קשר תפילין הראה לענו: From the Cleft of Sinai to the Mysticism of Ashkenaz.

(18) He 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 יהוה, and the grace that I grant and the compassion that I show,”*and the grace that I grant and the compassion that I show Lit. “and I will grant the grace that I will grant and show the compassion that I will show.” (20) continuing, “But you cannot see My face, for a human being may not see Me and live.” (21) And יהוה 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.” (1) יהוה said to Moses: “Carve two tablets of stone like the first, and I will inscribe upon the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you shattered.

(4) So Moses carved two tablets of stone, like the first, and early in the morning he went up on Mount Sinai, as יהוה had commanded him, taking the two stone tablets with him. (5) יהוה came down in a cloud—and stood with him there, proclaiming the name יהוה. (6) יהוה passed before him and proclaimed: “!יהוה! יהוה*and proclaimed: “יהוה! יהוה!…” Or “and יהוה proclaimed: ‘יהוה! a God compassionate…’”; cf. Num. 14.17–18. 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 not remitting all punishment, but visiting the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations.”

(1) ויקרא בשם ה׳ AND HE CALLED BY NAME, O LORD — We render this in the Targum by, 'ויקרא בשמא דה and he (Moses) called on the name of the Lord. (1) ה׳ ה׳ THE LORD, THE LORD — This is the attribute of Divine mercy. The one (the first ה׳) alludes to God having mercy on the sinner before he sins and the other after he has sinned and repented (Rosh Hashanah 17b). (2) אל GOD — This is also an attribute of Divine mercy (it is not, as אלהים, an attribute of stern justice). Thus also does Scripture say, (Psalms 22:2) “My God, my God (אלי ,אלי) why hast Thou forsaken me?” — for surely one would not say to the attribute of stern Justice “why hast Thou forsaken me?”! Thus have I found in the Mechilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 15:2:2. (3) ארך אפים SLOW TO ANGER — He defers (מאריך) His anger and does not hasten to punish — it may be that the sinner will repent. (4) ורב חסד AND ABUNDANT IN MERCY — to those who need mercy because they have not sufficient merits to be saved by them. (5) ואמת AND TRUTH — faithfully rewarding those who perform His will. (1) נצר חסד means God keeps (stores up) the mercy which a person does in His presence, (2) לאלפים TO THOUSANDS — to two thousand generations (the plural, “generations”, and “two” is the least that this can imply; cf. Rashi on Exodus 20:6). (3) עונות — These are sins committed presumptuously (with premeditation). פשעים — These are sins committed rebelliously. (4) ונקה לא ינקה AND WHO WILL BY NO MEANS CLEAR THE GUILTY — According to its plain sense this means that He is not altogether indulgent to sin (He does not entirely remit the punishment), but little by little exacts punishment from, him (the sinner). Our Rabbis, however, have explained: ונקה, And he clears — He clears those who repent, לא ינקה, He does not clear — but does not clear those who will not repent (Yoma 86a). (5) פקד עון אבות על בנים VISITING THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHERS UPON THE CHILDREN — when they retain in their hands (follow the example of) the evil doings of their ancestors. This must be the meaning because in another verse of a similar character it has already been stated: of them that hate Me (cf. Exodus 20:5: Visiting the iniquity of fathers upon the children, upon the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me (Berakhot 7a; Sanhedrin 27b). (6) ועל רבעים means AND UPON THE FOURTH GENERATION — It follows, therefore, that the measure of good (reward) is greater than the measure of punishment in the proportion of one to five hundred, for in respect to the measure of good it says: “Keeping mercy for thousands” (two thousands at least) (cf. Rashi above: Tosefta Sotah 4:1; see also Rashi on Exodus 20:5).

§ The verse states: “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed” (Exodus 34:6). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Were it not explicitly written in the verse, it would be impossible to say this, as it would be insulting to God’s honor. The verse teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, wrapped Himself in a prayer shawl like a prayer leader and showed Moses the structure of the order of the prayer. He said to him: Whenever the Jewish people sin, let them act before Me in accordance with this order. Let the prayer leader wrap himself in a prayer shawl and publicly recite the thirteen attributes of mercy, and I will forgive them.

