Saying to Moses: Speak thou to us, and we will hear: let not the Lord speak to us, lest we die.

“XLIII. On which account Mcses says in another passage, " Thou shalt lend a loan to him who asks you for one, as much as he requires, having regard to what he requires.' By the second phrase showing that it is not everything which is to be given, but only such things as are suitable to the requirements of those who are asking for them. For to give an anchor, or an oar, or a rudder to a husbandman, or ploughs or a spade to a captain of a ship, or a lyre to a physiciau, or instruments suited to manual labour to a musician, would be ridiculous, unless indeed one ought to offer a thirsty man costly viands, or a hungry man unmixed wine in abundance, so as to show at once one's own riches and one's want of humanity, by turning the souls of one's companions into ridicule. The quantity to be given in an act of beneficence is defined according to due proportion, which is a most useful thing. For, says Moses, do not give all that right reason is able to give, but as much as he who is asking the loan is worthy to receive. Do you not see that even God does uot utter his oracles, having a regard to their being in proportion to the magnitude of his own oracular power, but always having respect to the capacity of those who are to be benefited by them ? Since who could receive the whole power of the words of God, which are too mighty for any one to listen to ? On which account those persons appear to speak with great truth, who say to Moses, " Do thou speak to us, and let not God speak to us, lest we die." f For they know that they have not in themselves any organ which can be worthy of God who is giving laws to his church ; nor, indeed, could even the whole world, both land and sea, contain his riches if he were Deuteronomy xv. 8. f Exodus xx. 19. inclined to display them, unless we think that the descent of the rains and of the other things that happen in the world are appointed to take place according to the pre-arranged periods of the seasons, and not all at once, because of the scarcity and rarity of the things themselves, and not from any regard to the advantage of those who are benefited by them ; who would be injured rather than be benefited by a continual enjoyment of such gifts. On this account it is, that God always judiciously limits and brings out with wise moderation his first benefits, stopping them before those who partake of them become wanton through satiety ; and then he bestows others in their stead; and again a third class of advantages instead of the second set, and so on, continually substituting new blessings for those of older date, at one time giving such as are different from those which went before, and at another time such as are almost identical with them; for the creature is never wholly destitute of the blessings bestowed by God, since if he were he would be utterly destroyed ; but he is unable to endure an unlimited and measureless abundance of them. On which account, as he is desirous that we should derive advantage from the benefits which he bestows upon us, he weighs out what he gives so as to proportion it to the strength of those who receive it. XLIY. Rebekkah, therefore, must be praised, who, in obedience to the injunctions of her father, having taken dowu the vessel of wisdom on her arm from a higher place, proffered her pitcher to the disciple ; by the pitcher being understood that teaching which he is competent to receive. And beyond all other things, I especially admire her exceeding liberality ; for though she had only been asked for a small draught, she gave a large one, until she had filled the whole soul of the learner with wholesome speculations. For Moses says, " She gave him to driuk till he ceased from drinking," a most marvellous example to teach us humanity. For if any one should not happen to be in want of many things, but should come forward, and out of shame ask only for a very little, let us not give him only what he mentions, but also those things of which he makes no mention, but of which he is nevertheless in reality in need. But it is not sufficient for the complete enjoyment of his teacher's lessons, that the disciple should merely ON TEE POSTERITY OF CAIN. 3'2l comprehend what the master has taught him, unless he lias also got memory. On which account, making a display of her bounteous disposition, when he has satisfied himself with the water, she offers to give his camels water also, which we have already said are here put symbolically for memory. For the animal while eating its food ruminates, and when, having stooped down it has received a heavy burden, with exceedingly great vigour of muscle it rises up lightly ; and in the same manner also, the soul of the man who is devoted to learning, when the burden of its speculations is placed upon it, becomes more lowly, and when it has risen up it rejoices ; and from the mastication, and as it were the softening, of the first food that is placed down before it, arises its memory of those speculations. But she, beholding the nature of the servant to be well calculated for the reception of virtue, emptied her whole pitcher into the cistern, that is to say, she emptied the whole knowledge of the teacher into the soul of the learner. For the sophists, from a desire of gain and also from envy, repressing the natural characters of their pupils, keep silence about many things which ought to be mentioned, laying up for themselves a source of gain for future times. But virtue is an ungrudging and most liberal feeling, so that it does not hesitate to assist another with hand and foot, as the proverb goes, and with all its power. Therefore, pouring all that she knew into the mind of the pupil as into a cistern, she went again to the well to draw water, that is to say, she went to the ever-flowing wisdom of God, that what had been already imparted might be firmly fixed in by memory, and that he might also be irrigated with the knoweldge of other and newer things. For the wealth of the wisdom of God is illimitable, and as a tree which is continually putting forth new shoots after the old ones, so that it never ceases growing young again, and being in the flower of its strength. So that they are marvellously simple people who have ever had an idea of coming to the end of any branch of knowledge whatever. For that which has seemed to be near and within reach is nevertheless a long way distant from the end : since no created being is perfect in any department of learning, but falls as far short of it as a thoroughly infant child just beginning to learn Y 3QQ docs, in comparison of a man who both by age and skill is qualified to be a master.”

