[Par-lite] for Shavuot - shiur on Matan Torah
Menachem Leibtag
tsc at bezeqint.net
Mon May 17 11:14:34 EDT 2010
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THE TANACH STUDY CENTER [http://www.tanach.org]
In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag
Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem Leibtag
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PARSHAT YITRO - Ma'amad Har Sinai
A wedding ceremony? Well, not exactly; but many
sources
in Chazal compare the events at Ma'amad Har Sinai to a
marriage between God (the groom) and Am Yisrael (the
bride).
[See for example the last Mishnah in Mesechet Taanit!]
In this week's shiur, as we study the numerous
ambiguities in Shmot chapter 19, we attempt to explain the
deeper meaning of this analogy, as well as the underlying
reason for those ambiguities.
INTRODUCTION
Thus far, Sefer Shmot has discussed the story of
Yetziat
Mitzraim, and hence - how God had fulfilled His covenant
with
the Avot. However, that covenant included not only a
promise
of redemption, but also the promise that Bnei Yisrael
would
become God's special nation in Eretz Canaan. As Bnei
Yisrael
now travel to establish that nation in that 'Promised
Land',
God brings them to Har Sinai in order to teach them the
specific laws [mitzvot] that will help make them His
special
nation.
Therefore, the primary purpose of Bnei Yisrael's
arrival
at Har Sinai was to receive God's LAWS. Nevertheless, the
Torah describes in no less detail the 'experience' of how
those laws were given. In the following shiur, we
undertake a
careful reading of Shmot chapter 19 (i.e. the events that
precede the Ten Commandments), highlighting its
complexities,
in an attempt to better appreciate Chazal's understanding
of
Ma'amad Har Sinai.
[Before you continue, it is highly recommended that you
quickly review chapters 19 and 20 to refresh your memory,
noting its flow of topic. (While doing so, try to notice
how
many psukim are difficult to translate.) For a more
comprehensive preparation, see the Questions for
self-study
(sent earlier this week).]
THE 'PROPOSAL'
Shmot chapter 19 opens as Bnei Yisrael arrive at Har
Sinai - presumably, to receive the Torah. However, before
the
Torah is given, God first summons Moshe to the mountain,
instructing him to relay a certain message to the people.
As
you review these psukim (19:3-6), note how they form a
'proposal':
"Thus shall you say to Beit Yaakov and tell Bnei
Yisrael:
You have seen what I have done to Egypt... so NOW:
IF - you will OBEY Me faithfully and keep My
COVENANT...and
be my treasured nation, for all the Land is Mine.
THEN: You shall be for Me a 'mamlechet Kohanim v'goy
kadosh' [a kingdom of priests and a holy nation]..."
(19:4-
6)
The 'if / then' clause proves that these instructions
constitute a proposal (and not just a decree) - to which
Bnei
Yisrael must answer either 'yes' or 'no'. And that's
exactly
what we find:
"And the people answered together and said, 'Everything
that
God has spoken we shall keep,' and Moshe brought the
people's answer back to God." (see 19:7-8)
Clearly, Moshe Rabeinu acts as the 'middle-man' - who
must
relay the people's answer to this 'proposal' back to God.
[In regard to what would have happened had Bnei Yisrael
answered 'no', see the Further Iyun section.]
Let's take a minute to discuss the meaning of the two
sides of this 'proposition'.
The first part of the 'IF' clause - "if you will OBEY
Me" -
makes sense, as God must first clarify if Bnei Yisrael are
indeed now ready to follow His laws; in contrast to their
previous 'refusals' (see Yechezkel 20:5-9, Shmot 6:9 &
15:26).
However, the precise meaning of the second clause - "and
if
you will keep My COVENANT" is uncertain, for it is not
clear
if this 'covenant' refers to something old - i.e. 'brit
Avot';
or something new - i.e. 'brit Sinai.
SOMETHING 'OLD' or SOMETHING 'NEW'
It would be difficult to explain that the word
'covenant' in
this pasuk refers to 'brit Avot', for brit Avot doesn't
seem
to include any specific action that Bnei Yisrael must
keep.
More likely, it refers to 'brit Sinai' - whose details
will
soon be revealed, should Bnei Yisrael accept this
proposal.
However, this ambiguity may be intentional, for this
forthcoming "brit Sinai" could be understood as an
'upgrade'
of "brit Avot". In other words, 'brit Avot' discusses the
very basic framework of a relationship (see Breishit
17:7-8),
while 'brit Sinai' will contain the detailed laws which
will
make that original covenant more meaningful.
If so, then the proposition could be understood as
follows:
Should Bnei Yisrael agree to obey whatever God may
command,
and to remain faithful to this covenant, and act as His
treasured nation (see 19:5) - THEN, the result will be
that
Bnei Yisrael will serve as God's 'model' nation,
representing
Him before all other nations [a "mamlechet kohanim v'goy
kadosh"/ see 19:6].
