Revelation to Avraham vs. Revelation to Moshe
Parshat HaShavua
Yeshivat Har
Etzion
This parasha series is
dedicated
in memory of Michael Jotkowitz, z"l.
PARASHAT
VAYERA
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Mazal
Tov to Tamara and Ben-Zion Spitz on the birth of a baby girl, sister to Eitan,
Akiva, Elchanan, Netanel, Yehuda and Yehoshua; may they and the entire
Spitz-Tucker family raise her le-Torah, le-Chupa u'le-Ma'asim
Tovim!!
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"At the Entrance to the Tent"
Revelation to Avraham vs. Revelation to
Moshe [1]
By Rav Tamir
Granot
In several instances in the
biblical narrative, we find a phenomenon whereby one story "quotes" another,
whether explicitly or by means of repeating linguistic expressions, a similar
structure, or even a similar sketching of the narrative images. It is as though
the "fingerprints" of one story turn up in the midst of
another.
We will propose in this
shiur that the fingerprints of the revelation by God and the angels to
Avraham, bringing tidings of the future birth of Yitzchak (Bereishit 18),
may be located in the description of the Ohel Mo'ed ("Tent of Meeting")
that Moshe erected following the sin of the Golden Calf and in the subsequent
story of the Second Covenant and God's revelation to Moshe (Shemot
33-34:10).
A.
Let us first present the
parallels between the two situations along the axis of the story of God's
revelation to Avraham, following the order of the verses. Thereafter we shall
elaborate slightly concerning each parallel in order.
Bereishit 18
1.
"He was
sitting AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE TENT (1)
2.
and behold,
three men WERE STANDING before him (God reveals Himself)
(2)
3.
And HE RAN
towards them, AND PROSTRATED HIMSELF TO THE GROUND. And Avraham HURRIED
(2,6)
4.
AND HE
SAID: MY LORD, IF I HAVE FOUND FAVOR IN YOUR EYES, DO
5.
And Avraham
hurried TO THE TENT, TO SARA, and he said
'AND MY HUSBAND (adoni) IS
OLD
(6,12)
6.
And
afterwards you shall move on, since you have PASSED TO COME TO YOUR SERVANT
(5)
7.
IS ANYTHING
TOO WONDROUS FOR GOD? (14)
8.
They shall
KEEP THE WAY OF GOD (19)
9.
FOR I HAVE
KNOWN HIM (19)
Shemot
33-34
1.
Every man at the ENTRANCE TO HIS TENT
The pillar of cloud would
descend and stand AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE TENT and [God] spoke with Moshe. [When
Moshe hides himself in the crevice of the rock, God also passes over the
opening] [2] (33:8-10).
2.
And HE
STOOD with him there (34:5)
3.
Moshe
HURRIED, and HE BOWED DOWN TO THE GROUND AND PROSTRATED HIMSELF
(34:8)
4.
AND HE
SAID: IF I HAVE FOUND FAVOR IN YOUR EYES, GOD, LET GOD THEN GO AMONGST US, for
they are a stiff-necked nation (34:9)
5.
And his
servant YEHOSHUA BEN-NUN, A YOUNG MAN, DID NOT MOVE FROM INSIDE THE TENT"
(33:11); MY MASTER, MOSHE restrain them! (Bamidbar
11:28)
6.
I SHALL
CAUSE ALL MY GOODNESS TO PASS OVER BEFORE YOU. And it shall be, WHEN MY GLORY
PASSES
until I HAVE PASSED OVER. And GOD PASSED BEFORE HIM
(33:19)
7.
So I and
Your nation SHALL BE A SOURCE OF WONDER; before all your nation I SHALL PERFORM
WONDERS (33:16, 34:10)
8.
Let me know
YOUR WAYS (33:13)
9.
I SHALL
KNOW YOU BY NAME (33:17)
Let us now examine these parallels in greater
detail:
1."God appeared to him in Elonei Mamrei,
while he was sitting at the entrance to the tent, in the heat of the day"
(Bereishit 18:1) God's revelation here is described using the verb
"appeared" (vayera), which is quite common in such instances.
