Difference between revisions of "Seeing Hashem/2"
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<point><b>"יֵרֵד י״י לְעֵינֵי כׇל הָעָם"</b> – R. Avraham b. HaRambam asserts that this refers to the created light ('כבוד ה) and not to Hashem Himself. Ramban agrees but says that the nation viewed this as a "consuming fire", drawing off the description later in the chapter, "יָרַד עָלָיו י״י בָּאֵשׁ" and in Shemot 24, "וּמַרְאֵה כְּבוֹד י״י כְּאֵשׁ אֹכֶלֶת בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר".</point> | <point><b>"יֵרֵד י״י לְעֵינֵי כׇל הָעָם"</b> – R. Avraham b. HaRambam asserts that this refers to the created light ('כבוד ה) and not to Hashem Himself. Ramban agrees but says that the nation viewed this as a "consuming fire", drawing off the description later in the chapter, "יָרַד עָלָיו י״י בָּאֵשׁ" and in Shemot 24, "וּמַרְאֵה כְּבוֹד י״י כְּאֵשׁ אֹכֶלֶת בְּרֹאשׁ הָהָר".</point> | ||
<point><b>Face to face encounter at Sinai</b> – This approach could suggest that the episode is described as a "face to face" encounter not because the people saw Hashem directly, but because they heard Him directly at Sinai,<fn>According to R. Saadia, Hashem's words were directed at Moshe and the nation overheard them. Though at first glance it would be difficult to refer to this as "face to face", it is possible that R. Saadia thinks that as opposed to most prophecies, this one was not mediated by an angel, and in that sense it was direct.</fn> All they saw at Sinai was a created image of His glory which had descended on the mountain, not Hashem Himself.</point> | <point><b>Face to face encounter at Sinai</b> – This approach could suggest that the episode is described as a "face to face" encounter not because the people saw Hashem directly, but because they heard Him directly at Sinai,<fn>According to R. Saadia, Hashem's words were directed at Moshe and the nation overheard them. Though at first glance it would be difficult to refer to this as "face to face", it is possible that R. Saadia thinks that as opposed to most prophecies, this one was not mediated by an angel, and in that sense it was direct.</fn> All they saw at Sinai was a created image of His glory which had descended on the mountain, not Hashem Himself.</point> | ||
− | <point><b>Elders at Sinai</b> – R. Saadia and R"Y Albo asserts that when the verse states, "ויראו את אלהי ישראל / ויחזו את האלהים", this, too, refers to the "glory" of Hashem rather than Hashem Himself.<fn>See also Targum Onkelos who writes, "וַחֲזוֹ יָת<b> יְקָר</b> אֱלָהָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל".</fn>  One might question, though, what was so unique about the vision, considering that the nation had also seen Hashem's glory on the mountain. They might answer that the nation saw this created light only from a long distance and while it was heavily veiled.<fn>The mountain was covered by a thick cloud and dense smoke when the glory descended.</fn> The elders, on the other hand, viewed it from a closer distance and while less obscured.<fn>Alternatively, it is possible that the very nature of the glory which was seen by each group was qualitatively different.</fn> | + | <point><b>Elders at Sinai</b> – R. Saadia and R"Y Albo asserts that when the verse states, "ויראו את אלהי ישראל / ויחזו את האלהים", this, too, refers to the "glory" of Hashem rather than Hashem Himself.<fn>See also Targum Onkelos who writes, "וַחֲזוֹ יָת<b> יְקָר</b> אֱלָהָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל".</fn>  One might question, though, what was so unique about the vision, considering that the nation had also seen Hashem's glory on the mountain. They might answer that the nation saw this created light only from a long distance and while it was heavily veiled.<fn>The mountain was covered by a thick cloud and dense smoke when the glory descended.</fn> The elders, on the other hand, viewed it from a closer distance and while less obscured.<fn>Alternatively, it is possible that the very nature of the glory which was seen by each group was qualitatively different.</fn></point> |
− | <point><b>Moshe's request</b> – R. Saadia suggests that the created light which constitutes Hashem's glory is so bright and powerful that no mortal can actually look at it directly and live. Moshe requested that Hashem, nonetheless, give him the power to do so. Hashem replied that he would not be able to see the light in its introductory phase when it is at it strongest, but Hashem would cover his eyes until that passed and then Moshe would be able to see the last less powerful rays, "וְרָאִיתָ אֶת אֲחֹרָי".</point> | + | <point><b>Moshe's request</b> – R. Saadia suggests that the created light which constitutes Hashem's glory is so bright and powerful that no mortal can actually look at it directly and live. Moshe requested that Hashem, nonetheless, give him the power to do so. Hashem replied that he would not be able to see the light in its introductory phase when it is at it strongest, but Hashem would cover his eyes until that passed and then Moshe would be able to see the last less powerful rays, "וְרָאִיתָ אֶת אֲחֹרָי".<fn>See R"Y Bekhor Shor similarly.</fn></point> |
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Version as of 13:48, 12 February 2020
Seeing Hashem
Exegetical Approaches
Direct Revelation of Hashem
At times, Hashem directly reveals Himself, allowing humans to glimpse God Himself.