As a prerequisite for Matan Torah, Bnei Yisrael must
both
confirm their readiness to obey God's commandments while
recognizing that these mitzvot will facilitate their
achievement of the very purpose of God's covenant with
them.
Whereas a covenant requires the willful consent of
both
sides, this section concludes with Bnei Yisrael's
collective
acceptance of these terms (see again 19:7-8).
MAKING PLANS (and changing them)
Now that Bnei Yisrael had accepted God's proposal,
the
next step should be for them to receive the specific
MITZVOT
(i.e. the laws that they just agreed to observe).
However,
before those laws can be given, there are some technical
details that must be ironed out, concerning HOW Bnei
Yisrael
will receive these laws. Note how the next pasuk describes
God's 'plans' for how He intends to convey these mitzvot
"And God said to Moshe, 'I will come to you in the
thickness
of a CLOUD, in order that the people HEAR when I SPEAK
WITH
YOU, and in order that they believe in you [i.e. that you
are My spokesman] forever..." (19:9)
It appears from this pasuk that God plans to use
Moshe
Rabeinu as an intermediary to convey His laws to Bnei
Yisrael,
consistent with Moshe's role as His liaison heretofore.
Nonetheless, God insists that the people will 'overhear'
His
communication with Moshe, so that they believe that these
laws
truly originate from God, and not from Moshe.
At this point, in the middle of pasuk 9, we encounter
our
first major difficulty in following the flow of events.
Note
that God has just informed Moshe of HOW He plans to convey
His
laws. Hence, we would expect Moshe to convey this message
to
Bnei Yisrael (just as he did in 19:7). However, when we
continue our reading of 19:9, something very strange takes
place:
"...Then Moshe reported the PEOPLE'S words to God."
(19:9)
What's going on? The second half of this pasuk seems
to
omit an entire clause - for it never tells us what the
people
responded. Instead, it just says that Moshe relayed the
people's response back to God, without telling us WHAT the
people said!
BE PREPARED!
This question is so glaring (and obvious) that Rashi,
taking for granted that the reader realized this problem,
provides an answer based on the Midrash that fills in the
'missing details'.
"Et divrei ha'am" [the words of the people]... The people
responded: 'We want to hear from YOU [God] directly, for
one
cannot compare hearing from a "shaliach" (a messenger) to
hearing from the King himself, [or they said,]: We want
to
SEE our King!" (see Rashi on 19:9)
Note how Rashi adds an entire line to this narrative.
According to his interpretation, Bnei Yisrael don't accept
God's original plan that they would hear the MITZVOT via
Moshe. Instead, they demand to hear them directly - from
God
Himself!
What allows Rashi to offer such a bold
interpretation?
Rashi's interpretation is based on an apparent
contradiction between God's original plan in 19:9 and what
appears to be His new plan, as described in the next two
psukim:
"And God told Moshe, 'Go to the people and get them
ready...
for on the third day God will reveal Himself IN VIEW OF
ALL
THE PEOPLE on Har Sinai." (see 19:10-11)
Note how God commands Bnei Yisrael to ready
themselves,
for in three days time they will actually SEE God. This
declaration that He plans to reveal himself before the
'eyes
of the entire nation' suggests that God now plans to
convey
His mitzvot DIRECTLY to the people. These instructions
appear
to describe a NEW PLAN for Matan Torah (in contrast to His
original plan that Moshe will act as an intermediary - as
described in 19:9).
For the sake of clarity, from now on, we refer to the
God's original plan (Dibrot via Moshe) as PLAN 'A' (based
on
19:9), and to the new plan (Dibrot Direct) as PLAN 'B
(based
on 19:11)'.
Rashi claims that God's suggestion of Plan 'B' stems
from
the people's unwillingness to accept Plan 'A' - for Bnei
Yisrael want to hear the Commandments DIRECTLY.
This 'change of plan' can explain why the people now
require THREE days of preparation. In order to prepare for
this DIRECT encounter, Bnei Yisrael must first attain a
higher
level of spiritual readiness, as reflected in the
three-day
preparation period. Note how the details of this
'preparation'
continue until 19:15.
In 19:12-13, Moshe is commanded to cordon off the
entire
area surrounding the mountain. In 19:14-15, Moshe relays
these
commands to the people. Hence, from now on, we refer to
this
section (i.e. 19:9-15) as 'PREPARATION'.
Are Bnei Yisrael capable of reaching this level? Are
they
truly ready to receive the DIBROT directly from God?
If so, why did God not suggest this direct encounter
in
the first place? If not, why does God now agree to their
request?
[As you may have guessed, we have encountered a
'dialectic'.]
To answer these questions, we must analyze the psukim
that follow to determine which of these two divine plans
actually unfolds.
