Pisqa’ 343¹

1

“And he said: HASHEM has come from Sinai, He arose to them from Se`ir” (Dt.33:2).

The verse shows that

when Moses began his blessing,

he did not begin, first of all, with the needs of Israel;

but rather, he began with praises of the All-Present.

An analogy—

An orator was standing at the podium,

having been hired by another to plead on his behalf.

Now, he wouldn’t open his case on behalf of the defendant

until he first recounts the praises of the king [as follows]:

Fortunate is the world under his rule!

Fortunate is the world that is judged by him!

He causes the sun to rise for us!

He causes the moon to rise for us!

Then, the audience joins him in offering praise.

Afterwards, the orator opens his case on behalf of the defendant.

Then he returns, at his summation, to the praises of the king.

So, too, Master Moses did not open his case on behalf of Israel

until he had begun with praises of the All-Present,

for it is said:

“And he said: HASHEM has come from Sinai” (Dt.33:2).

And only afterward did he open his case on behalf of Israel [as follows]:

“And may there be a king in Jeshurun” (Dt.33:5).

Then he returned, at his summation, to the praises of the All-Present:

“There is none like the God of Jeshurun!” (Dt.33:26).

So, too, King David began at first

with the praises of the All-Present.

As it is said;

“Halleluya!! Sing to HASHEM a new song!” (Ps.149:1)

Only afterwards did he begin with Israel’s praises,

[as it is said:]

“For HASHEM is pleased with His people” (Ps.149:4).

Then he returned, at his summation, to the praises of the All-Present:

“Praise God in His holy domain” (Ps.150:1).

And also Solomon, his son, began at first

with the praises of the All-Present.

As it is said;

“There is none like You, God, in the Heavens or the Earth!

Guardian of the covenant, as of mercy.” (2Chron.6:14)

And only afterward did he begin with Israel’s needs:

“If there should be famine in the Land” (2Chron.6:28).

Then he returned, at his summation, to the praises of the All-Present:

“Arise, HASHEM God, to Your resting place!” (2Chron.6:41).

Now, even the eighteen benedictions

enacted by the early Prophets, for Israel’s daily use in prayer,

only address Israel’s needs after the first [benediction] opens

with praises of the All-Present!

“The great God, Valiant One and Awesome—

You are Holy, and Your Name is Awe-inspiring!”²

And afterward:

“Who releases the imprisoned . . .”

and afterward:

“Who heals the sick.”³

And, finally, [returning to praise]:

“We give thanks to you!”⁴

2

“And he said:

HASHEM has come from Sinai” (Dt.33:2)—

When the All-Present disclosed Himself to give the Torah to Israel,

He did not disclose Himself from a single direction,

But rather from four directions,

For it is said:

“HASHEM has come from Sinai,”

“He arose to them from Se`ir,”

“He appeared from the hills of Paran” (Dt.33:2)—

Now, what is the fourth direction?

“God comes from Teman” (Hab.3:3).

Another word:

When the Blessed Holy One disclosed Himself

To give the Torah to Israel,

He didn’t speak to them in only one language.

Rather, [He spoke] in four languages,

As it is said:

“HASHEM has come from Sinai” (Dt.33:2)—

that is, the Hebrew language.⁵

“He arose to them from Se`ir” (Dt.33:2)—

that is, the Roman language.⁶

“He appeared from the hills of Paran” (Dt.33:2)—

that is, the Arabian language.⁷

“He came (‘atah) from Ribeboth-kodesh” (Dt.33:2)—

that is, the Aramaic language.⁸

Another word:

“HASHEM has come from Sinai” (Dt.33:2)—

when the Blessed Holy One disclosed Himself

to give the Torah to Israel,

He didn’t disclose Himself to Israel alone,

but, rather, to all the nations.

At first he approached

the descendants of Esau [i.e., Rome], asking them:

Will you accept the Torah?

They asked: What’s written in it?

He replied: “Do not murder” (Ex.20:13).

They said:

the very essence of these people, like their father, is to murder!

For it is said:

“But the hands are the hands of Esau” (Gn.27:22).

