(9) Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel ascended; (10) and they saw the God of Israel—under whose feet was the likeness of a pavement of sapphire, like the very sky for purity. (11) Yet [God] did not raise a hand against the leaders of the Israelites; they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

(1) Invoking the name of the Great and Awe-inspiring God,

(2) I begin to explain the meaning of the Torah.

(3) I beseech thee, O God of my father Abraham,

(4) deal kindly with thy servant Abraham.

(5) May the opening of thy words give light [me'ir]

(6) to thy servant the son of thy servant Meir.

(7) And from [thy saving presence] may help come

(8) to the son of thy maid servant who is named Ben Ezra.

(9) This Book of [the Upright] composed by Abraham the poet,

(10) is bound by cords of grammar.

(11) The eyes of the intelligent will find it fit.

(12) All who take hold of it will be glad.

(14) Those who comment on the Torah do so in one of five ways.

(15) The first way (to Biblical interpretation) ranges far and wide (from the text). It is beyond the interest of our time. If truth be likened to a dot within a circle then this approach can be compared to the periphery of the circle, which goes round about only to return to its starting point. A number of great scholars chose this approach, namely, the wise men of the academies [yeshivot] in Moslem countries...

(16) A second approach is the one chosen by the distorters, albeit they are Israelites. They think that they have reached the very point of the circle, but in reality they do not know its place. This is the way of the Sadducees,¹¹The Karaites. The medieval rabbis called the Karaites Sadducees because like the Sadducees they denied the authority of the Rabbinic sages, the Mishnah and the Talmud. such as Anan,¹²The founder of Karaism. He lived in the 8th century. Benjamin, Ben Mashiach, Joshua, and of all heretics who do not believe the words of the transmitters of tradition,¹⁵The Rabbinic sages. ...

(17) The third approach is the way of darkness and gloom. It lies outside of the circle. This is the approach of those who invent secret explanations for everything in Scripture. They believe that the laws and statutes of the Torah are riddles.⁵¹I.E. takes issue with those who interpret the Torah as allegories. In I.E.’s alternate commentary on the Pentateuch this group is identified as the Christians.

(18) The fourth approach is close to the point, and a group of commentators have pursued it. This is the method adopted by the scholars in the land of the Greeks and Romans.⁵⁸The Christian world in contradistinction to those living in the Moslem world. They do not rely on grammar but rather on Midrashic exegesis... Since the interpretations quoted in these works are already found in the books of the ancients, why do these later interpreters tire us by writing them again?

(26) The fifth method is the one upon which I will base my commentary. It appears to me to be correct in the presence of God whom alone I fear. I will not show favoritism to anyone when it comes to interpreting the Torah. I will, to the utmost of my ability, try to understand grammatically every word and then do my best to explain it. Every word whose meaning the reader desires to know will be found explained the first time the word is encountered. ...

However, with regard to verses which deal with laws, statutes and regulations, if we find two possible interpretations for a verse and one of them is in keeping with the interpretation of the transmitters of tradition [=the Rabbinic sages] all of whom were righteous men, then without reservation and with all our might we will rely on the truth of their words. Heaven forbid that we should join the Sadducees who claim that the traditions of the Rabbinic sages contradict the literal meaning of Scripture and the rules of grammar. The fact of the matter is that our ancient sages are true and all their words are true.

(6) Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, at the terebinth of Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land.

(4) AND THE CANAANITE WAS THEN IN THE LAND. It is possible that the Canaanites seized the land of Canaan from some other tribe at that time. Should this interpretation be incorrect, then there is a secret meaning to the text. Let the one who understands it remain silent. [Editor's note: *The verse implies that the Canaanite was in the land then but not now. Since the Canaanite was in the land during the days of Moses, this clause would appear to be post-Mosaic.]

(12) And GOD said to Moses: (13) Speak to the Israelite people and say: Nevertheless, you must keep My sabbaths, for this is a sign between Me and you throughout the ages, that you may know that I GOD have consecrated you. (14) You shall keep the sabbath, for it is holy for you. One who profanes it shall be put to death: whoever does work on it, that person shall be cut off from among kin. (15) Six days may work be done, but on the seventh day there shall be a sabbath of complete rest, holy to GOD; whoever does work on the sabbath day shall be put to death.

