Biblical Parallels Index – Devarim 5/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Devarim 5

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Revelation

Hashem's revelation at Sinai is described at length in Shemot 19-20 and then recounted by Moshe to the nation in Devarim 4-5.

Tools

• Use the Tanakh Lab to compare the two sets of chapters from a linguistic perspective. Some of the differences between the accounts relate to the stated goal of the experience, the role of Moshe as intermediary and as lawgiver, and the emphasis (or lack thereof) on hearing but not seeing God.

Articles .

• See Ma'amad Har Sinai in Shemot and Devarim for a table comparing the two accounts and analysis of the differences.  The articles suggests that on the eve of the people's entry into the land, Moshe had two fundamental concerns regarding the nation. He feared that with foreign influences, they would stop believing in Hashem and turn to other gods, and additionally, that even if they retained belief, they would question the authority of the laws transmitted via Moshe and be lax in their observance.  This agenda might account for the unique features of Moshe's retelling of the episode in Devarim 4-5

A Face to Face Encounter?

Several verses in Devarim 4 indicate that Hashem spoke directly to the nation at Revelation  (for example, Devarim 4:12, 15, 33, and 36).  However, other verses in the Torah imply that Hashem spoke through Moshe as an intermediary (Devarim 5:5), to Moshe with the nation listening (Shemot 19:9), or that the nation heard the commandments from both Hashem and Moshe (Shemot 19:19).  

Articles

• See The Decalogue: Direct From Hashem or Via Moshe? for an overview of commentators’ approaches to this issue, ranging from those who believe that all of the Aseret Hadibrot were given through Moshe as an intermediary to those who believe that all of them were revealed directly to the nation.
• See The Four Stages of Ma’amad Har Sinai, by R. Menachem Leibtag, for analysis of the approaches of Rashi, Ramban, and Ibn Ezra to reconciling the various verses and a theory about how the ambiguity of this narrative reflects the fundamental tension within man’s encounter with Hashem. On one hand, man strives for a direct "face to face encounter", yet in reality fear often dominates and he cannot handle it.
• See זכרון מעמד הר סיני בנאותו של משה רבנו, by R. Tamir Granot, which compares and contrasts the ways that the Torah describes the experience of revelation in Shemot and Devarim, noting that in the former there is an emphasis on Moshe's mediating role and in Devarim revelation is framed as a "face to face" encounter. He explains that in Shemot, right after witnessing the miracles of the Exodus, the people did not need further proof of Hashem's existence, but rather proof of Moshe's status as prophet. In the fortieth year, in contrast, Moshe's role was obvious, but on the eve of entry into Israel, they needed to boost their belief in Hashem for the future. The differences further reflect two paths toward the development of faith. In Shemot, belief is presented as stemming from an objective, external experience of Hashem's revelation, while in Devarim it comes from an internal experience, a memory of the event as transmitted by the prophet and felt by each individual..