Êxodo 3:18 Halacá: Mishneh Torah, Foundations

What was it then that Moses our Master sought to attain when he said: "Show me, I pray Thee, Thy glory" (Ex. 33,18)? He desired to know the truth of the existence of the Holy One, blessed is He! with a thorough knowledge within his heart, even as he would know a certain person whose countenance he saw and whose likeness was imprinted upon his heart, so that he could find him in his mind's vision separated from other persons; even so did Moses our Master seek to establish the existence of the Holy One, blessed is He! separated within his heart from other beings, until he would know the truth of His existence as it is. And He, blessed is He! answered him, that it is not within the intellectual power of the living man, who is a composite being of body and soul, to reach the pure truth of this matter; but He, blessed is He! imparted to him that which no man before him did nor no man after him shall know for, he fathomed the subject of the true existence of the Holy One, blessed is He! even so that He became separated in his mind's vision from other beings; as, for instance, he could separate in his mind a certain person, whose back and body and clothes he saw from bodies of other persons. And, concerning this matter the Passage points, saying: "And thou shalt see My back; but My face shall not be seen" (Ex. 33,23).

Consequently they to whom he was sent are the witnesses by whom the truth of his prophecy is established, wherefor he needed no other token to deliver to them, as they and he witnessed it together, and as when two witnesses see one thing together each one testifies for the other that he speaks the truth, and neither needs other testimony for the other. Thus, Moses our Master, all Israel are his witnesses since their presence at Mount Sinai, and there was no need for him to deliver to them any token. This is what the Holy One, blessed is He! spoke unto him, when he commenced to prophesy, at the time He endowed him with the tokens to be delivered in Egypt, saying to him: "And they shall hearken to thy voice" (Ex. 3.18). Moses our Master knew that whosoever believes on the testimony of tokens retains in his heart suspicions and continues to think and reflect; and he endeavored not to go, saying: "But, behold, they will not believe me" (Ibid. 4.1). Then it was that the Holy One, blessed is He! made known to him that these tokens were of no need save until they go forth out of Egypt, but after they go forth, when they will stand upon this Mount the suspicious thoughts which they might be thinking after thee will disappear, for I am herewith investing thee with a token which they will know in truth that it was I Who sent thee from the very start, so that there be left no suspicion in their heart. And it is this what the Verse says: "And this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain" (Ibid. 3. 12). Consequently, it must be said that in every prophet who rises up after Moses our Master, we do not believe because of the token alone, so as to say: "If he deliver a token we will hearken to all of his prophesying"; but because of the commandment which Moses commanded in the Torah and said, if he do give a token, "Unto him ye shall hearken" (Deut. 18.15). Even as he commanded us to render decision in a matter on the testimony of two witnesses, although we do not know whether they have testified truth or falsehood, so it is mandatory to hearken to such prophet, notwithstanding our lack of knowledge whether the token is true or whether it was delivered by witchcraft and enchantment.