yuma 86 that i.e. intentional sins of such penitents will be treated as if they had been unintentionally committed sins, a conclusion based on Hoseah 14,2 כי כשלת בעונך, “for you have fallen because of your sin.”

ונקה לא ינקה, “but He will not let the guilty escape scot free;” (unless the guilty party had rehabilitated himself through sincere teshuvah, repentance.) The Talmud, tractate Yuma, folio 86 spells out clearly that anyone (later generations) whose sinful fathers did not repent and had not been punished for their sins as G–d had waited if their offspring would repent, will also have to bear the burden of the sins of their fathers. [The reason why this is not unfair is that if G–d had punished their forefathers they would not even have been born, so what have they lost? Ed.]

ועל רבעים means AND UPON THE FOURTH GENERATION — It follows, therefore, that the measure of good (reward) is greater than the measure of punishment in the proportion of one to five hundred, for in respect to the measure of good it says: “Keeping mercy for thousands” (two thousands at least) (cf. Rashi above: Tosefta Sotah 4:1; see also Rashi on Exodus 20:5).

פוקד עון אבות על בנים, He delays punishing the wicked in the land until their measure of sin is such that they deserve to be wiped out. This “measure” is one that in G’d’s opinion, precludes their ever becoming penitents. (compare Sotah 9). Such a situation usually is not reached until several successive generations are steeped in sin.

פוקד, “He remembers (and acts upon) the sins of the fathers;” even this attribute is part of G–d being merciful, as it shows how patient G–d had been in not punishing the fathers immediately for the sins they had committed. We know this from Exodus 32,34, where G–d speaks of וביום פקדי וגו', “and on the day when I remember” (to take action etc.) This clearly shows that G–d does not take punitive action immediately. It also shows that this is no longer one of the thirteen attributes listed here. This presents a difficulty for the scholars who argue that the words: וימהר משה ויקוד ארצה, “Moses hastened to prostrate himself to the ground,” (verse 8) show that he was afraid that G–d might “remember” to extend punishment for sins that had not been punished even to the fifth generation of the descendants of the sinner. I believe that Moses’ haste is proof that G–d’s mercy extends even further, if he allowed four generations to rehabilitate the original sinners because that generation became a true penitent.

על שלשים, when the latest generation intensifies the evil perpetrated by their fathers and grandfathers. Jeremiah 7,26 describes such a scenario when he writes: “they would not listen to Me or give ear. They stiffened their necks, they acted worse than their fathers.”

ועל רבעים, when the generations do not become worse than their fathers but commit sins of the same type and seriousness.

וימהר משה, AND MOSES MADE HASTE — When Moses saw that the Shechinah passed by and heard the sound of the proclamation he immediately prostrated himself.

וימהר משה, by acting with speed, zest, the person prostrating himself lends additional meaning to his humility before G’d. Our sages in Berachot 14 describe Rav Sheshet’s manner of praying by saying: “that when he bent his knee he did so as does someone who uses a stick to beat something with.”

וימהר משה, once he saw G’d pass and heard His voice, he immediately began to bow down.

Moshe hastened, bowed. Having been told that this was an auspicious moment for making requests of God, Moshe quickly bowed in prayer. And said, “If I have found favor.” First he recited his regular prayers, as indicated by the previous verse; then he added this supplication.

VV. 8 u. 9. Was, wie wir geglaubt, Mosche von vornherein als Gottes Absicht bei Erwählung des "hartnäckigsten Volkes" geahnt (Kap 32, 11), das war ihm jetzt zur völligen Klarheit geworden. Wie die politische Schwäche und preisgegebene Hilflosigkeit es gerade ist, die Israel als das geeignetste Volk zur Offenbarung der Gottesmacht in der Geschichte erscheinen ließ, so lässt eben seine natürliche Hartnäckigkeit es als das geeignetste erscheinen, die Göttlichkeit des vermittelst seiner der Menschheit zu überbringenden Gesetzes und alle Wundermacht der göttlichen Erziehungswaltung zu offenbaren. Eben weil es ein hartnäckiges Volk ist, eben darum möge Gott, dessen "Diener" an das Volk ja Mosche ist, in seiner Mitte wandeln, an ihm, an diesem "härtesten" Volke alle die erziehende Wundermacht seines Gesetzes und seiner Waltung zeigen, und so lange verzeihen und wieder verzeihen — jede Verzeihung setzt einen Schritt zur Besserung voraus — bis das Erziehungswunder an Israel vollendet und dieses härteste Volk für immer Gottes Eigentum geworden sein werde.

וימהר משה, “Moses hastened, etc.” Moses’ mind was now at rest when he heard that G–d’s Attribute of Mercy was such that His threat to annihilate the people if they sinned again did not necessarily refer to the generation that he was the leader of. He immediately expressed his gratitude by prostrating himself. He added another prayer to the ones he had already addressed to Hashem.

וימהר משה “Moses hastened;” Moses was afraid that G-d would continue mentioning even later generations than the fourth generation, he hastened to express his gratitude for what had been revealed to him at this stage. Another interpretation: Moses’ haste at this point was because he had the feeling that G-d was about to depart and he wanted to be able to offer his prayer before He departed and became hidden behind a cloud. This is also what our sages meant when they said: “when is the best time for a human being to ask for his needs? When G-d is manifestly present.” (Talmud tractate Avodah Zarah folio 7)

Wir haben bereits zu Kap. 20, 5 die Vermutung gewagt, dass die Waltungsweise: פקד עון אבות וגו׳ die Milde bedeuten könne, die die zu erwartende Rückkehr zum Bessern aufs dritte und vierte Geschlecht ausdehnt, und eines verderbten Zeitalters schont in Erwartung sühnender Besserung der Kinder. Das וימהר משה dürfte diese Vermutung bestätigen, die Bitte: ילך נא א׳ בקרבנו וגו׳ würde dann unmittelbar durch das vorhergehende פקד עון אבות וגו׳ hervorgerufen sein. So appelliert auch Mosche (4. B. M. 14, 18) an diese Weise der göttlichen Waltung, um daran die Bitte סלח נא לעון העם וגו׳ zu knüpfen.

ויקד וישתחו. (Siehe Bereschit 24, 26).

ילך נא אדני בקרבנו LET MY LORD, I PRAY THEE, GO AMONG US as Thou hast promised (cf. Exodus 33:14), since Thou forgivest iniquity. And even if it be a stiff-necked people and they have rebelled against Thee and Thou didst on that account say, (Exodus 30:3) “lest I consume thee in the way” — yet pardon Thou our iniquity etc. — כי is sometimes used in place of (in the sense of) אם, “if”.

כי עם קשה עורף הוא, and it will commit sins even if You will go in our midst. Even though I am fully aware that such sins, due to their being committed in Your immediate presence are more serious than otherwise, as You yourself have pointed out in 33,5, on balance I believe that it is still better that You Yourself should go with us.

ילך נא ה׳ בקרבנו, "let G'd go in our midst, etc." How could Moses say this seeing G'd had told him in 33,3 that He would not go up in their midst precisely because they were a stiff-necked people? Here Moses tries to use the stiff-necked nature of the people as a reason for asking G'd to go up in their midst? In 33,3 G'd had warned Moses that if He were to go up in the midst of the people this would lead to their destruction. How could Moses take such a chance? Another difficulty in our verse is why Moses had to ask for something G'd had already been prepared to do as we know from 33,17: "I will also do this thing for you?"

כי עם קשה עורף הוא. Seeing that You are so forgiving You will be able to go in our midst in spite of this.

ילך נא א-דוני בקרבנו כי עם קשה עורף הוא, “may my Lord walk in our midst because they are a stiff-necked people.” Nachmanides in interpreting the word כי as “because,” i.e. according to the unadorned text, explains the psychology underlying Moses’ argument. G’d had warned Moses that if the people were to rebel against the angel’s instructions, he would make short shrift of them and destroy them. An angel would interpret any display of stubborn behaviour as completely negative. When, after the people had regained their grace in the eyes of Hashem, and they would meticulously, i.e. ”stubbornly,” observe all the laws of the Torah, G’d would realize that their stubborn streak had been turned to constructive use. If a relapse would occur, as was possible, G’d knowing that their stubborn streak had also been employed constructively, would look at this as making them deserve another chance, something an angel could not be expected to do. Hence, Moses argued, the very stubborn streak of the people is what made him ask to have G’d in their midst, instead of merely a proxy, an angel. G’d’s relationship to the Jewish people was that they were “His people.” No angel could relate to them as such. Other commentators view our verse as meaning almost precisely the opposite. Moses, admitting that the people‘s Achilles heel was their stubborn streak, their rebelliousness, argues that because of this inherent weakness they needed the Presence of the attributes of Hashem, Who is kind, patient, makes allowances, etc. Such a combination of attributes within one camp would mitigate the negative impact of the negative aspect of Israel’s stubbornness. Still other commentators interpret Moses’ reference to the people’s stubbornness as such that it results in their defying even death rather than violating G’d’s Torah. This is why they bend over backwards to keep His commandments, even risking their lives to do so. They treat the laws of the Torah as a burden which they are willing to carry under any circumstances, as they feel that they must do so in order to show that they appreciate G’d’s glory sufficiently. Seeing that this is their general attitude, it behooves G’d to forgive them for their grievous error in the episode of the golden calf.

וסלחת לעונינו ולחטותינו ונחלתנו, “and forgive our iniquity and error and make us Your inheritance.” Seeing Moses was so humble he included himself in the list of people needing forgiveness. By rights he should have said: “forgive them their iniquities and their errors.” The prophet Jeremiah, who was also a member of the tribe of Levi (a priest) learned from Moses when he said: (Jeremiah 14,7) “though our iniquities testify against us, act, O Lord, for the sake of Your name.” He too did not refer to the sins of the Jewish people as “their iniquities.”
When Moses said ונחלתנו instead of ותנחילנו as is found elsewhere, especially in our liturgy, the reason may be that that he meant for G’d to make us G’d’s heritage. We find this idea reflected in Deut. 32,9 “for His people are part of G’d, Yaakov is the measure of His inheritance.” We also have a verse (Lamentations 3,24) where the prophet Jeremiah describes the relationship of the Jewish people to G’d in those terms, saying: “the Lord is my portion, my soul says with full heart, therefore I will hope in Him.” The meaning of the verse is that the Jewish soul is aware of G’d being its only true share. This is why the only hold on life on this earth Israel has is its service to the Lord.

There are places where כי is used in place of אם . Rashi is answering the question: On the contrary, is not their being a stiff-necked people a reason that He should not go with them? As it is written above (33:5), “You are a stiff-necked people. Were I to go up among you for one moment, I would destroy you.” Thus Rashi explains that this כי means “if,” as he goes on to elaborate.

FOR IT IS A STIFFNECKED PEOPLE. This is to be understood in its literal sense. G-d is to go in their midst because they are a stiffnecked people, for now that the Holy One, blessed be He, became reconciled with them, His Presence amongst those who are stiffnecked would be better than that of the angel. For He will want to increase their blessings more, since they are His people and His inheritance.⁵¹⁶See Deuteronomy 9:29 and 32:9. And just as at the time of anger it was better for them that He send before them an angel, because they are a stiffnecked people, just as He said, lest I consume thee in the way,⁵¹⁷Above, 33:3. so at the time of good-will it is better for them that the Divine Glory go with them, because they are a stiffnecked people, and He would more readily show grace and mercy upon His servants. And G-d answered him that He would do so, that He would make the covenant and do marvels because of it, just as Moses had asked for, so that we are distinguished, I and Thy people.⁵¹⁸Ibid., Verse 16. He said, before all thy people I will do marvels… and all the people amongst which thou art shall see, because all these great and tremendous things He would do with Moses and for his sake, and the people would merely be in the covenant. It is not possible, however, to explain that G-d was promising that He would now do with Israel wonders such as have not been wrought before and in all the earth, nor in any nation, for [we do not find] that after this [statement] there were any wonders done for them, greater than those which had been wrought for them at the beginning in Egypt and at the sea; on the contrary, at first there were wrought and done for them greater things. Rather, the purport thereof hints at the dwelling of the Divine Glory amongst them, and at G-d being with Moses, for splendor and for beauty⁵¹⁹Ibid., 28:2. in hidden and wondrous matters, as he said, ‘v’niphlinu’ (so that we are distinguished)⁵¹⁸Ibid., Verse 16. [which is of the root peleh — wonder], and as I have explained. May the Holy One, blessed be He, show us wonders in His Torah.

אם נא מצאתי חן בעיניך....ילך נא אדו-ני בקרבנו, “if I have indeed found favour in Your eyes, .....may my Lord walk in our midst.” Moses argues that the very reason why it is so necessary for G–d personally to walk amongst the people is the problem that the people are so stiff-necked that they might countermand an angel’s instruction which would trigger G–d’s threat to annihilate them as we read in Exodus 33,13.

אם נא מצאתי חן בעיניך ה' ילך נא ה׳ בקרבנו, “if I have indeed found favour in Your eyes o G-d, may the Lord walk among us, please.” The attribute Moses addresses in this verse is both times the attribute of His name spelled Adonai.” כי עם קשי עורף הוא, “although it is a stiffnecked people.” Moses concurred with G-d Who had described this people as “stiffnecked” in Exodus 33,3. G-d had used it as an excuse for not walking amongst that people. Moses uses this very fact as justifying his request that G-d remain present among them. What better restraining influence against the evil urge is there than the very presence of G-d, the Creator, being in its midst?An alternate explanation of this argument: “Even though they are a stiffnecked people.” We find the same logic in Psalms 25,11: וסלחת לעוני כי רב הוא, “forgive my sin even though it be great.” Why do I plead that You walk amongst us? Because the angel has no authority to forgive any trespasses against You, as You, Yourself have pointed out. It is therefore better that seeing that they are a stiff necked people, You should be there to forgive one sin of the people at a time, instead of letting them accumulate sins which, collectively, will prove too difficult to forgive.

ונחלתנו. AND TAKE US FOR THINE INHERITANCE — make us a special inheritance unto Thyself. This is the same request as that contained in (Exodus 33:16) “that we should be different, I and thy people [from all other peoples]” — which means that You should not let Your Shechinah rest upon the other peoples of the world (cf. Rashi on this verse).

וסלחת לעוננו, seeing that only You are capable and willing to forgive and we constantly hope for Your forgiveness, the angel should not be the one going with us even though countermanding his instructions is a lesser sin than countermanding Your instructions. After all, there is no hope at all to obtain forgiveness for disobedience committed against the angel, as You Yourself pointed out in 23,21 “for he will not forgive your sins committed due to a rebellious spirit.”

וסלחת לעונינו ולחטאתינו, “and You will forgive our deliberate as well as our inadvertent sins.” Moses did not ask G’d to forgive also פשענו, “our sins committed out of the desire to show defiance of G’d’s legislation.”

Take us to Yourself as a special possession. . . (An alternative text:) “That You should give us a special possession. . .” Explanation: This [special possession] is the resting of Your Shechinah upon us alone, not upon other nations. Since Hashem already answered Moshe about this, Rashi therefore says: “This is the same request as: ‘so that I and Your people will be distinguished.’” I.e., Moshe is mentioning here what he had requested before.

The matter will become clearer when we look at the names for G'd Moses used in the various verses. In our verse here Moses requests that G'd should go up in the midst of the people in His manifestation as א־ד־נ־י, whereas in 33,3 G'd had warned Moses that He would not go in their midst in His manifestation as י־ה־ו־ה. At first glance this reinforces our problem seeing that I have written that Moses wanted G'd to accompany the Israelites in His capacity as the attribute of Mercy, and here he seems to request a harsher attribute of G'd.

וסלחת לעוונו ולחטאתנו ונחלתנו, “and pardon our iniquity, and our sin, and take us as Your inheritance.” By allowing us to take possession of the Promised Land You would demonstrate this.

ונחלתנו, “and consider us as Your inheritance.” Moses means: “and thus make certain that we will inherit the land which You have promised on oath.”We find a similar construction in Numbers 34,17: אלה ראשי האבות אשר ינחלו את בני ישראל, “these are the names of the men through whom the land shall be apportioned to you.” The word ינחלו is to be understood as if in the causative mode, i.e. ינחילו.

Perhaps the insights Moses had gained after G'd had revealed to Him His Thirteen Attributes had led to Moses' appreciation that if G'd were to apply only His attribute of Mercy to the people, ignoring the attribute of Justice completely, the people would never survive the long trip because they were so stiff-necked [and would commit too many sins for G'd to overlook permanently. Ed.] Moses therefore reconsidered and asked G'd to provide the kind of presence which would not allow the sinners to count on His Mercy as if it were an inexhaustible attribute. He expressed this by saying ילך נא א־דני, i.e. a mixture of Mercy and Justice. He did so in order for the occasional sinners not to become confirmed sinners when they would perceive G'd as waiving punishment for their sins. When Moses added: וסלחת לעונינו, וג׳ he asked for the appropriate attribute of G'd, i.e. the addition of the attribute of Mercy to the attribute of Justice he had mentioned first. We observe something similar in Exodus 23,21, where G'd had explained that an angel represents only the attribute of Justice and cannot temper Justice with Mercy. Moses now realised how important it was to be under the guidance of both attributes of G'd simultaneously.

