meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Commentary/Ramban/Torah/Ramban on Exodus/English/merged.txt"}
text: Ramban on Exodus
  רמב"ן על שמות
  merged
  
  This file contains merged sections from the following text versions:
  -Artscroll Series
  -Sefer Shemot: Ramban : Artscroll
  -Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009
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  -Rabbi Moses ben Nahman (Nahmanides, 13th C. Spain), Commentary on Exodus 17:18
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  -Sefaria Community Translation
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  Ramban on Exodus
  
  Introduction
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  The reason for "And these are the names" is that the verse wants to tell the topic of the exile from the time of their descent to Egypt because then was the initial exile, as I have explained. Therefore, it returns to the original topic which [originally was mentioned] in the verse, "And [Jacob] brought all his descendants with him to Egypt" (Genesis 46:7). Afterwards it says there, "And these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt etc." This very verse it what is being repeated here, because even though they are two separate books (Genesis and Exodus), the story is connected with things that
  ...And Rabbi Avraham (the Ibn Ezra) said that since it mentioned at the end of the first Book that Joseph saw to his sons 30 descendants, it mentions that also his brothers when they came down were few and they multiplied and became many, and this isn't correct. And Rashi wrote that even though it counted them in their life-time, it repeated and counted them after their death by name to make known their endearment, that they are compared to starts that He takes out by counting and puts them back by counting, as it says "who removes them by the number of their hosts, to all He calls by name." And these are the words of the Medrash. And these are words of truth on the topic of the love that Hashem has and it often says their names multiple times. But the connection of the Pesukim and their connection with a 'Vov' is as I explained.
  
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  "Let us scheme against them" Pharaoh and his advisers did not decide to smite them with the sword, because that would be a great betrayal, to smite a nation that has come to the land on the command of the first king. Even the common people wouldn't give consent to the king to do such a crime, for he advises with them, and additionally the nation of Israel was numerous and mighty and would fight back in a great war. Rather he advised that they should act cleverly so that Israel should not feel that he is acting out of hate, and therefore he levied a tax on them, for it is common for foreigners to pay a tax to the king, as is seen by Solomon (Kings 1, 9:21)
  
  
  
  
  
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  And [when] she saw him that he was good, she hid him for three months. All women love their children, whether they are beautiful or not; and certainly, all the Jewish mothers in Egypt hid their children as long as they could. Consequently, why does the verse need to emphasize that she saw he was good? The explanation is that she saw an unusual goodness about him and the thought entered her mind that a miracle would occur whereby he would be saved. Therefore, she took it to heart and began to think of ways to save him. When she saw she could not hide him any longer, she thought of a new strategy and made him a wicker basket. His sister stationed herself at a distance, so she would not be discovered, to know what would be done with him. All this supports the view of our Sages who said that the entire house became filled with light upon his birth (<i>Shmos Rabbah</i> 1:20, <i>Sotah</i> 12a). It also lends support to their statement (Ibid.) that Miriam had prophesized that her mother would give birth to the savior of the people of Israel.
  
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  And Moses grew up and he went out to his brothers - He grew up and became [an adult] man.  It has already been stated, "and the boy grew up" (verse 10), meaning that he grew up until he no longer needed to be nursed, and so he was brought to Pharaoh's daughter and he was raised as her son, so that be was raised before kings, and after that, he grew up to be a man of knowledge.
  And the explanation of and he went out to his brothers is [that it is] because they told him that he was a Jew, and [so] he wanted to see them, since they were his brothers. And behold, he observed their duress and toil and he could not stand it. And therefore, he killed the Egyptian who was striking the harried [Jew].
  
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  "Are you saying you going to kill me saying" from here we learn that he [Moshe] killed him in the name of Hashem. This is the words according to Rashi.
  
  
  
  
  
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  And here Hashem answered “I will be, what I will be,” I will be with you [bnei yisroel] during this troubling time and I will with you [bnei yisroel] during other troubling times. Moshe says before Hashem enough troubles at this time, Hashem said to Moshe you said right. You should say this to Bnei Yisroel “I will be as Hashem sent me."
  
  
  
  
  
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  ..I did not understand why Hashem had to do miracles for Moshe, because Moshe trusted that it was Hashem speaking to him, (why did he have to prove himself.) It would have been appropriate to say, the stick that you are holding in your hand, throw down in front of them and it will become a snake. So too for the second sign, it should have been done the way it was done in the third: take the water when youre in front of them. And therefore the rabbi say that the first one was a sign that he was speaking gossip and the second one was to punish him for it. And that is the reason Moshe ran away from the snake because he was scared that he might be punished and the snake would bit him, and most people run away from things that are harmful to them. Even though, he knew that if he will be in G-d's favor he will not need to be saved. And maybe, even though Hashem the creator of the world came to him, Hashem wanted to show these symbols in the change of nature. In order to strengthen the matter and the belief in Moshe's heart. And he should know truthfully that only via G-d's hand that new things will happen in this world. And it was enough for Moshe to just show him two things and there was no water there, so therefore he commanded that the sign should be done when theres water, in the eyes of the Jewish people. 
  
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  ...In the hand of who you usually send and this is Ahron. Another opinion, with another hand of who you want them to be sent for my destiny is not to lead them into the land of Israel and to be their redeemer in the future. You have a lot of other messengers, these are the words of Rashi. And Onkelos says, send it in the hand of someone who is appropriate to go (like a general or ambassador), meaning, send with someone who can speak eloquently who is appropriate for this honorable task. And don't send someone who cannot speak well, who you will have to talk for. Because it is not a way of respect to send someone who has problems speaking, no ones going to listen when you speak to the king and it will be disgust in their eyes. And what is correct in my eyes: Send please in the hand of anywhich you can send. Because there is not a person in this world that will not be more appropriate than me for this mission. And the reason for  Moshe's refusal in this is his humbleness. He would have never found it in his heart to rise up and speak to the king and be glorified. It is not in is character to say Hashem sent me and not to take the Jewish people out of Egypt and not to be the king.
  
  Verse 14
  
  I know that he will surely speak. Meaning, I know that he will speak on your behalf, because he loves you, even if I do not command him. Moreover, he is coming forth on his own toward you, and when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart. He will not be jealous of your lofty level in that you were chosen for this honorable mission. Later, Hashem needed to say to Aharon (v. 27): “Go toward Moshe, to the desert,” only for the sake of giving him directions, and not as a command. It might also be possible that Aharon heard that Moshe had left Midian and he left on his own to greet him, and when he was on the road Hashem said to him (v. 27): “Go toward Moshe, to the desert,” for that is where you will find him.
  
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  And I will be with your mouth. Here Hashem instructed him to speak to Pharaoh, for at this point he was told only that Aharon would speak for him to the people, as it is said (4:16): “And he will speak for you to the people.” However, Moshe would be the one to speak to Pharaoh, possibly because this would be a show of honor to the king. Ultimately, however, Moshe changed his mind and asked (6:29): “Behold, I am of closed lips; so how will Pharaoh hearken to me?” Then, Hashem told him that he would not have to speak to Pharaoh, and this was an advantage for Moshe. Therefore, it is said there (7:1): “See! I have made you a lord over Pharaoh, and Aharon, your brother, will be your spokesman.” The meaning of “And with his mouth” is that his words will find favor with the listeners.
  
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  And he met him in the mountain of God: This is Mount Sinai, (that is) between Midyan and Egypt.
  And he kissed him: Aaron kissed Moses, because Moses was humble and acted with respect for his older brother, and therefore it does not say "and they kissed each other"
  
  
  
  
  
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  ...Behold Pharaoh was a great sage and he knew Elohim and acknowledged this [divine power], as he or his descendants told Joseph: "[And Pharaoh said unto Joseph]: 'Insofar as Elohim has shown you all this, [there is none so discreet and wise as you]." (Genesis 41: 39), "[And Pharaoh said unto his servants:] 'Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of Elohim resides?'" (Genesis 41:38). But [Pharaoh] did not know the unique Name (Zohar I: 195a, Matt vol. III p. 194)...
  
  
  
  
  
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  God appeared to the Patriarchs as the Prime Mover behind all natural events.  His miracles were apparent to them without recourse to violating the natural order.  In times of famine He redeemed them from death and in war from the sword and provided them with wealth and honor and every good thing.  These things, like all the promises in the Torah of blessing and curse, are not meted out to a man as his due, as a reward for good deeds and punishment for sin.  They constitute miracles (of Divine grace).  Man's own deeds do not automatically give rise to favorable effects or otherwise.  But the reward and punishment alluded to in the Torah in this world are in the nature of miracles, hidden ones which the onlookers regard as the workings of nature.  But in reality they are the providential allocation of reward and punishment.... God said to Moses: I appeared to the Patriarchs as One who assists His chosen ones through the might of my hand (but without violating nature).  By My ineffable name expressing the essence of all existence (Exodus 3:14) I was not known to them to introduce innovations changing the natural course of events.  Therefore tell the Children of Israel that I am the Lord and let them know My great name through which I shall perform for them wonders that they may know that I am the Lord who does these things.
  
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  And I will bring you out. He promised to take them out from Egypt so they would not suffer anymore.
  And I will save you from their slavery. The Egyptians will not hold sway over them at all, even to be in their country as forced laborers. 
  I will redeem you. Hashem will judge the Egyptians until they offer to exchange the B’nei Yisrael for their lives; thus redemption in this sense connotes an exchange. And the meaning of “an outstretched arm” is that His arm is outstretched over the Egyptians until He will take the B’nei Yisrael out of Egypt.
  
  
  
  
  
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  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart – they said in the Midrash Rabbah (5:6) that [God] revealed to him that [God] would in the future harden [Pharaoh’s] heart so that judgment would be done on him for enslaving them with hard labor. And we read more there (13:4) because I made his heart heavy (Shemot 10:1) – from this verse, said Rabbi Yochanan, the minim say that he had no chance of doing teshuvah. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish answered: ‘let the mouths of the minim be closed, rather He laughs at mockers (Mishlei 3:34), he was warned once, and twice and three times and he did not repent, and He closes the door of teshuvah so to extract [retribution] from him what he sinned. So with the evil Pharaoh, God sent [warnings] to him five times and he did not listen to [God’s] words, God said to him: ‘you stiffened your neck and you made your own heart heavy, behold I am going to add impurity to your impurity.And here is the answer to the question that everyone asks: If God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, what then was his transgression [since he had no choice]? There are two answers, which both hold true: First, Pharaoh, in his wickedness, had unjustifiably treated the Jews terribly, so he was punished with the withdrawal of the path of repentance, and there are many verses regarding this in the Torah and the Writings, and he was punished by his original deeds. Secondly, only the second half of the [ten] plagues were brought upon Egypt due to Pharaoh’s transgressions, as the Torah states, And Pharaoh’s heart was strengthened, (Shemot 7:13, 26; 8:15), and Pharaoh hardened his heart (ibid. 8:28, 9:7). He did not want to send the Jews out of Egypt for the glory of God; rather, when the plagues increased and he was becoming too worn out to withstand them, his heart softened and he decided to send them out because of the severity of the plagues themselves, but not in order to do the will of his Creator. Therefore, God strengthened his spirit and gave courage to his heart so that His Name would be declared [throughout the world], as we read: Thus will I magnify Myself, and sanctify Myself, and I will make Myself known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am Adønαi. (Ez. 38:23).And that that is written before the plagues (Shemot / Ex. 3:19) and I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go, this is the reason for and I will stiffen Pharaoh’s heart and multiply My wonders that is to say that I will stiffen his heart so as to increase my wonders in the land of Egypt, because in the last five plagues, and also in the drowning at the sea it is written and Adønαi strenghthened (14:8) because the heart of the king is in the hand of Adønαi He turns it how He wants. 
  