RUNAWAY BRIDE
According to the new plan, on 'day three' God should
reveal Himself on Mount Sinai and speak the DIBROT
directly to
the entire nation. Let's continue now in chapter 19 and
see
what happens:
"And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, and
there were loud sounds and lightening, and a THICK CLOUD
on
the mountain, and the SHOFAR sounded very strong, and the
people in the CAMP all became frightened." (19:16)
If you read this pasuk carefully, you will most
probably
be startled by the fact that Bnei Yisrael never came to
Har
Sinai that morning! Instead, they were so frightened of
God's
"hitgalut" [revelation] that they remained in the CAMP.
[Our minhag to stay up (and learn Torah) the entire
night of
Shavuot is based on the Midrash that Bnei Yisrael 'slept
in'
on that morning. Note how that Midrash is based on this
pasuk.]
This background explains the next pasuk, where Moshe
goes
back to the camp, and brings everyone back to the foot of
the
mountain (see 19:17). Now it's time to 'try it again'.
Let's
see what happens:
"And Har Sinai was full of smoke, for God had DESCENDED
upon
it in FIRE, and its smoke was like a furnace, and the
entire
mountain shook violently..." (see 19:18)
This pasuk certainly describes God's "hitgalut", and
it
appears to follow according to PLAN 'B'. Note how God's
descends onto the mountain (note the word "va'yered" in
both
19:11 and 19:18). Nevertheless, one could also understand
the
intense smoke as reflective of the protective 'cloud'
described in 19:9 (Plan 'A').
The stage has now been set for Matan Torah. The
people
are standing at the foot of Har Sinai and God has revealed
Himself - He has descended upon Har Sinai. Therefore, the
next
pasuk should describe God's proclamation of the Ten
Commandments.
Let's examine that pasuk (19:19) carefully:
"The sound of the shofar grew louder and louder; as
Moshe
would speak, God would answer him with a KOL." (19:19)
This pasuk is quite ambiguous, for it does not give
us
even a clue as to WHAT Moshe was saying or what God was
answering. It is not even clear as to WHOM Moshe is
speaking,
to God or to the people!
If Moshe is speaking to the people, then this pasuk
would
be describing how he conveyed the DIBROT. If so, then
Moshe
speaking and God responding with a "kol" - implies that
the
DIBROT were given according to PLAN 'A', as Moshe serves
as
the intermediary. [Compare with 19:9!]
However, if "Moshe y'daber" (in 19:19) refers to
Moshe
speaking to God, then it not at all clear what their
conversation is about; nor can we make any deduction in
regard
to how the Dibrot were given! [Note the range of opinion
among the commentators on this pasuk!]
PLAN 'B' - MYSTERIOUSLY MISSING!
Rashi's commentary on this pasuk is simply amazing.
Again quoting the Midrash, Rashi claims that Moshe is
speaking
to the people, telling them the Dibrot! However, what's
amazing is Rashi's explanation that the clause "Moshe
y'daber..." describes the transmission of the LAST EIGHT
Commandments, but not the first TWO. This is because
Rashi
understands that the first two DIBROT were given DIRECTLY
from
God - in accordance with PLAN 'B' - while the last eight
were
given via Moshe - in accordance with PLAN 'A'. As this
pasuk
(19:19) describes PLAN 'A' it could only be referring to
the
transmission of the last eight DIBROT!
[See also Rambam in Moreh N'vuchim II, chapter 33.]
Note that according to Rashi, chapter 19
intentionally
OMITS two key events relating to Plan B:
1) Bnei Yisrael's original request for Plan B (in
19:9),
&
2) The story of the two DIBROT given at the level of
Plan
'B'.
For some thematic reason that remains unclear,
chapter 19
prefers to omit these two important details, leaving us
with
the impression that Plan 'B' may have never taken place!
Ramban rejects Rashi's interpretation of 19:19 (as do
many other commentators), arguing that 19:19 does NOT
describe
how the Dibrot were given. Instead, Ramban explains that
"Moshe y'daber..." describes the conversation between God
and
Moshe that immediately follows in 19:20-25.
[As usual, Ramban prefers to keep the sequence of events
according to the order of the psukim, while Rashi is
willing
to 'change' the order for thematic considerations.]
LIMITATION/ A FINAL WARNING
To better appreciate this "machloket" between Rashi
and
Ramban, we must examine the last set of psukim in chapter
19
(i.e. 19:20-25).
"God descended upon Mount Sinai to the TOP of the
Mountain
and summoned Moshe to the TOP of the Mountain, and Moshe
ascended... Then God told Moshe: Go down and WARN the
people
lest they break through toward God to SEE, and many of
them
will perish. And even the KOHANIM who are permitted to
come
closer must prepare themselves..." (19:20-22)
[Btw, note that 20:25 refers to Moshe's conveying this
warning to the people, NOT to his conveying the
"DIBROT,"
as is commonly misunderstood. See Rashi!]
