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text: Sforno on Exodus
  ספורנו על שמות
  Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash
  
  
  Sforno on Exodus
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  אלה, the ones mentioned here were deserving to be mentioned with their names. The reason is that each one of them possessed sufficient individuality to give meaning to his name. They were all of them an inspiration to their children as not one of them abandoned his family tradition. However, after the death of that generation even the relatively righteous ones among them did not rate so highly in the eyes of G’d or man so that the Torah deemed it necessary to tell us their names.
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  וכל הדור ההוא, all of these 70 souls. None of the members of this group of migrants had assimilated to the Egyptian culture during their lifetime.
  
  Verse 7
  
  פרו וישרצו, after the last of the original 70 migrants had died, their whole lifestyle became more like that of creeping insects, creatures headed for destruction. This is why when
  
  Verse 8
  
  ויקם מלך חדש על מצרים אשר לא ידע את יוסף, although there can be no question that in the annals of Egyptian history the 80 year reign of Joseph and his legislation saving Egypt from the famine was duly recorded, as well as how he legislated that the whole land would belong to Pharaoh and the farmers would become his tenants, it did not occur to anyone to associate the Hebrews of his time with the family of Joseph who had been so highly esteemed. The idea that the present day Hebrews deserved special consideration on account of their illustrious forbears did not occur to anyone observing the way these Hebrews behaved at that time.
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  הבה נתחכמה לו, let us not confront them frontally but let us outflank them.
  ועלה מן הארץ, of their own volition, without our having to expel them. If we do not have adequate reason to expel them we would become pariahs among our neighbours. If we were to do that, פן ירבה והיה כי תקראנה מלחמה, so that no additional problems would beset us, such as a war (compare Samuel II 13,39 ותכל דוד המלך, the king pined away), These words should be understood as a parenthesis.
  ונוסף גם הוא על שונאינו, at such a time they may display their hatred of us seeing that they have remained culturally incompatible with us both in practicing circumcision of their males, language, and in such practices as the way they eat meat only after the blood has been removed, etc. (compare Genesis 43,32). Let us therefore induce them to leave our country before it comes to this. In order to achieve this end,
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  למען ענותו, so that as an alternative they will agree to emigrate from our land.
  ויבן ערי מסכנות, they volunteered to accept as a form of taxation to build these storage cities for Pharaoh to prove their loyalty to Egypt.
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  ויעבידו, once the Egyptians observed how the Israelites debased themselves by performing menial labour they decided to enslave them. They did this by heaping sin upon sin, thereby defeating their plan and they went from bad to worse.
  
  Verse 14
  
  וימררו את חייהם, they ruined their own lives not only by improper deeds, but also by succumbing to alien philosophies. This is described in Ezekiel 20,8 “and they rebelled against Me and did not want to listen to Me. No Man!- the idols of their eyes they did not cast out and the idols of Egypt, they did not forsake.”
  
  Verse 15
  
  למילדות העבריות, to the midwives resident in the capital. It was obviously impossible for such a large number of people residing in so many different parts of Egypt, to all be serviced by only two midwives. However, after the midwives in the capital, though Egyptian, betrayed the instructions by their king and explained to their king why they had done so, the king did not bother to rely on midwives anywhere else either, and the scheme was abandoned. 
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  מדוע עשיתם, “why did you betray my trust?” After all, when I gave you these instructions you did not refuse the task, making me believe that you would indeed cause the death of these boy babies. “My trust has been betrayed.”
  ותחיינה את הילדים, not only did  you not kill these babies, but you were actively involved in ensuring their survival!
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  כי חיות הנה, they themselves are expert in the art of midwifery. If we were to attempt to do anything contrary to accepted practice or even to speak to them in a suspicious manner they would notice this immediately and would not ask any of us again to assist when they were due to give birth. They argued that it is not worth the king’s while to have only a few babies killed.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  כי טוב הוא, The word טוב may be understood as meaning the same as “handsome, beautiful,” the same meaning as in Genesis 6,2 כי טובות הנה, “that they were beautiful.” The word describes something unusually handsome, beautiful. Yocheved thought that this was an omen, a sign from the Creator, telling her that a beautiful exterior encloses an equally beautiful personality.
  
  Verse 3
  
  ותשם בסוף, a place where the people passing would not see her deposit the basket; in spite of this, the reason why she chose the reeds was that she thought the decree of babies having to be thrown into the river had been fulfilled by placing him within the river’s domain.
  
  Verse 4
  
  לדעת מה יעשה לו. She thought that some Egyptian would pick up the baby as a foundling. There were no doubt many such illegitimate babies in Egypt who had been abandoned by their unwed mothers. The prophet Ezekiel 23,20 speaks about the sexual licentiousness in Egypt that would make such incidents nothing out of the ordinary.
  
  Verse 5
  
  לרחוץ על היאור. She had a view of the river, her room in the palace bordering on the embankment. No doubt, royal etiquette would not permit an Egyptian princess to actually bathe in the river. [the author was alerted by the preposition על instead of ב, “in,” in front of the word יאור. Ed.]
  ונערותיה הולכות, this is the reason why she did not command one of them to bring the basket to her as they were not with her at that time.
  ותשלח את אמתה, the servant who was attending her at the time when she bathed herself. All of this happened at the instigation of G’d so that she would not dispatch one of her regular attendants as she might mistakenly place her trust in them and such an attendant would throw the baby in the river.
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  ותפתח, she then saw that this was an exceptionally beautiful baby.
  את הילד, בוכה, she noticed that though his size was that of an infant, when he cried he sounded like a far older child, a lad. Actually, from birth until maturity a child is still called ילד. The best proof of this is found in Kings I 12,10 where the advisors of Rechavam, the son of king Solomon who ascended the throne after him, is described as listening to his youthful advisors who are called  הילדים אשר גדלו עמו “the children who had grown up with him.” [Rechavam was 41 years of age at the time. Ed.] Also in Daniel 1,4 youngsters at least in their teens are referred to as ילדים. The term נער is applied to someone who no longer enjoys the perfection of early youth. According to our author perfect co-ordination of one’s limbs results in one’s making wrong moves on occasion. The reason why servants are referred to as נער is that they frequently are inept in their movements to the annoyance of their masters. The daughter of Pharaoh recognised in this baby that though this child had only recently been born it already showed signs of physical maturity as she could hear by the manner in which it cried. נער בוכה, awakening, shaking himself like a child of this age.
  ותחמול עליו, seeing that he was such a beautiful baby, far too perfect a creature to simply throw into the river.
  ותאמר מילדי העברים זה, this is not an illegitimate baby, abandoned by its mother. Such a baby, when it grew up was likely to become a criminal, as we know from Isaiah 57,4 ילדי פשע זרע שקר, “children born in sin, offspring of treachery.”
  
  Verse 7
  
  מינקת מן העבריות, whose milk would be more compatible to its constitution.
  ותיניק לך, so he will be capable to stand in your presence (not to make you ashamed of him) seeing that his beauty is such that he can take his place with royalty.
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  ותקרא שמו משה, someone who will save others by pulling them out of their calamity.
  ותאמר כי מן המים משיתהו, the reason why I called him thus is so that he in turn would rescue others from their problems, just as I have pulled him out of the water (in which he would have drowned.) She considered the find as decreed by a higher power (compare Daniel, 4,14) Moses was saved only so that in his life he would become the instrument of saving others.
  
  Verse 11
  
  וירא בסבלותם. He made it his concern to take a benevolent interest in the afflictions suffered by his brethren. 
  וירא איש מצרי  מכה איש עברי מאחיו. He was aroused to avenge his death because of this feeling of brotherliness to the victim.
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  ויאמר לרשע, seeing that each one of them was one of his brethren he did not act as avenger but intervened with words rebuking the aggressor.
  
  Verse 14
  
  הלהרגני אתה אומר?  Are you stirring up a quarrel to get me killed?
  ויירא משה, as a result Moses became  careful and fled.
  ויאמר אכן נודע הדבר, when the snitch said these words to him, in the presence of others, he did not kill him seeing there would be no point in doing this, seeing he had already reported what Moses had done to the authorities.
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  . וישב בארץ מדין. He had decided to remain for a while in that country.
  וישב על הבאר. While Moses was traveling through the land of Midian it happened once that he settled near a certain (well known) well. The construction here is similar to Genesis 28,11) which describes Yaakov as encountering a certain place, also described with the preposition ה i.e. המקום instead of simply מקום, to show that the site had been known already.
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  ויקם משה ויושיען, seeing that both parties to this argument were well known, Moses did not intervene by avenging the wronged party but only made sure that he would redress the injustice done to the innocent party.
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  למה זה עזבתן?, since he is a guest, and a person who has demonstrated kindness you should at least have reciprocated by showing  him a measure of hospitality.
  
  Verse 21
  
  לשבת את האיש, to tend his flocks, a similar construction to Lavan inviting Yaakov to stay with him in Genesis 29,19.
  
  Verse 22
  
  גר הייתי בארץ נכריה. A stranger in a land which is not my birthplace.
  
  Verse 23
  
  בימים הרבים ההם, from the day Moses had fled from Egypt in his youth until Gershom had been born when he was close to 80 years of age. We are assuming that Eliezer was not much younger, and we know that he was only born when Moses was already on his way back to Egypt. We know that that Moses was 80 years of age t that time.
  וימת מלך מצרים, the same Pharaoh who had been pursuing Moses wanting to execute him. This is why he called his second son Eliezer, as then he realised that he had finally been saved by G’d from the sword of Pharaoh.
  ויזעקו, they cried out of frustration about their miserable fate and their enslavement. A similar expression for venting such feelings of frustration occurs in Isaiah 14,31הלילי שער זעקי העיר, “Howl, o gate! Cry out, o city!”
  ותעל שועתם אל האלוקים מן העובדה. G’d’s response was not due to their repenting and praying, but He simply was angry over the excessive cruelty with which the Egyptians treated the Jewish people This is why He added (when He spoke to Moses in 3,9) וגם ראיתי את הלחץ אשר מצרים לוחצים אותם, “and I have also seen the pressure that the Egyptians keep imposing on them. [perhaps the reason why our author does not consider the Jews’ repentance and prayer being a factor is the fact that the attribute with which G’d responded was still the attribute of Justice, אלוקים and not the attribute Hashem as he explained to Moses in 3,9 Ed.]
  
  Verse 24
  
  וישמע אלוקים את נאקתם, a reference to the prayer of a few of them, [as Moses recalls in Numbers 20,16 ונצעק אל ה', i.e. the prayer by the righteous few. Seeing that Moses speaks in the plural and he had not been in Egypt at the time, he must have paraphrased why the few righteous people of the time had done at the time before G’d’s response came. Ed.]
  ויזכר אלוקים את בריתו, for He had said: in Genesis 17,7: “I will maintain My covenant between Me and you and between your descendants after you to be (remain) your G’d also for your descendants after you.” This promise remains valid whatever may happen to us, as pointed out in Exodus 6,5 וגם אני שמעתי את נאקת בני ישראל ..ואזכור את בריתי, “and I have also heard the groanings of the Children of Israel…. And I remembered My covenant.”
  
  Verse 25
  
  וירא אלוקים את בני ישראל, He now took a personal interest in their fate and no longer hid His countenance from them. This is perceived as similar to Samuel I 9,16: כי ראיתי את עמי, כי באה צעקתו אלי, “for I have seen My people, for its outcry has come to Me.” G’d Himself said this later in 3,7 ראה ראיתי את עני אשר במצרים, “for I have seen My people, the suffering they are in Egypt.”
  וידע אלוקים, and that the prayer and outcry were totally genuine. This is why He Himself speaks later of כי ידעתיו את מכאוביו “for I am aware of its pains.” This was in contrast with Psalms 78,36-37 where the Jewish people were described as paying only lip-service to their G’d and continued to be disloyal to heir covenant with G’d.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  ויבא אל הר האלוקים חורבה. Moses, all by himself; he wanted to pray and meditate there in complete isolation and concentration. The phrase is similar to Numbers 13,22 ויבא עד חברון, where we find that one of the spies, Calev, reportedly, came to Chevron. [the sudden singular ויבא instead of ויבואו, there prompted the sages to say that Calev went to pray at the graves of the patriarchs. Ed.]
  
  Verse 2
  
  וירא מלאך ה' אליו, in a prophetic vision. When angels  appear to humans in human garb this is not considered a prophetic vision, i.e. it is something of a lower order of Divine manifestation. Divine communications to Avraham, Lot, Bileam, and others like them are not described as וירא, vayeyrah, “it appeared.” However, the recipient is described as וירא, “he saw,” i.e. he is described only in his active role, not his role as receptacle of G’d’s communication. Examples of the latter kind of communication occur in Genesis 18,2 as well as in Genesis 19,1 and in Numbers 22,31.
  וירא והנה הסנה בוער באש, it kept burning; This phenomenon indicated the prophetic nature of the experience. Unless the angel had been within the bush, this could not have happened as something natural. The fire Moses saw burning enveloped the angel. The implied message was that the righteous members of the Jewish people, who are themselves angels of G’d, i.e. His messengers on earth, and who are surrounded by the Egyptian nation who treated them as burning thistles or less, would themselves become subject to this fire when enduring the ten plagues, but would remain unharmed by all those plagues. This is what Moses was taught when he saw והסנה איננו אוכל. it was not consumed by the flames which kept burning. The level of Moses’ prophecy at that time was not yet at the level it would be later on. The very fact that the Torah describes Moses as being even afraid to look at the spectacle before his eyes is proof of this (compare verse 6). From the day the Torah was given, as the Torah testifies in Numbers 12,8 ותמונת ה' יביט, G’d extended the power of Moses’ prophetic visions so that He shows him a visual image of G’d. The entire Jewish people had had a brief revelation of G’d’s glory at Mont Sinai only. Their power of endurance was so limited even at that time that the Torah reports them as saying that they could not even endure hearing the voice of the Lord, not to speak of enduring a visual image. Only Moses was able to retain the level of prophecy which the entire nation experienced during the revelation at Mount Sinai. This is the meaning of Deuteronomy 5,27-28 שובו לכם לאהליכם ואתה פה עמוד עמדי, “you (pl.) go back to your tents, and you (sing.) remain standing here beside Me.” This is also borne out by Exodus 20,18 ויעמוד העם מרחוק, “the people stood at a distance,” followed by ומשה נגש, “whereas Moses approached.” (to the cloud within which the glory of G’d was enveloped). Moses’ level of prophecy from that time on remained on the level known as פנים אל פנים, “face to face,” i.e. direct, not indirect.  G’d told Miriam and Aaron there that He does not speak to Moses in riddles but by showing him a visual image (Numbers 12,8)
  
  Verse 3
  
  אסורה נא ואראה; I will try and understand the phenomenon by looking at it more closely. מדוע לא יבער הסנה. Why the Egyptians do not perish from the many plagues they have to endure. The normal reaction to burning is that the object afire is consumed by the fire, as mentioned in Ovadiah 18.
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  וירא ה' כי סר לראות, When G’d saw that Moses took a deeper interest in the phenomenon,
  ויקרא אליו אלוקים, to explain the phenomenon to him, in accordance with the well known principle ofהבא לטהר מסיין אותו, “when someone wants to purify something impure one extends a helping hand to him “ A well known example of this is Exodus 19,3 where we find that as soon as Moses ascended the mountain G’d descended toward him.
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  של נעליך, even on the spot you are standing on now.
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
   ראה ראיתי את עני עמי, “I have indeed seen the plight of My people.” A reference to the righteous ones among them who groaned and sighed over the sins of their generation and their resulting plight, praying. In response to the prayer of these righteous people the angel answered out of the burning bush. The meaning of the words ראה ראיתי is “indeed I have seen, taken notice.” This construction is normal wherever the Torah employs a dual, duplicate construction.  The reason for the duplication is as if to contradict someone who denies that G’d has seen what goes on. It is as if saying: ‘in spite of anything you think or say, I insist that you are wrong and I am right.” It is similar to Yaakov negating Joseph’s trying go correct the position of his hands when he was blessing Ephrayim and Menashe. At that time Yaakov simply said: “I know my son, I know.” (Genesis 48,19) The angel confirmed to Moses that in spite of G’d being aware of the Israelite’s problems and the fact that He was going to inflict numerous plagues on the Egyptians, the latter would not simply collapse in spite of all the plagues. My intention with the plagues is not to destroy the Egyptians and to leave the Israelites in their place, on their land, but I want to save the Israelites and to take them out of Egypt in order to settle them elsewhere.
  
  Verse 8
  
  וארד להצילו...ולהעלותו מן הארץ ההיא אל ארץ, I revealed Myself to you in this manifestation only to acquaint you with the fact that I will save the Israelite nation and lead them out of Egypt, not in order to destroy Egypt.
  זבת חלב ודבש, a land with much livestock and abundant food of good quality and of nourishing properties (honey). These terms are used in this sense in Proverbs 24,13 אכול בני דבש כי טוב ונפת מתוק. “My son, eat honey for it is good, and the honeycomb for it is sweet on your palate.”
  
  Verse 9
  
  ועתה, seeing that all this is true. This is the meaning of the word ועתה wherever it appears. G’d said: in view of the fact that the Israelites’ complaints are justified, that they are entitled to complain, and I am aware of their pain, etc.,
  הנה צעקת בני ישראל  באה אלי, I have accepted their prayer after they truly called on Me, [aware that I could help them. Ed.] They did not merely mouth these prayers to give themselves the illusion of having vented their frustrations (compare Psalms 27,36).
  וגם ראיתי את הלחץ, in view of the excessive pressure brought to bear on them, the ones applying the pressure deserve to be punished. We find a similar construction in Zecharyah 1,15:וקצף גדול אני קוצף על הגוים השאננים אשר אני קצפתי מעט והם עזרו לרעה, “and I am very angry with those nations that are at ease; for I was only angry a little; but they overdid the punishment.”
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  ועתה לכה ואשלחך, to them, to warn them before I have to resort to punishing them.
  
  Verse 11
  
  מי אנכי כי אלך?,  how will my warning be effective?
  וכי אוציא את בני ישראל, that I will have the merit to take out the Jewish people who are at this time not deserving of this?
  
  Verse 12
  
  כי אהיה עמך וזה לך האות, that you will not only issue decrees but will carry them out successfully wherever you turn. Your very success will convince everyone that I must be the One who has sent you. They will therefore take you and your words very seriously. We find that this did indeed come true in Exodus 11,3 והאיש משה גדול מאד בכל ארץ מצרים, “the man Moses was very great in the whole land of Egypt.”
  בהוציאך את העם ממצרים תעבדון את האלוקים על ההר הזה.. even though they are not worthy of redemption at this time, but they are worthy of serving the Lord at this mountain when you take them out from among these professional sinners. 
  
  Verse 13
  
  "ואמרו לי "מה שמו?, a name describes the individual features of a person, Being, or what makes him distinctive. The people could therefore be expected to ask Moses in what manner this G’d whose messenger he claimed to be had distinguished Himself as being special, different from other gods.
  
  Verse 14
  
  אהיה אשר אהיה. I am an independent existence, not subject to influences by other phenomena or even caused by them. Seeing that this is so it follows that I love existing, and beings that exist. As a corollary to this love of Mine for existence, it follows that I deeply resent anything or anyone who tries to terminate such an existing being from continuing to do so. The prophet Ezekiel 18,32 phrased this thought as “for I do not desire the death of him that dies.” From this it follows that I must love righteousness and justice the objective of both virtues being the continued existence of all who deserve it. At the same time, it follows that I must hate injustice and cruelty as these vices are apt to terminate the existence of the victims of these vices. Clearly, then, this G’d must hate the violence and cruelty perpetrated on you by the Egyptians.
  
  Verse 15
  
  ויאמר עוד אלוקים אל משה כה תאמר אל בני ישראל, the Beney Yisrael that G’d refers to here are the elders of the people. (according to Rashi the people at large would not understand such thoughts.)
  ה' אלוקיכם, this is also the G’d of your patriarchs in addition to being the G’d possessing these virtues just mentioned. He had concluded a covenant with your patriarchs including all their offspring, so that this is part of My definition (name) זה שמי לעולם, forever as well as the name He already was known by previously before this additional attribute through the covenant with the patriarchs.
  זכרי לדור ודור, this is what wise men have figured out for themselves already since time immemorial that there must be a prime Cause, an eternal Being, not subject to change, i.e, to aging,  weakening. 
  
  Verse 16
  
  פקד פקדתי אתכם, seeing that you are their descendants.
  ואת העשוי לכם במצרים, seeing that I hate violence and cruelty.
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  ושמעו לקולך, in all that you will command them.
  אלוקי העבריים, the G’d of those who follow the teachings of Ever. (grandson of Shem)
  נקרה עלינו, at a time when we had not expected any divine prophecy, and had not asked anything of Him. He commanded us to bring offerings to satisfy His own will, not ours. [the author justifies the use of the root קרה which describes things which happen without one knowing the cause for these happenings. Ed.]
  
  Verse 19
  
  כי לא יתן אתכם מלך מצרים להלוך. He will not agree to do this from his own free volition at My request.
  ולא ביד חזקה, I will see to it that he will not even allow you to depart as a result of the plagues I shall inflict on Egypt. I will arrange that as soon as a plague has ceased he will change his mind in order to give Me a chance to inflict further plagues on him as chastisement. 
  
  Verse 20
  
  והכיתי את מצרים בכל נפלאותי, in a manner which will make everyone who hears about these plagues sit up and take notice. Many of those who will hear about this will perhaps repent and abandon idolatry. [the author does not view the plagues as a punishment but as G’d’s educational tool. Ed.]
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  ונצלתם את מצרים. Even though all that they will give you will be on loan and you will be obligated to return these items. The status of these “borrowed” articles underwent a legal change when these same Egyptians turned into pursuers of the departing Israelites with intent to kill them. From that moment on what had previously been on loan now became legitimate booty of war. Not only that, but the previous owners had died in a war fought against them by G’d Himself when the pursuers had become the pursued, something which happens in many wars.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  והן לא יאמינו לי ולא ישמעו בקולי, once the people will see that Pharaoh will refuse to let them go, they will lose faith in me and will not listen to my promises. 'כי יאמרו לא נראה אליך ה, for they know that when G’d says something it will be so. They will not be able to account for my failure except by claiming that I am an impostor. 
  
  Verse 2
  
  מה זה בידך?, here is a staff which is an inert object, and the hand which is something very much alive. I will demonstrate that I can kill that which is alive and bring to life that which is dead. I will make your hand useless and your staff will suddenly come alive.
  
  Verse 3
  
  וינס משה מפניו, for the staff had become a real snake and had assumed a threatening posture. This was totally different from the “snakes” produced by Pharaoh’s magicians that were unable to move. They only looked like the real thing, but were totally harmless. None of these sorcerers can produce something that is really alive, i.e. becomes part of nature. Our sages in Sanhedrin 67 commented on this phenomenon by saying: “not only can the sorcerers not produce small creatures, they cannot even produce big creatures such as a camel” This is why in the case of Moses, the Torah speaks of “the staff which had turned into a נחש, serpent,” whereas when the sorcerers’ work is described the Torah speaks of תנין. [at that point Aaron’s staff also turned into a תנין, not נחש, as G’d was not yet ready to demonstrate the superior magic Moses was capable of. Only when Aaron’s staff swallowed the “taninim” of the sorcerers was that point brought home to Pharaoh.]
  
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  Verse 8
  
  והאמינו לקול האות האחרון, from a medical science point of view the ability to heal tzoraat was a far greater miracle as it meant bringing back to life a limb which had already died ולקחת ממימי היאור, seeing that water is a basic liquid, one of the four basic raw materials earth is constructed of, converting this into blood without adding any additional ingredient to it was a most remarkable miracle. 
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  לא איש דברים אנכי; I am not experienced in knowing how to address people in authority, such as kings.
  גם מתמול, גם משלשום, neither when I was a stranger in a foreign land, nor when I grew up in Pharaoh’s palace, nor since You have spoken to me and I have responded.
  
  
  כי כבד פה וכבד לשון אנכי, the reason why I do not possess this facility is because the physical tools with which to express my thoughts are defective. I have therefore never even made the effort to develop this facility (compare Isaiah 50,4) לדעת לעות את יעף דבר, “to know how to speak timely words to the weary.” 
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  מי שם פה לאדם?, Who provided the natural infrastructure for nature to be able to provide the body’s equipment?
  
  Verse 12
  
  ואנכי אהיה עם פיך. To enable you to make full use of man’s tools to deliver words by mouth.
  והוריתיך, I will also teach you how to effectively address people of Pharaoh’s standing.
  
  Verse 13
  
  שלח נא ביד תשלח. Use someone who is already naturally gifted for such an assignment, instead of someone like me whom You first have to train for the task, so that in effect You would do the talking.
  
  Verse 14
  
  הלא אהרן אחיך? If it had been My intention to appoint someone naturally suited for the task, there is your brother Aaron, the Levite, undoubtedly a wise man as are all his brothers the Levites.
  כי ידעתיו כי דבר ידבר הוא, for I am well aware that he is an excellent speaker without needing training, וגם הנה הוא יוצא לקראתך וראך ושמח בלבו, and although he is on the way to meet you out of respect for you and your elevation to an even higher status than his own, he will undoubtedly be happy to serve as your interpreter full-heartedly.
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  ושמת את הדברים בפיו ואנכי אהיה עם פיך ועם פיהו, even though I could put all these words in his mouth this is not sufficient; it is necessary that I personally, assist both you and him to make sure that Pharaoh will absorb the words with his heart. Otherwise, he might deal with you from a position of autocratic arrogance and simply expel you from his presence.
  
  Verse 16
  
  לאלוהים, so that he will perform miracles at your behest.
  
  Verse 17
  
  ואת המטה הזה, even though this staff is not made from a particularly valuable type of wood I have sanctified it to serve as a sign for you. תקח בידך, as a symbol of authority to demonstrate that I have appointed you to change the rules of nature at your command.
  אשר תעשה בו את האותות, which you will command nature at My command, seeing that you have been appointed by Me for this task.
  
  Verse 18
  
  אלכה נא ואשובה, in the interval I will leave my wife and children in your care.
  לך לשלום, go ahead without worry, I will do what you asked.
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  כי מתו כל האנשים , both the king and his servants who tried to kill you. We explained this already in connection with 2,23 when Pharaoh’s death was reported.
  
  Verse 20
  
  וירכיבם על החמור, to let them travel from the desert where Moses tended the sheep to Midian, i.e. to her father’s home.
  וישב ארצה מצרים, while Moses went on his way back to the land of Egypt.
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  בלכתך לשוב מצרימה, every time I tell you to leave your tent which is outside the boundary of the Egyptian capital, etc., do precisely what I command you. The nature of the capital, with all its abominations prevented prayer offered in that city to G’d to become effective, as we know from 9,29 where Moses explains this to Pharaoh.  G’d says: “I will command you from time to time to enter the capital in order to speak to Pharaoh.” 
  ראה כל המופתים אשר שמתי בידך, pay careful attention each time you go to Pharaoh when you will be equipped with the power to perform all the miracles which I have placed at your disposal. You must perform these in exactly the manner I have instructed you.
  ועשיתם לפני פרעה,  you will be successful in this only if you proceed exactly in the manner in which I instruct you, and in the presence of Pharaoh. When a creature sins against his Creator by doing either less or more than instructed to do, he will fail in what he set out to do. This rule did not only apply to Moses and Aaron when they set out to perform miracles, but it is a general rule applicable to all of G’d’s commandments, and this is why the Torah spelled this out in Deuteronomy 4,2 writing “do not add or subtract from all the commandments which I have commanded you.”
  ואני אחזק את לבו, for if he could not endure the plagues he would let the Israelites go, not because he was finally humbling himself before the Lord and do His will, but only in order to get relief from the plagues. This was not a good enough reason to grant him relief; therefore G’d reinforced his natural obstinacy.
  
  Verse 22
  
  בני בכורי ישראל, even though when it comes to the period known as קץ הימים, the end of the days of this planet, G’d will cause the kind of upheaval which will result in all the nations calling G’d by His chosen name and they will all serve Him without reservations, (Tzefaniah 3,9) even then Israel will still be special inasmuch as it is “My son.” I relate to Israel as a father relates to his son, not as a master relates to his servant, even the most benign of masters. A servant’s loyalty or “love” for his master is based on his expectations of reward, or his fear of punishment, not so a son’s loyalty and love. An additional reason for My preference for Israel is the fact that it is My firstborn son, i.e. it is the first nation to accept My position as Creator, King, Master in this universe. At a time when all the other nations were still following their misguided theologies, only the Jewish people proclaimed Me exclusively as their G’d and lawgiver. (compare Micah 4,5).
  
  Verse 23
  
  הנה אנכי הורג את בנך בכורכך, even though when it comes to the period known as קץ הימים, the end of the days of this planet, G’d will cause the kind of upheaval which will result in all the nations calling G’d by His chosen name and they will all serve Him without reservations, (Tzefaniah 3,9) even then Israel will still be special inasmuch as it is “My son.” I relate to Israel as a father relates to his son, not as a master relates to his servant, even the most benign of masters. A servant’s loyalty or “love” for his master is based on his expectations of reward, or his fear of punishment, not so a son’s loyalty and love. An additional reason for My preference for Israel is the fact that it is My firstborn son, i.e. it is the first nation to accept My position as Creator, King, Master in this universe. At a time when all the other nations were still following their misguided theologies, only the Jewish people proclaimed Me exclusively as their G’d and lawgiver. (compare Micah 4,5).
  
  Verse 24
  
  ויהי בדרך במלון, when he was on the way from the desert to Midian with his wife and children. The Torah tells of this incident after concluding the report of how G’d appointed Moses as the leader of the Jewish people.
  ויפגשהו ה', the 8th day on which he should have circumcised his son occurred [the word is derived from פגש, occurred, happened. Ed.] When the baby is circumcised the presence of the Lord, שכינה is perceived as being present waiting to induct the new member of the Jewish faith. Perhaps this is even the source of the practice to place a chair for the prophet Elijah at the circumcision ceremony.
  When the time passed without Eliezer being circumcised, the Shechinah or the angel in charge of circumcision was ready to kill Moses for having been so remiss in fulfilling this commandment.
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  ותאמר כי חתן דמים אתה לי. I have done this seeing that when I became married to you and you were my bridegroom you stipulated that our sons would have to be circumcised and that we would extract a certain amount of blood as the mark of the covenant with G’d. Tzipporah said all this to the angel who wanted to kill her husband in his defence i.e. the angel must know that there was no deliberate negligence in performing the rite of circumcision.
  
  Verse 26
  
  וירף ממנו, he released him partially, but not totally, as until the second part of the circumcision, the פריעה, the uncovering of the corona, had been performed the ritual is considered incomplete, and not valid.
  אז אמרה חתן דמים למולות, when you were a bridegroom you said that the circumcision involves the removal of some blood during two stages of the circumcision, first the cutting off of the foreskin, then the severing of membrane over the corona.
  
  Verse 27
  
  לך לקראת משה המדברה, like a student who walks some distance to welcome his teacher even before he arrives in town. The student is what we call the “reception committee.” Aaron being a student of Moses although he was his senior has been confirmed already in verse 16 when G’d told Moses concerning his brother: “you will be his prophet, i.e. mentor.”
  ויפגשהו בהר האלוקים. while Moses was already on his way back to Midian from his encounter at the burning bush, at the mountain of the Lord, all set to go to Egypt.
  וישק לו, as one kisses a sacred object. We find the term used in this sense in Samuel I 10,1 וישקהו, ויאמר הלא כי משחך ה' על נחלתו לנגיד, ”he kissed him and said: ‘the Lord herewith anoints you ruler over His own people.”
  
  
  
  
  
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  'לא ידעתי את ה; I have never heard of any Being which created something tangible out of an absolute nothing.
  וגם את ישראל לא אשלח, even if it could be proved that this Being you speak about does in fact exist, I will not release the Israelites on account of that new found wisdom.
  