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  [Why did G-d tell Moses to preface his actions with these words of rebuke here? Ramban explains:] Because this (blood) was a plague, and from this point, He will begin to strike with several plagues, G-d (through Moses) was telling him that it is hs wickedness that is causing him to bring punishment upon himself because he did not heed the commandment of his Creator. [Once Pharaoh witnessed the wonder of the staff, which took place the last time that Moses spoke to him, Pharaoh no longer seemed to have an explicitly negative reaction. Why then does Scripture accuse him of refusing to heed G-d's command? Ramban explains:] Now Pharaoh did not tell them explicitly that he would not heed and not send out the people, except the first time when he said, "I do not know HaShem nor will I send out Israel" (above 5:2). Pharaoh did not angrily shout at Moses and Aaron, rather he merely heard their words and remained silent because he was fearful of the upcoming plagues from the time that Moses and Aaron performed before him the wonder of the tanin and that it swallowed their staffs. However for the first plagues he tested the capabilities of the necromancers to do as [Moses and Aaron] did, as if to say that [Moses' plagues] were not miraculous but rather acts of those wise in the arts of producing such things. Thus, Pharaoh was fearful of the upcoming plagues but made himself strong to overcome his fear, and this is the meaning of "the heart of Pharaoh strengthened". 
  
  
  
  
  
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  And the magicians said to Pharaoh, "It is the finger of God": ... And [regarding] that which R. Avraham [Ibn Ezra] said, that Moses did not inform them of the plague of lice - it appears in my eyes, that Aaron struck with the staff in front of Pharaoh's eyes, as he did with the soot (Exodus 9:10). But they did not warn him; since the Holy One, blessed be He, only warns Pharaoh in plagues that include the death of people. So with the frogs, it is written (Psalms 78:45), "and frogs, and they destroyed them," which hints to death... Likewise, the locusts killed them with hunger - as 'they ate the surviving remnant that was left to them after the hail.' And it is all mercy from Him towards man, as the matter that is stated (Ezekiel 33:9), "But if you have warned the wicked man to turn back from his way, and he has not turned from his way, he shall die for his own sins, but you will have saved your life." And therefore He did not warn him about the lice, nor the boils or darkness. Only concerning the pestilence [did He warn]; since it is death and fitting to come to man [as well as to the livestock] - as He said to to him afterwards (Exodus 9:16), "However I have spared you for this purpose." And so He informed him about the matter, how it would be. And about some of the plagues, He said, "Get up early in the morning, behold he is going to the water." And according to the simple understanding, it was at the time when the kings come out in the morning to amuse themselves by the water. And the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded Moses that he go there. And the reason is that, regarding the blood - in that it was the first plague - He wanted that [Moses] do it in [Pharaoh's] eyes, without being afraid of him. And that is the reason [for], "and you shall stand in front of him" (7:16) - that he stand in front of him 'with a high hand.' And likewise with the plague of locusts, it is stated (8:16), "Get up early in the morning and stand in front of Pharaoh, behold he is going to the water." And with the hail (9:13), "Get up early in the morning and stand in front of Pharaoh" - and it was also when he went out to the water. As the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted the locusts and the hail to be in the yes of all the people; for when the king went out to the water, most of the people would go behind him. And behold, He warned him in front of their eyes - maybe they would yell out to their master to repent from his evil way. But if they did not do that, they would be liable for punishment. But with the other plagues, it was enough to [only] warn the king. Hence regarding them, it states, "Come to Pharaoh" (7:26; 9:1; 10:1) - such that [Moses] go to his chamber. And it does not state this with lice and boils because Aaron needed to hit dirt, whereas the chamber of the king has no dirt, but rather 'floors of alabaster and marble.' And Moses likewise needed to throw the soot to the skies [to begin the boils]. And behold they did these two in front of Pharaoh when he was in the courtyard of the royal palace garden, or something similar to it.
  
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  I will set apart. Since the other plagues were stationary it was not surprising they were in Egypt alone and not the land of Goshen. However, this plague was sent forth from other lands, and when the wild animals came from their natural habitats, for example, the lions from their dens and leopards from the mountains, they destroyed the entire land of Egypt. It would have been natural for them to go to Goshen as well, which is a region of Egypt. Therefore, the Torah needed to say: “I will set apart the land of Goshen,” and it will be entirely rescued, because “My people dwell upon it”—the majority of the residents were Jews.I will set a [sign of] deliverance between My people and between your people. For even in Egypt proper if wild animals happened upon a Jew they would not harm him, but they would eat the Egyptians instead, as it is said (Tehillim 78:45): “He incited against them a mixture of wild beasts, which devoured them.” This is the connotation of פדות (deliverance), as in the verse (Yishayahu 43:3): “I have given Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.”
  
  
  
  
  
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  The sorcerers could not stand. Embarrassed and exceedingly ashamed of themselves because they were covered with rash and they had no way of escaping it, the sorcerers did not arrive at the palace and avoided Moshe outside as well; they remained closeted in their homes.
  
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  Man could not see his fellow man, nor could anyone rise. This darkness was not merely an absence of light like the darkness of night. Rather it was like a thick mist that descended from Heaven. For this reason Hashem instructed Moshe, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky” (v. 21). It even extinguished their fires the way that the air of a deep excavation does. That is why no man could see his fellow, for had this been an ordinary darkness they would have simply kindled lamps. Thus the meaning of the verse, “He sent darkness and made it dark” (Tehillim 105:28), is that Hashem actually “sent” them darkness rather than merely removing the light of day. According to Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra such a mist-like darkness is sometimes found at sea.
  
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  You too will give. Moshe did not expect that Pharaoh would actually comply with this admonition, nor do we find that he did so. All he meant was that Hashem’s hand would be so heavy upon the Egyptians that they would be <i>willing</i> to give sacrifices or whatever else was required to save their souls. Indeed, when Pharaoh later said to them, “bless me too” (12:32), he would have gladly given all his flocks to save himself. In practice, though, Moshe would never have offered sacrifices on Pharaoh’s behalf because he knew that Hashem wished to humble him and then to drown him in the sea, not to grant him atonement. According to the Sages, Pharaoh’s later entreaty, “Take your sheep … <i>as you have said</i>” (ibid.), was an allusion to Moshe’s reproof in this verse, but there, too, all that is meant is that Pharaoh was <i>willing</i> to give them sacrifices. Alternatively, perhaps Pharaoh actually did give them animals to sacrifice, but for their own use, not on his behalf.
  
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  I will not see your face again. That is, Moshe would not see Pharaoh again after he left him, even at the time of the striking of the first born. For although it is written that Pharaoh “called for Moshe and Aharon” (12:31), he only went to the entrance of their house and called out to them in the darkness. Alternatively, perhaps he sent word to them through emissaries, in keeping with the verse, “The <i>Egyptians</i> (i.e. Pharaoh’s emissaries) pressed the people to hurry them” (12:33). Another possibility is that when Moshe said, “I will not see your face again,” what he meant was that he would no longer come to Pharaoh. Instead, Pharaoh would come to him. This is in fact how the Sages interpret his words in <i>Shemos Rabbah</i>.
  
  
  
  
  
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  Hashem gave the people favor. Not only did the Egyptians not hate B’nei Yisrael on account of the plagues, they grew so friendly towards them that they acknowledged having wronged them and observed that it was only fitting that Hashem should take pity upon them. Even Moshe, who actually brought the plagues upon them became “very great in the land of Egypt,” particularly “in the eyes of Pharaoh’s servants,” i.e. the very individuals with whom he had contended. Moshe also became great “in the eyes of the people,” i.e. B’nei Yisrael, for although they had said to him earlier, “Let Hashem look at you and judge” (Shemos 5:21), Moshe’s stature increased tremendously in their estimation when they saw that he was indeed a faithful prophet of Hashem.
  
  
  
  
  
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  This month shall be unto you the beginning of months is the first commandment which the Holy One Blessed Be He commanded Israel through Moses, and therefore [the previous verse] says "in the land of Egypt," for the remaining commandments of the Torah were [give] at Mount Sinai.  Or it means to say in the land of Egypt, and not in a city of Egypt, as our Sages said (Mekhilta 12:1:4), "outside of a town."It would have been fitting for [the verse] to say first, "Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying," [and then] "This month shall be unto you" and the remainder of the section, but Moses and Aaron stand in place of Israel, and [the verse] says "unto you," referring to all the generations of Israel, and then it returns and says "Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel," that [Moses] should command them in the one-off command of taking the Passover sacrifice of [the generation of] Egypt on the tenth [of the month of Nisan].According to its drash, "unto you" means that sanctification of the month requires a court of expert [judges] (Rosh Hashanah 25b), and therefore it was not written earlier, "Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel," for sanctification of the month applies only to Moses and Aaron and [experts] of their kind.  And the reason for, "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months" is that Israel will count the first month, and from there will count all the months as second and third until the completion of the year with the twelfth month, so that this will be a reminder of a great miracle, for any time that the months will be mentioned the miracle will be remembered, and therefore the months have no names in the Torah, but rather it says, "in the third month" (Exodus 19:1), and, "in the second year in the second month...that the cloud was taken up" (Numbers 10:11), and, "in the seventh month on the first of the month, etc." (Numbers 29:1) and so with all of them [i.e. all verses mentioning dates].And just as the Sabbath Day is remembered by our counting from it the first [day] from the Sabbath and the second [day] from the Sabbath, as I will explain (Ramban on Exodus 20:8:1), so too the Exodus from Egypt is remembered by our counting of the first month and the second and the third from our redemption, for this counting is not for [numbering] the year, for the start of our year is in Tishrei, as it is written (Exodus 34:22), "and the feast of ingathering [i.e.  Sukkot] at the turn of the year," and it is written (Exodus 23:16), "(and the feast of ingathering), at the end of the year."  If so, then when the month of Nisan is called the first [month] and Tishrei the seventh, the solution is that [Nisan is] the first [month] from redemption and [Tishrei is] the seventh.  This is the reason for, "it shall be the first...to you," for it is not the first in the year, but it is the first for you, for such is it called as a remembrance of our redemption.And our Sages have already mentioned this topic, and said that the names of the months came with us from Babylonia (Jerusalem Talmud Rosh Hashanah 6a), for at the start we had no names.  The reason for this is that at the start the order of [the months] was as a remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt, but when we left Babylonia and the verse was fulfilled (Jeremiah 16:14-15), "that it shall no more be said: 'As the LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt,' but: ‘As the LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north," we returned to calling the months by the names by which they were called in Babylonia, as a reminder that there we stood and from there the Lord drew us out.  For the names Nisan, Iyar, and the others are Persian names and are only found in the books of the Babylonian prophets (Zechariah 1:7, Ezra 6:15, Nehemiah 1:1) and in Megilat Esther (3:7).  Therefore the verse says, "In the first month, which is the month Nisan," similar to, "They cast pur, that is, the lot" (ibid.).  And until today the nations in the lands of Persia and Media call [the months] Nisan and Tishrei and all the rest like us.  And these [names] recall through the months the second redemption just as we did until now for the first one.
  
