וְאֶל־מֹשֶׁ֨ה אָמַ֜ר עֲלֵ֣ה אֶל־יְהוָ֗ה אַתָּה֙ וְאַהֲרֹן֙ נָדָ֣ב וַאֲבִיה֔וּא וְשִׁבְעִ֖ים מִזִּקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֖ם מֵרָחֹֽק׃

To Moses, He said: Ascend to the place where the glory of the Lord had been present, and where the fire and cloud was seen on the mountain, you and Aaron, Nadav, and Avihu, Aaron’s older sons, and seventy of the elders of Israel and prostrate yourselves, but from a distance. Later, this group of seventy elders would become a fixed institution.

וְנִגַּ֨שׁ מֹשֶׁ֤ה לְבַדּוֹ֙ אֶל־יְהוָ֔ה וְהֵ֖ם לֹ֣א יִגָּ֑שׁוּ וְהָעָ֕ם לֹ֥א יַעֲל֖וּ עִמּֽוֹ׃

Moses alone shall approach the Lord, and they, Aaron, Nadav, Avihu, and the elders, shall not approach; the rest of the people shall not ascend with him.

וַיָּבֹ֣א מֹשֶׁ֗ה וַיְסַפֵּ֤ר לָעָם֙ אֵ֚ת כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה וְאֵ֖ת כָּל־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֑ים וַיַּ֨עַן כָּל־הָעָ֜ם ק֤וֹל אֶחָד֙ וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֛ים אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה נַעֲשֶֽׂה׃

Moses came and related to the people all the words of the Lord, which was possibly a review of the Ten Precepts, and all the ordinances that God had commanded. All the people answered in one voice, in unanimous agreement, and said: All the words that the Lord has spoken, we will perform.

וַיִּכְתֹּ֣ב מֹשֶׁ֗ה אֵ֚ת כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה וַיַּשְׁכֵּ֣ם בַּבֹּ֔קֶר וַיִּ֥בֶן מִזְבֵּ֖חַ תַּ֣חַת הָהָ֑ר וּשְׁתֵּ֤ים עֶשְׂרֵה֙ מַצֵּבָ֔ה לִשְׁנֵ֥ים עָשָׂ֖ר שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, the Ten Precepts and the ordinances he had transmitted to them. And he arose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve commemorative stones as pillars, for the twelve tribes of Israel, one for each tribe.

וַיִּשְׁלַ֗ח אֶֽת־נַעֲרֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיַּֽעֲל֖וּ עֹלֹ֑ת וַֽיִּזְבְּח֞וּ זְבָחִ֧ים שְׁלָמִ֛ים לַיהוָ֖ה פָּרִֽים׃

He sent the young men of the children of Israel. Alternatively, this does not mean actual young men, but the servants of God, and it is a reference to the firstborn, who at that time served as priests. And they offered up burnt offerings and they slaughtered feast offerings of bulls to the Lord. Burnt offerings are burnt in their entirety upon the altar, whereas peace offerings are mostly eaten by those who brought them.

וַיִּקַּ֤ח מֹשֶׁה֙ חֲצִ֣י הַדָּ֔ם וַיָּ֖שֶׂם בָּאַגָּנֹ֑ת וַחֲצִ֣י הַדָּ֔ם זָרַ֖ק עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃

Moses took half the blood of the bulls, as atonement is achieved by the rite of sprinkling the blood, and he placed it in the basins, and half the blood he sprinkled upon the altar, as would be done with the blood of regular offerings in the future.

וַיִּקַּח֙ סֵ֣פֶר הַבְּרִ֔ית וַיִּקְרָ֖א בְּאָזְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ כֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה נַעֲשֶׂ֥ה וְנִשְׁמָֽע׃

He, Moses, took the book of the covenant containing the words of God, which he had written earlier (see verse 4), and read it in the ears of the people. Previously he had informed them verbally of God’s statements. Now he read it to them from the book. And they said: Everything that the Lord has spoken we will perform and we will heed. In addition to their expressed agreement to obey what God had already commanded (see 19:8, 24:3), they now declared their commitment to obey His future instructions. This commitment included not only the actual fulfillment of God’s commands in practice but also their internal acceptance of His will.

וַיִּקַּ֤ח מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶת־הַדָּ֔ם וַיִּזְרֹ֖ק עַל־הָעָ֑ם וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִנֵּ֤ה דַֽם־הַבְּרִית֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר כָּרַ֤ת יְהוָה֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם עַ֥ל כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים הָאֵֽלֶּה׃

Moses took the blood that was in the basins and sprinkled it on the people, and he said: This is the blood of the covenant that the Lord has established with you with regard to all these matters.

וַיַּ֥עַל מֹשֶׁ֖ה וְאַהֲרֹ֑ן נָדָב֙ וַאֲבִיה֔וּא וְשִׁבְעִ֖ים מִזִּקְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Moses and Aaron, Nadav, and Avihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up.

