Biblical Parallels Index – Shemot 34/0

Biblical Parallels Index – Shemot 34

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Overview

This index is meant to help the reader explore Biblical parallels, be they two accounts of the same event or law, stories with similar motifs and themes, or units of text which are linguistically similar and perhaps alluding one to the other. The page includes links to tools that aid in comparison, primary sources that touch upon the parallels, and summaries of and links to articles which analyze them in depth.

Avraham and Moshe

Perhaps surprisingly, a comparison of Hashem's revelation to Avraham in Bereshit 18 reveals much in common with Hashem's revelation to Moshe after the sin of the calf in Shemot 33-34.

Tools

• To see the linguistic parallels between the stories, compare them in the Tanakh Lab.

Articles

• See The Revelations to Avraham and Moshe, by R. Tamir Granot, for analysis of the many parallels between Hashem’s revelation to Avraham in Bereshit 18 and to Moshe in Shemot 33-34, both taking place at "the entrance to the tent". The stories highlight how these  leaders were chosen by God, who "knows" them intimately; they in turn, each know/are taught the "ways of God". The parallels emphasize the willingness of both leaders to plead with Hashem on behalf of a sinful people, perhaps the reason for their choice. Finally, both stories represent a new beginning for the Jewish people: Avraham becomes their genealogical father, while Moshe becomes their metaphysical father when he saves them from annihilation.

Moshe and Eliyahu

Many sources have noted parallels between the figures of Moshe and Eliyahu.  Each  witnesses the nation affirm their belief in God only to have them revert to idolatry soon after, and each significantly receives personal divine revelation at Chorev.

Tools

• Tanakh Lab – A comparison of the various revelations to Moshe at Sinai (in Shemot 3, 24, and 33-34) with Melakhim I 19, which describes Hashem's revelation to Eliyahu, reveals that, despite significant similarity in content, there is not much linguistic overlap between the stories. One notable exception is the phrase "אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה".

Primary Sources

• See Seder EliyahuZuta 8About Seder Eliyahu, RadakMelakhim I 19:7-21About R. David Kimchi, and MalbimMelakhim I 19:9-16About R. Meir Leibush Weiser who all note parallels between the figures, some reading into them praise of Eliyahu and others reading into them condemnation.

Articles

• See Moshe and Eliyahu at Sinai for an exploration of the parallels and contrasts between the stories of Hashem’s revelations to Moshe and Eliyahu at Sinai. Some commentators understand this comparison as an implicit rebuke to Eliyahu, who does not defend the Jewish people as Moshe does, while other interpret it as a sign of Eliyahu’s exalted stature that is akin to Moshe’s.
• For other articles which similarly compare the figures, see  The Double Revelation of God’s Angel to Eliyahu and  “He Announced Rebuke at Sinai, and Judgments of Vengeance at Horev,” by R. Elchanan Samet and Prophet in Distress, by R. Alex Israel.  Both suggest that the comparison paints Eliyahu negatively as he, unlike Moshe, comes to Chorev not to ask for mercy for the nation despite their sins, but to accuse.

Divine Attributes of Mercy and Justice

A list of divine character traits, commonly referred to as "the thirteen divine attributes of mercy" appears in Shemot 34:6-7.  Despite the name, though, the attributes in fact reflect both mercy and judgment. Various versions of the list appear throughout Tanakh. Sometimes these lists are partial, focusing more on mercy or more on justice, leading commentators to question the reasons for the different formulations.

Tools

• See Makbilot BaMikra for links to the many place where lists of divine attributes appear in Tanakh, including Shemot 20, 34, Bemidbar 14, Devarim 7, Yirmeyahu 32, Yonah 4, Nachum 1 and more.
• Use the Tanakh Lab to compare any of the above to each other.  For example, see how the attributes mentioned in the Tablets compare to those said to Moshe after the sin of the golden calf here.

Primary Sources

• See RambanBemidbar 14:17-20About R. Moshe b. Nachman who seeks to understand why Moshe includes only some of the attributes in his prayer after the sin of the spies.

Articles

• See Can There Be Compassion Without Justice?, by R. Jonathan Sacks, for discussion of the relationship between mercy and judgment in the 13 attributes. He points to studies that demonstrate that societies need justice alongside mercy, for without belief in a punitive God (or in secular societies, belief in a system of justice) there is both more crime and less human forgiveness.
• In The 13 Midot of Rachamim,¹ R. Menachem Leibtag notes how the characteristics of Hashem’s judgment, described in Shemot 20:4-6, are transformed into qualities of mercy in Shemot 34:6-7, in the wake of the sin of the calf.  The wilderness period is marked by God's instantaneous punishment of the sinful, stemming from His direct presence in the nation's midst. After the sin, Hashem recognized that this was potentially disastrous and therefore decided to remove His presence. Moshe, uncomfortable with the solution, suggested a compromise, that Hashem mix justice with mercy and allow for non-immediate retribution, and, hence, repentance and pardon. The thirteen attributes attest to this new type of providence, one in which Hashem is no longer a "vengeful God" but a "God of mercy",  no longer "filled with anger" but "long to anger", and no longer "עשה חסד" but "נוצר חסד" etc.²
• Amongst the attributes is the idea that "Hashem visits the sins of the fathers on the sons".  See Are Children Punished for Parents' Sins?, which analyzes the many Biblical passages that take different approaches to the issue of collective and vicarious punishment and gives an overview of commentators’ interpretations and resolutions of the seeming contradictions. 