And:

“By your sword shall you live” (Gn.27:40).

 

He approached

the descendants of Ammon and Moab⁹, asking of them:

Will you accept the Torah?

They asked: What’s written in it?

“Do not defile marriage ” (Ex.20:13).

They said:

The very essence of these people is defiled through incest!

For it is said:

“And the two daughters of Lot conceived from their father” (Gn.19:36).¹⁰

 

He approached

the descendants of Ishmael [i.e., the Bedouin], asking of them:

Will you accept the Torah?

They asked: What’s written in it?

He replied:

“Do not steal” (Ex.20:13)

They said:

The very essence of these people, like their father, is banditry.

For it is said:

“And he shall be a wild ass of a man” (Gn.16:12).

 

And, similarly:

he approached each and every nation,

asking if they would accept the Torah

As it is said:

“And all the kingdoms of the Earth shall confess to You,

when they have heard the utterance of Your mouth” (Ps.138:4).

 

Is it possible to say that

they had already heard it and accepted it?

The Teaching states:

“And I will act with anger, rage,

and vengeance against the nations who fail to obey” (Mic.5:14).

It’s not bad enough that the didn’t obey.

But, even the seven commandments

accepted upon themselves

by the descendants of Noah—

they were unable to observe before rejecting them.

When the Blessed Holy One saw this situation,

He gave them to Israel.¹¹

3

An analogy—

A certain fellow sent

his ass and his dog

to the threshing floor.

He loaded the ass with a letech,¹²

but the dog he loaded with three se’ahs.

The ass was able to manage,

but the dog began to struggle.

So the owner unpacked a se’ah,

loading it on to the ass.

And so with the second se’ah,

And so with the third.

In this way, did Israel accept the Torah

with all its interpretations and technical details.

What about those seven commandments

that the descendants of Noah were unable to observe,

because they unburdened themselves of them?

Israel came along and accepted them!

Therefore it is said:

“ HASHEM has come from Sinai”—

[to offer the entire Torah to Israel],

“He arose to them from Se`ir” (Dt.33:2)—

[and offered the seven Noahide commandments to the nations].

Another word:

“He arose to them from Se`ir” (Dt.33:2)—

when the Blessed Holy One arises to exact retribution from Se`ir,

He will shake up the entire world for its inhabitants,

in the way He shook it up upon the giving of the Torah!

As it is said:

“HASHEM–when you left Se`ir,

when you strode from the fields of Edom, the Earth shook;

Also, the Heavens dripped, and the clouds shed water” (Jud.5:4)

And it says:

“And afterward his brother emerged,

with his hand grasping Esau’s heel (`aqeiv),

and he called his name, Jacob” (ya`aqov; Gn.25:26)—

The Blessed Holy One said to them:

No nation or language will intervene between you!¹³

4

An analogy—

A king wanted to give a gift to one of his sons.

But the king was afraid of his brothers,

his allies, and his relatives.

What did that son do?

He arose, put on his make-up, and cut his hair.

The king said to him:

I’m giving you that gift

[because you have prepared yourself for it]!

In the same way,

when Father Abraham came into the world,

filth proceeded from him—

Ishmael and the sons of Keturah.

They pursued villainous deeds,

even worse than former generations.

Then, when Isaac came,

filth proceeded from him—

Esau and all the princes of Edom.

They pursued villainous deeds,

even worse than former generations.

Now, when Jacob came into the world,

no filth proceeded from him!

Rather, all his sons were born perfected,

Similar to what is said:

“And Jacob was a perfected man, dwelling in shelters”¹⁴ (Gn.25:27).

Therefore, the Blessed Holy One said:

I’ll give the Torah to you!

Therefore it is stated:

“ HASHEM has come from Sinai,

He arose to them from Se`ir”¹⁵ (Dt.33:2).¹⁶

Another word:

“HASHEM has come from Sinai” (Dt.33:2)—

when the Blessed Holy One disclosed Himself

to give the Torah, He shook up the entire world

for its inhabitants,

as it is said:

“The voice of HASHEM is over the waters” (Ps.29:3).

And He says:

“The voice of HASHEM is full of power” (Ps.29:4).

