## Kli Yakar on Exodus Chapter 24

###### Kli Yakar on Exodus 24:3:1
[Kli Yakar on Exodus 24:3:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kli%20Yakar%20on%20Exodus/r/24:3:1)

**כָּל [הַדְּבָרִים] אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה׳ נַעֲשֶׂה.** לֹא אָמְרוּ לְאַלְתַּר ״נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע״. יִתָּכֵן לְפָרֵשׁ לְדַעַת חַכְמֵי סְפָרַד שֶׁפֵּרְשׁוּ שֶׁכָּל פָּרָשָׁה זוֹ הָיְתָה אַחַר קַבָּלַת עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת, אִם כֵּן בְּדִין אָמְרוּ בַּתְּחִלָּה ״נַעֲשֶׂה״, כִּי חָשְׁבוּ שֶׁלֹּא יְצַוֶּה לָהֶם ה׳ יוֹתֵר מֵעֲשֶׂרֶת דִּבְּרוֹת אֵלּוּ. אָמְנָם אַחַר כָּךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר רָאוּ שֶׁמֹּשֶׁה לָקַח חֲצִי הַדָּם וַיָּשֶׂם בָּאַגָּנוֹת וַחֲצִי הַדָּם זָרַק עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, אָז עָלָה בְּמַחֲשַׁבְתָּם: חֲצִי הַשֵּׁנִי לְהֵיכָן יִתֵּן? וַדַּאי הַכַּוָּנָה שֶׁעַכְשָׁיו לֹא נָתַן לָנוּ כִּי אִם חֲצִי הַתּוֹרָה וְהַמִּצְוֹת, וְעוֹד יוֹסִיף לָנוּ מִצְוֹת כָּהֵנָּה וְכָהֵנָּה, וּבְאוֹתוֹ זְמַן יִזְרֹק עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ חֲצִי הַשֵּׁנִי. עַל כֵּן אָמְרוּ ״כֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה׳ נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע״. וּמֹשֶׁה הֵבִין מַחֲשַׁבְתָּם וְאָמַר: אַתֶּם טוֹעִים, כִּי חִלּוּק הַדָּם הוּא כְּדֵי לִזְרֹק חֲצִי הַשֵּׁנִי עַל הָעָם, לוֹמַר שֶׁעַל יְדֵי קַבָּלַת הַתּוֹרָה יִהְיוּ לַאֲחָדִים בְּאַהֲבָה וְחִבָּה עִם הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ. וְגַם לְפֵרוּשׁ רַשִּׁ״י שֶׁפֵּרֵשׁ שֶׁפָּרָשָׁה זוֹ הָיְתָה קֹדֶם עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת, נוּכַל לוֹמַר שֶׁבְּפַעַם רִאשׁוֹן שָׁמְעוּ שֶׁבַע מִצְוֹת בְּנֵי נֹחַ וְשַׁבָּת וְדִינִין וְכִבּוּד אָב וָאֵם וּפָרָה אֲדֻמָּה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרֵשׁ רַשִּׁ״י, וּבַדֶּרֶךְ שֶׁנִּתְבָּאֵר.

**Sefaria Kli Yakar, 2026 (Claude 3.7, ed. Francis Nataf) ✧:**
**All that God has spoken, we will do.** They did not immediately say *we will do and we will hear*. It can be explained according to the scholars of Spain who explained that this entire passage occurred after receiving the Ten Commandments. If so, it was proper for them to say *we will do* first, because they thought that God would not command them more than these Ten Commandments. However, afterward, when they saw that Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and sprinkled half of the blood on the altar, then it occurred to them: Where will the second half go? Surely the intention is that now He has given us only half of the Torah and commandments, and He will add more commandments, and at that time He will sprinkle the second half on the altar. Therefore, they said, *All that God has spoken, we will do and we will hear*. And Moses understood their thoughts and said, “You are mistaken, because the division of the blood is in order to sprinkle the second half on the people, to say that through receiving the Torah, they will be united in love and affection with the Holy One, blessed be He.” And even according to Rashi, who explained that this passage was before the Ten Commandments, we can say that at the first time they heard the seven Noahide laws, and Sabbath, and civil laws, and honoring father and mother, and the red heifer, as Rashi explained, and in the way that has been explained.


