(יח) וַיֹּאמַ֑ר הַרְאֵ֥נִי נָ֖א אֶת־כְּבֹדֶֽךָ׃(יט) וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אֲנִ֨י אַעֲבִ֤יר כָּל־טוּבִי֙ עַל־פָּנֶ֔יךָ וְקָרָ֧אתִֽי בְשֵׁ֛ם ה' לְפָנֶ֑יךָ וְחַנֹּתִי֙ אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָחֹ֔ן וְרִחַמְתִּ֖י אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֲרַחֵֽם׃(כ) וַיֹּ֕אמֶר לֹ֥א תוּכַ֖ל לִרְאֹ֣ת אֶת־פָּנָ֑י כִּ֛י לֹֽא־יִרְאַ֥נִי הָאָדָ֖ם וָחָֽי׃(כא) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ה' הִנֵּ֥ה מָק֖וֹם אִתִּ֑י וְנִצַּבְתָּ֖ עַל־הַצּֽוּר׃(כב) וְהָיָה֙ בַּעֲבֹ֣ר כְּבֹדִ֔י וְשַׂמְתִּ֖יךָ בְּנִקְרַ֣ת הַצּ֑וּר וְשַׂכֹּתִ֥י כַפִּ֛י עָלֶ֖יךָ עַד־עָבְרִֽי׃(כג) וַהֲסִרֹתִי֙ אֶת־כַּפִּ֔י וְרָאִ֖יתָ אֶת־אֲחֹרָ֑י וּפָנַ֖י לֹ֥א יֵרָאֽוּ׃ (ס)
18. [Moses] said, "Oh, let me behold Your Presence!" 19. And [God] answered, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim before you the name Lord, and the grace that I grant and the compassion that I show. 20. But," He said, "you cannot see My face, for man may not see Me and live." 21. And the Lord said, "See, there is a place near Me. Station yourself on the rock 22. and, as My Presence passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and shield you with My hand until I have passed by. 23. Then I will take My hand away and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen."
Questions for Discussion
1.) Why do you think we can only see God's back?
2.) Does God's hand really press man's body into a physical rock? If not, what does that mean?
(ח) הֲרֵי מְפֹרָשׁ בַּתּוֹרָה וּבַנְּבִיאִים שֶׁאֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא גּוּף וּגְוִיָּה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יהושע ב-יא) "כִּי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם הוּא אֱלֹהִים בַּשָּׁמַיִם מִמַּעַל וְעַל הָאָרֶץ מִתָּחַת". וְהַגּוּף לֹא יִהְיֶה בִּשְׁנֵי מְקוֹמוֹת. וְנֶאֱמַר (דברים ד-טו) "כִּי לֹא רְאִיתֶם כָּל תְּמוּנָה". וְנֶאֱמַר (ישעיה מ-כה) "וְאֶל מִי תְדַמְּיוּנִי וְאֶשְׁוֶה". וְאִלּוּ הָיָה גּוּף הָיָה דּוֹמֶה לִשְׁאָר גּוּפִים:
(ט) אִם כֵּן מַהוּ זֶה שֶׁכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה וְתַחַת רַגְלָיו. (שמות לא-יח) "כְּתוּבִים בְּאֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים". יַד ה'. עֵינֵי ה'. אָזְנֵי ה'. וְכַיּוֹצֵא בִּדְבָרִים הָאֵלּוּ. הַכּל לְפִי דַּעְתָּן שֶׁל בְּנֵי אָדָם הוּא שֶׁאֵינָן מַכִּירִין אֶלָּא הַגּוּפוֹת וְדִבְּרָה תּוֹרָה כִּלְשׁוֹן בְּנֵי אָדָם. וְהַכּל כִּנּוּיִים הֵן... וְהַכּל מָשָׁל. וַאֲמִתַּת הַדָּבָר אֵין דַּעְתּוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם מֵבִין וְלֹא יְכוֹלָה לְהַשִּׂיגוֹ וּלְחָקְרוֹ.
(8) It is clear in the Torah and the books of the prophets that God has neither body nor form, as it says, "For the Lord is God in the Heaven above and the Earth below" (Joshua 2:11). And a body cannot be in two places [at once]. And as it says, "For you have not seen any image" (Deut. 4:15). And as it says, "And to what shall you compare Me and I be equal" (Isa. 40:25). And if He had a body, He could be compared to other bodies.