(1) ויאמר הראני נא את כבדך AND HE SAID I BESEECH THEE, SHOW ME THY GLORY — Moses saw that the hour was propitious and that his petitions were being favourably received, he therefore made a further request — that God should let him behold a reflection of His Glory. (2) ויאמר אני אעביר וגו׳ AND HE SAID, I WILL MAKE ALL MY GOODNESS PASS [BEFORE YOU] — The time has arrived when you shall see of My Glory so much as I will allow you to see according as I wish, and therefore I find it necessary to teach you a set form of prayer. Just now when you felt the need to pray for mercy on Israel’s behalf you besought Me to remember the merits of the patriarchs and you thought that if the merits of the patriarchs are exhausted there is no more hope — I will therefore cause all the attribute of My goodness to pass before you on the rock whilst you are placed in the cave., וקראתי בשם ה׳ לפניך AND I WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD BEFORE THEE, to teach you the formula when praying for mercy even though the merits of the patriarchs should be exhausted. And according to the manner in which you see Me doing this, cloaked — as it were — in the Talith and proclaiming the thirteen attributes of mercy, do you teach Israel to do. And because that they will make mention before Me of the attributes: “Merciful”, “Gracious!” thereby proclaiming that My mercies do not fail (even though the merits of the patriarchs are exhausted) (Rosh Hashanah 17b)., וחנתי את אשר אחון I WILL BE GRACIOUS TO WHOM I WILL BE GRACIOUS i. e. in times when I shall be disposed to be gracious,, ורחמתי AND I WILL SHEW MERCY — those times that I shall desire to show mercy (Midrash Tanchuma 3:9:27). For the time being He only gave him (Moses) the promise: At times I will answer your prayer, at times I will not answer it. But at the time this was carried out (i. e. when He proclaimed the Attributes) He said to him (Exodus 34:10) “Behold, I make a covenant…” (I make this irrevocable) — thus assuring him that they (the 13 Attributes of Mercy when invoked in time of need) will never prove ineffective (Rosh Hashanah 17b). (3) ויאמר לא תוכל וגו׳ AND HE SAID, THOU CANST NOT [SEE MY FACE] — and even when I make all My goodness pass before you I shall not allow you to see My face. (4) הנה מקום אתי BEHOLD, THERE IS A PLACE BY ME — On the mountain where I am continually speaking with you there is a place prepared by Me for your sake where I will hide you that you may not be hurt by the vision. From there you will see what you will be permitted to see. A Midrashic explanation is that by the word מקום Scripture is speaking of the place where the Shechinah is and that He therefore said, “The place is by Me” and He did not say, “I am in the place”, because the Holy One, blessed be He, is the “place” of the Universe (comprises the Universe) but His Universe is not His place (does not encompass Him) (Genesis Rabbah 68:8). (5) בעבר כבדי WHEN MY GLORY PASSETH BY – i. e. when I shall pass before you., בנקרת הצור IN A CLEFT OF THE CRAG — נקרה is similar in meaning to the verbs in (Numbers 16:14) “Wilt thou bore out (תנקר) the eyes of these men?”; (Proverbs 30:17) “The ravens of the valley shall pick it out (יקרהו)‎”; (2 Kings 19:24) “I have digged a well (קרתי) and drunk strange waters”. All these have the same derivation. נקרת הצור thus means a place dug out of the rock., ושכתי כפי AND I WILL SHELTER [THEE] WITH MY HAND — Hence it is evident that permission has been given to the destructive agencies to wound. The Targum renders ושכתי כפי by ואגין במימרי “I will protect thee with My word” This is merely a circumlocution in a manner more respectful to the Most High God and the Targum did not translate it literally because He (God) does not need to cover a person with the hand actually in order to protect him. (6) והסרתי את כפי AND I WILL REMOVE MY HAND — The Targum renders this by ואעדי ית דברת יקרי “I will remove the guidance of My Glory”; it means: when I shall remove the guidance of My Glory from before thine eyes — to go right away from that place,, וראית את אחרי THEN THOU SHALT SEE WHAT IS BEHIND ME — He showed him the Tephillin-knot which is placed behind the head (cf. Berakhot 7a; Menachot 35b). (1) פסל לך HEW THEE — He showed him a quarry of sapphire in his tent and said to him: The chips (פסל = פסלת) shall be thine (לך). It was from this that Moses became so rich (cf. Midrash Tanchuma 3:9:29; Leviticus Rabbah 32:2). ,Another explanation of פסל לך is: פסל לך HEW THYSELF — thou hast broken the first tablets, do thou therefore hew others. A parable: this may be compared to a king who travelled to a remote country (more lit., to a province over-sea) leaving his betrothed at home with her handmaids. Through the immoral conduct of her handmaids she also gained a bad reputation (more lit., there went forth against her an evil name). Her bridesman arose and tore up the marriage-contract saying: If the king proposes to kill her I shall say to him, “She is not yet thy wife” (the marriage contract which might have served as evidence being destroyed. The king made enquiry, found that the immorality had been only on the hand maids’ side and became reconciled with her. Her bridesman then said to the king, “Write another marriage contract for her because the first has been torn up”. Whereupon the king replied: You tore it up; do you therefore purchase for her new paper and I will write it for her in My handwriting. So, here, too: the King is the Holy One blessed be He, the handmaids are the mixed multitude, the bride’s friend is Moses, and the betrothed of the Holy One, blessed be He, is Israel — therefore it is said פסל לך, “Hew thyself the new tablets” (Midrash Tanchuma 3:9:30).