According to Ramban, this additional 'warning' is
given
BEFORE Matan Torah, and serves as the final preparation
before
the DIBROT are given. However, according to Rashi's
interpretation, it remains unclear when, where, and why
this
conversation (in 19:20-25) takes place.
[Even though Rashi explains 19:19 as depicting the
presentation of the DIBROT, he maintains that 19:20-25
takes
place beforehand - for it relates to the ceremony
described
in 24:3-11, which Rashi himself claims to have occurred
BEFORE the DIBROT. This "sugya" lies beyond the scope of
our shiur.]
In any case, this final 'warning' clearly reflects
the
mode of transmission of the Dibrot that we have referred
to as
PLAN 'A' - God will appear only to Moshe (at the top of
the
mountain), while everyone else must keep their distance
down
below. Only Moshe will be privy to witness the descent of
the
"shechina" onto the TOP of the mountain, while Bnei
Yisrael
are prohibited from ascending to see, "lest they die."
As this section describes how God is now limiting His
revelation to the top of the Mountain, we refer from now
on to
this section (19:20-25) as 'LIMITATION'.
Note how chapter 19 now divides into four distinct
sections:
I. PROPOSITION (19:1-8)
II. PREPARATION (19:9-15)
III. REVELATION (19:16-19)
IV. LIMITATION (19:20-25) ]
So what happened? Has God reverted to Plan 'A' (that
Moshe is to act as an intermediary)? If so, why? On the
other
hand, if Plan 'B' remains in operation, why does God
restrict
His revelation to the TOP of the mountain? Could this be
considered some sort of 'compromise'?
There appears to have been a change in plans, but
why?
Even though chapter 19 does not seem to provide any
explanation for what motivated this change, a story found
later in chapter 20 seems to provide us with all the
'missing
details'.
TREPIDATION [ or 'FEAR' STORY ONE']
Towards the end of chapter 20, immediately after the
Torah records the DIBROT, we find yet another story
concerning
what transpired at Har Sinai:
"And the people all saw the KOLOT, the torches, the sound
of
the SHOFAR and the mountain smoking; the people saw and
MOVED BACK and stood at a distance. And they told Moshe:
'Why don't YOU SPEAK to us, and we will listen to you,
but
God should NOT SPEAK to us, lest we die.'
"Moshe responded saying: 'DO NOT BE FEARFUL, for
God
is coming to 'test' you and instill fear within you so
that you will not sin.'
"But the people STOOD AT A DISTANCE, and Moshe [alone]
entered the CLOUD where God was." (see 20:15-18)
This short narrative provides us with a perfect
explanation for WHY God chooses to revert from PLAN 'B'
back
to PLAN 'A'. Here, the reason is stated explicitly: the
people changed their mind because they were frightened and
overwhelmed by this intense experience of "hitgalut."
But why is this story recorded in chapter 20? Should
it
not have been recorded in chapter 19?
Indeed, Ramban does place this story in the middle of
chapter 19. Despite his general reluctance towards
rearranging the chronology in Chumash, Ramban (on
20:14-15)
explains that this entire parshia (20:15-18) took place
earlier, BEFORE Matan Torah. Based on a textual and
thematic
similarities between 20:15-18 and 19:16-19 (and a
problematic
parallel in Devarim 5:20-28), Ramban concludes that the
events
described in 20:15-18 took place before Matan Torah, and
should be read together with 19:16-18!
Thus, according to Ramban, the people's request to
hear
from Moshe (and not from God) that took place within
19:16-18,
explains the need for the 'limitation' section that
follows
immediately afterward in 20:19-25. [See Ramban on 20:15.]
Rashi and Chizkuni offer a different interpretation.
They
agree with Ramban that 20:15-18 - the Fear Story - is 'out
of
place,' but they disagree concerning WHERE to put it.
While
Ramban places this story BEFORE Matan Torah, Rashi (based
on
his pirush to 19:19) & Chizkuni (on 20:15) claim that it
took
place DURING Matan Torah, BETWEEN the first two and last
eight
commandments.
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS - FIRST OR THIRD PERSON
In fact, this creative solution solves yet another
problem. It explains WHY the text of the Ten Commandments
shifts from first to third person after the second
commandment. Whereas the first two commandments (20:2-5)
are
written in FIRST person, indicating that God conveyed them
DIRECTLY to the people [reflective of Plan 'B'], the last
eight commandments (20:6-14) are written in third person,
suggesting a less direct form of communication [reflective
of
Plan 'A']. This reflects Chazal's explanation that:
"Anochi
v'Lo Yihiyeh Lachem, m'pi ha'gvurah shma'um" - the first
two
commandments were heard directly from God (Makkot 24a);
see
also Chizkuni 20:2 and 20:15.]