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  You must not eat it half-cooked or boiled. This commandment applied for future generations as well. The rule is that all the stipulations mentioned here regarding the body of the sacrifice apply for future generations, whereas those pertaining to the way it was to be eaten—such as the donning their belts and the placing of blood upon the lintel—applied only in Egypt. Similarly, when it is written regarding <i>Pesach Sheini</i> (the make-up sacrifice for those unable to offer in <i>Nisan</i>) that it must be performed, “according to all the statutes of the Pesach-offering” (Bamidbar 9:11-12) what is meant is that it must be roasted, etc.
  
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  And opportunity will not be given to the Destroyer:  The Angel of Destruction in the world at that time, an example, [God] said to the Angel of Destruction, with a might nation you will now deal with by your hand (Shulchan Arukh 24:17) Not [the Angel] of Destruction, rather God, Himself, is the plague.
  
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  The meaning of "you should bring a blessing upon me also" is: When you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God as you have said, and you pray for yourselves that you will not be struck by plague or by sword, mention me with you.  And Rashi said: "Pray on my behalf that I should not die because I am a firstborn." The plain sense of it is that they should bless him and his kingdom, because the peace of the whole kingdom is included in a blessing over the king.  And in the Mekhilta: "Pray that my troubles will be finished.  That is to say, that he will not be punished further on their account."
  
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  It was a night of watching unto the Lord for bringing them out from the Land of Egypt: As He watched the thing from the moment that He decreed the exile upon them, that He would take them out on this night immediately when the end [of the exile] would come. For 'in its moment, I will hasten it.' Or its explanation is that it is a night of watching unto the Lord, in that He watches and looks forward to the night that He will take them out from the Land of Egypt. As the Holy One, blessed be He, looks froward to the moment that they will be fit to take them out from there...
  This same night is a night of watching unto the Lord for all the Children of Israel throughout their generations: As this night that was watched by the Lord to bring them out of Egypt is for the Lord, meaning it is consecrated to His name. "Watching for the Children of Israel" - that they should watch it to serve Him before Him by the eating of the Passover sacrifice and the remembrance of the miracles [of that time], and by the giving of praise and thanks to His name; as it is stated (13:10), "You shall watch (observe) this precept," and [as] it stated (Deuteronomy 16:1), "Watch the month of Spring." And R. Avraham [Ibn Ezra] said that the explanation of "a night of watching unto the Lord" is that the Lord watched them and did not let the destroyer come to their homes. But it is not correct, since it stated, "to bring them out of the Land of Egypt." 
  
  
  
  
  
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  (9) “And this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead—in order that the Teaching of the LORD may be in your mouth." The pasuk is teaching us: “And this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder on your forehead—in order that the Teaching of the LORD may be in your mouth." And its explanation is: You should write [pesukim] on your hand and between your eyes of the Exodus from Egypt [and thereby] always remember it "in order that the Teaching of the LORD may be in your mouth" to observe his mitzvos and teachings for he is your Master who took you out of the house of bondage.
  
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  And for frontlets (<i>totafot</i>) between your eyes: This word does not have a known family (meaning etymologically it has no relation to any other word), but the masters of language (linguists) have thought to relate it to the expression, "and speak (<i>hatef</i>) to the South" (Ezekiel 21:2), "and my word would drip (<i>titof</i>) upon them" (Job 29:22) - which is a borrowed [usage] from "and from the mountains will drip (<i>vehitifu</i>) sweet wine" (Amos 9:13). [The verse is] saying that you should make the leaving of Egypt on your arm a sign and between your eyes a speech, that it should drip like dew upon its listeners. But our rabbis call something that is placed on one's head <i>totafot</i>, like they said (Shabbat 57a), "not  with <i>totafot</i> and not with <i>sanbutin</i>." And Rabbi Abahu said (Shabbat 57a), "Which is <i>totafot</i>? [That which] surrounds from ear to ear." And they are the real masters of language, as they speak it and know it, and from them it is fitting to accept [their explanation]. And the verse says <i>totafot</i> (in the plural), and not <i>totefet</i> (in the singular) because they are [made up of] many compartments, as we have received [this tradition] about their form from our holy forefathers, who saw the prophets and the early ones making [them] like this all the way until Moshe, our teacher. And behold, the principle of this commandment is that we should place the written word of leaving Egypt on our arm and head, which correspond to the heart and the head that are the dwelling places of thought. And behold, we write the 'Kadesh' section (Exodus 13:1-10) and 'Vehaya ki yeviekha' (Exodus 13:11-17) in the <i>totafot</i>, because of this commandment that we have been commanded about them, to make the leaving of Egypt <i>totafot</i> between your eyes. And in the 'Shema' section (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) and 'Vehaya eem shemoa', (Deuteronomy 11:13-22), we are commanded that we also make the commandments <i>totafot</i>, as it is written (Deuteronomy 6:6), "And these words which I command you today shall be on your hearts and they will be <i>totafot</i> between your eyes." And therefore we write these two sections in the <i>totafot</i>, which are the commandment of unifying [God] and the memory of all of the commandments and their punishments and rewards and all of the basis for faith. And it stated about the one of the arm, "and it shall be a sign upon your arm, and they expounded upon it (Menachot 36b), "It is [on] the left [arm] towards which the heart veers." And according to the true path, that which the verse stated, "Because of this, did God do for me," is just like, "this is my God and I will adorn Him" (Exodus 15:2), to say that because of His name and His honor, did He do this for us and took us out of Egypt. "And this will be a sign" upon the forearm of your strength is like the explanation of "You are the glory of their strength" (Psalms 89:18). And behold, the sign is like the sign of circumcision and Shabbat. And because all is included in its general rule, our forefathers copied the sign on the hand from Moshe - from the mouth of the All powerful - that it be one compartment, as is the matter that the verse stated (Song of Songs 5:1), "my sister (<i>achoti</i>), my bride (<i>kallah</i>)," because it unifies (<i>mitachedet</i>) and is composed (<i>kelullah</i>) of thirty-two paths; and it is written (Song of Songs 2:6), "And his left is under my head." And it states, "and for a memory between your eyes," that he should place them on the place of memory between the eyes which is the beginning of the brain. And that is the beginning point of memory and where forms are stored after they separate from being in front of him. And the expression, "between your eyes," is that it be in the middle of the head and not to one side; or since there are [found] the roots of the eyes, and from there is seeing. And so [too] (Deuteronomy 14:1), "do not place a baldness between your eyes for the dead." And to explain this, it went back and stated, "and for <i>totafot</i>," to elucidate that the commandment is not between the eyes below, but [rather] at the top of the head are they placed, like <i>totafot</i>. And it states a plural expression, as there are many compartments, as we have received [in our tradition]. And now I will tell you a general rule about the explanation of many commandments. Behold, from the time of there being idolatry in the world - from the days of Enosh - the opinions about faith started to blur. Some of them deny the fundamental principle and say that the world is prior [to God's creation] and 'they rejected God and say, "It is not Him.'" And some reject His knowledge of particulars - 'And they say, "How can He know, and is there knowledge to the most High?"' And some of them concede His knowledge but reject His oversight, and 'they make man to be like the fish of the sea,' that God not supervise them and there not be punishments and reward with them at all - they say, '"The Lord has abandoned the Earth."' And when God favors a certain community or individual and does a wonder for them by changing the custom of the world and its nature, the nullification of these opinions becomes clear to everyone. As the amazing wonder teaches that there is a God in the world who innovated it, and knows and supervises and is able [to do whatever He wants]. And when this wonder is first proclaimed by the mouth of a prophet, the truth of prophecy also becomes clear from it - that God speaks with man and reveals His secret to His servants, the prophets. And with this, all of the Torah is established. And therefore the verse states about the wonders (Exodus 8:18), "so that you will know that I am the Lord in the midst of the Earth," to teach about [His] supervision, that He did not leave it to happenstance, as per their opinion. And it stated (Exodus 9:29), "so that you will know that to the Lord is the Earth," to teach about [His] innovation [of the Earth] - since they are His, as He created them from nothing. And it stated (Exodus 9:14), "in order that you will know that there is none like Me in the whole Earth," to teach about His ability, that He is the Decider about everything - there is no one that stops Him. As the Egyptians rejected or were in doubt about all of this. If so, the great signs and wonders were trustworthy witnesses about faith in the Creator and about the entire Torah. And since the Holy One, blessed be He, will not do a sign and wonder in each generation in front of the eyes of each evildoer or heretic, He commanded us that we should always make a memorial and a sign to that which our eyes saw. And we should copy this thing for our children, and their children for their children, and their children for the last generation. And [the Torah] was very strict about this, such that it made one liable for cutting off, for eating of <i>chamets</i> (Exodus 12:15), and for leaving the Pesach sacrifice (Numbers 9:13). And it required that we write all that was shown to us of signs and wonders upon our arms and upon our eyes, and also to write them at the entrances to houses in mezuzot. And [it required] that we mention it with our mouths, in the morning and in the evening, as the sages said (Berakhot 21a), "[The blessing that mentions the leaving of Egypt and begins,] 'true and solid' is [an obligation from] the Torah," from that which is written (Deuteronomy 16:3), "in order that you remember the day of your leaving the land of Egypt all the days of your life." And [it required] that we make a Sukkah booth every year. And so [too], many commandments in memory of the leaving of Egypt, are similar to these. And all of it is to be a testimony for us for all of the generations about the wonders, that they not be forgotten; and that there not be an opening for the heretic to speak and reject faith in God. As one who buys a mezuzah for one zuz and affixes it to his entrance and has intent for its matter, has already conceded to [God's] innovation [of the Earth] and to the knowledge of the Creator and His supervision, and also to prophecy. And [such a person] believes in all of the outlines of the Torah, besides conceding that the kindness of the Creator to those who do His will is very great - as He took us out of Egypt, from that slavery to freedom and great honor in the merit of their forefathers that desired to fear His name. And therefore they said (Avot 2:1), "Be careful with a light commandment as with a weighty one," since they are all very desirable and beloved - as through them a person concedes to his God all the time. And the intention of all the commandments is that we believe in our God and concede to Him that He is our Creator. And that is the intention of  provenance, as we have no other explanation for the first provenance - and the highest God only desires the lower beings, so that man should know and concede to his God that He created him. And the intention of raising of the voice in prayer and the intention of synagogues and the merit of communal prayer is that there be a place for people to gather and concede to God that He created them and makes them exist, and to publicize this and to say in front of Him, "We are Your creatures." And this is the intention of what they said, may their memory be blessed (Yerushalmi Taanit 2:5), "'And they called to God with strength' (Jonah 3:8) - from here you learn that prayer requires [an audible] voice; the brazen is victorious over the timid (See Arukh's entry on chatzaf). And from the great public miracles, a person can [also] concede to hidden miracles, which constitute the foundation of the entire Torah. As a person does not have a share in the Torah of Moshe, our teacher, until we believe that all of the things and events we [encounter] are all miracles [and] there is no nature or custom of the world with them, whether with regard to the many or to the individual. But rather, if one does the commandments, his reward will bring him success and if the transgresses them, his punishment will cut him off - everything is the decree of the Most High, as I have already mentioned (Ramban on Genesis 17:1, and Exodus 6:2). And hidden miracles regarding the many become publicized when they come from the objectives of the Torah in [the form] of the blessings and the curses, as the verse stated (Deuteronomy 29:23-24), "All the nations will say, 'Why did the Lord do thus to this land?'[...] They will say, 'Because they forsook the covenant of the Lord, God of their fathers," such that it will be publicized to all of the nations that it is from the Lord, as their punishment. And regarding the fulfillment [of the commandments], it states (Deuteronomy 28:10), "And all of the peoples of the land will see that the name of the Lord is called upon you and they will fear from you.'" And I will explain this more with God's help (Ramban on Leviticus 26:11).
  
