33a (ל״ג:א׳)

And therefore, when He said “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” (וְלָכֵן כְּשֶׁאָמַר ״הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ לְפָנֶיךָ), the intention was (הָיְתָה הַכַּוָּנָה) that the Holy One Blessed Be He in His own glory and essence would go before them (שֶׁהקב״ה בִּכְבוֹדוֹ וּבְעַצְמוֹ יֵלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם). And to explain this to them (וּלְבָאֵר לָהֶם זֶה), He said, “For My angel shall go before you” (אָמַר ״כִּי יֵלֵךְ מַלְאָכִי לְפָנֶיךָ), to allude that He Himself would go (לְרַמֵּז שֶׁהוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ יֵלֵךְ), for if not so, He should have said “an angel” (שֶׁאִם לָאו כֵּן, הָיָה לוֹ לוֹמַר ״מַלְאָךְ), for all the angels are His, may He be blessed (כִּי כָּל הַמַּלְאָכִים הֵם שֶׁלוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ). And in the verse “Behold, I am sending” (וּבַפָּסוּק ״הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ), there are great secrets from its beginning until “to bring you to the place” (יֵשׁ סוֹדוֹת גְּדוֹלוֹת מִתְּחִלָּתוֹ עַד ״וּלְהָבִיאֲךָ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם), for there are forty-two letters (שֶׁיֵּשׁ מ״ב אוֹתִיּוֹת), corresponding to the Name of the Holy One Blessed Be He by which He governs the worlds (כְּנֶגֶד שְׁמוֹ שֶׁל הקב״ה שֶׁבּוֹ מְנַהֵג הָעוֹלָמוֹת), to allude that He Himself would go before them (לְרַמֵּז שֶׁהוּא בְּעַצְמוֹ יֵלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם).

And this was the reason that Moshe consented in the portion of “Mishpatim” (וְזוֹ הָיְתָה הַסִּבָּה שֶׁהִסְכִּים מֹשֶׁה בְּפָרָשַׁת ״מִשְׁפָּטִים), for if it had been merely an angel, he would not have agreed (שֶׁאִם הָיָה מַלְאָךְ לֹא הָיָה מַסְכִּים). But here, when He said “For I will not go up in your midst” (אֲבָל כָּאן שֶׁאָמַר ״כִּי לֹא אֶעֱלֶה בְּקִרְבְּךָ), it appears that what He said “And I shall send an angel before you” was a literal angel (נִרְאֶה שֶׁמַּה שֶּׁאָמַר ״וְשָׁלַחְתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ מַלְאָךְ״ הָיָה מַלְאָךְ מַמָּשׁ). And therefore Moshe Rabbeinu did not agree to this (וְלָזֶה לֹא הִסְכִּים מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ בָּזֶה), and he said to the Holy One Blessed Be He: “And You have said, I know you by name” (וְאָמַר לַהקב״ה: ״וְאַתָּה אָמַרְתָּ יָדַעְתִּיךָ בְשֵׁם). And what does it mean to say “by name”? (וּמָה רוֹצֶה לוֹמַר ״בְּשֵׁם) They are two Names (הֵם שְׁנֵי שֵׁמוֹת): the mem and the bet are the Name of forty-two (הַמֵּ״ם וְהַבֵּית הוּא שֵׁם שֶׁל אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁתַּיִם), and the shin is the Name of Hashem (וְהַשִּׁין הִיא שֵׁם הַהוֹויָ״ה).

For the Name of Hashem, when written in the letters of Atbash (כִּי שֵׁם הַהוֹויָ״ה בְּאוֹתִיּוֹת א״ת ב״ש), has the numerical value of berachamim [with mercy] (בְּרַחֲמִים), namely three hundred (עוֹלֶה לְחֶשְׁבּוֹן בְּרַחֲמִים שֶׁהוּא שְׁלוֹשׁ מֵאוֹת). And in this manner, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe that He would reveal Himself to him (וּבָזֶה הָאֹפֶן אָמַר הקב״ה לְמֹשֶׁה שֶׁיִּגָּלֶה לוֹ), as the verse states: “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud” (כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב ״הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי בָּא אֵלֶיךָ בְּעַב הֶעָנָן״) (Exodus 19). Av [seventy-two] is the seventy-two Names through which Yisrael passed through the sea (עַ״ב הוּא שִׁבְעִים וּשְׁנַיִם שֵׁמוֹת שֶׁבָּהֶם עָבְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַיָּם). And He also said that He would come to him in a cloud (וְאָמַר שֶׁגַּם כֵּן יָבוֹא לוֹ בֶּעָנָן).