Correspondingly, "Show me (hareni) Your glory" (Shemot 33:19). But
the place of revelation is interesting: THE ENTRANCE TO THE TENT. In the
parasha that sits in between the description of what the Levi'im
do after the episode of the Golden Calf and God's promise to send a guiding
angel and the second covenant with Moshe, there is a description of the Tent of
Meeting that Moshe sets up. "Moshe would take the tent
and it was
the pillar
of cloud would descend AND STAND AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE TENT, and [God] spoke
with Moshe" (Shemot 33:7). In other words, in both places the tent is the
place where the people are sitting (as opposed to the Mishkan, where
obviously the "tent" (Ohel Mo'ed) is the place where God "sits," as it
were, and people come to Him). In both stories the revelation takes place AT THE
ENTRANCE TO THE TENT in other words, at the doorstep of the dwelling place of
Moshe. Concerning the nation, too, we are told, "All the nation got up and
prostrated themselves, each man AT THE ENTRANCE TO HIS TENT" (Shemot
33:10). The parallel here is both thematic and linguistic. Further on, in the
story of the Revelation at Sinai, we find a similar picture. God commands Moshe,
"You shall stand by the rock," and then, "It shall be, when My glory passes by,
I SHALL PLACE YOU IN A CREVICE OF THE ROCK, and I shall cover you with My hand
until I have passed
" (Ibid. 33:21-22). The rock is similar to the tent.
God comes from outside the tent, and when He passes by, Avraham tries to detain
Him, to speak to Him. God also comes from outside of the rock; when He passes by
Moshe tries to take in whatever he can [3].
Still, the revelation at the
rock is different from the revelation at the tent, for it takes place in a
sphere that is super-human. Mount Sinai is also called "the
To this we may add a further
parallel: Moshe leaves the camp and erects his tent in the desert, far from the
camp. Only there can God reveal Himself to him, for the nation is not worthy of
the presence of God's glory: "For I shall not go up among you
." Avraham, too,
pitches his tent outside of any inhabited area, in the desert [4]. This is an
important point that helps us understand his relations with the Canaanites:
Avraham does not dwell among them; he does not become a citizen. This works to
his disadvantage when he seeks a burial plot for Sara, but it does allow him to
experience Divine revelation because he is outside of the pagan, morally
blemished inhabited area. (Interestingly, Lot lives in
2. Similar language is used to describe the
respective revelations: "And behold, three men WERE STANDING before him"
(Bereishit 18:2); "God descended in a cloud and STOOD WITH HIM there"
(Shemot 34:5). The continuation of this latter verse is reminiscent of a
verse that admittedly has nothing to do with the story of the angels, but is
nevertheless common to Avraham and to Moshe: "And he CALLED IN GOD'S NAME" [6]
(Bereishit 12:8; Shemot 34:5).
3. Both Avraham and Moshe HURRY to welcome the
Divine Presence before it moves on: "He saw - AND HE RAN towards them from the
entrance to the tent." Immediately thereafter, we read, "And Avraham HURRIED to
the tent and he said, Quickly prepare three measures of fine meal
"
(Bereishit 18:2,6). Concerning Moshe, who sees the Divine Presence
passing over, we read: "Moshe HURRIED and bowed down to the ground and
prostrated himself" (Shemot 34:8).
In Avraham's case, too, the "hurry" leads up to
prostration: "He hurried towards them from the entrance to the tent, and
prostrated himself to the ground" (Bereishit 18:2).
4. We discover a surprising and most important point
when comparing what Avraham and Moshe say, at the time of the respective
revelations:
Avraham says, "MY LORD, IF I HAVE FOUND FAVOR IN
YOUR EYES, PLEASE DO NOT PASS OVER FROM BEFORE YOUR SERVANT" (Bereishit
18:3).
Moshe says, "IF I HAVE FOUND FAVOR IN YOUR EYES, MY
LORD, LET MY LORD GO AMONGST US" (Shemot 34:9).