At that moment, all the nations

gathered around Bilam, saying:

It seems to us that the Blessed Holy One

is devastating the world with water!

He said to them:

“The waters will never again become a Deluge” (Gn.9:15).

They replied:

Then, what is this voice?

He said:

“HASHEM gives power to His people” (Ps.29:11)—

actually, power is equivalent to Torah,
for it is said:

“With Him is power and wisdom” (Job12:16).

They replied to him:

If so, “HASHEM will bless His people with peace” (Ps.29:11).¹⁷

 

“He appeared from the hills of Paran” (Dt.33:2)—

[Scripture] classifies four [divine disclosures as] appearances.

The first is in Egypt,

as it is said:

“Lend an ear, You shepherd of Israel!

You driver of Joseph like a flock!

He Who sits among the Cherubim—let Him appear!” (Ps.80:2)

The second is at the time of the giving of the Torah,

for it is said:

“He appeared from the hills of Paran” (Dt.33:2).

The third is in the days of Gog and Magog,

for it is said:

“God of vengeance, HASHEM! God of vengeance—appear!” (Ps.94:1).

The fourth is in the days of Messiah,

for it is said:

“From Zion, that place of unmatched beauty—God, appear!” (Ps.50:2)

5

“He came from the multitudes of Qodesh” (Dt.33:2).

The nature of the Blessed Holy One

bears no comparison with

the nature of flesh and blood.

As for the nature of flesh and blood—

when [a man] prepares a banquet for his son,

or when rejoicing at his marriage canopy,

he displays his hidden treasures and

everything else he possesses.

But the One Who Spoke the World into Being, is not like this!

Rather:

“He came from the multitudes of Qodesh”¹⁸ (Dt.33.2)—

“From the multitudes—”

but He doesn’t display His entire fortune!

Another word:

A king of flesh and blood presides in his palace.

Some attendants are more handsome (na’im) than he,

some are more praise-worthy than he,

some are more courageous than he.

But the One Who Spoke the World into Being,

is not like this!

Rather:

“He came from (’at’a) the multitudes of Qodesh” (Dt.33.2)—

that is, He is singular (’ot hu’)¹⁹ among the multitudes of Qodesh,

so that when He disclosed Himself at the [Reed] Sea,

they immediately recognized Him,

as it is said:

“This is my God and I will declare His beauty,

The God of my father, and I will exalt Him!” (Ex.15:2).²⁰

6

This is what the nations of the world would ask Israel, saying:

“How is your Lover better than any other” (Song5:9),

that you are willing to be put to death for Him?

as it is said:

“Therefore they love You till the moment of death” (`al hamawet ²¹; Song1:3)

And, further:

“Indeed, for Your sake are we killed all day long” (Ps.44:23)H.²²

[The nations continue:]

You are all handsome, You are all courageous!

Come let us mix together one [nation] and another.

But Israel would answer:

Only some of His virtues have been disclosed to you,

yet you think you know Him?
“My Lover is clear-skinned and ruddy . . . His head is finest gold . . .

His eyes are like doves by the water falls . . .

His cheeks are like fragrant bundles of spices . . .

His hands are like rods of gold . . .

His legs are like pillars of marble . . .

His mouth is like candy,

And He is, oh!— so sweet!” (Song5:10-16)

When the nations of the world heard

about the beauty and praises of the Blessed Holy One,

they replied:

Let us come with you!

For it is said:

“Where has your Lover gone, you loveliest of women;

where has your Lover turned away?

We will seek him with you!” (Song6:1)

How did Israel respond?

You have no part of Him!

“I am my lover’s and my lover is mine.

He guides His flocks through the lilies” (Song6:2-4)

7

“From His right hand a blazing law came to them” (Dt.33:2)—

when an Utterance proceeded from

the mouth of the Blessed Holy One,

it would emerge from the Blessed Holy One’s right hand

—to the left of Israel—

and sweep around the encampment of Israel

a distance of twelve mil by twelve mil,

before returning, via the right of Israel,

to the Blessed Holy One’s left.

