The Decalogue: Direct From Hashem or Via Moshe/2/he

עשרת הדברים: ישירות מהקב"ה או דרך משה?

גישות פרשניות

תקציר

The overview is being redone and will come later.

Understood None

The nation heard only the voice of Hashem, but understood none of His words, and Moshe's mediation between the people and Hashem was thus needed throughout the entire Decalogue.  Commentators disagree whether the voice was directed at the nation or if they merely overheard the sounds of the Divine conversation with Moshe.

Overheard Voice

The people listened as Hashem communicated the Decalogue to Moshe, but they only heard the Divine voice and could not decipher His words.

מקורות: Perhaps R. Akiva in Mekhilta DeRabbi YishmaelBachodesh 4About Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael,¹ RambamMoreh Nevukhim 2:32Moreh Nevukhim 2:33About R. Moshe Maimonides,² R. Avraham HeChasidcited by R. Avraham b. HaRambam Shemot 20:1About R. Avraham HeChasid

Moshe's role – Since the nation was not on a high enough prophetic level to understand Hashem, Hashem spoke only to Moshe, who then relayed Hashem's messages to the people.

"פָּנִים בְּפָנִים" – This phrase is difficult for this position, since according to these exegetes, there was no "face to face" encounter, as the people were only listening in as Hashem spoke to Moshe and they were not even able to understand His words.³  This approach might attempt to explain that the words "פָּנִים בְּפָנִים" refer to a vivid sensory experience of apprehending the Divine while awake, rather than in a dream.⁴

"אָנֹכִי עֹמֵד בֵּין ה' וּבֵינֵיכֶם" – This verse is understood, as per the simple reading of its context, to refer to Moshe's mediating role during the giving of the Decalogue itself.

"בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמַע הָעָם בְּדַבְּרִי עִמָּךְ" – This position finds support from this verse, as it makes no mention of Hashem intending to speak directly to the nation itself, but rather only of them listening as Hashem speaks to Moshe.

"קוֹל דְּבָרִים אַתֶּם שֹׁמְעִים" – To support their position, these commentators point to the many verses in the description of the event in Devarim which consistently refer to the voice that the nation heard, rather than any words. See Devarim 4:12, 4:33-36, and 5:19-22.⁵

"מֹשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר וְהָאֱלֹהִים יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְקוֹל" – Rambam suggests that these words refer to the role Moshe played during the Decalogue, when he relayed to the nation every statement of Hashem exactly as he heard it.⁶

"וַיֵּרֶד מֹשֶׁה אֶל הָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם" – According to this approach, this verse refers to Moshe's relaying of the Decalogue which begins a mere one verse later.⁷

"וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים" – Rambam assumes that Moshe is the unstated audience of this verse, and it is to him that Hashem addressed all of His words.

"דַּבֵּר אַתָּה עִמָּנוּ וְנִשְׁמָעָה" – These sources do not address the issue of the nation's fear but would likely explain that the sound of Hashem's voice alone was enough to scare the people. Thus, after the giving of the Decalogue, they requested that in the future Moshe receive Hashem's words in private.  Had the nation not been fearful, perhaps all communications between Hashem and Moshe would have been overheard by the nation.

Singular form – Rambam explains that since Hashem was speaking just to Moshe, He used the singular ("לְךָ", "עָשִׂיתָ", "תִּגְנֹב" etc.), rather than the plural which might have been expected if the speech was aimed at all of the Israelites.

Switch from 1st to 3rd person – This approach would likely attribute the switch from first to third person to literary variation and not give it any additional significance.⁸

"אנכי ולא יהיה לך מפי הגבורה שמענום" – Rambam explains this statement of Chazal to mean only that the nation was able to on their own arrive at an understanding of the first two commandments, without any need for Moshe to provide an explanation.

Purpose of Sinaitic revelation – Rambam states that the main purpose of the revelation was, not to instill belief in Hashem, but to teach the nation to believe in Moshe's prophecy.  This was best achieved by having the nation watch as Hashem spoke to their leader. This is supported by Hashem's words, "הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי בָּא אֵלֶיךָ בְּעַב הֶעָנָן בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמַע הָעָם בְּדַבְּרִי עִמָּךְ וְגַם בְּךָ יַאֲמִינוּ לְעוֹלָם".