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  Because it is close - And it would be easy to return on that same path to Egypt, and there are many Aggadic Midrashim [about this]. [The above is] the language of Rashi. And it is also the understanding of Rabbi Avraham (a.k.a Ibn Ezra): Because the reason that 'Hashem did not lead them on the path [through] the land of the Philistines' was because 'it was close' and they would regret [leaving] and return to Egypt immediately. But according to my understanding, if it is like their words (Rashi and Ibn Ezra) 'Because Hashem said' would have been first [in the verse], but the verse says "Hashem led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines...for God said: ‘Lest the people regret when they see war, and they return to Egypt.’". But the correct [understanding] is that it is saying "Hashem led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines" which is "close" and [it would be] good to lead them on that path, "because Hashem said, 'Lest the people regret when they see war, and they return to Egypt.'" And the reason for war was that they would pass through to path of the land of the Philistines and the Philistines would not let them pass in peace, and then they would return to Egypt, but on the path of the wilderness, they would not see war until they were in their land; in the land of Sicon and Og, kings of the Emorites that was given to them, and they would be far from Egypt at that time. And the war with Amalek in Rifidim was not worthwhile to return because of it, because they were that passing through [the Amalekims land] but [rather the Amelekim] came from its land and fought with them because of their hatred for them and if they had conceived of returning to Egypt, it would not have helped because [the Amelekim] would have fought them on the road. And also they were [already] far from Egypt on the crooked path that they went on and they didn't know another way [to return]. And the language of Rashi: When they see war - for example, the wars of the Cananim and the Amelekim, if they had went on a straight path, they would have returned. Just like when [Hashem] led them on a crooked path they said, 'Let us take initiative and return to Egypt', if they had went on a simple [path], all the more so [would they have returned]. [The following is a quote from] Michilta. And the reason it says, "God led them not...But God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness", is when they traveled from Succot, the pillar of cloud began to go before them, and it did not go by the way of the land of the Philistines, but rather went by the way of the wilderness of Eitam and Yisrael went after it. And the cloud rested in Eitam and they camped there, and [Eitam] is on the border of the wilderness. 
  
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  And the for [saying] 'And Bnei Yisrael went up armed' - [as if] to say even though Hashem led them around [by] the way of the wilderness, they were scared maybe the Philistines would come upon them, those that lived in the cities close to them, and [therefore] they were armed like those who go to war. And there are those that say [that the reason for the phrase is] that the verse is telling us that they left 'with a raised hand' and they considered themselves redeemed people, and they did not walk like slaves who ran away.
  
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  "And Hashem walked before them during the day" - They already said (Bereishit Rabbah 51:2) that "Every place that is says '<i>Va'Hahsem</i>' (lit. and Hashem) [it means] him and his court. The Holy one, blessed is He, was with them during the day and his court [was with them] at night." If so, the verse is explaining that Hashem dwelt in the cloud and He went before them by day in the pillar of cloud, and at night, his court dwelt in the pillar of fire to light [the way] for them, like the reason [behind the verse] (Numbers 14:14) "inasmuch as Thou LORD art seen face to face, and Thy cloud standeth over them, and Thou goest before them, in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night". And I saw in <i>Eleh Shemos Rabbah</i> (Shemot Rabbah 19:6) "'For ye shall not go out in haste, Neither shall ye go by flight; For the LORD will go before you' (Isaiah 52:12). [This verse implies] in the past My court and I would get before you, as it says, '<i>Va'Hashem</i> went before them by day' but in the future,  I will go alone [before you], as it says, (Isaiah 52:12) 'For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your reward.'" And the secret [behind] this Midrash is as I have mentioned, because in the first redemption (i.e. the one from Egypt) the Holy one, blessed is He, was with them by day and his court was with them by night. But in the future (lit. the coming future) you will raise [away] the attribute of His court with mercy, and Hashem will walk before them, the singular Hashem, because 'the God of Israel will be your rearward' and 'But the night shineth as the day; The darkness is even as the light.' (Psalms 139:12) because everything [will be dealt] with the unique attribute of mercy. And Rabbi Avraham (a.k.a. Ibn Ezra) says: Because the verse is speaking like the language of people, because the power of Hashem and His messenger [are whom] went with Israel like [the verse] "That caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses" (Isaiah 63:12) . And the truth that it is [actually] like [the verse] '' but not like Rabbi Avraham understood from it, and it says so (i.e. proves my point) "So didst Thou lead Thy people, To make Thyself a glorious name." (Isaiah 63:12)
  
  
  
  
  
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  I will harden Pharaoh’s heart. Pharaoh had been fearful of them ever since the striking of the first born, as evidenced by his request, “bless me too” (12:32), and did not intend on pursuing them even if they tried to flee. Therefore Hashem informed Moshe that <i>He</i> would harden Pharaoh’s heart to chase after them. He repeats this in verse 17 because after the Egyptians saw the sea split and B’nei Yisrael pass through on dry land they should have been too terrified to continue. Hashem, however, caused them to lose their senses and hardened their hearts to enter the sea.
  
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  ...And it is likely that they said this to him in their leaving, while they were still in Egypt, when God made them detour through the Wilderness of the Red Sea. Or they said to him from the beginning, "To where are we leaving? If it is through the Road of the Philistines, it is better for us to serve Egypt than for us to die in the desert"...
  
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  Why do you (singular) cry to Me. According to the Sages Hashem is addressing Moshe in specific. Although Scripture does not mention before this that Moshe prayed, apparently it is included in the crying out of the B’nei Yisrael in verse 10. Although Hashem had told him earlier, “I will be glorified through Pharaoh” (14:4), Moshe still did not how to conduct himself now that they were caught at the edge of the sea with the enemy close behind. Hashem replied, “But why do you cry out as if in distress? Why do you not simply ask Me what to do?”
  
  
  
  
  
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  Ad-noy will reign. Onkelos alters the verse to the present tense, rendering, “His kingdom exists forever and ever,” out of concern that the future tense might be misleading, for in truth Hashem reigns supreme at all times.
  
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  Sister of Aharon. Since both Moshe and Miriam are mentioned in connection with this song the Torah wished to include Aharon as well. Referring to Miriam as his sister is a way of honoring him because it implies he is the elder brother—as well as a prophet and holy man in his own right—through whom she is to be identified. Alternatively, it is usual for the Torah to identify siblings by reference to their eldest brother as in <i>I Divrei HaYamim</i> 2:42.
  
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  ... And the reason why the verse mentions two forms of listening to God- "to the voice" and "Me," this is because if we listen to the voice of of our God to keep his mitzvot, then His great Name will be a source of healing for us. And this is why the Sages set the blessings on mitzvos to mention that God "made us holy with His mitzvos," because blessings have in them the mention of God's royalty ... And I hereby enlighten your eyes: for each blessing that contains mention of God's royalty is like this, for the Sages gave honor to His Kingship over the world, and that from this Kingship He made us holy and gives us [food and other things to make blessings on]. And the blessings which are close to another blessing, which do not mention Royalty, are in the second person (presence) ... and this is why the prayer "Aleinu" is all in the third person (hidden), because it is said before the Kind of all Kings. Understand this. 
  
  
  
  
  
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  "Evening and you shall know that the Lord brought you out of the land of Egypt": And it was not we who brought you out from there, like you said to us, (above verse 3), “for you have brought us out.” "And morning you will see the glory of the Lord": This is not stated in reference to that glory that appeared in the cloud, since that was on the same day, as when Aharon spoke to them (verse 10), "and they turned to the wilderness[...]. And Rashi explained: Rather this is what he said to them, "'Evening and you shall know' that His hand has the power to give you your desire and He will give you meat; but not with a radiant countenance will He give it to you, because you have not asked it properly, [since it was] from a full stomach. But the bread for which you have asked properly, out of necessity — when it falls in the morning you will behold the glory of His countenance, because He will make it fall for you in a manner that is indicative of His love — in the morning, whilst there is yet time to prepare it." But it is not correct that it should state, "And morning you will see the glory of the Lord," because He will start in the morning with the present for them of the manna — as what glory of God is there in this? And [it is incorrect] also because next to it, [it states] "in His hearing your complaints."                 And this midrash of our rabbis (that is Rashi's source) is not an explanation of, "and you will see the glory of the Lord." But [rather] they said this because He divided their sustenance for them into two times of the day and He did not give it all in the morning. And so did they say in the Mekhilta (here), "'And Moshe said, "In the Lord's giving to you in the evening"' (verse 8) — from here, you learn that He gave them the pheasants with a dark countenance. And the manna that they asked as was fit, He gave them with a radiant countenance"; that is to say in the morning. And Rabbi Avraham (Ibn Ezra) said: "And morning" relates to the [previous] verse. As since they said, "that you took us out of Egypt," [Moshe] said [that] God will make two signs for you, so that you will know that He took you out from there — the first in the evening that day and the second on the next day in the morning. And it would have been fitting that it would have stated, "evening and morning and you will see that it was the Lord who took you out" — since "and morning" does not relate to "and you will see the glory of the Lord"; as they saw the glory on that same day. And this too does not appear to be [correct]. And what is correct in my eyes is that the wonder of the manna was very great: Since He blew the pheasants from the sea with a wind that traveled from Him, like the [natural] way of the world; but the manna was created for them now, a new creation in the sky, like the matter of the creation story. And this is what [the sages] said about it (Avot 5:6), that it was created at twilight (before the last day of creation). And hence the verse stated, today in the evening with this sign that I shall make for you, you will know that He took you out of the land of Egypt, as He will set up a table for you in the wilderness, but with the great miracle that He will do for you in the morning, you will see the glory of His kingship, about which who is the power in the heavens and the earth who can do like His acts and like His great deeds? As through the great and wondrous acts that God does, He show His glory; as in the matter of "to gather all of the nations and the languages and they shall come and see My glory" (Isaiah 66:18), and it is written (Isaiah 66:19), "and they shall recount My glory," and so [too] many [examples]. And this is the opinion of Onkelos who said, "they will see the glory of the Lord"; and he did not translate it as "[the glory] will be revealed." And know that there is a great matter in the manna. Our rabbis hinted it in Tractate Yoma 75b, "'The bread of powerful ones a man ate' (Psalms 78 25) — the bread that the ministering angels eat," These are the words of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Yishmael said to him, "And do the ministering angels eat bread? And is it not already written (Deuteronomy 9:9), '"I did not eat bread and I did not drink water."' Rather 'bread of powerful ones (<i>abirim</i>) [means] bread that is absorbed [directly] into the limbs (<i>evarim</i>)." And this matter that Rabbi Akiva said is that the existence of the ministering angels is from the radiance of the Divine Presence, and so did they expound (Exodus Rabbah 32:4), "'You give life (<i>mechayeh</i>) to them all' (Nehemiah 9:6) — [You are] nourishment (<i>michiah</i>) to them all." And about it, it is stated (Ecclesiastes 11:7), "And sweet is the light" — that they grasped from the light good reasoning. And the manna is from the products of the higher light that became physical through the will of its Creator, may He be blessed (Zohar Balak 208). And [so] it comes out that the  [people who ate] the manna and the ministering angels were nourished from [the same] thing. And Rabbi Yishmael caught him because [the angels'] existence is not from something that became physical from the products of the upper light, as behold, their existence is from the upper light itself. And because of this [the Israelites that ate manna] were able to create whatever taste they wanted, as the soul clings to the higher ones in its thought. And the resting will find life and obtain favor from in front of Him (based on Proverbs 8:35). And they said in the Mechilta Shemot 16:25, "Today you will not find it, but you will find it in the world to come." And this can be understood in two ways: That we should say that there will [also] be in the world to come those whose level has not reached to always enjoy the radiance of the Divine Presence. And [so] their existence will be dependent upon that which is made physical from the radiance of the Divine presence — like the generation of the wilderness who grasped the radiance of the Divine Presence at the Sea, as they said (Mechilta Shemot 16:2), "A maidservant saw upon the Sea what Yechezkel the prophet did not see, and from that time, their soul became elevated to subsist from its products, which is the manna. But more correct is that the verse hints to the words of Rabbi Elazar ben Chisma with the word, "today": that the existence of those that will be in the world to come will be from the basis of the manna, which will be from the higher radiance, as they said (Berakhot 17a), "There is no eating and no drinking [in the world to come]... but rather the righteous ones sit and their crowns are upon their heads and they enjoy the radiance of the Divine Presence."  And those in the world to come will exist from their enjoyment of the radiance of the Divine Presence through their clinging to Him with the crown that is on their heads. And the crown is the attribute [of God] that is called like this, that the verse spoke about — "and the Lord of hosts will be for a crown of beauty" (Isaiah 28:5). And about it, it is stated (Song of Songs 3:11), "with the crown that his mother crowned him." And they hinted [in the Mechilta above] to the existence of those that will be in the world to come and they hinted to the main idea [behind the] manna. And the verse stated (Psalms 78:23-25), "And He commanded the skies above, and opened the doors of heaven; And He caused manna to rain upon them to eat, and gave them the grain of heaven: The bread of powerful ones a man ate." And so [too] it stated (Psalms 105:40), "and He satiated them with the bread of the skies;" [such] that we see from this that this 'grain' was in the heavens and He brought it down to them with the opening of its doors. And this is what I have explained — that the light became physical; as about the upper light does the verse speak in such a way, "the skies opened and I saw the visions of God" (Ezekile 1:1). Or [it is possible that the physical form] was already in the heavens, as per their statement (Avot 5:6), that [manna] was created at twilight. 
  
