Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Exodo 34:13

And he appointed judges When the seer told him, “good things were found in you, for you abolished the asheroth,” he approached the Sepher Torah [to see] whether he had abolished them properly. He first saw that it was written (Deut. 12:2f.): “You shall utterly destroy...and you shall burn their asherim with fire and cut down the images of their gods,” and he remembered that it is written in כִּי תִשָׂא (Exod. 34:13): “And you shall break down their monuments, etc.” He wondered why he had pleased the Lord by abolishing the asherim, the Jewish asherim, for [the Torah] only warned about their asherim. He went back to [the Torah portion] (Deut. 16:18): “Judges and law enforcing agents,” and found written (verse 21): “You shall not plant an asherah.” Then he rejoiced that he had abolished them. He also saw written there: “Judges and law enforcing agents you shall appoint for yourself,” and immediately “he appointed judges,” strong ones.

V. 5. כי אם כה וגו׳ (siehe zu Schmot 34, 13). Euren Kindern, auf welche ihr eure Gottesbeziehungen und eure Verpflichtungen zu seinem Gesetze auf Grund eurer geschichtlichen Erfahrungen zu vererben habt (Kap. 6, 20-25) und die ihr nur für diese Bestimmung in jüdischen Ehen erzeugen könnt (Verse 3 u. 4), ihnen habt ihr einen von allen heidnischen Erinnerungen, von Altären, Denkmälern, Hainen, Bildern des Heidentums freien Boden zu übergeben (siehe auch zu Versen 25 u. 26).

AND HE SET IT UP FOR A PILLAR. Our Rabbis have explained⁵²Yerushalmi Abodah Zarah IV, 5. the difference between a pillar and an altar by saying that a pillar consists of one stone while an altar is composed of many stones. It further appears that a pillar is made for pouring libations of wine upon it and for the pouring of oil upon it, but not for sacrifices and not for offerings, whereas an altar is for bringing Burnt-offerings and Peace-offerings thereon. When Israel entered the Land, the pillar was prohibited to them⁵³Deuteromony 16:22. because the Canaanites had established it as an ordinance of an idolatrous character to a greater extent than the altars. Even though it is written concerning the altars, Ye shall break down their altars,⁵⁴Exodus 34:13. [since the altars were not as prevalent as pillars among the Canaanites, He did not prohibit the Israelites from making their own altars]. It may be that He did not want to prohibit all sacrifices, and so He retained the altar as fit for libations and sacrifices.