Seeing Hashem/2

Seeing Hashem

Exegetical Approaches

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Direct Revelation of Hashem

At times, Hashem directly reveals himself, allowing humans to glimpse God Himself.

Sources:RashiShemot 24:10-11Vayikra 16:2Devarim 34:10Yechezkel 1:1About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, RashbamBereshit 48:8Shemot 19:9Shemot 19:11Shemot 19:23Shemot 24:10-11Shemot 33:18Vayikra 9:23Vayikra 16:2About R. Shemuel b. Meir, ?Ibn Kaspi

"לֹא יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם וָחָי"

Revelation to Avot: "...וַיֵּרָא י״י אֶל"

Revelation at Sinai

Shemot 24: וַיִּרְאוּ אֵת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל

"וְרָאִיתָ אֶת אֲחֹרָי"

"'כְּבוֹד ה"

Anthropomorphism

Uniqueness of Moshe's prophecy

Prophetic Vision

Hashem reveals Himself to mankind only via prophecy.  Any image of God that they see is only in a prophetic dream.

Sources:R. Saadia Gaonin Otzar HaGeonim Berakhot 6bHaEmunot VeHaDeiot 2:9HaEmunot VeHaDeiot 2:10HaEmunot VeHaDeiot 3:5About R. Saadia Gaon, Ibn EzraBereshit First Commentary 12:7Shemot First Commentary 13:21Shemot First Commentary 16:7Shemot First Commentary 24:10-11Shemot First Commentary 33:18Shemot Second Commentary 13:21Shemot Second Commentary 16:6Shemot Second Commentary 24:10-11Shemot Second Commentary 33:20-21Shemot Second Commentary 33:20-21Vayikra 16:2Devarim 5:4Yeshayahu 6:5About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, R. ChananelBerakhot 6aAbout R. Chananel b. Chushiel, R. Yosef Bekhor ShorBereshit 1:26Bereshit 32:31Shemot 13:21Shemot 24:8-11Shemot 33:18-23Vayikra 16:2About R. Yosef Bekhor Shor, RambamHilkhot Yesodei HaTorah 1:8-12Hilkhot Yesodei HaTorah 2:4Moreh Nevukhim 1:4Moreh Nevukhim 1:5Moreh Nevukhim 1:54Moreh Nevukhim 2:41About R. Moshe b. Maimon, RadakBereshit 32:31Yeshayahu 6:1Yeshayahu 6:5About R. David Kimchi, R. Avraham b. HaRambamBereshit 26:24Shemot 24:10-11Shemot 33:12-23About R. Avraham Maimonides, Sefer HaIkkarim3:17About R. Yosef Albo, SefornoShemot 19:9Shemot 19:11Shemot 24:11Shemot 33:11Shemot 33:18-23Vayikra 9:6Devarim 34:10About R. Ovadyah Seforno, Keli YekarBereshit 12:7About R. Shelomo Ephraim Luntschitz, ShadalShemot 13:21Shemot 19:11Shemot 20:3Shemot 24:10-11Shemot 33:18Shemot 33:20Yeshayahu 6:1Yeshayahu 6:5About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto, MalbimBereshit 12:7Shemot 33:18-23Yeshayahu Beur HaInyan 6:1Yeshayahu Beur HaMilot 6:1About R. Meir Leibush Weiser, R. D"Z HoffmannBereshit 12:7Shemot 16:7Shemot 16:10Vayikra 9:23Vayikra 16:2About R. David Zvi Hoffmann

What do prophets see? R. Chananel, R"Y Bekhor Shor, Rambam, and R. Avraham b. HaRambam all imply that every prophet might receive a different prophetic image, with some envisioning Hashem as a king on a throne and others seeing Him as a hero in war or as an elderly man wrapped in a prayer shawl. R. Saadia adds that often Hashem does not provide an image with a human shape or even any concrete form at all, but rather signals His revelation via a bright glowing light.¹

"לֹא יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם וָחָי" – These sources offer various explanations of the apparent contradiction between Hashem's assertion that "no man can see Me and live" and the many verses² in which the simple sense of the text implies that man did in fact see Hashem:

• 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.³
• 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.⁴ Other verses which speak of seeing God refer to prophetic visions; these man can receive.
• 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.⁵

Revelation to Avot: "...וַיֵּרָא י״י אֶל" – Keli Yekar, Malbim, and R. D"Z Hoffmann point out that this formulation (as opposed to the language of  "...וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל") refers to a unique type of prophecy in which Hashem not only speaks to a prophet but also appears to them in some visual image.⁶