  Verse 3
  
  אלוקי העברים, concerning your statement that you never heard of such a Being, He is the G’d of the Hebrews, the ones who cleave to the religious teachings of עבר, the grandson of Shem, son of Noach. Concerning your statement that you will not release the Israelites, you would do well to listen to His instructions פן יפגענו, as He would punish both us and you. 
  
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  הן רבים עתה עם הארץ, the really smart Hebrews would not listen to your words.
  
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  והנה עבדיך מוכים וחטאת עמך, we are the ones who are being beaten and the sinful people beating us are all we who are members of your people. It is up to you to take note of this and to intervene.
  
  Verse 17
  
  נרפים אתם נרפים, you are the ones who are lazy and delinquent in carrying out your duties. This is why I decided to make things harder so that you will be more energetic in performing your duties.
  על כן אתם אומרים נלכה נזבחה, the fact that you dream about such things shows that you are lazy. This pretext of “we want to offer meat offerings” is clear evidence that you want to simply take a holiday.
  
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  למה זה שלחתני?, if they were guilty of suffering such problems why did You make me the one to be the immediate cause of it?
  
  Verse 23
  
  והצל לא הצלת, the overseers of the Israelites who are being beaten for showing empathy with the people.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  . עתה תראה, now that you have seen yourself the sin of Pharaoh who has the nerve to hold on to the Israelites with the authority of his office, you will see that he will not only release them voluntarily, but ביד חזקה ישלחם, not only will he release them, but he will be forced to get rid of them post haste due to the problems he will have while they are still in his country.
  וביד חזקה יגרשם מראצו, in contrast with his keeping the Israelites enslaved in his country at this time, he will eventually be forced to expel them by force so that not a single one of them will remain behind.
  
  Verse 2
  
  'אני ה, the One Who maintains the entire universe all alone. I have not only called it into existence, but I also maintain it, and there is no other prime cause which exercises any independent influence on any part of My universe. Compare Nechemyah 9,6 ואתה מחיה את כולם “and You alone provide the nourishment to keep all creatures alive.” Unless I had given My consent no creature could continue to exist.
  
  Verse 3
  
  וארא, in a vision, a communication by G’d just below that of the level we know as נבואה, prophecy. Genesis 18,1 was one such example of G’d “appearing” to Avraham after his circumcision.
  בא-ל שדי, by the attribute which demonstrates that I have created existence as such, as was pointed out in Genesis 17,1.
  ושמי ה' לא נודעתי להם, the letter ב in the expression בא-ל שדי applies to the word ושמי. In effect what G’d is saying is that He has not made a point of becoming familiar to the patriarchs by His attribute Hashem when appearing to them, such as in the example mentioned. This was because He never experienced the need to change the laws of nature on their behalf. Seeing that the patriarchs could not have passed on knowledge about Me which I had not revealed to them, they in turn had not been able to pass on such knowledge to their children. I have to do this now in order to ensure that I can  preserve the Children of Israel as My people.
  
  Verse 4
  
  וגם הקימותי, I have also sworn, as per Onkelos in Genesis 31,53 on the word וישבע which he renders as וקיים. “G’d swore to keep His promise.” Compare a similar phrase but worded differently in Psalms 106, 44-45. “When He saw that they were in distress, when He heard their cry, He was mindful of His covenant and in His great faithfulness He relented.”
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  'לכן אמור לבני ישראל אני ה. The Torah speaks of three reasons (stages of the redemption) why G’d at this time reveals knowledge about Himself which He had not revealed previously.
  1)	והוצאתי אתכם מתחת סבלות מצרים there will be an immediate cessation of the Israelites performing slave labour for the Egyptians.
  2)	והצלתי, on the day the Israelites would depart from Ramses, when they would cross the border out of the land of Egypt.
  3)	וגאלתי, on the day the pursuing Egyptians would be drowned in the sea, as testified in Exodus 14,30 ויושע ה' ביום ההוא, “on that day the Lord orchestrated salvation, etc.” After the death of the ones who enslaved, the enslaved are obviously free.
  
  Verse 7
  
  ולקחתי אתכם לי לעם, this will occur at the revelation at Mount Sinai.
  וידעתם, then the Israelites will realise that all of G’d’s promises have indeed come true. We find a similar verse in Deuteronomy 11,2 וידעתם היום כי לא את בניכם אשר לא ידעו, “you will know this day, that not with your children who did not know, etc.” but
  כי אני ה' אלוקיכם המוציא, that inasmuch as it is I, the Lord your G’d Who leads you out and watches over you very closely, AM THE ONE who will do everything that I promised.
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  והבאתי אתכם אל, once they would mentally digest all this you would be worthy of My bringing you to the land, and I will give it to you.
  
  Verse 9
  
  ולא שמעו אל משה, to mentally absorb all this, so that they would have full trust in the salvation of G’d and give Him credit for this. This is where they were different from Avraham in his time, who believed implicitly in an impossible-sounding promise, and who gave credit to G’d for making such a promise. This was eventually the reason why this part of G’d’s promise was not fulfilled in the lifetime of the people who were being addressed at this time.
  מקצר רוח, for it did not appear believable to their present state of mind, so that their heart could not assimilate such a promise.
  ומעבודה קשה, if it had not been for the heavy labour which they had to perform they would have paid much more attention to Moses’ words, and they would have understood that Moses’ arguments made what he said very believable.
  
  
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  הן בני ישראל לא שמעו אלי, he believed that this was due to the fact that from the moment he had started speaking to Pharaoh the latter had become worse in his attitude and the people, putting two and two together, had concluded that his mission had failed. If he felt that way, Pharaoh would certainly not pay any heed to him and continue doing what he liked. 
  This was especially so, seeing that he was also an ערל שפתים, afflicted with a speech handicap. He mentioned this as he did not believe that Aaron would accompany him other than for the time he identified himself as G’d’s emissary when he spoke to the people.
  
  Verse 13
  
  ויצום, He appointed them as ministers. We find something parallel in Numbers 27,23 when ויצוהו means that Moses appointed Joshua as his successor with the same authority as he had possessed during the previous 40 years. Also in Samuel I 25,30 the words וצוך לנגיד, refer to David being appointed the supreme authority over the Jewish people.  There are more similar examples in Scripture.
  אל בני ישראל, the same as על בני ישראל, “over the Children of Israel,” i.e. to be in charge of them. Compare Ezekiel 18,6  אל ההרים לא אכל which means: “he did not eat on the mountains.”
  ואל פרעה מלך מצרים להוציא, as well as in charge of Pharaoh the King of Egypt, for the purpose of leading the Jews out, etc.. Concerning this topic both Pharaoh and the people of Israel were placed under the direction of Moses and Aaron.
  
  Verse 14
  
  אלה ראשי בית אבותם, Moses and Aaron were justifiably referred to as the heads of the various tribal groups of Israel, as they were the most respected and most honoured. ראובן בכור ישראל, seeing that none of his descendants were particularly noteworthy except his sons who had been part of the original 70 persons who had come to the land of Egypt from Canaan, none other are mentioned. All those 70 persons had already died as we know from Exodus 1,6. The same consideration held true for the descendants of Shimon. On the other hand, Levi, the longest surviving member of the original 70 Hebrews who migrated to Egypt, managed to raise even his grandchildren to become leaders of the people in their own right. Amram produced three outstanding children in the persons of Aaron, Moses and Miriam, all of whom attained prophetic stature. Aaron married a sister of Nachshon who had been considered the most notable member of the nation in his time. He begat leaders of the generation who were later on appointed as priests. Eleazar, son of Aaron took as a wife one of the daughters of Putiel who was also considered outstanding in his generation (compare Nachmanides). This union produced Pinchas who was granted a covenant of “peace” by G’d as a reward for spontaneously slaying a high ranking Israelite prince who flagrantly engaged in forbidden sex with a Midianite princess and had challenged Moses to do something about it. (Numbers 25,12) אלה ראשי אבות הלוים, just to tell us that Moses and Aaron were the respective heads of the Levites.
  
  
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  אלה ראשי אבות, just to tell us that Moses and Aaron were the respective heads of the Levites.
  
  Verse 26
  
  הוא אהרן ומשה, repeated, seeing these two were the most honoured of their families and it was therefore they who were fit to be entrusted by G’d with the command: הוציאו את בני ישראל, seeing that their voices would be heeded by their compatriots, of all the various tribes.
  על צבאותם, the entire community including all their respective members, simultaneously.
  
  Verse 27
  
  הם המדברים, they were fit to be the spokesmen to Pharaoh and to be listened to by him with respect.
  
  Verse 28
  
  ויהי ביום דבר ה' אל משה, when G’d spoke to Moses  that he should speak to Pharaoh and he answered G’d that Pharaoh would not listen to him, i.e. after G’d had already appointed Moses and Aaron as the leading authorities over Israel as well as over Pharaoh, as reported, G’d explained that He had not intended to give both Moses and Aaron equal status, but that Moses would be an authority, G’d like, for Pharaoh, whereas Aaron would be his mouthpiece, his interpreter.
  
  
  
  
  
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  ואני אקשה, seeing that G’d is interested in the sinner’s repentance rather than his death (as we know from Ezekiel 33,11 חי אני, נאום ה', אם אחפוץ במות הרשע כי אם בשובו מדרכו וחיה, “by My life, I do not want the death of the wicked but that he return from his wicked path and live”), G’d told Moses that He would bring on numerous plagues, all in order to increase the chances that Pharaoh would finally see the light and become a genuine penitent. He hoped that by demonstrating His greatness and His power this would eventually cause the Egyptians to recognise all this. At the same time, G’d also spelled out a similar thought in 9,16 but aimed at the Israelites, when He said: “that the only reason He had not yet killed Pharaoh was so that in the course of more plagues you, the Jewish people, would come to recognise both G’d’s greatness and His patience.“ He also wanted the Jewish people to learn how to both love and revere Him when they witnessed and thought about the meaning of all these plagues. There can be no question that without G’d stiffening Pharaoh’s attitude from time to time, he would have collapsed much sooner and would have sent the Israelites on their desired journey. However, this would not have been the result of his repentance and humbling himself before the Lord, involving genuine regret about his previous errors, but the result of his impotence to withstand the pressure applied to him. He would have acted out of terror of what the next plague would do to him and to his country. If we needed confirmation of this, all we have to do is look at what his servants said to him when Moses threatened with the plague of locust. They said to him: “how long will you be obstinate, do you not see that Egypt will go down the drain?!” There was not a single word of regret of past errors, no word of recognition that G’d could have killed them all long before this and that He must therefore be very patient, and kind, but mere terror forced them to utter these words. (10,7) Keeping all this in mind, it is foolish to ask how G’d could punish Pharaoh after he Himself had interfered with his decision-making process by “stiffening his heart,” ואני אקשה את לב פרעה, I will stiffen the heart of Pharaoh, etc.” not in order to punish him but in order to finally trigger repentance in his heart. The operative clause is “in order that I can demonstrate all these miracles of Mine in his midst” (10,1), the purpose being to bring about his humbling himself in repentance and genuine contrition. If that wish of G’d would indeed materialise, the Jewish people also would tell of G’d’s greatness, (למען ספר את שמי, having observed at first hand how the mightiest secular power on earth turned into G’d fearing human beings.) They would tell their children and children’s children the lesson they had learned that G’d’s apparent cruelty is actually an act of loving kindness as it results in His creatures coming to love and to revere Him. [Noach, who had survived the destruction of mankind by a deliberate act of G’d’s kindness to him and his family, had not been able to relate to his children what G’d hoped that the Israelites would be able to relate to their children. Ed.] The basic lesson in ethics we derive from all this is that when suffering an affliction we must first and foremost examine our past actions to find out where we went wrong, and try to find out what these afflictions are intended to trigger in our memory so that we can improve our conduct both vis-à-vis G’d and our fellow man.
  
  Verse 4
  
  ולא ישמע אליכם פרעה; not before the plague materialises after the warning, nor even after the plague did come to pass. He will not listen to you even after having endured many such plagues. Seeing that this is so, I will be forced to bring retribution upon them. This retribution will take the form of the killing of the firstborn as well as the drowning of all the military might of Egypt in the sea. The retribution will be seen as a punishment to fit their crimes. All the other plagues are only designed to encourage repentance, not as a form of retribution. Four times the Torah introduces this objective of the plagues. In 7,17 the Torah writes למען תדע כי אני ה', “so that you will know that I am the Lord.” In 8,18 the Torah writes: בעבור תדע כי אני ה' בקרב הארץ, “so that you will know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth (not only in heaven).” In 9,29 the Torah writes: למען שיתי אותותי אלה בקרבו ולמען תספר...וידעתם, “this is why I perform all these miracles of Mine right in its midst, so that you will tell…. and finally realise that there is no one like Me anywhere (9,14).”
  
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  ויעש משה ואהרן כאשר צוה ה' אותם, after every instruction from G’d they followed the same procedure. Moses used to announce beforehand what would happen, seeing that he was G’d’s emissary. After that Aaron would translate what Moses had said into diplomatic language.
  כן עשו, they would do exactly this, not adding or subtracting anything of their own. 
  
  Verse 7
  
  ומשה בן שמונים שנה, even though he was an aged man both he and his brother rose early in the morning to do their Creator’s bidding. Although some people lived to a ripe old age in those days, eighty was an age which was considered as very much part of what we call “old age.” We know from David in Psalms 90,10 that reaching the age of 80 was considered an exceptional feat, i.e. kindness of G’d.
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  תנו לכם מופת, “identify yourselves by means of a miracle which shows that the One Who has sent you is capable of carrying out what He promises so that we should obey Him. The expression אות as opposed to מופת is meant to identify the messenger, i.e. to prove that he is not a pretender, a charlatan. This was the reason why Moses performed אותות before the Israelites so that they should not entertain any doubt as to his being an authentic messenger from G’d to them. Pharaoh, whose doubts did not relate to the authenticity of Moses as the people’s representative, had to be convinced of the identity of the G’d who Moses claimed had sent him. It was he who had said that he did not recognise even the existence of such a G’d. Hence Moses had to perform miracles proving that such a G’d did in fact exist. The fact that the same miracle could help establish two separate facts is no hindrance to Moses performing the same miracle in two locations for two different audiences.
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  ויהיו לתנינים, they looked and felt like these kinds of monsters. They were not able to move like these monsters move, or even not at all.
  ויבלע מטה אהרן את מטותם, this would demonstrate that only the G’d in heaven can grant life to inert phenomena, something Pharaoh’s sorcerers were unable to do.
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  כבד לב פרעה, even though Pharaoh could not help but notice the qualitative difference between what the sorcerers had done and what Moses and Aaron had accomplished.
  
  Verse 15
  
  נהפך לנחש, not only in appearance but also in its movements. This is implied by the word ויבלע, “it swallowed” (verse 12). We encountered this phenomenon already in 4,3 when Moses himself fled from the serpent his staff had turned into.
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  'בזאת תדע כי אני ה; I will turn something that never changes in nature and never ceases to flow, into something else. This will demonstrate My power over natural law.
  
  Verse 18
  
  והדגה אשר ביאור תמות, the river will not retain the appearance of a river, part of it has been turned into blood; but the entire river bed will be filled with blood so that the fish have no habitat in which to survive.
  ונלאו מצרים, digging around the river bed trying to find water. This referred to what the Torah described in verse 24 ויחפרו כל מצרים סביבות היאור, “all the Egyptians dug all around the river.” 
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  ולא שת לבו גם לזאת, to recognise the difference between what G’d had done and what his sorcerers had done. G’d’s activity had produced a total change in the nature of the river Nile, a phenomenon which had been considered as inviolate, constant, incapable of being abolished. It had now been turned into “real blood,” so much so that all the fish had died. The changes effected by the tricks of the sorcerers were performed on phenomena that were unstable to begin with. Possibly, all the sorcerers produced was make believe, an illusion of blood. 
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  ויעלו את הצפרדעים, the ones produced by the sorcerers were unable to reproduce themselves, as were those that Aaron had produced. The sorcerers were never able to produce any creature that could move on its own. [It is important to realise that our author considers the צפרדע as a type of crocodile, the major danger to humans and fish inhabiting the Nile. Ed.]
  
  Verse 4
  
  'העתירו אל ה, he did pay attention to the aspect of getting rid of this plague, recognising that there was some use in calling on the G’d of the Israelites to remove the plague.
  
  Verse 5
  
  למתי אעתיר לך?. In order that you will recognise the difference between what your sorcerers are able to do and what G’d is capable of doing. When Moses offered two scenarios to Pharaoh, i.e. when the crocodiles would die, and henceforth restricting them to the river Nile, he also had in mind that whatever the sorcerers had done would be strictly limited in duration, and things would return to normal, whereas G’d could maintain the changes He had effected in nature indefinitely, totally or partially as He wished.
  
  Verse 6
  
  כדברך, in accordance with your wish. You had stipulated that the crocodiles should be removed from yourself, and from your people,” (verse 4) you did not ask for them to be eliminated from nature as a species.
  למען תדע כי אין כה' אלוקנו, that there is no power in the universe other than the G’d of the Israelites who possesses the power to fundamentally effect changes in natural law. At that time, consigning crocodiles exclusively to the river Nile was a fundamental change in the habitat of this species. This species is different from all other known species in that instead of moving its lower jaw when eating, it moves its upper jaw. It also ingests food without excreting waste products. G’d will banish the species only from you and your houses, as this is all you asked for.
  
  Verse 7
  
  וסרו הצפרדעים, G’d will not only remove the ones which have already bothered you, but He will ensure that they will not again afflict you.
  ממך ומבתיך, but not from the whole country; on the contrary, they will die in the land and cause a stench, but in the future they will not leave their habitat in or near the river.
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  ויצעק משה אל ה' על דבר הצפרדעים אשר שם לפרעה, Moses prayed that G’d remove only the crocodiles which had been sent against Pharaoh and his people, whereas any others should remain in the river. It required a special prayer, here described as an outcry, to ask G’d how to arrange the removal of this plague.
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  כי היתה הרוחה, even though the evil had not been removed totally, seeing that the stench of the dead beasts remained and putrefied the atmosphere, and these beasts remained in the river as a possible threat in the future.
  והכבד את לבו, He reinforced his natural courage not to be frightened of a re-emergence of the crocodiles that had remained alive. He was also willing to put up with the stench of the decaying beasts. All of this rather than to admit his impotence vis-à-vis the G’d of the Israelites.
  
  Verse 12
  
  והך את עפר הארץ, they did not warn Pharaoh of the advent of this plague. Neither did they warn him before the onset of the שחין, the boils and blisters, nor before the darkness. The nine plagues, exclusive of the killing of the firstborn, were intended to serve as demonstrations of G’d’s power to change the laws of nature. Although the simultaneous dying of the firstborn was also a powerful such demonstration, it was intended as retribution for refusal to heed all the warnings G’d had extended to Pharaoh and his people. The first 3 plagues דצ'ך, demonstrated mastery of G’d over the two “heavy” components of the four basic elements the universe is made of, i.e. water and earth, The three plagues, abbreviated under the heading of עד'ש by Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi, demonstrates G’d’s control not only over inert parts of nature but also over living creatures. The third category בא'ח, demonstrated G’d complete control of the air, the atmosphere including the other two basic elements known as רוח and אש, air, wind, and fire. In each group the first two plagues were preceded by warnings, whereas the third was not. The matter has been alluded to in Job 33,29 הן כל אלה יפעל א-ל, פעמים שלוש עם גבר. “Truly, G’d does all these things, two or three times to a man.”
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  ולא יכולו. They were unable to produce anything which could truly move on its own.
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  וגם האדמה אשר הם עליה, a reference to the soil on which the houses stood which would become full of snakes and other creepers of the kind that inhabit the lower levels of the earth beneath its surface. The plague would result in the Egyptians feeling insecure in their homes even when they had shut every exit tightly.
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  ושמתי פדות בין עמי ובין עמך, so that even the few members of my people who might be in an area infested by the arov would not be molested by these beasts. The same beasts would harm your people on the same spot.
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  ויעתר, in order for G’d to remove the wild beasts at the time which Pharaoh had requested and in the manner  he had asked for. We know that this time Pharaoh did not want to have to contend with the stench of the dead animals as he had had to when the crocodiles died on his territory, but that G’d made all these beasts retreat to where they had been before they had invaded the urban areas of Egypt. (compare verse 27) 
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  גם בפעם הזאת, as he had done after the plague of the crocodiles had been removed. Seeing that the wild beasts had only retreated to their lairs and had not died, so that they still represented a potential threat, Pharaoh toughened his resolve and refused to send off the people.
  
  
  
  
  
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  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
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  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  לעיני פרעה. In order that he would see that the plague was not the result of mixing something moist with something else, i.e. something subject to the influence of the sun or the atmosphere. Both of these phenomena sometimes produce what are known as “natural disasters.”
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  .'ויחזק ה, G’d needed to reinforce Pharaoh’s heart as without this he would not have been able to endure this plague without his resistance collapsing. We know how Satan expected Job to react to the same affliction, from Job 2,5 “if You lay a hand on his bones and flesh he will surely blaspheme.”
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  כי בפעם הזאת, this time when I demonstrate My power over the third category of phenomena, the atmosphere and what it contains, אני שולח את כל מגפותי אל לבך ובעבדיך ובעמך, every plague which I am about to send will affect each one of you even after the plague itself departs. The damage caused by the plague while it was active will be felt long after the plague has departed. The after-effect could be felt because of the vegetables remaining having suffered damage from the hail. The unnatural type of darkness would also leave behind it unpleasant after-effects, as the whole atmosphere would have been affected during the period of no light. If we consider that for three days running no one could even rise from his chair or bed, we can imagine that this was not merely an absence of daylight. The plagues that had preceded the hail had not left behind them permanent after-effects.
  בעבור תדע כי אין כמוני בכל הארץ,  this realisation will come to you when you observe how I enjoy complete mastery of the atmosphere. G’d reserved the demonstration that He also had complete control of all the phenomena in outer space, or in extra terrestrial regions for the time when He split the Sea of Reeds. When the Egyptians observed the movements of the pillars of fire and the columns of cloud, all of which moved in a manner which reflected that they were being directed by a higher power. 
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  בעבור הראותך את כחי, so that you may finally display repentance. In the final analysis, I am not interested in the death of the sinner but in his rehabilitation through his own efforts. (Ezekiel 18,31)
  ולמען ספר שמי, which will result in repentance by the multitude.
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  ועתה שלח העז את מקנך, in order that also the servants supervising the cattle would escape the hail together with their herds.. If G’d cared about the beasts, He most certainly cared about the human beings, as we know from Avot 3,18 חביב אדם כי נברא בצלם, “man is beloved as he (alone) has been created in G’d’s image.”
  
  Verse 20
  
  הירא את דבר ה' הניס, G’d continues explaining to Moses that the reason He had told Moses to advise the Egyptians to bring their cattle under cover was that he knew that anyone genuinely afraid of G’d’s warnings would avail himself of this warning and save himself and his herds.
  
  Verse 21
  
  ואשר לא שם לבו חטא ויעזוב, it would become clear that he who sinned paid with his life. This is why I warn you now to save your lives.
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  ותהלך אש ארצה, the atmosphere which had already been heated descended earthward with the same speed as the hail. [Normally, fire has a tendency to rise into higher levels of the atmosphere. Here, the reverse happened. Ed.]
  
  Verse 24
  
  ואש מתלקחת בתוך הברד. Driven by the immense velocity and pressure of the descending hailstones. The heat generated in the atmosphere resulted in unnatural sounds being heard everywhere. Both hard and soft plants were destroyed by the hail. Verse 25 spells all this out in detail.
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  כצאתי את העיר, even though you have said to me that you have endured already enough of this the plague will not cease until I have left the boundaries of the capital and only then הקולות יחדלון והברד לא יהיה עוד למען תדע כי לה' הארץ, all of these phenomena will occur simultaneously, in contrast to the natural order of things. This will not happen as a result of My thinking that you have already become a penitent, regretting his sins; on the contrary your education has not yet been completed, ידעתי כי טרם תיראון, I am fully aware that you still do not relate to the Creator with reverence and awe.
  
  Verse 30
  
  
  
  Verse 31
  
  והפשתה והשעורה, even though both the flax crop and the barley crop had been wiped out by the hail, something which caused tremendous damage to the Egyptian economy.
  
  Verse 32
  
  והחטה והכסמת, take note of the extent of the wickedness of Pharaoh and his servants. Even though the wheat and the spelt had not yet been destroyed, and Moses had prayed for the removal of the plague of hail, and Pharaoh had observed that all the destructive forces had ceased to be active as an immediate result of Moses’ prayer, something which made plain that but for Moses’ prayer the destruction would have continued, Pharaoh heaped more sins on top of the ones already committed, so as to make the ultimate retribution he would suffer even more terrible.
  
  Verse 33
  
  
  
  Verse 34
  
  
  
  Verse 35
  
  ויחזק לב פרעה, not without an assist from external forces. What happened was precisely as G’d had told Moses and Aaron at the time when G’d appointed Aaron as Moses’ helper; “and I know that the King of Egypt will not voluntarily allow you to leave Egypt.” G’d had even added: “ולא ביד חזקה, I do not want him to give his consent as a sign of his impotence against My strong hand.” G’d wanted Pharaoh to become a penitent while believing he could still offer resistance if he chose. Pharaoh had convinced himself after every plague that G’d had already exhausted the punitive means at His disposal, and that He could do no more to him. [When Maimonides in the third chapter of hilchot Teshuvah enumerates 24 categories of sins which result in the sinners either being unable to do teshuvah, or to face almost insurmountable obstacles in doing so, one of them is this belief that if G’d instead of liquidating them had stopped short of that, this is proof that He could not do any more than He had already done. Pharaoh made this fatal mistake out of his arrogance. Ed.]
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  כי אני הכבדתי, even though Moses had said; “I know that you do not yet relate with awe and reverence to G’d,” (9,30) he thought that even if he does not humble himself to G’d because of G’d’s greatness, at least he should do what G’d says seeing that he has no choice, and can no longer withstand the cumulative effect of the plagues. He had arrived at this conclusion when he noted the words ה' הצדיק, “the Lord is the Just One.” However, when he found out that all these pious words notwithstanding Pharaoh continued to oppose G’d’s will in spite of the fact that he found it impossible to cope with the plagues, Moses had come to the conclusion that warning Pharaoh of an impending plague was an exercise in futility. This is why G’d had to tell him at this stage that already during the sixth plague (9,12) He had stiffened Pharaoh’s heart so that ordinary rules of psychology could no longer be applied to this man. The purpose was to enable G’d to demonstrate more miracles so that maybe some Egyptians would be moved by what they experienced to become penitents. If so, the Israelites in the future would be able to tell their children of the greatness of G’d’s miracles. This in turn would convince mankind that G’d loved His creatures and was very patient with them, giving them opportunities to mend their ways. This is why the warning to Pharaoh was in place although it would prove ineffectual. G’d’s plan was
  למען שיתי אותותי אלה אלה בקרבו, so that I can demonstrate these miracles of Mine in its midst, so that the people realise My greatness and return in contriteness.
  
  Verse 2
  
  ולמען תספר, and so that you Israelites will be able to tell about My attributes and remember this throughout future generations.
  
  Verse 3
  
  עד מתי מענת, seeing that in the meantime I have demonstrated to you My dominance even in the atmosphere, how much longer will you refuse to humble yourself seeing that I control the very air you need to breathe? Seeing that you were not impressed, there is no sense in hoping that you will be impressed by the overwhelming show of strength represented by the plagues. However, perhaps if the impact of the miracle itself did not make an impression on you, perhaps the drawn out duration of the effect of the plagues may finally have the desired effect. This is why the question  “how long must a plague continue before it will have the desired effect?” is not out of place.
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  ואכל את כל העץ, it will destroy it. The word אכל here is used in the same sense as in Psalms 79,7 כי אכל את יעקב, “for he has consumed Yaakov,” i.e. destroyed him. Deuteronomy 31,17 והיה לאכול also means “that it may be destroyed.”
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
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  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  כאשר אשלח אתכם ואת טפכם, even less your livestock.
  ראו כי רעה נגד פניכם. I warn you that what you have in mind will boomerang on you and instead of improving your lot will worsen it. Pharaoh used this expression in a sense similar to Esau rejecting his birthright saying הנה אנכי הולך למות, “I am pursuing a path which will lead to my premature death, anyway” (Genesis 25,32). A similar meaning is Solomon saying in Proverbs 5,5 of the immoral woman: רגליה יורדות מות “her feet go down to death.” Our sages in Berachot 28 described the same thought as והם רצים לבאר שחת.
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  על ארץ מצרים בארבה. A reference to the region from which the locusts generally came, i.e from the southern part of the continent. We have references of this kind in Isaiah 5,26 describing that these locusts traveled long distances before arriving in Egypt.
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
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  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  על ארץ מצרים בארבה, before the locust could destroy also the roots of the wheat and spelt and other plants they had been devouring. 10,20-23. נטה ידך על השמים, “in the direction of the atmosphere referred to as “heaven.” We have explained this in connection with Genesis 1,7.
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
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  Verse 21
  
  נטה ידך על השמים, “in the direction of the atmosphere referred to as “heaven.” We have explained this in connection with Genesis 1,7.
  וימש חשך, this will remove the normal darkness called “night.” The reason this was necessary was that the night consists of air ready and capable to absorb light in the morning. The darkness that would occur now was something unable to interact with light at all. The reason for this inability to interact with light was the density of the texture of this darkness. As a result of this totally different kind of darkness לא ראו איש את אחיו, for even a lit up flare would not be able to make a “dent” in that darkness.
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  לא ראו איש את אחיו, for even a lit up flare would not be able to make a “dent” in that darkness.
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
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  Verse 1
  
  ישלח אתכם מזה כשלחו, in the same manner as he has already expelled both you and Aaron from his presence when he had lost his cool. (compare 10,11). When he will send the whole people of Israel from his land, he will act under a similar type of stress.
  כלה גרש יגרש אתכם, at that time he had only expelled the two of you. This time he will expel all of you from this entire country. This is the attribute of G’d’s justice at work. When a person obstinately insists on not performing the expressed will of his Creator, (owner) he will ultimately have to do what he tried to avoid doing under infinitely worse circumstances. The Torah had warned us in Deuteronomy in Moses’ famous speech of admonition that because the Jewish people had refused to observe G’d’s commandments joyfully, out of a feeling of gratitude for their success in the Holy Land, they would ultimately still have to do what G’d wanted them to do, and what they had contracted to do, by serving G’d’s servants [host nations in the land of our exile. Ed.] instead of Him directly. (Deut. 28,47-48). Our sages phrase it thus: “everyone who ignores and fails to observe Torah pleading his wealth as his excuse, will ultimately keep the Torah because he has become impoverished.” (Avot 4,10) He will then be so preoccupied with keeping body and soul together that he has no time to devote to Torah study and observance. Numbers 14,28 also outlines the principle of retribution matching the nature of the sin. 
  
  Verse 2
  
  דבר נא באזני העם וישאלו, they needed to be encouraged to ask for this as they might have worried about the Egyptians pursuing them in order to retrieve their riches.  It worked in reverse; the very fact that the Egyptians chased after the Israelites, i.e. reneged, was the immediate reason G’d came to the Israelites’ assistance and drowned their pursuers. That is what made them absolutely free.
  
  Verse 3
  
  גם האיש משה גדול, in his honour the Egyptians gave the Israelites generously.
  
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  Verse 5
  
  מבכור פרעה עד בכור השפחה, from the highest layer of Egyptian society to the most lowly. When we read a similar line in 12,19 the meaning is “from the most severe sinner to the relatively least guilty sinner.”
  
  Verse 6
  
  אשר כמוהו לא נהיתה, never had there been such an outcry in any of the nights the Egyptians had known. The reason was that this was not a night during which a battle was being waged against the enemies of the Egyptians, an occasion when there are many outcries in the city, as we know from Tzefaniah 1,10 “a loud outcry from the fish gate and howling from the Mishneh, and a great sound of anguish from the hills. The dwellers of the Machtesh howl.” This was a night during which Egypt was at peace. Never again would there be such an outcry in the midst of peace.
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  ואחרי כן אצא, I will not leave Egypt at once, as you have requested from me, but afterwards, in the morning.
  
