Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Deuteronomio 5:27

ואל משה אמר עלה אל ה' אתה ואהרן נדב ואביהו ושבעים מזקני ישראל, “and He had said to Moses: “ascend, you and Aaron, Nadav and Avihu as well as 70 of the elders of Israel.” I find it puzzling that Eleazar and ittamar, Aaron’s other sons, were not included in this invitation. Surely they were more distinguished than the seventy elders mentioned in our verse. We have a list of the respective rank of Israelite dignitaries at the time in Maimonides ביאת המקדש ה,יג in which he enumerates the following ranks in this order: Aaron, Eleazar, Ittamar, and Pinchas. The above-mentioned all rose to the position of High Priest, and were superior in a variety of ways to the seventy elders. We have a tradition that Nadav and Avihu had already become guilty of death by burning during the episode introduced here (Vayikra Rabbah, 22,10) when they “saw G’d,” i.e. they treated their spiritual high as if it were something ordinary, not even interrupting their eating and drinking during the time they enjoyed this vision. (compare verse 11) Had they not been so highly placed, they might not have been punished in such a salutary manner. At any rate, G’d Who foresees events without necessarily interfering in them, knew that Nadav and Avihu would commit an even greater indiscretion in their enthusiasm to participate in the consecration of the Tabernacle. They were not punished on the occasion described here, as G’d did not want to mar the joy experienced by the people on that day. At the same time, G’d did not want that Aaron would die without a son or grandson who could inherit the office of High Priest. In order not to have all of Aaron’s sons become guilty of the same offence, He did not invite them at the time to accompany Moses part of the way on his ascent to the Mountain. According to Rashi this portion describes events which occurred on the 4th of Sivan, (2 days before the revelation). On the other hand, the instruction to Moses to ascend Mount Sinai (verse 12) occurred after the Ten Commandments had been given. Nachmanides does not agree with this scenario described by Rashi. He supports this by quoting 21,1 claiming that what Moses told the people then were not the 7 Noachide laws, taught to the people at Marah, but laws revealed to him on Mount Sinai. The words ואת כל המשפטים in our verse here (verse 3) as well as the expression ויספר, an expression used only when something new is being revealed, make it plain that this occurred after the giving of the Torah. These were laws mentioned to Moses immediately after the Ten Commandments had been given, laws introduced with the words כה תאמר לבית יעקב, in G’d added there a reference to the people’s visual experience, i.e. אתם ראיתם “you have witnessed, etc.” (at Mount Sinai, i.e. the revelation) Subsequently, G’d commanded the משפטים to the people as described in chapter 21, and the people accepted all of these joyfully, culminating in their declaration כל הדברים אשר דבר ה' נעשה, “we will perform all the instructions G’d has issued.” (24,3) This was a declaration of faith in Moses who had conveyed all these laws to them in the name of Hashem. It was at this point that G’d said to Moses to tell the people to go back to their respective tents. (Deut. 5,27) It is reported there that the people went back to their tents and made a great celebration on that day. They prepared the slaughtering of the animals for the following day as there was not enough time left on the day of the revelation to build a major altar and 12 minor altars known as מצבה. (compare verse 4) Moses had meanwhile written down all that had been revealed on that day orally. It was better to give the people time to prepare properly for the conclusion of the covenant on the following day. On that day the people rose early in readiness for what was to develop. The people stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, the very place where they had stood to receive the Ten Commandments. It was here that Moses built the altar and the 12 pillars representing the 12 tribes of Israel. After the offerings had been presented on the altar, Moses read for the people what he had written down on the previous day. (verse 6) and the people responded with the famous נעשה ונשמע, “we are prepared to carry it out, let’s hear the details.” The words ויעל משה ואהרן concluded the making of the covenant. G’d invited Moses to ascend the Mountain once more and there to receive the Tablets on which were inscribed the Ten Commandments in G’d’s own writing, and to remain on the Mountain for some time, (verse 12) speaks of the day following the giving of the Torah, the 7th day of Sivan, G’d announced to him that at the end of that stay he would receive the Tablets. As to the grammatically strange wording ואל משה אמר עלה, which we would normally translate as “and He had said (previously to all this) to Moses: ‘ascend,’ etc.,” we have to understand this in context. Up until now the commandments Moses had related to the people were applicable to the people, including Moses, of course. Now the Torah refers to a commandment that had been given exclusively to Moses, to be performed only by him. G’d commanded him the details of this commandment after Moses had instructed the people in what they were expected to do, and had concluded the covenant with them. G’d then said to him “ascend to Me,” accompanied by the people enumerated, for a part of the way.