- Stay of execution – Rashi maintains that though in all cases in which humans directly see Hashem they will die, in exceptional circumstances this death can be delayed. Thus, though Nadav and Avihu and the elders saw Hashem at Sinai (Shemot 24), Hashem pushed off their deaths so as not to mar the happiness of receiving the Torah with the tragedy of their deaths.1
- No death – Rashbam, in contrast, asserts that in some situations, seeing Hashem is a privilege granted by Hashem, not deserving of death at all. When making a covenant, Hashem might honor the second party by allowing them to see Hashem as He passes by.2 Thus, in the Covenant Between the Pieces, Avraham merited to see Hashem pass (Bereshit 15:17-18), at the covenant at Sinai, the elders merited to see Hashem (Shemot 24:10-11), and when Hashem made the covenant in Shemot 34:10, He allowed Moshe to see Him as He passed (Shemot 33:23 and Shemot 34:6).
- It is possible that Hashem granted the nation permission to look, but only from afar, at which distance the nation could not really see Hashem regardless.4 As such, they saw no "picture", though they did watch Hashem's descent, as per the literal understanding of "יֵרֵד י״י לְעֵינֵי כׇל הָעָם". The encounter was "face to face" in the sense that nothing concrete obscured the vision, only distance.
- It is also possible that the people really were privileged to see Hashem, but that Hashem does not have a form that can in any way be called a "תְּמוּנָה" and it is this which Moshe emphasizes in Sefer Devarim.5
- Rashi writes that all prophets (excluding Moshe) see through "a non-transparent glass".6 It is not clear if Rashi's emphasis is on the lack of clarity in these prophet's visions or on the very fact that they occurred in a prophetic dream rather than being a direct and conscious revelation.7 Either way, this opaque viewing is what allowed them to survive the revelation.
- Rashbam speaks explicitly only of Michayhu's vision of Hashem, but appears to concur with the first understanding of Rashi. He states that the vision was fuzzy, like someone who can make out the outline of a friend but not see His face.
- Prophetic vision & veiled encounter – They could explain them in the same manner as they do the explicit visions of Hashem described by Yeshayahu, Yechezkel and Michayhu discussed above, that these were either prophetic visions or otherwise veiled and fuzzy revelations.
- Hashem = an angel – Alternatively, they might suggest that, at least in some of these cases, the term Hashem refers not to Hashem Himself, but to his messenger, an angel who is called after the One who sent him. This is how Rashbam explains the appearance of "Hashem" to Avraham in Bereshit 18-19 and to Moshe by the Burning Bush.8
- Cloaked manifestation – Rashi might understand it to refer some manifestation of Hashem Himself, but assumes that this is cloaked in the pillar of cloud which would obscure the vision to all who looked at it, protecting them from death.9
- Cloud of glory - Alternatively, Rashi might be understanding the "glory" to refer to the cloud itself, in which case there is no danger at all in seeing it.
- Hashem's deeds – Rashbam maintains that in some of the cases where the term appears, it does not refer to Hashem at all but rather to His miraculous deeds. Thus by the manna, when Moshe and Aharon tell the nation, "וּבֹקֶר וּרְאִיתֶם אֶת כְּבוֹד י״י" (Shemot 16:7), they are referring to the miracle of the manna itself. Similarly, when Vayikra 9:23 states that on the eighth day of Consecration "Hashem's glory appeared" it refers to the miraculous fire than came to consume the offerings.