  Verse 9
  
  ויאמר ה' אל משה לא ישמע אליכם פרעה, G’d told him that the reason why Pharaoh would not react positively to Moses’ warning was simply that He, G’d, had stiffened his heart in order to be able to demonstrate more miracles. This was designed to teach both the Egyptians and the Israelites the multi-faceted power of G’d, as well as His goodness, as He had said: “you will know that I am Hashem.” (10,2) Moses and Aaron performed all these miracles in order to fulfill what G’d had wanted to demonstrate through human messengers. Now, that the time had come to punish the Egyptians, not to demonstrate miracles, and to save the Israelites, i.e. at least the ones that deserved being saved, and also to destroy the Egyptian deities, G’d introduces the part the Passover was to play in this end-game. This portion commences with 12,12-13. G’d wanted that the command-ment of the Passover be communicated to the people by both Moses and Aaron so that just as Moses and Aaron both had had a part to play in their confrontation with Pharaoh, they should also have a similar part to play in getting the Israelites to perform the two commandments which would qualify them to take advantage of Pharaoh’s downfall, i.e. their own salvation, the Exodus. Only in this way would Moses and Aaron reap the reward of all their efforts so far.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  החודש הזה לכם ראש חדשים, from now on these months will be yours, to do with as you like. [you have My authority to organise your own calendar. Ed.] This is by way of contrast to the years when you were enslaved when you had no control over your time or timetable at all. [Freedom, i.e. retirement from the “rat race,” means being able to formulate one’s own timetable. Ed.] While you were enslaved, your days, hours, minutes even, were always at the beck and call of your taskmasters.
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  ושכנו הקרוב אל ביתו. Even though numerous Egyptian families might have lived between the house of the Israelite and the nearest house occupied by another Israelite, such an Israelite is described by the Torah as “his neighbour,” seeing that he is closer to his house than the houses of other Jews.
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
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  Verse 11
  
  מתניכם חגורים, ready to commence marching. We find a similar expression in connection with the prophet Elijah in Kings I 18,46 where he is described as וישנס מתניו, “he bound up his loins.” The expression reflects absolute confidence in G’d’s assistance of the undertaking one is about to embark on. This is displayed while the prisoner is still inside the walls of his jail, the door not having opened yet to let him out.
  
  Verse 12
  
  ועברתי, in the sense of Psalms 78,50 יפלס נתיב לאפו, “He cleared a path for His anger;” something an agent, i.e. angel could not do. [once the agent has been given permission to wreak havoc, he cannot distinguish between the innocent and the guilty in that domain. Ed.]
  והכיתי כל בכור, “I, personally, seeing I can distinguish between the drops of semen which become a firstborn and those that do not.”
  ובכל אלוהי מצרים אעשה שפטים, I will humble the celestial representatives of the nation of Egypt. Once I have neutralised them, I can apply My retribution to their protégées with increased force.
  'אני ה. This is something reserved for G’d personally, exclusively. The author of the Haggadah shel Pessach paraphrases this by writing אני הוא ולא אחר, “I alone and no one else.” This expression explains all that has been written before, i.e. why in this instance G’d personally had to mete out the retribution as opposed to the angel who killed 185,000 men of Sancheriv’s army all in the same night without assistance. (Kings II 19,35) There the angel did not have to divine who was a firstborn and who was not.
  
  Verse 13
  
  ולא יהיה בכם נגף למשחית, so you will not be struck with a plague as a corollary to the retributive action I am taking against Egypt.
  בהכותי, G’d caused other harm to the Egyptians during that night, in addition to killing all their firstborn. Had it not been for the “passing over” He had performed as an act of pity for the Israelites, they would not have escaped that judgment even if their firstborn had not been killed. The matter is similar to what the angel had told Lot concerning his not turning around, when he warned פן תספה בעון העיר, “lest you will be wiped out on account of the guilt of the people inside the city.” (Genesis 19,15) G’d commanded the Israelites to smear the blood as a sign so that they would escape. This was for the sake of His great name, as we know from Ezekiel 20,9 when the prophet reminded the people that G’d had said בדמיך חיי, בדמיך חיי, ”by your blood you shall live, by your blood you shall live.”(Ezekiel 16,6) [both the blood of the circumcision and that of the Passover lamb. Ed.]
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  ושמרתם את המצות, which are called such to reflect the speed with which they have been baked without giving the dough a chance to ferment and rise.
  כי בעצם היום הזה, “on this self-same day;” for on the same day they were all being gathered. They were not being given time to assemble over a period of a few days and nights (seeing that we are speaking of between 2-3 million people)
  הוצאתי את צבאותיכם, the entire community of Israel including their flocks and herds all simultaneously.
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  מן הדם אשר בסף, so that every sprinkling be preceded by immersion of the hyssop in the blood, in accordance with G’d’s instructions in verse 6 “on the two upright posts and the lintel.” The sprinkling of the upright posts with the blood had to precede that of the lintel. This could not be accomplished unless there had been three separate sprinklings to reflect the three letters י which served G’d as a means with which to create the universe. This is based on the saying in Menachot 29 that the world of the future (or the world in which we spend our afterlife) was created with the letter י, as opposed to the material universe we live in now, which was created with the letter ה. The other two occasions when the letter י symbolised a world in a state of perfection was before Adam had sinned in Gan Eden, and on the day the Jewish people accepted the Torah at Mount Sinai until the day they sinned with the golden calf (40 days) All this is based on Isaiah 26,4 כי בי-ה ה' צור עולמים. The reason why the letter י is presumed to symbolise this kind of perfection is that it is a mere dot (when written) and requires no physical outline, צורה, as do all the other letters. Not only that, the uniqueness of that letter symbolises the uniqueness of the Creator Who presides over two universes both of infinite duration, or over heaven and earth (one single universe consisting of two parts both parts of which are eternal). 
  ואתם לא תצאו, from the house which has been marked with blood. ופסח, and in this fashion G’d will skip, pass-over. The meaning of the words is similar to Ezekiel 9,4 והתוית תו על מצחות האנשים, “you will mark the foreheads of these men with a sign, etc.”
  
  Verse 23
  
  לנגוף, to afflict them with the afflictions G’d will visit on the Egyptian people other than deadly plagues. Whenever the expression נגף is used it refers to afflictions that do not result in death. A well known example of this is found in Exodus 21,22 ונגפו אשה הרה ולא יהיה אסון, “and he pushes a pregnant woman without causing any death, etc.”
  המשחית, the Egyptian people by one of G’d’s other attributes expressing His anger.
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  מה העבודה הזאת לכם?, which is performed on a day that does not even bear the appellation מקרא קודש, “holy convocation? All the other mandatory communal offerings are offered on days designated as festivals. Not only that, but the whole day is available for slaughtering those offerings whereas the offering known as Passover is only accepted from noon until sunset [roughly, in fact even less time than that. Ed.]  Besides, why does not a single communal offering serve as this memorial of the Exodus? Other public offerings serve each for the whole community.
  
  Verse 27
  
  זבח פסח הוא, this offering commemorates the skipping over by G’d of each individual Jewish home, something that occurred at midnight. Accordingly, the offering should really have been brought after midnight when the Jewish firstborn had already experienced that G’d saved him. As a result it really would have been at night. However, since we have a rule that offerings must not be brought on the altar at night, it had to be brought at a time which is closely associated with the impending night, i.e. the period described here as בין הערבים.
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  וה' הכה, while the Jews were busy with preparing and eating the Passover offering, G’d was busy with killing the firstborn of Egypt and orchestrating the redemption of His people.
  
  Verse 30
  
  
  
  Verse 31
  
  
  
  Verse 32
  
  
  
  Verse 33
  
  
  
  Verse 34
  
  
  
  Verse 35
  
  
  
  Verse 36
  
  
  
  Verse 37
  
  
  
  Verse 38
  
  וצאן ובקר, of the mixed multitude who were leaving Egypt with the Israelites to take up residence among them together with all their belongings.
  
  Verse 39
  
  כי לא חמץ, it had not had time to rise and ferment due to the short period of time it took to get from Ramses which was still part of Egypt to Sukkot which was already beyond the boundary of Egypt. Our sages in the Haggadah shel Pessach described the experience in the following words: “the dough of our forefathers did not have time to rise and become leavened during the brief time it took for the Lord our G’d to manifest Himself and to redeem them.” The reference of the author of the Haggadah is to the appearance of the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire as soon as the Israelites had reached Sukkot and left Egyptian soil behind the, This was the manifestation of the Lord G’d of whom he speaks. The Torah there begins to speak of G’d walking in front of the Israelites (Exodus 13,21).
  
  Verse 40
  
  אשר ישבו במצרים שלושים שנה וארבע מאות שנה, the sum of 430 is arrived at by commencing the count from the time G’d took Avraham out of Ur Casdim in order to conclude the covenant of the pieces with him. During that conversation with Avraham, G’d had specifically taken credit for taking Avraham out of Ur Casdim, (generally understood as saving him from the fire of Nimrod’s furnace when Avraham had been a voluntary martyr for his belief in the G’d of heaven. Genesis 15,7) This is the reason why the author of Seder Olam, an ancient historical text, describes Avraham as having been 70 years old at that time.
  
  Verse 41
  
  
  
  Verse 42
  
  ליל שמורים הוא לה' להוציאם, the night G’d had been looking forward to, to take the Jews out from there. G’d had not caused the Israelites all this suffering in Egypt out of caprice, just in order to keep to a timetable of His, but He simply had not found them ready and worthy of redemption until that particular night. He had reserved this night for that event because He is so full of loving kindness. This is what our sages meant when they stated that G’d was מחשב את הקץ, He had manipulated history in order to bring about the redemption so much earlier than even the Israelites had thought it would come, based on the prophecy to Avraham. (Haggadah shel Pessach.)
  הוא הלילה הזה לה' שמורים, just as G’d had looked for ways and means to bring the redemption to the Jewish people from their suffering in Egypt, so He is looking for legal ways and means to redeem us from the present exile and to bring on the final redemption. Isaiah phrased this asולכן יחכה ה' לחננכם, “Truly, the Lord is waiting to show you grace.” (Isaiah 3018)
  לכל בני ישראל לדורותיכם, in accordance with the statement of our sages in Rosh Hashanah 11 “just as the Israelites have been redeemed from Egypt in the month of Nissan, so the final redemption will also occur during the month of Nissan.”
  
  Verse 43
  
  זאת חקת הפסח, for the generations following the Exodus. The Torah legislates where it is to be eaten, by whom, how, when, etc. Only the requirement to put the blood of the sacrificial animal on the doorposts and to eat it in haste, ready for marching, were commandments applicable to the first such offering. All the other ordinances would apply for all future times. (compare Pessachim 96)
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  קדש לי כל בכור, they all have to be redeemed just as other sanctified items which cannot be used for their designated purpose can be redeemed; otherwise they are forbidden for secular use. This prohibition is spelled out in Deuteronomy 15,19 in the words לא תעבוד בבכור שורך, “you are not allowed to perform work with your firstborn ox.” The amount designated here by the Torah for redeeming a human being is the minimum applicable mentioned in connection with this legislation in chapter 27 in Leviticus. Whereas a fully mature male over 20 is valued at 50 shekel, the 30 day old infant is valued at 5 shekel.
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  בחודש האביב, the reason that the Passover festival is to be observed in spring is so that it will coincide with the legislation of marking the lunar new year with the month of spring, the month of rejuvenation. Our sages have been very careful when calculating a permanent calendar to ensure that  Passover never occurs before the spring equinox. 
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  כי ביד חזקה הוציאך, by changing the rules governing the inert, eternal components of nature. This point was spelled out in Joshua 4,24 when he referred to G’d having split the waters of the Jordan to enable the people to wade across. The verse there reads: “so that all the nations of the earth will know that the hand of the Lord is very powerful.”
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  מה זאת?, a reference to the unusual legislation of having to redeem the firstborn impure animal donkey seeing that its body could not have been sanctified due to its inherent impurity. Similarly, the need to break this animal’s neck as an alternative to redeeming it sounds peculiar to the son who is asking.
  בחוזק יד הוציאנו ה' ממצרים, due to the urgency with which the Egyptians wanted to get rid of us (12,33) we left Egypt traveling in coaches, just as the family of Yaakov had arrived in Egypt hundreds of years ago in coaches supplied by Pharaoh himself. Both the coaches materialised miraculously, as well as the many donkeys needed to transport the new found riches of the people. Seeing that the donkeys had therefore had a constructive part to play in the redemption of the Israelites, this is reflected in their not being treated like all other impure beasts. This degree of minor sanctity accorded the firstborn donkey may be redeemed in exchange for a pure animal, so that the donkey can then be used in the regular way.
  
  Verse 15
  
  ויהי כי בקשה פרעה, seeing that Pharaoh had put so many obstacles in the path of our eventual liberation he is himself compared to a donkey as we know from Ezekiel 23,20, the prophet describing the flesh of the Egyptians as similar to donkeys. Pharaoh could have easily redeemed himself by releasing the Israelites, i.e. the Israelites are compared to the שה, the lamb. As a result of failing to do so, G’d chose to kill the firstborn instead.
  
  כל בכור בארץ מצרים, the fact that the Torah does not speak about “every Egyptian firstborn,” but about “every firstborn in Egypt,” shows that basically, the Israelites, i.e. their firstborn were also guilty of death at the hands of G’d. He saved them by sanctifying them as His personal property.
  על כן אני זובח, this act of grace by G’d at the time is the reason that I annually express my gratitude by slaughtering the firstborn male of any pure animal. [after giving it to the priest. Ed.] Seeing that the firstborn donkeys or any other impure animal are unfit as offerings on the altar, I redeem them in order to be able to make secular use of these animals as beasts of burden, etc. As far as the firstborn of my own sons are concerned, seeing that they were sanctified from birth, I redeem them in order that they can lead regular lives, as the priesthood is no longer an option for such firstborn ever since the sin of the golden calf. 
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  ויהי בשלח...ולא נחם אלוקים דרך ארץ פלשתים, even though it had been G’d’s plan to lead the Israelites to Mount Sinai to receive the Torah there, and only from there to the land of Israel, as He stated Himself in Exodus 6,7-8 :”I will take you as My people, and I will bring you to the land, etc.,” at this point, G’d’s plan was to lead them to the Sea of Reeds, which was neither the route to the land of the Philistines, nor the route that led to Mount Sinai. [we must remember that Moses had stood at Chorev=Mt Sinai at the burning bush and he did not have to cross the sea to do this. Ed.] The major reason for this was to bring about the drowning of Pharaoh and his army in the sea. [it is important to always remember that due to man’s free will, G’d cannot deal with man in the way He deals with inert objects or even animals, none of which could oppose Him. G’d needs to create a scenario which gives man a chance to delude himself, thus bringing him to act in a manner enabling G’d to insure that His design will be carried out. Ed.] An example of G’d acting in this manner is described in Judges 4,7 where G’d Himself speaks about how He “dragged” Sisera and his army and 900 armoured vehicles across the river Kishon to face Barak. The simplest route to get to the Sea of Reeds was by traversing the land of the Philistines. דרך ארץ פלשתים, G’d did not want them to travel this route 
   כי קרוב הוא because this route was too close to Egypt, afforded too easy a way to return to Egypt. Also, seeing it was a much traveled route, too many travelers would be able to report to Pharaoh about the Israelites and also too many Egyptians could keep the Israelites informed of what transpired in their country. If the Israelites would have to face combat
  בראותם מלחמה, when they would hear that the Egyptians were mobilizing for war preparatory to chasing after the Israelites, the latter would no doubt return to Egypt out of fear of being killed. This is why G’d decided to lead them on a route not frequented by travelers at all.
  
  Verse 18
  
  דרך המדבר ים סוף, that they should march to the Sea of Reeds via the desert. On that route they would neither encounter travelers headed in the direction of Egypt, nor would they encounter travelers who had come from Egypt who could report that Pharaoh was going to chase them, until Pharaoh would actually catch up with them by which time a “voluntary” return to Egypt and slavery would not be of any advantage to them anymore, as their surrender would not then be acceptable to Pharaoh. 
  וחמושים עלו, although they had left Egypt fully armed. They did not have the courage to face the Egyptians in combat in spite of their being armed. They felt too inexperienced to face trained warriors.
  
  Verse 19
  
  ויקח משה את עצמות יוסף עמו, seeing that he was now the leader of the nation it was up to him to make good on the oath Joseph
  השבע השביע את בני ישראל, any obligation undertaken communally must be honoured by the leader of that community when the time and opportunity presents itself to discharge that obligation.
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  וה' הולך לפניהם, from the time the Israelites had reached Sukkot, at the border of Egypt, just beyond, G’d’s presence had manifested itself the moment they entered the desert.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  סגר עליהם המדבר. A reference to the Egyptian deity Baal Tzefon whom Pharaoh credited with this accomplish- ment of halting the Israelites.
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  כי ברח העם, they had not marched straight into the desert as they had maintained they would. In 8,23 all they had asked for was to be allowed to march into the desert a distance of three days’ journey. They had now departed from their planned route so that this could be interpreted as an attempt to flee. The new route made no sense, showing they did not know where they were headed, just as one would expect of a fugitive.
  ויהפך לבב פרעה, Pharaoh had concluded that the Baal Tzefon was an equal to G’d and could frustrate His designs.
  מה זאת עשינו כי שלחנו, what (a foolish thing) have we done in dismissing the Israelites, etc.! We should have consulted Baal Tzefon who would have helped us so that we would have had no need to let the Israelites depart.
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  ואת עמו לקח עמו, the choicest of his cavalry and chariots.
  
  Verse 7
  
  וכל רכב מצרים, the chariots of average quality of which there were many.
  ושלישים על כלו, Pharaoh appointed experienced officers even for the chariots of this second cadre. שלישים are officers who have battle experience to their credit. The aggressive ability of any army depends on its officer corps and the intelligence of the generals to devise schemes and battle plans which will lead to victory.
  
  Verse 8
  
  ובני ישראל יוצאים ביד רמה, the meaning of the word רמה here is similar to the meaning of the same word in Deuteronomy 32,27 ידינו רמה, where it means: “our own hand has prevailed.” At the time of their departure they had been confident of their ability to defeat Pharaoh and his military machine as they were much stronger in numbers. The verse teaches that they were relying on their numbers instead of considering their total lack of experience in the art of war. They would have had every reason to fear the numerically inferior Egyptians who had all this experience going for them.
  
  Verse 9
  
  וירדפו מצרים, after the ones who had departed with such high regard for their superiority.
  
  Verse 10
  
  ופרעה הקריב, he had brought the entire Egyptian army right up close to the Israelites.
  
  Verse 11
  
  לקחתנו למות במדבר, even if Pharaoh and his army will not provoke a battle the mere fact that they block our path will result in our death in the desert from thirst and starvation.
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  מה תצעק אלי?; G’d’s question seems at first glance redundant, seeing that Moses’ outcry could have been perceived as part of the nation’s outcry in verse 10, i.e. ויצעקו בני ישראל וגו'.However, Moses’ outcry had nothing to do with being afraid of the pursuing Egyptians. He had already predicted the downfall and death of Pharaoh and his army as being so decisive that Egypt as a world power would never again pose a serious threat to the Jews. (verse 13-14) He had also told the people that G’d would do the fighting for them and that all they had to do was to remain silent. Moses’ outcry was one of concern with the rebellious attitude of the people who not only were afraid, something that could be forgiven, but who had dared to be sarcastic in their hour of danger, ridiculing Moses’ leadership to the point where he was afraid that they would refuse to enter the sea when told to. G’d told Moses that he had no right to assume such a thing, that in fact he was suspecting innocent people of lack of faith.
  דבר אל בני ישראל ויסעו, G’d is challenging Moses to issue the order to move forward, assuring him that he will see immediately that the people will respond positively.
  
  Verse 16
  
  הרם את מטך, in the direction of the east wind so that it will cause the sea bed to dry out.
  ונטה את ידך על הים, so that the waters will split to the two opposite sides of the shore, similar to what the prophet Elijah would do in Kings II 2,8.
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  וידעו מצרים, the Egyptians who had remained at home, mostly the women and children and the aged, and they would practice penitence, seeing G’d is not interested in the sinner’s death but in his rehabilitation.
  
  Verse 19
  
  ההולך לפני מחנה, in the column of fire.
  וילך מאחריהם, in order to (melt) dissolve the very chunks of water which had frozen in order to enable the Israelites to cross on a dry seabed, and to turn the seabed into a slimy mass which would spell doom for the Egyptians. At this juncture there was no need for the pillar of cloud to be at the head of the marching Israelites. The dry path in the water was their guide 
  ויעמד מאחריהם. behind the Israelites and behind the column of fire.
  
  Verse 20
  
   ויבא (המלאך) בין מחנה מצרים ובין ישראל; in order to guide the two pillars.
  ויהי הענן והחשך, the darkness of night together with the cloud was positioned behind Israel and the column of fire.
  ויאר את הלילה, and the angel illuminated the night by means of the column of fire. By removing the darkness in that spot and forward only, the pillar of cloud still shielded the Israelites from being seen by the Egyptians.
  ולא קרב זה אל זה כל הלילה. This was because the Egyptians who had previously had the advantage of speed over the Israelites who traveled only on foot, now were slowed down by having to move in darkness.
  
  Verse 21
  
  וישם את הים לחרבה, the east wind had frozen the mud on the bottom of the sea.
  ויבקעו המים, when Moses inclined his hand at G’d’s command.
  
  Verse 22
  
  הלכו ביבשה, seeing the deep parts under the sea had all become frozen from the east wind so that the Israelites were crossing on frozen mud.
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  וישקף ה' אל מחנה מצרים בעמוד אש וענן, the two pillars which were moving halfway between the Egyptians and the Israelites, He now brought much closer to the Egyptian camp.
  ויהם, by means of a variety of diseases, similar to what G’d did to the Philistines who had captured the Holy Ark in Samuel I 5,9 where these afflictions, especially painful hemorrhoids are detailed. These afflictions are referred to in the Torah as מדוי מצרים הרעים, the terrible sicknesses of Egypt (Deut. 7,15). This was part of the היד הגדולה אשר עשה ה' במצרים, “the great hand which G’d employed against Egypt.” (verse 31 our chapter). In Deuteronomy 28,60 Moses recalls that the Israelites dreaded these illnesses. However, during the 10 plagues the details of which have been listed by the Torah, we find only a single such affliction infecting the bodies of the people seriously, i.e the 6th plague, שחין. The Torah refers separately to שחין מצרים and to מדוי מצרים.
  
  Verse 25
  
  ויסר את אופן,  by means of the column of fire.
  בכבדות, due to  the heavy mud in which they were sunk.
  כי ה' נלחם להם, they were hoping that once G’d saw them fleeing He would desist from fighting them.
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  לאיתנו, the waves returning into the trough created by the waters having been split.
  ומצרים נסים לקראתו, since the morning watch of the day the hand of G’d had been actively deployed against them to confuse them. That is when they first articulated the decision to flee. (verse 28) They kept fleeing along the trough created by the splitting of the waters until morning. At that time the waters began to reverse themselves meeting the Egyptians who were now near the wrong end of this trough, head on.
  וינער ה' את מצרים, G’d tossed Egypt, King and all from all the chariots to the bottom of the sea. The verb נער occurs in the same sense as here in Nechemyah 5,13 חצני נערתי, “I shook out my garment.” We also find this term used in this sense in Isaiah 52,2: התנערי מעפר, “arise and shake off the dust!” 
  
  Verse 28
  
  וישובו המים in great waves to the newly created trough,
  ויכסו את הרכב, after having shaken off the riders who had been driving these chariots.
  ואת הפרשים, the riders of the cavalry.
  לכל חיל פרעה הבאים אחריהם, the main body of chariots, foot- soldiers, etc, all who were not the elite but who had taken part in this war.
  
  Verse 29
  
  ובני ישראל הלכו ביבשה, all the while the Egyptians experienced all these problems and were drowning, the Israelites had been walking trough the sea as if it were dry land. The areas still being traversed by Israelites were not affected by the sea reverting to its originals state.
  
  Verse 30
  
  ויושע ה' ביום ההוא את ישראל, by the death of those who had cruelly abused them. Those who had previously been in bondage to the Egyptians were now free. Until the Egyptians died they had been comparable to slaves running away from their masters.
  
  Verse 31
  
  היד הגדולה אשר עשה ה' במצרים; a reference to the מדוי מצרים in Deuteronomy 7,15 which described afflictions suffered by the Egyptians while at the Sea of Reeds.
  וייראו העם, describing a feeling of immediate fear as in Deuteronomy 28,60 אשר יגורת מפניהם, “of which you were very much afraid.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  אז ישיר, he agreed to sing this song.
  כי גאה גאה, He alone is entitled to feel this sense of superiority seeing He is the source of all goodness in the universe. This is in contrast to Pharaoh who boasts about having created the Nile as the source of Egypt’s affluence, (Ezekiel 29.3) a totally spurious claim.
  סוס ורוכבו רמה בים, a reference to Pharaoh and his horse. Compare Psalms 136,15 ונער פרעה וחילו בים, “He tossed Pharaoh and his armed might into the Sea.”
  
  Verse 2
  
  עזי וזמרת י-ה, It is G’d’s glory that He flung Pharaoh’s might into the Sea. By doing this He demonstrated that He is the King of kings, and that it is appropriate that those who have been saved by Him praise Him in poem and song. They should demonstrate their joy at having been elevated to being servants of the true master, the King of the universe.
  ויהי לי לישועה, my salvation consisted in the fact that He flung the enemy into the Sea. (compare Isaiah 66,14 “The power of the Lord will be revealed on behalf of His servants; but He shall rage against His foes.”)
  זה א-לי, He is the eternal original Being as far as I am concerned. He invented or called into existence all perishable phenomena. Any and all phenomena which will endure have been enabled to do so only by His will.
  ואנוהו, I will erect a suitable residence for Him in our midst. Within that residence I shall pray to Him exclusively and I will serve Him as is befitting to the One Who bestows both goodness and punishes the derelict. (compare Isaiah 44,17. ויתפלל אליו ויאמר הצילני נא כי א-לי אתה, “He prayed to Him, saying: ‘save me for You are my G’d.’”) Both prayer and service (sacrifices, etc.) have as their purpose to find favour in the eyes of the Lord.
  אלוקי אבי, a reference to the “G’d of Yaakov” who had spoken of א-ל אלוקי ישראל, in Genesis 33,20. Yaakov had meant that G’d is great in His awesomeness, His supervision of the individual fates of His creatures. He had named G’d thus to indicate that G’d combines within Himself both the attribute of love and the attribute of Justice. 
  וארוממנהו, I elevate Him by my prostrating myself and humbling myself before Him, as well as by making it known that the purpose of everyone of my endeavours in this life to carry out His will to the best of my ability, consistent with the intellectual faculties granted to me. I acknowledge that His will is always superior and ultimately of the most benefit to His creatures. This is why in the final analysis He is beyond even our best efforts to praise Him and exalt Him. (Nechemyah 9,6).
  
  Verse 3
  
  ה' איש מלחמה, ה' שמו, even though He at times appears as the איש מלחמה, the “Man” of war who destroys His foes by invoking the attribute of Justice, He is yet predominantly Hashem, the G’d Who practices mercy. It is this attribute of His which is responsible for the continued existence of all His creatures. When He destroys His foes, He is in effect removing weeds from the garden in order to enable the useful plants to survive and develop. The wicked are like the thorns and thistles in a vineyard.
  
  Verse 4
  
  מרכבות פרעה וחילו, after giving thanks to G’d for the destruction of Pharaoh and his horse, Moses refers to G’d’s fight against the army and his elite corps of officers which constituted the backbone of his army.
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  ימינך ה' נאדרי בכח, Moses emphasises that it is not the mighty military machine of Pharaoh which glorifies in power but the right hand of the Lord; (this was already the second “war” against the Egyptians G’d conducted, i.e. a separate war against part of the power of Egypt). The first time Moses mentioned G’d’s ימין this is a grateful acknowledgment of G’d’s war against Pharaoh; the repetition of the words
  'ימינך ה are a prayer for G’d to manifest this power against evil again at the time of the final redemption, may it come about soon in our days. We find a similar repetition in Devorah’s song of thanksgiving for Barak’s victory against Siserah in Judges 5,31.
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  וברוח אפיך נערמו מים, now Moses speaks of the third war G’d conducted against the multitudes of Egypt; (not the elite) Moses recapitulates the phenomena faced by the Egyptian hordes when the waters which had previously been normal became like towers of frozen water in the midst of the sea.
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  נשפת ברוחך, You used the very same wind You had used to dry out the sea bed after splitting it to now turn against the pursuers and to turned into overwhelming and turbulent waters.
  אדירים, not a reference to the waters but to the men who had been considered mighty, invincible, etc. [I suppose the unusual exegesis is based on the dividing tone sign tipcha under the word במים, which indicates that it belongs to the preceding words. Ed.] The people to whom Moses refers are the ones who had been described in 14,7 as שלישים על כולו.
  
  Verse 11
  
  מי כמוכה בא-לים; Moses praised the Lord for His third war, the one against the Egyptian cavalry of the second quality. G’d’s incomparable stature consists in His ability to change the nature of phenomena in the universe which had previously been considered as indestructible, inviolate, impervious to any attempt by man to influence their nature in any way.
  נאדר בקודש, that which is קודש, holy, is by definition something indestructible. This is what our sages meant (Sanhedrin 92) when they stated that the righteous people who will be resurrected in the future will never again return to their dust. They based this on Isaiah 4,3 הנשאר בציון והנותר בירושלים........ קרוש יאמר להם, “and those who remain in Zion and are left in Jerusalem, all who are inscribed for life in Jerusalem, shall be called holy.” The Talmud concludes: “what is the meaning of the word נאדר used here by Moses? There is none such as the Lord Who is known to be eternal, King over even all other holy beings, the ones that are also of an enduring nature, not mortal or subject to decay. This is the reason why there is no one else who is entitled to be worshipped, exalted, obeyed, etc. Anything that is infinite had its origin in the Lord, Who is not only infinite but also eternal.
  נורא תהלות, anyone aware of the marvelous attributes of His cannot fail but recite these praises in awe, not because he is afraid of being punished but because the very nature of G’d inspires awe and reverence.
  עושה פלא. He accomplishes marvelous, supernatural results, such as the type of pillar of cloud and pillar of fire which were tailored to fit the needs of the Jewish people at that time.
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  נחית בחסדך עם זו גאלת, ever since You redeemed them and took over their leadership at the boundary of Egypt at Sukkot, as we know from 13,20-21.
  נהלת בעזך, You guided them across the dry seabed in a leisurely fashion. (compare Isaiah 63,13 “Who led them through the depths so that they did not stumble-- as a horse in a desert.”)
  אל נוה קדשך, on the proper way in order to arrive at a place where they will sanctify Your holy Name.
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  אז נבהלו אלופי אדום, אילי מואב, when they saw all these miracles; even though they knew that Israel would not make war against them. They were still frightened by the mere spectacle even if it was not directed at them.
  יאחזמו רעד, they were gripped by fear praying that the Israelites would never rise to attack them.
  נמוגו כל יושבי כנען, there can be no question that the hearts of all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan  melted at the manifestation of these miracles as they knew that the Israelites were marching in order to drive them out of their land. Rachav testifies even 40 years later when their worst fears had not yet been realised, that the population of Canaan had completely lost confidence in the outcome of a confrontation with Israel (Joshua 2,11).
  
  Verse 16
  
  תפול עליהם אימתה ופחד בגדול זרועך, may it be Your will that fear will overcome them in a manner which will make them flee because they are afraid of Your arm.  Moses refers to what the Torah described in 14,25 when the Egyptians announced that they would flee as they realised that G’d was fighting on behalf of Israel.
  ידמו כאבן עד יעבור עמך הן, may it also be Your will that they will not launch an attack against us until we have crossed the rivers still in front of us, i.e. the Arnon and the Jordan, seeing that the battles are always more difficult at river crossings, and we would need greater miracles in order to become victorious. We might not be deserving of such miracles.
  