The Gemara continues to cite the Sages’ explanation of verses that require clarification on the same topic. With regard to God’s statement to Moses, “And He said: ‘You cannot see My face, for man shall not see Me and live’” (Exodus 33:20), it was taught in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses as follows: When I wanted to show you My glory at the burning bush, you did not want to see it, as it is stated: “And Moses concealed his face, fearing to gaze upon God” (Exodus 3:6). But now that you want to see My glory, as you said: “Show me Your glory,” I do not want to show it to you. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa interprets Moses’ initial refusal to look upon God’s glory negatively, as he rebuffed God’s desire to be close to him. This disagrees with that which Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said that Rabbi Yonatan said, as Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said that Rabbi Yonatan said: Specifically as a reward for three acts of humility in averting his glance at the burning bush, Moses was privileged to experience three great revelations: Because “Moses concealed his face, fearing to gaze upon God” (Exodus 3:6), he was privileged to have his countenance [kelaster] glow.Because he “feared,” he was privileged that “they feared to approach him” (Exodus 34:30).Because he did not “gaze,” he was privileged to “behold the likeness of the Lord” (Numbers 12:8). What did Moses see? It is said: “And I will remove My hand, and you will see My back, but My face you will not see” (Exodus 33:23). Rav Ḥana bar Bizna said in the name of Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida, the expression: “And you will see My back,” should be understood as follows: This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, Who, as mentioned above, wears phylacteries, showed him the knot of the phylacteries of His head, which is worn on the back of the head.