  
  
  
  
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  But the people thirsted for water; and the people grumbled against Moses.  once they were out of water they grumbled as they had on previous occasions when they needed something...
  
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  Now the reason for the punishment of Amalek, i.e. why punitive measures were meted out to him more than to all other nations is that when all the nations heard [of God's visitations upon the Egyptians], they trembled...Amalek came from afar as if to make himself master of God.
  
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  Our rabbis already disagreed (Mekhilta on Exodus 18:1, Zevachim 116a) about this section. There are some of them that say Yitro came before the giving of the Torah, like the order of the sections, and there are some of them that say that it came after the giving of the Torah. And [the latter view] is certainly supported by the verse that states (Exodus 18:5), "And Yitro, Moshe’s father-in-law, and his sons and wife came to him in the wilderness, where he was encamped there at the mountain of God." Behold, it states that he came to him in his being encamped in front of Mount Sinai, where they encamped for a year. And this [phrase serves as] the explanation of "where he was encamped there." And also as it states (Exodus 18:16), "and I make known the laws and teachings of God,” as they are the ones given to him at Mount Sinai. And also as here it states (Exodus 18:27), "And Moshe sent off his father-in-law, and he went his way to his land" - and this was in the second year when they traveled from Mount Sinai, as it states in Parshat Behaalotekha (Numbers 10:29), "And Moshe said to Hovav, son of Reuel the Midianite, Moshe’s father-in-law, 'We are traveling.'" And there it is written (Numbers 10:30), "And he said to him, 'I will not go, but rather to my land and to my birthplace will I go,'" and that is the going written [about] here (Exodus 18:27), "and he went his way to his land." And they also brought a proof from that which the verse stated (Deuteronomy 1:6-7), "The Lord, our God, spoke to us at Horeb saying, 'You have stayed long enough at this mountain. Turn and travel,'" and there it states, (Deuteronomy 1:9,15), "And I said to you, 'I am not able to carry you by myself' [...] And I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, etc.," and that is the counsel of Yitro. And there it states (Deuteronomy 1:9,15), "And we traveled from Chorev," as they traveled immediately. And, if so, a reason is required why this section is brought forward to write it here. And nonetheless I ask about this opinion, when the verse [here] states, "And Yitro heard all that the Lord had done for Moshe and for Israel His people, that the Lord had brought Israel out from Egypt" - and why did it not state that he heard that which He did for Moshe and for Israel at the giving of the Torah, about all of the great wonders that He did for them, as it stated (Deuteronomy 4:32), "You have but to inquire about bygone ages that came before you, ever since God created man on earth, from one end of heaven to the other, 'Has anything as grand as this ever happened, or has its like ever been known? Has any people heard the voice of God speaking out of a fire, as you have, and lived?'" And [also] when it states (Exodus 18:8), "And Moshe recounted to his father-in-law everything that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardships that had befallen them on the way," and Yitro said from this (Exodus 18:11), "Now I know that the Lord is greater" - why did he not tell him [about] the stand at Mount Sinai, [since] from it, he would know that the Lord is true and his Torah is true, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 4:35-6), "You have been shown that the Lord alone is God; there is none beside Him. From the heavens He let you hear His voice, etc." And maybe we can say that Yitro immediately heard in his land  that God had taken Israel out of Egypt and [so] he traveled from his land and arrived to Moshe after he was encamped at Mount Sinai, after the giving of the Torah. And it does not recount that [Moshe] mentioned to him the matter of that stand, as the thing was still proximate and they were still there, and [so] it is obvious that it was told to him. And what is closer to me is to take the order of the Torah, that [Yitro] came before the giving of the Torah, when [the Israelites] were in Refidim, as they said in Mechilta here, "Rabbi Yehoshua said, 'He heard about the war of Amalek and came, as it is written alongside it,'"  and he traveled with them from Refidim to Mount Sinai. And the matter of the verse that states, "Where he was encamped there at the mountain of God," is that Mount Sinai was on the way from Midian, close to there - as behold, Moshe went there to graze the flock of Midian (Exodus 3:1), and with Aharon, it stated (Exodus 4:27), "and he met him on the mountain of God." And behold, Yitro went out with his daughter and the boys from Midian and they came to Mount Sinai, and Moshe was in Refidim, which is a place in the Sien Wilderness. As the verse stated (Exodus 16:1), "And they traveled from Elim and the Children of Israel came to the Sien Wilderness which is between Elim and Sinai," meaning the Sien Wilderness extends until Mount Sinai, and includes Dofkah, Alush and Refidim. And even though it states (Exodus 17:1), "And they traveled [...] from the Sien Wilderness [,,,] and they camped in Refidim," so [also] did it state (Numbers 33:12-13), "And they traveled from the Sien Wilderness and they camped in Dofkah," and "Alush" - and they are part of the Sien Wilderness itself. As the entire wilderness is called the Wilderness of Sien and the [specific] place that is in front of Mount Sinai is called the Wilderness of Sien.  And similar to this is (Genesis 22:32), "and they went back to the Land of the Philistines." And behold, the explanation of the verse would [then] be, "Yitro, Moshe's  father-in-law, came with his sons and wife to Moshe in the wilderness where he was encamped," and he came "to the mountain of God," since he came to the mountain and he stopped there." And it is like (Exodus 3:1), "And he came to the mountain of God, to Chorev," and so [too] (Genesis 4:27), "and he met him at the mountain of God," and so [too] (Deuteronomy 1:6), "It is enough for you to be sitting at this mountain." And from the mountain, he sent [word] to him, "I am your father-in-law, Yitro, who has come to you, and Moshe went out to him." And we will [then] not need to say that "and [Yitro] said" [in this verse] is earlier. And even if Refidim would not be in the Wilderness of Sien, nonetheless it is in the wilderness - since Israel did not come to an inhabited land for the entire forty years. And it was close to Mount Sinai, as the congregation - of such a large camp as it - came from there to the mountain in one day, as was explained regarding the matter of the boulder from which they drank at Refidim, as I explained (Ramban on Exouds 17:7). And behold, the explanation that I said is correct. And I also saw in Mekhilta (here), "'To the wilderness where he encamped there' - behold, the verse is wondering about him, that he was [living] in the glory of the world and he [nonetheless] sought to go out to the wilderness of emptiness, where there is nothing in it." [From here we see that] their opinion is to explain, "to the wilderness where he encamped," that it is the wilderness of "the mountain of God" - as the Wilderness of Sien [extended] from Elim to Mount Sinai, and the verse recounts that he came to the edge of "the wilderness where he encamped there" - that is the wilderness of the 'mountain of God, to Chorev.' And it mentioned this for the praise of Yitro, that he left his land and came to the wilderness in which he was in, which was the mountain of God - as there was God revealed to him, as he already heard the whole matter that Israel went out of Egypt to serve 'God upon this mountain,' and he came 'in the name of the Lord, the God of Israel.' And this is also correct. And so [too] does it appear [correct] to me that [that which] it stated here (Exodus 18:27),  "And Moshe sent away his father-in-law and he went his way to his land," was in the first year, and he went to his land and returned to [Moshe afterwards] - and it is likely that he went to convert his family, and he returned to Moshe while he was still at Mount Sinai, since it is close to Midian, as I have mentioned. As behold, when the camp traveled in Iyar of the second year, when Moshe said to him, "We are traveling [...] Come with us," and Yitro  answered him, "I will not go, but will return to my native land,” and Moshe supplicated him greatly and said to him, “Please do not leave us, etc. and you will be to us like eyes. So if you come with us, we will extend to you the same good that the Lord grants us" (Numbers 10:29:32), he did not respond at all, and [so] it appears that [Yitro] accepted [Moshe's] words and did according to his will and did not leave them. However [we find that] in the days of Shaul, his children were with Amalek and they came and reconnected with Israel and [that] the children of Yonadav the son of Rachav were in Jerusalem. [So] maybe with the death of Moshe, he or his children returned to his land. And maybe the Kenites that dwelt with Amalek were from the family of Yitro, but were not his children, and [Shaul] did kindness with the whole family for [Yitro's] sake, like Yehoshua did with the family of Rachav (Joshua 6:23). And the opinion of our rabbis is such that he went with them: they said in Sifrei Behaalotekha 34:1 that they gave him the fat [land] of Yericho, and they would consume [produce from] it for four hundred and forty years, until the Temple was built. And Rashi himself wrote this in Parshat Behaalotekha (Rashi on Numbers 10:32). If so, [Yitro] changed his mind [about leaving]. And in Mikhilta (here) [it is written], "'Behold, I will go and convert the people of my city, so that I will bring them under the wings of the Divine Presence.' Maybe he went and did not come back? [That is why] it teaches to say, 'And the children of the Kenite, the father-in-law of Moshe, went up from the city of dates, etc.' (Judges 1:16)."
  