Prophecy for the masses – Rambam's position is motivated by his belief that indiscriminate prophecy is impossible, and his understanding that the nation was not prepared or qualified to understand Hashem. However, Rambam allows for the possibility that specific people, like Aharon and his sons, could potentially have understood more, depending on their spiritual level.

Heard Voice Directly

Hashem spoke to the people directly, but due to their distance, they could make out only a voice and not distinct words.

מקורות: R. D"Z HoffmannShemot 19:7-9Shemot 20:1Devarim 5:5About R. David Zvi Hoffmann

Moshe's role – Since the people were not sanctified enough to come very close to Hashem they stood further away than Moshe.  Thus, although Hashem addressed His words to all, Moshe needed to act as a translator to relay and explain what the nation could not hear or comprehend.⁹

"פָּנִים בְּפָנִים" – R. D"Z Hoffmann would assert that the encounter was considered "face to face" since Hashem was addressing Himself to the nation as a whole and not just to Moshe.

"אָנֹכִי עֹמֵד בֵּין ה' וּבֵינֵיכֶם" – This verse is understood simply to refer to Moshe's role as a middleman, both in terms of his physical positioning on the mountain in between Hashem and the nation, as well as his duties as translator during the delivering of the Decalogue.

"בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמַע הָעָם בְּדַבְּרִי עִמָּךְ" – According to R. D"Z Hoffmann, Hashem is telling Moshe that He will appear to him in the presence of the entire nation so that they will no longer doubt his prophecy.  This, though, does not insinuate that Hashem did not also direct His words at the rest of the people, but more simply that Moshe's positioning boosted the nation's faith in him.

"קוֹל דְּבָרִים אַתֶּם שֹׁמְעִים" – R. D"Z Hoffmann brings support for the idea that the nation did not comprehend Hashem's words from the repeated emphasis on having heard His voice rather than His words. See Devarim 4:12, 4:33-36, and 5:19-22.¹⁰

"מֹשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר וְהָאֱלֹהִים יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְקוֹל" – According to R. Hoffmann, this verse refers to Moshe's dialogue with Hashem in Shemot 19:19-25 and not to the Decalogue.  Only when relaying the warnings is there a conversation in which Hashem responds to Moshe.  During the revelation itself, Moshe simply repeated Hashem's words to the people, but Hashem's words were not a response to Moshe and would not be aptly described as "יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְקוֹל‏‎".¹¹

"וַיֵּרֶד מֹשֶׁה אֶל הָעָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם" – R. D"Z Hoffmann asserts that this verse refers to transmitting Hashem's warnings to the nation, and not to the Decalogue.

"וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים" – According to R. D"Z Hoffmann, Hashem did communicate the entire Decalogue to the nation.  A go-between was necessary, though, to fully understand what He said.

Singular form – R. D"Z Hoffmann would likely attribute no special significance to the singular rather than plural formulation, as there are many instances in Torah where Hashem addresses the nation and refers to them as a singular unit.¹² Thus, this is not sufficient evidence that Hashem directed His words at Moshe alone.

The nation's fear – "דַּבֵּר אַתָּה עִמָּנוּ וְנִשְׁמָעָה" – R. D"Z Hoffmann assumes that this event occurred after the giving of the Decalogue and suggests that had the nation not been fearful, Hashem would have relayed the rest of the commandments to them as well.  He even raises the possibility that the original plan was that, after the Decalogue, the nation would approach and perhaps even ascend the mountain to partake in the establishing of the covenant over the commandments.

Switch from 1st to 3rd person – R. D"Z Hoffmann agrees with Ibn Ezra's view that the first person to third person switch is insignificant, as "משפט אנשי לשון הקודש לדבר ככה".