Attention should be paid to the fact that in both
cases there is a request that God tarry and not move on. Both appeal to God with
the appellation, "A-donai" "my Lord" [7]. In both instances, the
request that God remain is uttered against the background of the presence of an
angel, or angels. Avraham sees three men, but he addresses himself only to the
most senior one, using a holy name [8]. In Moshe's case, the significance of the
appeal is actually an attempt to change the Divine decree that has come about in
the wake of the Golden Calf. "I shall send an angel before you, and I shall
drive out
for I shall not ascend among you, for you are a stiff-necked nation
"
(Shemot 33:2-3). Moshe asks that God remain and journey with the nation,
not to remove Himself. Just as when God passes over, Moshe tries to persuade Him
to remain there with him by "reminding" God, as it were, that He Himself
declared that Moshe found favor in His eyes, so too, Avraham "reminds" God that
he has found favor in His eyes and therefore he entreats Him not to move on. And
in both cases God agrees, remains, and does not move on.
5. There would seem to be a parallel between Sara's
status and that of Yehoshua. Avraham runs to the tent, to Sara. Throughout the
scene she remains inside, while the Revelation and the conversation between
Avraham and God and the angels takes place at the entrance to the tent, under
the tree.
Similarly, we are told that Yehoshua Moshe's
servant does not move from inside the tent (Shemot 33:11), and the
speech takes place at the entrance to the tent with Yehoshua inside [9].
Both Sara and Yehoshua call Avraham and Moshe,
respectively, "adoni" "my master": "My husband (adoni) is old
"
(Bereishit 18:12); "My master (adoni), Moshe restrain them!"
(Bamidbar 11:28).
6. In both narratives, God's presence is described
using the expression "passing over/on/by" (la'avor al). Avraham says, "
Feast yourselves, afterwards you will pass on, since you have passed by your
servant" (Bereishit 18:5). In His words to Moshe, God says, "I shall
cause all My goodness to pass over before you," and thereafter "And it shall be,
when My glory passes over
until I have passed by" (33:19 etc.), and finally,
"And God passed over before him, and He called out
"
(34:6).
7. In both cases the text makes use of the root
"p-l-a." First Moshe asks, "How then shall it be known that I have found
favor in Your eyes, I and Your nation? Is it not by Your going with us, that I
and Your nation shall BE WONDROUS" (33:16); thereafter God promises, "Before all
your nation I SHALL PERFORM WONDERS" (34:10). The "senior angel" chides Avraham,
"Is anything TOO WONDROUS for God?" (Bereishit 18:14). The significance
of this expression in both narratives appears to be similar: something that is
"wondrous" is unique, special, different, distinguishable from others. Moshe
asks that Am Yisrael be made wondrous noticeably different and
God promises to perform wondrous acts that are unheard of in the world among
other nations. Similarly, Avraham is asked, "Is anything too wondrous for God?"
meaning, is there anything that is foreign to God's power, anything that is
different from what His abilities can accomplish?
8. In both cases the text speaks of "the way of
God." The choice of Avraham is explained with the words, "For I know him
they
will follow THE WAY OF GOD
" (Bereishit 18:19), while Moshe asks, "Show
me YOUR WAY" (Shemot 33:13).
9. God's special relationship with each of these two
personalities is described using the same expression: "FOR I KNOW HIM"
(Bereishit 18:19); "For you have found favor in My eyes AND I KNOW YOU BY
NAME" (Shemot 33:17).
B.