ונחלתנו, "and take us to be Your inheritance." Moses asked that G'd never exchange the Jewish people for some other people but that they should remain His "inheritance" forever.

כרת ברית [BEHOLD, I] MAKE A COVENANT about this.

הנה אנכי כורת ברית, to be in your midst. Compare Megillah 29 “when the Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia the presence of the Lord was “exiled” together with them, i.e. accompanied them; when they were exiled to Eylam the same was true. Even when they were exiled to Edom (by the Romans) this remained true.

הנה אנכי כורת ברית, with regard to your request that I personally go with you, the answer is positive, as well as with regard to your request to grant you and the people a mark of distinction. (33,16) נגד כל העם אעשה לך, I will perform such miracles וראה כל העם and the whole nation will see the greatness כי נורה הוא, that it is indeed awesome; we know this from verse 30 where we read that the people were afraid of coming near Moses. It is also reported in verse 35 that the face of Moses radiated rays of light.

ויאמר הנה אנכי כורת ברית, He said: “here I am about to conclude a covenant.“ G’d announced to Moses that He would make a covenant with him, and perform special distinctions with him and His people as Moses had requested. He added:

אשר לא נבראו בכל הארץ ובכל הגוים, “the like of which have not been created anywhere on earth nor amongst any of the nations.” G’d referred specifically to the arrest of the sun and moon in their respective orbits by Joshua and regarding the radiation of rays of light from Moses’ forehead. This is why G’d added the words: “which I perform with you.” Seeing that in this verse G’d promised Moses that he would experience miracles which had never been performed before, he was encouraged to request such a miracle when his legitimacy as a leader was challenged by Korach and company in Numbers chapter 16. Moses requested that the unrepentant Korach be swallowed up live by the earth (Numbers 16,29-30). I shall discuss that decree of G’d further when commenting on the episode in question.

On this. I.e., on [the promise of] אעשה נפלאות , which has the same meaning as ונפלינו אני ועמך (33:16).

V. 10. הנה אנכי כרת ברית, wörtlich: ich stelle als absolut und unabhängig von äußeren Bedingungen fest. (Siehe Bereschit 6, 18). Da in עַמךָ Mosche der Angeredete ist, so ist auch in אתה und עמָך Mosche der Angeredete, und es kann somit das כל העם אשר אתה בקרבו niemand anders als Israel sein. Gott versichert somit Mosche, er werde Mosche Wirksamkeit in Mitte des Volkes durch Erfolge und Ereignisse begleiten, die נפלאות sein werden (siehe Kap. 3, 20), die außer Zusammenhang mit allem physischen Kausalnexus sich als unmittelbare Schöpferwirkung Gottes ankündigen, und zwar אשר לא נבראו בכל הארץ ובכל הגוים, die weder im Gebiete der Natur noch in dem der Völkergeschichte sonst irgendwo und irgendwann ihres Gleichen gefunden. Es wird somit die "Sendung Mosches" als Unikum in Raum und Zeit dastehen und dadurch die Einzigkeit, Göttlichkeit und Unantastbarkeit ( — נורא — ) des durch ihn gebrachten Gottesgesetzes für alle Zeiten bewahrheitet sein. Eine Dokumentierung, die zunächst für Israel verwertet werden soll. Indem nämlich mit dieser Erwiderung Mosche V. 9 ausgesprochener Bitte willfahrt werden soll, in welcher die ganze Zukunft des Volkes bei der Wiederanknüpfung der Gegenwart mit in Berechnung gezogen, und eine Geschlechter hindurch dauernde Erziehung des Volkes zu der ganzen Höhe des göttlichen Gesetzes in Aussicht genommen ist, muss dieses Gesetz zuvor in seiner ganzen absoluten, von Gott verbrieften und von Gott vertretenen Unantastbarkeit dahin gestellt und dem Volke für alle Zeiten zum Bewusstsein gebracht sein, dass die "Sendung Mosches" als בריאה, als Gottesschöpfung in Mitte der Menschengeschichte dastehe, als solche aber sich von allem anderen ihrem ganzen Wesen nach völlig unterscheide und mit nichts in Vergleich zu bringen sei, was sonst auf Erden unter Völkern als Religion, Gesetz usw. entstanden ist und entstehen wird. Diese "Sendung Mosches" tritt zunächst jetzt an Israel hinan und hat die göttliche Absolutheit ihrer siegenden Kraft in der Gewinnung dieses "harten" Volkes zu erproben.

הנה אנכי כורת ברית, “I hereby make a covenant, etc.” G-d promises to walk with the Children of Israel. He adds: “concerning your question (33,16) ‘how will it be known that both I and Your people are distinguished?’” The answer is: נגד כל עמך אעשה נפלאות, “I will perform miracles in full view of your whole people the like of which I have never performed on earth.”An alternate explanation: the covenant G-d speaks of here is the one spelled out in detail in verse 27: where it is made clear that a new covenant was necessary as the people had broken the original covenant as stated there: כי על פי הדברים האלה כרתי אתך ברית ואת ישראל, “for according to these commandments (words) I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” The commandments referred to are the observance of the three pilgrimage festivals that have been listed already in Exodus 23,16: Passover, Pentecost and the festival of huts. They are repeated here as a reminder, as all three are related directly to the Exodus from Egypt. Seeing that the subject came up, the law concerning sanctification of the firstborn males of humans and pure animals, as well as the donkeys, is also mentioned here again.

אעשה נפלאת — The word נפלאת is an expression of the same meaning as ונפלינו (Exodus 33:16; so that the phrase means: I will make a difference) meaning that you shall be different in this respect from all other peoples — in that My Shechinah will not rest upon them.

נגד כל העם אעשה נפלאות, when the people pray, aware of these attributes which I have revealed, i.e. invoking them,

נגד כל עמך אעשה נפלאות ...וראה כל העם אשר אתה בקרבו, “the distinctive acts which I will perform in sight of the whole people that you are amongst, etc.” G’d says that whatever wonderful acts He would perform henceforth would be on account of His special relationship with Moses, and the people would be beneficiaries seeing that they are included in this covenant. It is not possible to explain this verse as meaning that G’d would perform even greater miracles for the people than He had performed in the past, as we can search the whole Torah and not find any evidence of this having been the case.

כי נורא הוא, “for it is awesome;” this is a reference to Moses having returned from the Mountain while his face was radiating light so strong that the people were scared of him. (34,30)

וראה כל העם הזה אשר אתה בקרבו, however, these miracles which you requested I will perform only for the eyes of this people that you find yourself in provided that they qualify at that time for being עמך, “your people.”

אשר אני עושה; because of your merit. This is one of the meanings of Exodus 33,17 כי מצאת חן בעיני ואדעך בשם, “for you have gained My favour and I have singled you out by name.”

את האמרי וגו׳ THE AMORITE etc. — There are only six nations mentioned here, because the seventh, the Girgashites, arose and emigrated of their own accord (Leviticus Rabbah 17:6; cf. Rashi on Exodus 33:2).

OBSERVE THOU THAT WHICH I AM COMMANDING THEE THIS DAY. Of all the commandments mentioned previously He did not say I am commanding thee. Therefore we must explain the meaning of His words as follows: “Observe the commandments which I command you today, and do not treat them as you have treated those which I commanded you at first, when you violated everything by worshipping the idols.” Now He promised here to drive out from before them the peoples [of the Land], and He warned them against their idols and against making a covenant with them, just as He had done in the section of Behold, I send an angel before thee,⁵²⁰Ibid., 23:20. thus going over the first conditions again. However, He added here, Thou shalt make thee no molten gods,⁵²¹Further, Verse 17. meaning that they should not do as they had done with the calf, even if their thoughts are directed to Heaven, to make themselves a guide. He restated here the subject of the three festivals,⁵²²Ibid., Verse 23. that they appear before the Eternal G-d, the G-d of Israel,⁵²²Ibid., Verse 23. as He had mentioned it there.⁵²³Above, 23:17. The reason [for the restatement] is known, since it comes after the admonition against idolatry. I have already explained it at the end of [Seder] Vayishma Yithro.⁵²⁴Ibid., 20:21.

שמר לך את אשר אנכי מצוך היום, I do not only caution you against ever trading My glory for some other deity, but you must not allow others to serve alien deities [this applies in the land of Israel where we shall have control of such people. Ed.]

שמר לך, "Observe for yourself, etc.!" How does the term "observe" apply to the subject matter of this verse? If the Torah refers to the commandment G'd is about to reveal as something Moses is to "observe" as Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra suggests, why would G'd select this commandment of not concluding a covenant with the seven Canaanite nations rather than any other of the many commandments as something for Moses to be very careful about? After all, Moses had already been told that it was not he who would conquer these nations What point was there in warning him specifically not to conclude such a covenant?

שמר לך את אשר אנכי מצוך, “Beware of what I command you today.” Nachmanides writes that it is clear that concerning commandments the Israelites had already violated, G’d would not say “the ones I command you this day.” Therefore, G’d must be referring to commandments that He is about to announce, and He warns the people not to disregard them as they had done with other commandments that had been issued in the past. At that time, by violating the commandment concerning idolatry they had in effect violated the whole of the Torah legislation that set them apart from other nations. When G’d had promised to expel the nations inhabiting the land of Canaan and to replace them with the Israelites, this had been due largely to the idolatrous ways of the members of those tribes. The Israelites are therefore warned at this time not to have any track with those nations, as they would lure them into worshipping their traditional deities, especially if there would be intermarriage between the two peoples. The absolute prohibition of making a cast image is therefore repeated here once more. As a corollary, and as if to underline how the pilgrimages three times a year to Jerusalem i.e. to the Temple would help cement the close relations between the average Israelite and his G’d, this legislation is repeated here once more also.

VV. 11 — 14. Die erste, unerlässlichste Bedingung ist, dass dieses "Werk Mosches an dem Volk" keinen gegensätzlichen Einfluss in Mitte des Volkes selber habe. Haben wir das קמיהם Kap. 32, 25 richtig verstanden, so war der jüngste Abfall selbst, wenn gleich nicht hervorgerufen, so doch wesentlich durch einen solchen fremden Einfluss gefördert worden. Zu diesem Zwecke muss das Volk mit dem Bewusstsein von seiner völligen Isoliertheit mit diesem Gottesgesetze erfüllt werden. Mit diesem Gottesgesetze in Händen, steht es auf Erden völlig allein. Es hat nicht einen Gott und die Völker haben auch einen Gott, einen Altar und die Völker auch Altäre, Denkmäler und Heiligtum, wie die Völker auch die ihrigen, so dass beide neben einander bestehen, beide gleich wahr, aber auch gleich unwahr sein können. Sein Gott, sein Altar, seine Denkmäler und Heiligtümer schließen alle anderen aus, sein Gott ist קנא und seines Gottes Name d. i. seine Anerkennung ist קנא, duldet keinen anderen Gott neben sich. Ja, תכרתון ,תשברון ,תתוצון: "Vernichtung des Heidentums in seinen Gottverehrungen (מזבחת), seinen Traditionen (מצבתם) und seinem Aberglauben (אשריו) ist eure eigentliche Sendung." Ihr sollt somit nicht nur die bisherigen Bewohner des Landes mit ihren heidnischen Lebensweisen und Anschauungen nicht unter euch dulden, ihr sollt auch die Spuren ihres heidnischen Wesens in eurem Lande verwischen.

שמר לך את אשר אנכי מצוך היום, “Observe that which I command you this day!” G-d warns that whereas He had pardoned the people for the sins committed in the past, that from now on they have to be on guard not to sin again.

Perhaps there is a lesson here about how true repentance works. Seeing the Israelites had become guilty of worshiping an idol, the תקון, rehabilitation, for such a sin required that they destroy everything even remotely connected with idolatry if they wanted to attain complete atonement for their sin. This required that they cultivate a strong abhorrence for all forms of idolatry starting already now, long before they would displace the idolatrous Canaanites and destroy any vestiges of idol worship the Canaanites had been guilty of. The verb שמר may perhaps be understood in the sense that Jacob used it when he heard Joseph's dream with the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowing down to him. At that time (Genesis 37,11), Jacob had begun to look forward to the way this dream would become fulfilled. The Israelites (including Moses) were now meant to look forward to the time when they could carry out the commandment G'd was about to give them.

אשרה und אשר, das nur im plur. masc. hervortritt, scheint ein Baum gewesen zu sein, den man sich unter dem besonderen Schutz einer Gottheit dachte, deren Gegenwart und Einfluss man in dessen Gedeihen (אשר) zu gewahren glaubte. Wenn, im Gegensatz zu מזבתתם und מצבתם, bei אשריו das pron. possess. im Singular steht und sich somit auf den Kollektivbegriff יושב הארץ des vorangehenden Verses bezieht, so dürften Altäre und Denkmäler im Heidentum auch von den einzelnen errichtet, אשרות aber nur durch nationalen Wahn geheiligt worden sein. Wenn übrigens, wie רמב׳׳ן zu Dewarim 20, 10 nachweist, auch bisherigen Bewohnern des Landes ein ferneres Verbleiben unter der Bedingung der Entsagung vom Heidentum und der Rückkehr in den Noachidenstand als גרים תושבים gestattet war, so dürfte das פן תכרת ברית ליושב הארץ eben vor der absoluten, bedingungslosen Gestattung des Verbleibens warnen.

Alternatively, G'd implied that as long as the Israelites had not become guilty of making a molten image He would not have bothered to command them to keep a physical and cultural distance from the Gentile nations and their abominations. Seeing they themselves had become victims of the impulse to worship an idol, G'd now had to give the people this law in order to ensure that they would not again be tempted to succumb to idolatry. The words שמר לך, are a reminder that the law was due to something the Israelites themselves had done.

כי לא תשתחוה לאל אחר. Das großeך hebt eben hier an bedeutsamster Stelle den Gegensatz zum אחד hervor. Wohl sollst du dich beugen, ja völlig niederwerfen, aber nur vor dem א׳ אחד. Aber eben dadurch, dass du dich vor dem einen Einzigen völlig niederwirfst, hast du vor allen anderen Mächten und Gewalten völlig aufrecht zu bleiben, gibt es keine andere Gewalt, vor der du dich beugen dürftest.

A moral-ethical approach sees in the word לך "for yourself" a reference to Moses; G'd hinted to Moses that the words: "I am going to drive out before you the nations, etc." are not a reference to what would happpen in the immediate future, but refer to the distant future, to messianic times. It corresponds to the statement of our sages in Bamidbar Rabbah 19,13 which describes the Jews (the generation which perished in the desert) as saying that: "the same Moses who has redeemed us from Egypt will redeem us in the future." G'd told Moses to be looking forward to that time, i.e. שמר לך. You may find support for this interpretation when you consider that the promise contained in the line "I will drive out before you, etc.," has never been fulfilled during the time the Israelites travelled in the desert.

אשריו — An אשרה was a tree which they worshipped.

קנא שמו WHOSE NAME IS קנא — Who is zealous (מקנא) to exact punishment from the sinners and is not indulgent towards idolatry. This (the above) is always the meaning of the root קנא wherever it is used in connection with God. Consequently קנא שמו His name (His characteristic) is קַנָּא that of a zealot, implies: He maintains (insists upon) his superiority over other gods, and punishes His enemies (those who worship idols).

כי לא תשתחוה לאל אחר, this is why you must destroy altars intended for worship of such alien deities and not display any indulgence to people practicing such a religion. By indulging such people [in the name of ‘freedom of religion’ Ed.] you would be honouring such deities indirectly and you would provoke My wrath for

כי ה' קנא שמו, G’d’s very name suggests that He cannot tolerate any other existence in the universe that purports to be independent of Him, in competition with Him. This is why He is known (in the Ten Commandments) as “a jealous G’d.” This means that He will punish those who serve the “competition.”

ואכלת מזבחו AND THOU EAT OF HIS SACRIFICE — You might perhaps think that there is no punishable offence in eating of it, this is not so, but I will account it unto you as though you consent to his idolatrous worship because through this (through partaking of his meals) you will be induced to take your daughters unto your sons (cf. Avodah Zarah 8a).

AND THOU EAT OF THEIR SACRIFICE. “You might think that there is no punishment for eating thereof, but I will account it to you as if you agreed to its idolatrous worship.” This is Rashi’s language.⁵²⁵In our text of Rashi the text concludes: “Because through this [partaking of his meals] you will come to take of his daughters to your sons” (as mentioned in the following Verse 16). Rashi thus connects Verse 15 with the following verse, as if to say that the danger of partaking of his meals (mentioned in Verse 15) is that it will lead to the taking of his daughters to your sons (mentioned in Verse 16). Ramban will differ with this interpretation, and hold that Verse 15 constitutes an independent prohibition. But I say in accordance with the opinion of our Rabbis that this constitutes an admonition against eating of the sacrifices to idols, which they said⁵²⁶Abodah Zarah 29b. is forbidden by law of the Torah, and we find no verse concerning it except this one. And the following is the meaning of the verse: “Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go astray after their gods, for they will always be sacrificing to them, and lest they call thee and thou eat of their sacrifice, which he will sacrifice to his gods in his going astray after them, and lest thou take of their daughters unto thy sons.” Thus they are all admonitions following the first prohibition, concerning which He said, lest thou make a covenant.⁵²⁷In Verse 15 before us.