"Face to Face" Revelation at Sinai – Given both that these sources understand that Hashem does not have a face and that Devarim 4:15 explicitly states, "לֹא רְאִיתֶם כׇּל תְּמוּנָה בְּיוֹם דִּבֶּר י״י אֲלֵיכֶם", all these sources interpret the phrase "פָּנִים בְּפָנִים" non literally:

• Unmediated revelation – Ibn Ezra, R"Y Bekhor Shor, Rambam and R. Hoffmann assert that the "face to face" encounter implies that the nation heard Hashem's words directly, without a mediator,⁷ not that they saw Hashem's face. Shadal emphasizes that the masses did not even see an  image of Hashem via prophecy, as the verse states, "כִּי לֹא רְאִיתֶם כׇּל תְּמוּנָה בְּיוֹם דִּבֶּר י״י אֲלֵיכֶם".‎⁸
• 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.

Shemot 24: "וַיִּרְאוּ אֵת אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל"/ "וַיֶּחֱזוּ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים" – These sources all agree that the elders did not physically see Hashem, but differ in their understanding of what they did see and what the words "לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ" suggest about this "seeing":

• Prophetic vision – Most of these sources⁹ assume that the verse refers to a prophetic vision.
• Shadal explains that although the masses had only heard Hashem's voice at Sinai, 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.¹⁰ 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 their vision might have deserved 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". 

"וְרָאִיתָ אֶת אֲחֹרָי"

"'כְּבוֹד ה" – R. Saadia suggests that mentions of "Hashem's glory" refer to a sign sent by Hashem, be it a cloud, fire or glowing light, that signifies to the prophet that it is Hashem who is speaking to Him.

וַי״י הֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם יוֹמָם בְּעַמּוּד עָנָן

Anthropomorphism

Uniqueness of Moshe's prophecy

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.

Sources:RambamMoreh Nevukhim 1:4Moreh Nevukhim 1:27Moreh Nevukhim 2:41About R. Moshe b. Maimon, R. Avraham b. HaRambamShemot 16:10Shemot 24:10-11Shemot 33:12-23About R. Avraham Maimonides, RalbagVayikra 16:1Shemot Beur HaParashah 24:10-11About R. Levi b. Gershom, MalbimBereshit 12:7Shemot 33:18-23Yeshayahu Beur HaInyan 6:1Yeshayahu Beur HaMilot 6:1About R. Meir Leibush Weiser,

Mediated Revelation

Hashem's Glory

Hashem at times reveals His glory, or a symbol thereof, to mankind in the form of  light, a cloud, or fire.

Sources:R. Saadia Gaonin Otzar HaGeonim Berakhot 6bHaEmunot VeHaDeiot 2:9HaEmunot VeHaDeiot 2:10HaEmunot VeHaDeiot 3:5About R. Saadia Gaon, Ralbag, Ran

Angel

Verses which speak of Hashem appearing to man refer not to Hashem Himself, but to an angel.

¹ See also Shadal who suggests that the prophet sees a "created image"  which then awakens his heart to imagine Hashem.

² See Shemot 24:10-11, Melakhim I 22:19, Yeshayahu 6:1, Yechezkel 1:1 and 26, and Daniel 7:9.

³ As support he points to Hoshea's words, "וּבְיַד הַנְּבִיאִים אֲדַמֶּה" (Hoshea 12:11).

⁴ He explains that the root "ראה" has several connotations and in this verse it refers to comprehension rather than physical sight.

⁵ One might question this reading as the language of "לֹא יִרְאַנִי הָאָדָם וָחָי" appears to be a general statement referring to all men and not only Moshe.

⁶ R. Hoffmann points out that the Torah does not share the nature of this visual and how Hashem appeared in such prophecies.  See, though, the above point that other commentators suggest that Hashem might provide different visuals for each prophet.

⁷ Rambam clarifies that the phrase means that the nation heard Hashem's voice directly and not via an angel. Ibn Ezra raises the alternative possibility that the verse means that the people heard the Decalogue via Hashem and not via Moshe.  See The Decalogue: Direct From Hashem or Via Moshe for further discussion.

⁸ He understands the word "תמונה" to mean a likeness of something.  As such, he claims that the verse is not simply saying that the people did not see Hashem, but that they did not see even a prophetic visual of Him.

⁹ See R. Chananel, Ibn Ezra, R. Avraham b. HaRambam (in his first explanation of the term), R"Y Albo, Seforno, and Shadal.

¹⁰ This is unlike most prophets who prophesy while asleep and see images of Hashem only in a dream-like state.