  Verse 17
  
  תביאמו ותטעמו, in a manner that will ensure that they will never be exiled from there.
  בהר נחלתך, on the Temple Mount, of which it has been said in Genesis 22,14 בהר ה' יראה, “on the Mountain of the Lord He manifests Himself.”
  'מכון לשבתך פעלת ה, similar to what David, quoting G’d,  said in Psalms 132,14 פה אשב כי אויתיה, “here I shall dwell for I have yearned for it.”
  מקדש ה' כוננו ידיך, a veiled reference to the sanctuary which G’d would instruct the Jewish people to build for His Presence in Exodus 25,8-9. [G’d’s stating the sizes, furnishings, and materials this Sanctuary would be made of makes it equivalent to He Himself having constructed it. Ed.] Also David, in Chronicles I 28,19 spoke about his having received the details of the blueprint of the Temple to be built by his son Solomon from G’d, proving that G’d Himself considered this as His permanent residence on earth.
  
  Verse 18
  
  ה' ימלוך לעולם ועד, this too is a prayer by Moses who expresses the hope that G’d, exclusively, will reign forever, and that He will not have to share power with anyone else claiming divine authority on earth.
  
  Verse 19
  
  כי בא סוס פרעה, the opening words of this song,אז ישיר משה had been inspired by the spectacle of Pharaoh with his chariot, his horses and its riders drowning in the sea at the time when the Israelites, by contrast, were taking their time walking through the same sea on dry ground. ביבשה בתוך הים, they began the song of thanksgiving even before all had emerged from the sea to the shore.
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  ושם נסהו, to find out if they would be willing to accept statutes (laws not given to our intelligence to understand,) as well as social legislation and they would not ignore it when they were not in a state of crisis as now when they needed water through a miracle.אם שמוע תשמע לקול ה' אלוקיך, to accept the statutes which would follow as a way of life, not merely as emergency regulation in the desert, and if from now on they would הישר בעיניו תעשה והאזנת למצותיו, וגו, carefully observe G’d’s commandments endeavouring to live according to their understanding of what is pleasing to Him, then they would be permanently spared any of the afflictions that G’d had brought upon the Egyptians. The implication was that betraying G’d’s trust would have painful consequences. The entire experience is a reminder of the manner in which the Rabbis relate to a potential convert to Judaism. One does not present Judaism in rosy attractive colours so as to encourage him to convert, but on the contrary, one apprises him first and foremost of the עול המצות, “the yoke of the commandments,” telling him of all the things he would have to forego by joining the Jewish people, i.e. the Jewish religion. Moreover, one advises him that whereas up until now he was able to eat certain foods, such as chelev, not only would he no longer be able to eat these foods, but violation of the commandment would carry the penalty of karet, loss of entitlement to his afterlife, etc. Only after he has duly absorbed this information does one proceed with teaching him the intricacies of Judaism. What happened at Marah was preparatory to accepting Judaism at Mount Sinai. If the people had not gone through this process it is doubtful that they would have said נעשה ונשמע, “we will do, now let us learn G’d’s Torah,” when the time came for this a few weeks later.
  כי אני ה' רופאך, the point of all this is that once you have accepted the statutes and then fail to honour your commitment you will be subject to punishment by G’d. These punishments will be in the nature of being self-inflicted as all of G’d’s commandments are designed to make your life on earth and beyond a healthy life. Failure to honour your commitment will expose you to all the negative influences which abound on earth. I have shown you that I can cure harmful waters, waters which humans cannot drink. This is only a sample of what My commandments and observing them can do for you. We, today, do not know what kind of wood or tree G’d told Moses to throw into these waters. The Torah deliberately did not reveal this information. Even if all the trees in the world would be the kind that G’d told Moses to throw into the water, and even if we would throw all this wood into only a minute quantity of water the result would be nil. On the other hand, if, by the grace of G’d, one throws even a minute quantity of such wood into even an entire ocean, the waters of the ocean would suddenly become drinking water. [my addition. Ed.] Leviticus 20,26 states clearly that G’d separates the Jewish people from the surrounding nations. Failure to honour commitments results in “disease,” i.e. the defilement of one’s soul. As a result, such a person deserves his punishment.
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  שתים עשרה עינות מים, in spite of this, the people moved on from there.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  ויסעו מאלים...אל מדבר סין, this is what Jeremiah had in mind when he spoke of G’d remembering fondly how Israel had followed Him into the inhospitable desert (Jeremiah 2,2).
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  מי יתן מותנו...בשבתנו על סיר הבשר, they did not want to die. What they said was that if it had been G’d’s plan all along to let them die, why had He not arranged for them to die while they were still satiated from their last meal? A similar thought is expressed in Lamentations 4,9טובים היו חללי חרב מחללי רעב, “the ones killed by the sword were better off than the ones who died from hunger.”
  
  Verse 4
  
  והכינו את אשר יביאו והיה משנה, not literally: “bread,” but מזון, “food.”
  למען אנסנו הילך בתורתי, if when receiving their food without effort they will take care to keep My commandments, seeing they will then not have any excuses not to. This idea has been formulated in the classic statement by our sages in the Mechilta, section ויסע chapter 2 “the Torah, as an instrument of profound study, has been given only to the generation who ate the manna.” [no other generation had so little to distract it from devoting time to Torah study. Ed.]
  
  Verse 5
  
  והכינו את אשר, even after having prepared the food from the raw manna it will still be twice the quantity it had been on the previous days. It will not shrink in the course of preparation. The reason G’d speaks of והכינו, “they will prepare it,” is to encourage the people to prepare for the Sabbath by observing it with delicacies, especially tasty food. They should concentrate on all this on the Sabbath eve.
  
  Verse 6
  
  ערב וידעתם, may it be G’d’s will that what He said about giving you food will be such that in the evening you will receive enough for that evening so that you will all know that He has taken you out of Egypt, totally and irrevocably. You have also exited from the political leaders of that country. True, you had been sitting near the fleshpots there, but you had never been given enough time to enjoy any of the meat in these pots. You had been treated like animals which have no fixed times when they eat. This is the meaning of the passage in Yuma 75 in which we are told that at the beginning of your history (of the enslavement) you were like hens that are only able to hastily pick at the kernels given them as food. They even had to look for it in the refuse heaps. Only after Moses, their redeemer, took over their affairs did they begin to enjoy regular meals at regular times.
  
  Verse 7
  
  ובוקר, in the morning you will have bread,
  'וראיתם את כבוד ה, and may it be G’d’s will that you will see Hashem’s glory when He will set limits to various times of the day, so that you will know that your complaints addressed to Aaron and myself should really have been addressed to Him, seeing it is He who will remove the cause of these complaints.
  
  Verse 8
  
  ויאמר משה בתת ה' לכם, Moses said: as far as your prayer to G’d to give you food in the evening in a way which makes it plain that that G’d took you out of Egypt and not we, is that we had in mind בערב בשר לאכול, He will give you meat to eat in the evening; to eat, but not to satiate yourself on; unlike the Egyptians who are only concerned with the cravings of their bodies; therefore only בבקר לשובע only in the morning will G’d give you bread to satiate your body’s requirements. As to our having prayed that G’d would show you His glory, this referred to His answering your complaints.
  בשמוע ה' את תלונותיכם, concerning our prayer that you will be able to see the glory of Hashem our intention was that you will realise from His reaction that your complaints were not addressed to us, or should not have been addressed to us, but to Him. Moreover, by providing, He has demonstrated that He has heard your complaints.
  
  Verse 9
  
  אמור אל כל עדת, seeing that Moses knew that their prayer had been accepted, as in the case of Rabbi Chanina who claimed that while praying for the sick he could feel if G’d responded positively.(Berachot 34).
  'קרבו לפני ה, “come close to the proximity of Hashem,” Moses referred to the pillar of cloud which traveled in front of the Israelites and represented the presence of G’d.
  
  Verse 10
  
  ויפנו אל המדבר, seeing that the direction of that pillar was toward the desert, the direction in which the people had been marching.
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  והנה על פני המדבר, kernels in the shape and texture of very fine crystals as described in Numbers 11,7 כזרע גז הוא, similar to the seeds of Gad.
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  'זה הדבר אשר צוה ה, and in the morning you will eat bread (food) to satisfy yourselves. (compare verse 12)
  לקטו ממנו, everyone to his heart’s desire. Some would take more, others less but איש לפי אכלו עומר לגלגלת, מספר נפשותיכם איש לאשר באהלו תקחו, it would not matter how much they would collect, for when they would measure it they would find that each one had exactly one omer per family member in his tent. Every Israelite would receive (ultimately) an equal share of the heavenly food G’d would provide. It would satisfy him in accordance with the amount of food he was used to consume regularly. If someone was in the habit of eating relatively little, he would not now be able to change his eating habits and gorge himself. On the other hand, if someone was a glutton, receiving heavenly food would not require him to downsize his appetite. 
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  ויקצף עליהם משה, the reason that Moses was angry was that the leftover manna was not the result of it being more than the people could eat, but because it represented an attempt by the people to find out if what they had been warned of would really happen.
  
  Verse 21
  
  בבקר בבקר, each morning; the syntax is similar to that in Genesis 39,10 where the words כדברה אל יוסף יום יום mean: “when she spoke to him (thus) each and every day.” We also have a similar line in Exodus 30,7 when the Torah speaks about the daily procedure of cleaning the candelabra, writing בבקר בבקר בהיטיבו את הנרות, “every morning when he would clean out the lamps, etc.”
  וחם השמש ונמס, this was the reason that the people would gather it up early in the morning so that it did not yet have a chance to melt from the heat.
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  את אשר תאפו, the portion of each day’s ration which they would bake in an oven. The subject has been referred to again in Numbers 11,8 as ועשו אותו עוגות “they would make it into cakes.”
  אפו!, now, on the Sabbath eve. 
  ואת אשר תבשלו, and the portion of it which you want to prepare boiled, parallel to what is described in the corresponding chapter in Numbers as ובשלו בפרד, “they boiled it in a pot.”
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  אכלוהו היום, at fixed times, from this date onward.
  'כי שבת היום לה, this entire day is a Sabbath in honour of G’d. It was permitted to eat any manna left over from Friday on the entire Sabbath. However, if any was left over after the Sabbath it could not be eaten anymore.
  היום לא תמצאוהו, on the entire Sabbath you will not find any manna on the ground anywhere just as you did not on this Sabbath.
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  יצאו מן העם, from their camp to the area where during the week the manna had been falling. These people thought that they would find some manna, possibly outside the usual parameter. This was a demonstration of lack of faith in the word of G’d.
  ללקוט, this would have been an outright desecration of the Sabbath. Even carrying their containers was a desecration of the Sabbath. The Talmud Shabbat 107 states that even something only peripherally attached to the ground, i.e. something which had not actually had grown in the earth, had roots, is nonetheless considered halachically as if it had been uprooted from the soil.
  
  Verse 28
  
  עד אנה מאנתם לשמור, the rebuke included Moses; although Moses, of course, had not gone out to look for manna on the Sabbbath, who is held co-responsible for the people going out as he had withheld information concerning the Sabbath given to him already at the beginning of the week. During the intervening days Moses should have used the time to teach the people the laws concerning the Sabbath. Moses’ specific error is recorded by the Torah in verse 26 when he told the people “you will gather it for six days and on the seventh day there will not be any.” He had not told the people that they must not go out looking for it. The people did not so much rebel against G’d as against the instructions they had received from Moses, when they did not believe him, assuming that he merely did not want them to waste their time looking for something that was not there. Moses should have taught the people that even gathering up manna was considered a forbidden activity on the Sabbath, that the one doing this was considered as if he had harvested it, cut it, on the Sabbath. Not only that, he would also become guilty for transporting it from the public domain to the private domain, another one of the 39 categories of activities on the Sabbath which are disallowed.
  ותורותי, the general tenor of Sabbath observance and the reward and punishment associated with proper Sabbath observance.
  
  Verse 29
  
  ראו!, “try and understand!”
  כי ה' נתן לכם השבת, the Sabbath regulations are not merely prohibitions, etc, but first and foremost the Sabbath is a gift from G’d to you, a gift for you exclusively, something G’d did not give to any other nation. The Talmud Shabbat 10 phrases it thus: “I have a precious gift in my treasure chamber, its name is “Sabbath.” I want to give it to the people of Israel.” Based on this concept of what the Sabbath is all about, the sages who formulated the Sabbath morning prayer, עמידה, emphasised that “You did not give it to the nations of the world, in fact they are not even allowed, being uncircumcised, to partake in the מנוחה, “the constructive rest, which is so characteristic of the Sabbath.” This is also echoed in Exodus 31,16 ושמרו בני ישרל את השבת לעשות את השבת לדוררותם. “The Children of Israel are to observe the Sabbath to constructively make of it the Sabbath throughout their generations.” The implication is that proper observance of the Sabbath, its concept, will ensure that we will be around throughout the generations, will partake in the redemption.
  
  Verse 30
  
  
  
  Verse 31
  
  
  
  Verse 32
  
  
  
  Verse 33
  
  
  
  Verse 34
  
  
  
  Verse 35
  
  אכלו את המן, in lieu of bread made from wheat or other cereals. The Israelites themselves testified to this in Numbers 11,6 when they said (complainingly) בלתי אל המן עינינו, “all we have to look at is the manna.”
  עד בואם אל ארץ נושבת, inhabited countries, i.e. the lands conquered from Sichon and Og on the east bank of the Jordan river. Once they had taken over these lands they also ate regular bread. [a period of possibly six months before they crossed the Jordan. Ed.]
  את המן אכלו עד בואם אל קצה ארץ כנען, the word את, meaning “with, in addition,” alludes to the fact that they no longer ate manna exclusively. We find further confirmation of this in Joshua 5,11-12 ויאכלו מעבור הארץ ממחרת הפסח...וישבות המן ממחרת, “they ate from the produce of the land, etc.,…the manna stopped on the morrow after the Passover.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  לשתות העם, that the people could drink. The unusual construction is similar to Genesis 16,3 לשבת אברהם.
  
  Verse 2
  
  מה תריבון עמדי?; do you not know that I do not act arbitrarily but only carry out G’d’s orders?
  'מה תנסון את ה?; if you really quarrel with me, this is equivalent to your quarrelling and testing the One whose agent I am. You are only endangering your own lives if you quarrel with G’d! If He becomes angry He will consider that He has to destroy you, seeing that He had demonstrated His power to you in deeds. We find Moses repeating this thought in Psalms 95,9 אשר נסוני אבותיכם בחנוני גן ראו פעלי, “when your fathers put Me to the test, tried Me, though they had seen My deeds.” [when someone who had never had a manifestation of G’d’s power “tests” Him, this is far less serious than when the Jewish people who had ample proof of G’d’s power would do the same. Ed]
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  עבור לפני העם, and their complaints will cease when they see that you are making an effort to provide their needs.
  ומטך אשר הכית בו את היאור, your staff with which you had smitten the river so that the Egyptians had given up looking for water to drink, will now perform the opposite function and provide you with drinking water.
  והלכת. from the camp to the rock.
  
  Verse 6
  
  והכית בצור ושתה העם, this will teach them that the staff is not an instrument which performs certain functions naturally, being unable to change its functions. It will show you that the staff is an instrument carrying out the will of its owner. This is why it can be used to perform opposing functions on different occasions.
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  ויבא עמלק, at the sound of the people’s being frustrated with thirst. This is what Moses meant when he recalled the incident 40 years later in Deuteronomy 25,18  describing the Israelites’ state of mind at the time as ואתה עיף ויגע, “you were tired and worn out.” We find the expression עיף linked to water also in Job 22,7 לא מים עייף תשקה, “You do not give the thirsty water to drink.” (Eliphaz accusing Job) We also find the word applied to earth itself in Isaiah 32,2 בארץ עיפה, “in a languishing land.”
  
  Verse 9
  
  ומטה האלוקים בידי, to show the people at what time he would be praying in order that they too would coordinate the time they offered their own prayers with that of Moses. The importance of this harmonising of prayers is demonstrated when the Talmud tells us that in the large synagogue of Alexandria they waved flags so that the people who could not hear the cantor could pray in harmony with him, nonetheless. (Sukkah 51).
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  את עמלק ואת עמו, fellow travelers from other nations who had joined Amalek in his attack against the Israelites.
  
  Verse 14
  
  כתוב זאת זכרון בספר, a reference to the portion in Deuteronomy 25,17-19.
  ושים באזני יהושע, make sure that Joshua remembers all this. Moses carried out this command by building the altar and offering up the prayer declaring G’d as his flag. 
  מחה אמחה את זכר עמלק, not only the people but even their livestock. We know this from the instructions given by the prophet Samuel to King Sha-ul in Samuel 15,3 where the king is ordered to destroy utterly all the possessions of Amalek.
  
  Verse 15
  
  ויקרא שמו, he called the name of G’d in his prayer ה' ניסי. The matter is similar to the prophet Jeremiah saying in Lamentations 3,25: קראתי שמך ה'. Surely, there was nothing new in Jeremiah knowing the name of G’d. The point is that he addressed this attribute of G’d in that prayer. Moses addressed the attribute of G’d as the flag-bearer in Israel’s wars.
  ה' נסי, “G’d is my exaltation.” The meaning is similar to Psalms 60,6 נתת ליראיך נס להתנוסס מפני קשט סלה, “You have given a banner to them that fear You, to raise themselves to its height before the might of wisdom.” In other words, the psalmist says that G’d will lend him the strength to cope with anyone trying to attack him and to overcome him. The same thought is expressed in Psalms 44,6 בשמך נבוס קמינו, “with the help of Your name we will vanquish those who rise up against us.”
  
  Verse 16
  
  ויאמר כי יד על כס י-ה, Moses explains the reason and purpose of his prayer being the fact that G’d Himself had sworn an oath to remain at war with Amalek from generation to generation. If G’d is at war with that nation, we as G’d’s representative on earth, must certainly also be at war with that nation. It is what our sages referred to when they said that three commandments cannot be fulfilled until the Jewish people are securely settled in the land of Israel, 1) appointment of a king; 2) destroying the last vestiges of Amalek; 3) the building of a permanent Temple. Moses therefore had prayed for the time when these three hallmarks of Jewish history could be attained. (Sanhedrin 20)
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  וישמע יתרו, the word שמיעה for hearing is used when recording or referring to something which did not occur at the time it is being reported. When one hears of something which is just happening, the Torah uses the term ראיה, “seeing,” i.e. first hand knowledge of something. It does not matter whether the sound of the happening comes from a distant location or is nearby within one’s eyesight. Examples of the use of the word ראיה “seeing” being used for matters which were heard second hand, not seen, are found in Genesis 42,1 where Yaakov, resident in the land of Canaan, is reported as “seeing” that there was grain for sale in Egypt. Clearly, the Torah refers to Yaakov having heard about it. Seeing the matter was not near at hand nor had occurred just then, the Torah used the words וירא יעקב, “Jacob saw.” A similar use of the word “seeing,” וירא for something not actually seen is Numbers 22,2 where Bileam is reported as “seeing” all that Israel had done to the Emorite kings. Bileam had not seen any of it, but had heard that the Israelites had defeated the two most powerful Emorite kings Sichon and Og. A third example confirming our theory would be Deuteronomy 28,10 where the people of the globe are reported as expressing their conviction that the Jewish people are G’d’s darlings and that they would therefore be in awe of them. Clearly, the people of the globe could not have “seen” this, but they had heard about the success of the Jewish nation. The events inspiring such feelings among the nations of the globe had occurred over a period of time, not all at once. However, if we understand the words כי הוציא as meaning כאשר הוציא, “when He took out,” we must understand Yitro as saying that he had heard all that G’d had done for Israel at the time when He took them out of Egypt. This would include a reference to all the plagues, the drowning of the Egyptians army, etc. It was this information which had prompted him to journey into the desert himself instead of sending a messenger who would accompany Tzipporah and her children so that they would be reunited with their husband/father. He was primarily motivated by his quest for G’d. This is similar to Chronicles II 32,31 where the king of Babylon wanted to have evidence of the reports he had received about the miraculous recovery from his illness which King Chizkiyah had experienced.
  
  Verse 2
  
  אחר שלוחיה. After she (Tzipporah) had sent a message to him to find out where they were encamped. Moses had informed her that the Israelites would not stop anywhere for any length of time until they would reach the mountain of G’d, Mount Chorev, where they would serve the Lord. She must have known about this as Moses must have told her of G’d’s prediction in Exodus 3,12 that once out of Egypt the Jewish people would serve the Lord there at that mountain. This is the reason why it took Yitro so long before he came as he had to wait until the Jewish people would make camp for longer than one night.
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  ויצילני מחרב פרעה. At the time Eliezer was born the old king who had wanted to execute Moses had already been dead for a while. This is one of the reasons why the Torah mentioned this death in Exodus 2,23. At that time Moses felt secure from further attempts on his life. Pharaoh’s international police had an exceedingly long reach, just as that of Achav, King of Israel, who had been hunting for the prophet Elijah all over the neighbouring countries of Israel as documented in Kings I 18,10 “is there any kingdom to which the king (Achav) has not sent emissaries to arrange to have to you captured?”
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  אני חותנך יתרו, Yitro sent this message as a matter of courtesy so that Moses would not be taken unawares by his sudden arrival. He complied with the sages’ warning “do not enter your own house without advance notice, how much more so the house of your friend.” (Pessachim 112).
  
  Verse 7
  
  ויצא משה, Moses did not stand on ceremony, using his position to await the arrival of his father-in-law at home, but he went some distance to meet the man in whose house he had received so many favours. We find that Queen Esther, similarly, did not use her elevation to Royalty as an excuse to no longer defer to Mordechai who had raised her. (Esther 2,20 “Esther continued to carry out Mordechai’s instructions as she had done when she lived under his roof.”) Joseph also did not use his exalted position to look down on his brothers. The Chief of the butlers, who had reason to be grateful to Joseph, is an example of ingratitude, as we know from Genesis 40,23, “he did not remember Joseph, in fact he erased him from his memory.”
  
  Verse 8
  
  את אשר עשה ה' לפרעה ולמצרים על אודות ישראל. A reference to G’d performing vengeance as the avenger of His people. Compare Deuteronomy 32,41 for similar syntax used by Moses. when he quotes G’d as saying אשיב נקם לצרי, “vengeance will I wreak on My foes.” This referred to the Egyptians experiencing G’d’s retribution on their own bodies when they drowned in the sea. In Psalms 78,49 the psalmist describes 4, resp. 5 stages of G’d’s anger which the Egyptians had to experience before they died. Tthat verse is the subject of detailed analysis in the Haggadah shel Pessach. These events proved that G’d had chosen the Jewish people as His most treasured possession among the nations.
  את כל התלאה אשר מצאתם בדרך, hunger, thirst, and the unprovoked attack by Amalek.
  'ויצילם ה, this demonstrated G’d’s personal concern and involvement in the fate of the Jewish nation. The reason for this could only be that the religious principles as well as their deeds found favour in G’d’s eyes, preparing the way for all of them to serve Him in unison.
  
  Verse 9
  
  ויחד יתרו, he did not rejoice over the destruction of Egypt as a major power. This is what he should have done if he had been truly concerned with the honour and glory due to his Creator. We know this from Psalms 58,11. However, he did rejoice over the well being of the Israelites. He behaved like someone whose heart is moved by the tears of the oppressed.
  
  Verse 10
  
  אשר הציל אתכם, you, Moses, and Aaron,
  מיד מצרים, by smiting the Egyptians.
  ומיד פרעה, every time you came to warn him, i.e. to threaten him.
  אשר הציל את העם, the oppressed and enslaved ones.
  
  Verse 11
  
  כי בדבר אשר זדו עליהם. G’d saved the people by using the very means the Egyptians had used to harm them to harm their oppressors. The word זדו, past tense, occurs as future tense, יזיד in Exodus 21,14 describing the deliberate commission of a crime, a sin. The sin Yitro had in mind was that G’d had killed the Egyptian firstborn as a retribution for the male babies of the Jewish people having been thrown into the river to drown. (Exodus 1,22). The Egyptians died by drowning just as their victims the Jewish babies had died by drowning. Yitro recognised that the ability to make the punishment fit the crime is what put our G’d in a class all by Himself, unparalleled in any other religion. None of G’d’s agents in the celestial spheres, even, would be able to do this.
  
  Verse 12
  
  עולה וזבחים לאלוקים. This was intended as a symbol of Yitro’s acceptance of the yoke of Heaven. A similar symbolic acceptance is found in Kings II 5,17 when the general Naaman undertakes never again to offer such sacrifices as עולה וזבחים to any deities other than the G’d in heaven.
  לאכול לחם עם חותן משה, to rejoice with him on his entry into the select circle of those who serve the only true G’d, the Creator of the universe. He joined the ranks of those who are described by David in Psalms 149 as ישמח ישראל בעושיו, “Israel rejoices in Him Who has proved to be its Creator.”
  לפני האלוקים. in front of the altar on which they offered these sacrifices. It is not clear if this was the altar Moses had built after the victory over Amalek (in the event Yitro had arrived before the revelation at Mount Sinai) or if it had been another altar whose erection had not been especially mentioned by the Torah. At any rate, the consuming of the offerings known as זבחים, “meat-offerings,” took place within view of the altar.
  
  Verse 13
  
  ויעמוד העם על משה, waiting till he would find time to address their individual problems after he had finished dealing with the collective problems pertaining to the whole community and had finished listening to the people’s dignitaries.
  
  Verse 14
  
  מדוע אתה יושב לבדך?, why are only you dealing with public affairs?
  וכל העם, and all the people who for whatever reason need your private services have to wait in line from morning to night?
  
  Verse 15
  
  לדרוש אלוקים, the princes and leaders of the community who come to me to consult me on matters of public concern, come to seek out the word of G’d because only after getting such a ruling will the people be able to come to rest.
  
  Verse 16
  
  כי יהיה להם דבר, when someone among these people who hold positions of public trust has a disagreement with one of his colleagues he brings it to me,
  בא אלי ושפטתי בין איש ובין רעהו, between these leaders of the community who come to me about matters of public concern.
  והודעתי את חקי האלוקים ואת תורותיו, to these highly placed individuals who approach me with the concerns of the public. We encounter similar occurrences described in slightly different words, such as in Exodus 34,31-32 “Moses called to them and Aaron and all the chieftains in the assembly returned to him, and Moses spoke to them.” Our sages in Eyruvin 54 describe the hierarchy of transmitting G’d’s word to the people. Moses learned the Torah directly from G’d; when Aaron entered his tent he told him what he had learned. Aaron would move over and take his seat on Moses’ left. After that Aaron’s sons would enter and Moses would instruct them in what G’d had taught him. This continued until Moses had taught the same lesson no fewer than 4 times. We can see that all this took time, and as a result the ordinary people had to stand in line for a long time. 
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  גם העם הזה אשר עמך, the member of your court.
  לא תוכל עשוהו לבדך, you cannot all by yourself listen to the problems of all the leaders and subsequently to all the problems of the individuals who feel they need your personal attention, believing that no one but you can deal with their specific problems.
  
  Verse 19
  
  היה אתה לעם מול האלוקים, be their intermediary to advise the people of the various commandments G’d wants them to perform.
  והבאת אתה את הדברים אל האלוקים, An example of such a case is presented in Numbers 9,8 as well as in Numbers 27,5 where Moses submitted a problem to which he did know the answer to G’d before communicating the answer he received to the people afterwards. 
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  ואתה תחזה מכל העם, select, and then appoint. The only area in which you alone are competent is the choosing of suitably qualified helpers, in accordance with the guidelines Yitro outlined. When it came to handing down judicial decisions, however, there would be 78660 appointees of four different levels of competence who would deal with all but the most perplexing problems without having to come to Moses for approval of their rulings. Initially a problem would be submitted to one of the 60000 men appointed as “chief” of ten. If such a man did not know the answer he would refer it to one of the 12000 chiefs of 50, and so on in an ascending order. The different levels of judges would in effect act as appellate judges, reviewing if judgments made by the lower ranking judges and appealed should be changed.
  
  Verse 22
  
  והקל מעליך, the many minor disputes which do not need to be adjudged by you, personally.
  ונשאו אתך, they will give you the chance to give your full attention to those problems that are complicated by sharing the burden of leadership with you. They will also dispense knowledge to the people.
  
  Verse 23
  
  על מקומו יבא בשלום, seeing that the knowledge of the law will be widespread in so many lower courts, every litigant will know that the judgment he received was true and impartial. They will therefore not continue to constantly appeal such judgments.
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  ויבחר משה אנשי חיל, after he had looked in vain to find men with all the qualifications Yitro had suggested. These men were experienced in ferreting out the truth so that they could bring litigation to a speedy conclusion. Men of this caliber were more important in such positions than men who could truthfully be described as G’d-fearing, but naïve and inexperienced in the ways of the world. Our sages in Shabbat 63 have said: “if a scholar is in the habit of taking revenge and holding grudges, gird him around your loins, whereas if an ignoramus is very pious do not live in his proximity.”
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  וישלח משה את חותנו, for he did not want to join the fate of the Jewish people by going with them to the land of Canaan. He had said clearly: לא אלך, “I am not going, for I am going back to my own country to my birthplace.” (Numbers 10,30) Perhaps this was due to his being of advanced age; we encounter such reticence to move to a better place when David offered Barzilai a home in Jerusalem and he declined, citing that at his age he would not enjoy what Jerusalem had to offer anyway. (Samuel II 19,38)  He preferred to be buried with his father and mother. Yitro’s sons (and daughters?) however definitely joined the Jewish people in their journey to the Holy Land, as we know from Judges 1,16 where they are described as the children of the Keyni, the father-in-law of Moses.  Bileam also prophesied concerning their future in Numbers 24,21.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  ביום הזה, on the first day of the month.
  
  Verse 2
  
  ויסעו מרפידים ויבאו מדבר סיני. The departure from Refidim was for the express purpose of getting to the desert of Sinai where the mountain of G’d (Chorev) was located. The people knew that once they would arrive there they would worship the Lord there (Exodus 3,12).
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים, this will make you special for only you will be a kingdom of priests, something that will be understood by all of mankind. This is because all of you will call on the holy name of G’d and serve Him simultaneously. This was to be a forerunner of what will happen in the distant future as predicted by the prophet Isaiah 61,6 “and you will be proclaimed ‘priests’ of the Lord.” This is also the true meaning of כי מציון תצא תורה, “the Torah emanates from Zion.” (Isaiah 2,3) [This statement is attributed to the nations of the world at that time.
  וגוי קדוש, never to disappear from the stage of history. You will continue forever to exist as one man, as it will be in the distant future of which the prophet Isaiah 4,3 said “those who survive in Zion and those who will be left over in Jerusalem, all those who are inscribed for life in Jerusalem- shall be called ‘holy’.” [the author is making the point that somebody called קדוש is by definition immortal. Ed.] Our sages in Sanhedrin 92 describe this concept in the following words: “just as He, the Holy One, is forever, so the Jewish people are forever.” It had been G’d’s intention to make the Jewish people immortal at the time of the revelation at Mount Sinai, giving them the status that Adam had enjoyed before he sinned. Alas, just as Adam had sinned and had become mortal in Gan Eden, the Jewish people sinned with the golden calf and suffered the same fate as first man. The disaster is documented in Exodus 33,6 “the Children of Israel had to divest themselves of their jewelry which had been given them at Mount Chorev.”
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  וישב משה את דברי העם, Moses relayed to G’d what he had understood as being the people’s reactions. What he had understood was that they did not doubt his status as a prophet at all.
  