From the parallels discussed
above we conclude that the Torah is drawing our attention to a special
connection between the two narratives. Let us now examine two possible ways of
explaining the significance of this connection.
i. Revelation at the entrance to the tent: We have
already mentioned that in both cases God's revelation takes place at the
entrance to the tent. In Sefer Shemot, this fact would appear to have
added significance; the description of the "private" Tent of Meeting that Moshe
erects follows on God's announcement that He will not journey amongst Bnei
Yisrael. Moshe draws the obvious conclusion that he can no longer come
into contact with the Divine Presence and he therefore pitches "the Tent"
outside of the Israelite encampment. It is from there that he conducts his quest
for God: "And it was, that anyone who sought God would go out to the Tent of
Meeting
" (Shemot 33:7). The commentators are divided as to the status of
this tent. Rashi [10], along with many others who adopt his view, explains that
this was a temporary arrangement that ceased with the establishment of the
Mishkan. This would seem the most likely scenario, based on the narrative
logic, and it would appear that whenever the Tent of Meeting is mentioned after
this temporary period, it may be identified with the Mishkan that is
familiar to us, and which is also called the "Tent of Meeting." But the
commentators who adopt this view fail to address the manner of the revelation.
The difference between the Tent of Meeting meaning the Mishkan and
the tent that Moshe pitches is not only that the former sits in the very middle
of the camp while the latter is outside of it. The more important difference is
that in the case of the Mishkan, revelation takes place within it, at its
heart: "FROM ABOVE THE COVERING, BETWEEN THE TWO KERUVIM." Moshe is
always outside; he enters only when he is invited as God's guest, to His "house"
the Mishkan. In Moshe's Tent of Meeting the situation is reversed: the
tent is Moshe's own, private domain. Yehoshua dwells constantly within this tent
something quite unimaginable in the case of the Mishkan. When God wants
to speak with Moshe, He descends and stands "AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE TENT"; Moshe
goes out to Him and converses with Him. Here, Moshe is the "host," as it were,
and God the "guest." The visit is temporary and brief. It is only to show honor
to the host that God reveals Himself in this place.
In the story of Aharon and
Miriam's complaint against Moshe (Bamidbar 12), we are witness once again
to this manner of revelation. God tells Aharon and Miriam, "Go out all three
of you to the Tent of Meeting" (Bamidbar 12:4) (indicating that the
Tent is located outside of the camp rather than in the midst of it). Then, when
they enter, we read: "God descended in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the
entrance to the Tent, and He called: "Aharon and Miriam!" and they both went
out" (Ibid. 5). This echoes exactly what we are told concerning Moshe's
Tent: "And it was, when Moshe came to the Tent, that the pillar of cloud would
descend and stand at the entrance to the Tent, and [God] spoke with Moshe"
(Shemot 33:9). Attention should be paid to the fact that concerning the
Tent of Meeting that is in the midst of the camp - the Mishkan - the text
usually tells us that "the cloud covered the Tent;" or "God's glory appeared in
a cloud;" or the suchlike; or, particularly, "God's glory filled the
Mishkan." However, in both of our instances the text specifically
mentions the "pillar of cloud," and the "entrance to the Tent" [11].
This would seem to suggest that
Moshe's Tent of Meeting did not cease to exist, but rather that it continued
alongside the Tent of Meeting of all of
Moshe's Tent of Meeting, on the
other hand, is erected precisely when the nation of
The episode in Bamidbar
12 the story of Aharon and Miriam's complaint against Moshe can now be added
to all that we have said above. Here, the main theme of the narrative is Moshe's
special elevated status in comparison with his brother and sister - his unique
merit as a prophet. Obviously, in this instance, God chooses to reveal Himself
in Moshe's tent, not in the Tent serving the entire community, because He wants
to emphasize that the revelation in this instance is by virtue and merit of
Moshe. Thereby, He demonstrates to Aharon and Miriam their mistake, for they
said, "Has He not also spoken with us?" (Bamidbar 12:2). God shows that
His revelation to Moshe is exclusive and He does so through revelation at the
entrance to Moshe's Tent.
Attention should be paid to
another connection between the revelations to Moshe and Avraham respectively a
connection which requires close examination in its own right. The Torah
testifies that Moshe is the only person with whom God spoke "mouth to mouth"
(Bamidbar 12), or "face to face" (Shemot 33). The other prophets
experienced prophecy in a dream or vision, or through the agency of an angel.