And the Blessed Holy One received it in His right hand,

engraving it on the stone tablet.

And His voice extended from

one end of the world to the other.

As it is said:

“The voice of HASHEM carves out flames of fire” (Ps.29:7).²³

“From His right hand a blazing law came to them” (Dt.33:2)—

this explains that

words of Torah can be compared with fire.

Just as fire is given from the Heavens,

so, too, words of Torah are given from the Heavens.

For it is said:

“You have seen that I spoke to you from the Heavens” (Ex.20:19).

8

Just as fire [brings] life to the world,

so, too, words of Torah [bring] life to the world.

Just as with fire, a person too close to it is burnt, and one too far from it is frozen,

so, too, with words of Torah—

as long as a person labors with them, they give him life,

but when he separates from them, they kill him.²⁴

Just as fire can be used

in this eon [for good] and in the coming eon

[for punishment in Gehenna],

so, too, words of Torah can be used

in this eon [for good] and in the coming eon

[to punish the Wicked].²⁵

Just as with fire,

the careless can leave a scar on his body,

so, too, with words of Torah,

the careless can leave a scar on his body.

Just as with fire,

those who labor [to fight it] are distinguished among people,

so, too, disciples of sages are distinguished

by their walk, by their talk,

and, in the street, by their cloaks.

“A blazing law came to them” (Dt.33:2)—

were it not for the law that accompanied the Torah,

no one would be able to bear it

[because of the fire].

1. H:351-356; JN2:405-411.
2. The text approximates that found in the traditional text of the siddur in the opening section of the eighteen benedictions labeled “the Patriarchs.”
3. In most extant texts of the siddur section, “the Powers”, these benedictions appear in reverse order. Cf. F:395, ns.1, 5.
4. The citation is from the penultimate benediction, “the Thanksgiving.”
5. Heb: `ivri. The Torah, given at Sinai, must have been given in Hebrew.
6. Heb: romi. Se`ir is Edom, ancestral nation of the Romans. So the language of revelation to Rome must have been Latin.
7. Heb: `aravi. Biblical Paran was in the northwest of the Sinai peninsula. In the midst of a “wasteland,” it may have drawn associations with residents of Arabia, thus, by deduction, the language of Paran is Arabic.
8. Heb: ‘arami. The word, ‘atah has an Aramaic root (‘-t-‘), which helps explain the claim that the language of Ribeboth-Kodesh was Aramaic.
9. See Pisqa’ 249 on the unassimilable character of the Ammonites and Moabites.
10. Gn.19:37-38 identifies these children as the ancestors of the Ammonites and Moabites
11. Cf. Mechilta Ishmael, bakhodesh, 5.
12. About 5 ½ bushels (cf. Hos. 3:2). According to H:506, Pisqa’ 343, n.10, the relevant proportions are as follows: 1 kor =2 letech=30 se’ah.
13. There will be no interregnum between the destruction of   Edom and the accession of Israel in the messianic era.
14. Literally, “tents.;” figuratively, “shelters for Torah-study.”
15. Seir is identified with Moab and Edom in, e.g., Gn.32:4. Thus the midrashic sense is that God gave the Torah to Israel after His departure from the Moabite descendants of Esau.
16. Compare similar materials at Pisqa’ot 312.1 and 31.1-2.
17. // Mechilta Ishmael, `amaleq, 1.
18. The midrashic inflection of the verse would be: “He disclosed only some of His plenitude of wealth.”
19. The foundation of the word-play is the assonance of ‘ot and ‘at’a.
20. Mechilta Ishmael, shirah, 1.
21. The MT reads: `al ken `alamot ‘ahavucha, “Therefore do the young women love you.”. My a-syntactic, midrashic reading attempts to render the text in line with the midrashist’s word-play, in which `alamot (“young women”) is re-vowelized as `al hamawet. See H:506, Pisqa’ 343, ns.20-21.
22. Mechilta Ishmael, shirah, 3.
23. Cf. Mechilta Ishmael, bakhodesh, 9.
24. Cf. T.Hag.2:6, ARNA.28.
25. Cf. Mechilta Ishmael., bakhodesh,.4.