  Verse 9
  
  בעב הענן, even though all of Moses’ prophetic stature underwent a drastic change on the occasion of the revelation at Mount Sinai, and he now received “clear” messages, something described in Numbers 12,8 as ותמונת ה' יביט, “he sees the message from G’d as a clear picture” (not merely as a reflection by a mirror) he was not to behold the Shechinah, but it was shrouded in thick cloud. The present communication with G’d which Moses used was not of the אספקלריא מאירה, “clear view” type.
  בעבור ישמע העם וגם בך יאמינו לעולם, they will believe in the possibility of this “face to face” communication between man and G’d, and the fact that you have been granted this level of prophecy by Me. (compare Deut.5,4 concerning the expression “face to face.”) One of the principal ingredients of this level of prophecy is that the prophet remains in full control of all his faculties including all parts of his body, something no one had been able to credit until they saw that Moses possessed such a capability.The Israelites commented on this in Deuteronomy 5,21 when Moses quoted them as having said: “this day we have seen that G’d can speak directly to man and man can survive such an encounter.” [In other words, it took the revelation at Mount Sinai, experienced by all the people, to teach them that Moses could enjoy such a relationship with G’d on an ongoing basis. Ed.] It is not that the people needed convincing that there were people who enjoyed prophetic stature and communicated with G’d and He with them. After all, they knew about all the patriarchs, Aaron and Miriam as well as Moses being prophets. However, up until this time all prophetic messages from G’d had been communicated either in a dream or in a vision involving the prophet losing touch with his surroundings at the time of such communication by G’d. [at the very least, if such a communication had been received while the recipient was awake he would have to sit down, as he would be unable to stand. [Avraham’s being able to run to welcome the angels, (his vision) was a sign of a higher than usual level of prophecy. Ed.] Now, for the first time, did the people witness that the recipient of such communications need not necessarily have to temporarily forego being in touch with all that goes on in our terrestrial world. You will understand this better in light of how G’d Himself explained to Miriam and Aaron in Numbers 12,7 the difference between their level of communication with G’d and that of their brother Moses, whom G’d described as thoroughly “at home” in all sections of “His house.” Only after having themselves experienced what this kind of prophetic level meant could they credit Moses as possessing it. Now they also understood that no other prophet, even a legitimate one, could challenge Moses, seeing that his stature as prophet was so superior to any other prophet.
  'ויגד משה את דברי העם אל ה, when he heard that his Creator had told him that G’d wanted the people to have absolute faith in the supremacy of his prophecy, Moses understood suddenly that the people had entertained some doubts about the nature of his prophetical powers. He conveyed the people’s words to G’d to show that they had unreservedly undertaken to accept everything G’d wanted from them as conveyed to them from him as G’d’s word. He emphasized that the people had not only said: כן נעשה, “so we shall do,” but had said כל אשר דבר ה' נעשה, “everything that G’d has said we shall do.” This was in fact a restrictive comment, meaning that if what they heard was G’d’s command they would do it, not if it was only the command of an angel. We know already from Exodus 23,21 that an angel is not empowered to forgive any errors committed by the people, כי לא ישא לפשעכם, and therefore Moses himself rejected the idea that the people be under the protection of an angel instead of under G’d’s personal supervision. The people were aware of this distinction. This is why they had committed themselves to obey only commands issued by G’d directly.
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  והיו נכונים, that not only the mind, the spirit, be in readiness for the revelation but also the body that houses the spirit. This was necessary because the level of prophecy they would experience at the revelation would far surpass anything an ordinary prophet experiences, something for which he does not have to prepare his body by ritual immersion, and loss of any residue of seminal fluids the body ejaculated during the days immediately preceding the prophetic vision. Moses was not forbidden physical contact with his own wife until he had attained this level of prophetic stature. This would commence from the time of the revelation and onwards. At that time he released the other Israelites from the restriction of carrying on marital relations with their wives by saying to them: “return to your tents” (Deuteronomy 5,27-28). Moses himself had been told by G’d at that time: “you remain standing here with Me.” This is what our sages explained in Shabbat 87.
  
  Verse 12
  
  כל הנוגע בהר מות ימות, a warning to deter the people from being harmed in the event they would trample the boundary markers around the mountain in their eagerness to catch a glimpse of G’d. Such people, if they were to become victims of their own folly, would mar the entire joyful experience of the giving of the Torah by defiling the earth around them with their carcasses. They would cause their relatives to become mourners on what should have been the most auspicious experience of their lives. The presence of G’d, the Shechinah, does not manifest itself to people in mourning.
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  ויהי קולות וברקים. The spectacle was similar to that experienced by the prophet Elijah at the same mountain in Kings I 19,11-12.  David, in Psalms 68,9, also describes what happened at Sinai in similar terms.
  
  Verse 17
  
  לקראת האלוקים, toward the army of angels forming the entourage of the Divine presence, in anticipation of the descent of the Shechinah on the mountain in verse 20.
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  רד העד בעם פן יהרסו, when I will be speaking to them. Perhaps they will think that because they have been found worthy to have prophetic insights that they have attained the level of “face to face” prophecy as had Moses their leader. This could prove fatal if they tried to cross the boundary separating Me from them. Your presence down below will act as additional safeguard.
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  וקדשתו, the term is used here as in Exodus 3,5 when Moses was warned not to step on “holy” ground with his sandals as this might prove fatal. Similarly, here; the people had been told that neither man nor beast would survive touching the mountain. [during this period. Ed.]
  
  Verse 24
  
  לך רד, now, when I am speaking with you, be with them at the bottom of the mountain. 
  ועלית אתה ואהרן, at the conclusion of the Ten Commandments and the portion Mishpatim as we read in Exodus 24,1. The Torah writes there: עלה אל ה' אתה ואהרן “ascend to G’d, you and Aaron.” [the elders and Aaron there are bidden to prostrate themselves from a distance. Ed.]
  
  Verse 25
  
  ויאמר אלהם, he conveyed G’d’s warning to them as well as the penalty for violating G’d’s command. (verse 21)
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  וידבר אלוקים, after Moses had completed warning the people G’d proceeded to utter all these commandments, as we know from the testimony of Moses in Deuteronomy 5,18  את כל הדברים האלה דבר ה' אל כל קהלכם בהר, “all these words the Lord spoke to your assembled ranks from the Mountain.”
  
  Verse 2
  
  אנכי, “I alone am the Lord; I am the One responsible for creating the material world, for creating egos. Individuals. I am known to you by tradition.”
  אלוקיך, “I keep My promise to be and remain your G’d, I am not to be worshipped through intermediaries, I am to be prayed to directly.”
  אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים, in doing so I had to overcome all the obstacles that intermediaries (forces of nature, also My creatures and appointed by Me to perform My will) had tried to use to block My efforts. I am the One Whom you accepted as such when you said (Exodus 15,2) “this is My G’d and I want to glorify Him.”
  מבית עבדים, from all exterior coercion in order for you to be free to worship Me, exclusively.
  
  Verse 3
  
  לא יהיה לך אלוהים, even though you accepted My Kingdom, you must not at the same time also attribute divine qualities to any other servant of Mine. A violation of this commandment is cited in Kings II 17,33 (the subject being the Samarians, a people transplanted by the king of Assyria from Babylon, Chamass, etc., to where the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom had lived before being exiled by the Assyrians under Tiglat Pilesser. These people are reported as “worshipping the G’d of Israel (as they now were within what they considered to be His domain.) But at the same time they also worshipped other deities. The priest sent by the king of Assyria to teach these Samarians the Jewish religion considered their worshipping the G’d of Israel as quite useless. He told them that unless they worshipped the G’d of Israel exclusively they would likely continue to suffer the incursions of lions, etc. 
  על פני. It is intolerable to honour the servant in the presence of the Master. If that is so with masters and servants that are mortal, how much more so is it true of Eternal G’d and His underlings.
  
  Verse 4
  
  לא תעשה לך פסל, even if you do not mean to use it as an object of worship.
  
  Verse 5
  
  לא תשתחוה להם, to any phenomena in the universe not man-made.
  א-ל קנא, I cannot tolerate that someone who worships Me worships also someone beside Me. The reason is that there is absolutely no comparison between Me and any other phenomenon in the universe. I am therefore entitled to stand on My dignity by refusing to be compared.
  פוקד עון אבות, the reason why I sometimes wait so long before punishing some of the wicked in this life is that by waiting and noticing that their offspring, i.e. second and third generation continue in their wicked ways their measure of guilt will become so full that I will exterminate that whole family from life in this world. [this is what happened to the family of Jerobam for instance, and that of Omri, his son Achav, etc. ] This was possible only by adding the unrequited sins of the fathers to those of the sons, or even subsequent generations, so that when finally, retribution did come, it wiped out the family completely. This happened in the third generation of the original sinner such as Omri’s grandchildren. It also happened to the fourth generation after Yehu (who himself had been G’d’s instrument for wiping out the family of Omri/Achav) when his great grandson Zecharyah was murdered after reigning only 6 months. (Kings II 15,9) We know about this method G’d employs sometimes already since Genesis chapter 15 when G’d explained to Avraham that his descendants could not expect to take possession of the land of Canaan until the fourth generation, as the sins of the Emorite would not be irrevocable until then. (Genesis 15,16)
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  ועושה חסד לאלפים, on other occasions the reason why retribution is so long delayed is due to the good deeds of someone’s forbears which I have sworn to requite by extending such patience in tolerating the errors of their offspring. [some of our sages attribute the continued existence of the Ishmaelites and their enmity to the Jews to the merit their founding father acquired when voluntarily submitting to circumcision at the tender age of 13. Ed.]
  
  Verse 7
  
  לא תשא, invoking the name of G’d when swearing an oath. The word נשא is used in this sense in Kings I 8,31 ונשא בו אלה לאלותו, “when someone utters a curse against another in retaliation, using the curse to make his adversary swear an oath,”
  לשוא, committing perjury thereby; without doubt this oath will backfire on the one uttering it; כי לא ינקה ה' את אשר ישא את שמו לשוא, for having used His holy name to utterly no purpose. Even if the person swearing such an oath had spoken the truth he will not be free from this sin, how much more so if someone used G’d’s name to swear falsely. It is not compatible with G’d’s honour and dignity that man use His Holy name for his own ends. The only time such an oath is permissible, or in some instances even mandatory, is when it is impossible to arrive at the truth by any other means there being no witnesses to the matter under dispute. As far as swearing a false oath, i.e. perjuring oneself is concerned, the Torah has a separate commandment in Leviticus 19,12 spelling this out. ולא תשבעו בשמי לשקר, “and you must not swear an oath in My name when that oath is a lie.”
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  זכור את יום השבת, the infinitive mode tells us that we are to be aware of the Sabbath every day of the week, even while involved in our daily routines. This is also the same mode chosen by the Torah for demanding that we be forever mindful of what Amalek our arch enemy did to our forefathers after they had crossed the Sea on dry land. (Deuteronomy 25,17)  The same is true of the infinitive mode chosen by the Torah when urging us to remember the legislation pertaining to the “month of spring,” i.e. the month of the redemption from Egypt. Compare Deuteronomy 16,1 שמור את חודש האביב ועשית פסח. 
  לקדשו, the reminder to remember the Sabbath constantly was intended to ensure that you observe all the commandments associated with the day. Even the order to work six days is intended to ensure that by concentrating on the need to make a living during those days, this will enable such people to take their minds off such mundane matters on the Sabbath.
  
  Verse 9
  
  ששת ימים תעבוד, during those days you will give attention predominantly to mundane matters, most of which involve difficulties and frustrations seeing that such mundane matters concentrate on events in a world which is not ours.
  ועשית כל מלאכתך, the type of activities essential for earning one’s livelihood.
  
  Verse 10
  
  שבת לה' אלוקיך, the entire day is to be devoted to spiritual matters. This involves studying Torah, teaching it, performing the commandments associated with it, and enjoying the very nature of such a day on which instead of “serving” the needs of one’s survival in a hostile environment one can concentrate on serving the Master, the provider of life and spiritual inspiration. The Talmud Yuma 76 paraphrases this, saying: “wine and pleasant fragrances have made me intelligently perceptive.”
  אתה ובנך ובתך, the children who are minors observe the Sabbath at the instructions of their fathers.
  
  Verse 11
  
  'כי ששת ימים עשה ה, the reason why the Torah repeats this theme on several occasions is to remind man to emulate his Maker, to model his own conduct according to what G’d has revealed about Himself. This can be done by intensive voluntary study of disciplines which we know G’d is fond of.
  וינח ביום השביעי, seeing that all the ingredients of the physical world had already been put in place. When something is complete מנוחה, a state of productive rest, a period devoid of conflicting demands, tensions, this becomes possible.
  על כן ברך ה' את יום השבת,  a reference to the “additional” soul G’d has provided for every Jew on this day. This serves as spiritual preparation for the proper enjoyment of such a holy day.
  ויקדשהו, He sanctified it entirely, so that the entire day be devoted to matters spiritual.
  
  Verse 12
  
  למען יאריכון ימיך, these are the five Commandments which by their observance contribute to your enjoying a life of a single dimension, i.e. length without breadth, another way of stating what the Talmud called in Kidushin 39 “in a world which consists entirely of “length,” [unlimited duration. Ed.]. By performing these five Commandments one renders honour to G’d, as a result of which the one rendering this honour to G’d will himself become part of G’d’s eternal life. Doing this involves knowing that G’d created the universe out of “nothing,” no physical substance. It also involves accepting G’d as the exclusive Divinity in the universe and therefore not worshipping anyone else or anything else. It also involves not only not rebelling against Him in deed, but not contemplating rebellion even in one’s thoughts or speech It involves actively honouring Him, after all, He is our father, our maker. Are we not commanded to even honour our mortal parents?
  על האדמה, by observing the above-mentioned five Commandments you will merit to enjoy life without being exiled from your ancestral land. Observance of the other five Commandments are designed to protect you against falling victim to harm befalling your body, or your property, or your dignity, your standing in the eyes of your peers. Here too, observance includes not only abstaining from violating these Commandments by deed, but also not violating them by word of mouth or even contemplating violation in your mind. Basically, the last five Commandments are addressed to your life on this earth, whereas the former are addressed to ensuring your life beyond the transient life on earth.
  
  Verse 13
  
  לא תנאף, this commandment is phrased as applying to sexual intercourse with someone else’s legal wife because this is the most likely scenario; it applies to all forbidden sexual intercourse.
  לא תגנוב, the term “stealing” also includes the “stealing,” i.e. kidnapping of human beings. Even deceiving your fellow man deliberately is called “stealing” גנבת דעת הבריות, “stealing people’s minds, misleading them to believe that lies are truth. (compare Sanhedrin 86)
  לא תענה ברעך עד שקר, this includes spreading slander about people surreptitiously, something generally known asמוציא שם רע, “defaming someone, ruining his reputation.” The principal meaning in our verse is perjuring oneself when testifying against a fellow man 
  
  Verse 14
  
  לא תחמוד, the object you covet should be considered by you as so utterly unattainable that you will not even begin to hatch schemes of how to acquire it.  This is the promise made by G’d in Exodus 34,24 that none of our neighbours will covet our land while we are engaged in making the pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Once you begin to covet something belonging to someone else it is only a short step to committing robbery. (compare Joshua 7,21 where Achan ben Carmi who had become guilty of such robbery admitted that it all began with his coveting the items which he stole and hid.)
  
  Verse 15
  
  רואים את, the word רואים as “seeing” is to be understood as like the same word in Kohelet 1,16 ולבי ראה, “and my heart ‘saw.’” Just as the heart cannot see, so people cannot “see” sounds. The meaning is that they understood the meaning of these sounds. They could not continue to endure the volume or nature of thee sounds. The same is explained in greater detail by Moses in Deuteronomy 18,16. They were afraid they would die.
  וירא העם, they understood what they should do.
  וינועו, a word describing involuntary movements of one’s body, trembling. One is unable to arrest one’s motion i.e. that which is known as נע. The word appears transitively in Numbers 32,13 ויניעם במדבר, “He made them wander in the desert.” It occurs intransitively also in Isaiah 24,20 תנוע ארץ כשכור, “the earth is swaying like a drunkard.” The Israelites’ trembling was inspired by the fright they experienced at hearing G’d’s voice.
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  לבעבור נסות אתכם, in order that you become used to prophetic insights which this time were of the highest caliber, i.e. what is known as פנים אל פנים, “face to face.” The people’s experience paralleled that of the prophet Elijah at the same mountain where the fire and the overpowering sound were only an introduction to the קול דממה דקה, to the barely audible voice which heralded the arrival of the Shechinah. On that occasion (Kings I 19,13) Elijah had wrapped his mantle around his face as he was so afraid. Elijah’s prophetic vision at the time was on a very high level, as he was able to freely make use of all his physical faculties. It presumably was only slightly inferior to the level of prophecy achieved by Moses.
  בא האלוקים, G’d’s entourage of angels. We encountered a similar expression meaning the same in 19, 17.
  ובעבור תהיה יראתו, this corresponds to what Rabbi Yehoshua answered the Roman Emperor who had asked him when he asked to be shown G’d, that the Emperor first look at the sun. The Emperor, of course, proved unable to do so fearing to be blinded. Rabbi Yehoshua then asked him that if he could not even look at one of G’d’s creations how he could expect to be able to look at G’d Himself?
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  אתם ראיתם כי מן השמים דברתי עמכם, we need to understand this in terms of Psalms 113, 5-6 המגביהי לשבת המשפילי לראות, “enthroned on high, sees what is below, in heaven and on earth.” [The psalmist does not perceive of heaven and earth as being two totally separate domains being separated by some sort of impenetrable barrier making it necessary for G’d to come to earth to see what is going on down here. Seeing that the whole universe is full of His glory at all times, this would be impossible. Rather, He perceives of a gradual transition between the two domains, without any visible void or barrier between them. G’d’s raising men or “lowering” Himself, is a figure of speech, describing merely that when He so wants it both domains can merge. At the revelation of Mount Sinai, such a merging of these domains had taken place. Ed.]
  
  Verse 20
  
  לר תעשון אתי אלוהי כסף, seeing that you have experienced with your own senses that you do not need to resort to intermediaries in order to communicate with G’d do not construct for yourselves such intermediaries even for communicating with Me.
  
  Verse 21
  
  מזבח אדמה תעשה לי, you do not need to build elaborate temples for Me either, using precious materials. It suffices if you will erect an earthen altar. I am available to be prayed to and to respond.
  בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי, at any lace which at one time or another I select to serve as such a place for communing with My servant. Compare Isaiah 12,4 הזכירו כי נשגב שמי, “declare that His name is exalted.
  אבא אליך וברכתיך, you do not need to employ artificial means made from silver or gold to attract My benevolent providence, for I can come to you anywhere and bless you when you but mention My name in prayer. 
  
  Verse 22
  
  לא תבנה אתהן גזית, in order to make it look more impressive.
  
  Verse 23
  
  ולא תעלה במעלות, even though I do not bother you to undertake all kinds of architecturally attractive structures in order for you to qualify for My making My residence among you, you must be extremely careful not to be disrespectful when approaching the top of My altar. [exposing of one’s flesh is considered a sign of disrespect. Ed.]
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  ואלה המשפטים, in the previous paragraph the Torah spoke about the prohibition of coveting property belonging to someone else (20,13). This did not involve action; by contrast ואלה המשפטים, now the Torah speaks about laws governing the concrete nature of “אשר לרעך,” tangible matters belonging to your fellow man.
  אשר תשים לפניהם. These are not positive commandments and negative commandments which apply to every Jew, but are applicable only if the occasion arises. The matters under discussion need to be adjudicated only if and when such situations occur in someone’s life.
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  לא תצא כצאת העבדים. It is not appropriate for an upstanding member of society to buy a Jewish girl as a servant against her will. Such a “sale” is acceptable only if the girl in question will become the wife of the buyer or his son when reaching puberty. The purchase price will be given to her father as our sages have stipulated in Ketuvot 46.
  
  Verse 8
  
  אם רעה בעיני אדוניה, even though the normal procedure is what we outlined in verse seven, her “master” does not have to marry her if he finds her incompatible, as otherwise he would eventually come to hate her. However, in such a situation the father and the master have to cooperate in releasing her from her obligation as servant.
  לעם נכרי לא ימשול למכרה בבגדו בה,  the father of the girl in question who had already betrayed her by “selling” her initially. We know that even Lavan’s daughters were angry at what they considered their father having done when he “sold” them into marriage. (compare Genesis 31,15) The Torah describes here the negative impression it makes on any of his peers when he observes a Jewish father selling his daughter’s services for something other than marriage. Once an employer/prospective husband, has done this no other Jewish father is allowed to sell his daughter to such a man. [the word נכרי does not refer to a non Jew, but to a Jew who acted contrary to Jewish mores. Ed.]  
  
  Verse 9
  
  כמשפט הבנות יעשה לה, his son. [the employer’s son if he will  marry her. Ed.] He will have to provide these three items to his bride even though he did not formally betroth her or purchase her. [something his father had done. Ed.]
  
  Verse 10
  
  לא יגרע, one does not have the right to marry more than one woman unless able to provide for them not at the expense of reducing the first wife’s allowance. (Yevamot 65)
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  והאלוקים אנה לידו, this was not a death caused intentionally by the killer, but we know that there operates a principle in this world known as מגלגלין חובה על ידי חייב, “G’d arranges matters so that the guilty party being punished will be punished by someone himself guilty of something else.” This is what Solomon referred to in Proverbs 16,4 וגם רשע ליום רעה, “even the wicked for the day of evil.” [to the question if everything has a purpose in this world, what is the function of the wicked? Solomon answers that the wicked is used by G’d to administer punishment to those who deserve it. Ed.]
  ושמתי לך מקום אשר ינוס, to atone for his guilt by being exiled from his home.
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  מעם מזבחי, even though at that time when no cities of refuge existed yet the entire camp of the Levites, and not only the immediate area of the altar served as such a place of refuge.
  תקחנו למות, as in Jeremiah 7,11 “do you consider My house to be a den of thieves?
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  נקום ינקם, the blood of the slave. The master is certainly not permitted to administer such a cruel blow even though he owns this human being. He is allowed to administer physical punishments as we know from Proverbs 29,19 בדברים לא יוסר עבד, “a slave does not respond to mere oral chastisement.” 
  
  Verse 21
  
  כי כספו הוא, and it is up to him to discipline him. Sometimes a slave’s insubordination continues until the master is forced to administer a strong blow. We have read of such in Proverbs 17,11 ומלאך אכזרי ישלח בואך מרי יבקש רע, “an evil man seeks to rebel; therefore a cruel messenger will be dispatched against him.”
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  עין תחת עין; this is what ought to be the judgment against the offender, if we were to apply the principle of the punishment fitting the crime in all its severity. However, according to tradition only financial compensation is exacted as we cannot accurately measure how to apply the principle of “an eye for an eye” literally.
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  וגם בעליו יומת. A reference to judgment by heaven which will be exacted from the guilty party if we cannot convict him due to lack of witnesses.
  
  Verse 30
  
  אם כופר יושת עליו, if witnesses testify in a manner that enables the court to apply the laws of compensation as a means of atonement.
  
  Verse 31
  
  
  
  Verse 32
  
  כסף שלושים שקלים, equivalent to the monetary value set by the Torah on a woman in her prime (between 20-60) The comparison reflects the part of Torah legislation that must be observed both by Jewish women and gentile male slaves.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  ונמכר בגנבתו, if the Torah had not legislated this form of paying off one’s debt for theft most of the poor people of the nation would become thieves, knowing that they did not have to make restitution except with liquid assets. As a result of such lack of legislation civilisation would disintegrate into anarchy.
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  כי יבער איש שדה או כרם, within his own property, (originally)
  ובער בשדה אחר, even if the animal had wandered off into someone else’s field without encouragement by its owner,
  מיטב שדהו ומיטב כרמו ישלם, the quality of the restitution must consist of the best of the field or vineyard, seeing that animals wandering off to feed elsewhere is such a widespread phenomenon. [the author explains the apparent injustice of the restitution being worth more than the damage the injured party had sustained. Ed.] 
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  כסף או כלים, examples of the items most commonly entrusted to one’s neighbour for safekeeping during the owner’s absence from his home. These are looked after on a reciprocal basis, no fee being charged for this service.
  
  Verse 7
  
  אם לא שלח ידו, if the trustee had done anything illegal with the object entrusted to him for safekeeping he is responsible even for accidents happening to said items.
  
  Verse 8
  
  אשר יאמר כי הוא זה, also if the accused says “this is the truth,” implying that only part of the accusation is true. This is what is called in Talmudic parlance מודה במקצת, a partial admission.
  עד האלוהים יבא דבר שניהם, both claimant and defendant are to render an oath. It does not matter whether the subject matter under dispute is a loan and whether it has been repaid, or something entrusted for safekeeping; in either case the claim being admitted partially.
  אשר ירשיעון אלוהים ישלם שנים, when the judges convict the guilty party this is equivalent to a conviction for theft, and the penalty is restitution of twice the amount under dispute. A false claim that something had been stolen is equivalent to the person making the claim being judged a thief.
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  חמור או שור או שה, under normal circumstances the poor people assume guardianship of such animals against payment of a fee.
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  יביאהו עד, we already explained that whenever the Torah uses the word עד in the singular mode what is meant are two witnesses who are acceptable to the court. 
  אם טרוף יטרף, by some wild beast; presumably someone did witness the occurrence seeing there must have been other shepherds in the vicinity. What kind of testimony is expected of these witnesses?
  הטרפה, that the situation in which the animal had been mauled or eaten was the kind of accident which the shepherd guarding it could not have been prevented by exercising greater care.
  לא ישלם, the shepherd does not have to make restitution. If, however, the predators had eaten the animal under discussion due to insufficient supervision on the part of the shepherd, the shepherd has to make restitution. (compare Baba Metzia 93) In determining a reasonable fight which the shepherd has to put up against predators, Rashi quoting the Mechilta says that a solitary wolf is not something against which the shepherd is defenseless, neither are two dogs. Naturally, smaller animals and rodents are not considered as posing a threat to man.
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  אם בעליו עמו, during the time the animal performs the work for which it has been loaned out.
  לא ישלם, the borrower. The reason is that under most circumstances, the animal has been loaned after both parties had agreed what kind of work it would be used for. Its status therefore is similar to that of a gift on the understanding that it would be returned. When one makes this kind of gift one does not draw up a list of conditions pertaining to the precise use the gift may be made of. If such a list of conditions had indeed been drawn up the nature of the entire transaction would have been nullified, it would no longer be classified as a temporary gift at all, but the owner would remain effectively the owner, so that non return, even deliberately, would not constitute a dereliction resulting in his being entitled to compensation from the “borrower.” The presence of the owner during any accident which had befallen the loaned animal is taken by the Torah as proof that he had never relinquished any part of his ownership, hence he is not entitled to compensation. One does not get compensation for losing what belongs to one. 
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  זובח לאלוהים, to all the deities simultaneously. This is forbidden even though the worshipper includes Hashem in the address to which the sacrifice is tendered.
  יחרם, the person will be executed and the offering itself is prohibited for any use whatsoever. Just as the false deities are to be banished totally, so those who believe in them. (compare Deuteronomy 7,26 )
  לה' לבדו,  excluding any possible partner.
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  לא תענון אם ענה תענה אותו; if, in the process of oppressing an orphan your intention was only to oppress him alone; if your “oppressing” him was in the nature of disciplining him in order to ultimately bestowing loving kindness on him after he responded to your rebuking him, your disciplining him is considered an act of loving kindness. [the author interprets verse 22 starting with the word אם as an alternative, moderating what has been written in verse 21. Ed.]
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  שמוע אשמע צעקתו וחרה אפי. I will have pity with the one who cries out to Me complaining against the harsh and unfair treatment he has to endure. G’d’s reaction to a Jewish individual guilty of such behaviour will be similar to His reaction to the prolonged abuse suffered by the Israelites at the hands of the Egyptians. Anyone guilty of such oppression of orphans or widows will bring about this kind of suffering for his own family members.
  
  Verse 24
  
  אם כסף תלוה, if this is an Israelite on whom the promise that “there will not be a destitute person among you” has not been fulfilled. (compare Deuteronomy 15,4) The individual in need of a loan is the one who became subject to another promise (threat) written in the Torah in Deuteronomy 15,11 כי לא יחדל אביון, “there will never be a total absence of destitute people, etc.” When such a situation arises the victim will require a loan.
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  ושמעתי כי חנון אני, even though the debtor cannot complain to Me about you, seeing he owes you repayment for a loan, if he nonetheless cries out to Me complaining about his economic situation which causes him to be practically naked seeing you took his clothing as security for his overdue loan, I will give him part of what I had intended to give you as recognition of your supplying his needs. If you had been granted more financial means than you needed, the only reason was so that you could use your excess to assist the needy.
  כי חנון אני, I will therefore display My compassion for anyone who has no one else to turn to. It is in your own interest then to demonstrate your compassion by returning his pledge to him when he is in need of it. If you will do this you will ensure that I will not withdraw My compassion from you. This, in turn, will enable you to extend loans to other needy people.
  
  Verse 27
  
  אלוהים לא תקלל, even though you may feel that the judge has judged you unfairly, you must not curse him. The reason is that no individual can judge his own guilt or innocence objectively.
  ונשיא בעמך לא תאור, cursing the legitimate authority of a country, its official rulers, will frequently result in the whole population experiencing the negative fallout of such curses. Compare what Solomon has to say on this in Proverbs 24,21 “fear the Lord my son, and the king; do not associate with those who keep changing.” [the author appears to read into above verse that hereditary royalty is to be obeyed in preference to elected rulers who are elected only for a limited period of time, and can be replaced by the will of the people even during their term of office. Ed.]
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  מלאתך, the heave for the priest of your grain harvest. The word מלאה appears to be borrowed from Genesis 41,22 where the good ears of corn in Pharaoh’s dream are described as such. 
  ודמעך,  the parallel heave from your oil and grape harvest.
  בכור בניך תתן לי, to perform all kinds of sacred duties. This includes service in the Temple, teaching Torah, something which in later periods became the foremost occupation of the priests, commented upon by Maleachi 2,7 with the line כי שפתי כהן ישמרו דעת והתורה יבקשו מפיהו, “for the lips of a priest guard knowledge, and men seeking rulings from his mouth, for he is a messenger of the Lord of Hosts.”
  
  Verse 29
  
  כן תעשה לשורך לצאנך, that you shall give to Me the firstborn which is not a prematurely aborted fetus. Our sages have said (Shabbat 135) that “a human baby which remains alive for 30 days is considered viable, not in the category of נפל, prematurely aborted. In the case of animals the parallel period is eight days.”
  
  Verse 30
  
  ואנשי קודש תהיון לי, the manner in which you will prove that you all are men of holy purpose is that you will allow your firstborns to be devoted to the service of Me and you will hand over the tithes, etc., stipulated as “My gifts,” [in matters of specific ritual, seeing that every Jew has to serve Hashem. Ed.]  Initially, it was the task of the firstborn to teach the common people the details of Jewish law and ritual. When they do this the result will be והתקדשתם והייתם קדושים, “you will sanctify yourselves and remain holy” (Leviticus 20,7).
  ובשר בשדה טרפה, even the kind of treifah which is neither ritually impure nor confers impurity at all. [if this is forbidden, נבלה, animals which die of other causes than ritual slaughter are certainly forbidden as food. Ed.]
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  לא תשא...אל תשת ידך עם רשע. To sign with such people on the same document. According to Sanhedrin 23 the inhabitants of Jerusalem would not put their signature on any document unless they had satisfied themselves as to the integrity of co-signers on such documents.
  להיות עד חמס, to be the sole signatory seeing that the signature of wicked people is not worth anything. The result might be that the judge will confiscate money from the defendant based on a document with only one signature, something inadmissible under Jewish law. 
  
  Verse 2
  
  לא תהיה אחרי רבים לרעות, as the tie-breaking vote in a trial involving capital punishment. One cannot declare someone guilty of the death penalty on the basis of a solitary judge. A majority of one would be equivalent to a conviction by a single judge.
  ולא תענה על ריב, when your colleagues the other judges ask your opinion,
  לנטות אחרי רבים, do not be influenced by the fact that the majority thinks differently from you. Assuming that in a trial 10 of the 23 judges had expressed the view that the accused was innocent whereas eleven had expressed the view that the accused was guilty, 
  להטות, if you were to cast your vote with the majority there would then be a majority of 2 out of a total of 23 voting guilty, and that decision would have been arrived at by your single vote. You are not allowed to salvage your conscience by voting with the majority unless this represented your absolute conviction. You must explain the reason for your vote. Unless there is a majority of two votes in favour of guilty no one can be convicted of the death penalty. 
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  לא תטה משפט אביונך בריבו, an example of being lenient with one category of person and harsh with another. When litigants are facing you, you must not take account of any differences in their social standing. Not only this, if one of the litigants is standing during the proceedings whereas the other one is seated, this is already a form of inadmissible discrimination.
  
