| Background: And to
Moshe He said, “Go up to the Hashem (merciful), you and Aharon, Nadav
and Avihu and 70 of the elders of Israel, and you shall bow down from a
distance.” And Moshe alone approached Hashem and they did not approach,
and the nation did not go with him. Moshe came and he told the nation all
of the words of Hashem and all the statutes, and all the people answered
with one voice, and said, “All of the matters that Hashem has spoken we
will do.” Moshe wrote all of the words of Hashem and he rose in the
morning and he built an altar under the mountain, and 12 monuments for the
12 tribes of Israel. He sent the lads (elders!) of Israel and they offered
burnt offerings, and they slaughtered shelamim offerings to Hashem, cows.
Moshe took half of the blood and he put it in bowls and half the blood he
sprinkled on the altar. He took the book of the covenant and he read it in
the ears of the nation, and they said, “all that Hashem said we will do
and obey (hear).” Moshe took the blood and he sprinkled it on the
nation, and he said, “here is the blood of the covenant that Hashem has
made with you, on all these matters.”
The Text: Moses and Aharon went up,
Nadav and Avihu, and 70 elders of Israel. And they saw the G-d (judge) of
Israel, and under his legs like work of the brick (white? tiles) of the
sapphire, and like the essence of the pure sky (cloudless, heaven) for
purity. And to the great (those bestowed with something) of Israel He did
not send forth His hand, and they saw G-d (lit. the G-d), and they ate and
they drank.
Problems? Questions? Take I: Onkelos,
2nd Century C.E: And they saw the glory of the G-d (judge) of Israel, and
under the seat of His throne of Glory like the work of a precious jewel,
and like the essence of the pure sky (heaven) for clarity. And to the
great of Israel there was no harm, and they saw glory of G-d (lit. the
G-d), and they were happy with their sacrifice which was accepted as if
they ate and they drank. Why does Onkelos make these emendations? How does
he understand the eating? Was this a good or bad occurrence?
Take II: Rashi (11th cent. France):
And they saw the G-d (judge) of Israel They looked and they were obliged
to die, but the Holy One Blessed be He did not want to confuse the joy of
the Torah, so he waited for Nadav and Avihu until the dedication of the
tabernacle, and for the elders until the complainers… a fire ate at the
“officers” of the camp. How does Rashi view this incident? What was
the sin? Why weren’t they punished?
"...and under his legs like the work
of the brick (white?) of the sapphire this was before Him during the
slavery to remember the sorrows of Israel who were enslaved with the work
of bricks" (based on Midrash Tanchuma). Yonatan ben Uziel: (second
cent. BCE or 9th cent. Israel): brought by Hizkuni as well in the name of
Rabbi Akiva: The Israelites had to gather straw in the thorns and Rachel
the granddaughter of Metushelach was pregnant and walking on these bricks
with her husband until the child came out and was mixed with the brick and
she was screaming and her screams reached the Throne of Glory and Michael
descended and took the brick and put it under the feet of of the Holy One
BBH (Hizkuni: Shpir= afterbirth)
and like the essence of the pure sky
(heaven) for purity. Once they were redeemed there was light and joy
before Him. (based on Midrash Rabbah). What sort of vision did they have?
Was it a good one, an accurate one?
And to the great (those bestowed with
something) of Israel Nadav and Avihu and the elders. Why does Rashi omit
the others?
- He did not send forth His hand, and they saw G-d (lit. the G-d), and
they ate and they drank.
- They were looking at him with a haughty heart and from eating and
drinking.
So it is in the Midrash Tanchuma. Onkelus
does not say so. How does Rashi understand eating and drinking? What’s
wrong with this? How does Rashi know what their attitude was?
Take III: Ibn Ezra, Ramban (11th,
13th cent. Spain) And they saw the G-d (judge) of Israel In the vision of
prophecy not with the eyes and under his legs like work of the white of
the sapphire, as in Ezekiel , the throne is a Sapphire. and like the
essence of the pure sky (heaven) for purity. Also in Ezekiel there is a
sky that is above the Hayot under the Throne of Glory And to the great
(those bestowed with something) of Israel He did not send forth His hand,
Ibn Ezra: Some say G-d did not send a hand to them as G-d had sent his
hand Ramban: before it said that the Cohanim should not go up lest G-d
break out against them. But here they were fine, since they were worthy.
and they saw G-d (lit. the G-d), and they ate and they drank Rabbi Judah
Halevi in Ibn Ezra: this is as opposed to Moshe who needn’t eat.
Hizkuni: This is to show the honor of Moshe. Ibn Ezra II: they ate the way
the High Priest makes a feast when he comes out of the sanctuary. Ramban:
Song of Songs Rabbah: They ate the offerings mentioned above. It is like
the feast at the completion of the Torah.
Take IV: Rashbam (13th cent. France,
Rashi’s grandson) G-d appeared to them here because of the covenant, as
G-d passed through the parts in the covenant of the parts, and when G-d
showed His back, “behold I am making a covenant.” They ate the
offerings mentioned above. (G-d appeared at the bris of Moses’ son,
too.)
Take V: Seforno (among the exiles of
Spain) They saw the great purity of their souls without any physicality
but G-d did not remove them from their senses like other prophets upon
whom the “hand of G-d” falls. They ate and drank without a change in
their senses.
Take VI: Hatorah Haketuvah
Vehamesurah (19th cent. Ger.) Under His feet that which is more
physical is the foot, but they saw it pretty well like the sky, feet are
also indicative of getting to the root of the contemplation of an idea.
Moses and Aharon went up, Nadav and Avihu, and 70 elders of Israel. And
they saw (raah) the G-d (judge) of Israel, and under his legs like work of
the brick (white?) of the sapphire, and like the essence of the pure sky
(heaven) for purity. And to the great of Israel He did not send forth His
hand, and they saw (hazah) G-d (lit. the G-d), and they ate and they
drank. Those who did not merit this level of seeing (raah) just had a
chizayon, and did not receive the hand of G-d.
Take VII: Beno Jacob (19th cent.
Germany), Shadal (19th cent. Italy) These people were riding Moses’ coat
tails. This is not the throne but the floor beneath it. Septuagint: They
saw the place where G-d was. The vision is from the reflection of G-d, not
G-d. and they ate and they drank. Shadal: they were totally healthy, and
were not afflicted. Explain why some rabbis boasted of counting bricks
during prayer. Why did Rabbi Akiva warn that when you get to the pure
marble stones, not to say “water, water?” Why does it say, “3
times a year your male children should be seen to the face of Hashem your
G-d?”
What is the point of this story?
- Ramban: Rejoice with the Torah.
- Sarna: Covenants are had with eating and drinking
- Rashbam: Covenants include the appearance of G-d. (Perhaps that’s why
we expect Elijah at a bris)
- RJF [Rabbi Joel Finkelstein]: eating a drinking can be part of
spirituality.
- RJF: After they learned all these practical, down to earth laws, they
saw G-d. Spirituality flows from Torah study. A proof to this is that they
saw the work of sapphire, not natural, but man made sapphire tiles, the
work of human hands. We eat and drink as a sign of dedicating our physical
work to G-d. |