Rashi and Chizkuni's explanation has a clear
advantage
over Ramban's, as it justifies the 'transplantation' of
the
Fear story (20:15-18) from its proper chronological
location
to after the Dibrot. Since this story took place DURING
the
Ten Commandments, the Torah could not record it
beforehand. On
the other hand, it could not have been recorded where it
belongs (i.e. in between the second and third DIBROT), for
the
Torah does not want to 'break up' the DIBROT (whereas they
form a single unit). Therefore, the Torah records this
'fear
story' as a type of 'appendix' to the Ten Commandments,
explaining afterward what happened while they were given.
To summarize, in chapter 19, it was unclear whether
or
not Bnei Yisrael would hear the DIBROT according to PLAN
'A'
(as God originally had planned) or at the higher level of
PLAN
'B' (as Bnei Yisrael requested). Later, in chapter 20,
the
Torah describes how Bnei Yisrael were frightened and
requested
to revert back to PLAN 'A'. Ramban claims that this
'fear
story' took place BEFORE Matan Torah, and hence the people
heard ALL Ten Commandments through Moshe (Plan 'A').
Rashi
maintains that this story took place DURING the DIBROT;
hence
the first TWO DIBROT were transmitted according to PLAN
'B',
while the remainder were heard according to PLAN 'A'.
[Ibn Ezra (see 20:15) takes an opposite approach,
maintaining that the fear story is recorded right where
it
belongs; it took place only AFTER Matan Torah. Therefore,
the people heard all Ten Commandments directly from God,
as
mandated by Plan 'B'.]
A PROOF FROM SEFER DEVARIM
Based on our discussion, we can resolve two adjacent
yet
seemingly contradictory psukim in the description of Matan
Torah in Sefer Devarim:
"Face to face God spoke to you on the mountain out of the
fire [PLAN 'B']. I stood BETWEEN God and you at that time
to
convey God's words to you [PLAN 'A'], for you were afraid
of
the fire and did not go up the mountain..." (see Devarim
5:4-
5)
Once again, the Torah incorporates BOTH PLANS in its
description of Matan Torah. Evidently, both plans were in
fact
carried out, as we explained.
Although we have suggested several solutions to problems
raised by chapters 19-20, a much more basic question
arises:
why can't the Torah be more precise? Why does the Torah
appear
to intentionally obscure the details of such an important
event in our history?
AHAVA and YIRAH
One could suggest that this ambiguity is intentional,
as
it reflects the dialectic nature of man's encounter with
God.
Man, in search of God, constantly faces a certain
tension. On the one hand, he must constantly strive to
come as
close to God as possible ("ahava" - the love of God). On
the
other hand, he must constantly retain an awareness of
God's
greatness and recognize his own shortcomings and
unworthiness
("yirah" the fear of God). Awed by God's infinity and
humbled
by his own imperfection, man must keep his distance (see
Devarim 5:25-26!).
God's original plan for Matan Torah was 'realistic.'
Recognizing man's inability to directly confront the
"shechina," God intends to use Moshe as an intermediary
(Plan
'A'). Bnei Yisrael, eager to become active covenantal
partners, express their desire to come as close as
possible to
God. They want to encounter the "Shechina" directly,
without
any mediating agent (Plan 'B').
Could God say NO to this sincere expression of
"ahavat
Hashem"? Of course not! Yet, on the other hand, answering
YES
could place the people in tremendous danger, as they must
rise
to the highest levels of spirituality to deserve such a
direct, unmediated manifestation of God.
While Plan 'B' may reflect a more 'ideal' encounter,
Plan
'A' reflects a more realistic one. One could suggest that
by
presenting the details with such ambiguity, the Torah
emphasizes the need to find the proper balance between
this
realism as well as idealism when serving God.
GOD KNOWS BEST
Although God knows full well that Bnei Yisrael cannot
possibly sustain a direct encounter, He nonetheless
concedes
to their request to hear the Commandments directly. Why?
One could compare this Divine encounter to a
parent-child
relationship. As a child grows up, there are times when he
wishes to do things on his own. Despite his clear
incapability
to perform the given task, his desire to accomplish is the
key
to his growth. A wise parent will allow his child to try,
even
though he knows that the child may fail - for it is better
that one recognize his shortcomings on his own, rather
than be
told by others that he cannot accomplish.
On the other hand, although a child's desire to grow
should not be inhibited by an overprotective parent, a
responsible parent must also know when to tell his child
STOP.
Similarly, God is well aware of Bnei Yisrael's
unworthiness to encounter the Divine at the highest level.
Nevertheless, He encourages them to aspire to their
highest
potential. As Bnei Yisrael struggle to maintain the
proper
balance between "ahava" and "yirah," God must guide and
they
must strive.
Our study of Parshat Yitro has shown us that what
actually happened at Ma'amad Har Sinai remains unclear.