  Verse 7
  
  מדבר שקר תרחק, the Torah addresses the judge, telling him to stay clear of anything which could create the impression that he has dealings with something corrupt. Our sages enlarge on this, cautioning that the judge must be careful with all his utterances so that a liar cannot exploit his words for his own nefarious purposes. (Avot 1,9)
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  תשמטנה, a reference to sh’mittat kessaphim, relinquishing outstanding overdue debts at the end of the agricultural Sh’mittah year. The legislation is spelled out in greater detail in Deuteronomy 15,2 .
  ונטשתה ואכלו אביוני עמך, during the agricultural sh’mittah year the poor will also share in all the crops.
  ויתרם, after the poor have taken what they want,
  תאכל חית השדה, the poor people had first claim. We have been taught in Taanit 20 that one must not feed the dogs food which is fit for human consumption.
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  תשבות, you must even refrain from doing things which are not prohibited under the heading of מלאכה, the kind of activity associated with construction of the Tabernacle, if these activities represent strenuous exertion customary on weekdays. We have been taught in Shabbat 113 that one of the ways of honouring the gift of the Sabbath is to refrain from engaging in activities that remind one of weekdays. The Talmud bases this on Isaiah 58,13 who defines proper Sabbath observance as distinct from merely formal Sabbath observance, with these words: “if you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, from pursuing your affairs on My holy day; if you call the Sabbath ‘delight,’ the Lord’s holy day ‘honored,’ and if you honour it and go not your ways nor look to your affairs nor strike bargains, then you can seek the favour of the Lord.”
  למען ינוח שורך וחמורך, as a result of your Sabbath observance also your beasts of burden will enjoy rest.
  וינפש בן אמתך והגר, as a corollary of your own Sabbath observance also your personnel will enjoy physical respite from their weekday chores. The Torah describes the contrast with your own experience while you were slaves in Egypt, when you did not enjoy rest on your master’s holidays. We have proof of this in Exodus 5,9 when Pharaoh ordered a further intensification of the hard labour performed by the Israelites as a response to their request for a brief vacation in order to attend to their religious obligations. This is part of the national aspect of the Sabbath, stressed in Deuteronomy 5,14, as opposed to the universal aspect of Sabbath observance stressed in Exodus 20,11.
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  כל אשר אמרתי אליכם תשמרו, ושם אלוהימ אחרים לא תזכירו, the Israelites are cautioned not only not to violate G’d’s commandments, but to construct safeguards to ensure that they do not violate these commandments inadvertently. A prime example of this is the caution not to only not to worship idols, but not even to mention their names.
  לא ישמע על פיך, you must not even be the cause of others mentioning the names of these idols. If they do mention these names it must not be with your approval. 
  
  Verse 14
  
  תחוג לי, as we find in Psalms 149,2 ישמח ישראל בעושיו, “the people of Israel rejoice in their Maker.” Such joy on the festivals legislated by G’d is to offset the joy displayed on the occasion of the making of the golden calf, when the Torah reported “when he saw the calf and the people dancing, etc.” (Exodus 32,19).
  
  Verse 15
  
  את חג המצות תשמור, the word תשמור is meant in the same sense as שמור את חודש האביב ועשית פסח, “observe the month of spring to prepare the Passover.” (Deut. 1,1.)  למועד חודש האביב, a subtle hint to the authorities to ensure that the calendar dates given for this festival coincide with the season of spring. This may be accomplished by an extra day in certain months, or in more drastic situations by the insertion of a second month of Adar.
  
  Verse 16
  
  בצאת השנה. After all the harvests have been gathered in.
  
  Verse 17
  
  שלש פעמים בשנה יראה, to give thanks to the Lord for the attainment of freedom from bondage, in spring, in summer and in fall. All our achievements stem from Him.
  אל פני האדון, to appear in the presence of the אדון. The term אדון is applied to someone who is in control of perishable things, mortals, etc. The Torah, by using this name of G’d, reminds us that He is the master of the people who present themselves each as an individual. When they make such an appearance before the Lord, they are as if each making an obeisance before his Master. This “Master” is simultaneously the master of the soil they toil which provides their livelihood, seeing that G’d is on record as כי לי כל הארץ כי גרים ותושבים אתם עמדי, “all of the earth is Mine for you are strangers or at best resident strangers with Me.” (Leviticus 25,23). In view of the above, it is clearly appropriate to express our gratitude to Him during the three aforementioned seasons. Therefore, (19) ראשית בכורי אדמתך, a reference to the choicest of our respective fruit. The word ראשית is used in the sense of “the choicest,” in Amos 6,6 וראשית שמנים ימשחו, “they anoint themselves with the choicest oils.” Similarly, Amos 6,1, נקובי ראשית הגויים, “you notables of the leading nation.” The products qualifying for this commandment are the 7 listed in Bikkurim 1,Mishnah 3 
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  לא תבשל גדי בחלב אמו, do not practice these procedures which the idolaters believe are apt to improve the earth’s productivity. But, on the contrary, ראשית בכורי אדמתך תביא, if you really want to attract G’d’s blessing on your agricultural endeavours you will present G’d with a gift of the very first and finest of your respective crops. (compare Ezekiel 44,30 וראשית בכורי כל, וכל תרומת כל,...להניח ברכה אל ביתך, “all the choice first fruits of every kind, and all the gifts of every kind,- of all your contributions,- shall go to the priests,,,,that a blessing may rest upon your home.” 
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  השמר מפניו, not to offend his dignity. The word is used in a sense similar to Joshua 5,9 (the angel speaking) “remove your shoe from your foot!”
  ושמע בקולו, to follow in his footsteps, the reverse of what the Israelites had done (as reported) in Deuteronomy 1,28 when they were willing to listen and to follow the 10 spies who had declared that it was impossible to attain their objective, i.e. the conquest of the land of Canaan.
  אל תמר בו כי לא ישא לפשעכם, if even a single individual will sin, the punishment will include his fellow Jews. This is precisely what happened when Achan had stolen from the loot of Jericho and, because his sin had been covered up, Israel lost the first battle of Ai. (Joshua refers to this as a warning in Joshua 22,20. He reminds the people that Achan was not the only one punished for this sin but that G’d    [presumably because He had invested His angel with such authority. Ed.] vented His anger at the entire nation.)
  כי שמי בקרבו, and G’d does not have the power (right) to waive the honour which His angel is entitled to.
  
  Verse 22
  
  כי אם שמוע תשמע בקולו...ואיבתי את אויביך, My relationship to you then will not be protective, defensive, i.e. that I need to protect you, but aggressive, by treating your enemies as My enemies. This is the reverse of G’d’s attitude to Nineveh in Jonah 4,11 where G’d asked Jonah: “how can I not relate protectively to a city of over 120.000 people?”
  
  Verse 23
  
  כי ילך מלאכי לפניך, who will not waive any of the sins of your enemies. [the angel, by definition, will not forgive, tolerate insubordination, but this would boomerang on the Jewish people to whom he will not show special favour either. Ed.]
  
  Verse 24
  
  לא תשתחוה לאלוהיהם, do not do what King Amatziah is reported to have done after he had conquered the land of Se-ir. It is reported in Chronicles II 25,14 that after having defeated the Edomites he installed their deities in Jerusalem bowed to them and offered sacrifices to them. He may have wanted to appease their feelings for having defeated the Edomites.
  
  Verse 25
  
  ועבדתם את ה' אלוקיכם, the manner in which you will demonstrate that you indeed serve Him is by destroying all the idols as mentioned in the previous verse. As a corollary of having destroyed idolatry and its representatives you will not need to worry about anyone in your midst trying to convert Jews to such alien religions and to thereby estrange them from serving Me.
  וברך את לחמך, so that it will prove nutritious instead of the source of a variety of intestinal ailments.
  והסירותי מחלה מקרבך, diseases caused by polluted air or climactic conditions.
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  לא תהיה משכלה ועקרה, so that you will have an opportunity to teach the children that have been born to you.
  את מספר ימיך אמלא, so that you will live as a result of the heavenly oil in the lamp of G’d. [the physical phenomenon perceived as sustaining life once it exists is a certain inherent source of moisture, described as celestial oil, as oil does not dry up on its own. Usually, life is cut short due to diseases caused by external causes which are not due to this vital oil having become depleted. When a person is granted a lifespan not cut short by disease caused by external causes, he will usually live long enough to pass on his aims in life to his children. This is the meaning of Deuteronomy 4,9 והודעתם לבניך ולבני בניך, “you will make them known to your children and to your grandchildren.” A prominent example of such a blessing was the fact that Levi lived long enough to pass on his heritage to Kehot, his son, and Amram his grandson. They each became leaders of their generation.
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  ונתתי את כל אויביך אליך עורף, they will turn their backs to you out of fear and the confusion in accordance with My promise
  את אימתי אשלח לפניך והמותי, the same had happened when the Egyptians were at the bottom of the sea bed when the waves began crashing down on them, and they said” I will flee from the Israelites for G’d is fighting for them.” (Exodus 14,25)
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  
  
  Verse 30
  
  
  
  Verse 31
  
  כי אתן בידכם את יושבי הארץ וגרשתמו, the matter is delivered into your hands, i.e. you have to carry it out. You must not display undue tardiness, laziness. We read in Joshua 18,3 that Joshua was complaining to his people about their being deliberately slow in carrying out the task of disposing of all the Canaanites. (“how long are you going to be dragging your feet to take possession of the land which the G’d of your fathers has given to you?” Joshua speaking to the people at a time when 7 tribes had not yet received portions of the land.).
  
  Verse 32
  
  
  
  Verse 33
  
  לא ישבו בארצך. In the area which you have conquered and take up residence in. Unfortunately, the Israelites ignored this warning of the Torah as we know from Judges 1,29 וישב הכנעני בקרבו בגזר, as well as Judges 1,33 וישב בקרב הכנעני יושבי הארץ, [the Israelites lived in mixed communities, in some they were the majority, in others even only the minority. Ed.]
  כי יהיה לך למוקש, their very presence as inhabitants in that land will become a snare for you, i.e. you will begin to worship their deities.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  ואל משה אמר עלה!, after He had finished telling him כה תאמר אל בני ישראל אתם ראיתם in 20,18. At that time He had explained to the people that they must not try and “reach” Him through intermediaries, but that all that was required was an altar made of earth, coupled with the meticulous observance of His commandments as spelled out in the Ten Commandments. The verse tells us that all of these things were explained to the whole nation. However, ואל משה אמר, to Moses himself G’d had said that he should come up to the mountain just as he had been commanded to do already before the revelation, when G’d had said to him in 19,14 לך רד ועלית אתה ואהרן עמך.
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  'ויבא משה ויספר לעם את כל דברי ה, the matters Moses told the people were those reported in the Torah between 20,8 and the beginning of chapter 21.
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  וחצי הדם זרק על המזבח, he converted the altar into being G’d’s intermediary, messenger; for the concluding of the covenant. Half the blood was sprinkled on the altar, the other half on the people.
  
  Verse 7
  
  ספר הברית. The book in which G’d’s words had been recorded as well as the laws concerning which the covenant was concluded. Reference has to be made to this book in verse four of our chapter.
  ויקרא באזני העם, Moses read out the contents so that the people would know what they had committed themselves to. Only by knowing the contents would they be prevented from violating the commandments inadvertently.
  נעשה ונשמע, a reference to action designed to ensure that they could obey G’d’s directives without thought of any reward that might be in store for them by doing this. We find a similar construction in Psalms 103,20 עושי דברו לשמוע בקולו, “who do His bidding, ever obedient to His bidding.” 
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  ויעל משה ואהרן, after he had carried out the tasks entrusted to him by G’d. telling the people what he had been told to in 20,18. Now he carried out the instructions recorded in verse 1 of our chapter.
  
  Verse 10
  
  ותחת רגליו, on the earth, the lowest point. We have G’d on record as describing “earth” in such terms in Isaiah 66,1 והארץ הדם רגליו, “the earth is My footstool.”
  כמעשה לבנת ספיר, an essence, totally transparent, devoid of colours and permanent contours so that it is almost completely abstract, capable of absorbing spiritual input from spiritual domains at will. An allegorical description of the human נפש, “life-force.”
  וכעצם השמים לטוהר, they perceived that this לבנת הספיר, “essence,” is totally independent of the raw material man is made of; just as what we perceive as the essence of heaven in the sky is totally devoid of tangible matter. It is the essence of what we consider the celestial regions, “heaven,” for lack of a better word. It is not connected to the solid physical planets etc., which form the “inhabitants” of these celestial domains. The fact that the “sky,” “heaven,” has no physical dimensions makes it appear as if it is the spiritual dimension of “Heaven” itself.
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  ואל אצילי בני ישראל לא שלח ידו,  G’d, did not extend His helping hand to enable these nobles and elders to grant them the level of prophetic status while they were oblivious to their five senses with which they perceived while merely human beings. We encounter such a concept in Ezekiel 8,1 when the prophet describes an inspiration received with the words: ותפול עלי יד ה', “and the “hand” of G’d “fell” upon me there.” The use of this phraseology describes the separation of the “normal” senses used for perception employed by the prophet, and his transformation into a super terrestrial dimension. [It is probably impossible to really “translate” this line into the vernacular in any language. The main point our author makes, as opposed to other commentators, is that this “hand of G’d” is not perceived by him as one that is retributive in character, but, on the contrary, as one that elevates the human being to a spiritually higher dimension.” In our context the Torah says that the “visions” achieved by these אצילי בני ישראל, were not further helped along by G’d. Ed.] Examples of people who divest themselves of human senses, or human garb, (a simile for their senses?) are King Saul in Samuel I 19,24  “then he too stripped off his clothes and he too spoke in ecstasy before Samuel, and he lay naked all day and night. This is why people say: “Is Saul too among the prophets?”
  ויחזו את האלוקים, they achieved a vision of their concept of G’d similar to a prophetic vision.
  ויאכלו וישתו, afterwards they made a festive meal which they consumed without their normal senses having been in any way transformed or temporarily become neutralised. They prepared this festive meal congratulating themselves on a higher spiritual dimension which they felt they had achieved.
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  עלה אלי ההרה, to the top of the mountain. This was after he had already approached more closely than the people with him, as we have read in verse 2, ונגש משה לבדו “only Moses alone is to approach any closer.” Nonetheless, at that point he had not ascended the summit of the mountain. It was on this occasion, while they looked after Moses disappearing into the cloud forming a shroud around the mountain, that the “nobles” and the elders had the vision just described. This is what was meant in verse 17 with the words ומראה כבוד ה' כאש אוכלת בראש ההר, “and the manifestation of the glory of the Lord was similar to a consuming fire at the top of the mountain.” We find this formulation (ראש ההר) again during the giving of the Ten Commandments in 19,20.
  והיה שם, stay there for an extended period. The root היה appears in this sense in Deuteronomy 10,5 ויהיו שם כאשר צוני, “they have remained there as G’d had commanded me.”
  והתורה, “and the part which requires profound study,”
  והמצוה, and the part of the Torah which primarily requires action in order to fulfill it.
  אשר כתבתי, “which I (the Lord) have written.” If it had not been for the sin of the golden calf, the entire Torah would have been handed to the Jewish people (Moses) as a signed and sealed document just like the Tablets with the Ten Commandments. Moses alluded to this when he described the approach of G’d to Mount Sinai in Deuteronomy 33,2 ואתה מרבבות קודש מימינו אש דת למו , G’d was ready to hand us the whole Torah but the sin of the golden calf prevented this at that that time. Instead, Moses wrote down the Torah at G’d’s command (dictation). Moses is on record as having done this in Deuteronomy 34,27. In fact, Moses only brought the Tablets to within sight of the people in order to smash them before their eyes, so that they would understand what they had forfeited due to their disloyalty to G’d. This demonstration of Moses having smashed the Tablets was designed to shock the people into penitence.
  להורותם, to teach them. Although everything was available in the form of a written text, as we know from our sages in Taanit 9 “is there then anything which has not either been spelled out or alluded to in the text of the Torah that Moses handed down to us?”  And, the Talmud Gittin 60 adds that most is spelled out in the written text and only a relatively small part was reserved for what we call the “oral Torah,” the allusions in the Torah which require profound study and most ordinary Israelites would not understand them unless they had the guidance of scholars. Knowing this, a statement by the sages which appears to conflict with the statement we quoted from Gittin 60, and which states that most of the legislation of the Torah is derived from the “oral Torah,” is not in conflict with that at all. The former statement refers to people studying under the guidance of a competent Torah scholar.
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  ואל הזקנים אמר, when he departed from them in order to ascend to the top of the mountain as G’d had commanded him in verse 12.
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  ויהי משה בהר, each time Moses ascended the mountain from this point on he remained on it for a period of 40 days and forty nights. This period corresponds to the time it takes for a fertilised egg in a woman’s womb to achieve a critical status that permits us to refer to it as a fetus. Moses’ stay on the mountain for such periods of time effected his spiritual progress in a similar manner, elevating him to higher spiritual dimensions. The evidence lies in the fact that eventually Moses’ face radiated so much spiritual  illumination that the people were frightened by this phenomenon and Moses had to veil his head. (Exodus 34,29) Moses had been meant to achieve this stature already at the end of his first 40 days’ stay on the mountain, but the people’s making the golden calf and worshipping it, foiled this plan. G’d Himself told Moses to descend due to his people having become corrupt (Exodus 32,7). According to our tradition, Moses’ second stay of forty days on the mountain was a period when G’d’s anger at the people had not yet abated, so that he could not be rewarded with the distinction G’d had in mind for him. He attained that distinction only during his third stay on the mountain when he was also instructed concerning the construction of the Tabernacle seeing that he was told to place the second set of Tablets in the Holy Ark (Exodus 25,21). This did not refer to an ark within which to place the shattered first set of Tablets. In fact, according to tradition, seeing that the letters written by G’d on the first set of Tablets had “flown” away, the remnants of those Tablets which were eventually placed in another ark are not referred to as “The testimony,” seeing they did not contain any writing anymore at that point. (compare Pesachim 87) Commencing with 25,8 where G’d says to Moses that He will take up permanent residence in the Tabernacle to be built, the first 2500 years of mankind’s history where G’d was equally accessible anywhere has come to an end, and there would be a centralised form of worship as part of the Jewish religion. Instead of G’d permitting the erection of altars anywhere it pleased man, and His coming to meet man at such sites, (Exodus 20,20) now the roles are reversed and He will be in residence in His palace on earth, and anyone who wishes to pray to Him effectively will have to do this at that Temple. There will be groups of people charged with the sacrificial service in the Temple, the priests, and laymen will not be allowed into the inner sanctum of this Temple at all. This, in short, is the message of Exodus 28,1 “and you (Moses) bring close (To Me) your brother Aaron.” Actually, the tribe of Levi had not yet been selected until after the affair of the golden calf. Moses recalls that event in Deuteronomy 10,8 and the events that had led up to it. In light of all this the fact that Moses spent 40 days and nights on the mountain each time he ascended there is very significant. The stage at which Moses‘ face radiated these rays of light was not achieved until the end of Moses’ third stay on the mountain after he had been commanded to erect the Tabernacle. After the building of the Tabernacle had been completed,  as well as the making of the priestly garments, and the incense and oil anointing, Moses revealed the stages that preceded it, telling the people that at the end of the first forty days on the mountains he received the first set of Tablets. Any delay in the carrying out of G’d’s original timetable for these events was not due to G’d delaying His plan but to the conduct of the people in the interval that had forced Him to revise His timetable. Had the episode of the golden calf not intervened, Moses’ second and third stay on the mountain would have been totally superfluous. The episodes described in Exodus 32,7, 33,12 and 34,1 until 34 28-29 were only caused by the repercussions of the sin of the golden calf.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  וזאת התרומה, the word זאת means that no substitutes for the materials listed would be acceptable, such as perishables, for instance. Even the kind of gemstones (pearls, for instance) not usable for Aaron’s breastplate, were not accepted. The only type of contributions that were accepted were those that in themselves would be usable in the construction of the Tabernacle and its paraphernalia.
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  'ושכנתי בתוכם ככל אשר אני מראה אותך וגו, “I will dwell among them permanently in order to receive their prayers and their sacrificial offerings in a manner similar to the way I displayed My presence at the mountain.” Henceforth My presence will be manifest between the two cherubs on the lid of the Holy Ark as part of the overall structure called the Tabernacle. [I will paraphrase from here on in. Ed.]The author perceives of different degrees of holiness, just as the kabbalists perceive holiness in the extra terrestrial world as consisting of spiritually progressively higher different levels. The outer structure known as תבנית המקדש, “the format,” visual image, lead up to the cherubs in the innermost part of that structure. The very concept of the Tabernacle leads the intelligent viewer to conclude that hidden deep within it, G’d’s presence, שכינה must be manifest. The prophet Isaiah 6,2 phrased this as the שרפים עומדין ממעל לו, the types of angels of a rank known as “Seraphim” were in attendance above G’d’s throne. This was the closest to G’d’s essence that the prophets were shown in their visions. The terrestrial Tabernacle, if viewed as parallel to G’d’s throne in the celestial domains, contained different sections of progressively higher levels of sanctity which progressively restricted the type of people allowed to approach those levels. The Torah itself, for which the Holy Ark served as repository, was in an ark constructed of wood but overlaid with gold on the inside and on the outside, to reflect the saying of our sages in Yuma 72 that every Torah scholar whose external appearance did not reflect his internal stature is not a Torah scholar at all. The levels of sanctity in the Tabernacle, beginning already with the courtyard around it, were not sealed off from one another, but, on the contrary, were connected to one another all the way to the innermost sanctuary to demonstrate that sanctity is attainable progressively. On top of the physical box containing the spiritual teaching, the Torah, there was placed a lid also made from pure gold which symbolised the image of G’d. [in the sense that man was created in the image of G.d.] This lid was not linked, attached, to the ark itself at all. The detached nature of this “lid, כפורת,” symbolised that at a certain level of holiness there is no longer a physical bond with the human body, with the terrestrial domain, a domain which is essentially mortal, i.e. requiring regeneration from time to time. The description of the cherubs on top of the כפורת facing each other (verse 20) symbolises the interaction of the spiritual message contained in the Torah and its transmission to the human being studying it. The cherubs themselves are described as facing the lid, i.e. facing the Torah that is beneath that lid. As a result of such an attitude to Torah, i.e. looking to it for inspiration, the cherubs are then described as spreading their wings in an upward direction, as if reflecting that they had received spiritual inspiration enabling them to fly. This description of the cherubs’ posture reflects what Solomon described in Proverbs 15,24 אורח חיים למעלה למשכיל, “for an intelligent man the path of life is upward.” As a result of our relating to Torah in the manner described, we will merit what Isaiah 66,2 describes as ואל זה אביט, when he refers to the prerequisite character traits necessary to merit Divine inspiration.
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  פעמותיו, the corners at its outer edges.
  ושתי טבעות על צלעו האחת, the side, wall of the Ark, is called צלע. G’d had commanded therefore that these rings be attached at the four corners of the Ark. G’d therefore commanded that there were to be four such rings at the four corners. Furthermore, G’d commanded that they not be attached along the short sides of the Ark but along the long sides of the ark. [this contradicts the commentary of both Rashi  and Rash’bam. Ed.]
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  ונתת אל הארון, the details were spelled out seeing this vessel had nothing to do with, and would not have been suitable for, sacrificial service.
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  והיו הכרובים, our prophets have already explained to us that when they had visions involving angels, such angels appeared to them in the guise of cherubs. This means that they had faces like humans but were equipped with wings. In spite of appearing as if physical beings, the fact that they represented disembodied intelligence was indicated by the fact that their motion was ever upwards when the prophet observed them as if being in motion. In other words, any motion ascribed to them was in the direction of facing towards G’d exclusively. Each one of these cherubs, whenever and to whomsoever they appeared, did so according to his respective level, rank, in the celestial hierarchy. והיו הכרובים פורשי כנפים, the cherubs were always in a posture of having extended wings. The human intelligence is one that aspires to attain union with its counterpart (the source from which it is derived). The process leading to this involves the understanding of certain mental disciplines in which the owner of this intelligence divests himself of any and all consideration involving concretization, i.e. concepts involving the material universe. Only in this manner can a human being attain the kind of understanding of the Divine that he is willing and capable of attaining, each according to the level of his intelligence and his piety. Such insights are achieved by intelligently looking at the manifestations of G’d in this world, studying about His attributes by gaining knowledge about how and when He does intervene in history by overriding the laws of nature which He Himself formulated and instituted. Knowing under what circumstances G’d will resort to such extraordinary miracles, and appreciating the rationale behind it, is what enables the prophet at certain times to evoke G’d’s direct involvement in the fates of individuals. When Moses asked G’d הןדיעני נא את דרכך, “please instruct me in Your ways,” (33,13) he wanted precisely these kinds of guidelines. When the Torah describes the cherubs as פורשי כנפים למעלה, this describes the source from which all this inspiration has to come. The sages already explained that these cherubs had the faces of a young boy and a young girl, (Yuma 54) a reference to the initiation of actions originating in a domain which is part of the abstract world. What is initiated there resembles something masculine, as the male is symbolic of initiating matters whereas the female’s role is more responsive in nature. ופניהם איש אל אחיו, this describes that what is initiated in abstract, disembodied regions of the universe, i.e. in heaven, is accepted, received willingly and in a complementary fashion by the creatures in this concrete, i.e. physical part of the universe, Only by a merging of these two basic constituent parts of our universe can “perfection” on earth be attained. The reason why the Torah continues in describing these cherubs as facing the lid of the Ark, i.e. looking downwards whereas their wings are spread upwards, is a reminder that although inspiration originates in heaven, understanding of G’d and how He works can only come by paying close attention and studying what He does in our material, “lower” part of His universe. The ideal means of unraveling the meaning of G’d’s actions is through His revealed word, the Torah, of which the Ark has become the repository. The upshot of the message contained in the symbolism represented by the cherubs, their shape, their posture, etc., is that for us on earth the key to obtain all these insights must be obtained by study of the Torah. By giving us the Torah, allowing us to build the Tabernacle, etc.,
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  ונועדתי לך שם ודברתי אתך, G’d assures Moses that this is the site where He will communicate with him and become as familiar to him as it is possible for G’d to become familiar to man. This is where the Shechinah’s presence will become “stationed,” as already spelled out in the opening verses of our chapter (8-9) with the words ושכנתי בתוכם ככל אשר אני מראה אותך, “I will dwell among them in accordance with the blueprint which I have shown you.” The meaning of the words וכן תעשו at the end of verse 9, is that once the Jewish people or their elite engage in study of the relationship of physics to metaphysics, something known in the parlance of the Talmud as מעשה מרכבה, and they will do so motivated by the acceptable purpose, i.e. to become better servants of the Lord, not only will the Shechinah assist us but the ministering angels will also be of help in furthering such study. (Chagigah 14)
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  ועשית שלחן, after the Ark, which symbolised G’d’s throne on earth, as expressed by the words ונועדתי לך שם, “I will designate this for My meeting place with you,” (verse 22) had been completed, G’d commanded the construction of the Table and the Lamp stand, essential furnishings for a guest room, as we know from King II 4,10 where the lady in Shunem, planning to provide private accommodation for the prophet Elisha who was her frequent guest, discusses such details with her husband. According to our sages in Yuma 72 the crown-like border surrounding the surface of the table symbolised the crown of the kingdom of G’d. A king’s task in administering the affairs of state is divided into two aspects. 1) He must dispense justice, or appoint people who see to it that justice is dispensed. 2) He must concern himself with the defense of the realm, again, either personally, or by delegating his authority to loyal experts. This is how the people requesting that Samuel appoint a king for them defined the king’s duties in Samuel I 8,20. Accordingly, the table actually had two “crowns.” (this exegesis differs from that of Rashi who holds that there was only one such “crown.”) One of the “crowns” is for the table as such, the table symbolising the physical nourishment of the people and the general  conduct of its affairs, the second symbolises an “enclosure, security fence,” מסגרת, a defensive system against harm to the people from whatever source, signaling that any attacker will not only be repelled but will be crushed.
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  קערותיו וכפותיו, these vessels were popularly used at Royal banquets, etc.
  
  Verse 30
  
  
  
  Verse 31
  
  ועשית מנורת זהב טהור. This commandment follows the establishment of “2 crowns,” the crown of Torah as represented by the Ark, and the crown of Royalty as represented by the Table. The Torah arranged the subject of the Menorah as something that it totally integrated, i.e. just as the Menorah was to be constructed of a single chunk of gold, not as a composite structure, so the seven lights were also to be arranged in such a way that the light from the lamps would converge in one above the light burning on top of the central shaft. This is the meaning of the words והאיר על עבר פניה, (verse 36) this means that the lights both on the right of the center shaft and those on the left should be arranged so that the respective flames would focus in the direction of the middle. Inasmuch as the lights symbolised spiritual “enlighten-ment,” the lesson is that in all our efforts at obtaining such enlightenment, and during all the digressions that the pursuit of such disciplines necessarily entails, we must never lose sight of the direction in which we are striving and keep this central idea of such enlightenment resulting in us becoming better servants of the Lord, constantly in front of our mental eye. The reason that there were lights on both the right side of the center shaft as well as on the left side, is that pursuit of enlightenment expresses itself both in gaining of theoretical knowledge, ethical imperatives, but no less so in the practical application of such lessons learned. Both must be placed in the service of the נר המערבי, the light from the center shaft, the one which faces the Shechinah directly. Only the focusing on our spiritual goal ensures that the six lights on the various arms will continue to burn without hindrance. The thought we just tried to portray is expressed in Numbers 8,2-4 בהעלותך את הנרות אל מול פני המנוה יאירו שבעת הנרות “when you kindle the lamps, toward the face of the Menorah shall the seven lamps cast light.” This is the symbolism contained in the words וזה מעשה המנורה מקשה, (Numbers 8,4) i.e. in spite of what appears to be a multiplicity of lights emanating from this Menorah, their function is singular, one of unification, just as the Menorah from which they emanate was cast out of a single chunk of gold, something unified.
  
  Verse 32
  
  
  
  Verse 33
  
  
  
  Verse 34
  
  
  
  Verse 35
  
  
  
  Verse 36
  
  
  
  Verse 37
  
  והאיר על עבר פניה, (verse 36) this means that the lights both on the right of the center shaft and those on the left should be arranged so that the respective flames would focus in the direction of the middle. Inasmuch as the lights symbolised spiritual “enlighten-ment,” the lesson is that in all our efforts at obtaining such enlightenment, and during all the digressions that the pursuit of such disciplines necessarily entails, we must never lose sight of the direction in which we are striving and keep this central idea of such enlightenment resulting in us becoming better servants of the Lord, constantly in front of our mental eye. The reason that there were lights on both the right side of the center shaft as well as on the left side, is that pursuit of enlightenment expresses itself both in gaining of theoretical knowledge, ethical imperatives, but no less so in the practical application of such lessons learned. Both must be placed in the service of the נר המערבי, the light from the center shaft, the one which faces the Shechinah directly. Only the focusing on our spiritual goal ensures that the six lights on the various arms will continue to burn without hindrance. The thought we just tried to portray is expressed in Numbers 8,2-4 בהעלותך את הנרות אל מול פני המנוה יאירו שבעת הנרות “when you kindle the lamps, toward the face of the Menorah shall the seven lamps cast light.” This is the symbolism contained in the words וזה מעשה המנורה מקשה, (Numbers 8,4) i.e. in spite of what appears to be a multiplicity of lights emanating from this Menorah, their function is singular, one of unification, just as the Menorah from which they emanate was cast out of a single chunk of gold, something unified.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  ואת המשכן תעשה, the reason why these curtains are referred to by the Torah as משכן, “a residence,” is because in the space covered by them there were the kinds of furnishings normally found in a dwelling, i.e. table, cupboard (Ark), and a lamp stand. The dwelling was designed to house the presence of G’d more commonly referred to as the Shechinah. כרובים, the curtains were made with the patterns of cherubs woven into them, as we know from the description of Isaiah’s vision (Isaiah 6,2) that he perceived G’d surrounded by angels described as Seraphim. We also find another description of a similar type in Kings I 22,19 where the prophet Michayah describes his vision of G’d in these words: “I saw the Lord seated on His throne with all the host of heaven standing in attendance to the right and to the left of Him.” 
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  חמש היריעות תהיין חוברות, the decorative weaving patterns of these curtains should match each curtain to its counterpart. This was the difference between the curtains covering the sanctuary and those covering the Holy of Holies. Even though in both instances, the presence of such angel-like shapes woven into the material of the curtains, suggested an extra terrestrial dimension, there was a difference between the way these figures were woven into the five curtains covering the Holy of Holies and the patterns woven into the curtains covering the sanctuary. The difference alluded to the different degree of sanctity of these two sections of the Tabernacle. [I do not know the author’s source for this assertion. Possibly, he derives this from the apparently unnecessary repetition of the words חמש היריעות and חמש יריעות without the prefix letter ה the second time. Ed.]
  
