Chapter 5

אלא את אבתינו בִּלְבַד כרת ה' וגו'. כי אתנו וגו':

1לא את אבתינו NOT WITH OUR FATHERS — i.e. not with them alone, כרת ה׳ וגו׳ DID THE LORD MAKE [THIS COVENANT], כי אתנו BUT WITH US etc.

אפנים בפנים. אָ"רַ בֶרֶכְיָה: כָּךְ אָמַר מֹשֶׁה, אַל תֹּאמְרוּ אֲנִי מַטְעֶה אֶתְכֶם עַל לֹא דָבָר, כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהַסַּרְסוּר עוֹשֶׂה בֵּין הַמּוֹכֵר לַלּוֹקֵחַ, הֲרֵי הַמּוֹכֵר עַצְמוֹ מְדַבֵּר עִמָּכֶם (פסיקתא רבתי):

1פנים בפנים FACE TO FACE — R. Berechia said: Thus did Moses, in effect, say: Do not think that I am misleading you with something which does not exist at all, as an agent does acting between the vendor and the purchaser; behold, the seller Himself is speaking to you (God who transmitted the Torah to you) (cf. Pesikta Rabbati 21: Pesachim Rabbah פ' י' הדברות קמייתא‎).

אלאמר. מוּסָב עַל דבר ה' עמכם בהר מתוך האש, לאמר אנכי ה' וגו' ואנכי עומד בין ה' וביניכם:

1לאמר SAYING — This is to be connected with (v. 4), דבר ה' עמכם בהר מתוך האש “[face to face] the Lord spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire”, — לאמר, אנכי וגו׳, saying. “I am the Lord, etc.", ואנכי עמד בין ה׳ וביניכם WHILST I STOOD BETWEEN THE LORD AND YOU.

אעל פני. בְּכָל מָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי שָׁם, וְזֶהוּ כָּל הָעוֹלָם. דָּ"אַ — כָּל זְמַן שֶׁאֲנִי קַיָּם. עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת כְּבָר פֵּרַשְׁתִּים:

1על פני BEFORE ME — i.e. in any place where I am, and that is the entire world. Another explanation: so long as I exist (i.e. always) (Mekhilta). — The Ten Commandments — I have already explained them (Exodus 20:1-14).

אשמור. וּבָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת הוּא אוֹמֵר "זָכוֹר", שְׁנֵיהֶם בְּדִבּוּר אֶחָד וּבְתֵבָה אַחַת נֶאֶמְרוּ, וּבִשְׁמִיעָה אַחַת נִשְׁמְעוּ (מכילתא):

1שמור OBSERVE [THE SABBATH DAY] — But in the former Ten Commandments (i.e. where they were first promulgated, in Exodus XX.), it states, “Remember [the Sabbath day]"! The explanation is: Both of them (זכור and שמור) were spoken in one utterance and as one word, and were heard in one hearing (i.e. were heard simultaneously) (Mekhilta).

בכאשר צוך. קֹדֶם מַתַּן תּוֹרָה בְּמָרָה (שבת פ"ז):

2כאשר צוך [OBSERVE THE SABBATH DAY TO SANCTIFY IT] AS [THE LORD THY GOD] COMMANDED THEE before the giving of the Law, at Marah (Shabbat 87b).

אוזכרת כי עבד היית וגו'. עַל מְנָת כֵּן פְּדָאֲךָ שֶׁתִּהְיֶה לוֹ עֶבֶד וְתִשְׁמֹר מִצְווֹתָיו:

1וזכרת כי עבד היית וגו׳ AND THOU SHALT REMEMBER THAT THOU WAST A SLAVE [IN THE LAND OF EGYPT … AND THE LORD BROUGHT THEE FORTH FROM THERE … THEREFORE HE COMMANDS THEE TO KEEP THE SABBATH DAY] — On that condition He freed you — that you should be a servant to Him and observe His commandments.