Purpose of Sinaitic revelation – As Hashem could have created a scenario in which all the people could understand Him despite their distance, R. D"Z Hoffmann's approach is only logical if one posits that Hashem intentionally positioned Moshe closer, requiring him to act as translator, while still addressing His words to all. This ensured that the people would recognize Moshe's stature as prophet, but simultaneously connected them to Hashem and bolstered their belief in Him.

Prophecy for the masses – R. D"Z Hoffmann suggests that the people were at a lower level of sanctity than Moshe.  This necessitated a greater distance from Hashem and resulted in reduced prophetic capabilities.

¹ This is how the Rambam appears to understand R. Akiva's words.  R. D"Z Hoffmann, though, thinks that R. Akiva's words refer to the conversation between Moshe and Hashem prior to the Decalogue, and say nothing about the Decalogue itself.

² In Rambam's Hilkhot Yesodei HaTorah, he seems to contradict himself. There, he assumes that the nation not only heard but even understood Hashem's words. He presents the nation as hearing Hashem tell Moshe, "לך אמור להן כך וכך", implying that the nation heard the entire Decalogue while Hashem was communicating it to Moshe. In R. Yosef Albo's Sefer HaIkkarim, however, he presents Rambam's scenario slightly differently, having the nation hear Hashem say to Moshe only, "לך אמר להם שובו לכם לאהליכם", rather than the words of the Decalogue. According to this version, the contradiction is obviated.

³ AbarbanelShemot 19:23About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel notes this difficulty (cf. Ibn Kaspi Devarim 5:4-5).  The phrase "פָּנִים בְּפָנִים" appears nowhere else in Tanakh, while the similar expression "פָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים" appears regarding Hashem's communication with Moshe (Shemot 33:11, Devarim 34:10) and Yaakov and Gidon's encounters with angels (Bereshit 32:31, Shofetim 6:22).

⁴ Cf. Seforno Devarim 5:4.

⁵ These include: "קוֹל דְּבָרִים אַתֶּם שֹׁמְעִים", "הֲשָׁמַע עָם קוֹל אֱלֹהִים", "מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם הִשְׁמִיעֲךָ אֶת קֹלוֹ", "כְּשׇׁמְעֲכֶם אֶת הַקּוֹל", "וְאֶת קֹלוֹ שָׁמַעְנוּ". It should be noted, though, that Shadal points to other parts of many of these same verses to prove that Hashem spoke directly to the nation. Thus, for instance, despite the fact that the nation speaks of hearing Hashem's voice, Hashem himself prefaces His remarks by saying, "וְאַשְׁמִעֵם אֶת דְּבָרָי", I will have them listen to my words.

⁶ According to this, though, one might have expected the verse to read "ה' ידבר ומשה יעננו בקול" since Hashem speaks first and only then does Moshe transmit.

⁷ The single intervening verse, "וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֵת כָּל הַדְּבָרִים", interrupts between the mention of the speaker and the actual words spoken, because the text needs to tell the reader that both Hashem and Moshe spoke these words (Hashem to Moshe and then Moshe to the nation).

⁸ See Ibn Ezra below.

⁹ Moshe's role was somewhat akin to that of a teaching assistant in a large lecture hall.  It is unclear, though, why Hashem would not have simply spoken loudly and clearly enough for all to hear.  It therefore seems likely that the positioning was intentional. Hashem purposefully wanted to set up Moshe in the role of translator while still addressing the nation as a whole, thereby leading the nation to belief in both Hashem and Moshe.
It is possible, though, that R. D"Z Hoffmann is motivated more by textual concerns and the desire to make sense of the seemingly contradictory verses, than by conceptual issues.  His reading manages to harmonize between the verses which sound as if Hashem is speaking to the nation, those that present Moshe as mediator, and those that insinuate that only a voice was heard.

¹⁰ R. D"Z Hoffmann would explain the other verses which suggest that Hashem actually spoke to the nation (and did not merely emit a voice) to refer to the fact that Hashem did in fact address them, even if they did not comprehend what He said.

¹¹ Thus, though R. D"Z Hoffmann agrees with Rambam above that Moshe played a mediating role, due to textual reasons, he prefers not to adduce this verse as evidence.

¹² See, for instance, the commandments in Vayikra 19:13-19.