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  Verse 6
  
  והיה המשכן אחד. Even though the respective level of sanctity of the two parts of the structure was not uniform, what they had in common was that both reflected the fact  that the will of their Creator had been carried out. It reminds us of Isaiah describing different groups of angels calling to each other in mutual encouragement to proclaim the Holiness of G’d (Isaiah 6,3).
  
  Verse 7
  
  לאהל על המשכן. The purpose of what was called משכן had not been to serve as a tent, but to assure that the cherubs would be surrounding the Shechinah.
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  וחברת את חמש היריעות לבד, even within the Tabernacle there was a difference between levels of sanctity.  It is reminiscent of what David said in Psalms 19,5 where the subjects are the different planetary forces and their orbits, each of them closer or further from the center, the sun. All of them represent forces created by G’d to help run an orderly universe, and all of them, in David’s own words, proclaim G’d’s handiwork; yet at the end, David reminds us that G’d appointed the sun as a “tent” to “cover” them all, i.e. their diversity. 
  
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  עצי שטים עומדים. Not arranged horizontally as such boards are normally arranged in buildings of a secular nature.
  
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  אל הטבעת האחת, to the ring at the thickest point of the board forming the corner post. [we referred to this in verse 23 where these two boards are described as serving with one cubit in a westerly direction, completing the length of the structure and with the half cubit constituting its thickness closing the gap left on either side of the six boards forming the western wall of the Tabernacle. (compare Rash’bam there) Ed.] The bolts (bars) running alongside the walls were also inserted both in the lower level and the higher level (above the center bar) through the rings attached to these corner boards at the south-west and south-east of the Tabernacle respectively, ensuring that the structure was solid.
  
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  ואת טבעותיהם, it is customary for bolts to be inserted through rings unless the Torah would explain that it was not so, as in the case of the central bolt which was not fastened to the outside of the boards at all but inside of them as explained in verse 28.
  
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  Verse 35
  
  ושמת את השלחן מחוץ לפרכת, after the Ark had been placed inside the Tabernacle. Betzalel arranged that the dividing curtain would be between the Holy of Holies containing the Ark and the other furnishings, i.e. the Table and the Menorah. The Table would be on the right side and the Menorah on the left [viewed from the perspective of someone entering the sanctuary. Ed.] Proverbs 3,16 refers to this when writing אורך ימים בימינה בשמאולה עושר וכבוד, “length of days is in her right hand, in her left hands riches and honour.”
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  קרנותיו, a feature of all altars, as were the shovels and the basins for the blood as receptacles.
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
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  Verse 5
  
  כרכב המזבח, ledges which are common to all vessels made of wood, as our sages confirm in Chulin 25 “these are wooden vessels in their original unfinished state that are not susceptible to ritual impurity; any such vessel or instrument that is not fit for intended for scraping the scales off fish, etc.”
  
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  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  נבוב לוחות, similar to a box which has no rim around its base and no cover.
  כאשר הראה אותך בהר, that they were to fill the hollow inside with earth at the times they would be encamped. The fire [reserve of the wooden pile some of which was kept constantly burning. Ed.] which was to be kept going on the altar as described in Leviticus 6,6, would be based on the earth.
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  מאה באמה ועמודיו עשרים, the space between one pillar and the next including one of the pillars was 5 cubits. However, there were no 20 pillars either along the northern wall or along the southern wall of this courtyard at such intervals but the ones linking up with the east wall and the west wall had to be adjoining the ones running at 90 degree angles from them. [the careful reader will perceive that it is impossible for all the pillars to have been placed five cubits apart from both their partners on the other side, as they would then have covered a total distance of more that the 300 cubits  making up the total length of the four “walls.” Ed.]
  וחשוקיהם, sort of bracelets attached to the pillars for decorative purposes.
  
  
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  לכל כלי המשכן לכל עבודתו, the vessels, tools needed to perform all the service connected with the Tabernacle.
  
  Verse 20
  
  ואתה תצוה, If, prior to this admonition, the Torah introduced its instructions with the words ועשית, “you will do, etc.,” the meaning had been that Moses was not to do this personally, but that he was to delegate the tasks in question. The formulation ואתה, however, means: “and you personally.” He, personally, was to issue instructions to the Israelites concerning providing the oil for the Menorah. He, personally, was to assemble Aaron and his sons and to address all the חכמי לב, “wise-hearted people.” (28,1 and 28,3)
  ויקחו אליך, as the need would arise in the future, after the Tabernacle had been completed. The people should not think that donating oil for the Menorah now was the only time that this commandment would be actual. It would have to be replaced from time to time as the supply kept would become depleted on an ongoing basis.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  לכבוד, to render honour and glory to the Almighty through the wearing of such resplendent garments when performing Temple service.
  ולתפארת, also the Priest should inspire awe among the Israelites who are all considered his disciples seeing he had the names of all the tribes engraved on these garments right opposite his heart when he wore them in his official capacity.
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  ואתה תדבר אל כל חכמי לב, that they should carry out all the instructions mentioned in the Torah in the preceding verses.
  ועשו את בגדי אהרן, not only should they build the Tabernacle, provide oil for the Menorah, but they should also fashion the garments to be worn by Aaron, etc.
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  והם יקחו את הזהב, just as the correct degree of dedication to its purpose was required by these חכמי לב while they would be engaged in fashioning the Tabernacle and its paraphernalia, so the same degree of mental concentration on their holy task was required while they received these contributions from the people or their go betweens. 
  
  Verse 6
  
  אפוד, a garment that covers a person from the waist down. Its upper rim is constructed like a sash or belt, artistic work. This sash is used when the wearer ties the ephod above his tunic. This is the meaning of Leviticus 8,7ויחגור אותו בחשב האפוד, ויאפוד לו בו, “he girdled him with the belt of the ephod and thus adorned him with it.”
  
  Verse 7
  
  שתי כתפות חוברות, carefully matched in the construction of their decorations.
  אל שני קצותיו, toward the two outer extremes of its width.
  וחובר, as a result of which the ephod will be joined to the art work of the shoulder pads.
  
  
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  Verse 12
  
  על שתי כתפיו לזכרון, in order to attract the attribute of Mercy to be invoked by their merit. (the merit of wearing the shoulder pads)
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  מגבלות, constructed to precisely defined dimensions, so that they will be stretched tight from the edge of the shoulder pads to the upper edge of the breastplate.
  
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  Verse 21
  
  והאבנים תהיין על שמות בני ישראל, as soon as the Israelites when donating these various materials had dedicated them to their sacred purpose, i.e. that their names be inscribed on these gemstones, they became sacred, so that the word תהיין, meaning “they will remain, etc.,” is fully justified.”
  שתים עשרה על שמותם, the Torah emphasises that the number 12 is not arbitrary but represents the names of the 12 tribes, no fewer nor any additional ones. [Joseph is represented by one gemstone not two, and the tribe of Levi was included though they did not share in the distribution of the land of Canaan to the tribes. Ed.]
  פתוחי חותם איש על שמו, this sounds like an instruction to the engraver of these gemstones to have in mind the specific name of the tribe when he engraves letters on the gemstone representing that tribe.
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  גבלות, not in order to lengthen or shorten but precisely for a short distance between the top of the breastplate and the forward part of the shoulder pad as described in verse 14 merely to link these two sections of the High Priest’s garments. 
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
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  Verse 27
  
  ממול פניו, the letter מ at the beginning of the word ממול means that it is not to be at the level of his face but below, i.e. where the ephod’s sash is located not where the shoulder pads are located above his chest.
  לעומת מהברתו, on the level where the ephod’s sash is tied.
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  לזכרון לפני ה' תמיד. In order for G’d to always remember the merits of the founding tribal fathers of the Jewish people and to treat their offspring favourably when remembering their founders.
  
  Verse 30
  
  משפט בני ישראל על לבו, so that he will pray on their behalf that they would emerge exonerated in any judicial confrontation.
  
  Verse 31
  
  
  
  Verse 32
  
  לא יקרע, the robe should not have a regular collar and neckline running down the front of the garment open, but it should be round as a ring. The expression יקרע, is applied to vertical openings in a garment or building. The expression occurs in a similar sense in Jeremiah 22,14 וקרע לו חלוני, “provided with narrow windows cut out, etc.”
  
  
  Verse 33
  
  
  
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  Verse 41
  
  ומלאת את ידם. Ensure that they complete their task to perfection so that the priests will be equipped to perform the service in the Tabernacle wearing suitable garments.
  
  
  
  
  
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  כי איל מלואים הוא, this was the reason that the right thigh was burned on the altar. This practice did not apply to any of the other animal sacrifices. [with the exception of burnt-offerings which were burned up completely. Ed.] The Torah views the right thigh of the animal as equivalent to the right hand of a human being. Wherever in the Torah the word אצבע appears in the same context as the priesthood, the reference is to the finger of the right hand. (Menachot 10).
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  והנפת, this “waving” applies to the part of the sacrificial animal that the priests are given to eat. The main reason is that the priest should remain aware that he eats from שלחן גבוה, “from G’d’s table,” so to speak, i.e. that his portions are a “kick back,” totally voluntary gift from G’d, and that he does not eat by “rights,” i.e. that this is what the owner of the sacrificial animal designated for him. In this instance, also the part of the animal which would normally be his to eat wound up on the altar instead of being consumed by the priests, it being an introductory symbolic procedure. [perhaps similar to the concept of ראשית, the “first” part of crops which need to be consecrated to G’d of produce originating from the earth. Ed.]
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
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  ולמלא בם את ידיהם, “with which to become inaugurated.” Subsequent generations of the priests did not need to undergo these procedures seeing they had been born as priests, their status being hereditary, as opposed to Aaron and his sons.
  
  Verse 30
  
  
  
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  ושכנתי בתוך בני ישראל. There to receive their service with goodwill and in order to listen to their prayers.
  והייתי להם לאלוקים, and I will supervise their affairs without resorting to an intermediary. They will have no reason to be afraid of what astrology portends, seeing that they (the Jewish people) are far more honoured by Me than are the celestial planets, etc. The very fact that I guide others’ fate only by means of agents, intermediaries, testifies to the eternal existence of the Jewish people.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  מזבח מקטר קטורת, he will put only a minimal amount of fire on that altar in order to burn the incense thereon. This altar did not have to be hollow, filled with earth, as was the copper altar which was filled with earth in order that the supply of fire be on the earth, literally. On this altar the fire was kept on the gold overlay. Seeing that there was only a minimal amount of fire kept going thereon this did not damage or burn wood underneath the gold overlay. The reason that this altar has not been mentioned together with the major altar standing outside the sanctuary, details of which the Torah described in Parshat Terumah, is that this altar was not intended to ensure that the Shechinah made its permanent home among the Jewish people. The purpose of all the other furnishings in the Tabernacle was just that. (compare how G’d defined this purpose in Exodus 25,8-9) Its purpose was also not to attract the glory of the Lord into the Tabernacle, as was the purpose of all the other communal sacrifices burnt-offering, gift offerings, etc. Concerning G’d’s response to those offerings we had read in Exodus 29,43 ונועדתי שמה לבני ישראל, “and there I will meet with the Children of Israel.” Moses himself had confirmed that this was the purpose of the furnishings, etc., in the Tabernacle when he said: (Leviticus 9,6) “and as a result the glory of the Lord will become manifest to you.” The sole purpose of the golden altar was to honour G’d after He had accepted our service with goodwill mornings and evenings. We used this as a means to welcome His presence by presenting the incense. We find that Chronicles I 16,29 expresses this thought, David saying:הבו לה' כבוד שמו ובאו לפניו, “Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name!”
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  שתי צלעותיו, at the upper corners.
  שני צדיו, the side walls. [seeing that the altar was a cube, i.e. the sides were no longer than the length, I find this difficult. Ed.]
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
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  כי תשא..ונתנו איש כפר נפשו, the need to count human beings stems from the fact that human beings are not the same each time, i.e. ever since death was decreed upon mankind this reflects sin. Prior to sin man, who was meant to live indefinitely, would be the same at each count. The sages have said that no one dies unless he had committed a sin (Shabbat 55). It follows that mention of a head count of people is an oblique reminder of man’s sin, his guilt. This being so, it is most appropriate that at the time of such count he should pay some ransom on behalf of his soul, his life, so that he will qualify for atonement. This also explains why the poor must not give less nor the rich more, as a soul’s ransom is not calculated in terms of the amount of money offered to G’d.
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
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  Verse 18
  
  ועשית כיור, this is another vessel which has not been mentioned before with the other vessels that were part of the Tabernacle. The reason is that the basin was not instrumental in attracting the presence of the Shechinah to the Tabernacle. Its function was merely preparatory to the priests’ service in the Tabernacle.
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
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  Verse 24
  
  ושמן זית הין, there can be no doubt that the small quantity of oil mentioned here could not have been sufficient to anoint all the sacred vessels mentioned here including the Tabernacle itself. This could only have been achieved if merely a minute part of each vessel had to be covered with that oil, or, if the quantity of anointing oil mentioned here had been placed in a large container with water and had first been boiled in it, so that the thinned down version was used to accomplish what is described here as “anointing.” There is a disagreement of how precisely this was done in Horiyot 11.
  
  Verse 25
  
  רוקח מרקחת, a mixture of spices of a mixture of same, i.e. the result of two mixtures, having been boiled in water after having been mixed thoroughly with the other listed ingredients. 
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
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  Verse 30
  
  
  
  Verse 31
  
  יהיה זה לי לדורותיכם, this oil of holy anointing for Me will last throughout your generations.
  
  Verse 32
  
  
  
  Verse 33
  
  
  
  Verse 34
  
  קח לך סמים, the ones already mentioned in connection with the oil of anointing in verse 23-24 plus the three mentioned in this verse, i.e. נטף, שחלה, חלבנה, and in addition to these some other spices known to act as improving the mixture of those already listed. According to our sages in Keritut 6 Shibbolet, Nerd, Karkom and Kosht were such spices which when blended in with the ones listed in the Torah already would provide the balance of fragrance the Torah wanted to achieve. [The problem facing commentators is the fact that even when we add all the spices or oils mentioned in this chapter together, even assuming that frankincense is one of them, we only arrive at a total of eight, whereas traditionally there were supposed to be 11 as we mention in our daily prayer of Pittum haketoret. Ed.]
  ולבונה זכה, this pure frankincense did not need to be mixed with any other ingredient to achieve the Torah’s purpose as part of the incense. This helps us arrive at the number 11 our sages state were contained in the mixture presented on the golden altar.
  
  
  Verse 35
  
  רקח, each of whom would collect different spices and after mixing them all they would become
  מעשה רוקח, crushed, mixed, etc., a druggist’s handiwork. These various spices did not undergo uniform treatment at the hands of the spicer, druggist..
  ממולח, thoroughly mixed, none of its ingredients remaining identifiable as separate substances.
  טהור. refined to such a degree that it did not contain any foreign substances. The reason why this was of the essence was the fact that the burning up of the incense consisted of burning up the actual spices, derivatives or auxiliaries not being a part of that sacrifice at all. However, with the oil of anointing these extreme precautions did not apply seeing that it was in the nature of the ingredients that auxiliary components were not mixed with it or attached to it before the oil became refined.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  ראה קראתי בשם, try and understand that I did not appoint Betzalel for this task arbitrarily, as it is of the essence that someone who is very senior also in spiritual matters must carry out such a sacred task as fashioning the parts of the Tabernacle. Such a person must not only have in mind the desire to technically execute first class artisanship, but he must constantly be conscious of performing a Divine commandment.
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
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  אך את שבתותי תשמורו, even though it was I Who commanded you to build the Tabernacle and to construct all its appurtenances, and it is to serve as a residence for My presence, this commandment does not override the restrictions associated with proper observance of the Sabbath. The reason is that the Sabbath is
  אות היא ביני וביניכם, a symbol serving as a reminder of our mutual relationship. If you were to ignore this symbol by building a residence for Me on this day, there would be no point in doing so as I would not then take up residence in that Tabernacle. 
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  ושמרתם את השבת, there is yet another reason why the Sabbath regulations must not be overridden for the sake of completing the Tabernacle sooner;
  כי קדש היא לכם, מחלליה מות יומת, the Sabbath is not only a holy day for you, i.e. it is not only a positive commandment to observe it, but is also a most important negative commandment, so much so that deliberate violation, desecration of it sanctity, is punishable by death. Seeing that building the Tabernacle is only a positive commandment, it is clear that a positive commandment cannot override something that is both a positive and a negative commandment.
  כל העושה בה מלאכה ונכרתה הנפש ההיא, another reason for not desecrating the Sabbath in order to carry on with the building of the Tabernacle is the extremely heavy penalty associated with deliberate violation of the laws of the Sabbath. The reason for such a penalty is that anyone violating the concept of the Sabbath prohibitions thereby denies that I, G’d, created the universe out of no preexisting tangible substance. Anyone desecrating the Sabbath deliberately would never benefit from the existence of a building such as the Tabernacle. How could he claim a share in the G’d Who dwells in this Tabernacle?
  מקרב עמיה, from those members of his people who are destined to live on in the world to come after their bodies are left behind on earth by their souls.
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  ששת ימים יעשה מלאכה, during the six days of the week which correspond to the days when G’d created the universe you can busy yourselves with working on the construction of the Tabernacle. There is no good reason why this project should override the commandments governing the Sabbath. The only time a commandment overrides such commandments is when the Torah linked the commandment which would override it to a specific time frame, such as the circumcision of a baby on the eighth day after its birth, or the type of sacrificial service in the Tabernacle of which the Torah said that it must be performed every day i.e. including on the Sabbath. Any other commandment that is capable of being performed on a day other than the Sabbath does not override the Sabbath.
  שבת שבתון; this expression alludes to the fact that there are activities and even conversations and thoughts which, though not specifically outlawed by the text, are nevertheless something that interfere with the proper Sabbath observance. We have been told already in Exodus 23,12 וביום השביעי תשבות, that the cessation of work etc., has as its objective קדש לה', that this day is to be holy for the Lord, i.e. we are to make it holy. This means that on the Sabbath we ignore secular matters altogether and devote ourselves to spiritual pursuits, and even the mundane pursuits such as eating festive meals must be perceived as part of our honouring G’d on the Sabbath.
  כל העושה מלאכה...יומת. It follows that when someone performs secular tasks on the Sabbath he automatically loses track of the purpose of the Sabbath, hence he deserves to be executed.
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  ושמרו במי ישראל את השבת, in this life, לעשות את השבת, on a day that is totally Shabbat. [the afterlife. Ed]
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  וביום השביעי שבת, seeing that on that day the creative activity of G’d had been completed, completion spells rest,
  וינפש, this is why the seventh day is one devoted to the נפש, the spirit, resulting in G’d giving Jews an additional soul for use on that day. This additional soul assists us in concentrating on the spiritual dimension of the day. When man was created, G’d made him in His image, i.e. first and foremost concerned with spiritual concerns. The extra soul granted us on the Sabbath is to help us live up to that vision G’d had of man when He created him. (compare Beytzah 16)
  
  Verse 18
  
  ויתן אל משה ככלותו, after the Torah described all the spiritual accomplishments which should have resulted from the many days Moses had spent on the mountain with G’d, the Torah now has to explain why all these spiritual accomplishments G’d had envisaged did not in fact materialise so that it became necessary to build a Tabernacle, etc., in order to achieve these spiritual accomplishments via a different route. The Torah explains that the cause of this detour in the spiritual ascent of the people was the abuse they had made of the freedom of choice. They, who had been about to receive the set of Tablets made and written by G’d Himself at the end of Moses’ stay on Mount Sinai for forty days, who were all to personify the ideal of being priests, and a holy nation, rebelled, corrupted themselves, as testified in Exodus 33,6 when they divested themselves of the signs of the covenant G’d had made with them, removing the garments emblazoned with the blood of that covenant.
  שני לוחות העדות, the ones of which we heard in Exodus 24,12 where G’d had told Moses prior to his ascending the mountain: “I will give you there the Tablets of stone, etc.” Before G’d had a chance to give the people the written Torah they already began with the golden calf episode so that G’d had to tell Moses to precipitously descend from the mountain warning him that his people had become corrupt. (32,7) 
  
  
  
  
  
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  אלה אלוהיך ישראל, these will serve henceforth as your elohim, for you to address in your prayers for all your needs; you will serve them in order to obtain your needs.
  
  Verse 5
  
  חג לה' מחר. So that you will not mix the joy of serving the Lord with any other kind of joy.
  
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  סרו מהר, they have strayed very quickly, etc. I have not even been able to complete the gift of the Torah I had wanted to give to you. A reference to “the Torah and the Mitzvah” in Exodus 24,12.
  
  Verse 9
  
  והנה עם קשה עורף הוא. Their neck is like a tendon made of iron so that they will not turn in any direction to listen to advice and admonition from any source. Seeing that this is their situation, there is no hope that they will become penitents.
  
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  למה ה' יחרה אפך בעמך, Moses, does not accept that all the people have become “his” people as implied by G’d having said to him שחת עמך “your people have become corrupted.” Surely, he reasons, not all the people have sinned. Why should G’d be angry at those who did not sin, the ones who are still “G’d’s people?”
  
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  וכל הארץ הזאת אשר אמרתי אתן לזרעכם ונחלו, a reference to the fourth generation of the Emorite mentioned by G’d at the covenant between the pieces. (Genesis 15,16) Moses realises that this promise will not be fulfilled to his children except now.
  
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  ושני לוחות העדות בידו. He thought that as soon as he would return to the people they would become penitents; in the event that they would not, he planned to smash the Tablets in front of their eyes so that they would return in penitence after this shock.
  
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  וירא את העגל ואת המחולות ויחר אף משה, Moses’ anger was aroused over the fact that people rejoiced over the damage to themselves they had caused.  We find something parallel in Jeremiah 11,15 כי רעתכי אז תעלזי, ”for you exult in performing your evil deeds.” At this point Moses despaired of the people doing teshuvah before being punished. They were no longer fit to receive the Tablets
  
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  Verse 21
  
  הבאת עליו חטאה גדולה, a reference to the display of merriment in serving the golden calf. Moses criticised Aaron for having proclaimed the feast which led to this rejoicing over the golden calf instead of instead of being a feast for G’d. On account of this he was forced to entreat G’d for an additional measure of mercy for His people. This is also what he meant when addressing the people saying: אתם חטאתם חטאה גדולה “you have committed an exceedingly great sin,” (verse 30) Also, when appealing to G’d, he commences by saying that the people had been guilty of an exceedingly serious sin (verse 31). This theme returns once more when G’d speaks of עון-פשע-וחטאה, sins of three different levels of seriousness in Exodus 34,7. In 34,9 Moses begs for forgiveness for two of these categories of sin, עון and חטא, not daring to ask for forgiveness for פשע, deliberate taunting of G’ by one’s sin. Moses. who had shown understanding for the fact that Aaron had been under great pressure in acceding to the making of the golden calf, cannot understand why he lent his hand to heaping additional sin on the people by having declared a public holiday. He had not been under pressure to do that and should have known that the people would understand this as an invitation to celebrate the new leader, replacing Moses.
  
  Verse 22
  
  כי ברע הוא. They were already so deeply involved in the sin, having been used to the idolatry they had been addicted to in the hundreds of years in Egypt.
  
  
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  ?ואומר להן למי זהב, I was assuming or hoping that there would not be any raw gold handy to be used to make into any kind of jewelry.
  התפרקו ויתנו לי, but against my expectations they removed golden jewelry and donated it for this purpose.
  ואשליכהו באש, I tried to delay matters, throwing the gold into the fire, as is, without making any of the customary preparations performed by goldsmiths, activities which preheat the gold so it can cast properly to be fashioned into the desired shapes.
  ויצא העגל הזה. This happened spontaneously, without my having done anything once I had thrown the gold into the crucible. The people did not wait until I had performed any action on my own. When we read in verse four ויעשהו עגל מסכה, the Torah did not refer to Aaron having made the cast calf, but it referred to whoever it was who interfered and shaped the gold. We have a similar construction in Leviticus 3,8 וסמך את ידו, “he will place his hand firmly,” where the subject is not Aaron but whoever owns the animal that is about to be slaughtered as a sacrifice. The same applies to the word ושחט in that same context. It is not a specific person, but the priest who performs the duty in the Temple on that particular day. When we read in verse 35 אשר עשו את העגל אשר עשה אהרן, the meaning of this line is “the people made the calf in which Aaron had participated to some extent.” They had shaped it, whereas Aaron had only taken raw gold and thrown it into the fire. [When reading our author’s commentary it becomes clear why the Talmud in Kidushin 49 forbade translating these parts of the Torah into Aramaic during public readings, as the people who need the translation due to their failure to understand the original Hebrew would be apt to misunderstand Aaron’s part in this disaster. Ed.]
  
  Verse 25
  
  כי פרוע הוא, they are totally corrupt, committing their sins in public without shame. The public deeds reveal their deep-seated corruption.
  כי פרעה אהרן, Aaron had brought to light the fact that there are no righteous people among them. Had there been any righteous people among them, surely they would have come to the assistance of Aaron so that Aaron would not have been forced to have a share in this golden calf at all.
  לשמצה בקמיהם.Giving them a bad name among their enemies. Israel’s enemies would say about them that they had breached their covenant with their Lord, and that there was not a single one among them who was a good person, and that they did not even heed the instructions of their prophets. Even though only a small minority had ganged up on Aaron, the entire people’s reputation would now be dragged through the mud.
  
  
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  עברו ושובו משער לשער; in order to secure atonement for those members of the people who had not actively participated in the sin but were guilty of not having protested the sin. By not now protesting the execution of the guilty ones either they proved deserving of being forgiven. 
  
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  'מלאו ידכם היום לה, acquire for yourselves some degree of perfection today! Today you will become worthy to perform service in G’d’s Temple in the future!
  כי איש בבנו ובאחיו, for each one of you have already become sanctified to G’d through having circumcised his own son for G’d, something you did in the desert. (according to Sifrey Behaalotcha,15, the tribe of Levi were the only ones who observed this commandment while the people were in the desert). [how many Levites could have been circumcised during the 89 days since the Passover and the return of Moses from Mount Sinai? Ed.] Therefore, מלאו ידכם prove this sense of loyalty again by becoming blessed through assuming this difficult task of carrying out His instructions now. ובאחיו, and today you have again demonstrated your loyalty of spilling the blood of even your own brothers.  Moses gave recognition to this collective act of loyalty to G’d in preference to loyalty to their fellow Jew in Deuteronomy 33,9-11 when he said about this tribe:כי שמרו אמרתך ובריתך ינצורו,.... ברך ה' חילו ופעל ידיו תרצה, “for they have observed Your word and Your covenant they preserved. Bless, Hashem, his resources and favour the works of his hand.” 
  
  Verse 30
  
  אתם חטאתם חטאה גדולה, “realise the extent of your sin, for if you ponder this you will surely become penitents!”  We find a parallel syntax in Psalms 51,5 כי פשעי אני אדע, “for I have come to realise the rebellious nature of my conduct.” [David feels that by being aware of the truly terrible nature of his transgressions he may qualify for help in rehabilitating himself. The specific nature of David’s transgression was the desecration of G’d’s name in arranging for the death of Bat Sheva’s husband so that he could marry Bat Sheva. While the Talmud had declared that he did not commit a technical sin when sleeping with Bat Sheva, his moral sin was something quite different. Ed.] In Jeremiah 3,13 we also encounter a syntax reflecting the approach taken here by the Torah. The prophet wrote אך דעי עונך, “if you were only to understand the meaning of your iniquity!” He does not add “repent!” but takes it for granted that awareness of the implications of the wrong one has done will automatically result in penitence.
  
  
  Verse 31
  
  
  
  Verse 32
  
  אם תשא חטאתם ואם אין מחני נא מספרך, regardless if You, G’d, will forgive their sins or will not forgive them, wipe out any merits I have accumulated in Your Book and transfer them to the credit balance of this people.
  
  Verse 33
  
  מי אשר חטא לי אמחנו מספרי, the idea that I will wipe out the merits of those who have not sinned against Me in order that through your loss of these credits they may qualify for My forgiveness is a non starter. This would be  a brand new system of justice. The system of reward and retribution I have practiced is based on the fact that the sinner would have to pay for his sin, while receiving reward for his good deeds. I do not recognise a system whereby sins can be offset against previously accumulated merits, or vice versa. If I do not recognise such trade-offs of the sins and good deeds of the same individual against one another, I most certainly will not allow the transfer of other people’s merits to wipe out the debit balance of a third party. As a result of these considerations, your proposal is not acceptable.
  
  
  Verse 34
  
  אל אשר דברתי לך, when I said to you “I will take you out from the afflictions in Egypt (Exodus 3,17) to a good land etc.”,(verse 8 same chapter).
  וביום פקדי, in the event that they will commit further sins, (such as the sin of the spies)
  ופקדתי עליהם חטאתם, this sin, and I will not continue to waive their punishment for this sin. We find a similar statement in Kings I 1,52 ואם רעה תמצא בו ומת, “if he commits any further evil he will die.” (Adoniah, Solomon’s older brother and former rival for the succession) We find that G’d comes back to this threat in Numbers 14,11 complaining “how long will this people spurn Me, etc.” Seeing that they repeated their rebellious behaviour one could only expect that they would persist in their foolish ways. Our sages used this to coin the phrase that “when a person has sinned, gotten away with it, and sinned again, and again gotten away with it, he thinks that what he did is not even sinful” (so that he has no incentive to repent what he has come to believe is permissible conduct) (Yuma 86)
  
  
  Verse 35
  
  על אשר עשו את העגל אשר עשה אהרן, by Aaron’s agreeing, not protesting, he helped a potential sin become an actual sin, so that the person’s sin who fashioned the gold into the shape of a calf is attributable to Aaron. Aaron’s contribution in deed was his throwing the gold into the fire. He himself describes the “this calf emerged,” as a direct consequence of his throwing the gold into the fire (verse 24).
  
  
  
  
  
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  Verse 2
  
  ושלחתי לפניך מלאך, the very angel who introduces himself to Joshua (Joshua 5,14) as the שר צבא ה', “Commander in Chief of G’d’s hosts.”
  