(1) "You will see my back." Said Rav Chana bar Bizna, what [is the point] of writing, "you will see my back?" It teaches that the Holy Blessed One showed Moses the knot of His tefillin. (Paraphrasing BT Berakhot 7a:33) (2) Comment of the Torah Temimah: (3) It is possible to explain the matter in approximate accord with the simple meaning, for the entire matter is difficult at first glance: how is it relevant (appropriate?) to depict the Holy Blessed One with corporeal images, the likeness of face and back, as the Rambam wrote in Hilkhot Teshuvah that one mustn't, God forbid, think in such manner; so therefore, one must say that the intended [meaning] is that the Holy Blessed One appeared to [Moses] in a [mere] fraction of the [true] appearance of His sanctity. However, since in a spiritual matter it is impossible to imagine dividing into a whole or a part, it is consequently impossible that Moses knew whether he saw [God] in whole or in part, but the Holy Blessed One wanted to show him quickly such that he did not see the appearance of sanctity in its fullness. Therefore the Gemara gives a description and explanation of what [God] showed [Moses] as approximately comparable to the knot of [God's] tefillin, and the explanation is that as one who see the tefillin knot, even one who sees the knot alone, nevertheless necessarily knows that the knot also has a grip on the face side [of the head]; by such a method, the Holy Blessed One showed him the appearance of His blessed sanctity for him to see and be convinced that the vision that he saw was continually disembodied (or, possibly, expanding) also on the face side. Consequently, the meaning of the expression "He showed him the tefillin knot" is [something] analogous to a tefillin knot - study my words closely and you will find it simple. Indeed, the essence of the matter is that the [form of the] tefillin knot is a "halakhah l'Moshe miSinai" (lit. a law from Moses at Sinai, a Talmudic expression meaning that the rabbis assert this is authentic law, without a textual source) as explained in BT Menachot 35b:7 but our sages of blessed memory (nevertheless) supported it with a verse; see further on, end of Parashat Ki Tisa. (4) (N.B. Possibly, the verse referred to in the last remark is Ex. 34:27, which the sages use to support the idea that some law is to be written, while some is to be oral, including halakhot l'Moshe miSinai. Epstein seems to be suggesting simultaneously that the tefillin knot is a metaphor, and that Moses literally learned to tie the head-knot of tefillin by examining the knot in this experience.)

(1) THE wisest man, our Teacher Moses, asked two things of God, and received a reply respecting both. The one thing he asked was, that God should let him know His true essence: the other, which in fact he asked first, that God should let him know His attributes. In answer to both these petitions God promised that He would let him know all His attributes, and that these were nothing but His actions. He also told him that His true essence could not be perceived, and pointed out a method by which he could obtain the utmost knowledge of God possible for man to acquire. The knowledge obtained by Moses has not been possessed by any human being before him or after him.

(2) His petition to know the attributes of God is contained in the following words: “Show me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight” (Exod. 33:13). Consider how many excellent ideas found expression in the words, “Show me thy way, that I may know thee.” We learn from them that God is known by His attributes, for Moses believed that he knew Him, when he was shown the way of God. The words “That I may find grace in thy sight,” imply that he who knows God finds grace in His eyes. Not only is he acceptable and welcome to God who fasts and prays, but everyone who knows Him. He who has no knowledge of God is the object of His wrath and displeasure. The pleasure and the displeasure of God, the approach to Him and the withdrawal from Him are proportional to the amount of man’s knowledge or ignorance concerning the Creator. We have already gone too far away from our subject, let us now return to it.

(1) THE Hebrew term panim (face) is homonymous: most of its various meanings have a figurative character. It denotes in the first place the face of a living being: comp. “And all faces are turned into paleness” (Jer. 30:6); “Wherefore are your faces so sad” (Gen. 40:7). In this sense the term occurs frequently.

(2) The next meaning of the word is “anger”; comp. “And her anger (paneha) was gone” (1 Sam. 1:18). Accordingly, the term is frequently used in reference to God in the sense of anger and wrath; comp. “The anger (pene) of the Lord hath divided them” (Lam. 4:16); “The anger (pene) of the Lord is against them that do evil” (Ps. 34:17); “Mine anger (panai) shall go and I will give thee rest” (Exod. 33:14); “Then will I set mine anger” (panai) (Lev. 20:3); there are many other instances.

