וַהֲסִרֹתִי֙ אֶת־כַּפִּ֔י וְרָאִ֖יתָ אֶת־אֲחֹרָ֑י וּפָנַ֖י לֹ֥א יֵרָאֽוּ׃ (ס)
Depois removerei a Minha mão, e tu verás as Minhas costas, mas a Minha face não será vista." {פ}
Kli Yakar
And it further appears to me, that He mentioned the name of Shaddai to the forefathers in the promise of the land, to hint to them that the purpose of the land is in both this world and the world to come. For the letters “yud-shin” [י“ש] from the name ”Shaddai“ [שדי] hint at the reward of the world to come, as it is said To bequeath substance [יש - ‘yesh’] to those who love me (Proverbs 8:21). And the letter ”dalet“ [ד] from ”Shaddai“ hints at the reward of this world which extends to the four [ד’ - dalet represents the number 4] directions of the world, as it is written And you shall spread out to the west and to the east, etc. (Genesis 28:14).
And regarding this it was said to Moses And You shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen (Exodus 33:23). The Holy One, blessed be He, showed Moses the knot of the tefillin, because the letter ”dalet“ from ”Shaddai“ is in the knot of the tefillin at the back, through which the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him all the reward of this world hinted at by the four directions, as it is said to Moses, Ascend to the top of the summit and lift Your eyes westward and northward, etc. (Deuteronomy 3:27).
But My face — meaning the letters ”yud-shin“ which are in the tefillin in the front, alluding to the reward of the world to come, namely the ”shin“ in the head tefillin and the ”yud“ in the hand tefillin — shall not be seen. He told him that the reward of the world to come cannot be seen, as it is written No eye has seen God besides You (Isaiah 64:3). Therefore, He mentioned here the name of Shaddai to say that they [the forefathers] did not question why they did not find a burial place in the land, which is meant for the purpose of resurrection, even though they were also promised resurrection with the name of Shaddai.
And regarding this it was said to Moses And You shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen (Exodus 33:23). The Holy One, blessed be He, showed Moses the knot of the tefillin, because the letter ”dalet“ from ”Shaddai“ is in the knot of the tefillin at the back, through which the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him all the reward of this world hinted at by the four directions, as it is said to Moses, Ascend to the top of the summit and lift Your eyes westward and northward, etc. (Deuteronomy 3:27).
But My face — meaning the letters ”yud-shin“ which are in the tefillin in the front, alluding to the reward of the world to come, namely the ”shin“ in the head tefillin and the ”yud“ in the hand tefillin — shall not be seen. He told him that the reward of the world to come cannot be seen, as it is written No eye has seen God besides You (Isaiah 64:3). Therefore, He mentioned here the name of Shaddai to say that they [the forefathers] did not question why they did not find a burial place in the land, which is meant for the purpose of resurrection, even though they were also promised resurrection with the name of Shaddai.
Kli Yakar
However, by way of allusion, one can say, regarding the secret of the large Ayin and Dalet and the matter of the knot of tefillin: Moses requested and said, Show me now Your glory (Exodus 33:18), and they said (in Vayikra Rabbah 45:5) that he asked to see the entire reward of the righteous in this world and in the World to Come, for there the honor of the wise will be inherited. God responded to him, You will see My back, but My face shall not be seen (Exodus 33:23). Our Sages said (Berakhot 7a) that My back refers to the knot of the tefillin.
For in the tefillin there is the name of Shadai, namely, the Dalet in the knot of the tefillin at the back, and the Yod and Shin are letters that appear in the front — the Shin in the head tefillin and the Yod in the hand tefillin. The letters Yod-Shin spell “yesh” [existence/substance], which alludes to the reward of the World to Come, as it is said (Proverbs 8:21), to bequeath to those who love Me substance [yesh]. For in it there is true existence and substance, and compared to it, the reward of this world is considered void and nothingness. This is alluded to in the Dalet, for its advantage comes from all four (dalet = 4) directions of the world, as it is written (Genesis 28:14), You shall spread out westward and eastward, etc.
And God said to him, You will see My back — the Dalet in the knot of tefillin, alluding to the reward of this world. That alone you will be able to see, and it is a secondary matter designated as back. Similarly, He said to Moses, Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift your eyes westward, northward, southward, etc. — to show him all of His back, as Rashi explained in the portion of V’zot HaBerachah (34:1-2), And He showed him all the land, etc., until the Western Sea. And not including [the Western Sea [yam acharon]], because from the last day [yom acharon] and onward is the beginning of the reward of the World to Come, about which it is said (Isaiah 64:3), No eye has seen, O God, besides You.