However, what 'could have happened' remains man's eternal
challenge.
shabbat shalom,
menachem
=================
FOR FURTHER IYUN
A. What would have happened had Bnei Yisrael said NO to
God's
proposition? The Midrash posits that had Bnei Yisrael
rejected
the offer, the world would have returned to "tohu va'vahu"
(void) - the phrase used in Breishit 1:2 to describe the
state
prior to Creation! [See Shabbat 88a & Rashi 19:17.] From
this
Midrash, it appears that Bnei Yisrael had no choice but to
accept. Why is the covenant binding, if Am Yisrael had no
choice?
Any covenant, by its very nature, requires the
willful
acceptance of both parties. Therefore, according to
"pshat,"
Bnei Yisrael have "bechira chofshit" to either accept or
reject God's proposition. Their willful acceptance makes
the
covenant at Har Sinai binding for all generations. Thus,
had
Bnei Yisrael said NO (chas v'shalom), Matan Torah would
not
have taken place! However, such a possibility is
unthinkable,
for without Matan Torah there would have been no purpose
for
Creation. Therefore, because the psukim indicate that Bnei
Yisrael had free choice, the Midrash must emphasize that
from
the perspective of the purpose behind God's Creation, the
people had no choice other than accept the Torah.
B. Most m'forshim explain that "b'mshoch ha'yovel hay'mah
ya'alu b'Har" (19:13) refers to the long shofar blast that
signaled the COMPLETION of the "hitgalut" - an 'all clear'
signal.
One could suggest exactly the opposite
interpretation,
that the long shofar blast indicated the BEGINNING of
Matan
Torah.
Explain why this interpretation fits nicely into the
pshat
of 19:11-15, that limiting access to the Mountain is part
of
the preparation for Matan Torah. [What does an 'all clear'
signal have to do with preparation?] Explain as well why
this would imply that during Matan Torah, Bnei Yisrael
should
have actually ascended Har Sinai!
Relate this to concept of PLAN 'B' and Bnei Yisrael's
request to SEE the "Shchina." Relate to Devarim 5:5 in
support
of this interpretation. Why would "kol ha'shofar holaych
v'chazak m'od" (19:19) be precisely what God meant by
"b'mshoch ha'yovel."
Relate to "tachtit ha'har" in 19:17! Use this to
explain
why the psukim immediately following 19:19 describe God's
decision to LIMIT his "hitgalut" to the TOP of the
mountain.
C. Compare the details of 19:20-24 to the Mishkan: i.e.
Rosh
ha'har = kodesh kdoshim; Har = Mishkan; Tachtit Ha'har =
azara, etc. Where can Moshe and Aharon enter? What about
the
Kohanim and the Am? Explain how this may reflect a bit of
a
'compromise' between plans A & B.
D. You are probably familiar with Kabbalat Shabbat. Based
on
the above shiur, explain why our weekly preparation for
Shabbat could be compared to Bnei Yisrael's original
preparation for Matan Torah.
Relate this to the verses of "l'cho dodi" and its
'wedding
like' imagery!
ADDITIONAL NOTES AND SOURCES
A. WHAT WERE "DIVREI HA'AM" in 19:9:
In the shiur we mentioned Rashi's interpretation
(based
on the Mechilta), that though the Torah does not state
this
explicitly, Bnei Yisrael insisted on hearing Hashem's word
directly, rather than through a mediator. Moshe then
reports
this request to Hashem. This is also the implication of
the
Midrash in Shir Hashirim Rabba 1:2. We will briefly
review
some of the other interpretations offered to resolve the
difficulty in this pasuk:
1. The Abarbanel takes the same general approach as
Rashi,
that Moshe here tells Hashem of the nation's desire to
hear
His word directly. However, he claims that this request
actually appears in the psukim (whereas according to Rashi
the
Torah never records the people making this request).The
Abarbanel claims that their acceptance of the
"proposition" -
"everything that Hashem said - we will do" - included
their
wish to hear Hashem directly. (He appears to interpret
the
clause, "im shamo'a tishm'u b'koli. ," which we generally
explain to mean, "if you obey Me faithfully," as, "if you
will
hear My voice." Thus, when they accepted this
proposition,
they expressed the desire to hear Hashem's voice as well.
This approach appears more explicitly in the Netziv's
He'amek Davar (19:8.) Hashem here tells Moshe that as not
everyone is worthy of prophecy, He will speak to Moshe
"b'av
he'anan," which the Abarbanel explains as a physical
voice, as
opposed to the usual medium of prophecy, which involves
none
of the physical senses. (This understanding of "av
he'anan"
appears as well in the Or Hachayim and Malbim.) The
nation
will thus hear Hashem's voice without experiencing actual
prophecy. Moshe then informs Hashem that the people want
to
hear Hashem speaking to them, rather than to Moshe. This
general approach of the Abarbanel appears to be the intent
of
the Midrash Lekach Tov on our pasuk.
