(יב) וַיְדַבֵּ֧ר יְהֹוָ֛ה אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם מִתּ֣וֹךְ הָאֵ֑שׁ ק֤וֹל דְּבָרִים֙ אַתֶּ֣ם שֹׁמְעִ֔ים וּתְמוּנָ֛ה אֵינְכֶ֥ם רֹאִ֖ים זוּלָתִ֥י קֽוֹל׃
(12) יהוה spoke to you out of the fire; you heard the sound of words but perceived no shape—nothing but a voice.
זולתי קול. ששמעתם. כי הקול איננו נראה בעין וכבר פירשתי וכל העם רואים את הקולות:
ONLY A VOICE. Which you heard, for the voice is not visible to the eye. I have already explained the meaning of And all the people saw the sounds (Ex. 20:15 - explained at Ex. 5:21: All senses are perceived in one place above the forehead.
וירא יעקב. בעבור היות ההרגשות נחברות במקום אחד יחליפו זו בזו. כמו ראה ריח בני. ומתוק האור. וכן וירא יעקב. כי אחריו כתוב הנה שמעתי:
(Ibn Ezra's first explanation of all the senses together) NOW JACOB SAW. Scripture interchanges the way the senses are referred to because they are all perceived in one central place. Thus Scripture says, See the smell of my son (Gen. 27:27); and And the light is sweet (Eccles. 11:7). Now Jacob saw is similar, for afterward Scripture states, Behold I have heard that there is corn in Egypt (v. 2).
(יח) וְהַ֤ר סִינַי֙ עָשַׁ֣ן כֻּלּ֔וֹ מִ֠פְּנֵ֠י אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָרַ֥ד עָלָ֛יו יְהֹוָ֖ה בָּאֵ֑שׁ וַיַּ֤עַל עֲשָׁנוֹ֙ כְּעֶ֣שֶׁן הַכִּבְשָׁ֔ן וַיֶּחֱרַ֥ד כׇּל־הָהָ֖ר מְאֹֽד׃
(18) Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for יהוה had come down upon it in fire; the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently.
(טו) וְכׇל־הָעָם֩ רֹאִ֨ים אֶת־הַקּוֹלֹ֜ת וְאֶת־הַלַּפִּידִ֗ם וְאֵת֙ ק֣וֹל הַשֹּׁפָ֔ר וְאֶת־הָהָ֖ר עָשֵׁ֑ן וַיַּ֤רְא הָעָם֙ וַיָּנֻ֔עוּ וַיַּֽעַמְד֖וּ מֵֽרָחֹֽק׃
(15) All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance.
(שמות כ,יד) ["וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים אֶת הַקּוֹלֹת וְאֶת הַלַּפִּידִם, וְאֵת קוֹל הַשֹּׁפָר וְאֶת הָהָר עָשֵׁן, וַיַּרְא הָעָם וַיָּנֻעוּ, וַיַּעַמְדוּ מֵרָחֹק."] "וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים אֶת הַקּוֹלֹת". רוֹאִין אֶת הַנִּרְאֶה וְשׁוֹמְעִין אֶת הַנִּשְׁמָע. דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל. רַבִּי עֲקִיבָה אוֹמֵר: רוֹאִין וְשׁוֹמְעִין אֶת הַנִּרְאֶה. רוֹאִין דִּבֵּר שֶׁלָּאֵשׁ יוֹצֵא מִפִּי הַגְּבוּרָה, וְנֶחְצָב עַל הַלּוּחוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: (תהלים כט,ז) "קוֹל יי חֹצֵב לַהֲבוֹת אֵשׁ."
(Ibid. 20:15) "And all the people saw the sounds and the lightnings": They saw what was visible and heard what was audible. These are the words of R. Yishmael. R. Akiva says: They saw and heard what was audible. There was nothing that left the mouth of the Omnipotent which was not inscribed on the tablets, as it is written (Psalms 29:7) "The voice of Adonai hews (with) flames of fire."
"מִפְּנֵי אֲשֶׁר יָרַד עָלָיו ה' בָּאֵשׁ" -
מַגִּיד שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה אֵשׁ, וּמֵאֵשׁ נָתְנָה, וּבָאֵשׁ נִמְשְׁלָה.
מָה דַּרְכָּהּ שֶׁל אֵשׁ, שֶׁאִם קָרֵב אָדָם אֶצְלָהּ נִכְוֶה, רָחֵק מִמֶּנָּה צוֹנֵן, אֵין לוֹ לָאָדָם אֶלָּא לְהִתְחַמֵּם כְּנֶגֶד אוּרָהּ.
“For God had come down to it in fire” -
The Torah is fire, it was given from fire, and it can be compared to fire.
With fire, if you get too close to it, you get burned, and if you are too far from it, you’re cold. Torah is the same; you have to come close enough to be warmed by its flames.
אָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: לָמָּה נִמְשְׁלוּ דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה כָּאֵשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הֲלֹא כֹה דְבָרִי כָּאֵשׁ נְאֻם ה׳״, לוֹמַר לָךְ: מָה אֵשׁ אֵינוֹ דּוֹלֵק יְחִידִי, אַף דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה אֵין מִתְקַיְּימִין בִּיחִידִי.
Rabba bar bar Ḥana said: Why are matters of Torah compared to fire, as it is stated: “Is not My word like fire, says the Lord” (Jeremiah 23:29)? To tell you: Just as fire does not ignite in a lone stick of wood but in a pile of kindling, so too, matters of Torah are not retained and understood properly by a lone scholar who studies by himself, but by a group of Sages.
(ב) וַ֠יֵּרָ֠א מַלְאַ֨ךְ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֵלָ֛יו בְּלַבַּת־אֵ֖שׁ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֑ה וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אֻכָּֽל׃ (ג) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה אָסֻֽרָה־נָּ֣א וְאֶרְאֶ֔ה אֶת־הַמַּרְאֶ֥ה הַגָּדֹ֖ל הַזֶּ֑ה מַדּ֖וּעַ לֹא־יִבְעַ֥ר הַסְּנֶֽה׃ (ד) וַיַּ֥רְא יְהֹוָ֖ה כִּ֣י סָ֣ר לִרְא֑וֹת וַיִּקְרָא֩ אֵלָ֨יו אֱלֹהִ֜ים מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֗ה וַיֹּ֛אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֥ה מֹשֶׁ֖ה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הִנֵּֽנִי׃
(2) A messenger of יהוה appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed. (3) Moses said, “I must turn aside to look at this marvelous sight; why doesn’t the bush burn up?” (4) When יהוה saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him out of the bush: “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.”
וירא ה' כי סר לראות. להתבונן בדבר:
וירא ה' כי סר לראות, When God saw that Moses took a deeper interest in the phenomenon, [God spoke to him]
(ז) קוֹל־יְהֹוָ֥ה חֹצֵ֗ב לַהֲב֥וֹת אֵֽשׁ׃
(7) The voice of Adonai kindles flames of fire;
(לג) הֲשָׁ֣מַֽע עָם֩ ק֨וֹל אֱלֹהִ֜ים מְדַבֵּ֧ר מִתּוֹךְ־הָאֵ֛שׁ כַּאֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַ֥עְתָּ אַתָּ֖ה וַיֶּֽחִי׃
(33) Has any people heard the voice of a god speaking out of a fire, as you have, and survived?
אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן לֵוִי, אִלּוּ הָיוּ אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם יוֹדְעִים מָה אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד יָפֶה לָהֶן, הָיוּ מַקִּיפִין אוֹתוֹ אָהֳלִיּוֹת וְקַסְטְרִיּוֹת, אַתְּ מוֹצֵא שֶׁעַד שֶׁלֹּא הוּקַם הַמִּשְׁכָּן הָיוּ אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם שׁוֹמְעִים קוֹל הַדִּבּוּר וְנִתְּרָזִים מִתּוֹךְ פָּנוּקְטֵיהוֹן, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (דברים ה, כג): כִּי מִי כָל בָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַע קוֹל אֱלֹהִים חַיִּים וגו', אָמַר רַבִּי סִימוֹן דּוּ פַּרְצוּפִין הָיָה הַדִּבּוּר יוֹצֵא, חַיִּים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל וְסַם הַמָּוֶת לְאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (דברים ד, לג): כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְתָּ אַתָּה וַיֶּחִי, אַתְּ שָׁמַעְתָּ וְחָיִיתָ, וְאֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם שׁוֹמְעִים וּמֵתִים. תָּנֵי רַבִּי חִיָּיא מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהָיָה הַקּוֹל נִפְסָק וְלֹא הָיָה יוֹצֵא חוּץ לְאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד.
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Had the nations of the world known how beneficial the Tent of Meeting was for them, they would have surrounded it with encampments and fortifications. You find that until the Tabernacle was erected, the nations of the world would hear the sound of the divine speech and would be afflicted with diarrhea in their palaces. That is what is written: “For who of all flesh that heard the voice of the living God [speaking from the midst of the fire like us, has lived?]” (Deuteronomy 5:23). Rabbi Simon said: The speech would emerge with two natures, as an elixir of life for Israel and an elixir of death for the nations of the world. That is what is written: “[Has a people heard the voice of God…] as you heard, and lived?” (Deuteronomy 4:33). You heard and lived, but the nations of the world would hear and die. Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: “[The Lord spoke to him] from the Tent of Meeting” – this teaches that the voice would stop and would not emerge outside the Tent of Meeting.