פן תכרות ברית, the Torah immediately explains that the reason why entering into contractual relationships with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan is a non starter, is that once you do that the way is open for them to corrupt you by one of two means; either they will woo your sons to marry their daughters or vice versa. It is only the most elementary courtesy then that they invite you to partake in their festive meals (animals offered to their deities) You will not resist such invitations because you do not want to offend the women whom you love. The truth of this was amply demonstrated even with women who did not live in the land of Canaan in Numbers 22,5.

פן תכרות ברית, "lest you enter enter into a covenant, etc." The Torah stresses that although the Canaanites would be prepared to accept the seven Noachide laws as a pre-condition to such a covenant, the Israelites must not conclude such a covenant with them. The reason is that these nations would display an irresistible temptation to engage in idolatry with their former deities as they do not truly believe in G'd, a fact which is evident to every student of Kabbalah. וזבחו לאלוהיהם, "they will offer meat-offerings to their deities," and they will invite you to participate in such meals. We have been taught in Avodah Zarah 8 that a Jew is considered as having participated in such a meal from the moment he has accepted the invitation to participate based on the word מזבחו. In chapter four of his treatise Hilchot Shechitah, Maimonides prohibits Jews from eating meat slaughtered by a Gentile even if he does not worship idols and the slaughter was performed under the supervision of a Jew. G'd detests the fact that a Gentile slaughters a beast. [Maybe in order to qualify for the right to kill animals for food, man must have demonstrated his superiority to the beast by observing at least the seven Noachide commandments. Ed.]

ואכלת מזבחו, “and you would eat from what he had offered as a sacrificial offering to his deity.” Cultural relations with the nations now in the land of Canaan would inevitably lead to intermarriage and to idolatrous practices. [Jewish history, alas, is full of examples of the truth of the fears expressed here by the Torah. Ed.] The first step in such a chain is concluding of a non aggression pact with any remnants of the Canaanites allowed to continue to live there.

I will consider it for you. . . I.e., this comes to give a reason for the preceding [“Take care not to make a covenant”]. You might think that only their sacrificial services are prohibited, as I commanded you, “You must shatter their altars. . .” — but that nothing is wrong with making a covenant with them and participating in their feast, [while eating your own food (Avodah Zarah 8a)]. Do not think so, because “I will consider it for you as if you concur in his idol worship.”

VV. 15 u. 16. Indem auch der Götterdienst der anderen Völker durch זנה ausgedrückt wird, ist damit auch das Verhältnis, in welchem Gott zu allen anderen Menschen stehen will und in welchem alle anderen Menschen zu ihm stehen sollen, unter dem Bilde derselben Innigkeit gedacht, wie dies bei Israel unter dem Begriffe der Ehe gefasst wird. Auch ihr Wesen sollte mit Gott in ewiger Treue vermählt sein, und auch ihr Heidentum ist ein Treubruch gegen Gott. זנה (gesteigert זנח ,שנא) bezeichnet ja die Entfernung von demjenigen, mit dem man in innigster Vereinigung verbunden sein sollte.

אלוהי מסכה, graven images; some cameos, worn at times when certain horoscopes, constellations, dominate the sky; they are intended to protect the wearer. (compare Maimonides, Moreh, 1,63) The reason why these cameos are cast is that all of their parts must be made simultaneously, symbolising the simultaneous appearance of such constellations of certain stars. The people serving these constellations believe that they can improve the quality of their lives by means of goodwill extended to them by these stars. The Torah warns against this practice because the person doing this may not even consider that this constitutes a rebellion against the Creator seeing he does not accept these stars as “gods.” G’d looks at the matter differently, not wanting any of us to turn to any source other than Him for all our wishes and prayers. This is why we recite in our daily prayers ואנחנו לא נדע מה נעשה כי עליך עינינו, “for we do not know what we could do, seeing that our eyes are turned exclusively to You.” (Chronicles II 20,12)

אלוהי מסכה לא תעשה לך, “do not make for yourself a cast image as deity.” The meaning is: “such as you have made up until now when you constructed the golden calf.” This had been an error because the people had wanted to counter (find means to frustrate) G’d’s attribute of Justice The reason this warning is appended to the commandment to observe the Passover rituals is that this festival is a reminder of G’d’s attribute of Mercy in action. Once the people remember the attribute of Mercy in action they will not feel the need to devise means to counter the attribute of Justice.
Please reflect on how the Torah presents the Passover rituals here, i.e. the prohibition of chametz. The wording לא תשחט על חמץ דם זבחי, “do not slaughter My blood-offering while in the possession of leavened food,” is certainly most enigmatic [even after we have made it intelligible already by translating its meaning rather than its precise wording, Ed.] I believe that the Torah wishes to hint to us that both חמץ and מצה in this verse represent basic attributes of G’d, i.e. דין ורחמים. The same applies to the laws about mixing milk and meat at the end of this paragraph (verse 26). This is the reason that this whole passage appears in the paragraph in which the 13 attributes (nuances) of G’d are listed. If you find something similar in Exodus 22,24 where the legislation about not mixing milk and meat also appears, the reason is that that paragraph also dealt with the Sabbath legislation (Exodus 23,12) and mention of the six days we are to work and the seventh day on which we are to rest. It is similarly a reference to G’d expressing different attributes of His on the weekdays from those displayed primarily on the Sabbath. To sum up: the subjects of בשר וחלב, חמץ ומצה, שבת וימי חול, all are allusions to G’d’s different attributes at work in His relationship with man.

V.17. Die vorangehenden, sowie die hier folgenden Gesetze stehen schon oben als Schluss der Grundzüge der sozialen Gesetzgebung משפטים. So wie sie dort zum Schlusse diese Institutionen als solche hervorheben, durch welche die Anhänglichkeit an das Gesetz überhaupt und die Gleichstellung aller Staatsangehörigen vor dem Gesetze insbesondere fortwährend Belebung und Nahrung finden sollen, so stehen sie hier bei der Wiedergabe des bereits fast eingebüssten Gesetzes noch einmal, und ganz besonders in ihrem Gegensatz zum Heidentum und zu dem besonderen heidnischen Wahn, der eben das Volk fast zum Verluste seines Selbst und des Gesetzes gebracht hätte. "עשה לנו אלהים" וגו׳ darin war ja der Wahn zu Tage getreten, als könne sich, ja müsse sich dann auch der Mensch irgend eine Gottheit, oder irgend ein Göttliches, sei es auch nur zur Vermittlung der schützenden und leitenden Beziehung Gottes zu sich, gestalten, als stünde der Mensch nicht unmittelbar zu Gott, und könne oder müsse Gottes Schutz durch irgend etwas anderes als die treue Erfüllung seines Gesetzes sich sichern. Dem tritt dieses und alle die folgenden Gesetze entgegen, indem sie die Menschenpersönlichkeit in ihrer unmittelbaren Gottesnähe aufrichten und den Menschen nicht durch die Natur, nicht durch irgend etwas seiner Außenwelt Angehöriges, sondern die Natur, seine ganze Außenwelt, durch den Menschen in die Bundesnähe Gottes gehoben zeigen. Daher zuerst V. 17: אלהי מסכה וגו׳, du hast dir kein Götterbild zu gestalten, hast nicht das Göttliche durch ein Bild zu dir wahnvoll herab zu bannen, vielmehr dich durch Gestaltung alles deines Menschlichen nach seinem Willen zu deinem Gotte emporzuheben. Sodann V. 18f. ,wenn der Frühling winkt, wenn der Sommer die Früchte reift את־חג המצות תשמר וגו׳ wenn der Herbst dir die Ernte bringt, hast du nicht die Natur in ihren Spenden, hast vielmehr in dem Frühling du deinen Frühling, im Sommer deine Reife, im Herbste deine Vollendung zu feiern. Nicht in den Tempel der Natur rufen dich die Manifestationen des Jahreslebens der Natur, bei jedem großen Jahresschritt der Natur eilst du aus ihrem Bereiche fort und hinauf und hinein in den Tempel des einen Einzigen, der ihr Herr wie der deinige ist, und der dir mehr und noch näher ist als ihr, der durch sein Gesetz, in dessen Tempel du hinaufeilst, ד׳ אלקי ישראל ist, nicht nur einmal dich wie sie dahin gestellt, sondern jedem deiner kommenden Lebensmomente lenkend und leitend, schützend, gestaltend und segnend nahe ist, und dessen dich und dein Land gegen alle feindliche Macht schützende Obhut du eben durch die Huldigung seines Gesetzes in seinem Tempel gewinnst. Diesen gegensätzlichen Zusammenhang der Feste mit dem Heidentum spricht auch Peßachim 118 a der Satz aus: כל המבזה את המועדות כאלו עובר ע׳׳ו שנא׳ אלהי מסכה לא תעשה לך וכתיב בתריה את חג המצות תשמור.

אלהי מסכה, “a graven image to symbolise G–d”. Seeing that the people had already sinned once by making a golden calf out of molten gold, the Torah now warns specifically against repeating that error.

אלהי מסכה לא תעשה לך, “you must not make yourself a molten image!” This is a reminder of the golden calf. What applies to molten images also applies in equal measure to temples dedicated to idolatry. The reason why this prohibition has been repeated here is that Aaron had thrown pieces of gold into a crucible and nonetheless a fully formed golden calf had emerged.

חדש האביב THE MONTH OF ABIB — the month of early ripening — the month when the grain is in its first stage of ripening.

את חג המצות תשמור, after the Torah warned us against a graven image meant to improve the quality of our life on this planet, it turns to the commandments the function of which it is (if performed) to assure us of “so-called” success in spring, during the harvest in summer, when gathering the last harvests in autumn, and success in our business endeavours. The Torah enumerates the commandments concerned in the order in which we just listed them.
חג המצות למועד חודש האביב, observance of this commandment is to insure that our springtime activities will be blessed. The offering of the firstborns are designed to ensure that our summer time activities will be blessed. This commandment was given immediately after the Exodus. It is intended to ensure that our livestock will be blessed. Third is the commandment to observe the Sabbath, a commandment given to the people at Marah, several weeks before the revelation at Mount Sinai. The objective of Sabbath observance is to ensure that our endeavours during the six days of the week will be blessed with success. The fourth commandment is that of observing the festival of Shavuot, in the early summer, as a result of which the grain harvest will be blessed. The fifth commandment mentioned here is the Sukkot festival, observance of which is to ensure the success of the grape harvest, etc. Deuteronomy 16,17 spells out that the festivals’ aim is to make us conscious of the blessings we have been given by G’d.
Having listed specific commandments, the Torah adds a comprehensive commandment applying on each of the three festivals mentioned previously, the pilgrimage to be made by the males to the Temple.
This is followed by some details about the festival of matzot in verse 25, followed by a commandment usually observed on Shavuot, the harvest festival, when most of the first fruit has ripened already (verse 26) and the bringing of the first ripened fruit by each farmer accompanied by a thanksgiving prayer is in full swing until Sukkot. This, in turn, is followed by a prohibition not to boil the kid in the milk of its mother, seeing that it is the time of year when most young goats are born. (compare Rosh Hashanah 2) Seeing that at that time the tithe of new born animals is applicable, that is the time when one has to be warned against violating this commandment.

את חג המצות תשמור, "you are to observe the festival of unleavened bread." The reason that the Torah chose to mention this commandment at this point is the need for the Israelites to rehabilitate themselves from the sin of idolatry. The Zohar volume 4 page 40 states that the spiritual equivalent of leavened matter is an alien deity. This is the reason G'd has so insistently and repeatedly warned us about keeping or eating leavened matter on the festival of Passover. In this instance, G'd instructed us concerning the observance of all the festivals. The reason may be that all the major festivals are rooted in the Exodus experience of the Jewish people. Inasmuch as the sin of the golden calf elevated that idol to the redeemer which took the Israelites out of Egypt, all festivals are a reminder of the Exodus. G'd repeated the legislation because it contained elements which demonstrated that he who observed these commandments expressed his opposition to idolatry by doing so. He also mentioned Sabbath observance since the observance of the Sabbath counteracts the previously performed idolatry. Just as idolatry cancels all merits one ever accumulated by performing G'd's commandments, so the observance of the Sabbath is considered as observance of all the commandments and a form of rehabilitation for the idolatry one was guilty of previously. Compare my comments at the beginning of Parshat Vayakel.

V. 18. את חג המצות, mit dem Brote der Knechtschaft und der sozialen Armut in der Hand, feierst du das Fest deiner Erstehung zur Freiheit und Selbständigkeit. Wie du deine geschichtliche Existenz durch keinerlei äußere Mittel errungen, wie du arm und von allem entblößt, nur dich und deine Kinder hattest, als du frei werden solltest, und nur dich und deine Kinder Gott für immer hinzugeben hattest, um durch Ihn, Ihn allein erlöst zu werden, so bleibt dir dein Erlösungsfest stets die Erneuerung deines unmittelbaren, unvermittelten Verhältnisses zu Gott. Du brauchst auch jetzt und ewig nichts mehr als dich, als dich allein, um deinen Gott zu finden und seines Schutzes und seiner Leitung gewiss zu werden. Oben, Kap. 23, 15, heißt es: כאשר צויתך, hier aber: אשר צויתך, du hast nichts nach deiner Erfindung zu gestalten, was Ich anerkennen soll, du hast das zu gestalten und zu erfüllen, was ich dir geboten habe. Das Stückchen Mazza, das du nach Gottes Gebote issest, setzt dich in nähere, tiefere und innigere Beziehung zu Gott als alle Göttergestaltungen und Gottesverehrungen menschlicher Erfindung zusammen.

את חג המצות “the festival of unleavened bread, etc.;” the festivals are repeated in order to warn the people not to add a festival of their own as they had done when they danced around the golden calf. This is the reason that these festivals’ names follow immediately upon the reminder not to make a molten image.

את חג המצות, the festival of matzot, etc.; all the commandments listed in this paragraph up to and including verse 26, are symbols of the fact that you have become servants of Hashem and that on the festivals named, the servants present their master with a gift expressing their fondness of |Him as well as their subservience.

כל פטר רחם לי EVERY FIRST OFFSPRING OF THE WOMB IS MINE amongst human beings,

כל פטר רחם לי, the commandment applies to male humans and male new born animals of the categories that are domesticated and fit to eat for Jews. Seeing that one category of “unclean” animal, the donkey, is also part of this legislation, though, of course such an animal is not fit to be sacrificed on the altar of the Temple, the Torah has to add certain qualifications when writing about this commandment. Whereas the “pure” firstborn may not be redeemed and made secular, but must themselves be offered on the altar, their blood and fat remaining there, the donkey either has to be redeemed or to be killed in a manner that precludes its flesh being used commercially. [it may not be consumed seeing it is an “unclean” animal. Ed.] (Numbers 18,17)

כל פטר רחם לי, seeing that through the plague of the killing of the firstborn of Egypt all the Jewish firstborn sons and firstborn male livestock who left Egypt were sanctified. The legislation was recorded after the legislation dealing with festival of matzot.

All that opens the womb. These laws were discussed earlier in ch. 13. They are repeated here lest one suppose that the first-born ceased to be holy once the Levites were chosen in their stead, for the purpose of their election was to produce a corps of individuals dedicated to Torah study and Divine service, a role subsequently fulfilled by the Levites.

That is male of the first-born of the cattle and sheep. . . [Rashi is explaining that] אשר is missing from תזכר , and a ב is missing from פטר , so the verse means וכל מקנך אשר תזכר בפטר שור ושה . Rashi adds a ב to פטר because תזכר refers to the livestock which gives birth, not to the פטר [the first-born animal]. The verse thus conveys: “All your livestock which a male opens its womb, [that male is Mine].”