(3) Another meaning of the word is “the presence and existence of a person”; comp. “He died in the presence (pene) [i.e., in the lifetime] of all his brethren” (Gen. 25:18); “And in the presence (pene) of all the people I will be glorified” (Lev. 10:3); “He will surely curse thee in thy very presence” (paneka) (Job 1:11). In the same sense the word is used in the following passage, “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face,” i.e., both being present, without any intervening medium between them. Comp. “Come, let us look one another in the face” (2 Kings 14:8); and also “The Lord talked with you face to face” (Deut. 5:4); instead of which we read more plainly in another place, “Ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude: only ye heard a voice” (ib. 4:12). The hearing of the voice without seeing any similitude is termed “face to face.” Similarly do the words, “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face” correspond to “There he heard the voice of one speaking unto him” (Num. 7:89), in the description of God’s speaking to Moses. Thus it will be clear to you that the perception of the Divine voice without the intervention of an angel is expressed by “face to face.” In the same sense the word panim must be understood in “And my face (panai) shall not be seen” (Exod. 33:23); i.e., my true existence, as it is, cannot be comprehended.

(4) The word panim is also used in Hebrew as an adverb of place, in the sense of “before,” or “between the hands.” In this sense it is frequently employed in reference to God: so also in the passage, “And my face (panai) shall not be seen,” according to Onkelos, who renders it, “And those before me shall not be seen.” He finds here an allusion to the fact, that there are also higher created beings of such superiority that their true nature cannot be perceived by man: viz., the ideals, separate intellects, which in their relation to God are described as being constantly before Him, or between His hands, i.e., as enjoying uninterruptedly the closest attention of Divine Providence. He, i.e., Onkelos, considers that the things which are described as completely perceptible are those beings which, as regards existence, are inferior to the ideals, viz., substance and form: in reference to which we are told, “And thou shalt see that which is behind me” (ibid.), i.e., beings, from which, as it were, I turn away, and which I leave behind me. This figure is to represent the utter remoteness of such beings from the Deity. You shall later on (chap. liv.) hear my explanation of what Moses, our teacher, asked for.

(5) The word is also used as an adverb of time, meaning “before.” Comp. In former time (le-phanim) in Israel” (Ruth 4:7); “Of old (le-phanim) hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth” (Ps. 102:25).

(6) Another signification of the word is “attention and regard.” Comp. “Thou shalt not have regard (pene) to the poor (Lev. 20:15); “And a person receiving attention (panim)” (Isa. 3:3); Who does not show regard (panim),” etc. (Deut. 10:17, etc.). The word panim (face) has a similar signification in the blessing, “The Lord turn his face to thee” (i.e., The Lord let his providence accompany thee), “and give thee peace.”

(1) THE Hebrew term aḥor is a homonym. It is a noun, signifying “back.” Comp. “Behind (aḥare) the tabernacle” (Exod. 26:12); “The spear came out behind him (aḥarav)” (2 Sam. 2:23). It is next used in reference to time, signifying “after”; “neither after him (aḥarav) arose there any like him” (2 Kings 23:25) “After (aḥar) these things” (Gen. 15:1). In this sense the word occurs frequently.

(2) The term includes also the idea of following a thing and of conforming with the moral principles of some other being. Comp. “Ye shall walk after (aḥare) the Lord, your God” (Deut. 13:5); “They shall walk after (aḥare) the Lord” (Hos. 11:10), i.e., follow His will, walk in the way of His actions, and imitate His virtues: “He walked after (aḥare) the commandment” (ib. v.11). In this sense the word occurs in Exodus 33:20, “And thou shalt see my back” (aḥorai); thou shalt perceive that which follows me, is similar to me, and is the result of my will, i.e., all things created by me, as will be explained in the course of this treatise.

