רמב"ן שמות ג:ב
נתכוונו לומר שמתחלה נראה אליו מיכאל ושם כבוד השכינה, והוא לא ראה הכבוד כי לא הכין דעתו לנבואה, וכאשר כיון לבו וסר לראות נתגלה אליו מראה השכינה ויקרא אליו אלהים מתוך הסנה.
Our sages intended to say that from the beginning, [both the angel] Michael and the Divine presence (K’vod haShechinah) appeared to him, but Moses didn’t see the Divine presence because he hadn’t prepared his heart for prophecy. When he inclined his heart and turned to see, the appearance of the Divine was revealed to him and God called to him from the midst of the bush.
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. In Ramban’s reading of Exodus 3:2, the presence of God was there from the beginning, but Moses couldn’t see it because he hadn’t “prepared his heart for prophecy”. What do you imagine Moses did to prepare his heart to see the burning bush?
2. In your own life, what processes do you go through in order to sensitize yourself to perceive realities of the world around you?
Time Period: Medieval (Geonim through the 16th Century)