Therefore it is said, but My face shall not be seen. For on the face of the tefillin is engraved the word “yesh,” which alludes to the reward of the World to Come that no eye has seen. This is the secret of the large Ayin and Dalet — to say that the Ayin [eye] of a person cannot see anything except the Dalet, as mentioned. But “yesh” is alluded to in the first letters of the words of “Shema Yisrael,” for the “yesh” that alludes to the inheritance for those who love Him cannot be seen by the eye, but only heard by the ear. We have heard this promise from scribes and storytellers, but the eye has not seen it. This is a precious allusion.
For in the tefillin there is the name of Shadai, namely, the Dalet in the knot of the tefillin at the back, and the Yod and Shin are letters that appear in the front — the Shin in the head tefillin and the Yod in the hand tefillin. The letters Yod-Shin spell “yesh” [existence/substance], which alludes to the reward of the World to Come, as it is said (Proverbs 8:21), to bequeath to those who love Me substance [yesh]. For in it there is true existence and substance, and compared to it, the reward of this world is considered void and nothingness. This is alluded to in the Dalet, for its advantage comes from all four (dalet = 4) directions of the world, as it is written (Genesis 28:14), You shall spread out westward and eastward, etc.
And God said to him, You will see My back — the Dalet in the knot of tefillin, alluding to the reward of this world. That alone you will be able to see, and it is a secondary matter designated as back. Similarly, He said to Moses, Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift your eyes westward, northward, southward, etc. — to show him all of His back, as Rashi explained in the portion of V’zot HaBerachah (34:1-2), And He showed him all the land, etc., until the Western Sea. And not including [the Western Sea [yam acharon]], because from the last day [yom acharon] and onward is the beginning of the reward of the World to Come, about which it is said (Isaiah 64:3), No eye has seen, O God, besides You.
Therefore it is said, but My face shall not be seen. For on the face of the tefillin is engraved the word “yesh,” which alludes to the reward of the World to Come that no eye has seen. This is the secret of the large Ayin and Dalet — to say that the Ayin [eye] of a person cannot see anything except the Dalet, as mentioned. But “yesh” is alluded to in the first letters of the words of “Shema Yisrael,” for the “yesh” that alludes to the inheritance for those who love Him cannot be seen by the eye, but only heard by the ear. We have heard this promise from scribes and storytellers, but the eye has not seen it. This is a precious allusion.
Sefer Daniel; Opportunity in Exile
The Ibn Ezra
Of the major classic commentators to Sefer Daniel, Ibn Ezra is one of the few who do not try to calculate the arrival date of the Mashi’ach. Ibn Ezra (to Daniel 8:25) notes that the numbers indicating Mashi’ach’s arrival date are obscure to the point of being incomprehensible to human beings. Ibn Ezra notes that Daniel states (8:27) that he finds these dates incomprehensible. Moreover, he notes that Daniel 12:8 states that these numbers are “inaccessible and sealed”. Only when Mashi’ach arrives will our wise men be able, in retrospect, to decipher the meanings of these numbers114This idea brings to mind Shemot 33:23 where Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu that he can perceive Hashem only from the back but not from the front..
Of the major classic commentators to Sefer Daniel, Ibn Ezra is one of the few who do not try to calculate the arrival date of the Mashi’ach. Ibn Ezra (to Daniel 8:25) notes that the numbers indicating Mashi’ach’s arrival date are obscure to the point of being incomprehensible to human beings. Ibn Ezra notes that Daniel states (8:27) that he finds these dates incomprehensible. Moreover, he notes that Daniel 12:8 states that these numbers are “inaccessible and sealed”. Only when Mashi’ach arrives will our wise men be able, in retrospect, to decipher the meanings of these numbers114This idea brings to mind Shemot 33:23 where Hashem tells Moshe Rabbeinu that he can perceive Hashem only from the back but not from the front..
Rashi
ותמנת ה' יביט AND THE SIMILITUDE OF THE LORD DID HE BEHOLD — This refers to beholding the after-effects of God’s Providence, just as it is stated, (Exodus 33:22 Exodus 33:23) “[And it shall be when My glory passeth by] thou shalt see what is behind Me” (Sifrei Bamidbar 103).