Комментарий к Шмот 34:15

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.