Shavuot Teaching 2023/5783: אנכי Anochi The First of The 10

(ב) אָֽנֹכִ֖י֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֧ר הוֹצֵאתִ֛יךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֣֥ית עֲבָדִ֑͏ֽים׃

(2) I יהוה am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of servitude:

(א) אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים. כְּדַאי הִיא הַהוֹצָאָה שֶׁתִּהְיוּ מְשֻׁעְבָּדִים לִי; דָּ"אַ, לְפִי שֶׁנִּגְלָה בַיָּם כְּגִבּוֹר מִלְחָמָה וְנִגְלָה כָּאן כְּזָקֵן מָלֵא רַחֲמִים, – שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְתַחַת רַגְלָיו כְּמַעֲשֵׂה לִבְנַת הַסַּפִּיר (שמות כ"ד), זוֹ הָיְתָה לְפָנָיו בִּשְׁעַת הַשִּׁעְבּוּד, וּכְעֶצֶם הַשָּׁמַיִם, מִשֶּׁנִּגְאֲלוּ – הוֹאִיל וַאֲנִי מִשְׁתַּנֶּה בְמַרְאוֹת, אַל תֹּאמְרוּ שְׁתֵּי רָשׁוּיוֹת הֵן, אָנֹכִי הוּא אֲשֶׁר הוֹצֵאתִיךָ מִמִּצְרַיִם וְעַל הַיָּם. דָּ"אַ לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ שוֹמְעִין קוֹלוֹת הַרְבֵּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אֶת הַקּוֹלֹת – קוֹלוֹת בָּאִין מֵאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת וּמִן הַשָּׁמַיִם וּמִן הָאָרֶץ – אַל תֹּאמְרוּ רָשׁוּיוֹת הַרְבֵּה הֵן; וְלָמָה אָמַר לְשׁוֹן יָחִיד אֱלֹהֶיךָ? לִתֵּן פִּתְחוֹן פֶּה לְמֹשֶׁה לְלַמֵּד סָנֵגוֹרְיָא בְּמַעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל, וְזֶה שֶׁאָמַר לָמָה ה' יֶחֱרֶה אַפְּךָ בְּעַמֶּךָ – לֹא לָהֶם צִוִּיתָ לֹא יִהְיֶה לָכֶם אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים אֶלָּא לִי לְבַדִּי (שמות רבה):

Rashi on Exodus 20:2:1

(1) אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים WHO HAVE BROUGHT THEE OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT —

(1) That act of bringing you out is alone of sufficient importance that you should subject yourselves to Me.

(2) Another explanation: because He had revealed Himself to them at the Red Sea as a mighty man of war and here He revealed Himself as a grey-beard filled with compassion, as it is stated in connection with the Giving of the Law, (Exodus 24:10) “and there was under His feet as it were a brick-work of sapphire”, which is explained to mean that this (the brick-work) was before Him at the time of their bondage; “and there was as the essence of heaven” (i. e. joy and gladness) when they had been delivered (cf. Rashi on Exodus 24:10), thus the Divine Glory changed according to circumstances, — therefore He stated here: Since I change, appearing in various forms, do not say, “There are two divine Beings”; it is I Who brought you forth from Egypt and Who appeared to you at the Sea (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 20:2:2).

(3) Another explanation: because they then heard many voices, as it is said (v. 15) “the people heard the voices (הקלות)” — voices coming from the four cardinal points and from the heavens and from the earth — therefore God said to them, “Do not say there are many Deities”. — Why did God say in the singular אלהיך, “Thy God”, (as though speaking to one person alone)? To afford Moses an opportunity to speak in defence of Israel at the incident of the golden calf. This, is exactly what he did say, (Exodus 32:11) “Wherefore, O Lord, doth Thy wrath glow against Thy people”, for not to them didst Thou give the command, “There shall be to thee no other gods” but to me alone! (Exodus Rabbah 43:5)