VV. 19 u. 20. Oben, Kap. 23, 15, bei dem ersten Schluss der ersten Gesetzesgebung, wird nicht besonders die Erstgeburtsweihe hervorgehoben, das ולא יראו פני ריקם, das hier im V. 20 steht, schließt unmittelbar den Satz über das Mazzotfest. Hier aber, wo es vor allem, wie bereits angedeutet, gilt, die dem Wahn des Heidentums entgegengekehrten Seiten der Institutionen, und insbesondere die darin gelehrte Unmittelbarkeit des Menschenwesens zu Gott hervorzuheben, wird die Institution des יציאת מצריםFestes noch durch die ja in demselben Faktum wurzelnde Institution der Erstgeburtsweihe ergänzt. "Mein ist jede physische Geburt in Israel", also spricht sich diese Institution in diesem Zusammenhange aus. Mir, deiner unmittelbaren Beziehung zu mir, nicht der Gunst der Naturgewalten, verdankst du alles, was dir lebt; von mir aus und für mich blüht dir die Nahrung (בהמה טהורה), der Besitz (חמור) und die Familie (בכור אדם); nicht steht die Natur zwischen dir und mir, sondern zwischen der Natur und mir stehst du, nach deinem Verhalten zu mir lebt oder stirbt, blüht oder welkt, verdirbt oder gedeiht alles, was dir aufblüht und atmet in deinem Kreis. Es ist nicht nur das erste, durch die Weihe des Erstgebornen wird der Mutterschoß Gott heilig, der ihn geboren, und alles, was der Mutterschoß ferner gebiert. כל מקנך, deine ganze Habe, תזכר: wird durch die Weihe des ersten Männlichen Gott gegenüber, "in Erinnerung gebracht" — (תזכר hat eine zweifache Anomalie: מקנה, zu welchem es als Prädikat steht, ist masc. und תזכר ist fem. Es heißt ferner תזכָר statt תזכֵר. Wir glauben, die Bedeutung des Wortes זכר in dem Sinne hier verstehen zu müssen, in welchem es in אזכָרָה erscheint, wo es denjenigen Teil der מנחות bedeutet, der dem Altarfeuer übergeben und wodurch das durch das מנחה überhaupt Repräsentierte, wörtlich: in Erinnerung gebracht, d. h. der göttlichen, schützenden und segnenden Obhut empfohlen wird. Was das קומץ beim מנחה ist, das ist der בכור in Bezug auf den Kreis von Gütern, dem er angehört, und der durch seine Weihe in seiner Gotthörigkeit Gott in Erinnerung gebracht, das heißt, seiner Obhut unterstellt wird. In kürzester Prägnanz des Ausdrucks ist nun durch Umwandlung des תזכֵר in תזכָר zugleich im Worte das Objekt, nämlich das זָכָר angedeutet, durch dessen Weihe diese אזכרה des Gesamtbesitzes vollzogen wird. Weiblich aber ist hier מקנה begriffen, eben um den Besitz in seiner Abhängigkeit von Gott und dessen Segen zu bezeichnen. In diesem Sinne haben wir übersetzt. Ähnlich auch Onkelos: דכרין תקדיש. Das Wort spricht eigentlich aus: dein מקנה ist so lange "weiblich", als es nicht durch die אזכרה des בכור's זכר wird, ganz dasselbe, was das ואם לא תפדה וערפתו des פטר חמור zum Bewusstsein bringt) — und all dein lebloser Besitz hat nur Wert und Dauer, wenn er durch Umwandlung in das Leben einer "Gott folgenden Persönlichkeit", lebendig wird, und auch deine Kinder gehören nur dir, wenn sie Gott gehören; ולא יראו פני ריקם, denn es gibt keine Klüftung in deinem Wesen und in deinen Beziehungen, dass etwa dein Geist, dein Gemüt, dein Inneres, deine Person Gott, aber was du als deinen Anteil an den Gütern der Welt dein nennst, anderen Mächten unterstände und daher auch anderen Richtungen angehörte: wenn du vor mir erscheinst, hast du den Ausdruck alles Deinigen mitzubringen; es will Gott dich nicht ohne zugleich alles Deine in deiner Persönlichkeit mit dir vor seinem Angesicht zu erblicken. (Siehe über dieses alles Kap. 13, 2 u. 11 f. und Kap. 23, 15.)

כל פטר רחם לי, “the first fruit of the womb belongs to Me.” Earlier, this expression had included every domestic animal, now each species of animal has been named separately to show to which species this law applies.

וכל מקנך וגו׳ AND also ALL THY CATTLE WHICH IT (the mother animal) BRINGS FORTH AS MALE BY AN OX OR AN ASS OPENING its womb: it means, that a male animal opens her womb.

פטר is an expression denoting “opening”; similar is (Proverbs 17:14) “As if one openeth (letteth run) (פוטר) water so is the beginning of strife”. The ת of תזכר expresses the feminine gender and refers to the animal in labour (i. e. the prefix is 3rd fem. sing., not 2nd masc. sing.: the subject to תזכר must be supplied “the mother animal”).

ופטר חמור AND THE FIRST OFFSPRING OF AN ASS [THOU SHALT REDEEM] — but not that of any other unclean animal (Bekhorot 5b).

בכור בניך תפדה, the amount to be paid has been spelled out in Numbers 18,16.

כל בכור בניך תפדה ולא יראו פני ריקם. “You shall redeem every firstborn of your sons. They shall not appear before Me empty-handed.” If someone has the good fortune to be a firstborn this is a true distinction. To some degree he shares this distinction with G’d Himself Who is also “a first in the universe.” The offering of sacrifices prior to the sin of the golden calf was always performed exclusively by the respective firstborn of the family. This is why Yaakov was envious of his twin brother Esau who had this privilege. The wicked Esau sold his privilege, thereby displaying his contempt for service of the Lord. After the sin of the golden calf the firstborn were disqualified seeing they had participated in that sin instead of acting as true priests restraining the other Jews from worshipping the golden calf. Their function was taken over by the tribe of Levi, some of whom became priests, others performing tasks allocated to the Levites in the Book of Numbers. Although the firstborn were no longer accorded the privilege of performing priestly functions, they did retain the distinction of being firstborn, a distinction vis-a-vis people who are not firstborn. Our sages (Vayikra Rabbah 2,2) state that whenever the Torah speaks of someone being לי, “for Me,” i.e. for G’d, the meaning is that such a status is accorded permanently both in this world and in the world to come. The Jewish people who are described as being set aside for G’d with the words ואבדיל אתכם מן העמים להיות לי, “I have separated you from the other nations to belong to Me,” are an example of what we just said. Another example is Numbers 3,45 והיו לי הלוים, “the Levites will remain Mine.” The same expression occurs in connection with the earth seeing G’d says in Exodus 19,5 כי לי כל הארץ for the entire earth is Mine. The Torah also writes of the firstborn that they belong to the Lord, i.e. כי לי כל בכור. This means that the firstborn does not forfeit this status either in this life or in the world to come. Thus far the Midrash.
The commandment involving the firstborn applies exclusively to male firstborns This is what is meant when the Torah wrote כל פטר רחם בבני ישראל, “every opening of the womb amongst the sons of Israel” (Exodus 13,2). The Torah also writes וכל בכור אדם בבניך תפדה, “and every firstborn human amongst your sons you shell redeem” (verse 13 in that chapter). It is incumbent upon a firstborn to devote himself to Torah and G’d’s commandments more than other people who do not share this distinction with him. His father must perform the duty to redeem him as this commandment devolves in the first instance on the father. Should the father have failed to perform this redemption the firstborn son must redeem himself when he comes of age (Kidushin 29). If the redemption is neglected both by his father and himself he is subject to being punished for our sages write that the reason that this legislation is written in connection with the duty to perform the pilgrimage to the Temple is to remind people to redeem the firstborn as the firstborn who have been redeemed will experience the privilege of welcoming the Shechinah and will live to see the Temple rebuilt. Those who have not been redeemed will not see the rebuilding of the Temple.

Not of any other unclean animal. The reason it is specifically a donkey and not other unclean animals is explained by Rashi in 13:13.

ופטר חמור תפדה, “and the firstborn male donkey you shall redeem;” why is this repeated? It is not fit as a sacrifice.

תפדה בשה THOU SHALT REDEEM WITH A LAMB — one gives a lamb to the priest and it remains in his possession with the character of a non-holy object (חולין — an ordinary animal). The firstborn ass is then permitted to the owner to be used for work (Bekhorot 9b).

It remains non-sacred in the hands of the kohein. . . [Rashi is explaining that] this is different from other consecrated and unfit animals which were redeemed, since they and [even] their replacements may not be shorn or used for work, since [the replacements] stand in their place. [And here, the baby donkey is consecrated as a first-born, but is unfit to be a sacrifice due to its species. Yet, after being redeemed with a sheep, it may be used for work.]

ולא יראו פני ריקם, “neither the firstborn males nor their children who make the pilgrimage must not appear before Me emptyhanded as they belong to Me. They must offer sacrifices to Me.”

וערפתו THEN THOU SHALT BREAK ITS NECK — one breaks its neck with a hatchet and so slays it (Bekhorot 10b). The reason is: he (the owner of the ass) has caused loss to the possessions of the priest (by not giving him the lamb) therefore must he suffer loss in his possessions (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 13:13:2).

To teach about the severance pay to a Hebrew slave that it must be five sela’im. . . I.e., it is written “empty-handed” here, relating to a donkey’s redemption. And it is written “empty-handed” in Devarim 13:15, relating to the severance pay of a Hebrew slave. Therefore, just as the redemption of a first-born [human being, as mentioned in v. 19,] is five sela’im, so the severance pay is five sela’im. Furthermore, the “empty-handed” of severance pay is at the beginning [of the section there], while [ostensibly] it should be at the end. Thus, we apply [the meaning of] “emptyhanded” [to all that follows it:] to “flocks,” to “winery” and to “threshing floor,” so that [the value of] five sela’im of each [of the abovementioned] kind should be [paid to the Hebrew slave].

ולא יראו פני ריקם, according to Rashi, quoting a baraitha in the Midrash, this phrase is superfluous and has been written primarily to enable us to learn a g’zeyrah shavveh, to teach us that the amount that a slave that has to be freed after six years of service must be given as a gift, must have the value of five shekels, i.e. the amount paid by the father to a priest when redeeming his firstborn son. He also uses the word: ריקם “emptyhanded,” which appears in both legislations [and appears to derive that rule as it is otherwise unnecessary, Ed.]

כל בכור בניך תפדה ALL THE FIRSTBORN OF THY SONS THOU SHALT REDEEM — Five Sela’im are the ransom fixed for him, as it is said (Numbers 18:16) “And those that are to be redeemed, from a month old shalt thou redeem [according to thy valuation, for the money of five shekels]”. (For the whole of this verse cf. Rashi on 13:13).

ולא יראו פני ריקם AND NONE SHALL APEAR BEFORE ME EMPTY — According to the plain sense of the verse this is an independent statement and does not refer to the firstborn just mentioned — because in connection with the command concerning the firstborn there is no duty of appearing before the Lord; but it is another (a separate) prohibition merely connected by a conjunctive ו with the former statement and means: when you go up to the festival gathering to Jerusalem to appear before the Lord, none shall appear before Me empty; it is your duty to bring the burnt offering prescribed for the appearance before My face (Chagigah 7a). According to the Halachic explanation of the Boraitha this portion of the verse is redundant (since the same commandment already appears Exodus 23:15) and is consequently “free” (מופנה) to be used for a גז"ש (an analogy based on verbal similarity in two texts, viz., the word ריקם here and in the text Deuteronomy 15:13 לא תשלחנו ריקם “thou shalt not let him go away ריקם”) — it is repeated here after the law about the first born to teach you that the outfit given to a Hebrew slave when he leaves your service should consist of five Sela’im-worth of each of the things (mentioned Deuteronomy 15:14: thy sheep, thy threshing floor, and vinepress) just as the ransom of the firstborn is five Sela’im. Thus are we taught in Treatise Kiddushin 17a.

בחריש ובקציר IN PLOUGHING TIME AND IN HARVEST [THOU SHALT LEAVE OFF] — Why are ploughing and harvesting specially mentioned (since all work is forbidden on Sabbath)? There are some of our Rabbis who say that this refers to ploughing in the year preceding the Sabbatical year which ploughing passeth into (produces its first fruits in) the seventh year and to harvesting grain that has reached one-third of its maturity during the Sabbatical year which harvesting actually goeth forth into (takes place in) the eighth year, that following the Sabbatical year; and that this statement is intended to teach you that one must add part of the secular time to the holy time (i. e. that one must apply to a certain period before the beginning and after the termination of the Sabbatical year the laws applicable to that year in order to prevent its desecration). Thus, the following is what it (this verse) means: “Six days thou mayest work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest”; but even with regard to the six days’ work which I have permitted you there are years when ploughing and harvesting are forbidden. This must be the meaning, referring to ploughing in the sixth year and harvesting in the seventh, and it cannot refer to the seventh year itself for it is unnecessary to make any mention of ploughing and harvesting in the seventh year being forbidden, for it is already said (Leviticus 25:4) “[But in the seventh year …] thou shalt neither sow thy field [nor prune thine vineyard]”! Others, however, hold that Scripture in this part of the text, is only speaking of the ordinary Sabbath day, as in the first part, and ploughing and harvesting which are specially mentioned in it as being forbidden on the Sabbath are mentioned to suggest to you the following: What is the characteristic of ploughing? It is an optional act (no such work being commanded anywhere in the Law)! So, too, is harvesting forbidden on Sabbath only when it constitutes an optional act! There is, therefore, excluded the harvesting of the barley for the “Omer” (cf. Leviticus 23:10: ye shall reap the harvest thereof) which is obligatory and which therefore supersedes the Sabbath (occasions a suspension of the Sabbath laws) (Rosh Hashanah 9a).

IN PLOWING TIME AND IN HARVEST THOU SHALT REST. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture He mentioned plowing and harvesting [as works forbidden on the Sabbath] because they are the mainstay of man’s life. He mentioned the Sabbath between the holidays, putting it next to the feast of unleavened bread and the sanctification of the firstborn,⁵²⁸Verses 19-20. because they are all a reminder of the act of Creation, for in the exodus from Egypt itself there is a sign and wonder referring to the Creation, as I have explained in the Ten Commandments.⁵²⁹Above, 20:2. Besides, Scripture states that in the Sabbath likewise there is a reminder of the exodus from Egypt, as it says in the second Ten Commandments, And thou shalt remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and the Eternal thy G-d brought thee out thence [by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm]; therefore the Eternal thy G-d commanded thee to keep the Sabbath-day.⁵³⁰Deuteronomy 5:15. There I will explain it, with the help of G-d, blessed and exalted be He.

ששת ימים תעבוד וביום השביעי תשבות, success of your activities during the six days of the week also is materially affected by whether and how you observe the Sabbath.

ששת ימים תעבד, work on the land. Ordinary work on the land as described in Genesis 4,12. We read in Proverbs 12,11 and 28,19 עובד אדמתו ישבע לחם, “he who toils his own land will have sufficient bread to eat.”

בחריש ובקציר תשבות, “you are to abstain from work on the Sabbath both at seeding/ploughing time and at harvesting time. According to Nachmanides, the simple reason why periods of the year during which ploughing and harvesting proceeds have been singled out for a reminder to observe the laws of the Sabbath, is that the farmer is under greater pressure at that time to complete his work on schedule. If, due to atmospheric conditions, he feels under special pressure, he is warned not to let such considerations deter him from resting on the Sabbath. The reason why-surprisingly- the Torah interrupts aspects of the laws to make the pilgrimage to the Temple on the three holydays named, is that ever since the Exodus the Sabbath is no longer only a reminder of G’d’s creative activity, but it is a reminder of how He relieved the pressure on the Jewish people who slaved in Egypt. The G’d Who gave us relief from pressure in Egypt will not let us succumb to what we perceive to be pressure by atmospheric conditions when the weather seems to make agricultural pursuits more difficult.

ששת ימים תעבוד וביום השביעי תשבות, “You shall labour for six days and rest on the seventh day.” Here the Torah mentions the Sabbath legislation in the very middle of the laws of the Passover and those concerning the firstborn seeing that all of these three commandments are a reminder of the act of creation. The reason the Torah adds that the Sabbath rest must be observed both during the harvest season and the ploughing season is that these are the seasons when the farmer is most concerned with performing his tasks without delay to ensure success. The Torah therefore reminds the farmer that the Sabbath legislation overrides otherwise important duties connected to his daily labour. The word תשבות emphasises the need to abstain from work-like activity on the Sabbath (Nachmanides).

Which extends into the post-sheviis year. . . [Rashi knows this] because if it referred to Shabbos, other labors are also forbidden? Thus Rashi explains that it means not to plow a field of grain or of fruit trees, if it will benefit the [coming] sheviis year. “Harvest of the sheviis year” refers to grain that reached a third [of its growth] in the sheviis year, thus the laws of sheviis apply to it [even] in the year after sheviis.

V. 21. Oben, Kap. 30, 10, wo am Schlusse der Grundzüge der sozialen Gesetzgebung Institutionen nach deren Beziehungen zu dem Prinzipe der Gleichheit und der Brüderlichkeit zu nennen waren, auf welchem diese ganze Gesetzgebung beruht, stand die Institution des Jahres- und Wochenschabbats, שביעית und שבת, obenan. Sie sind ja die lautesten, fortlaufenden Proklamierungen Gottes als "einzigen Eigentümers" des Landes wie der Erde, woraus sofort die Gleichheit der Bürger und Menschen resultiert. Hier aber, wo bei der erneuten Gesetzübergabe dieselben Institutionen, jedoch vor allem in ihren dem Heidentum entgegengekehrten Seiten genannt werden, ist der Ausgangspunkt יציאת מצרים als das große, die Unmittelbarkeit Gottes zum Menschen bewahrheitende Faktum, und auch die Schabbatinstitution schließt diesem sich an: ששת ימים תעבוד, ,,dienend beherrschst du die Welt", nur indem du dich mit allen deinen Kräften unmittelbar Gott unterordnest, wirst du Herr deiner Welt, nur deinem Gott dienenden Schaffen beugt sich die Erde, und für diese Bedeutung deines Schaffens ist dein Nichtschaffen am Schabbat der Gott huldigende Ausdruck, und diesen Gott huldigenden, dich mit deiner Welt Gott zu Füßen legenden Schabbat sollst du selbst בחריש ובקציר vollziehen, wo von deinem Schaffen die Fristung deiner Lebenszukunft bedingt ist. Moed Katan 4 a knüpft sich hieran zugleich die Halacha, dass קציר עומר של מצוה דוחה שבת sei. Während oben im Zusammenhange mit den Rechtsinstitutionen שביעית naturgemäß obenan steht und den Ausgangspunkt bildet, fehlt nach dieser Auffassung sodann hier שביעית gänzlich, da hier nicht sowohl das Verhältnis des jüdischen Staates, als das ל des jüdischen Menschen zu Gott hervorgehoben wird.

