(1) Adonai said to Avram, “Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. (2) I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you and curse the one who curses you; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you.”
(15) The angel of Adonai called to Avraham a second time from heaven, (16) and said, “By Myself I swear, Adonai declares: Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only one, (17) I will certainly bless you and make your seed as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore; and your seed shall seize the gates of their foes. (18) All the nations of the earth shall bless themselves by your seed, because you have heard (heeded) my voice.”
(6) He said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitzhak, and the God of Ya'akov.” And Moshe hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. (7) And Adonai said, “I have certainly seen the affliction of My people in Egypt and have heard their outcry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sufferings. (8) I have come down to rescue them from the hand of Egypt and to bring them up from that land to a good and wide land, a land gushing milk and honey, the place of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorites, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. (9) Now the outcry of the Children of Israel has reached Me, and I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. (10) Now go - I will send you to Pharaoh, and you shall take My people, the Children of Israel, out of Egypt.” (11) But Moshe said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and take the Children of Israel out of Egypt?” (12) And He said, “I will be with you. And this shall be the sign that it was I who sent you: When you have taken the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this very mountain.”
(3) and Moshe went up to God. Adonai called out to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus shall you say to the House of Ya'akov and declare to the Children of Israel: (4) ‘You have seen what I did to Egypt and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me. (5) Now, if you will carefully hear (heed) My voice and guard My covenant, you shall be My treasure among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine. (6) And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the Children of Israel.”
(2) Go proclaim to Jerusalem: Thus said Adonai: I remember on your account the kindness (love, favor) of your youth, your bridal love, how you followed Me in the wilderness, in an unsown land.
(14) “O my dove, in the cranny of the rocks, in the hidden place (seter) of the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet And your face is comely.”
(ד) רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא פָּתַר קְרָיָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁעָמְדוּ לִפְנֵי הַר סִינַי, יוֹנָתִי בְּחַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע, שֶׁהָיוּ חֲבוּיִין בְּסִתְרוֹ שֶׁל סִינַי. הַרְאִינִי וגו', שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כ, טו): וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים אֶת הַקּוֹלֹת. הַשְׁמִיעִנִי אֶת קוֹלֵךְ, זֶה קוֹל שֶׁלִּפְנֵי הַדִּבְּרוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כד, ז): כֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע. כִּי קוֹלֵךְ עָרֵב, זֶה קוֹל שֶׁלְּאַחַר הַדִּבְּרוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ה, כד): וַיִּשְׁמַע ה' אֶת קוֹל דִּבְרֵיכֶם וגו' הֵיטִיבוּ כָּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּרוּ. מַהוּ הֵיטִיבוּ כָּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּרוּ, חִיָּא בַּר אַדָּא וּבַר קַפָּרָא, חַד אָמַר הֲטָבָה כַּהֲטָבַת הַנֵּרוֹת, וְחַד אָמַר הֲטָבָה כַּהֲטָבַת הַקְּטֹרֶת. וּמַרְאֵיךְ נָאוֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כ, טו): וַיַּרְא הָעָם וַיָּנֻעוּ וַיַּעַמְדוּ מֵרָחֹק.
Rabbi 'Akiva interpreted [the verse as referring to the] moment Israel stood before Mount Sinai, "My dove in the cleft of the rock," for they were hidden in the hidden place (seter) of Sinai. "Let me see, etc." As it is said, "And all the people saw the voices." (Exodus 20:15) "Let me hear your voce" - this is the sound before the [ten] commandments, as it is said, "All that Adonai has said, we will do and we will hear/obey." (Exodus 24:7). "For your voice is sweet" - this is the sound after the [ten] commandments, as it is said, "Adonai heard the sound of your words...all they said was good." (Deuteronomy 5:24) What does "all they said was good" mean? Ḥiyya bar Adda and Bar Kappara, one of them said, "good like the candles", and the other said, "good like the incense." "And your face is comely," as it is said, "The people saw and trembled and stood afar." (Exodus 20:15)