The Gaon, Rabbi Saadiah composed azharot. He encompassed all the commandments in these Ten Statements. We find God’s name in the first five statements. I have already explained that the first statement is the foundation upon which all the commandments rest. It is followed by Thou shalt have no other gods. The sin of the one who does not believe in God is greater than the sin of the one who worships idols. For there are many who believe in the Lord and offer sacrifices to idols, like those who offered to the queen of heaven, because they think that it can help them. As the verse says, But since we let off to offer to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings unto her, we have wanted all things (Jer. 44:18). Scripture also reads, They feared the Lord, and served their own gods (II Kings 17:33). We find the same with Naaman who said, when I prostrate myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing (II Kings 5:18). Now all of the above-mentioned believe in the Lord. However, they join another with Him. It is for this reason that the name of the revered God is written in this statement. *For only YHVH may be worshipped.
-R. Abraham Ibn Ezra

his Divine utterance constitutes a positive commandment. *See my Hebrew commentary, p. 388. on the position of the Hilchoth Gedoloth on this point. Ramban thus sides with Rambam, who, in his Sefer Hamitzvoth, counted this as the first commandment. See my translation, “The Commandments,” I, pp. 1-2. He said, I am the Eternal, thus teaching and commanding them that they should know and believe that the Eternal exists and that He is G-d to them. That is to say, there exists an Eternal Being through Whom everything has come into existence by His will and power, and He is G-d to them, who are obligated to worship Him.
-Ramban

ספורנו על שמות כ׳:ב׳:א׳

(א) אנכי. לבדי, הוא ה', הנותן מציאות, הקדמון, הנודע אצלך בקבלה ובמופת:

Sforno on Exodus 20:2:1

(1) 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.”

חזקוני, שמות כ׳:ב׳:ג׳

(ג) אנכי ה׳‎ אלהיך הוא דבור ראשון, אנכי מצוה עליך שתחזיקני לאדון שלך לפי שהוצאתיך מארץ מצרים ויש לי עליכם דין אדנות.מבית עבדים וטוב לך לעבוד אותי מעבוד אותם עבדים.

Chizkuni, Exodus 20:2:3

(3) אנכי ה' אלוקיך, this is the beginning of the first of the ten Commandments. By means of this declaration G-d commands the people never to forget that is was He Who had redeemed the people by taking them out of bondage in Egypt. As a result, He had now become their new Master. He implies that they are far better off serving Him than remaining slaves to Pharaoh.

“I am the Lord your G–d;” how can we understand this utterance as a “commandment?” In which way does it represent an order to the listener? We must understand the words: “I am the Lord your G–d,” as implying that this is something that you must accept as fact, not merely as an article of faith, i.e. “you know, you do not merely believe.” It follows from accepting this as a fact that there is a system of reward and punishment for your actions, as He is capable of meting out reward and punishment as a result of being the Creator
-Da'at Zkenim

The expression "I am your G'd" also means that G'd remains our G'd both when He employs His attribute of Mercy in dealing with us and when He employs His attribute of Justice in disciplining us.
-Or Ha'Chaim

“I am the Lord your G’d,” This is a commandment to be carried out by the heart (compare Chovot Halevavot beginning of the first chapter); it therefore is not counted except as an obligation of the heart to believe with complete and absolute faith that there is a Creator who preceded any phenomena in the universe that we are either aware of or will ever become aware of
-Rabbenu Bahya

V. 2. אנכי, we have repeatedly pointed out the subtle nuance that distinguishes אנכי and אני, especially in the speech of God. While אני designates the speaker, more in contrast to the addressed, as the one from whom — אנה — a word or effect emanates, אנכי announces the speaker as that personality who is intimately close to the addressed, who embraces and carries them and holds, through whose personality only the one addressed in truth gains its personal existence, its footing and ground. Nothing is more overwhelming than the thought, as here in the midst of the turmoil and out of the turmoil of the universe shaken to its foundations, God pronounces himself as the only, real, absolute personality, as the אנכי in the universe, through which only all other being is possible and reality, and immediately turns to the individual Jewish person and says, I am yours אנכי ד׳ אלקיך :אנכי.
-R. Samson Raphael Hirsch

The first statement is mostly, but not exclusively, understood as a commandment
It begins with an aleph - a letter our tradition (Kabbalah/Chasidut) considers to represent the relationship between heaven and earth - however we categorize the first statement, it is a statement of relationship - along with the 4 that follow - the relationship between God and human beings. The upper part of the aleph represents the heavenly, the 'van' in the middle of the aleph represents the 'firmament' (sky?) that separates between heaven above and what is below, the bottom part of the aleph (the 'chirik') represents the earth below, our world
The first statement expresses the relationship between God and the people, that there is as relationship, and this relationship is just in its beginning stages
Our traditions teaches us this relationship is ongoing - we're still at Sinai, today, and everyday, we listen for the 'silent aleph' sound, the sound we hear with our hearts - may it fill us up with the Presence of God inside us, with the voices of our ancestors urging us on, and with the presence of our community.