(1) הראני נא את כבודך, at first glance we must surely wonder how Moses could have had the audacity to demand to see G’d and to ask for such as a means to derive personal satisfaction from it. It is totally incompatible with the attitude Moses displayed at the burning bush when the very thought of seeing something Divine filled him with fear and he was afraid to look. (Exodus 3,6). There can be no question but that what motivated Moses to formulate the above request was only that G’d would fulfil his two wishes, 1) to distinguish him individually, and 2) to personally travel with the people. To this effect he added הראני נא את כבודך, referring to previous occasions when a covenant had been concluded between G’d and Avraham, and as a sign of this Avraham had witnessed the entire procedure of the covenant between the pieces in Genesis 15,18. Moses, as Avraham before him, asked for some sign that the covenant would endure. We read about this occurring in 34,6 and 10 where Moses has a special personal revelation which includes G’d revealing to him 13 of His attributes, each of which is of relevance when inducing forgiveness and repentance. In verse 10 in that chapter G’d promises to make this special relationship manifest by hitherto unheard of miracles. The distinction G’d provided for Moses personally was such that the people did not dare approach him as the light radiating from his forehead blinded them (34,30) (1) וחנותי את אשר אחון, there I will explain to you My attributes. (1) וראית את אחורי, after I shall have passed before you during the concluding of the covenant you will be enabled to see this aspect of Me. Jeremiah 34,18 describes the formality of walking between the two halves of the calf which had been cut in half as such a solemn undertaking to honour the covenant concerning releasing former Jewish slaves that he adds the warning that people not honouring the covenant would pay with their lives and not even be given burial. We have therefore several instances where the word ויעבר, passing between the two halves symbolising the two parties to a covenant, is of the essence.

(1) 1. "When My glory passes." It shall be revealed to you as I grow distant from you; it will look like when a man sees his friend - l'havdil - from afar and behind. And thus said our sages (BT Yevamot 49b): Moses (i.e. Torah) said (Ex. 33:20), "Man shall not see Me and live," whereas Isaiah said (Is. 6:1), "I saw My Lord," and [the Talmud] reconciles them: [Moses sees] in clear view, [Isaiah,] in unclear [view]. -- Alternatively, "My back" (Ex. 33:23) refers to what has passed, even though there is no back of the neck comparable to human beings who leave behind them what they pass. This seems to me the point, that Moses did not see the Divine Presence at all, rather he saw the rays of His light that He radiates from a place where He has passed, comparably to the sun - l'havdil - when it sets beneath the Earth in the west, and the sun itself is no longer seen but the rays are still visible, continually [weakening] as the sun grows distant. "But My face may not be seen" (ibid.) as in the morning, when the sun itself still has not risen, but the rays are already coming, continually strengthening as the sun grows closer. That is to say, you can see the rays that remain after I have passed there. (The handwritten copyist's note appended adds:) The Targum (Aramaic translation)(Onkelos Exodus 33:23) favors this interpretation; copyist's note. (2) "I will place my palm." My cloud! As in "We shall lift our hearts to palms(?!) [to God in heaven]." (Lam. 3:41 - n.b. often rendered as "lift our hearts with our hands" or emended to "lift our hearts rather than our hands." The Masoretic text as formulated is opaque.) And the cloud will be before you so you don't see.

(1) "I shall remove My palm and you shall see My back." Know that this is only a metaphor, for there is no back of the neck above, even among the angels, as it is written, (Ezek. 1:6) "each one had four faces," a face for each of the four directions, therefore, (Ezek. 1:9) "they did not turn when they moved, they went in the direction of [any of the four] faces." Furthermore, we may not speak of [God] thus, rather, it means to say "you shall see My back" like a man who sees a friend from behind, but can't really observe him. (2) "But you may not see My face" for you will not see in a clear perspective as a man who see his friend from the front and observes him well.

(10) My beloved is clear-skinned and ruddy,Preeminent among ten thousand. (11) His head is finest gold,His locks are curledAnd black as a raven. (12) His eyes are like dovesBy watercourses,Bathed in milk,bMeaning of Heb. uncertain.Set by a brimming pool.-b (13) His cheeks are like beds of spices,gSeptuagint vocalizes as participle, “producing.”Banks of-g perfumeHis lips are like lilies;They drip flowing myrrh. (14) His hands are rods of gold,Studded with beryl;His belly a tablet of ivory,Adorned with sapphires. (15) His legs are like marble pillarsSet in sockets of fine gold.He is majestic as Lebanon,Stately as the cedars. (16) His mouth is deliciousAnd all of him is delightful.Such is my beloved,Such is my darling,O maidens of Jerusalem!