2. The Ibn Ezra, like Rashi, understands the "divrei
ha'am"
in this pasuk as referring to something not explicitly
mentioned in the psukim. Whereas according to Rashi that
something was the nation's desire to hear Hashem directly,
the
Ibn Ezra points to the skepticism on the part of segments
of
Bnei Yisrael. He claims that "vayaged Moshe et divrei
ha'am"
means that Moshe had previously made this comment to
Hashem,
prior to the beginning of this pasuk. It thus turns out
that
Hashem speaks to Moshe here in response to his report of
the
"divrei ha'am." Moshe had reported that some among Bnei
Yisrael do not believe that a human being can survive a
revelation of Hashem; they therefore doubted the fact that
Moshe had been appointed God's messenger. Hashem
therefore
tells Moshe that Ma'amad Har Sinai will result in "v'gam
b'cha
ya'aminu l'olam" - Bnei Yisrael's complete trust and faith
in
Moshe's prophecy.
3. Other Rishonim suggest that when Moshe "returns the
nation's words to Hashem" (see 19:8) -he does not actually
tell Hashem what the nation said; he merely returned to
God
with the intention of telling Him. It is only in 19:9
that
Moshe actually told this to God (see Ibn Ezra in Shmot
19:23
citing Rav Sa'adya Gaon's claim that just as in his day
people
could not initiate conversation with a monarch, but must
rather wait for the king to begin speaking with them, so
did
Moshe abstain from addressing God until after God spoke
with
him.)
This explanation is also suggested by Rav Sa'adya Gaon
(as
explained by Rabbenu Avraham Ben ha'Rambam, and Rabbi
Yaakov
of Vienna in "Imrei Noam"), the Ba'alei HaTosfot (as
quoted in
both Hadar Zekeinim and Da'at Zekeinim), Rabbenu Yosef
Bechor
Shor, and the Ramban. The Rashbam, too, appears to take
this
position.
[Two Midrashic interpretations of this pasuk appear in
Masechet Shabbat 87a and in the Mechilta on our pasuk.]
This discussion surrounding 19:9 directly impacts another
issue, one of the central points of our shiur: does Hashem
introduce a "new plan" in psukim 10-11, after Moshe
"reports
the people's words" to Him? According to Rashi, as
discussed
at length in the shiur, He clearly did. The same is true
according to the Abarbanel's approach. However, according
to
the second and third explanations quoted here, it would
seem
that Hashem is not describing here an alternate procedure.
Indeed, the Ramban (on this pasuk) explains Hashem's
original
"plan" as having Bnei Yisrael watch as Hashem appears to
Moshe. Thus, pasuk 11, in which Hashem says that He will
descend "in the view of the nation," does not mark a
change of
plans. Similarly, in the introduction to his commentary
to
Shir Hashirim, as well as in his peirush to Shmot 3:12,
the
Ramban writes that Hashem's promise to Moshe at the
burning
bush, that Bnei Yisrael will "serve God on this mountain,"
involved their "beholding His glory face-to-face." This
was
God's intention all along.
B. PLAN A & PLAN B
In the shiur we worked with Rashi's view - i.e. God
originally had planned to speak only to Moshe, as Bnei
Yisrael
listened in. In response to the nation's request,
however,
God switches to "plan B," by which He will address the
nation
directly.
An interesting variation on this theme is suggested by
the
Malbim. According to his explanation, plan B, which the
people requested, involved their hearing directly from
Hashem
the entire Torah, not only the Ten Commandments. (The
Ramban
- 20:14 - writes that Bnei Yisrael feared that this was
God's
plan, though in actuality He had never intended to
transmit
the entire Torah to them directly.) Hashem initially
agrees,
but their sense of terror upon hearing the thunder and
lightening signaling God's descent onto the mountain
(19:16),
and their consequent hesitation to go to the mountain
("vayotzei Moshe" - 19:17), reflected their unworthiness
for
this lengthy exposure to divine revelation. Hashem
therefore
presented them directly either the Ten Commandments or the
first two. Only Moshe received the rest of the mitzvot
directly from Hashem.
We should note that in contradistinction to our
understanding of Rashi, the Maharal of Prague (in his Gur
Aryeh to 19:9) explains Rashi to mean that Moshe simply
confirms Hashem's plan. God tells him that He plans on
revealing Himself to Moshe as the nation hears, and Moshe
replies, "Indeed, this is what the people want."
Apparently,
the Maharal understands "hinei Anochi ba eilecha b'av
he'anan.
" to refer to the same level of "giluy Shechina" that
actually
occurs, such that there was never any change of plans.
(According to the Maharal's approach, it turns out that
there
is no difference between the approaches of Rashi and the
Ramban.)