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  He said to Moshe. If Yisro had spoken these words to Moshe face to face he would not have identified himself by name. And if he sent an emissary with an oral message the emissary would not have spoken in the first person. Therefore he must have sent Moshe a written message.
  
  
  
  
  
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  [By stating "kingdom of priests," the Torah indicates] "A kingdom of My servants." [By stating] "and a holy nation," [the Torah means,] for cleaving to the Holy God, as it says (Leviticus 19:2), "You shall be holy because I, the LORD, am holy." In doing so, God promised them regarding this world and the World-to-Come.
  
  
  
  
  
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  ..."I am Hashem your God:" This statement is a positive commandment, as it says, "I am Hashem, who teaches and commands you that you should know and believe that there is a Hashem, and He is your God," that is to say, He existed before, from Him came everything by means of his desire [i.e., He created the world because He wanted to, not by accident] and capability, and He is your God, so you are required to serve Him. It says in the text, "who took you out of Eretz Mitzrayim," for He took you out of there to teach you about the reality and the desire [of Hashem], for with His knowledge and providence we left there, and to teach about the newness, for from the beginning of the world, not a thing has changed from His nature, and to teach you about what He can do, which will teach you about His uniqueness, like it says above [in Shmot 9:14], "so that you will know that there is no one like Me in all the land." And this is the reason for [the phrase] "Who took you out" - for they know of and bear witness to all of these [ideas.]
  
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  "Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it:" after being commanded to have faith in the Unique One, may he be blessed, who is Existing, Creator, Knowing, and Able; and that we are to combine faith in all this with honor due to Him alone, and commanded to honor the mention of His name - we are commanded to establish a continuous sign and memorial to publicize that He created all. This is the commandment of Shabbat, which commemorates the act of creation. And it is written "Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it," while Deutoronomy (5:12) has "Guard the Sabbath day to sanctify it." Our sages comment on this (TB R"H 27a): "'Remember' and 'Guard' were said simultaneously." They were not concerned about other linguistic changes [between the commandments in Exodus &amp; Deutoronomy]. [Our Sages] of blessed memory explained this one, because "remember" is a positive commandment -- that we are to remember the Sabbath day and sanctify it without forgetting it -- but they interpret "guard" as a negative commandment; since the biblical words "guard," "lest," and "don't" always imply a negative commandment (TB Eruvin 96a). ["Guard" instructs us to] be careful to observe it and sanctify it, that we do not desecrate it. It was not appropriate for Moses to change G-d's words from a positive to negative comment. However, when, in the second commandment, [Moses] changed [in Deutoronomy] "and any image" to "any image," leaving out [the conjunctive letter] vav, and added it to "and upon the third generation" [compare Deut. 5:9 &amp; Ex. 20:5], or anything similar with the remaining commandments, this [change] is nothing, for it is all one [meaning]. And only one who is not familiar with Talmud will deny this reason. They [our sages] said (TB Brachot 20b) that women are biblically obligated in making Kiddush from the [double] language of "remember" and "guard" [from which we derive that] all who are obligated in in "guarding" are obligated in "remembering." Hence, beacause women are obligated in "guarding," they are obligated in "remembering," since they are obligated in all negative commandments, and they would [ordinarily] not be obligated in "remembering," since that is a positive time-bound precept, from which women are [normally] exempt. 
  
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  You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal: He stated, "Behold, I have commanded you to concede in [your] heart and in [your] deed that I am the Creator of everything; and to honor parents because they are participants in the formation [of a child]. If so, guard yourself from destroying the work of My hands and spilling the blood of man that I have created for My glory and to concede all of these [things] to Me. And You shall not commit adultery [with] the wife of your fellow, since you will destroy the matter of honoring parents, by [causing the] denying of the truth and the admission of falsehood - as [the resultant offspring] will not know their parents and will give of their honor to another, as do the idolaters who 'say to wood, "You are my father"' and do not know their Father that created them from nothing." And afterwards, He warned, "You shall not steal a soul" (kidnapping); as it also causes like this. And so [too], is the order of the commandments such, in their severity and punishments: After idolatry is the spilling of blood, and afterwords is forbidden sexual relations, and afterwards, He warned against stealing a soul and false testimony and robbery. And whoever does not covet will never damage his fellow. And behold, it finished everything that a person is obligated towards his fellow, and afterwards it will elucidate the specific laws - since one who is obligated [to repay] his fellow from the laws will pay what is [incumbent] upon him, if he does not covet and does not desire that which is not his. And Rabbi Avraham (Ibn Ezra on Exodus 20:1 - Introduction to the Ten Commandments) said that the verse took the way of the world by first stating, "the house of your fellow," as the enlightened one will proceed first to have a house, and afterwards take a wife to bring her to his house, and afterwards, he will acquire a servant and a maidservant. But in Mishneh Torah (Deuteronomy 5:18), it mentions a wife first, because the young men will desire a wife first or because the coveting of a wife is the greatest prohibition from among them. And behold, the Ten Statements (Commandments) are five for the glory of the Creator and five for the benefit of man - as Honor your father and your mother is [for] the glory of God, as for the glory of the Creator did He command to honor the father that participated in the formation [of the child]. And five remain for man - for his needs and for his benefits. And behold, it mentioned the requital in some of the [Ten] Statements, and in some of them it did not mention [it]. As in the second statement, [it is written], a jealous God; in the third, for the Lord will not clear; in the fifth, that you may long endure - and in the others it did not mention a punishment or a reward. And this was because the last five statements are for the benefit of man, and 'behold, its reward is with him and its effect is in front of him.' But with idolatry, there is a need for a warning of the punishment because of its great severity and [because] it is for the glory of the Creator. And that which appears [correct] to me is that it stated, a jealous God about You shall not have [etc.], and it stated but showing kindness about I am [the Lord, etc.] - since punishment comes for a negative commandment and reward for a positive commandment; and acceptance of the kingdom of God and the warning about the worship of anything besides Him is one matter. And [so] it completed the matter and afterwards warned the transgressor and promised reward to the one who [fulfills the precept]. And it [then] warned about a false oath with the punishment of, [the Lord] will not clear. And it did not mention a requital for Shabbat at all, and it did not state the punishment of cutting off - or another punishment besides it - for the one who profanes it and it did not mention a reward for 'the one who guards it from being desecrated,' since the Shabbat is included in the first two commandments: As the one who observes Shabbat testifies to the story of creation and accedes to the commandment of I am [etc.], and the one who profanes it rejects the creation story and accedes to the preexistence of the world, to reject the commandment of I am [etc.]. And behold, it is [hence] in the category of, a jealous God, who visits, and in the category of, but showing kindness to thousands. And regarding the fifth statement, it mentioned reward, since it is a positive commandment.  And that which appears [correct] concerning the writing on the tablets is that the first five were on one tablet - as they are [for] the glory of God, as I have mentioned - and the second five on one tablet; such that they would be five corresponding to five, like the matter that is mentioned in the Sefer Yetzirah 1:3 about the ten spheres (<i>sefirot</i>) without what (<i>mah</i>) being like the number of the ten fingers, five corresponding to five, and the solitary covenant correspondingly in the middle. And from this it becomes clear to you why there were two [tablets] - since until Honor your father, it corresponds to the written Torah; and from here and further, it corresponds to the oral Torah. And it appears that it is to this that our rabbis, may their memory be blessed, hinted, as they said (Tanchuma Ekev 10), "The two tablets correspond to the Heavens and the Earth, and correspond to a groom and bride and correspond to two groomsmen and correspond to the two worlds. And all of this is one hint, and the enlightened one will understand the secret.
  
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  An earth alter you will do to me. Rabbi Avraham explained that he said לא תעשון אתי אלהי כסף ואלהי זהב to receive the power from above in their image to be intermediators between me and you all.Because בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי אבא אליך  I with my presence וברכתיך You do not need a mediator...and in everyplace that they will remember his name he will come with his presence  upon them to make his presence amongst them and bless them.
  
  
  
  
  
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  And they [Chazal] interpreted, (Gittin 88b) ‘Before them, but not before the gentiles.’ [This derasha is derived] beccause it should have said “Which is placed for them”, as we find earlier (Exodus 15:25) “Place for him a law and judgement”. And it says “Before them”, that they should be judges, for such language is used for judges, (Deuteronomy 19:17) “And to men who had a dispute before God, before the priests and the judges”, (Numbers 35:12) “Until they stood before the group for judgement,” (Esther 1:13) “Before all those who know faith and law.” And they further interpreted, ‘Before them, but not before non-experts.’ [i.e. someone without expertise in the law and without semicha], for it is written in Mishpatim (verse 6) “And they shall approach his masters, the judges (elohim),” (ibid 22:8) “to the judges (elohim) shall their matter come”, and it also says, (later verse 22) “and it is put to the judges,” which refer to expert judges who have semicha going back to Moses our teacher. And therefore it is saying here that these laws shall be placed before the judges (elohim) that will be mentioned, and not before gentiles, and not before those who don’t judge according to the Torah, and he who is ignorant of it, that it is forbidden to come before him, just like it is forbidden to come before gentiles. And even though he knows their laws like our laws, or that the ignorant judge knows the letter of the law and will judge correctly, but it is still forbidden for one of the parties to place the case in from of him and to call for him to force his adversary to be judged before him, and the ignorant judge himself is prohibitted to judge them. Even though the sages remarked about these two classes of people as if they were the same, there is a difference between them, that if the two litigants desire to come before a non-expert who is Jewish, that is permitted, and they must accept his judgement. But it is always forbidden to come before the gentiles to be judged according to their laws, and even if their laws are like ours with regard to this matter.”
  
  
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  And one who hits his father and mother shall surely die-  The Chachamim already learned that he dies from strangulation (Sanhedrin 84),  and also if he kidnapped a man and sold him, he has the same death. And we learn that cursing your parents is cause for death by stoning, as it says “And from this language we see it is stoning” (Sanhedrin 66). We learn this as it says, “they shall be pelted with stones, and their bloodguilt shall be upon them” (Vayikra 20: 27). And the death of one who curses is worse than the death of one who hit, because the sin of the one who cursed is more lasting. That the fool when he becomes angry and he is furious and he curses at his king, and his father, and his mother always all day, and the sin is the reality that they are always in great agony and pain. Or because there is a greater sin in cursing towards Hashem (Shavuos 36), and here he needs to be punished on his sin to his father and mother and on that he endured the name of Hashem his God to transgress and sin. And the Gaon Rav Sa’adyah says there is a correlation to one who steals a man, because the majority of thieves are minors that grew up in another place and they wouldn’t recognize their fathers and they would eventually come to them and curse them, and hence it is proper to punish a thief in the same death as them, for the punishment is about him.
  
