The Decalogue: Direct From Hashem or Via Moshe/2/en
The Decalogue: Direct From Hashem or Via Moshe?
Exegetical Approaches
Understood None
The nation heard only the voice of Hashem, but understood none of His words, thus requiring Moshe's mediation between the people and Hashem throughout the entire Decalogue. Commentators disagree whether the nation heard Hashem's voice directly or only overheard it via His conversation with Moshe.
Overheard Voice
The people listened as Hashem communicated the Decalogue to Moshe, but they could hear only the Divine voice and not decipher the words.
Heard Voice
Hashem spoke to the people directly, but due to their distance, they heard only a voice and not distinct words.
As above. R. D"Z Hoffmann supports the idea that the nation did not comprehend Hashem's words by the repeated emphasis on having heard His voice rather than His words. See Devarim 4:12, 4:33-36, and 5:19-22.9
Understood all Ten
The nation understood the entire Decalogue from Hashem. This position subdivides regarding whether Hashem's words were aimed at the people or Moshe.
Overheard
Hashem's spoke to Moshe only, but He intended that the nation would overhear this conversation.
Heard
Hashem spoke directly to the people themselves, and they, not Moshe, were his target audience.
- Spoke to all – According to Ibn Ezra, this verse does not insinuate that Hashem was to speak to Moshe alone, but only that when Hashem did speak to him (along with everyone else), his prophetic stature would be verified. The nation had doubted Moshe's prophecy, believing that if Hashem speaks to a person he cannot live afterwards. Thus, Hashem tells Moshe that when the nation sees Him speaking to Moshe during the giving of the Decalogue, they will finally recognize that this is not true.
- Change of plan - According to Ralbag and Abarbanel, originally, Hashem told Moshe that he would speak to him alone and the nation would overhear, leading them to believe in Moshe's prophecy. Moshe then clarified to Hashem that the nation preferred not to have a mediator but desired a direct face to face revelation. Hashem acquiesced and changed the original plan.23
- Before the Decalogue – Shadal asserts that this refers to the nation hearing Hashem's conversation with Moshe before the Decalogue.
- According to Ibn Ezra, Moshe is saying that the nation feared from the fire, despite the fact that they did not go up the mountain.
- This position could have instead said that the original plan (had the nation not been overcome by fear) was to ascend the mountain after the giving of the Decalogue and to hear the rest of the 613 commandments from perhaps an even closer vantage point and at a higher spiritual level.26
- Before the Decalogue – According to Ibn Ezra, Abarbanel and Shadal,27 this refers to the conversation between Moshe and Hashem before the giving of the Decalogue and, as such, provides no information regarding how Hashem delivered the commandments.28
- Before and during – Ralbag maintains that the verse refers to Hashem's words both before and during the Decalogue.29 Hashem conversed with Moshe prophetically, but simultaneously transmitted the message to the nation out loud (via a concrete voice rather than a mental prophecy).
- During the Decalogue – R. Eliezer suggests that that the verse is simply saying that before Hashem spoke to the nation, He waited for Moshe to tell Him that they were ready.
- This position highlights the goal of teaching the nation to believe in Hashem. As Moshe says in Sefer Devarim, after hearing Hashem directly, "אַתָּה הָרְאֵתָ לָדַעַת כִּי ה' הוּא הָאֱלֹהִים".31
- According to Shadal, there might have been a dual purpose of instilling belief in both Moshe and Hashem. By hearing Hashem speak to Moshe before the actual revelation they recognized his prophetic stature, and by hearing Hashem themselves during revelation, they came to belief in God.
Understood Only Two
The nation heard and understood only two commandments directly from Hashem. The other eight were delivered via Moshe.
- Fear – According to most of these sources, the original plan was for Hashem to say all ten commandments directly to the nation. After Hashem relayed the second commandment, though, the nation became frightened and requested that Moshe mediate.
- Direct transmission of cardinal principles – Ramban, in contrast, suggests that there was no change of plan. Hashem had always desired that Moshe explain the final commandments, but wanted the nation to understand the first two from Him directly , as these relate to belief and serve as the basis for the rest of Torah.
- Two – According to most of these sources, the first two commandments were given "face to face", directly from Hashem to Israel. This phrase, thus, describes only the first part of the encounter.
- Ten – According to Ramban, in contrast, the people actually heard all ten commandments "face to face", but they only comprehended the first two.
- In the middle – According to most of these sources this episode took place in the middle of the Decalogue, between the second and third commandments.34 It is written out of order so as not to interrupt the flow of the storyline and to keep the ten commandments in one continuous list. R. Yosef Bekhor Shor suggests that had it not been for their fear, the nation might have heard all the commandments in this manner. Alternatively, Hashem had never planned on relaying more than the ten commandments regardless.
- Before and after – In contrast to the above, Ramban asserts that this took place before the Decalogue. Even before Hashem began to speak the nation distanced themselves even further than required by the boundary and asked that Moshe speak.35 Ramban maintains that the similar description in Devarim which speaks of the elders refers to a different episode, which took place after the Decalogue. Assuming that Hashem was to give over the rest of the commandments in the same manner, the elders asked Moshe that he instead receive them alone. Hashem agreed since He had never planned on doing otherwise.
- This is what motivates Ramban to suggest that the nation did actually hear all ten commandments (even if they did not comprehend all).
- Rashi, in contrast, explains that the verse comes to teach that originally Hashem said all ten commandments simultaneously and only afterwards distinguished each one.
- Before – This verse is difficult for most of these sources38 since they maintain that the original plan was not to speak to Moshe, but rather directly to the nation. They could suggest that this refers to the nation listening to Hashem warn Moshe before the Decalogue.
- During – According to Ramban, in contrast, this does refer to the Decalogue. Hashem tells Moshe that when the nation hears Hashem speak, and they experience prophecy, they will recognize that it is Hashem who regularly speaks to Moshe and come to believe in both Hashem and Moshe.