And what did He allude to by this? That He would come with the Name berachamim [with mercy] and with the Name of Forty-Two (וּמַה רָמַז לוֹ בָּזֶה שֶׁיָּבוֹא בְּשֵׁם ״בְּרַחֲמִים״ וּבְשֵׁם אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁתַּיִם), both of which are hinted in the word beshem [by name], as we have said (שֶׁשְּׁנֵיהֶם נִרְמָזִים בְּמִלַּת ״בְּשֵׁם״ כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ). Both are likewise hinted in anan [cloud] in this manner (וּשְׁנֵיהֶם גַּם כֵּן נִרְמָזִים בֶּעָנָן בַּזֶּה הָאֹפֶן): Ayin, in its full spelling, equals Q״L [130] (עַיִ״ן בְּמִלוּאוֹ עוֹלֶה ק״ל); Nun, in its full spelling, equals Q״V [106] (נּוּ״ן בִּמְלוּאָהּ עוֹלָה ק״ו); and the second Nun is Q״V [106] (וְהַנ״ו״ן הָאַחֶרֶת ק״ו), which altogether total three hundred and forty-two (שֶׁהֵם בֵּין הַכֹּל שְׁלוֹשׁ מֵאוֹת וְאַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁנַיִם).

And this is what Rashi wrote on the verse “I know you by name”-that this is what the Holy One Blessed Be He had said to him: “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud” (וְזֶה שֶׁכָּתַב רַשִׁ״י עַל פָּסוּק ״יָדַעְתִּיךָ בְּשֵׁם״ – שֶׁהוּא מַה שֶּׁאָמַר לוֹ הקב״ה ״הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי בָּא אֵלֶיךָ בְּעַב הֶעָנָן). And afterward He said, “And you have also found favor in My eyes” (וְאָמַר אַחַר כָּךְ ״וְגַם מָצָאתָ חֵן בְּעֵינָי), yet we do not find anywhere that the Holy One Blessed Be He said to Moshe that he had found favor in His eyes (וְלֹא מָצִינוּ בְּשׁוּם מָקוֹם שֶׁאָמַר הקב״ה לְמֹשֶׁה שֶׁמָּצָא חֵן בְּעֵינָיו).

But the truth is as Moshe said (אֲבָל הָאֱמֶת הוּא כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר מֹשֶׁה), for the Holy One Blessed Be He, when He brought the flood upon the world and saved Noach and his sons in the merit of the Patriarchs (כִּי הקב״ה כְּשֶׁהֵבִיא מַבּוּל לָעוֹלָם וְהִצִּיל אֶת נֹחַ וּבָנָיו בִּזְכוּת הָאָבוֹת), as we said above on the verse “And Noach alone remained” (Bereshit 7), and from that time He chose Moshe (וּמֵאוֹתוֹ הַשָּׁעָה בָּחַר אֶת מֹשֶׁה) through whom the Torah would be given to Yisrael (שֶׁעַל יָדוֹ תִּנָּתֵן הַתּוֹרָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל), as is hinted in the verse: “For he too is flesh, and his days shall be one hundred and twenty years” (Bereshit 6), for beshagam [also] has the numerical value of Moshe (כִּי ״בְּשַׁגַּם״ עוֹלֶה לְחֶשְׁבּוֹן ״מֹשֶׁה״). And by what He said, beshagam [also], He meant: beshagam—that is Moshe—I desire that he come into the world (וּמַה שֶּׁאָמַר ״בְּשַׁגַּם״, יִרְצֶה, ״בְּשַׁגַּם״ – שֶׁהוּא מֹשֶׁה – אֲנִי רוֹצֶה שֶׁיָּבוֹא לָעוֹלָם), and that he be flesh (וְשֶׁיִּהְיֶה בָּשָׂר), and that his days be one hundred and twenty years (וְשֶׁיִּהְיוּ יָמָיו מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה).

