Комментарий к Шмот 34:23

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.