###### Kli Yakar on Exodus 24:11:1
[Kli Yakar on Exodus 24:11:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kli%20Yakar%20on%20Exodus/r/24:11:1)

**וַיֶּחֱזוּ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ.** פֵּרֵשׁ רַשִׁ״י שֶׁהָיוּ מִסְתַּכְּלִים בּוֹ בְּלֵב גַּס מִתּוֹךְ אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, וְקָשֶׁה עַל דְּבָרָיו דְּהָיָה לוֹ לוֹמַר תְּחִלָּה ״וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ״ וְאַחַר כָּךְ ״וַיֶּחֱזוּ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים״. וְתַרְגּוּמוֹ ״וַהֲווֹ חָדַן בְּקוּרְבָּנֵיהוֹן״, גַּם זֶה אֵינוֹ מִתְיַשֵּׁב עַל הַלָּשׁוֹן. וְיוֹתֵר הָיָה נָכוֹן לְפָרֵשׁ שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה שָׁם שׁוּם אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, אֶלָּא הָיוּ דּוּגְמַת מֹשֶׁה שֶׁעָמַד בָּהָר אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם בְּלֹא אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה וְהָיָה נִזּוֹן מִזִּיו הַשְּׁכִינָה, כָּךְ אֲצִילֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִתּוֹךְ שֶׁחָזוּ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים עַל כֵּן הָיָה דּוֹמֶה כְּאִלּוּ אָכְלוּ וְשָׁתוּ, כִּי רְאִיַּת פְּנֵי הַשְּׁכִינָה הָיְתָה אֲכִילָה שֶׁלָּהֶם. אָמְנָם מִדְּקָאָמַר ״וְאֶל אֲצִילֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא שָׁלַח יָדוֹ״ (שמות כד, יא), יֵשׁ לְדַקְדֵּק לָמָּה קְרָאָם אֲצִילִים, וְעוֹד פָּסוּק זֶה צָרִיךְ קִשּׁוּר עִם ״וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ״.

**Sefaria Kli Yakar, 2026 (Claude 3.7, ed. Francis Nataf) ✧:**
**And they saw God, and they ate and drank.** Rashi explains that they were looking at Him with vulgar hearts amid eating and drinking. But this explanation is difficult, because then the verse should have first stated *and they ate and drank* and afterward *and they saw God*. And the Targum [Onkelos] renders it, *and they rejoiced in their sacrifices* — this too does not align well with the language [of the verse]. It would be more appropriate to explain that there was no actual eating and drinking there; rather, they were like Moses, who stood on the mountain for 40 days without eating and drinking and was sustained by the splendor of the Divine Presence. Similarly, the nobles of the children of Israel, because they saw God, it was as if they ate and drank, because seeing the face of the Divine Presence was their nourishment. However, from the statement *and upon the nobles of the children of Israel He did not stretch out His hand*, one must try to infer why they were called *nobles,* and furthermore, this verse needs to be connected with *and they ate and drank*.


###### Kli Yakar on Exodus 24:11:2
[Kli Yakar on Exodus 24:11:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kli%20Yakar%20on%20Exodus/r/24:11:2)