And since at that time the Holy One Blessed Be He did kindness with those who remained in the world (וּלְפִי שֶׁבְּאוֹתוֹ זְמַן הקב״ה עָשָׂה חֶסֶד עִם אוֹתָם שֶׁנִּשְׁאֲרוּ בָּעוֹלָם), as it is said, “And Noach found favor in the eyes of Hashem” (Bereshit 6), and before this Hashem, may He be blessed, had already chosen Moshe as we have said (וּכְמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר ״וְנֹחַ מָצָא חֵן בְּעֵינֵי ה׳״ – וּקֹדֶם לָזֶה בָּחַר הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּמֹשֶׁה כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ), if so, he too found favor in the eyes of Hashem, may He be blessed, at that time (אִם כֵּן גַּם הוּא מָצָא חֵן בְּעֵינֵי ה׳ יִתְבָּרַךְ בְּאוֹתוֹ זְמַן), and this is what He said, “And you have also found favor in My eyes” (וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר ״וְגַם מָצָאתָ חֵן בְּעֵינָי). And Moshe Rabbeinu said (וְאָמַר מְרַעֶ״ה), since it is so long a time that You have chosen me and separated me for this (כֵּיוָן שֶׁיֵּשׁ כָּל כָּךְ זְמַן שֶׁבְּחַרְתָּ בִּי וְהִבְדַּלְתַּנִי לְכָךְ), then “Now, if I have indeed found favor in Your eyes” etc (אִם כֵּן ״אָס נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ״ וְגוֹ), “let me know, please, Your way” (שֶׁיּוֹדִיעֵנִי נָא אֶת דְּרָכֶךָ).

Know, that [the word] 'D'rachecha' (Your way) is written defectively (דַּע, כִּי ״דְּרָכֶךָ״ חָסֵר כְּתִיב), to hint that the Holy One Blessed Be He concealed from him one of the fifty Gates of Binah (לְרַמֵּז שֶׁהקב״ה הֶעְלִים מִמֶּנּוּ אֶחָד מִחֲמִשִּׁים שַׁעֲרֵי בִּינָה). And this is what Moshe said: since it has been so long that You have chosen me and separated me to give the Torah through me (וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר מֹשֶׁה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁיֵּשׁ כָּל כָּךְ זְמַן שֶׁבָּחַרְתָּ בִּי וְהִבְדַּלְתַּנִי לָתֵת הַתּוֹרָה עַל יָדִי), it is fitting that You reveal to me that path which You concealed from me (רָאוּי שֶׁתְּגַלֶּה לִי אוֹתוֹ דֶרֶךְ שֶׁהִסְתַּרְתָּ מִמֶּנִּי).

And if You will say that Your choosing me was for the sake of the Patriarchs (וְאִם תֹּאמַר שֶׁמַּה שֶּׁבָּחַרְתָּ בִּי הָיָה בִּשְׁבִיל הָאָבוֹת), to give the Torah to their seed through me (כְּדֵי לָתֵת הַתּוֹרָה לְזַרְעָם עַל יָדִי), to this he said: “And see that this nation is Your people” (Exodus 33) (לָזֶה אָמַר ״וּרְאֵה כִּי עַמְּךָ הַגּוֹי הַזֶּה), for these are the children of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Ya'akov (שֶׁאֵלּוּ הֵם בְּנֵי אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב). If so, it is fitting that You reveal to me this path that You have hidden from me (אִם כֵּן רָאוּי שֶׁתְּגַלֶּה לִי אוֹתוֹ דֶרֶךְ שֶׁהִסְתַּרְתָּ מִמֶּנִּי), which is one of the fifty Gates of Binah (שֶׁהוּא אֶחָד מֵחֲמִשִּׁים שַׁעֲרֵי בִּינָה), and Torah is of the quality of Binah (וְהַתּוֹרָה הִיא בְּמִדַּת בִּינָה). And to this question, the Holy One Blessed Be He did not respond to Moshe (וְעַל שֵׁאֵלָה זוֹ לֹא הֵשִׁיב הקב״ה לְמֹשֶׁה), but He said to him: “My Presence shall go and I shall give you rest” (וַאֲבָל אָמַר לוֹ ״פָּנַי יֵלֵכוּ וַהֲנִחֹתִי לָךְ) (Exodus 33), meaning, since My Presence shall go with you, that is sufficient for you (יִרְצֶה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁפָּנַי יֵלֵכוּ עִמְּךָ, זֶה דַּי לְךָ), for by them I shall give you rest (שֶׁבָּהֶם אָנִיחַ לָךְ).