  Verse 3
  
  אל ארץ זבת חלב ודבש, the wording suggests that the place where G’d made this promise is dry and that it requires miracles by G’d to gain an adequate livelihood from that earth. At this point in time the Israelites had not qualified for G’d to perform such miracles for them. G’d promises that they would proceed to a land where they would not have to depend on constant miracles in order to gain their livelihood. [The author may have mentioned this as we know that around Mount Sinai at the time there was plenty of grazing land, suggesting that it might have been a fit location to settle. Ed.]
  כי לא אעלה בקרבך, this is why I am telling you to move on from here, you and the people (verse 1). Do not wait to break and make camp at G’d’s signal, i.e the moving of the cloud. G’d explains that His not moving with the people would be for their protection,
  פן אכלך בדרך, lest I would be forced to kill you while you are on the way. G’d implies that if He were to be present personally when the people sinned, their punishment would be commensurably greater for having rebelled against the presence of G’d also.
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  רגע אחד אעלה בקרבך וכליתיך, whereas at this time you are mourning about My not being personally in your midst, (verse 3) you fail to understand that this is intended for your benefit, and may save you from instant extinction. You are, after all, such a stiff-necked people unwilling to respond to admonition, even though at the revelation of Mount Sinai you had become equipped to attain spiritual perfection.
  ועתה הורד עדיך מעליך, this spiritual preparedness which you attained at the revelation is something that G’d does not unilaterally remove from the people as we have a rule that gifts are not revoked without the consent of the recipient. Our sages have phrased it thus in Taanit 25 (where the golden leg miraculously given to Rabbi Chanina was taken back only after he had prayed for it to revert to where it came from.)
  ואדעה מה אעשה לך, for once you do this as an admission of your guilt you will not be guilty of the ultimate punishment.
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  וקרא לו אהל מועד, in order for the people to know that there G’d would communicate with him as opposed to within the boundaries of the encampment of the people.
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  פנים אל פנים, as opposed to נופל וגלוי עינים, (Numbers 24,4) as Bileam described his visions which came to him only when he had lost control over his own senses.
  כאשר ידבר איש אל רעהו, as opposed to soliloquizing, [as in praying but not receiving an answer.]
  לא ימיש מתוך האוהל, in order to ensure that none of the Israelites would enter this tent, seeing all of them were in a state of disgrace. This tent was reserved for the presence of the Shechinah out of bounds, as in Exodus 3,5 where Moses was warned not to come close while wearing footwear. The reason that at that time even Moses was not admitted as he was, shows that he was not yet spiritually equipped for that degree of communication from G’d.
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  ראה, do not turn your face away but take my comment seriously.
  אתה אומר אלי העל את העם הזה, when You said to me in verse 1 “lead up this people, etc.,” 
  ואתה לא הודעתני את אשר תשלח עמי, the promise that You would send an angel with me (verse 2) was to take effect only once the people would enter the land of Canaan, at which time the promise that with the help of the angel we would dispossess the Canaanites would be fulfilled. But, in the meantime, who is going to be our protective force? How can we be without either an angel or Your personal presence? Moreover,
  ואתה אמרת ידעתיך בשם, when You paid me such a compliment, surely this did not mean that You will leave me to my own devices on this journey? Surely, such feelings as expressed in Zeacharyah 11,9 where You are quoted as  saying: “I am not going to tend you, let the one that is to die die, and the one that is to get lost get lost, and let the rest devour each other’s flesh.” “Surely, You had intended for me to be the angel who leads the people of Israel.”
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  ועתה, since You had agreed that I should be the angel,
  הודיעני נא את דרכך, acquaint me with Your two miraculous ways, 1) how simply by Your knowledge of something You can make these figments of Your will or imagination become automatically a reality as demonstrated whenever  You perform supernatural miracles, and 2) how by Your unfailingly accurate knowledge of future events, such knowledge does not impair the freedom of choice of man to do what he wants.
  ואדעך, so that I will know You, as knowledge of Your actions does convey some inkling of the considerations which resulted in such actions.
  למען אמצא חן בעיניך, by possessing such knowledge and an appreciation of Your mode of operation I will myself attain favour in Your eyes. A similar thought has been expressed in Jeremiah 9,23 “let the one who wants to boast, boast about the degree of knowledge about Me that he has acquired for I, the Lord, am fond of those who make knowing Me better their principal objective.”
  וראה כי עמך הגוי הזה, for Your name will only be recognised among this people and not among the nations of the world. Compare psalms 76,2 on this subject, i.e. נודע ביהודה אלוקים בישראל גדול שמו, “G’d is known in Yehudah; His name is great in Israel (exclusively). Seeing that this is so it is not appropriate for You to withhold from me the answer to what I have requested on account of their sin “ Moses’ argument is in line with what we were told in Sanhedrin 11 and Baba Batra 134 that there were at different times (Hillel’s students) 30 people whose personal stature was such that they deserved that the Presence of G’d rest on them. If it did not, this was only because their contemporaries did not deserve that G’d’s presence manifest itself in their lifetime.
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  פני ילכו, when you are moving toward the Holy Land My presence will walk before you. The emphasis here is on the word “before” instead of G’d saying “among you” [the author is reading this into the text as G’d left the definition of where His presence would be wide open. Ed.]
  והניחותי לך; will give you rest from your enemies around you, so that you will bring the people into the land in safety.
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  אם אין פניך הולכים, now already when we are still encamped, seeing that You have withdrawn Your presence, then You better do not bring us any further from here for it would be preferable for us to remain here in the desert than to enter the Holy Land without Your Presence among us. By staying right here, we would at least be exposed to the manifestation of Your continued Presence.
  
  Verse 16
  
  ובמה יודע איפא, even though we may indeed enter the Holy Land and the angel will drive out the Canaanites, how would anyone become aware that what was happening was orchestrated by Divine forces? After all, people get driven out from their land in war all the time! There is nothing supernatural in such a phenomenon.
  הלא בלכתך עמנו ונפלינו, Moses refers to statements such as the ones he made in his song after the Egyptians drowned in Exodus 15,13-14 נחית בחסדך עם זו גאלת נהלת בעזך שמעו עמים ירגזון; “In Your love You led the people You redeemed; in Your strength You guide them to Your holy abode.” The people hear and tremble;” the reason the people tremble is because they watch miracles happening, indicating that the Jewish nation is a nation apart. As a result, they will lose their courage to resist the conquest, as Rachav testified even almost 40 years later when she told the spies that everyone is aware of the miracle G’d had wrought on behalf of His people and that no one has any courage left which would make him fight with a chance of success. (Joshua 2,10-11) 
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  את כבודך, how every creature, every phenomenon in this universe derives from You, even though these phenomena do not appear to be even faintly related to one another. This is what Isaiah 6,3 meant with the words מלא כל הארץ כבודו, “all the earth is filled with His glory.”
  
  Verse 19
  
  אני אעביר כל טובי על פניך, this will not be denied due to My not being unwilling to bestow these insights. As proof,
  אעביר כל טובי על פניך וקראתי בשם ה' לפניך, G’d proclaims what He says using the name of Hashem, the “name” which informs people and teaches them about His existence as the G’d whose ways are those pf goodness. By saying that He will parade all of His goodness before Moses, He implies that if Moses had been capable of understanding all of the hidden aspects of G’d’s essence He would indeed have fulfilled all of Moses’ requests. Nonetheless, i.e. in spite of Moses’ or better, man’s inherent inability to understand all of this, G’d will reveal a fragment of His modus operandi; by doing this Moses would acquire a glimpse of G’d’s essence as portrayed in 34,5. 
  וחנותי את אשר אחון, I will grant you the degree of insights I  grant all those who find favour in My eyes. I am in the habit of being very generous in the application of this principle.
  ורחמתי את אשר ארחם, I will use My attribute of Mercy so that you will not die during the experience, just as it is My custom to extend mercy to all those who, in My opinion, qualify for such.  In practice this means that I will put My hand over you shielding you, as we read in verse 22.
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  ויאמר לא תוכל לראות, your inability to see what you would like to see is not due to My depriving you, personally, of such an experience, but is rooted in man’s inability to “see” such things unless you had died first, as an eye of flesh and blood cannot “see” such things. You would be fatally blinded before understanding anything you would “see.”
  
  Verse 21
  
  הנה מקום אתי, there does exist a place from which visions of G’d can be obtained, the place where both Moses and the prophet Elijah stood in a cave or beside a cave as described in Pessachim 54 as one the 10 items G’d created at dusk on the sixth day of creation.
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  וראית את אחורי, where you will be able to glimpse how all the celestial forces below My level of Divinity carry out their activities; but
  ופני לא יראו, but understanding of how My execution of My thoughts translates into something concrete, neither you nor anyone else will be capable of “seeing.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  ויתיצב עמו שם. Moses stood there close to G’d, as he had been commanded in verse 2.
  ויקרא, now the subject is G’d.
  'בשם ה, By calling out G’d indicated that he was about to carry out some specifically Divine activities.
  
  Verse 6
  
  ויקרא, G’d. 
  'ה', ה, a reference to the fact that this is the name of the Lord is the One Who originates matters, called non existent phenomena into existence. The repetition of the name a second time means that it is also He Who is eternal, not subject to fading into the nothingness they came from. At the same time it is He Who preserves these phenomena He has called into existence.
  א-ל, whatever He does is not the result of external pressure, being programmed, [such as trees whose function it is to grow, or water whose function it is to flow downhill. Ed.]
  רחום, merciful to those who are guilty, reducing the punishment they really deserve. David explains this in Psalms 34,18 צעקו וה' שמו, “they cry out and the Lord hears.” G’d sees and sympathises with the anguish of the downtrodden as we know from Exodus 3,9 וגם ראיתי את הלחץ, “I have also taken note of the oppression, etc.”
  וחנון; He even responds to people who request leniency even though they are not deserving of it. 
  ארך אפים, both to the righteous and to the wicked. The reason? To encourage them to do teshuvah.
  ורב חסד, inclining toward leniency in administering justice. Our sages define this as מעביר ראשון ראשון, He decides in favour of the accused when his merits and demerits are in balance.
  ואמת, the adjective רב, “abundant” mentioned in connection with the attribute חסד also applies to the attribute אמת. The mention of the attribute אמת is important as if we had only known about G’d’s patience with the sinner, i.e. ארך אפים, we might have concluded that the sinner might eventually get away with his sin. The attribute אמת is a reminder that if the sinner who enjoyed G’d’s patience did not use it to repent, his sins will catch up with him. G’d does not wipe out the sin. It also refers to what our sages described as the meaning of Deuteronomy 10,17 that G’d does not show favoritism, i.e. an illustrious’ father such as Avraham cannot save his son Yishmael from punishment, nor a Yitzchok his son Esau. Similarly, it includes the fact that G’d does not accept “bribes,” and that sins cannot be offset by good deeds so that the sin goes unpunished.
  
  Verse 7
  
  נוצר חסד לאלפים, He preserves the accumulated merits of the fathers and will let the children draw on these merits.
  נושא עון, premeditated sin.
  ופשע, sins intended to challenge G’d.
  וחטאה, additional to the taunting sin called פשע. We encounter an illustration of this in Jeremiah 11,15 כי רעתכי אז תעלוזי, “for you exult while performing your evil deeds.” We must remember that the degree of evil committed by different people is never a duplicate, i.e. each one commits evil according to his own agenda; hence G’d’s reaction to such evil varies after taking into consideration all the circumstances. This is why all these attributes have been enumerated separately.
  ונקה, even though G’d wipes the slate clean for those penitents motivated by their love for G’d and not by their fear of punishment, לא ינקה, He will not do this for the ones whose only motivation for turning penitent is their fear of G’d’s retribution, or their desire to arrest such retribution. We find confirmation of this in Yuma 86 that i.e. intentional sins of such penitents will be treated as if they had been unintentionally committed sins, a conclusion based on Hoseah 14,2 כי כשלת בעונך, “for you have fallen because of your sin.”
  פוקד עון אבות על בנים, He delays punishing the wicked in the land until their measure of sin is such that they deserve to be wiped out. This “measure” is one that in G’d’s opinion, precludes their ever becoming penitents. (compare Sotah 9). Such a situation usually is not reached until several successive generations are steeped in sin.
  על שלשים, when the latest generation intensifies the evil perpetrated by their fathers and grandfathers. Jeremiah 7,26 describes such a scenario when he writes: “they would not listen to Me or give ear. They stiffened their necks, they acted worse than their fathers.”
  ועל רבעים, when the generations do not become worse than their fathers but commit sins of the same type and seriousness.
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  וימהר משה, by acting with speed, zest, the person prostrating himself lends additional meaning to his humility before G’d. Our sages in Berachot 14 describe Rav Sheshet’s manner of praying by saying: “that when he bent his knee he did so as does someone who uses a stick to beat something with.”
  
  Verse 9
  
  כי עם קשה עורף הוא, and it will commit sins even if You will go in our midst. Even though I am fully aware that such sins, due to their being committed in Your immediate presence are more serious than otherwise, as You yourself have pointed out in 33,5, on balance I believe that it is still better that You Yourself should go with us.
  וסלחת לעוננו, seeing that only You are capable and willing to forgive and we constantly hope for Your forgiveness, the angel should not be the one going with us even though countermanding his instructions is a lesser sin than countermanding Your instructions. After all, there is no hope at all to obtain forgiveness for disobedience committed against the angel, as You Yourself pointed out in 23,21 “for he will not forgive your sins committed due to a rebellious spirit.”
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  הנה אנכי כורת ברית, to be in your midst. Compare Megillah 29 “when the Jewish people were exiled to Babylonia the presence of the Lord was “exiled” together with them, i.e. accompanied them; when they were exiled to Eylam the same was true. Even when they were exiled to Edom (by the Romans) this remained true.
  נגד כל העם אעשה נפלאות, when the people pray, aware of these attributes which I have revealed, i.e. invoking them,
  וראה כל העם הזה אשר אתה בקרבו, however, these miracles which you requested I will perform only for the eyes of this people that you find yourself in  provided that they qualify at that time for being עמך, “your people.”
  אשר אני עושה; because of your merit. This is one of the meanings of Exodus 33,17 כי מצאת חן בעיני ואדעך בשם, “for you have gained My favour and I have singled you out by name.”
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  שמר לך את אשר אנכי מצוך היום, I do not only caution you against ever trading My glory for some other deity, but you must not allow others to serve alien deities [this applies in the land of Israel where we shall have control of such people. Ed.]
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  כי לא תשתחוה לאל אחר, this is why you must destroy altars intended for worship of such alien deities and not display any indulgence to people practicing such a religion. By indulging such people [in the name of ‘freedom of religion’ Ed.] you would be honouring such deities indirectly and you would provoke My wrath for 
  כי ה' קנא שמו, G’d’s very name suggests that He cannot tolerate any other existence in the universe that purports to be independent of Him, in competition with Him. This is why He is known (in the Ten Commandments) as “a jealous G’d.” This means that He will punish those who serve the “competition.”
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  פן תכרות ברית, the Torah immediately explains that the reason why entering into contractual relationships with the inhabitants of the land of Canaan is a non starter, is that once you do that the way is open for them to corrupt you by one of two means; either they will woo your sons to marry their daughters or vice versa. It is only the most elementary courtesy then that they invite you to partake in their festive meals (animals offered to their deities) You will not resist such invitations because you do not want to offend the women whom you love. The truth of this was amply demonstrated even with women who did not live in the land of Canaan in Numbers 22,5.
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  אלוהי מסכה, graven images; some cameos, worn at times when certain horoscopes, constellations, dominate the sky; they are intended to protect the wearer. (compare Maimonides, Moreh, 1,63) The reason why these cameos are cast is that all of their parts must be made simultaneously, symbolising the simultaneous appearance of such constellations of certain stars. The people serving these constellations believe that they can improve the quality of their lives by means of goodwill extended to them by these stars. The Torah warns against this practice because the person doing this may not even consider that this constitutes a rebellion against the Creator seeing he does not accept these stars as “gods.” G’d looks at the matter differently, not wanting any of us to turn to any source other than Him for all our wishes and prayers. This is why we recite in our daily prayers ואנחנו לא נדע מה נעשה כי עליך עינינו, “for we do not know what we could do, seeing that our eyes are turned exclusively to You.” (Chronicles II 20,12)
  
  Verse 18
  
  את חג המצות תשמור, after the Torah warned us against a graven image meant to improve the quality of our life on this planet, it turns to the commandments the function of which it is (if performed) to assure us of “so-called” success in spring, during the harvest in summer, when gathering the last harvests in autumn, and success in our business endeavours. The Torah enumerates the commandments concerned in the order in which we just listed them. חג המצות למועד חודש האביב, observance of this commandment is to insure that our springtime activities will be blessed. The offering of the firstborns are designed to ensure that our summer time activities will be blessed. This commandment was given immediately after the Exodus. It is intended to ensure that our livestock will be blessed. Third is the commandment to observe the Sabbath, a commandment given to the people at Marah, several weeks before the revelation at Mount Sinai. The objective of Sabbath observance is to ensure that our endeavours during the six days of the week will be blessed with success. The fourth commandment is that of observing the festival of Shavuot, in the early summer, as a result of which the grain harvest will be blessed. The fifth commandment mentioned here is the Sukkot festival, observance of which is to ensure the success of the grape harvest, etc. Deuteronomy 16,17 spells out that the festivals’ aim is to make us conscious of the blessings we have been given by G’d. Having listed specific commandments, the Torah adds a comprehensive commandment applying on each of the three festivals mentioned previously, the pilgrimage to be made by the males to the Temple.This is followed by some details about the festival of matzot in verse 25, followed by a commandment usually observed on Shavuot, the harvest festival, when most of the first fruit has ripened already (verse 26) and the bringing of the first ripened fruit by each farmer accompanied by a thanksgiving prayer is in full swing until Sukkot. This, in turn, is followed by a prohibition not to boil the kid in the milk of its mother, seeing that it is the time of year when most young goats are born. (compare Rosh Hashanah 2) Seeing that at that time the tithe of new born animals is applicable, that is the time when one has to be warned against violating this commandment.
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  כל פטר רחם לי, the commandment applies to male humans and male new born animals of the categories that are domesticated and fit to eat for Jews. Seeing that one category of “unclean” animal, the donkey, is also part of this legislation, though, of course such an animal is not fit to be sacrificed on the altar of the Temple, the Torah has to add certain qualifications when writing about this commandment. Whereas the “pure” firstborn may not be redeemed and made secular, but must themselves be offered on the altar, their blood and fat remaining there, the donkey either has to be redeemed or to be killed in a manner that precludes its flesh being used commercially. [it may not be consumed seeing it is an “unclean” animal. Ed.] (Numbers 18,17)
  
  Verse 20
  
  בכור בניך תפדה, the amount to be paid has been spelled out in Numbers 18,16.
  
  Verse 21
  
  ששת ימים תעבוד וביום השביעי תשבות, success of your activities during the six days of the week also is materially affected by whether and how you observe the Sabbath.
  בחריש ובקציר תשבות, not only is Sabbath rest mandatory in the winter when the farmer has no urgent agricultural tasks, but also in the summer. Moreover, just as he will rest every seventh day he will rest every seventh year for the entire year. The Sh’mittah legislation applies both in summer and in winter. Both the weekly Sabbath, and the seven-yearly “Sabbath” have been called Sabbath by the Torah. (compare Leviticus 25,2) The success of our activities during the six years preceding the Sh’mittah year assumes that during the seventh year we will observe G’d’s law to abstain from agricultural activities. 
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  את פני האדון, who arranges your affairs in a natural manner. The word אדון occurs in this sense in Genesis 45,8 ולאדון לכל ביתו, “and to be in charge of his whole household.”
  אלוקי ישראל, Who arranges the affairs of Israel regarding their spiritual needs. All matters beyond those that are subject to the laws of nature. A reference to the activities of G’d that are not even capable of being performed by abstract creatures known as elo-him.” Compare the line זובח לאלוהים יחרם, “if someone offers a sacrifice to disembodied deities he will be proscribed.” (Exodus 22,19). We also encounter this word though in the Aramaic language in Daniel 2,11 אלהין די מדרהן עם בשרא לא איתוהי, “except the angels whose abode is not among man.” This is why Moses calls the demons לא אלוה, “the non-gods” in Deuteronomy 32,17. The demons on the one hand are mortal, made of tangible raw material as mentioned Chagigah 16 The Torah called the judges, experts, also by the name elohim. This is justified if they carry out their task properly by freeing themselves of emotions which would make them partial, subjective. The people who were amazed at Solomon’s wisdom in solving perplexing judicial problems described him as possessing חכמת אלוהים, “divine wisdom” (Kings I 3,28). Isaiah, describing the superior stature of the messiah explains that he will not judge by using only his 5 senses. (Isaiah 11,3). In order to make this point clear G’d Himself is not just described as elohim, but as אלוקי האלוקים, “the G’d of gods.” We find this mode of expression also when He is described as אדוני האדונים “the Lord of lords.” (Deuteronomy 10,17) When such terms are used they describe Him Who arranges every supernatural event The Torah here legislates that every male Israelite is to pay a visit to the place where this G’d is in residence on earth. He is to use these opportunities to give thanks for all the good things he has experienced, the natural ones, reminding him that all of these are not so “natural,” but accrue to them inasmuch as He is אדון ישראל. The supernatural benefits we experience are initiated, however, by G’d in His capacity as אלוקי ישראל. 
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  ראשית בכורי אדמתך תביא, by doing this you will assure yourself of success in growing fruit as spelled out in Ezekiel 44,30 וראשית כל בכורי כל...תתנו לכהן להניח ברכה אל ביתך, “the first of all your early ripening crops… you shall give to the priest so that blessing will come to rest on your house.”
  לא תבשל גדי, as this is something the gentiles do, believing that it assures them success in raising fruit and cattle.
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  כתב לך את הדברים האלה, even though prior to the sin of the golden calf I had said: “to give to you the Tablets of stone with the Torah and the commandments which I have written,” (Exodus 24,12) now that the people had sinned “you Moses are to provide the Tablets, hewing them out and bringing them up to Mount Sinai. G’d would still inscribe the Tablets, but the Torah and the Mitzvah G’d would teach Moses, and he would have to write them down himself.
  
  Verse 28
  
   'ויהי שם עם ה, his third and final 40 day stay there..
  
  Verse 29
  
  
  
  Verse 30
  
  
  
  Verse 31
  
  
  
  Verse 32
  
  ויצום את כל אשר דבר ה' אתו, the construction of the Tabernacle, the garments of the priests, the mandatory contribution of the males from 20 to 60 years of age amounting to a half shekel per head.
  
  Verse 33
  
  ויכל משה מדבר אתם, but while he was still speaking to them he did not wear the cloth. This corresponds to Isaiah 30,20 “your eyes should look at your teachers.” As our sages explained (Eyruvin 13, Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi speaking) “if I had looked at his (Rabbi Meir’s) teacher’s face instead of merely at his back I would have been even more learned.”)
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  ויקהל משה אלה הדברים אשר צוה, the matters I told you about earlier when I commanded you what to do during the weekdays, things G’d had told me when I was on Mount Sinai.
  
  Verse 2
  
  וביום השביעי יהיה לכם קדש, and you may not violate the Sabbath even in order to complete the Tabernacle sooner, although the work on the Tabernacle is also a sacred task.
  
  Verse 3
  
  לא תבערו אש, even though generally speaking, lighting a fire is not a productive but a destructive activity, seeing that it is an almost indispensable ingredient in most activities the Torah prohibited it as unsuitable for the Sabbath.
  
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  קחו מאתכם, you shall select from amongst yourselves men to collect the donations for G’d.
  כל נדיב לבו, the donations must not be forced contributions.
  'יביאה את תרומת ה, he shall bring the voluntary donation together with the terumat Hashem which is mandatory (the half shekel). The latter is known as beka lagulgolet.
  
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  את המשכן את אהלו, the materials which Moses had already told the people about in 34,32.
  
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  ויבואו האנשים על הנשים, together with the women who were contributing voluntarily. The men accompanied the women to indicate that the women had their approval.
  וכל איש אשר הניף תנופת זהב, together with the women who had donated golden jewelry also every male who donated such golden offerings. The Torah states simply that donations of different materials were not all lumped together but that all silver donations irrespective of by whom, as well as all donations of gold whether by men or by women, were kept together based on the raw material they consisted of.
  
  
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  טוו את העזים, while the wool was still on the goats, as per Shabbat 99. The reason was to lend an additional sheen to the yarn spun from this hair. There are many materials which suffer a reduction in appearance once they are separated from their original habitat. We all are aware of this phenomenon with bees’ honey. [The author cites other examples of a similar nature occurring with products that I am not familiar with. Ed.]
  
  
  
  
  
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  איש איש ממלאכתו, the Torah tells of the various kinds of craftsmen of the Israelites and the readiness of each to contribute his skills.
  
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  למלאכה אשר צוה ה' לעשות אותה. The donations of the people exceeded what was needed to perform the specific tasks which alone G’d had commanded to be performed. G’d wanted no additions, nor omissions. This is expressed by the words לעשות אותה בלבד, “to perform only this task alone.” This was different from the Temples built by Solomon and Herod.
  
  
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  אל יעשו עוד מלאכה לתרומת הקדש, he did not proclaim that no more donations should be brought. But he did proclaim that no more work, such as spinning, weaving, etc, intended for materials used in the construction of the Tabernacle should be begun. Also timber which had been brought in the correct dimensions with the carved parts should not be brought anymore. Compare 35,24 which discusses the need of treatment of both skins and trees.
  
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  והמלאכה היתה דים, the work performed by volunteers for all spheres of the artisanship and craftsmanship required was adequate for the needs of the project
  לכל המלאכה, for every manner of work required.
  לעשות אותה והותר, in order to complete the work, and more. The craftsmen did not have to skimp on anything for fear that there would not be sufficient materials of the required quality to execute the plan in the best possible fashion.
  
  
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  ויעשו כל חכם לב בעושי המלאכה, the most qualified among them built the Tabernacle (components) which involved weaving shapes of figures into the cloth so that they could be seen both on the outside and on the inside. (compare Yuma 72) These “curtains” were not thick as was the dividing curtain, פרכת. This portion repeats everything that has already been mentioned in connection with the instructions in Parshat Terumah. The reason why the Torah repeated all this is to inform us that when it came to the execution of the project they did everything so as to correspond to G’d’s will and to bring it to conclusion and make it functional as G’d desired.
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  הארון, seeing that the Ark was the most distinguished of the furnishings of the Tabernacle, Betzalel, the master craftsman and architect fashioned this item personally. The sages say of Betzalel that he was capable of using the letters of the alphabet of the Holy Tongue in a manner similar to the way G’d had used them when creating the universe. (compare Berachot 55)
  
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  ויעש את שמן המשחה קדש, he meant for it to be enduring infinitely (not to evaporate or otherwise disintegrate). We have encountered the meaning of the word קדש in this sense already on Exodus 30,31קדש יהיה לכם ולדורותיכם, “it shall be sacred for you as it will last throughout your generations.”
  ואת קטורת הסמים טהור; with spices from which any foreign elements had been carefully removed, i.e. טהור, “pure, unadulterated.”
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  במראות הצובאות, this was not included in the נחושת התנופה, “copper for the waving,” as explained in verse 30 of this chapter in Parshat Pekudey. The copper basin and its stand are mentioned as having been constructed from the amount of copper representing these mirrors.
  אשר צבאו פתח אהל מועד, approaching this holy domain was intended to show that they wanted to hear the words of the living G’d. That this was an acceptable practice is already documented in 33,7 והיה כל מבקש ה' יצא אל אהל מועד, “anyone who wanted to seek out the Lord would go out to the Tent of Meeting.” The women who had donated these mirrors indicated that they had overcome their sense of vanity, they considered jewelry and the need for it a human weakness. Moreover, they knew that the time when these mirrors had been of constructive use was past.
  
  
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  אלה פקודי המשכן, all the individual components described previously are the ones concerning which the Torah wrote ובשמות תפקדו את כלי משמרת הקדש...ביד איתמר, “you shall list by name the objects that are their porterage tasks.” (Numbers 4,32-33) The meaning of the line is that each and everyone of these items was important enough to be known by its specific name. In other words, one did not refer to it only by the name of the category of utensils it belonged to, such as “fork,” but one had a name for each fork. This method of naming each item individually contributed to their being of permanent significance. The Talmud Yuma 71 goes to the length of stating categorically that if anyone thought that once such a utensil had been “used up,” i.e. had outlived its usefulness it would be permanently consigned to oblivion this is not so. It will even resurface after the resurrection of the people who used it when they were alive. This is derived from Exodus 26,15 עצי שטים עומדים, the word עומדים being taken to mean that they will endure indefinitely. Neither will any of the utensils used in the Tabernacle fall into the hands of our enemies. This is the opposite of what happened to the “permanent” Temple, בית עולמים, built by Solomon. It is significant that in the account of what Nebuchadnezzar captured not a word is mentioned about a single item that used to be part of the Tabernacle in the desert.
  משכן העדות, the Torah begins to list the many ways in which this Temple (Tabernacle) was superior to  those that superseded it. Firstly, it was the משכן העדות, so named because the Tablets of the Testimony were deposited therein. Secondly, אשר פקד על פי משה, it had been put up at the command of Moses; thirdly, עבודת הלוים ביד איתמר, the entire service of the Levites had been entrusted to the illustrious Ittamar, son of Aaron. Fourthly, ובצלאל בן אורי בן חור למטה יהודה עשה,  the divinely inspired Betzalel was its principal architect. In view of all the above advantages of this structure none of it fell into enemy hands. By contrast, the Temple erected by Solomon, most of the work for which was performed by labourers from Tzor, even though the Shechinah came to rest on it, was eventually destroyed, all of it having been lost totally. The inferiority of that structure is evident from the fact that the building itself was in need of regular, almost annual, repairs, as we know from Kings II 22,5 The second Temple was so inferior that it could not even be called משכן העדות, the residence of the Testimony, the Tablets having long since been lost. Neither had it been established by G’d’s command but by a dream that a gentile named King Cyrus dreamed that it was his duty to build a temple to the G’d in heaven. Compare Ezra 8,15. Moreover, there were hardly any Levites that bothered to return to the land of Israel at the time to take part in that return to Zion. In addition to this, consider that among the people building this second Temple, there were also pagans called Tzidonim and Tzurim, as documented in the Book of Ezra.
  
  
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  כל הזהב, the Torah testifies that the contributions of gold, silver, and copper for the building of the Tabernacle were miniscule in value when compared to the amount of such precious metals which were used in the building of Solomon’s Temple. We read there in Kings I 6, 20-35 and Kings I 7, 45-50 about the opulence of that structure. Compared to the restoration of the second Temple in the days of Herod, even Solomon’s Temple could be considered a poor attempt at impressing the world with the Jewish people’s wealth. Notwithstanding all the material wealth invested in both Solomon’s Temple and that of Herod, Moses’ Tabernacle, a collapsible structure, enjoyed far more of G’d’s presence than the Temple Solomon built, not to speak of the second Temple in which the Presence of G’d was never manifest. All of these historical facts teach us that material wealth, even if donated generously, is not a major factor in the success of a Temple dedicated to house the Presence of G’d on earth. G’d’s presence in such a Temple depends on His approval of the lifestyle of the Jews who have built such a Temple for Him. 
  
  
  
  
  
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  בגדי שרד, covers about which the only information we have is that the picture on each indicated which object each one was to cover.
  
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  וירקעו את פחי הזהב, the donours of the gold for the priestly garment already flattened the gold into thin stripes so they could easily be converted and cut into “threads” to be embroidered in these garments.
  וקצץ פתילים, the respective artisan. He used the flat sheets of gold to cut the threads from.
  
  
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  כאשר צוה ה' את משה, in every detail of every activity connected with the construction of the Tabernacle the people carrying out the word did so imbued with the thought that they were carrying out G’d’s will as it had been revealed to Moses.
  
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  ותכל...ויעשו בני ישראל, the work in its totality was attributed to all the people of Israel seeing that each one of them had a direct or indirect share in it, whether by contributing material, labour, or skill.
  כן עשו.  They did exactly as instructed, neither adding nor subtracting from the instructions.
  
  
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  ויביאו את המשכן, the curtains which were artistically woven;
  את האהל, the carpets made of goats’ hair.
  ואת כל כליו, pertaining to the Tabernacle, i.e. the brackets, loops and hooks. Even the colossal boards were also included in what is called here the כלי המשכן, the “furnishings of the Tabernacle.” So were the bolts, the heavy silver sockets for the boards, etc.
  