ששת ימים תעבוד, “during six day you are to perform labour;” perhaps the reason why this is repeated once more is because of the Torah links it to agricultural work during the growing season, i.e. בחריש ובקציר, plowing and harvesting.

בחריש ובקציר תשבות, not only is Sabbath rest mandatory in the winter when the farmer has no urgent agricultural tasks, but also in the summer. Moreover, just as he will rest every seventh day he will rest every seventh year for the entire year. The Sh’mittah legislation applies both in summer and in winter. Both the weekly Sabbath, and the seven-yearly “Sabbath” have been called Sabbath by the Torah. (compare Leviticus 25,2) The success of our activities during the six years preceding the Sh’mittah year assumes that during the seventh year we will observe G’d’s law to abstain from agricultural activities.

בחריש ובקציר תשבות, because such rest is a requirement of good health for the creatures. If such vital wok must not be performed on the Sabbath, how much more so must one abstain from less urgent activities.

Just as the plowing is optional. . . Explanation: There is no obligatory plowing. Even to plow specifically for the omer and the “two breads” [of Shavuos is not obligatory. Thus] it is forbidden to plow on Shabbos. Similarly, harvesting is forbidden if it is optional, but not if it is obligatory. [Harvesting the omer is considered obligatory] because even if you found it harvested, it is obligatory to harvest [a different omer. However, if you found plowed ground, it is not obligatory to plow (Makkos 8b)]. Hence from here we learn that the harvesting of the omer takes precedence over Shabbos.

בכורי קציר חטים [THE FESTIVAL] OF THE FIRST OF THE WHEAT HARVEST — It is so called because on it you offer the two loaves of wheat (Leviticus 23:17).

When you bring the “two breads”. . . I.e., not that this is the time of harvesting the first wheat crops. Rather, they now start harvesting to bring a minchah from wheat.

V. 22. Und ebenso hast du das חג בכורי קציר חטים als ein חג שבועות dir zu gestalten. Die Erstlingsreife der Menschenbrotfrucht hast du nicht als eine Naturfeier zu begehen, die Erstlingsreife der Menschenbrotfrucht hast du als ein Fest deiner Erstlingsreife zu begehen, wie dies ja der Sinn unserer siebenmaligen Wochenzählung von der ersten Sichelschwinge über den unsere materielle Selbständigkeit gewährenden Boden bis zum Gedächtnistage der Gesetzesempfängnis ist. (Siehe zu Wajikra 23, 15.) Indem das חג הקציר בכורי מעשיך (Kap. 23, 16) hier, erst nach dem חג שבועות ,עגל genannt wird, tritt der Sinn dieser Zählung in bedeutsamster Schärfe hervor. Es hatte sich ja eben in niederschlagendster Weise gezeigt, dass es viel leichter sei, passiv aus Gottes Händen Freiheit und Boden, als aktiv aus seinen Händen sein Gesetz hinzunehmen, und dass das freigewordene und seiner Selbständigkeit entgegengehende Volk noch erst siebenmaliger, siebenfältiger Läuterungen bedürfe, um sich zum Empfänger und Träger des göttlichen Gesetzes emporzuarbeiten. Im Zusammenhange des Kapitels sagt dies somit: der Arbeit an dir selber verdankst du den Segen deiner Arbeit auf dem Felde, an deiner Reife reift dir die Frucht, und dann erst: חג האסיף תקופת השנה. Das Erntefest beginnt nicht, es schließt deinen Festzyklus. Du musst erst im Peßach aus Gottes Händen Freiheit und Selbständigkeit, am Schabuoth erst aus seinen Händen das Gesetz deines Lebens empfangen haben, um mit Jahreswende die Ernte für dein irdisches Hiersein zu feiern.

וחג שבעות, “and the festival of weeks.” This is the season of the early wheat harvest and the first fruit from the orchards.

בכורי OF THE FIRST [OF THE WHEAT HARVEST] — It is so called because it (the offering of the two loaves) is the first meal offering which is brought in the Temple of the new wheat crop; for the meal offering of the Omer which had already been brought on Passover was of barley (Menachot 84a).

וחג האסיף, “and the festival of ingathering;” the end of the harvesting season around the time of the equinox in the autumn.

וחג האסיף AND THE FESTIVAL OF INGATHERING — the festival that falls at the time of the year when you gather in thy produce from the field into the barns. The word אסף here means bringing in (and not, collecting), as (Deuteronomy 22:2) “thou shalt gather it (ואספתו) into thine house” (cf. Rashi on Exodus 23:16 and on Genesis 49:29).

תקופת השנה lit., [THE FESTIVAL …] THE YEARS CIRCUIT — i. e. the festival at the coming round of the year — at the beginning of the coming (the new) year.

תקופת is a term denoting going round.

כל זכורך means all the males among you (cf. Rashi on Exodus 23:17 and the note thereon). — Many precepts of the Torah are stated and then repeated, aye, some of them three times and even four (this section, for instance, is, with a few alterations, identical with the contents of chapter Exodus 23:12—19) in order to declare him who infringes them guilty and to punish him for each of the number of prohibitions which are connected with them and for each of the number of positive commands which are connected with them.

את פני האדון, who arranges your affairs in a natural manner. The word אדון occurs in this sense in Genesis 45,8 ולאדון לכל ביתו, “and to be in charge of his whole household.”

את פני האדון, I have already explained these matters in Parshat Mishpatim.

יראה כל זכורך, “everyone of your males shall appear, etc.” The females are exempt from this commandment (Chagigah 2).The blind and the lame are also exempt from this commandment. The mystical dimension of all these exemptions is related to the cloud of G’d’s attribute of כבוד which accompanied the Jewish people and which was so bright and pure that it reflected the image of the beholder much as a mirror reflects it and these images were seen by all the Israelites. Whatever was inside the cloud could not be seen outside it. Seeing that it is not seemly for the image of the pilgrims which were afflicted with the handicaps we mentioned to be seen as reflected by the cloud, they were exempted from this legislation. This is the meaning of the peculiar wording in verse 24 “when you go up to see the face of the Lord your G’d, etc.” Although the spelling of the word is לראות, “to see,” it is read as if it had the vowels of le-ra-ot, i.e. “to be seen.” Our sages (Chagigah 2) rule that even a one-eyed person is exempt from the requirement to make this pilgrimage. They base this on the word יראה in verse 23 which is understood to mean that the person who comes to be seen must also be able to see.[the spelling of the text allows for either vocalisation. Ed.] Just as a person comes to be seen by the Shechinah which has two eyes (is not defective), so he himself is subject to this legislation only if he has two serviceable eyes. Avraham already used this expression יראה after his Mount Moriah experience when he proclaimed that at that mountain of G’d man is seen by the Shechinah (which has two eyes) compare Genesis 22,14.

All the males among you. . . [I.e., זכורך is not literal and] does not mean, “the males that are yours.” [Rashi knows this] because even male children are not yours, i.e., they are not in your ownership, and surely not the adults who are obligated in mitzvos. Rather, it means the males who are among you, i.e., in your nation.

Three times a year. The idolaters appeared before their gods every day, for the sake of which they established “high places” in every location. The B’nei Yisrael, by contrast, were required to appear before God only three times a year. Moreover, this duty was incumbent only upon the males. The Master, Ad-noy (written Y-H-V-H), God of Yisrael. On each of the three festivals the pilgrim visit expresses a different idea: On Pesach the B’nei Yisrael appear before “the Master,” who redeemed them from servitude in Egypt to be His servants. On Shavuos they appear before Y-H-V-H, i.e. the source of all being, because this conception of Him was revealed to them when they stood upon Mount. Sinai. Finally, on Sukkos they appear before the “God of Yisrael,” because this festival recalls how He sheltered them with clouds of glory in the desert, thereby showing Himself to be their protector.

V. 23. את פני האדון drückt die Nähe und Unmittelbarkeit stärker aus als das obige אל פני האדון (Kap. 23, 17) und bezeichnet ebenso der Beisatz: אלקי ישראל die ganz besondere Beziehung, in welcher Gott zu Israel steht.

שלש פעמים, “three times;” the Torah repeats this again because of what follows, i.e. that no one will steal your harvests while you make a pilgrimage to the Temple to thank the Lord for His bounty.(verse 24)

אלוקי ישראל, Who arranges the affairs of Israel regarding their spiritual needs. All matters beyond those that are subject to the laws of nature. A reference to the activities of G’d that are not even capable of being performed by abstract creatures known as elo-him.” Compare the line זובח לאלוהים יחרם, “if someone offers a sacrifice to disembodied deities he will be proscribed.” (Exodus 22,19). We also encounter this word though in the Aramaic language in Daniel 2,11 אלהין די מדרהן עם בשרא לא איתוהי, “except the angels whose abode is not among man.” This is why Moses calls the demons לא אלוה, “the non-gods” in Deuteronomy 32,17. The demons on the one hand are mortal, made of tangible raw material as mentioned Chagigah 16 The Torah called the judges, experts, also by the name elohim. This is justified if they carry out their task properly by freeing themselves of emotions which would make them partial, subjective. The people who were amazed at Solomon’s wisdom in solving perplexing judicial problems described him as possessing חכמת אלוהים, “divine wisdom” (Kings I 3,28). Isaiah, describing the superior stature of the messiah explains that he will not judge by using only his 5 senses. (Isaiah 11,3). In order to make this point clear G’d Himself is not just described as elohim, but as אלוקי האלוקים, “the G’d of gods.” We find this mode of expression also when He is described as אדוני האדונים “the Lord of lords.” (Deuteronomy 10,17) When such terms are used they describe Him Who arranges every supernatural event The Torah here legislates that every male Israelite is to pay a visit to the place where this G’d is in residence on earth. He is to use these opportunities to give thanks for all the good things he has experienced, the natural ones, reminding him that all of these are not so “natural,” but accrue to them inasmuch as He is אדון ישראל. The supernatural benefits we experience are initiated, however, by G’d in His capacity as אלוקי ישראל.

אוריש means as the Targum has it אתריך, I will drive out. Similar is (Deuteronomy 2:31) “Begin to drive out (רש)”; and similar is, (Numbers 21:32) “and drove out (ויורש) the Amorites” — all having the sense of expelling.

כי אוריש גוים מפניך, "For I will dispossess nations from your presence, etc." In the event that you would feel empathy with the nations whom you displace, G'd assures us that we would not even see the remnants of these nations, i.e. מפניך, "out of the sight of your face."

Therefore I establish for you. . . [Rashi knows this] because otherwise, why does it say, “For I will drive out”? How does this give a reason [for the preceding]?

V. 24. כי אוריש וגו׳ wird die jährlich dreimal sich wiederholende Tatsache sein die die unmittelbare Beziehung Gottes zu Israel, und den mächtigen, einzig durch Israels Hingebung an Gottes Gesetz erzielten Erfolg in der offenkundigsten Weise vor Augen legen soll. כל זכורך, wie es im vorigen Verse heißt, alles Mann- und Wehrhafte in Israel wird im Mittelpunkte, in Jerusalem, um das Heiligtum des göttlichen Gesetzes versammelt sein und kein lüsterner Feind wird es wagen, das reiche offenliegende Land zu betreten. Israels Land wird nicht durch eine Armee an den Grenzen, sondern durch die Gotteshuldigung vom Mittelpunkte aus geschützt. ולא יחמד: siehe zu Kap. 20, 14.

ולא יחמוד איש את ארצך, “and no-one will covet your land;” the gentiles, even though aware that the Israelites who make the pilgrimages to Jerusalem three times a year leave their land exposed to invaders, will reason that if they had been unable to hold on to their own lands when G–d gave it to them as an inheritance, how much less will they be able to recapture it at a time when these people are preoccupied with fulfilling the commandment of the G–d Who had given it to them!”

כי אוריש גוים מפניך והרחבתי את גבולך, “When I will drive out nations on your account and expand your boundaries;” seeing that the season when you make the pilgrimages is one in which G-d is especially well disposed toward you, I shall expand your boundaries beyond what I had promised Avraham. The reference is to the lands of Sichon and Og which are on the East bank of the Jordan and had not been included in G-d’s original promise. There had been a fear that seeing these lands had not been promised to Avraham, the survivors of these lands would attempt to reclaim it. G-d reassures the people that their temporary absence during pilgrimages to the Temple would not be exploited by their neighbours.[I do not understand this a) as these lands were conquered before the Israelites had made a single pilgrimage in the West bank to the Temple, and they were still eating manna, not having had what to harvest. b) Moreover, at the covenant between the pieces in Genesis 15,18 G-d had promised that the north eastern borders of these lands would be at the river Euphrates, far from the boundaries of the lands of Sichon and Og, even. Ed.]

והרחבתי את גבלך [I WILL DRIVE OUT THE NATIONS BEFORE THEE] AND ENLARGE THY BOUNDARIES — and consequently you may be far from the Chosen House (the Temple) and you will then not be able to appear before Me continually; therefore I appoint for you these three seasons.

והרחבתי את גבולך, "and I will expand your borders, etc." This may be understood in accordance with Gittin 57 which claims that the boundaries of the land of Israel will expand in direct proportion to the Jewish population in the country. The sages base this on Jeremiah 3,19 where the land of Israel is described as ארץ צבי, as comparable to the deer. The skin of the deer is exceptionally elastic.

לא תשחט וגו׳ THOU SHALT NOT OFFER [THE BLOOD OF MY SACRIFICE TOGETHER WITH LEAVEN] — i. e. thou shalt not kill the Passover lamb whilst leaven is still existent in your possession. This is an admonition addressed to him who slaughters the Passover lamb, as well as to him who sprinkles its blood or to one of the members of the party formed to eat that lamb in company (Pesachim 63a).

NEITHER SHALL THE SACRIFICE OF THE FEAST OF THE PASSOVER BE LEFT UNTO THE MORNING. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture this admonition applies to the whole [Passover-] offering, [the sacrificial portions burnt on the altar, and the flesh eaten by the Passover celebrants]: that one should not leave over of the flesh unto the morning, for that which remains of it until the morning shall be burnt with fire,⁵³¹Above, 12:10. and also the fat of it should be burnt on the altar only until the morning. Onkelos, however, translated the verse as applying [only] to the fat which had to be taken up to be burnt on the altar,⁵³²Thus Onkelos translated: “There shall not remain [overnight] away from the altar till the morning the fat of the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover.” for this “feast” [mentioned there] is explained there, neither shall the fat of My feast remain all night until the morning,⁵³³Above, 23:18. since all these commandments [mentioned here] are based upon those cited there.
Now Rashi wrote: “Neither shall [the sacrifice of the feast of the Passover] be left unto the morning. This is to be understood as the Targum renders it [namely, that it refers to the fat, as explained above]. An offering left overnight is not invalidated if it was placed on top of the altar [during the night, even though it was not burnt at night; and it may be burnt on the altar the following day], neither is it invalidated until the dawn of morning [i.e., if at that time it is not on top of the altar, it is deemed to have been ‘left-over’]. The sacrifice of the feast of the Passover. This refers to the sacrificial portions. From here you derive the law concerning the burning of all fats and limbs of sacrifices [which were burnt on the altar].” In the section of Tzav⁵³⁴Leviticus 6:2. I will explain this with the help of G-d. And with regard to what Rashi wrote about an offering left overnight if it was placed on top of the altar [during the night it is not invalidated] — there is a difference of opinion on this matter in the Gemara,⁵³⁵Zebachim 87a. and in the opinion of Raba it does become invalidated even if on top of the altar; thus if limbs of a sacrifice were left there [on top of the altar] overnight, and then by accident they were taken down [from the altar to the pavement], they may no longer be taken up. On the other hand, if they were not taken down, then even those limbs that had been left over on the pavement of the Court for many days, and by accident were taken up, do not need to come down [and are burnt upon the altar], as is found in the Chapter “The Altar.”⁵³⁵Zebachim 87a.

While chometz still remains. . . I.e., rearrange the verse and explain it as follows: “Do not slaughter My [Pesach] sacrifice, and do not sprinkle its blood, ‘on’ chometz.” [The word “on”] means while chometz still remains. It does not mean literally [that the sacrifice is] actually “on” it.