- Rashi claims that while others could only see Hashem through an "opaque glass", Moshe saw him through a transparent one. Nonetheless, he points out that even Moshe only saw "מראה אחוריים"a and not "מראה שכינה" for even Moshe cannot see the Shechinah and live.10
- Rashbam implies that Moshe did not necessarily see any more than others who similarly merited to receive a direct revelation during a covenantal ceremony. If so, Moshe's uniqueness as a prophet might instead lay in his constant communication with Hashem and his fuller comprehension of the Divine message.
Prophetic Vision
Hashem does not directly reveal Himself to mankind but does appear to them via prophecy. Any image of God that they see is only in a prophetic dream.
- Physical vs. prophetic seeing – R. Chananel distinguishes between physically seeing Hashem, which is impossible, and prophets receiving an image in a dream or vision, which is possible.14
- Full understanding vs. prophetic image – Rambam, in contrast, asserts that the verse "לֹא יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם וָחָי" refers not to the inability of mortals to see God, but to their inability to attain a deep, complete understanding of His essence.15 Other verses which speak of seeing God refer to prophetic visions which man can receive with proper preparation.
- Different levels of prophecy – R. Yosef Albo claims that Moshe, being on the highest level of prophecy, could never see Hashem even in a prophetic vision since his prophecies were unaffected by the imagination. Other prophets, though, could see images representing Hashem in their prophetic dreams.16
- Unmediated revelation – Ibn Ezra, R"Y Bekhor Shor, Rambam and R. Hoffmann assert that the description teaches that the nation heard Hashem's words without a mediator,21 not that they saw Hashem's face.
- Conscious prophecy – Seforno understands "פָּנִים בְּפָנִים" to mean that the nation received prophecy while fully in control of their senses. As such, the phrase says nothing about actually seeing the face or any image of Hashem.
- Prophetic image – R. Bachya, following the Midrash22 (and in contrast to Shadal),23 suggests that the phrase "פָּנִים בְּפָנִים" refers to the many images via which Hashem appeared to the different members of the nation during revelation. Though he is not explicit, it appears that he is referring to prophetic images, while the verse "לֹא רְאִיתֶם כׇּל תְּמוּנָה" refers to the nation not having physically seen a picture of Hashem Himself.
- Prophetic vision – Many of these sources24 assume that the verse refers to a prophetic vision.
- Shadal explains that although the masses had only heard Hashem's voice at Sinai,25 the elite were privileged to also prophetically see a created image of Hashem. As others were not meant to see such an image, one might have thought that they would be hurt for having done so. As such, the text shares that Hashem "לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ"; they were unscathed.
- Seforno goes a step further to suggest that the elders merited to prophesy and see this image while still in control of their faculties.26 The phrase "לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ" means that Hashem did not send forth His hand to remove the elders from their senses, not that there was reason to believe that this vision might have deserved them death
- Understanding – Rambam, in contrast, understands the elder's seeing to refer to comprehension of Hashem's essence. Due to improper and insufficient preparation, they only attained a partial understanding of Hashem, and as such were worthy of punishment, of "שליחות יד".
- Moshe prophesied while awake – Ibn Ezra, Rambam, Seforno
- He heard Hashem's messages directly rather than via an angel – Ibn Ezra, Rambam, Abarbanel
- He received a clear message rather than analogies and riddles – Ibn Ezra, R"Y Bekhor Shor, Rambam, Seforno
- He could prophesy whenever he desired – Ibn Ezra, Rambam
- He had a higher level of comprehension of Hashem's essence
Cognitive Experience
When Torah speaks of humans seeing Hashem, it refers to a cognitive experience, man's comprehending of some aspect of Hashem's nature.
Rambam claims that when Moshe asked "הַרְאֵנִי נָא אֶת כְּבֹדֶךָ" he was requesting to perceive Hashem's true essence. Hashem replied that no mortal can attain such understanding ("לֹא יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם וָחָי"). Hashem, instead, promised Moshe a lower level of perception, that he would comprehend not Hashem's "face" but only His "back" ("וְרָאִיתָ אֶת אֲחֹרָי").
"Hashem" reinterpreted
Verses which speak of Hashem appearing to man must be reinterpreted to mean either that Hashem's glory (in the form of a created light, fire or cloud) was revealed, or that there was mediation of an angel.