(1) Who is this coming from Edom,In crimsoned garments from Bozrah—Who is this, majestic in attire,Pressing forwardaPressing forward Meaning of Heb. uncertain; emendation yields “striding.” with great might?“It is I, who contend victoriously,Powerful to give triumph.”bgive triumph Change of vocalization yields “Who contest triumphantly”; cf. 19.20. (2) Why is your clothing so red,Your garments like those of someone who treads grapes?cgrapes Lit. “in a press.” (3) “I trod out a vintage alone;Of the peoplesdOf the peoples Emendation yields “Peoples, and…” nobody was with Me.enobody was with Me Cf. the first note at 59.16. I trod them down in My anger,Trampled them in My rage;Their life-bloodflife-blood Meaning of Heb. uncertain. bespattered My garments,And all My clothing was stained. (4) For I had planned a day of vengeance,And My year of redemption arrived. (5) Then I looked, but there was none to help;I stared, but there was none to aid—So My own arm wrought the triumph,And My own ragegMy own rage Many mss. read we-ṣidqathi “My victorious [right hand]”; cf. 59.16. was My aid. (6) I trampled peoples in My anger,I made them drunk withhI made them drunk with Many mss. and Targum read “I shattered them in”; cf. 14.25. My rage,And I hurled their glory to the ground.”

(1) I shall make pleasant songs, and weave verses; Because for You my soul longs.

(2) My soul desires to be in Your hand’s shade; To know all of Your deepest mysteries.

(3) When I speak of Your glory; My heart yearns for Your love.

(4) Therefore I will speak reverently of You; And Your name I will honor in songs of love.

(5) I will recount Your glory, though I have not seen You; I describe You though I have not known You.

(6) In Your prophet's writings, in Your servants' speech; You depicted the beauty of Your glorious splendor.

(7) Your greatness and might; They portrayed in accordance with Your actions.

(8) They depicted you, though You are not as they depicted; They characterized you according to Your doings.

(9) They allegorized you in many visions; Behold, You are one in all depictions.

(10) They saw in You old age and youth; They represented Your hair as both whitened and black.

(11) Old age on the day of judgment, youth on the day of battle; Like a man of war who has many talents.

(12) Like one who wears the helmet of redemption on His head; His right arm and holy left arm bring redemption.

(13) His head is full of the dew of light; His locks with the drops of the night.

(14) He beautifies Himself through me, because He desires me; And He shall be for me a crown of beauty.

(15) His head is like pure gold; On His forehead is inscribed His honored holy name.

(16) For grace, honor, and splendid beauty; His people have made themselves His crown.

(17) The locks of his head are as in youth; His locks are black curls.

(18) The place of justice, His splendid beauty; May He elevate it above his greatest joy.

(19) May His chosen people be a crown of beauty in His hand; may the gloriously beautiful people be a royal diadem.

(20) He carried them like a load, He wore them as a crown; He honored them beyond the worth He saw in them.

(21) His splendor is on me, and my splendor is on Him; He is close to me when I call to him.

(22) White and red, His garments are red; He trod the winepress when He came from Edom.

(23) He showed His tefillin-knot to the humble one; the picture of God was before his eyes.

(24) He desires His people, He glorifies the humble ones; He who sits glorified by their praises.

(25) Your chief word is "truth"; You've called it out since the beginning. In each generation people expound regarding You.

(26) Take my many songs to Yourself; And may my hymn come be close to You.

(27) May my praise be a crown to Your head; May my prayer be set before You like incense.

(28) May this pauper's song be as valued in Your eyes; As the song sung over Your sacrifices.

(29) May my blessing go up to the Provider; the Creator, the Begetter, Just and Mighty.

(30) May You nod your head to my blessing; May You accept it like the finest spices.

(31) May my contemplation be sweet to You, For my soul yearns for You.

(32) Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the splendor and the triumph and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and on land is Yours. Your, Lord, is the sovereignty and the rule over every king. Who can recount the heroic acts of the Lord, who can do justice to all His praise?