V. 25. Oben, Kap. 23, 18: לא תזבח על חמץ דם זבחי, wo schon von vornherein in der Opferung das פסח als זבח, als Familienmahl begriffen, und die Opferung selbst als Einleitung dazu זבוח genannt wird. Hier aber wird die Opferung in ihrer selbständigen Bedeutung, als שחיטה, Aufgebung der Persönlichkeit, Gott gegenüber, erfasst und ihr als Gegensatz: חמץ im Besitzgebiete, d. i. Verneinung der Abhängigkeit von Gott hinsichtlich des Besitzes, gegenüber gestellt. Im Zusammenhange spricht sich dies dahin aus: diesen unmittelbaren Gottesschutz wirst du aber nur dann erlangen, wenn du die Unterordnung deiner Person unter Gott nicht von der deines Besitzes trennst, nicht im Tempel deine נפש opferst und für das Haus deinen Selbstdünkel bewahrest, vielmehr: חמץ in deinem רשות gestattet nicht שחיטת דם זבחך im Tempel, und hinwiederum: ולא ילין לבקר זבח חג הפסח: die Nahrung des Gottesfeuers auf dem Altar durch deine כליות וחלב, durch dein Besitz- und Genussesstreben selbst, sowie der genießende Aufbau deines Familienlebens auf Grund deines Opfers im Tempel gehören wesentlich selbst zu deinem Tempelopfer. Deine Opferung soll nicht von der Altar- und Tischnahrung getrennt sein, Altar- und Tischnahrung nicht von deiner Opferung. Jenes machte deine Opferung zu einer Vernichtung, dieses ließe Altar- und Tischnahrung ohne Umwandlung deines persönlichen Wesens als möglich und heilig erscheinen. Oben heißt es dem Zusammenhange gemäß חלב חגי und spricht, dem Begriffe der sittlichen Staatsgerechtigkeit gemäß, die dort im Vordergrunde steht, von הקטרת אימורי חגיגה (siehe daselbst); hier, wo mehr die Gottesnähe des Individuums und der Familie auch mit ihrem Besitz- und Genussesstreben und Leben hervortreten soll, heißt es demgemäß זבח חג הפסח, und spricht von הקטרת אימורים ואכילת בשר des פסח. (Siehe תוספ׳ Peßachim 59 b ד׳ה ולא עולת חול. Siehe jedoch auch מל׳׳מ ה׳ קרבן פסח א׳ ז׳.)

לא תשחט על חמץ דם זבחי, “Do not slaughter (offer) the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread;” Rashi explains that this verse is a warning not to offer the Passover lamb at an hour when the use of leavened products is still permissible. All of the people invited to eat from that lamb are included in this prohibition. Compare the baraitha in Pessachim 63. It is stated there that this prohibition is one of the negative commandments. When is that commandment applicable? As long as either the person slaughtering the lamb, sprinkling its blood, or a guest invited to partake of it, still has leavened products in his possession on Passover eve. It had to be inserted here as previously, in 23,18, this had not been spelled out. Here it is called: “the meat offering of the Passover festival.”

ולא ילין NEITHER SHALL [THE SACRIFICE OF THE FESTIVAL OF PASSOVER] REMAIN OVER NIGHT — Understand this as the Targum renders it: ולא יביתון ... בר ממדבחא … ‎“There shall not remain overnight away from the altar till the morning the fat of the sacrifice” — this law of leaving the fat away from the altar overnight does not serve to invaliditate the sacrifice if it has been placed on the top of the altar some time during the night, even if it be not entirely burnt by morning, nor is the law about leaving the fat overnight infringed except if it has not been placed on the altar by the dawn of the morning (but any time during the night one may lift it up from the pavement on to the altar (Zevachim 87a; cf. Rashi on Exodus 23:18).

Or to any member of the group. Rashi is not saying that the prohibition is on the slaughterer, or on the sprinkler, [etc]. Rather, he is saying that if one of them has chometz in his house [when the korban Pesach is slaughtered], he transgresses a negative precept. However, Rashi does not explain who transgresses: the slaughterer, the sprinkler, or both.

ולא ילין לבקר “and none of it must be left over until morning.” In 23,18, the Torah had referred only to the entrails, etc., not the edible parts of the meat. Here it refers specifically to the edible parts of the sacrifice.

זבח חג הפסח means the pieces of its fat (which had to be burnt on the altar). From here you may derive the law concerning all cases of burning the pieces of fat and the limbs of sacrifices (i. e. you may derive the general rule regarding all sacrifices).

Remaining overnight does not render it unfit. . . מועלת is similar to the word מעילה [misappropriation of consecrated property]. Rashi is saying that if the sacrifice was on top of the altar, remaining overnight does not render it unfit. In other words, if the parts to be burnt were brought up to the altar’s top before dawn, they are not rendered unfit [at dawn,] even if they were not yet offered [on the altar’s fire].

Applies only at dawn. I.e., only if the fat remains until dawn is it rendered unfit. However, if it remains all night but is burnt before dawn, this is not called remaining overnight.

The parts to be burnt. . . [Rashi knows this] because from the korbon Pesach, [most of the meat is eaten]; only the parts to be burnt ( אימורים ) are offered.

All fats and limbs that require burning. I.e., [we learn] not to offer them after dawn, [since they are then unfit. Rashi knows] that all offerings are included, and become unfit through remaining overnight, because it is written זבח חג הפסח and not just חג הפסח .

ראשית בכורי אדמתך THE FIRST OF THE FIRST-FRUITS OF THY GROUND [THOU SHALT BRING INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD THY GOD] — but only from the seven kinds of produce which are mentioned as an excellency of thy land (Deuteronomy 8:8) “a land of wheat and barley and vines etc (Mishnah Bikkurim 1:3). The דבש mentioned in this verse is date honey (not that of bees).

THE CHOICEST FIRST-FRUITS OF THY LAND THOU SHALT BRING INTO THE HOUSE OF THE ETERNAL THY G-D. Because He mentioned that they should bring the first-ripe fruits of all that is in their land⁵³⁶Numbers 18:13. — Ramban’s intention of course is to the verse here before us, but as a matter of style he uses similar language referring to that commandment found elsewhere in Scripture. This can be observed in countless instances. to the house of G-d, He placed next to it, Thou shalt not seethe a kid in its mother’s milk. For at the time of bringing the first-fruits of the earth they would also take along all firstlings of cattle, goats and sheep, and at that season the goats have grown up and begin giving milk. Thus they would often bring up the mother with its firstborn whilst it was still a suckling, in order that it should not die. Now those who came to celebrate the festival would enjoy eating the firstlings amongst all tasty foods, together with the priests. That is why He mentioned the prohibition [against seething the kid in its mother’s milk] together with the precept of the first-fruits. In the Book of Deuteronomy, however, He mentioned this commandment together with the laws of prohibited foods,⁵³⁷Deuteronomy 14:21. after He cited the laws of unclean cattle, fish, and unclean fowl, and carrion, for that is the fitting place to mention it, since it is a prohibition concerning eating, and not merely a prohibition against seething it alone, as those wanting in faith and devoid of knowledge think.⁵³⁸Reference is to the Karaites. See Ibn Ezra who writes in a vein similar to that of Ramban. — See also Vol. I, p. 22, where Ramban uses a similar reproof to those who scoff at the words of our Rabbis.

ראשית בכורי אדמתך תביא, by doing this you will assure yourself of success in growing fruit as spelled out in Ezekiel 44,30 וראשית כל בכורי כל...תתנו לכהן להניח ברכה אל ביתך, “the first of all your early ripening crops… you shall give to the priest so that blessing will come to rest on your house.”

'לא תבשל וגו, I have already explained this legislation on Exodus 23,19.

ראשית בכורי אדמתך, “The first of your land’s produce, etc.” The reason why mention of not boiling milk and meat appears here next to the legislation of bringing the first of one’s produce to the Temple, i.e. the priests, is that at the same time the farmer will presumably also bring the first of the young born by his animals, seeing that on the way the young lambs and kids are still suckling at their mother’s teats, and once in Jerusalem these animals will be slaughtered to help the owners enjoy the festival. Using the milk of the mother animal with which to cook the young, is therefore not something far-fetched. On the other hand, in Deuteronomy 14,21 when the same legislation is repeated in connection with forbidden foods, the emphasis is placed on the eating of the product of such boiling of milk and meat together.

Which are listed in praise of your land. . . Rashi does not mean that this is derived from the word אדמתך . For in Devarim 26:2, it is derived from a gezeirah shavah between ארצך (ad loc) and ארץ (Devarim 8:8). Rashi here is rather saying that אדמתך does not mean you must bring first fruits from all the [species of] fruits in your land; only from the seven species, as derived from the gezeirah shavah of ארץ ארץ .

V. 26. Das Ganze schließt wieder mit den beiden so bedeutsamen, alles vereinenden Sätzen: Jede Kornähre auf dem Felde und jede Frucht am Baume reift auf deinem Acker dem Gottesgesetze im Tempel zu, und auch genießend soll nicht dein Menschlich-Göttliches hinabsteigen zum Physisch-Sinnlichen, sondern alles Physisch-Sinnliche soll durch dich emporgehoben werden, auf dass du Mensch seiest. Die physische Natur ist nicht die Vermittlerin zwischen dir und Gott, sondern der Vermittler zwischen Natur und Gott bist du! — (Siehe zu Kap. 23, 19.)

לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו, “do not boil a kid in the milk of its mother.” This commandment contains a hint, i.e. a reason, why the sages ruled that a person must not marry the woman who had wet-nursed his fellow man. (Talmud, tractate Yevamot, folio 36) [The rule applies to a woman who at the time nursed babies that she had not born for her husband. If such a woman has ceased nursing for 24 months, she need not apply that rule to herself. Shulchan aruch, even haezer, chapter 13, section 11. Ed,]

ראשית בכורי אדמת, “the choice first fruits of your soil, etc.” this has been repeated here because when this legislation was first mentioned, it had not mentioned the seven Canaanite tribes on whose land this would apply. In this chapter in verse 11, these details have been supplied (as opposed to 23,19.)

לא תבשל גדי THOU SHALT NOT SEETHE A KID [IN ITS MOTHER’S MILK] — This is a prohibition to mix meat with milk. This is written three times in the Torah: once to prohibit the eating of such mixture, once to prohibit us from deriving any other benefit (besides eating) from it and once to prohibit the cooking of it (Chullin 115b; cf. Rashi on Exodus 23:19).

לא תבשל גדי, as this is something the gentiles do, believing that it assures them success in raising fruit and cattle.

Referring to date-honey. Rashi is answering the question: The seven species include honey, and honey is not a fruit. But regarding the first fruits, it is written, “Of all the fruits of the land” (Devarim 26:2), implying fruit only? Rashi answers that the honey is date-honey, and dates are fruit.

לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו, “do not boil a kid in the milk of its mother.” This is a warning not to wait with offering such a kid as an offering until it has been fully weaned, but once it has grown beyond the first seven days of its life it is fit for the altar.

גדי A KID — Any tender young animal is comprehended under the term גדי, a calf and a lamb also. From the fact that the writer felt it necessary to state specifically in several passages “a kid of the goat” you may learn that the term גדי without further definition implies any suckling (young animal) (Chullin 113a; cf. Rashi on Exodus 23:19).

An admonition. . . It does not mean only “in its mother’s milk”; the admonition applies also to its own milk. It says “its mother’s milk” in order to exclude fowl, which has no mother’s milk — as Rashi goes on to explain.

בחלב אמו IN THE MOTHER’S MILK — A fowl is therefore really excluded from this law since it has no milk; for the prohibition regarding it (using it with milk) is not a Biblical law but only an enactment of the Soferim (Chullin 113a).

Once prohibiting the cooking. . . Question: Why are two verses needed for prohibiting the mixing of meat in milk, one to forbid eating and one to forbid benefit? Regarding other Torah prohibitions where it is written, “You shall not eat,” it includes both eating and benefit. The answer is: A person is liable for eating meat in milk even if he has no benefit while eating, for instance, [the food is very hot and] his throat is burnt while eating it. This is not the case with eating other prohibited foods.

Which it is necessary to explain in many places. . . [Rashi says “in many places”] because if the Torah had explained “a goat’s kid” in only one place, we would say that here, too, it means specifically a goat’s kid. We would learn the meaning of this non-explained place from the explained place. But since it says “a goat’s kid” in several places, we thereby learn that “goat’s kid” applies only where the Torah specifically states it. This is because all Sages agree that three [or more] verses stating the same point, [each in a different place,] do not teach a general rule. Thus, wherever the Torah does not state “goat’s kid” — such as here, where it is non-explained — all suckling animals are implied.

את הדברים האלה [WRITE THOU] THESE WORDS — These words, but you are not permitted to write down the “Oral Law” (Gittin 60b).

WRITE THOU THESE WORDS. G-d commanded Moses that he write a book of covenant and read it in the hearing of the people,⁵³⁹Above, 24:7. and they should accept it upon themselves by saying, we will do and we will obey,⁵³⁹Above, 24:7. as they had done at first; for He wanted that the whole procedure with the first Tablets should now be repeated with the second Tablets. There is no doubt that Moses actually did repeat it; however, Scripture did not want to prolong the account by saying, “and Moses did so,” as I have shown you in many places.⁵⁴⁰Ibid., 10:2, etc.
The correct interpretation appears to me to be, that since Israel had sinned and violated the [first] covenant, the Holy One, blessed be He, had to renew the covenant with them, so that He should not nullify His covenant with them, and so He told Moses to write the conditions [of the renewed covenant]. This is the sense of the verse, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. The meaning of with thee is that for your sake I have done it with them, and it will not be necessary for them to bring themselves into the bond of this covenant.⁵⁴¹Ezekiel 20:37. However, G-d, blessed be He, had to make with them a covenant on the forgiveness that He extended to them [for their sin with the calf], and so [Moses] wrote the forgiveness, and the conditions [of the new covenant].

כתב לך את הדברים האלה, even though prior to the sin of the golden calf I had said: “to give to you the Tablets of stone with the Torah and the commandments which I have written,” (Exodus 24,12) now that the people had sinned “you Moses are to provide the Tablets, hewing them out and bringing them up to Mount Sinai. G’d would still inscribe the Tablets, but the Torah and the Mitzvah G’d would teach Moses, and he would have to write them down himself.

כתב לך את הדברים האלה, the ones mentioned in this portion beginning with הנני גרש מפניך in 34,11.

כתב לך את הדברים האלה, “make a written record of these words for yourself;” G’d commands Moses to write the ספר הברית, “the Book of the Covenant,” so that the people would accept it with same enthusiastic נעשה ונשמע, “we will perform, now let’s learn the details,” as they had accepted what was written on the Tablets at the first covenant. Seeing that the people had violated what was part of the first covenant, a new covenant had become necessary. In order to prevent another violation of a covenant, this covenant had to be recorded in writing, the “Book” being mute testimony to its validity. Moses, of course, carried out G’d’s instructions, although the Torah, as on many occasions, did not bother to spell this out for us.

But you are not permitted to write. . . [Rashi knows this] because “these” is an exclusionary word, [implying: “these” and not “those”].

V. 27. Wenn das על פי הדברים האלה heißen sollte: nach Inhalt dieser Worte, so müsste die Errichtung des Bundes den Inhalt derselben bilden. Dies ist jedoch nicht der Fall. Vielmehr sind die in ihnen enthaltenen Gesetze der Gegenstand, über welchen, d. h. hinsichtlich dessen Aufrechthaltung und Erfüllung der Bund errichtet worden. Das על kann daher nichts anderes als: über, in betreff, bedeuten. Dann hätte es aber, wie oben Kap. 24, 8 heißen sollen: על הדברים האלה. Das פי הדברים präzisiert den Gegenstand, hinsichtlich dessen der Bund geschlossen wird, näher, führt ihn offenbar über den durch דברים gegebenen Begriff hinaus. Nicht die Worte, wie sie in Schrift fixiert dem Auge vorliegen werden, sondern der volle, lebendige, in Schrift nicht zu fixierende Inhalt, wie er Mosche vor der Fixierung im Geiste gegenwärtig war und auch nach der Fixierung nur im Geiste gegenwärtig blieb, und wofür das in Schrift Fixierte nur den Gedächtnisstab bildet, ist der Gegenstand des zu errichtenden Bundes. (Oben bezieht sich das על כל הדברים האלה auf alles, was Mosche dem Volke und das Volk Mosche mündlich gesagt hatte. Siehe daselbst.) Daher zu dieser Stelle der Satz der Weisen (Gittin 60 b): לא כרת הב׳׳ה ברית עם ישראל אלא בשביל דברים שבעל פה, und da hier gleichzeitig auf das schriftlich Fixierte und auf das für die mündliche Überlieferung dem Geiste Verbliebene hingewiesen ist, die Sätze: דברים שבכתב אי אתה רשאי לאומרן על פה דברים שבעל פה אי אתה רשאי לאומרן בכתב, die scharf präzisierte Nuancierung des Ausdrucks, wodurch eben das Schriftliche Gedächtnisstab für den Inhalt des Gesetzes wird, geht auf dem Wege der mündlichen Mitteilung verloren; aber eben so wenig lässt sich dieser Inhalt in der Totalität seines Umfanges und in dem lebendigen Geist seiner Bedeutung durch Schrift fixieren. Es gebe nur jemand einmal seine gerichtliche Aussage mündlich zu Protokoll. Wie selten findet er in dem protokollarisch Aufgenommenen sich ganz unverkürzt und rein wieder. Sprechen doch die Weisen selbst von den Gerichtsprotokollen (Sanhedrin 35. a):אף על גב דשני סופרי הדיינין עומדין לפניהם וכותבין דברי המזכין ודברי המחייבין נהי דבפומא כתבין ליבא דאינש׳ אינשי,"obgleich zwei Gerichtsschreiber gegenwärtig sind und die Meinungsäußerungen der Freisprechenden, sowie der Verurteilenden niederschreiben, so können sie wohl das Wort des Mundes niederschreiben, allein des Menschen Herz ist der eigentliche Mensch". Sagt doch schon die sprachliche Erscheinung des Ausdrucks כתב für Schrift in seiner Lautverwandtschaft mit קטף: Knicken, קטב: Töten, גדף: Entstellen, allerdings auch mit כתף: Schulter, dass das geschriebene Wort allerdings ein willkommener, aber gleichwohl für sich allein unvollkommener, die Ganzheit, das Leben und die Wahrheit gefährdender Träger des Gedankens ist. Nicht daher על הדברים האלה: über den nackten Wortlaut der in Schrift zu fixierenden Worte allein, sondern: על פי הדברים האלה, über den mündlich verbliebenen Inhalt dieser Worte, über diese Worte, nach deren nicht in Schrift fixiertem Inhalte, hat Gott seinen Bund mit uns geschlossen.