וְנִרְאֶה לִי שֶׁבָּא לְהוֹרוֹת הַהֶבְדֵּל שֶׁבֵּין נְבוּאַת מֹשֶׁה לִנְבוּאָתָם, כִּי אֶל מֹשֶׁה שָׁלַח ה׳ יַד נְבוּאָתוֹ בְּלֹא אֶמְצָעִי, כִּי הַנְּבוּאָה נִקְרֵאת ״יַד ה׳״ כְּמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב (יחזקאל לז א) ״הָיְתָה עָלַי יַד ה׳״, וְזֶה הַדָּבָר בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶׁשׁ. וּלְפִי שֶׁמֹּשֶׁה הָיָה קָרוֹב אֶל הַשְּׁכִינָה, עַל כֵּן לֹא הוּתְּרָה לוֹ לְהִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּצָרְכֵי הַגּוּף כְּלָל כָּל זְמַן שֶׁהָיָה עוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי ה׳, וְזֶהוּ שֶׁאָמַר ״וַיְכַסֵּהוּ הֶעָנָן שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים״ (שמות כד טז). וּבְמַסֶּכֶת יוֹמָא (ד:) אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה שֶׁכִּסּוּי זֶה הָיָה כְּדֵי לְמָרֵק אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ מֵעָיו, כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲמֹד חַי לִפְנֵי ה׳ נָקִי וּמְשֻׁלָּל מִכָּל עִנְיְנֵי גַּשְׁמִיּוּת. וּמִטַּעַם זֶה לֹא אָכַל אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם, כְּדֵי לְהַרְחִיקוֹ מִכָּל עִנְיְנֵי הַגּוּף שֶׁנִּבְרְאוּ בְּשֵׁשֶׁת יְמֵי בְּרֵאשִׁית, ״וַיִּקְרָא אֶל מֹשֶׁה בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי״ (שמות כד טז), כִּי הַשְּׁבִיעִי קֹדֶׁשׁ לַה׳, וְיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת יוֹכִיחַ. אֲבָל אֵלּוּ הַזְּקֵנִים נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא וְשִׁבְעִים זְקֵנִים הָיוּ מִן הָאֲצִילִים אֲשֶׁר הָאֳצַל עֲלֵיהֶם מִן רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶׁשׁ שֶׁעַל מֹשֶׁה וְנִתַּן עֲלֵיהֶם, לְפִיכָךְ לֹא הָיוּ כְּמֹשֶׁה בִּנְבוּאָתוֹ שֶׁלֹּא אָכַל וְשָׁתָה כְּשֶׁחָזָה פְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים, אֶלָּא הֵמָּה חָזוּ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ (שמות כד יא), שֶׁהָיוּ מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁים בִּשְׁנֵי הַחֲלָקִים, בְּחֶלְקֵי הַשֵּׂכֶל וּבְחֶלְקֵי הַחֹמֶר, כִּי מִצַּד הַשֵּׂכֶל חָזוּ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים, וּמִצַּד הַחֹמֶר אָכְלוּ וְשָׁתוּ. וּלְפִי שֶׁחָזוּ מַחֲזֵה שַׁדַּי מִתּוֹךְ אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, עַל כֵּן לֹא רָאוּ בְּאַסְפַּקְלַרְיָא הַמְאִירָה כְּמוֹ מֹשֶׁה, כִּי פְּנֵי מֹשֶׁה כִּפְנֵי חַמָּה הַמְאִירָה מִכָּל צַד, כָּךְ מֹשֶׁה הֵאִיר מִשְּׁנֵי חֲלָקָיו, כִּי גַּם חֹמֶר שֶׁלּוֹ נַעֲשָׂה זַךְ וְנָקִי כְּחַמָּה בָּרָה, וְלֹא עִכֵּב עַל יָדוֹ מֵרְאוֹת מַחֲזֵה שַׁדַּי בְּאַסְפַּקְלַרְיָא הַמְאִירָה. אֲבָל פְּנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ שֶׁהָיָה מִן הַמָּאֳצָלִים, כַּלְּבָנָה הַחֲשׁוּכָה מִצַּד אֶחָד וּמְאִירָה מִצַּד הַשֵּׁנִי, כָּךְ הָיָה נָקִי וְזַךְ מִצַּד הַשֵּׂכֶל, וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם ״לֹא יָמִישׁ מִתּוֹךְ הַמַּחֲנֶה״ (שמות לג יא) מֵהֱיוֹת כְּאֶחָד הָעָם מִן הַמַּחֲנֶה מִצַּד הַחֹמֶר הַמִּשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּצָרְכֵי הַגּוּף, וְהָיָה כְּמוֹ אֲצִילִים אֵלּוּ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בָּהֶם ״וַיֶּחֱזוּ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאכְלוּ וַיִּשְׁתּוּ״.