אכאשר צוך. אַף עַל כִּבּוּד אָב וָאֵם נִצְטַוּוּ בְמָרָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ט"ו) שָׁם שָׂם לוֹ חֹק וּמִשְׁפָּט (סנהדרין נ"ו):

1כאשר צוך [HONOUR THY FATHER AND THY MOTHER] AS THE LORD THY GOD HATH COMMANDED THEE — Also regarding honouring parents they received command at Marah, as it is said, (Exodus 15:25) “There He appointed for them a statute and a judgement” (cf. Rashi on that passage and Note p. 243) (Sanhedrin 56b).

אולא תנאף. אֵין לְשׁוֹן נִאוּף אֶלָּא בְאֵשֶׁת אִישׁ:

1ולא תנאף AND THOU SHALT NOT COMMIT ADULTERY — The term ניאוף, “adultery”, is technically only applicable in the case of a married woman.

אולא תתאוה. וְלָא תֵרוֹג, אַף הוּא לְשׁוֹן חֶמְדָּה, כְּמוֹ נֶחְמָד לְמַרְאֶה (בראשית ב') דִּמְתַרְגְּמִינָן דִּמְרַגַּג לְמִחְזֵי:

1ולא תתאוה — The Targum renders this by ולא תירוג which, too, is an expression denoting “desiring” (חמד the word used in the preceding part of this verse), just as (Genesis 2:9) “נחמד to the eyes”, we render in the Targum by “desirable (רגג) to behold”.

אולא יסף. מְתַרְגְּמִינָן "וְלָא פָּסִיק" (וּלְפִי שֶׁמִּדַּת בָּשָׂר וָדָם אֵינָן יָכוֹלִין לְדַבֵּר כָּל דְּבְרֵיהֶם בִּנְשִׁימָה אַחַת וּמִדַּת הַקָּבָּ"ה אֵינוֹ כֵן — לֹא הָיָה פוֹסֵק, וּמִשֶּׁלֹּא הָיָה פוֹסֵק לֹא הָיָה מוֹסִיף) כִּי קוֹלוֹ חָזָק וְקַיָּם לְעוֹלָם (סנהדרין י"ז); דָּ"אַ — ולא יסף לֹא הוֹסִיף לְהֵרָאוֹת בְּאוֹתוֹ פֻּמְבִּי:

1ולא יסף — We render this in the Targum by ולא פסק “and He did not cease”, — [Because it is characteristic of human beings that they are unable to utter all their words in one breath (but must make pauses) and it is characteristic of the Holy One, blessed be He, that this is not so, therefore He did not pause, and since He did not pause, He did not have to resume], — for His voice is strong and goes on continuously (Sanhedrin 17a). Another explanation of ולא יסף: He did not again ever reveal himself with such publicity.

אואת תדבר אלינו. הִתַּשְׁתֶּם אֶת כֹּחִי כַּנְּקֵבָה, שֶׁנִּצְטַעַרְתִּי עֲלֵיכֶם וְרִפִּיתֶם אֶת יָדִי כִּי רָאִיתִי שֶׁאֵינְכֶם חֲרֵדִים לְהִתְקָרֵב אֵלָיו מֵאַהֲבָה, וְכִי לֹא הָיָה יָפֶה לָכֶם לִלְמֹד מִפִּי הַגְּבוּרָה וְלֹא לִלְמֹד מִמֶּנִּי?:

1ואת תדבר אלינו AND SPEAK THOU (את the feminine form of the pronoun) TO US — you weakened my strength as that of a woman, (cf. Rashi on Numbers 11:15), for I was distressed because of you (because of your words) and you weakened my hands, since I saw that you were not anxious to approach Him out of love. Indeed, was it not better for you to learn from the mouth of the Almighty God, and not to learn from me?!

Sefaria: Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934 · Public domain · sefaria.org

Sefaria: Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934 · Public domain · sefaria.org