על פי הדברים האלה, “in accordance with these words, etc.;” “these words,” are the warnings to refrain from anything remotely resembling idolatry. Even concluding a political agreement with neighbouring countries is considered something akin to idolatry, in view of the fact that it may lead to intermarriage between Jews and gentiles. It might also prevent you to observe the pilgrimage festivals during which you confirm your loyalty to Torah by presenting yourselves to the G-d Who had given you His Torah. כרתי אתך ברית, “the covenant I concluded with you was conditional on your observing these words.”

כי על פי הדברים האלה, that you will not follow other deities and will not conclude a pact with the present inhabitants of the land of Canaan, and that you will not intermarry with them, and make the three times annual pilgrimage to the Temple.

אתך ברית ואת ישראל, “the covenant includes both you and Israel.” The reason why the Torah singles out Moses, i.e. עמך here, is because the entire new covenant G’d renewed only on account of His feelings for Moses, as we mentioned previously. As to G’d’s relations with Israel, G’d’s pardon for the people had to precede His concluding a new covenant with them. [This is why the cumbersome wording כרתי אתך ברית ואת ישראל is used instead of the straightforward כרתי עמכם ברית, “I concluded a covenant with you.” (as for instance in Deut.5,2) Ed.]

AND HE WAS THERE WITH THE ETERNAL FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS… AND HE WROTE UPON THE TABLETS THE WORDS OF THE COVENANT, THE TEN WORDS. The verse is stating that Moses was on top of the mountain for forty days and forty nights, and he wrote there upon the Tablets. And in the opinion of our Rabbis⁵⁴²Shemoth Rabbah 47:12. the meaning of the verse is that Moses was there with G-d for forty days and forty nights,⁵⁴³From the first of Ellul to the tenth of Tishri, which is the Day of Atonement. during which time He wrote on the Tablets the words of this second covenant. But he had stayed there for another forty days⁵⁴⁴From the nineteenth of Tammuz to the twenty-ninth of Ab. prior to these to pray for all his requests, as is narrated in the section beginning, See, Thou sayest unto me: Bring up this people;⁵⁴⁵Above, 33:12. and with reference to these days it is said in the Book of Deuteronomy, So I fell down before the Eternal the forty days and forty nights that I fell down; because the Eternal had said He would destroy you.⁵⁴⁶Deuteronomy 9:25. Here, however, Scripture did not explain how many days were the duration of this period of supplication and prayer, for it is known that it was from the time he went up to the mountain until he came down to hew the second Tablets.⁵⁴⁷This was on the first day of Ellul (see Ramban above, 33:7). Having hewn the Tablets, he went up to the mountain and stayed until the tenth of Tishri. From this we learn that the forty-day period of prayer preceded it, which brings it to the days between the nineteenth of Tammuz and the twenty-ninth of Ab. But it said that the matter of the second Tablets was like that of the first in every respect — the writing of G-d, and the number of days he stood before G-d, so that he should not think that he had already learned the Torah during the first time, and that therefore it would not be necessary for him to stay there many days.

'ויהי שם עם ה, his third and final 40 day stay there..

לחם לא אכלתי, "I did not eat bread, etc." The reason that the Torah specified that Moses ate neither bread nor drank water was to make us aware that he did absorb nutrients of a different kind. He absorbed spiritual food. We find something of that nature in Psalms 40,9 where David speaks about תורתך בתוך מעי, "Your Torah being in my entrails." Torah is also compared to water in Taanit 7. Had the Torah merely written: "he neither ate not drank," this would have included all kinds of "food."

ויכתוב על הלוחות, G’d Himself inscribed the Tablets. The same words as had been inscribed on the first Tablets were inscribed on the second set. (as per verse 1 of our chapter) The same information is repeated by Moses in Deuteronomy 10,4

ויהי שם עם ה' ארבעים יום....ויכתב על הלוחות את דברי הברית, עשרת הדברים. “He remained there with Hashem for forty days….and He (G’d) wrote on the Tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.” The subject of the word ויכתב is Hashem, for G’d Himself testified (Exodus 34,1 וכתבתי על הלוחות, “I Myself will inscribe on the Tablets, etc.”) The forty days mentioned by Moses here were the last forty days he spent on Mount Sinai. Prior to this he had spent another forty days on the Mountain, devoted entirely to prayer on behalf of the Jewish people, beseeching G’d to forgive the people. He referred to those forty days in Deuteronomy Moses did not spell out how many days he had been on the Mountain on that occasion now as everybody knew, as opposed to the people whom he addressed in Deuteronomy, most of whom had not been alive yet at this time. The reason the Torah, i.e. Moses, emphasized that he spent 40 days on the Mountain even on the last occasion was to remind the people how difficult it had been to obtain atonement for them. He certainly had not needed all that time to learn the Torah, as he had learned that on his previous stay on the Mountain.

He remained there with Ad-noy. Moshe’s body ascended in spirituality until it was capable of surviving on the food of the soul. Thus according to Shemos Rabbah (48) he was nourished by the splendor of the Shechinah. The Ten [Commandments]. The first tablets were inscribed on both sides, containing all the laws of the Torah in all their details, both exoteric and esoteric. The second tablets, by contrast, contained only the Ten Commandments.

V. 28. Vierzig Tage, vom ersten Elul bis zum zehnten Tischri.

'ויהי שם עם ה, “he remained there with the Lord, etc.” this was the third time that Moses spent 40 days on the Mountain. He ascended at dawn on the twenty ninth day of Av, and remained there until dawn of the tenth day of Tishrey, better known as Yom Hakippurim. If you were to ask how Moses could tell day and night from each other, seeing that in the celestial regions day and night are all the same, seeing that we have a verse in Daniel 2,22 ונהורא עמיה שריה, “and light dwells with Him?” We also a verse in Psalms,גם חשך לא יחשיך ממך ולילה כיום יאיר כחשכת אורך :139,12“darkness is not dark for You; night is as light as day.”We need to answer that when G-d taught Moses the written Torah, he knew that it was daytime down on earth. When He taught him the oral Torah, he knew that it was night on earth at that time. Furthermore, when he observed the moon and the stars bowing down to the Lord, he knew that it must be daytime on earth, as these celestial bodies had to perform their duties on earth at night. When he observed the sun paying its respect to G-d, he knew that it was night on earth, as during the daylight hours the sun had to perform its duties on earth.

‘Va’yichtov’ upon the Tablets — this means that G-d wrote, and does not refer back to Moses [mentioned in the preceding phrase, he did neither eat bread, nor drink water], for so He said, and I will write upon the Tablets.⁵⁴⁸Above, Verse 1. Similarly, in the Book of Deuteronomy it says, and I hewed two Tablets of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two Tablets in my hand. And He wrote on the Tablets, according to the first writing.⁵⁴⁹Deuteronomy 10:3-4. And since it says according to the first writing, we know that they were written with the finger of G-d.⁵⁵⁰Above, 31:18. Thus the meaning of the expression, and I will write⁵⁴⁸Above, Verse 1. means “with the finger,” and you know [already] the meaning of “finger” from that of “the hand.”⁵⁵¹Ibid., 14:31. See Ramban there.

ויכתוב על הלוחות, ”He wrote on the Tablets;” G-d did the writing, as confirmed in Deuteronomy 10,2: “I shall write on the Tablets,” and in Deuteronomy 10,4 Moses confirms; “He wrote on the Tablets exactly as He had done on the first set of Tablets.”

ויהי ברדת משה AND IT CAME TO PASS WHEN MOSES WENT DOWN [FROM MOUNT SINAI] — when he brought the second tablets on the Day of Atonement.

ויהי ברדת משה, "It occurred while Moses descended," The Torah uses the word ויהי which portends something painful because all the righteous people in the camp of the Israelites were "burned" when they observed that Moses' face emitted rays of light.

כי קרן, an expression denoting majesty. The word occurs in this sense also in Chabakuk 3,4 קרנים מידו לו, “which gives off rays from every side.” Anyone who compares the meaning of the words קרן עור פניו in Deuteronomy 33,17 וקרני ראם לו, “having horns like the reem,” .is completely foolish. It is quite normal for words in the Torah to have more than one meaning, depending on the context in which they are used.

When he brought the Second Tablets. . . When he brought the First Tablets on the seventeenth of Tammuz, it is also written that “Moshe went down from the mountain with the two Tablets of the Testimony in his hand” (Shemos 32:15), like it is written here. Nevertheless, [Rashi knows that the verse here speaks of the Second Tablets because] all the following incidents took place only with the Second Tablets.

ויהי ברדת משה, “it happened that when Moses was descending, etc.” This was on a Tuesday the tenth day of Tishrey, after Moses having been on the Mountain for the third time for forty days;

כי קרן עור פניו THAT THE SKIN OF HIS FACE BEAMED — קרן is an expression connected with the word קרנים “horns”, and the phrase, קרן אור, the light-“horned” , is used here because light radiates from a point and projects Like a horn. And whence was Moses privileged to have the rays of glory? Our Rabbis said that they originated at the time when he was in the cave, for the Holy One, blessed be He, then put His hand upon his face, as it is said, (Exodus 33:22) “And I will shelter thee with My hand” (Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tisa 37).

From where was Moshe privileged for these rays of splendor. . . I.e., why was he privileged to them with the Second Tablets, and not with the First Tablets?

ברדת משה מהר סיני, when Moses descended from Mount Sinai, etc. I am not sure why these words appear at this point, neither do I know why the Torah repeated ברדתו מן ההר, "when he descended from the Mountain." Besides, why did the Torah have to emphasise that Moses was unaware of the rays his face gave off before even having told us that his face did radiate light? Furthermore, who did finally tell Moses that his face emitted rays of light? If the people told him, why did the Torah not mention this?

ושני לוחות העדות, “and the two Tablets of the Testimony in his hand, etc.;” what is missing here is a reference to the ark within which these Tablets were to be placed. This has been included in Moses’ report in Deuteronomy 10,3. Moses had constructed an ark for the Tablets in which they were kept from the tenth day of Tishrey until the first day of Nissan, when the Tabernacle was erected and the Tablets were transferred to the Holy Ark that had been constructed by Betzalel, and the Ark and the Tablets were placed in the Holy of Holies, in the westernmost section of the Tabernacle.

The whole subject becomes clearer when the Torah reports that Moses wore a veil over his face at all times except when he taught the Torah. The question therefore should have been: "why did Moses not wear a veil over his face at the time he descended from the Mountain?" The Torah answers this question by stating that Moses was unaware that his face emitted rays of light. This is why he had not put on his veil as usual prior to descending from the Mountain. This led to Aaron and the children of Israel observing that his face gave forth a beam of light. This still leaves us with the strange phenomenon that a human being should be unaware that his face emits rays of light. This is especially so if we assume the source of these rays to have been some kind of horn-like protuberance on his forehead? Surely Moses must have noticed that he suddenly possessed such an additional feature? This is why the Torah explained the reason of Moses' unawareness by stating that all of this occurred while he descended from the Mountain and held the Tablets in his hand(s). As long as he had been on the Mountain, Moses had assumed that any radiation of light he noted had originated with G'd who was speaking to him. This light which Moses had assumed to originate with G'd disappeared during his descent. The reason Moses still did not notice that these rays originated in his own face was that he carried the Holy Tablets while descending from the Mountain. He therefore assumed that the light he was still conscious of was emitted by the Tablets. He had no idea that he himself had become a permanent source of such light. When the Torah writes: "he did not know that the skin of his face emitted rays," this does not mean that he was unaware of these rays of light. He was only unaware that the source was neither G'd nor the Tablets but the skin of his own face. This is why he did not cover his face with the veil when Aaron saw him. We may now understand the meter of the verse as follows: "The reason that both Aaron and the children of Israel saw Moses' face emit rays of light was that Moses was unaware of his face being the source of that light; he had therefore neglected to cover his face with the veil he normally wore." As soon as he deposited the Tablets and he became aware that the light had not departed, he realised that he himself was the source of the light and he immediately covered his face with the veil. Moses' wearing the veil corresponds to the mystical dimension of Proverbs 25,2: "It is the glory of G'd to conceal a matter."

ומשה לא ידע כי קרן עור פניו, Moses was not aware that the skin of his face radiated light. When G-d had placed His hand on his face to shield him when His glory passed and he stood in the opening of a cave in the rock (compare 33,22), he merited this reminder of that encounter. The reason that he merited this reminder which he had not merited when he carried the first set of Tablets, was that the first set of Tablets had been given publicly for everyone to see, whereas at the introduction to his ascent to receive the second set the Torah had expressly warned that that no one was to accompany him even at the bottom of the Mountain (verse 3). Seeing that the giving of the firsts set of Tablets was accompanied by so much publicity, if there had been no visible evidence that Moses had received a second set some people might have thought that he himself had written on the Tablets seeing that the raw material had been taken up on the Mountain with him, also. An alternate explanation: Seeing that prior to Moses’ return with the first set of Tablets the people had been prepared to accept another leader in Moses’ place, his emitting rays of light on his descent from the Mountain this time made a repetition of such an attempt quite unlikely.

Shemot Rabbah 47,6 discusses the source of the light Moses' face emitted, and Rabbi Yehudah bar Nachman claims that after Moses had completed writing down the Torah there was a little ink left over on the quill. Moses touched his forehead while holding the quill. The ink which spilled on to his forehead turned into the rays of light. This is a most enigmatic Midrash. Perhaps the rabbis wanted to teach us that the virtue of humility transcends all other virtues. Compare Shir Hashirim Rabbah 1,9 where "wisdom" is described as fashioning a crown for its head, and that "crown" is understood to be "reverence" for G'd, as per Psalms 111,10: ראשית חכמה יראת השם, "the 'head' of wisdom is fear of the Lord." Thereupon "humility" made a heel for its sandal as it is written (Proverbs 22,4) "the heel" i.e. the consequence of humility is fear of the Lord." We note that the Torah testified (Numbers 12,3) that Moses was the most humble man ever. When G'd asked him to write these words, Moses found himself unable to spell the word עניו as it should have been spelled and he omitted the letter י. Moses was rewarded for this act of humility with the rays of הוד, glory. Seeing that Moses had excelled in pleasing the Lord over and beyond what could be expected of him, G'd in turn performed kindness with him over and above what Moses could ever have expected. We believe that when Rabbi Yehudah bar Nachman in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai spoke of "left over" ink, he referred to the ink which had been intended for writing the letter י in the word עניו.

וייראו מגשת אליו AND THEY WERE AFRAID TO STEP NIGH UNTO HIM — Come and see how great is the power (influence) of sin! For before they streched forth their hand to sin what does Scripture say? (Exodus 24:17) “And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel”, — and yet they were not afraid and did not tremble! But after they made the golden calf they recoiled and trembled even at the sight of the rays of glory of Moses! (Sifrei Bamidbar 1:8)

והנה קרן עור פניו, “and behold! the skin of his face had become radiant.” We know of the light which represents wisdom and we know light which emerges out of darkness. The former kind of light is the light G’d employed to create the universe. Concerning that light our sages have said that it preceded the first directive of G’d in the Book of Genesis, i.e. “let there be light.” This light which was employed as a tool in G’d’s work of creation is known as ראשית. Moses attained this light in his heart, and it was this light which separated him from all other prophets making him superior to all of them.
The light which emerges out of darkness is the essence of fire, it is known as אור מוגרש, ”light which has been expelled.” This is the light which was applied to Moses, the light which is here called as radiating from the face of Moses. He acquired this ability to radiate light as a result of obtaining the second set of Tablets whereas he had not achieved this ability when he received the first set of Tablets when he was described as “turning and descending from the mountain” (32,15). During the period when the first set of Tablets was being prepared the people had still been under the spiritually uplifting experience of the revelation, everyone of them having been a party to insights never before granted to man. Now that they were no longer on that spiritual level and G’d had even warned them that “no one will ascend (spiritually) with you” (34,3), they would not have credited Moses with continuing to be on such a level had there not been some visible evidence of that. G’d provided this when he made Moses’ skin emit rays of light.
Another way of looking at the absence of this phenomenon when Moses received the first set of Tablets is that seeing his stature of G’d’s prophet had been established beyond all doubt he had not had any need to provide the Israelites with visible evidence of that. Seeing that in His wisdom G’d had been aware that Moses was going to smash the first Tablets, He had delayed equipping him with this power to emit rays of light until he had been given the second set of Tablets.