Indeed, elsewhere in Tanakh, wherever we find a full description of
revelation (rather than just "So says God," or "God told him"), it takes place
when the prophet is not awake (see, for example, the story of Bilam), or an
angel is described as appearing to mediate. But here, in the story of Avraham
(Bereishit 18), the situation is different: God reveals Himself to
Avraham face to face, while Avraham is fully conscious and not dreaming. The
proximity between God and the prophet (Avraham and Moshe) is tangible. It is
difficult to determine whether, in metaphysical terms, the revelation to Avraham
is qualitatively different or whether it resembles the revelation through an
angel that we find elsewhere. But at least on the narrative level, it appears
that the level of intimacy, the direct and close conversation between God and
Avraham that takes place here is very powerful and is paralleled only in the
case of Moshe.
ii. The status of Moshe: We propose that the crux of
the parallel concerns Moshe's status. What the Torah means to tell us is that
Moshe here attains a status like that of Avraham. God Himself visits him, just
as He visited Avraham, in his own personal tent. The visit is only to him, and
it is by God Himself not just an angel. Both Avraham and Moshe find favor in
God's eyes, and therefore He reveals Himself to them and answers their requests.
If we continue this line of thought, we arrive at the possibility that the Torah
is making an important statement about the forgiveness for the sin of the Golden
Calf. At first, while
Moshe refuses the proposal, and
supports his refusal by referring to the merit of the forefathers: "Remember for
Avraham, for Yitzchak and for Yisrael
I shall multiply your seed" (Ibid.
verse 13). We usually think that the matter ended there, but perhaps this is not
so. Maybe the text means to teach us that the Second Covenant, and the second
set of Tablets and especially God's acquiescence to the request that He go
amongst the nation are obtained solely by Moshe's personal merit. Thus Moshe
becomes the forefather of the nation not genealogically (i.e., not as father
of the dynasty), as God proposes, but juridically and perhaps also
metaphysically, for the continued existence of the nation is all by his merit.
Indeed, God explains His acquiescence with the words, "For you have found favor
in My eyes, and I know you by name" (Shemot 33:17). Moshe's stature and
beloved status are the reason. And this understanding allows us to see that
these two narratives, which at first glance appear so thematically different,
actually deal with the same subject: the beginnings of the nation. The story of
Avraham centers around the tidings of the son about to be born, representing the
fulfillment of the promise, "I shall make your seed like the dust of the earth"
(Bereishit 13:16), and this is the beginning of the establishment of the
nation. God makes the unprecedented gesture of coming right to the entrance of
Avraham's tent in order to tell him about the beginning of the establishment of
the nation. Similarly, God Himself comes and appears at the entrance to Moshe's
Tent to teach us that the second "start" of the nation is bound up with the
merit of Moshe himself. His merit
and his prayer saved us, such that God agreed to go amongst us and to enter into
a covenant with us.
The linguistic and thematic
similarity that we have pointed out in the requests of the two personalities now
assumes new significance: Moshe asks that God go amongst the nation i.e., that
He "personally" fulfill the covenant, and not just send an angel. This request
should be viewed as a re-establishment of the nation as God's nation. God's Tent
of Meeting (Mishkan) is built in the midst of the camp only by virtue of
the prayer offered by Moshe from the Tent that is outside of the camp.
Similarly, Avraham asks God not to pass by, and he thereby merits God telling
him and Sara that the nation will be established through the descendant that
will be born to them. We may therefore summarize by saying that the revelation
to Moshe is described as a mirror image of the revelation to Avraham, so as to
link their respective status and to tell us that Moshe is the forefather of the
nation, like Avraham before him. Just as we are told concerning Avraham, "For I
KNOW HIM," we are told concerning Moshe, "I KNOW YOU BY NAME." In both cases we
see that the two personalities are uniquely chosen. In this regard, the concept
of the "way of God" is also linked. Avraham is chosen in order that he will
command his children and household after him to keep the way of God, to perform
righteousness and justice. He immediately proves that he is worthy of this
mission by arguing with God for justice on behalf of
All of the above gives rise to
yet another central connection between the two narratives. Both revelations
that of God at the entrance to the tent, to Avraham, and that of God at the
entrance of the Tent and in the crevice of the rock, to Moshe take place in
the context of the prophet's request for mercy towards a sinful group of people
about to be destroyed. Avraham prays for the wicked
Notes:
[1]
This shiur is a shortened version of an article with the same title due
to appear soon in the Megadim journal, published by
[2] See in this regard also the commentary of Yehuda Kiel, Sefer Bereishit Da'at Mikra, ad loc.