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  And the owner shall also die. According to the <i>Mechilta</i> it means that he will die at the hands of heaven. There are a number of instances in the Torah in which “he shall die” has this meaning.
  
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  When (literally, “If”) an atonement fine shall be imposed. Since this fine is merely an atonement for the owner, like a sacrifice, if he does not wish to appear in court to have it imposed on him he cannot be compelled to do so and even after it has been imposed on him he cannot be compelled to pay it.
  
  
  
  
  
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  For you were strangers in the land of Egypt: Not all strangers are made fitting [for special treatment just] because we were strangers in [one] land for a time. And there is no reason that they should be assured [of this treatment] forever because of this. And Rashi on Exodus 22:20 explained that it is the reason why "you should not oppress him with words [...], for if you oppress him, he can oppress you [also] by saying to you, 'You also come from strangers' - [regarding] a blemish in you, do not speak about it in your fellow." And Rabbi Avraham (Ibn Ezra on Exodus 22:20) said, "Remember that you were strangers like him." But there is no fundamental explanation in all this. And that which is correct in my eyes is that when it states, "do not oppress the stranger and do not harry him," you should think that he has no one to save him from your hand, since you know that you were strangers in the land of Egypt, and you saw the harrying that Egypt harried you and that I took vengeance for you, 'since I see the tear of the oppressed who has no comforter and has no power from the hand of their oppressors' and I save every person 'from the hand of one stronger than he.' And so [too], do not afflict the widow and the orphan, since I hear their cries. As all of these do not rely on themselves and [so] upon Me do they rely. And in a different verse, it adds another reason (Exodus 23:9), "and you know the soul of a stranger, since you were strangers in the land of Egypt." This is to say, you know that the soul of any stranger is lowly towards himself, and he sighs and cries, and his eyes are always to God - and He will have mercy upon him, as He had mercy upon you, as it is written (Exodus 2:23), "and the Children of Israel sighed from the work and they cried out, and their prayer ascended to God, from the work." This is to say that not because of their merit [did God hear], but rather He had mercy upon them due to their [heavy] work. 
  
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  You must not mistreat any widow. This applies even if the widow is wealthy because she feels vulnerable nevertheless and is easily brought to tears.
  
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  Do not act toward him as a creditor. The lender should act to the borrower as if he did not owe him anything. Moreover, he should think of the loan as an act of pure kindness for which he expects nothing in return, not even honor.
  
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  I will hear for I am gracious (<i>chanun</i>). <i>Chanun</i> derives from <i>chinam</i>—“for free.” In other words, Hashem hears the pleas even of those who are undeserving. For this reason the lender must not suppose that if he withholds the security of someone who is less than perfectly righteous Hashem will not hear the borrower’s cry.
  
  
  
  
  
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  (After bringing the words of Rashi,) and it is not correct. For we were only forbidden by the Torah about plowing and sowing. But hoeing, manuring and even uprooting weeds, tilling, tearing weeds and all of the other types of work on the soil are not forbidden by the Torah. And so did they conclude in Tractate Moed Katan 2a-3b, that [the Torah] prohibited plowing and sowing. But [the Torah] did not forbid derivatives, and they are all rabbinic. And the verse is just a mnemonic.... And R. [Ibn Ezra] said, "'Let it rest,' [as in (Deuteronomy 15:2)], 'every creditor shall remit the due'; 'and lie fallow,' that you should not sow your land." And this is nothing. Rather the Scripture was speaking about the first [subject]. It said, "Six years you shall sow your land and gather in its produce. But in the seventh you shall let it rest" - such that you not sow your field; "and lie fallow" - that you not gather your produce, but rather leave it. And [so] the poor among your people and the animals of the field will eat the fruit of the trees and the produce of the vineyard. Likewise (in Nehemiah 10:32), "We will forgo the seventh year."
  
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  I will cause the number of your days to be full. You will die only of old age, not of war or sickness. The normal life span, however, may vary from generation to generation. Thus in King David’s time it was seventy or eighty years.
  
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  With them or (literally “and”) with their gods. One may not make a pact “with them”—to allow them to live; nor “with their gods”—to refrain from destroying them. Alternatively, one may not make a pact with them <i>along with</i> their gods, i.e. as long as they continue worshipping them. But if they renounce them they may be left in peace.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  When God spoke the Ten Commandemnts to Israel face to face, and He commanded them through Moshe a few of the commandments, which are like the principles of the Torah's commandments - as the rabbis practice with the converts that come to be Jewish (Yevamot 47b) - and Israel accepted to do all that He would command them through the hand of Moshe, and He made a covenant with them about all of this; behold, from then they are His as a people, and He is for them a God, as He made a condition with them from the beginning - "And now if you will listen to My voice and and keep My covenant and you will be a treasure to Me" (Exodus 19:5). And He [also] said (Exodus 19:6), "And you will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." And behold, they are holy and it is fitting that there should be a temple among them for His presence to dwell among them. And  hence He first commanded about the matter of the tabernacle that He should have a house among them that would be dedicated to His name - and there would He speak with Moshe and [continue to] command the Children of Israel. And behold the main object in the tabernacle is the place that the Divine presence would rest, which is the ark, as He said (Exodus 25:22), "And I will meet with you there and I will speak with you from above the ark-cover." Therefore, He had the ark and the ark-cover precede here, as it has precedence in [its] level. And He placed next to the ark, the table and candelabra (menorah), since they are also vessels like it. And [then] they were instructed about the matter of the [actual] tabernacle, for which it was made. But in Parshat Vayakhel, Moshe had the tabernacle and the tent and the cover precede (Exodus 35:11) - and so did Betsalel (Exodus 36:8) - as it was appropriate to have it precede in the [actual] act. And the secret of the tabernacle is that the glory of God that dwelt on Mount Sinai, [also] hiddenly dwells upon it. And it is like it is written there  (Exodus 24:16), "And the glory of the Lord dwells upon Mount Sinai," and it is written (Deuteronomy 5:21), "Behold, the Lord, our God, has shown us His glory and His greatness." And so [too] was it written about the tabernacle, "and the glory of the Lord, filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40: 34)." And with the tabernacle, it twice mentioned, "and the glory of the Lord, filled the tabernacle" - corresponding to "His glory and His greatness." And the glory that was shown to them on Mount Sinai was always with Israel in the tabernacle. And when Moshe came [to it] (Exodus 34:34), the [Divine] speech that spoke to him at  Mount Sinai [came] to him. And as [Moshe] said at the giving of the Torah (Deuteronomy 4:36), "From the skies, He made you hear His voice, to discipline you, and upon the earth, did He show you His great fire"; so too, about the tabernacle, it is written (Numbers 7:89), "and he would hear the voice speaking to him from above the ark-cover, between the two cherubs and  He would speak to him."  And "and he would speak to him" is repeated, to say that which they said according to the received tradition - that the [Divine] voice would come from the Heavens to Moshe from upon the ark-cover, and from there, it would speak to him, since every word with Moshe was from the Heavens during the day and was heard between the two cherubs, in the way of "and His words you heard from amidst the fire" (Deuteronomy 4:36), and therefore they were both gold. And so did the verse (Exodus 29:42-43) state, "that I will meet them there to speak to you there [...] and it will be sanctified by My glory," as there will be the house of meeting for [Divine] speech and "it will be sanctified by My glory." And one who looks carefully at the verses that are stated at the giving of the Torah and understands what we wrote about them (Ramban on Exodus 25:21) will understand the secret of the tabernacle and the Temple. And he will be able to examine it, from that which Shlomo said in his wisdom in his prayer at the Temple (I Kings 8:23), "Lord, God of Israel," as it said at Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:10), "And they saw the God of Israel." And he added there to explain, "the Lord," according to the issue that we hinted to there above, that the "God of Israel sits on the cherubs" (I Kings 8:23), like [the prophet] said (Ezekiel 10:19-20), "and the glory of the God of Israel was upon them from above. It was the creature that I saw under the God of Israel at the Kevar River, and I knew that they were cherubs." And David said (I Chronicles 28:18), "and for the pattern of the chariot, the cherubs of gold, for their spreading out and covering the ark of the covenant of the Lord."  And so [too, Shlomo] would always mention, "for the name of God" (I Kings 5:19), "for Your name" (I Kings 8:44), and each and every time he would say, "and You will hear in the Heavens" (I Kings 8:32), in the trait of mercy. And it is written (I Kings 8:44-45), "and they shall pray to the Lord, through the city that You have chosen and the house that I have built for Your name. And You will hear in the Heavens." And in elucidation [of this], he said (II Chronicles 6:18), "And however, will God dwell with man upon the earth; behold the Heavens and the Heavens of the Heavens cannot contain You." And it is written about the ark (II Samuel 6:2), "to bring up from there the ark of God - which is called the name, the name of the Lord of hosts - that the cherubs sit upon"; and in I Chronicles 13:6, "to bring up from there the ark of God, the Lord, who sits on the cherubs, that is called the name," as the name [of God] sits upon the cherubs.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  For honor and for splendor: That he should be honored and glorious with honorable and glorious clothing, as the verse states (Isaiah 61:10), "as a groom who ministers in glory" - as these clothes were the clothes of royalty. Their likeness was worn by kings during the time of the Torah, as we found with the tunic (<i>ketonet</i>), "and he made for him a tunic of stripes" (Genesis 37:3), the explanation of which is that it is embroidered with stripes - and it is a checkerboard tunic, as I have explained (Ramban on Exodus 25:7) - and he clothed him 'like the son of ancient kings.' And this is [also] the way with the robe (<i>maeil</i>) and the tunic - and it is written (II Samuel 13:18), "And upon her was a tunic of stripes, as so would the virgin daughters of the king wear robes"; and its explanation is that on her was a tunic of stripes apparent and revealed, since the custom of the virgin daughters of the king was to wear robes in which they would wrap themselves, and it would come out that the tunic of stripes would be an outer garment. And therefore, it states (II Samuel 13:19), "and she tore the tunic of stripes that was upon her." And the mitre (<i>mitsnefet</i>) is known also today for kings and great ministers. And therefore the verse states (Ezekiel 21:31) about the fall of the kingdom, "Remove the mitre and lift off the crown"; and it is also written (Isaiah 62:3), "and a mitre (<i>tsnif</i>) of royalty. And so does the verse (Exodus 39:28) call them, "the glory of hats"; and it is written (Ezekiel 44:18), "And glorious linens will be on their heads" - as they are glorious and distinctive for those that crown themselves with them. And the apron (<i>ephod</i>) and the breastplate (<i>choshen</i>) are [also] clothes of royalty, as the matter that is written (Daniel 8:16), "and a gold chain upon your neck." And the frontlet (<i>tsits</i>) is a crown of kings - and it is written (Psalms 132:18), "his crown will shine (<i>yatsits</i>)." And [the garments of the High Priest] are gold and purple and turquoise - and it is written (Pslams 45:14), "All honorable is the daughter of the king inside, from checkerboards of gold is her clothing"; and it is written (Daniel 5:16), "you will wear purple and a gold chain upon your neck." And [concerning] turquoise even today 'no man lifts his hand' to wear it except for a king of nations. And it is written (Esther 8:15), "And Mordechai went out from in front of the king with regal clothes of turquoise and white, and a crown of gold and a wrap of linen and purple" - and the wrap is the robe (<i>maeil</i>) in which he wraps himself. And according to the true path, for honor and for splendor is saying that they make holy clothes for Aharon to serve in, for the honor of God that dwells among them and for the splendor (<i>tiferet</i>) of their might, as it is written (Psalms 89:18), "As You are the splendor of their strength." And it is written (Isaiah 64:10), "The house of our holiness and our splendor where our ancestors praised You" - our holiness is the Honor, and our splendor is the Splendor of Israel. And it is also stated (Psalms 96:6), "Might and splendor are in His Temple," and so [too] (Isaiah 60:13), "To glorify the place of My Temple, and I will honor the place of My feet" - that the place of the Temple be glorious in splendor and the place of His feet, which is the place of the Temple, honored with the honor of God. And so [too] (Isaiah 44:23), "And in Israel will He be splendorous," [means] that He will show and designate His splendor in them. And so it states below (Exodus 28:40), also with clothing of the children - all of them - "for honor and for splendor." And it states about the sacrifices (Isaiah 60:7), "they will go up willingly on My altar - the House of My splendor will I make splendorous" - and behold the altar is His will and the honor is the House of His splendor. And the clothing would need to be made for its sake (<i>lishma</i>); and it is likely that [those that made them] required [particular] intention. And therefore, it states (Exodus 28:3), And you shall speak to all the ones of wise heart, who has been filled with a spirit of wisdom" - that they understand what they should do. And we have already learned (Yoma 69a), "The appearance of his likeness (of the High Priest) is making victory in front of me in my wars."
  