והנה קרן עור פניו, “and behold, the skin of his face emitted rays of light;” apparently his forehead reflected some of the brilliance of G–d’s “hand,” which protected him from getting a glimpse of G–d’s essence while he was standing in the cleft of the rock G–d had assigned to him for that purpose.

וייראו מגשת אליו, “they were afraid to approach him.” According to the plain meaning of the verse when they beheld him, they thought that they were looking at an angel. (Compare Torah shleymah by Rabbi Menachem Kasher item 241 on this verse)

הנשאים בעדה THE PRINCES IN THE CONGREGATION — is the same as the more usual expression נשיאי העדה, the princes of the congregation.

VA’YEDABEIR MOSHEH’ (AND MOSES SPOKE) TO THEM. “This whole section denotes a [continuing] present action [thus making the sense of the verbs: ‘and Moses used to speak…’ ‘and they used to come near…’]. 32. AND AFTERWARDS ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CAME NIGH. After Moses had taught the elders, he would again teach the section or the specific law to the Israelites.” All this is Rashi’s language. But it is not so [that this section describes a continuing occurrence — whenever Moses spoke to Israel]. Rather, Scripture is stating that when all Israel went forth to meet him [upon his descent from the mountain with the second Tablets], they saw the beams of glory streaming from his face, and they were afraid to come nigh him⁵⁵²Verse 30. and stepped backwards. Perhaps they thought that the Glory of G-d was there, or that the angels of Him on high were with him, and they feared lest the Eternal break forth upon them.⁵⁵³Above, 19:22. Then Moses called unto them; and Aaron and all the princes, who walked before them returned unto him,⁵⁵⁴Verse 31. and Moses spoke to them words of peace,⁵⁵⁵Esther 9:30. and told them the tidings of the forgiveness of their sin and of the Tablets he brought down. And afterwards when all the children of Israel saw that he was speaking with the princes of the congregation, they all came near to him, and then he commanded them all that the Eternal had spoken with him in Mount Sinai,⁵⁵⁶Verse 32. these being the second Ten Commandments that He gave him, and all that was said to him from the beginning of, Observe thou that which I am commanding thee this day,⁵⁵⁷Above, Verse 11. to the end of the section; for he told them that G-d had commanded him to make a covenant with them after the tenor of these words.⁵⁵⁸Ibid., Verse 27. Scripture, however, shortened the account and narrated the matter in general terms. Then Scripture says that when Moses had done speaking with them the whole subject mentioned, he put a veil upon his face,⁵⁵⁹Verse 33. for he understood that upon his return [from the mountain] the skin of his face sent forth beams,⁵⁶⁰Verse 29. or perhaps they told it to him. Finally, after having told the account of the events of that day, Scripture states, But when Moses went in before the Eternal etc.⁵⁶¹Verse 34. It is this part of Scripture that represents the continuing action, meaning that so did Moses conduct himself with them all the days.⁵⁶²But not, as Rashi put it, that this whole section (from Verses 31 to 35) represents a frequentative action. According to Ramban this applies only to Verses 34-35.
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וידבר משה אליהם, “and Moses would speak to them.” Rashi explains that this is phrased in the present tense, as was the entire episode.

In the present (ongoing) tense. . . [How does Rashi know this? The answer is:] Since nothing specific was spoken here, it must refer to what God spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai — which is the message of God to Israel. I.e., Moshe is to teach them the whole Torah. Perforce, this entire subject is in the present (ongoing) tense. Moshe would call them every day and teach the Torah and mitzvos to the leaders and then to all Yisrael, as explained further on. This continued even after the mishkon was erected.

ויקרא אליהם משה, “Moses called out to them.” When the people heard his voice they realised that he was not an angel.

וידבר משה אלהם AND MOSES SPOKE TO THEM the message of the Almighty. This whole section (i. e. all the verbs in it) denotes frequentative action (thus וידבר means “Moses used to say”, ויקרא meant “He used to call”, נגשו means “they used to come near” etc).

וישובו אליו “they turned back to face him.” From this verse it is clear that initially they had turned their back on him out of fear.

וידבר משה אליהם, Moses spoke to them. They noticed that no harm had come to them from his speaking to them.

ואחרי כן נגשו AND AFTERWARDS [THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] STEPPED NIGH — After he (Moses) had taught the elders he used again to teach the section or the single Halacha in question to the Israelites. The Rabbis have taught: How was the system of teaching? Moses used to learn the law from the mouth of the Almighty; Aaron entered and Moses taught him his lesson. Now Aaron moved away and took his seat to the left of Moses. Then his (Aaron’s) sons entered and Moses taught them their lesson. They moved away and Eleazar took his seat to the right of Moses, whilst Ithamar sat down at Aaron’s left. The elders then entered and Moses taught them their lesson. The elders moved away and took their seat at the side. Finally the whole people entered and Moses taught them their lesson. Consequently what was taught came into the possession of the whole people once, into the possession of the elders twice, into the possession of Aaron’s sons thrice and into Aaron’s possession four times etc. — as it is stated in Eruvin 54b.

ויצום את כל אשר דבר ה' אתו, the construction of the Tabernacle, the garments of the priests, the mandatory contribution of the males from 20 to 60 years of age amounting to a half shekel per head.

את כל אשר דבר ה' אתו, prior to the sin of the golden calf. Everything which has been written in the Torah, commencing with Exodus 25,2 until 32,1 as well as everything recorded in this paragraph.

ואחרי כן נגשו, “after that they approached.” This was after Moses had taught the Torah to the elders. Nachmanides writes that this is not correct, but that the words ואחר כן refer to what happened after the people had scattered, being afraid to approach Moses until he had placed the scarf around his forehead which prevented the rays of light emanating from his face. He then called upon them to approach, whereupon Aaron and all the princes did approach and speak to Moses. Moses welcomed them with the good news that the people’s sin had been forgiven, and he showed them the second set of Tablets to prove it. At that point the ordinary Israelites realized that when Moses spoke to the princes everything appeared normal, and they too approached Moses unafraid. Moses then told them that G’d had commanded him the second version of the Ten Commandments, the ones which He had inscribed on the second set of Tablets which he had brought down with him. Moses told the people everything from שמר לך in verse 11 onwards until the end of the whole Parshah for He told the people that G’d had commanded a new covenant. The Torah only summarises here, giving us a synopsis of all that G’d had told Moses to tell the people at that time. Having realized from the people’s retreat that it was caused because of the rays his forehead emitted, he proceeded to cover his forehead with the מסוה, his mask-like scarf. It is also possible that the people had told him that they could not face him on account of the rays his forehead emitted, so that Moss made it a practice to be without that mask only when he went to communicate with G’d or be communicated with by G’d.

את כל אשר דבר ה' אתו בהר סיני, “all the commandments that G-d had spoken to him about while he had been on Mount Sinai on his first and third stay on the Mountain, as well as all the commandments that He had communicated to him from Nissan when they had left Egypt until the twentieth of Iyar in the second year when they broke camp around the Mountain. However, according to the Talmud in tractate Gittin folio 60, the written Torah, i.e. in scroll form, he wrote down personally, one parchment at a time. When Moses made ready to leave this earth, he arranged these parchments in the order in which we read them nowadays according to the order he considered appropriate.

ויתן על פניו מסוה AND HE PUT A VEIL ON HIS FACE — Render it (מסוה) as the Targum does: בית אפי, a cover for his face. מסוה is an Aramaic expression (from the root סוי, “to look”). It occurs in the Talmud (Ketubot 62b) “her heart perceived (סּוי), and again in Ketubot 60a “הוה קא מסוה לאפה”, where מסוה is an expression for looking: “he looked into her face”, i. e. he gazed at her. Here, too, מסוה denotes a cloth that was put in front of the face and of the region of the eyes. And out of reverence for the “rays of glory” — that not everybody should feast himself on them — Moses used to put the veil in front of them (the eyes), but took it off during the time when he spoke to Israel, and during the time when the Omnipresent conversed with him until the moment when he was going out and also when he went out he went out without the veil.

He placed a cover over his face. Moshe, in his great humility, was embarrassed when people gaped at the radiance of his face. But whenever he received instruction from God he was required to remove it, in keeping with the Sages’ principle that one who is prone to shame cannot learn (Pirkei Avos 2:5).

ויכל משה מדבר אתם, but while he was still speaking to them he did not wear the cloth. This corresponds to Isaiah 30,20 “your eyes should look at your teachers.” As our sages explained (Eyruvin 13, Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi speaking) “if I had looked at his (Rabbi Meir’s) teacher’s face instead of merely at his back I would have been even more learned.”)

מסוה, a cloth bearing this name. The letter ו in this word is integral to it, just as the same letter in the word מקוה in Jeremiah 14,8. Also the letter ת in the word סותה in Genesis 49,11 is integral to the word. We are speaking about garments of different kinds in the various instances, but the words have different origins. The author accepts the view of the commentator Dunash.

V. 33. סוה ,מסוה erscheint in Lautverwandtschaft mit צפה, das sowohl Schauen als, im Piel, einen Überzug über etwas machen bedeutet. Auch סוה kommt rabbinisch als Schauen vor: סוי לבה פרח רוחה (Ketubot 62 b nach Raschi) und heißt hier in der Form מסוה eine Decke. Beidem liegt der Begriff zu Grunde: eine künstliche Oberfläche zum Anschauen machen.

ויכל משה מדבר אתם, “When Moses had finished speaking with them, etc,”

ודבר אל בני ישראל … וראו AND HE SPOKE UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL… AND THEY SAW the rays of glory on his face; and when he moved away from them ...

יסיר את המסוה, whenever Moses had to convey G’d’s instructions to the people he still did not cover his forehead with the cloth he had removed in order to communicate with G’d. Once he concluded conveying G’d’s words he would again cover his forehead. When G’d would address him, or he would wish to address G’d, he did so without wearing the מסוה.

VV. 34 u. 35. Mosche Bescheidenheit ließ es nicht zu, anders als wenn er vor Gott einging oder im Namen Gottes zu reden hatte, sich mit strahlendem Angesicht zu zeigen.

'ובבא משה לפני ה, “whenever Moses went in (the Tabernacle) to face Hashem etc.; either when the communication had been initiated by Hashem, or when Moses had occasion to speak to the people, he did not wear the veil on his face; the reason was, as we learned from Isaiah 30,20: והיו עיניך רואות את מוריך, “your eyes shall be able to see your teacher.” The word: מוריך in that verse refers to G-d Who is your teacher. What G-d was to Moses, Moses was to the people. Just as Moses had not worn a veil when facing G-d and being taught the Torah, so it was not appropriate for him to wear a veil when teaching Torah to the people. When the Torah wrote: והשיב משה את המסוה, “Moses put the veil back on his face,” he did so in order that the people did not have to look at how his forehead emitted the rays of light as it would lose its character of being something holy. Seeing that it was a reflection of the Presence of G-d in miniature, the people were not to relate to it as something that they could feast their eyes on. [Compare Exodus 24 1011 from which it is clear that such an attitude was sinful. Ed.]

The expression מסוה, is based on the word סותה, (compare Genesis 49,11, ובדם ענבים סותה, “his robe in blood of grapes”)

והשיב משה את המסוה על פניו עד באו לדבר אתו MOSES REPLACED THE VEIL UPON HIS FACE UNTIL HE CAME IN TO SPEAK WITH HIM — but when he came in to speak with Him he took it off his face.

וראו בני ישראל, and when the children of Israel saw, etc.; We need to understand why the Torah repeats something we have been told already in verse 30. Perhaps the Torah wanted us to know that the Israelites needed to experience the fact that Moses' face emitted rays of light on more than one occasion in order that they should not interpret these rays as a residue of Moses' prolonged stay on the Mountain in the Celestial Surroundings. Had they observed the phenomenon only once, the Israelites would have concluded that it would fade away with time, just as time made their own experience during the revelation fade away. This is why they looked at Moses' face from time to time to reasssure themselves that these rays were evidence of Moses' being a superior being. It is also possible that the entire episode reflects a spiritual return by Moses to the time before man had sinned and G'd had provided clothing for him made of skin (leather). According to Bereshit Rabbah 24, the Torah scroll of Rabbi Meir had the words כתנות עור in Genesis 3,21 spelled אור, light. When G'd turned the skin of Moses' face into a source of light, He demonstrated that the process which had once turned light into skin was reversible and that man could be rehabilitated to the spiritual level he once enjoyed prior to the sin in גן עדן.

וראו בני ישראל את פני משה, “When the Children of Israel saw the face of Moses, etc.” We need to understand why the name of Moses is mentioned three separate times in this verse. The Torah could simply have written: כי קרן עור פניו והשיב את המסוה, “as soon as the skin of his face emitted rays of light he put the mask back on.” According to the plain meaning of the text we may understand the fact that the Torah bothers to mention Moses’ name three times as corresponding to the three times 40 days which Moses had spent on the mountain. It is a fact that during each of his stays on the mountain Moses achieved a greater degree of forgiveness from G’d. The radiations of light from Moses’ face may well have intensified each time he had achieved part of his purpose. This is why not only the name Moses but also the word פנים appears here three times. We may conclude that the very name משה assumed a greater significance in terms of his spiritual achievements during every visit on the mountain. The name had originally been derived from Pharaoh’s daughter saying that she had pulled him from the water. At that time the “water” referred to was physical water. In the interval Moses had graduated to Torah, otherwise known as the Jewish people’s “spiritual water,” their lifeline. Moses’ spiritual progress may reflect the saying of the sages in in Baba Kama 17 that אין מים אלא תורה, “the only water which is a true source of life is the Torah.”
Moses’ very name contains within it an allusion to the fact that he would be able to hear the Shechinah speak to him at some time in the future. (The name משה is an acrostic of the respective first letters in the words מבין שני הכרובים, “from between the two cherubs” the angel-like figures on the lid of the Holy Ark from where G’d’s voice appeared to speak to Moses.)

The message of this verse may also be that although Moses was at pains to cover his face with the veil, this did not prevent the Israelites from looking at his face whenever he had removed the veil. It was not forbidden to look at Moses' face seeing that Moses did not object. Moreover, G'd Himself wanted the people to get a glimpse of this אור החיים, the light which represented the idea of "Life" at its best.

And that is that He commanded us to confess the transgressions and sins that we have done before God and to say them together with [our] repentance. And that is confession. And its intent is that one say, "Please, Lord, I have sinned, I have transgressed, I have rebelled and I have done such and such." And he should prolong the statement and request forgiveness about this matter according to the polish of his speech. And you should know that even the sins for which one is liable for the types of sacrifices that are mentioned - that He said that one offer them and it atones for him - do not suffice with the sacrifice when it is without confession. And that is His saying, "Speak to the children of Israel [saying], a man or woman who commits from any of the sins of man [...]. And they shall confess the sins that they did" (Numbers 5:6-7). And the language of the Mekhilta is, "Since it is stated (Leviticus 5:5), 'and he shall confess that which he has sinned upon it' - it is to be upon the sin-offering when it is in existence, not after it has been slaughtered. It is only understood that an individual confesses for entering the Temple [impure]" - for this verse appears in Parashat Vayikra about one who renders the Temple and its sanctified objects impure, and that which is mentioned with it, as we explained; and so the Mekhilta there raises the possibility that we would only learn the obligation for confession from Scripture about one who renders the Temple impure. "From where are you to include all the other commandments? [Hence] we learn to say, 'Speak to the children of Israel [...]. And they shall confess.' And from where [do we know] even [sins that bring punishments of] excision and death penalties of the court? It states, 'the sins,' to include negative commandments; 'that they did,' to include positive commandments." And there it says, "'From any of the sins of man' - for theft, for robbery, for evil speech; 'to commit a trespass' - to include one who swears falsely and a blasphemer; 'and be guilty' - to include all those guilty of death penalties. It might be even those who are killed according to the testimony of colluding ones. I only said, 'and that man be guilty.'" That means to say that he is not obligated to confess when he knows that he has not sinned, but rather what was testified against him was false. Behold it has been made clear to you that we are obligated to confess for all types of transgressions, big and small - and even [for] positive commandments. But because this command - that is, "And they shall confess" - appeared with an obligation for a sacrifice, it could have entered our mind that confession is not a commandment by itself, but is rather from those things that are an extension of the sacrifice. [Hence] they needed to clarify this in the Mekhilta with this language - "It might be that when they bring their sacrifices, they confess; when they do not bring their sacrifices, they do not confess. [Hence] we learn to say, 'Speak to the children of Israel [...]. And they shall confess.' But still, the understanding of confession is only in the Land [of Israel]. From where [do we know], also in the diaspora? [Hence] we learn to say, 'their iniquities [...] and the iniquities of their fathers' (Leviticus 26:40)." And likewise did Daniel say, "To You, Lord, is justice, etc." (Daniel 9:7). Behold that which we have mentioned has been made clear to you - that confession is a separate obligation; and that it is an obligation for the sinner for every sin that he did. Whether in the Land or outside of the Land; whether he brought a sacrifice or did not bring a sacrifice - he is obligated to confess, as it is stated, "And they shall confess for their iniquities." And the language of the [Sifra] is, "'And he shall confess' - that is confession of words." And the regulations of this commandment have already been explained in Tractate Yoma. (See Parashat Nasso; Mishneh Torah, Repentance 1).