(16) The Israelite people shall keep the sabbath, observing the sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time: (17) it shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel. For in six days GOD made heaven and earth, [before] ceasing from work and being refreshed on the seventh day.

(1) IT IS A SIGN BETWEEN ME AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. Scripture employs the terms covenant and sign with regard to circumcision. It does the same with regard to the Sabbath. Rabbi Saadiah Gaon says: When people find a male circumcised in such a way that the glans penis is uncovered, then they will know that he is an Israelite. Similarly when a person refrains from doing any work or engaging in business on the Sabbath. However, I believe that the meaning of It is a sign is, for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth. Thus the one who does work on the Sabbath denies the work of creation.

(1) When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who shall go before us, for we do not know what has happened to Moses—the man who brought us from the land of Egypt.” (2) Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” (3) And all the people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. (4) This he took from them and cast in a mold, and made it into a molten calf. And they exclaimed, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

(18) He said, “Oh, let me behold Your Presence!” (19) And [God] answered, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim before you the name GOD [י-הוה], and the grace that I grant and the compassion that I show,” (20) continuing, “But you cannot see My face, for no mortal may see Me and live.” (21) And GOD said, “See, there is a place near Me. Station yourself on the rock (22) and, as My Presence passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock and shield you with My hand until I have passed by. (23) Then I will take My hand away and you will see My back; but My face must not be seen.”

(2) וראית את אחרי THEN THOU SHALT SEE WHAT IS BEHIND ME [DR: MY BACK] — He showed him the Tephillin-knot which is placed behind the head (cf. Berakhot 7a; Menachot 35b).

(1) AND THOU SHALT STAND UPON THE ROCK.

Moses desired to see the Lord. God answered him, for man shall not see Me and live (v. 20). This is the truth. For the senses only feel that which is transient.

The day that Moses saw what he requested was, to him, what the day of the giving of the Torah was to Israel. No human being who lived before or after Moses ever reached Moses’ status. Our sages said that God showed Moses the knot of the tefillin. There words are correct. However, its meaning is not in accordance with that of the wise men of this generation who interpret the Rabbinical statement literally. On the contrary, it has a deeply hidden secret meaning.

(5) GOD came down in a cloud—and stood with him there, proclaiming the name GOD [י-הוה]. (6) The ETERNAL passed before him and proclaimed: “GOD! GOD! a Deity compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and faithfulness, (7) extending kindness to the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin—yet not remitting all punishment, but visiting the iniquity of parents upon children and children’s children, upon the third and fourth generations.” (8) Moses hastened to bow low to the ground in homage, (9) and said, “If I have gained Your favor, O my Sovereign, pray, let my Sovereign go in our midst, even though this is a stiffnecked people. Pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for Your own!” (10) [God] said: I hereby make a covenant. Before all your people I will work such wonders as have not been wrought on all the earth or in any nation; and all the people who are with you shall see how awesome are GOD’s deeds that I will perform for you.

§ The verse states: “And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed” (Exodus 34:6). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Were it not explicitly written in the verse, it would be impossible to say this, as it would be insulting to God’s honor. The verse teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, wrapped Himself in a prayer shawl like a prayer leader and showed Moses the structure of the order of the prayer. He said to him: Whenever the Jewish people sin, let them act before Me in accordance with this order. Let the prayer leader wrap himself in a prayer shawl and publicly recite the thirteen attributes of mercy, and I will forgive them.

(17) Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey, after you left Egypt— (18) how, undeterred by fear of God, he surprised you on the march, when you were famished and weary, and cut down all the stragglers in your rear. (19) Therefore, when the ETERNAL your God grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that the ETERNAL your God is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

(32) Samuel said, “Bring forward to me King Agag of Amalek.” Agag approached him with faltering steps; and Agag said, “Ah, bitter death is at hand!” (33) Samuel said: “As your sword has bereaved women, So shall your mother be bereaved among women.” And Samuel cut Agag down before GOD at Gilgal.

(1) Some time afterward, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite; he advanced him and seated him higher than any of his fellow officials.

The Gemara adds that some of Haman’s descendants studied Torah in Bnei Brak, and some of Sisera’s descendants taught children Torah in Jerusalem, and some of Sennacherib’s descendants taught Torah in public. Who are they? They are Shemaya and Avtalyon, the teachers of Hillel the Elder.