| 20I am going to send an angel before you to protect you on the way, and to bring you to the place that I have designated. |
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כהִנֵּ֨ה אָֽנֹכִ֜י שֹׁלֵ֤חַ מַלְאָךְ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמָרְךָ֖ בַּדָּ֑רֶךְ וְלַֽהֲבִ֣יאֲךָ֔ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁ֥ר הֲכִנֹֽתִי: |
| הִנֵּה אָֽנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ - I am going to send an angel. Here they were informed that they would eventually sin and the Divine Presence would then tell them: “for I will not go up among you.” |
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הִנֵּה אָֽנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ.
כָּאן נִתְבַּשְּׂרוּ שֶׁעֲתִידִין לַחֲטֹא, וּשְׁכִינָה אוֹמֶרֶת לָהֶם כִּי לֹא אֶעֱלֶה בְּקִרְבְּךָ (שמות ל"ג):
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| אֲשֶׁר הֲכִנֹֽתִי - (lit.) That I have prepared - means “that I have designated to give to you.” This is its straightforward meaning. But its Midrashic explanation is: “To the place that I have already prepared in that My special Heavenly place is directly above it.” This is thus one of the verses stating that the Holy Temple above in Heaven is situated directly (מְכֻוָּן) opposite the Holy Temple below on earth. |
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אֲשֶׁר הֲכִנֹֽתִי.
אֲשֶׁר זִמַּנְתִּי לָתֵת לָכֶם, זֶהוּ פְּשׁוּטוֹ; וּמִדְרָשׁוֹ אל המקום אשר הכנתי כְּבָר מְקוֹמִי כְּנֶגְדּוֹ, וְזֶה אֶחָד מִן הַמִּקְרָאוֹת שֶׁאוֹמְרִים שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ שֶׁל מַעְלָה מְכֻוָּן כְּנֶגֶד שֶׁל מַטָּה (תנחומא):
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| 21Be watchful in his presence—heed his voice and do not rebel against him, for he will not overlook your iniquity, since My Name is with him; whatever he does, he does in My Name. |
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כאהִשָּׁ֧מֶר מִפָּנָ֛יו וּשְׁמַ֥ע בְּקֹל֖וֹ אַל־תַּמֵּ֣ר בּ֑וֹ כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יִשָּׂא֙ לְפִשְׁעֲכֶ֔ם כִּ֥י שְׁמִ֖י בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ: |
| אַל־תַּמֵּר בּוֹ - Do not rebel against him. תַּמֵּר connotes rebellion, similar to אֲשֶׁר יַמְרֶה אֶת פִּיךָ “whoever will rebel against your orders.” |
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אַל־תַּמֵּר בּוֹ.
לְשׁוֹן הַמְרָאָה, כְּמוֹ אֲשֶׁר יַמְרֶה אֶת פִּיךָ (יהושע א'):
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| כִּי לֹא יִשָּׂא לְפִשְׁעֲכֶם - For he will not overlook your iniquity - for he is not used to the concept of sin, since he is of the group who do not sin; and besides, he is merely an emissary and is authorized only to carry out his mission. |
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כִּי לֹא יִשָּׂא לְפִשְׁעֲכֶם.
אֵינוֹ מְלֻמָּד בְּכָךְ, שֶׁהוּא מִן הַכַּת שֶׁאֵין חוֹטְאִין, וְעוֹד שֶׁהוּא שָׁלִיחַ וְאֵינוֹ עוֹשֶׂה אֶלָּא שְׁלִיחוּתוֹ:
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| כִּי שְׁמִי בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ - Since My Name is (lit.) within him. This is connected to the beginning of the verse: “Be watchful in his presence” because My Name is associated with him. Our rabbis said that this angel is Metatron, whose name is the same as his Master’s, for מְטַטְרוֹן has the same numerical value as God’s Name שַׁדַּי. |
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כִּי שְׁמִי בְּקִרְבּֽוֹ.
מְחֻבָּר לְרֹאשׁ הַמִּקְרָא – השמר מפניו כי שמי מְשֻׁתָּף בּוֹ. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ זֶה מְטַטְרוֹן שֶׁשְּׁמוֹ כְשֵׁם רַבּוֹ, מְטַטְרוֹן בְּגִימַטְרִיָּא שַׁדַּי (סנהדרין ל"ח):
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| 22For if you will diligently obey him and thus do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and persecute your persecutors. |
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כבכִּ֣י אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע֙ בְּקֹל֔וֹ וְעָשִׂ֕יתָ כֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲדַבֵּ֑ר וְאָֽיַבְתִּי֙ אֶת־אֹ֣יְבֶ֔יךָ וְצַרְתִּ֖י אֶת־צֹֽרְרֶֽיךָ: |
| וְצַרְתִּי - Its meaning is as Onkelos translates it: וְאָעִיק – “And I will persecute.” |
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וְצַרְתִּי.
כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ וְאָעִיק:
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| 23For My angel will go before you and bring you to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will annihilate them. |
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כגכִּֽי־יֵלֵ֣ךְ מַלְאָכִי֘ לְפָנֶ֒יךָ֒ וֶֽהֱבִֽיאֲךָ֗ אֶל־הָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַ֣חִתִּ֔י וְהַפְּרִזִּי֙ וְהַכְּנַֽעֲנִ֔י הַֽחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִ֑י וְהִכְחַדְתִּֽיו: |
| 24You must not prostrate yourselves to their gods nor serve them, nor may you follow their practices; rather, you must shatter their idols and demolish the pillars they have set up to worship as idols. |
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כדלֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּֽחֲוֶ֤ה לֵאלֹֽהֵיהֶם֙ וְלֹ֣א תָֽעָבְדֵ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תַֽעֲשֶׂ֖ה כְּמַֽעֲשֵׂיהֶ֑ם כִּ֤י הָרֵס֙ תְּהָ֣רְסֵ֔ם וְשַׁבֵּ֥ר תְּשַׁבֵּ֖ר מַצֵּבֹֽתֵיהֶֽם: |
| הָרֵס תְּהָרְסֵם - You must shatter them - i.e., those gods. |
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הָרֵס תְּהָרְסֵם.
לְאוֹתָם אֱלוֹהוּת:
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| מַצֵּבֹֽתֵיהֶֽם - Their pillars - are the stones they set up (מַצִּיבִין) in order to prostrate themselves to them. |
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מַצֵּבֹֽתֵיהֶֽם.
אֲבָנִים שֶׁהֵם מַצִּיבִין לְהִשְׁתַּחֲווֹת לָהֶם:
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| 25You must serve God, your God, and I will bless your bread and your water, and I will remove illness from your midst. |
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כהוַֽעֲבַדְתֶּ֗ם אֵ֚ת יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם וּבֵרַ֥ךְ אֶת־לַחְמְךָ֖ וְאֶת־מֵימֶ֑יךָ וַֽהֲסִֽרֹתִ֥י מַֽחֲלָ֖ה מִקִּרְבֶּֽךָ: |