וַיִּרְא֕וּ אֵ֖ת אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְתַ֣חַת רַגְלָ֗יו כְּמַעֲשֵׂה֙ לִבְנַ֣ת הַסַּפִּ֔יר וּכְעֶ֥צֶם הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם לָטֹֽהַר׃

They saw the God of Israel in a prophetic vision; and under His feet was like a configuration of sapphire [ sappir ] brick [ livnat ], a square blue stone. Alternatively, livnat indicates a white [ lavan ] color, in which case sappir is not referring to sapphire but to a different gem. It can be inferred from elsewhere that sappir is white or almost white. And it was like the very heavens in terms of purity. This could also be a description of the color of the mysterious object that they saw under the feet of the God of Israel.

וְאֶל־אֲצִילֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל לֹ֥א שָׁלַ֖ח יָד֑וֹ וַֽיֶּחֱזוּ֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים וַיֹּאכְל֖וּ וַיִּשְׁתּֽוּ׃ (ס)

Against the noblemen [ atzilei ] of the children of Israel, Aaron, Nadav, Avihu, and the elders, He did not extend His hand. God did not strike them down despite the fact that they had approached the Divine Presence. The term atzilei refers to individuals of elevated status but who have not entirely separated and detached themselves from society. And they beheld God, to the extent that this is possible, and ate the peace offerings and drank, as though sharing a meal with God.

וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה עֲלֵ֥ה אֵלַ֛י הָהָ֖רָה וֶהְיֵה־שָׁ֑ם וְאֶתְּנָ֨ה לְךָ֜ אֶת־לֻחֹ֣ת הָאֶ֗בֶן וְהַתּוֹרָה֙ וְהַמִּצְוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר כָּתַ֖בְתִּי לְהוֹרֹתָֽם׃

The Lord said to Moses: Ascend higher to Me, to the mountaintop, and be there for some time; and there I will give you the stone tablets, which are described below (31:18, 32:15–16), and the law and the commandment that I have written, to teach them.

וַיָּ֣קָם מֹשֶׁ֔ה וִיהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ מְשָׁרְת֑וֹ וַיַּ֥עַל מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶל־הַ֥ר הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃

Moses and his servant Joshua rose. Aaron, his sons, and the elders all returned to the people, while Joshua alone accompanied Moses. Joshua was Moses’ personal attendant and was closer to him than anyone else, which is why he escorted Moses farther than the others. And Moses alone ascended the mountain of God, whereas Joshua remained somewhere along the route.

וְאֶל־הַזְּקֵנִ֤ים אָמַר֙ שְׁבוּ־לָ֣נוּ בָזֶ֔ה עַ֥ד אֲשֶׁר־נָשׁ֖וּב אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם וְהִנֵּ֨ה אַהֲרֹ֤ן וְחוּר֙ עִמָּכֶ֔ם מִי־בַ֥עַל דְּבָרִ֖ים יִגַּ֥שׁ אֲלֵהֶֽם׃

To the elders, he, Moses, had previously said, before he ascended the mountain: Remain here for us until we will return to you; behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a matter, a dispute with someone, shall approach them for mediation.

וַיַּ֥עַל מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶל־הָהָ֑ר וַיְכַ֥ס הֶעָנָ֖ן אֶת־הָהָֽר׃

Moses ascended to the mountaintop, and after he began his ascent, the cloud covered the mountain.

וַיִּשְׁכֹּ֤ן כְּבוֹד־יְהוָה֙ עַל־הַ֣ר סִינַ֔י וַיְכַסֵּ֥הוּ הֶעָנָ֖ן שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֑ים וַיִּקְרָ֧א אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֛ה בַּיּ֥וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֖י מִתּ֥וֹךְ הֶעָנָֽן׃

The glory of the Lord rested upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it, the mountain; or, the cloud covered him, Moses, for six days, during which Moses sanctified himself to reach the requisite spiritual level. Then He, God, called to Moses on the seventh day from the midst of the cloud.

וּמַרְאֵה֙ כְּב֣וֹד יְהוָ֔ה כְּאֵ֥שׁ אֹכֶ֖לֶת בְּרֹ֣אשׁ הָהָ֑ר לְעֵינֵ֖י בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

The appearance of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. The revelation that the Jewish people were privileged to experience was similar to a cloud covering the mountain, with a consuming fire at its peak.

וַיָּבֹ֥א מֹשֶׁ֛ה בְּת֥וֹךְ הֶעָנָ֖ן וַיַּ֣עַל אֶל־הָהָ֑ר וַיְהִ֤י מֹשֶׁה֙ בָּהָ֔ר אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים לָֽיְלָה׃ (פ)

Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up to the mountaintop, so that the cloud, which represented the Divine Presence, surrounded him. Moses was on the mountaintop for forty days and forty nights.