The First and Second Covenants

Articles

• After making a covenant with the Jewish people at Sinai in Shemot 24:8, Hashem renews that covenant in 34:27 after the sin of the golden calf.  Listen to Ramban on Ki Tisa: The Covenant Before the Chet HaEgel and the Second Covenant Following the Egel, by R. Azarya Berzon, for analysis of Ramban’s interpretation of the key differences between the two covenants
• See The 13 Midot of Rachamim,³ by R. Menachem Leibtag (discussed above) regarding the transformation of Hashem's initial characteristics of judgment (Shemot 20) into qualities of mercy in Shemot 34:6-7.  This represents one of the key changes of the renewed covenant.
• Listen to: The Second Luchot and the 13 Midot, by R. Yair Kahn, for a comparison and contrast of the first tablets (32:15-16) and the second tablets (34:1), analysis of the attributes of mercy that accompanied the giving of the second tablets (34:6-7) in contrast to the commandments that accompanied the giving of the first tablets (20:2-13), and exploration of the meaning of the thirteen attributes in our liturgy.
• See The First Tablets and the Second Tablets: The Differences Between Mishpatim and Ki Tisa, by R. Yoel Bin-Nun.  R. Bin-Nun suggests that the relationship between the two sets of tablets might be compared to the relationship between the Oral and Written Torah.
• See The Ideal and the Real, by R. Zvi Grumet, for analysis of various narratives in Tanakh in which the Torah presents two narratives of an event, the first representing Hashem’s perfect vision and the second reflecting man’s flawed reality.  R. Grumet situates the story of the first and second tablets within this framework.

Second Tablets in Shemot and Devarim

The giving of the Second Tablets is described in Shemot 34 and Devarim 10.  Among the differences between the two descriptions is the emphasis in Devarim on the building of the Ark to house the Tablets, which is not mentioned in Shemot 34.

Tools

• Use the Tanakh Lab to compare the two accounts.

Articles

• See ועשית לך ארון עץ, by R. Dr. Tamir Granot, for comparison and contrast of the two narratives. This article suggests that the emphasis on the Ark in Devarim represents the difference in theological orientation between Sefer Shemot and Sefer Devarim in general. Whereas Shemot focuses on the experience of revelation and Hashem’s immanence, Devarim emphasizes Hashem’s transcendence and service of Hashem through Torah and mitzvot. In Shemot, the Ark is a place of revelation, while in Devarim it houses the Tablets that represent the divine commands.

Mitzvot of Mishpatim and Ki Tisa

Though Torah often repeats certain mitzvot several times, it is less common that an entire list of mitzvot will be appear in two different places in almost identical formulation. Thus, it is somewhat surprising that Shemot 33:18ff contains an almost word for word reiteration of the list of ritual mitzvot of Shemot 24:15ff. The fact that the two lists are just a few chapters apart makes the phenomenon even more puzzling.

Tools

• Use the Tanakh Lab to compare the two chapters.

Articles

•  See Ki Tisa: The Commandments of the Covenant, by R. Tamir Granot, for a comparison of the two sections, consideration of why these mitzvot are stated twice in such short succession, and analysis of the different roles that this section of mitzvot plays in each chapter. In Mishpatim, the societal aspects of the laws are emphasized, while in Ki Tisa the cultic aspects are stressed. In the aftermath of the sin of the calf, the people need reassurance that they are once again invited to engage in cultic worship of God, and to stand in His presence. The repetition of these mitzvot, thus, served to emphasize the renewal of the covenant. 

Driving out the Nations of Canaan

Shemot 34:11-16 is one of many passages in the Torah that refer to the decisive conquest of the nations of Canaan.

Tools

• See Makbilot Bamikra for links to the various passages in Torah which speak of the seven nations and Israel's obligations to obliterate them. On one hand, many of these verse imply that war against these nations is meant to destroy them, yet other verses like those in Shemot 34 (which prohibit treaty-making and marriage) appear to presuppose that some Canaanites are not killed.

Articles

• See Calling for Peace in the Conquest of Canaan for an analysis of the full range of Biblical passages and commentators’ interpretations about the nation’s obligations in war with the nations of Canaan. Is there a possibility of making peace, or does the Torah command to totally annihilate these nations?

¹ See, similarly, his article, Ki Tisa: Chet HaEgel and the 13 Midot of Rachamim.

² See also The First Tablets and the Second Tablets: The Differences Between Mishpatim and Ki Tisa, by R. Yoel Bin-Nun, for a theory about why the words on the second tablets do not reflect this change from judgment to mercy.

³ See, similarly, his article, Ki Tisa: Chet HaEgel and the 13 Midot of Rachamim.