[3] We may perhaps point to an additional, graphic parallel: God and the two angels stand under the tree and speak with Avraham; in Moshe's case God stands under the pillar of cloud and speaks with him. The tree is similar to the cloud in that both shelter the Divine Presence.
[4] The very description of Avraham as wandering with his tent from place to place tells us that he is not a person who chooses to live in town ("He pitched his tent with Beit-El on the west and Ai on the east" Bereishit 12:8. Once again: "Up to the place where his tent had originally stood" (Ibid. 13:3). The situation in which he sits at the entrance to the tent and suddenly spots some passers-by is likewise typical of someone who dwells outside of an inhabited area rather than in the midst of it. And again the very fact of dwelling in a tent is characteristic of someone who does not live in a town.
[5] We address here the metaphoric aspect of the subject. There may be righteous people living in the city (Malkhitzedek), but as a rule the Torah and Avraham keep aloof from the Canaanites and their culture, as evidenced also by the story of the choice of wife for Yitzchak.
[6] This assumes that it is Moshe who does the
"calling," and not God (the verse is ambiguous). If it is God who is calling in
Moshe's name, then the whole situation is different.
[7] Other than this sole instance, only the
Tetragrammaton is used throughout the entire episode in Sefer
Shemot.
[8] As some of the commentators note (see Ramban and
Rabbeinu Bechaye on 18:3). The vocalization of the word "A-donai"
(suggesting a plural: "my Lords," as it were) along with the singular
formulation following it, proves that Avraham realizes that he is standing
before God. Further on in the story, the text presents an utterance of God as
though it is obvious that He is part of the scene: "God said to Avraham, Why now
has Sara laughed
." From a literary perspective, we cannot imagine that the
Torah would be presenting God's direct speech without some prior notice to us,
the readers, as well as to Avraham that God is present. Following this, as we
know, God stays to talk to Avraham and the text tells us: "The two men came to
[9] Chazal draw a connection between Yehoshua and
Sara (See Shemot Rabba parasha 10): The letter "yud" that
was removed from the name "Sarai" when it was changed to "Sara," was given to
Hoshea, whose name became Yehoshua. It is interesting to speculate whether the
connection surrounding the tent prompted Chazal to arrive at this
teaching.
[10] "Moshe maintained this practice from Yom Kippur
until the Mishkan was established, but no longer" comments Rashi on
Shemot 33:11.
[11] A revelation of this type took place at the
appointment of Yehoshua as leader to succeed Moshe, in Devarim 31. "They
stood at the Tent of Meeting, and God appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud,
and the pillar of cloud stood at the entrance to the Tent" (verses
14-15).
[12] For further discussion on the similarities and
differences between the Tent of Meeting outside of the camp and the Tent of
Meeting in its midst, see the article by Aviya Hakohen, "Neged ha-Mikdash
Ma'aseh ha-Egel," Beit Mikra 150, 5757, pp. 257-271 (esp. pg.
263). Among Chazal there are some opinions that maintain that there
indeed existed two tents. See, for example, Sifri Zuta on Bamidbar
18:4, Horwitz edition, pg. 292. Also see Ibid. 9:1, and also Tanchuma
Pekudei 5, and Tanchuma Buber, Ibid. 2.
[13] See, for example, Amos Chakham, Da'at Mikra,
on Shemot 32:10; M.D. Cassuto, Commentary on Sefer Shemot,
Jerusalem 1953, pg. 290.
Translated by Kaeren Fish