C. "Moshe Yedaber Veha'Elokim Ya'anenu B'kol" (19:19)
As we saw, Rashi, following the Mechilta, understands
this
pasuk as referring to the procedure of the transmission of
the
Asseret Hadibrot. We also noted that the Ramban
disagrees,
claiming that it describes the manner in which the laws in
the
following psukim - concerning the "limitation" - were
presented. This is the general approach of the Abarbanel
and
Rabbenu Yosef Bechor Shor, as well. The Ibn Ezra claims
that
the pasuk does not reveal what it is that Moshe says here,
but
it definitely does not refer to the Asseret Hadibrot. The
point of the pasuk is to stress that despite the
overpowering
sound of the shofar, it did not interfere with Moshe's
conversation with Hashem. The Or Hachayim writes that
Moshe
here spoke words of praise to Hashem, and He would then
respond. According to all these views, this pasuk does not
refer to Asseret Hadibrot, as Rashi claims.
A particularly interesting interpretation is suggested
by
the Malbim, Netziv and "Hadrash Veha'iyun" (though with
some
variation). They claim that the sound of the shofar
proclaimed, "Moshe yedaber veha'Elokim ya'anenu b'kol."
In
other words, they place a colon after the word "me'od" in
this
pasuk. The shofar blast thus informed the people that
Moshe
will serve as the intermediary in between Hashem and Bnei
Yisrael in transmitting the Torah.
D. What Did Bnei Yisrael Hear?
The issue of whether or not Bnei Yisrael heard Hashem
speak at Ma'amad Har Sinai involves both parshanut and
machshava. In terms of parshanut, as we discussed in the
shiur, we must accommodate several psukim: in our parasha
-
19:9, which, as discussed, implies that Hashem (at least
originally) planned to speak to Moshe as the nation
listened;
19:19 - "Moshe yedaber veha'Elokim ya'anenu be'kol,"
which, if
it refers to the Asseret Hadibrot (a point debated by
Rashi
and the Ramban, as discussed in the shiur), points to the
involvement of both Hashem and Moshe in the transmission
of
the Commandments to Bnei Yisrael; 20:15-18, where Bnei
Yisrael
retreat from fear; and the transition from second to third
person after the second Commandment. We must also resolve
the
contradiction noted in the shiur between Devarim 4:4 and
4:5.
Devarim 5:19-28 strongly implies that Hashem said all the
dibrot to the people and then they asked Moshe to serve as
an
intermediary.
The philosophical issue involves the question as to
whether an entire nation can experience prophecy, or is
this
reserved only for the spiritual elite who have adequately
prepared themselves.
We briefly present here the basic positions that have
been taken regarding this issue:
Ibn Ezra (20:1) and Abarbanel (here and in Devarim 5:4)
maintain that Bnei Yisrael heard all Ten Commandments.
This
is also the majority view cited in Pesikta Rabbati 22, and
the
implication of the Yalkut Shimoni - Shir Hashirim 981.
Although in Parshat Vaetchanan Moshe describes himself as
having stood in between Hashem and the people serving as
an
intermediary, the Ibn Ezra there explains that this refers
to
the situation after the Dibrot, when Moshe conveyed the
rest
of the Torah to Bnei Yisrael.
It emerges from Rashi's comments to 19:19 and 20:1 that
Hashem first uttered, as it were, all Ten Commandments in
a
single moment and then began repeating them one by one.
After
the second Dibra, however, Bnei Yisrael became too
frightened
and asked Moshe to serve as their intermediary. This is
the
position of the Chzikuni, and is found in an earlier
source,
as well - Midrash Asseret Hadibrot l'Rabbi Moshe
Hadarshan, as
cited by Rav Menachem Kasher (Torah Shleima, vol. 16,
miluim #
4). In his commentary to Masechet Brachot 12a, however,
Rashi
seems to imply that Bnei Yisrael in fact heard all Ten
Commandments from Hashem.
The Rambam (Moreh Nevuchim 2:33) maintains that all Bnei
Yisrael heard and understood the first two commandments
(without any need for Hashem to repeat them). They then
asked
Moshe to hear the other commandments on their behalf; he
therefore heard the last eight Dibrot and conveyed them to
Bnei Yisrael. Though the Rambam claims that this is the
view
of Chazal, many later writers could not find any sources
in
Chazal corroborating this view. Rav Kasher, however,
notes
that this is the implication of the Mechilta as quoted by
the
Da'at Zekeinim mi'Ba'alei ha'Tosfot (20:1; the Mechilta is
cited differently in other sources). The Rambam claims
that
since one can arrive at the first two Dibrot (the
existence
and singularity of God) through intellectual engagement,
even
without divine revelation, Bnei Yisrael understood these
Dibrot as clearly as Moshe did. This philosophical point
sparked considerable controversy and drew strong criticism
from later rishonim and acharonim. See Sefer Ha'ikarim
17,
the Abarbanel here and in Vaetchanan, Shut ha'Rashba
4:234,
and Shnei Luchot Habrit - Masechet Shavuot.
The Ramban (on 20:6), explaining the Mechilta, claims
that
Bnei Yisrael heard all Ten Commandments but understood
only
the first two. Moshe then explained to them the final
eight.
The Sefer Ha'ikarim (ibid.) concurs with this view.
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