“But notice how it happened there and how it happened here. There, the people stood a long way off; there was an atmosphere of dread, not of love. I mean, they were so terrified that they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself, and do not let the Lord speak to us, lest we die." So God came down, as it is written, on Sinai in fire; but he was terrifying the people who stood a long way off, and "writing with his finger on stone," not on the heart.Here, however, when the Holy Spirit came, the faithful were gathered together as one; and he didn't terrify them on a mountain but came in to them in a house. There came a sudden sound, indeed, from heaven, as of a fierce squall rushing upon them; it made a noise, but nobody panicked. You have heard the sound, now see the fire too, because each was there on the mountain also, both fire and sound; but there, there was smoke as well, here, though, the fire was clear. "There appeared to them," Scripture says, you see, "divided tongues, as of fire." Terrifying them from a long way off? Far from it. Because "it settled upon each one of them, and they began to talk in languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Hear a person speaking a language, and understand the Spirit writing not on stone but on the heart.”

“כה תאמר THUS THOU SHALT SAY — in this (the Holy) language (Mekhilta). אתם ראיתם YE HAVE SEEN — There is a difference between what a person himself sees and what others relate to him, for what others relate to him sometimes his heart is divided in its opinion so that he does not believe (Mekhilta). כי מן השמים דברתי THAT I HAVE SPOKEN [TO YOU] FROM HEAVEN — But another verse states, (Exodus 19:20) “And the Lord came down upon mount Sinai”, and thus the two verses appear to be contradictory! There now comes a third verse and harmonises them: (Deuteronomy 4:36) “Out of heaven He made thee hear His voice that He might instruct thee; and upon the earth He showed thee His great fire” — His glory was in the heavens but His fire and His power were upon the earth. Another explanation: He bent down the heavens and the heavens of heavens, and spread them out upon the mountain; similarly it states, (Psalms 18:10) “He bowed the heavens and came down” (Mekhilta) .”

“YE YOURSELVES HAVE SEEN THAT I HAVE TALKED WITH YOU FROM HEAVEN. He commanded that Moses tell them: “Since you yourselves have seen that I have talked with you from heaven and that I am Master in heaven and upon the earth, do not combine gods of silver or gods of gold with Me, for you have no need of another aid with Me.” The purport of the verse is: Ye shall not make with Me gods of silver, and ye shall not make unto you gods of gold. In my opinion, the explanation of the verse is as follows: “Do not make gods of silver or gods of gold to be to you for gods with Him; and ye shall not make them altogether.” Thus He warned against believing in them, and again warned against merely making them, similar to the verse, Neither shall ye rear you up a graven image, or a pillar., i.e., to believe in them — and then He warned against the mere making of them. By way of the Truth, [the mystic lore of the Cabala], the meaning of the word iti (with Me) is like the Expression al panai (before My face), and I have already alluded to its explanation. Rashi wrote: “That I have talked with you from heaven. But another verse states, And the Eternal came down upon Sinai!, 19:20. There comes a third verse to harmonize them: Out of heaven He made thee to hear His Voice, that He might instruct thee; and upon earth He made thee to see His great fire. His Glory was in heaven, and His might was [manifest] upon the earth.” Thus Rashi’s language. But it is not precise. The harmonizing of the verses is indeed a Midrash of the Sages, and it is true that G-d was in heaven, and His Glory was upon Mount Sinai, for G-d was in the fire, and it is written, Thou camest down also upon Mount Sinai, and spokest with them from heaven. All the verses in their various expressions are thus clear to all who know [the mystic teachings of the Cabala]. I have already explained it all above., 19:20. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote that he who has a discerning heart will understand the meaning thereof in the section of Ki Thisa. The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious.”

“And the people stood afar off,.... Still kept their distance in their camp and tents; or the heads and elders of the people having had this conversation with Moses, returned to their tents as they were bid, Deu 5:30 and to the people in the camp, and there they continued while Moses went up to God with their request: and Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was; the thick cloud, Exo 19:9 as Jarchi interprets it, and who observes from their doctors that there were three enclosures about the divine Majesty, darkness, a cloud, and thick darkness; and so Moses passed through the darkness, and the cloud, to the thick darkness where Jehovah was, and where he is said to dwell when the temple was built, Kg1 8:8 and they have an observation that the word rendered "drew near" is transitive, and should be translated, "he was brought near" or, "made to draw nigh"; Michael and Gabriel being sent to him, took hold of his hands and brought him against his will unto the thick darkness (r); but if the word will admit of such a version, the sense is either that he was caused to draw near through the importunity of the people; or rather through the call of God to him, or an impulse of his upon his mind, which obliged him to it. (r) Pirke Eliezer, c. 41.”

“let not God speak with us, lest we die, &c.--The phenomena of thunder and lightning had been one of the plagues so fatal to Egypt, and as they heard God speaking to them now, they were apprehensive of instant death also. Even Moses himself, the mediator of the old covenant, did "exceedingly quake and fear" (Heb 12:21). But doubtless God spake what gave him relief--restored him to a frame of mind fit for the ministrations committed to him; and hence immediately after he was enabled to relieve and comfort them with the relief and comfort which he himself had received from God (Co2 1:4).”