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  They shall take the gold. Only on the first day of the collection were the materials brought to Moshe. Thereafter they were brought directly to the wise men. That is why Moshe did not have any idea how much had been collected, as is clear from verse 36:5. The wise men, by contrast, knew precisely how much had been brought because they counted and weighed everything as it arrived.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Strange incense. According to Rashi this means that they were forbidden from offering any incense voluntarily. Onkelos says, however, that they were only forbidden from offering incense comprised of ingredients other than the ones specified by the Torah.
  
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  Aharon and his sons will wash. This washing was required out of respect for God, just as those invited to the table of a king must wash their hands before touching his food. The feet were included because the <i>kohanim</i> served barefoot in the Holy Temple.
  
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  It must not be poured on the flesh of any man. This seems to be contradicted by Vayikra 6:15, from which it is clear that not only was Aharon anointed with it, but all subsequent <i>kohanim gedolim</i> were as well. The resolution is to be found in v. 31 where it is written, “This shall be sacred anointing oil to Me.” In other words, it may only be poured upon those who are considered God’s elect. This includes not only <i>kohanim gedolim</i> but kings as well, as can be seen from the verse, “I have found My servant David; I have anointed him with My holy oil” (Tehillim 89:21).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  What they needed was a new "man of God." You can learn from Aharon's excuse to Moses that it is as I have explained: "They said to me, 'Make us a god to lead us' " - not a god to worship. He explained to Moshe, "As long as you were gone, they needed a guide. If you should return, they would leave him and follow you, as they had done at first." In fact, this is exactly what happened. As soon as the people saw Moshe, they abandoned the calf contemptuously, letting Moses burn it and grind it to powder without anyone intervening. In fact, they fled from the calf without Moshe's saying a word to them. If they had really worshipped the calf, they certainly would not have let Moshe burn it without stoning him to death!
  
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  When Aharon saw. He saw them "bent on evil." He built an altar...and...announced: "Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord!" so that they would be sacrificing to the Lord, on the altar that he built, rather than building their own "altars to Shame" and sacrificing to someone other than God alone. It is possible that he said "Tomorrow" in order to delay until Moshe returned....Notice that is does not say they offered sacrifices "to it." For some of them were directing their worship toward the Holy One, as Aharon had announced, while others were indeed sacrificing to the calf...And, if perhaps, it was Aharon who offered the sacrifices, this would explain why the subject of "bowed low to it and sacrificed to it," is not made explicit. Aharon's action was directed toward God, but their intention was to offer it to the calf.
  
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  Moshe did not hesitate to shatter the Tablets, for he was so angered when he saw this evil deed, he could not control himself.
  
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  Moshe stood at the entrance of the camp. Moshe realized that the disgrace of the B’nei Yisrael would cause a desecration of the name of Heaven. Therefore he made his proclamation at the entrance to the camp and executed the offenders publicly in order that their adversaries would hear of this, too, thereby bringing about a sanctification of Heaven’s name in place of the earlier desecration.
  
  
  
  
  
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  And the explanation of "Panai shall go": According to the opinion of all the commentators, [it means] Me, Myself. And they found a [usage] similar to it in (II Samuel 17:11), "and panecha go into battle." 
  
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  And the explanation of "If your presence does not go," according to Rashi, is: This is what I want. For if it would be with an angel, do not bring us up from here. And God forbid that Moses should say, "If Your presence does not go," once He promised, "My presence will go!" And (R. Ibn Ezra) explained that God said to Moses, "'I, Myself, shall go with you, and I will give you rest,' as I shall only go with you." And Moses answered, "If Panecha does not go with the whole nation, 'do not bring us up.'" And that is why he said, "Bring us up," in the plural. [But] this is also not precise, as Moses said at first (in verse 12), "You have not made known to me whom You will send with me" - in the singular. And behold, even at at time of goodwill, before the sin, [God] said (Exodus 23:3), "I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you" (you, being singular there). And if He was speaking with Israel (as opposed to Moses), this too, [which] is for their sake, would be said like this. Rather, this section is impossible to align for one who has not heard the secrets of the Torah...
  
  
  
  
  
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  No man shall go up with you. Unlike the giving of the first tablets, the elders were not allowed to ascend with Moshe even part of the way.  
  Nor shall any man be seen on the entire mountain. This included the area at the foot of the mountain where the B’nei Yisrael had stood the first time.
   Before that mountain. When the first tablets were given they were only prohibited from touching the mountain but now they were not even allowed to stand across from it. The difference between the two episodes is that in the first the Torah was given to the entire nation, while in the second it was given to Moshe alone on account of his personal merit and prayers.
  
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  Write these words down for yourself. Moshe was commanded to record the words of the covenant in a book and read it to the people, just as he did after the giving of the first tablets (24:4 and 7). Undoubtedly Moshe complied, even though Scripture does not record it.
  
  
  
  
  
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  And Moshe gathered...: ... And behold, Moses - after he commanded all that God said to him at Mount Sinai after the breaking of the tablets to Aaron and the princes and all of the Children of Israel, and he placed a veil on his face - proceeded to command and gather them together to him, all of the congregation, the men, the women and the infants. And it is likely that this was on the day after he came down. And he told all of them the matter of the tabernacle that he was commanded at first before he broke the tablets. Once the Holy One, blessed be He, had been appeased to them and gave them the second tablets and made a new covenant with them that God would go among them, they surely went back to their previous state and their nuptial love, and it was [hence] known that the Divine Presence would be among them, like the matter that He commanded at first - as He had stated (Exodus 25:8), "And make Me a sanctuary, so I will dwell among you." And so Moses commanded them now, according to everything he was commanded at first. 
  These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do...: On six days work may be done: He said, "These are the things that the Lord commanded to do for the work of the Tabernacle, all of its vessels and and all of its service." And he had Shabbat precede, to say that you shall do work for these things on six days, but not on the seventh day - which is holy to the Lord. And it is from here that [we learn that] the work of the Tabernacle does not override Shabbat; and not from the midrash, [relating to the word], "ach (however)," - as I have explained in Seder Ki Tissa (on Exodus 31:13).
  
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  Every man whose heart lifted him up (<i>asher nesa’o libo</i>). This expression is used only in connection with the artisans (see for example 36:2), whereas regarding the donors it is written, “every man whose heart impels him (<i>asher yidvenu libo</i>)” (see 25:2). The artisans are described in this way because none of them had studied their crafts formally. Rather they discovered that they were naturally endowed with these gifts and then were “lifted up” spiritually and inspired to come before Moshe to offer their services.
  
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  And they came—both men and women (lit. “the men in addition to the women”). The women possessed far more jewelry; therefore they were the primary donors of the bracelets, etc., while the men were secondary to them. Every man who had with him. Only a few people possessed the various shades of dyed wool, therefore it is written, “Every man <i>who had with him</i>.” Those who possessed acacia wood were even fewer, therefore it is again written, “everyone <i>who had with him</i> acacia wood”.
  And every man that offered a wave-offering of gold. The donors of gold were fewer than the donors of silver and copper, therefore this donation was called a “wave-offering,” whereas that of the other metals (v. 24) was merely a “<i>terumah</i>-offering.” Apparently the gold was “waved” either by the donor, in recognition of the importance of the donation, or perhaps by the collection officials in acknowledgement of the donor’s generosity.
  
  
  
  
  
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  And they took from before Moshe. Everything that was donated on the first day was brought before Moshe and the artisans took what they needed that day and the following morning. Then on each succeeding morning more material was brought to Moshe’s tent and he instructed that it be brought directly to the craftsmen until they came and informed him that more than enough had been donated already. The people are bringing too much. This is related in order to praise the people for their generosity and the craftsmen for their integrity by not taking the excess materials for themselves. Moshe was also deserving of praise for preventing the people from bringing more, in contrast to most national leaders who are happy to extract from the people whatever they can.
  
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  ...And after it finished the overview and the particulars, it mentioned the bringing [of the Tabernacle] to Moses more generally and stated (Exodus 39:33), "Then they brought the Tabernacle to Moses, with the Tent and all its furnishings, etc.," to tell of their wisdom; as they brought everything to him in order. For none of them brought their work in front of him until all of the work was completed, as it is stated (39:32), "Thus was completed all the work of the Tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting." And after it was finished, they all gathered, and showed it to him in order: They first said to him, "Our master, this is the tent and these are its vessels"; and afterwards, "This is the ark and these are its poles"; and so [forth, with] everything. And note that it did not mention regarding the Tabernacle and all of its vessels, "as the Lord commanded Moses," whereas in [Parshat Pukudei], with the priestly garments, it mentions it with each and every thing (Exodus 39:1,5, 7, 21, 26,29 and 31). And the reason is because it grouped all of the work of the Tabernacle in the verse that is stated at the end (39:22), "Now Bezalel, son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, had made all that the Lord had commanded Moses." But maybe it was because of the change in the order, as mentioned by our Rabbis (Berakhot 55a). And in general, all of this is the way of love and appreciation, to say that God desired this work. And [so] He mentions it in His Torah several times, to increase the reward of those involved with it. [This is] like the matter of that which they said in the midrash, "The conversation of the fathers' servants is nicer in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, than the Torah of the children; as behold the section about Eliezer (the servant of Abraham) is two or three pages."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  They beat the plates. This is the only instance in which the Torah explains how the work was carried out. Perhaps this is because gold had never before been used in this fashion and people were puzzled how it was possible to spin gold as wool is spun.
  
  
  
  
  
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  He took … and he placed. He took the tablets from the wooden ark that was in his tent and brought them to the golden ark in the Tabernacle.