(9) If that is the case, what can it mean when Scripture says, "And beneath His feet" (Ex. 24:10)? Or what is written "with the finger of God" (Ex. 31:18), "the hand of the Lord" (Ex. 9:3), "the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 38:7), "the ears of the Lord" (Num. 11:1), etc.? The whole thing is composed with the understanding of human beings in mind; since they think in terms of bodily shape, the Torah speaks in the language of human beings. Rather, this is a metaphor...and these are all parables. The truth is the human mind cannot understand the divine; it cannot grasp or fathom it.
והסרותי את כפי:
"ואעדי ית דברת יקרי"
כשאסלק הנהגת כבודי מנגד פניך ללכת משם ולהלן:
"Then I will remove My hand"
Onkelos: Then I will remove the guidance [i.e., My guidance] of My glory.
Rashi on Onkelos: When the guidance of My glory passes by your face, [it will not] go any further.
Netina LaGer on Rashi: This means that even Moses would not be permitted to grasp the essence of God, only God's attributes and deeds.
Questions for Discussion
1.) What question was Rashi trying to ask?
2.) Why is God's hand considered to be God's guidance?
3.) What is the difference between the essence of God and God's attributes and deeds?
Hatam Sofer on Exodus 33:23
One is only able to recognize God’s ways and his behavior after the fact. Only after time has passed and it is possible to link together all the facts, can one understand a little of the way God acts. At the time itself we cannot understand His deeds and we stand amazed. Thus, “you will see my back” – after some time has passed you will understand My actions, “but my face will not be seen” – at the time of the events themselves, you will not see Me.
(ה) וַיֵּ֤רֶד יְהוָה֙ בֶּֽעָנָ֔ן וַיִּתְיַצֵּ֥ב עִמּ֖וֹ שָׁ֑ם וַיִּקְרָ֥א בְשֵׁ֖ם יְהוָֽה׃ (ו) וַיַּעֲבֹ֨ר יְהוָ֥ה ׀ עַל־פָּנָיו֮ וַיִּקְרָא֒ יְהוָ֣ה ׀ יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת ׀ (ז) נֹצֵ֥ר חֶ֙סֶד֙ לָאֲלָפִ֔ים נֹשֵׂ֥א עָוֺ֛ן וָפֶ֖שַׁע וְחַטָּאָ֑ה וְנַקֵּה֙ לֹ֣א יְנַקֶּ֔ה פֹּקֵ֣ד ׀ עֲוֺ֣ן אָב֗וֹת עַל־בָּנִים֙ וְעַל־בְּנֵ֣י בָנִ֔ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֖ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִֽים׃
(5) The LORD came down in a cloud; He stood with him there, and proclaimed the name LORD. (6) The LORD passed before him and proclaimed: “The LORD! the LORD! a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, (7) extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He does not remit all punishment, but visits the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations.”
Abraham Joshua Heschel, Between God and Man, p. 185
God is hiding in the world. Our task is to let the divine emerge from our deeds.
We cannot actually picture goodness. It is not a being; it is a force, like electricity.
Nobody ever actually saw electricity, but we can see and feel what electricity does. If
we have an electric heater and connect it, we get heat. We get to know what
electricity is by what it does. In the same way, we get to know what God is by what
God makes us do: when people are, so to speak, connected with God, they do good
things. We call those people godly people, and their acts, godly acts. Whenever this
force is active, we say that God has exercised influence and power.
-- Ira Eisenstein (adapted)
יהודה עמיחי
מהאוֹסֶף פתוח סגור פתוח:
עִקבוֹת רַגִלֵי ציפורים בחוֹל אשר על שפת הים,
כמו כתב-יד שמִשהוּ רָשַם, לזכור דברים, שמות, מִספרים ומקומות. עקבות ציפורים בחול בלילה
נִשארות גם ביום, אבל לא ראיתי
את הציפור שֶהִטְבִיעָה אותן.
כך האלוהים.
Yehuda Amichai,
from Open Closed Open
Birds' footprints in the sand on the beach
Are like the handwriting of someone
Who made lists to remember things, names, numbers, and places.
Birds' footprints in the sand at night
Still remain by day, but I don't see
the bird that imprinted them.
It's like that with God.