You will not eat from all the trees of the Garden: And the intent is that, in truth, Adam and Chavah had still not eaten anything. And that is because Adam - even though he was at that time in a place that it was necessary to use his senses for eating and for sex, according to the need of the creation which was created to be settled - nevertheless, they were like Moshe, our teacher, after he descended from the mountain. As he also had use of his senses for eating like all of Israel. And even regarding sex, had the Holy One, blessed be He, not warned him, "and you, stand with Me," he would not have separated himself from [his wife]. But he was nevertheless very close, to be clinging to the Divine Presence anytime he wanted. And at the time that he was clinging to the Divine Presence, he did not desire to eat at all. And likewise was it with Adam, so he no longer desired to eat. And so too was the woman clinging to Adam, the life of her spirit. So they were satiated from love. Hence the serpent came with a temptation: That, behold, the world and its fullness was not created for nothing; and it is not the will of God that they not need the pleasures of the world. And if so, it is not fitting that they be engrossed in the love of God and in clinging. As it reduces and disturbs all the physical pleasures and it is against God's will. As behold, He said, "You shall surely eat from every tree of the Garden." And the temptation of the evil impulse is like this in every generation, as is well known. At first, it removes the clinging to the Torah through [the fulfillment] of some commandment or something else which is truly correct for other people. And after it drags him from the study hall, it continues to proceed and tempt.

וירא והנה הסנה בוער באש, it kept burning; This phenomenon indicated the prophetic nature of the experience. Unless the angel had been within the bush, this could not have happened as something natural. The fire Moses saw burning enveloped the angel. The implied message was that the righteous members of the Jewish people, who are themselves angels of G’d, i.e. His messengers on earth, and who are surrounded by the Egyptian nation who treated them as burning thistles or less, would themselves become subject to this fire when enduring the ten plagues, but would remain unharmed by all those plagues. This is what Moses was taught when he saw והסנה איננו אוכל. it was not consumed by the flames which kept burning. The level of Moses’ prophecy at that time was not yet at the level it would be later on. The very fact that the Torah describes Moses as being even afraid to look at the spectacle before his eyes is proof of this (compare verse 6). From the day the Torah was given, as the Torah testifies in Numbers 12,8 ותמונת ה' יביט, G’d extended the power of Moses’ prophetic visions so that He shows him a visual image of G’d. The entire Jewish people had had a brief revelation of G’d’s glory at Mont Sinai only. Their power of endurance was so limited even at that time that the Torah reports them as saying that they could not even endure hearing the voice of the Lord, not to speak of enduring a visual image. Only Moses was able to retain the level of prophecy which the entire nation experienced during the revelation at Mount Sinai. This is the meaning of Deuteronomy 5,27-28 שובו לכם לאהליכם ואתה פה עמוד עמדי, “you (pl.) go back to your tents, and you (sing.) remain standing here beside Me.” This is also borne out by Exodus 20,18 ויעמוד העם מרחוק, “the people stood at a distance,” followed by ומשה נגש, “whereas Moses approached.” (to the cloud within which the glory of G’d was enveloped). Moses’ level of prophecy from that time on remained on the level known as פנים אל פנים, “face to face,” i.e. direct, not indirect. G’d told Miriam and Aaron there that He does not speak to Moses in riddles but by showing him a visual image (Numbers 12,8)

פה אל פה MOUTH TO MOUTH [I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HIM] — I have Myself told him to separate from his wife. And where did I tell him this? On Sinai, when I said to him, (Deuteronomy 5:27 Deuteronomy 5:28) “Go, say to them (to the people), ‘Get you into your tents (rejoin your wives). But as for thee, remain thou here by Me, [and I will speak unto thee]’” (Shabbat 87a; cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 103).

וישב מחוץ לאהלו AND HE SHALL ABIDE OUTSIDE HIS TENT — This informs us that matrimonial intercourse is forbidden to him (מחוץ לאהלו implies outside his home — his family life; cf. Deuteronomy 5:27: שובו לכם לאהליכם) (Sifra, Metzora, Section 2 11).