לֹ֧א בַסֵּ֣תֶר דִּבַּ֗רְתִּי בִּמְקוֹם֙ אֶ֣רֶץ חֹ֔שֶׁךְ לֹ֥א אָמַ֛רְתִּי לְזֶ֥רַע יַעֲקֹ֖ב תֹּ֣הוּ בַקְּשׁ֑וּנִי אֲנִ֤י יְהוָה֙ דֹּבֵ֣ר צֶ֔דֶק מַגִּ֖יד מֵישָׁרִֽים׃
Hindi Ako nagsalita nang lihim, sa isang dako ng lupain ng kadiliman; hindi Ko sinabi sa lahi ni Jacob, “Hanapin ninyo Ako nang walang kabuluhan.” Ako ang Walang-Hanggan, na nagsasalita ng katuwiran at nagpapahayag ng mga bagay na matuwid.
Chesed LeAvraham
And not only that, but also when the form of a person is depicted in the honored intellect, he will attain great and wonderful elevation. This is the reason why our sages said that a person must receive the countenance of his teacher by standing in his place [metaphorically speaking], as he will envision himself in the intellect of his teacher. This is what our sages explained regarding the verse, "As the Lord your God lives, before whom I stood," meaning that he stood before Elijah his teacher. When one stands before Elijah, he will undoubtedly envision his own form in the mind of Elijah. And as Elijah stands and serves before his Creator, due to his intense connection with prophecy, he is found continually standing before the Lord, and the same applies to many others. This is the reason for the verse, "Your sons shall see the face of the Lord, my God," among other interpretations, for one will form the image of the male [Eli'ahu] in his mind and find it within the Shekhinah standing there. Even though the Divine Providence is everywhere, nevertheless, one should not isolate themselves to engrave their form in the Shekhinah, as they would when appearing in a holy place. This is the meaning of "And you shall not see My face in vain,"(Isaiah 45:19) and this is likewise significant in the Torah.