**Sefaria Kli Yakar, 2026 (Claude 3.7, ed. Francis Nataf) ✧:**
**And it seems to me that it comes to teach the difference between Moses’s prophecy and their prophecy,** for to Moses, God sent the hand of His prophecy without an intermediary, as prophecy is called the hand of God, as it is written *The hand of the Lord was upon me* (Ezekiel 37:1), and this is through divine inspiration. And because Moses was close to the Divine Presence, therefore he was not permitted to attend to bodily needs at all while he was standing before God. And this is what is meant by *and the cloud covered him for six days*, and in Tractate Yoma (4b), our Sages of blessed memory said that this covering was in order to purge the food and drink from within his intestines so that he would stand alive before God, clean and devoid of all physical matters. And for this reason, he did not eat for 40 days, in order to distance him from all bodily matters that were created in the six days of creation. *And He called to Moses on the seventh day*, because the seventh is holy to God, and the Sabbath day proves it.
But these elders, Nadab and Abihu and the 70 elders, were from the nobles who had some of the holy spirit that was upon Moses apportioned and placed upon them. Therefore, they were not like Moses in his prophecy, who did not eat or drink when he beheld the face of God, but rather *they beheld God, and they ate and drank*, meaning they used both aspects — the aspects of intellect and the aspects of matter. For from the aspect of intellect, they beheld God, and from the aspect of matter, they ate and drank. And because they beheld the vision of the Almighty while eating and drinking, they did not see with a clear lens like Moses, for Moses’s face was like the face of the sun, which shines from all sides. So too, Moses shone from both of his aspects, because even his material self became pure and clean like the bright sun, and it did not prevent him from seeing the vision of the Almighty through a clear lens.
But the face of Joshua, who was among those who received a portion [of Moses’s spirit], was like the moon, which is dark on one side and bright on the other. So too, he was pure and clean from the aspect of intellect, and yet *he did not depart from within the camp*, remaining as one of the people of the camp from the aspect of matter that uses bodily needs. And he was like these nobles about whom it says, *And they beheld God, and they ate and drank*.


###### Kli Yakar on Exodus 24:11:3
[Kli Yakar on Exodus 24:11:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kli%20Yakar%20on%20Exodus/r/24:11:3)

וּלְדִבְרֵי רַשִׁ״י יֵשׁ קְצָת רְאָיָה, מִמַּה שֶּׁכָּתוּב (ויקרא טז, א–ב) ״אַחֲרֵי מוֹת שְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן״ וְ״אַל יָבֹא בְכָל עֵת אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ״ וְגוֹ׳, מֵאַחַר שֶׁצִּוָּה לוֹ הַשֵּׁם יִתְבָּרַךְ שֶׁלֹּא יָבֹא אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ כִּי אִם בְּיוֹם שֶׁאֵין בּוֹ אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה, בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים, שְׁמַע מִנַּהּ שֶׁבְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן חָטְאוּ בָּזֶה שֶׁהִסְתַּכְּלוּ בַּשְּׁכִינָה מִתּוֹךְ לֵב גַּס שֶׁל אֲכִילָה וּשְׁתִיָּה. וְלֹא רָצָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְעַרְבֵּב שִׂמְחַת הַתּוֹרָה, וְלֹא שָׁלַח בָּהֶם יָד עַכְשָׁיו עַד יוֹם פָּקְדוֹ. וְדָבָר זֶה יִתְבָּאֵר עוֹד לְקַמָּן פָּרָשַׁת אַחֲרֵי מוֹת בְּעֶזְרַת ה׳ יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ.

**Sefaria Kli Yakar, 2026 (Claude 3.7, ed. Francis Nataf) ✧:**
**And for Rashi’s words there is some evidence,** from what is written (Leviticus 16:1–2) *After the death of Aaron’s two sons […] and he should not come at any time into the holy place, etc.* Since the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded him not to enter the holy place except on a day without eating and drinking, namely Yom Kippur, this implies that Aaron’s sons sinned by gazing at the Divine Presence with the coarseness of heart that comes from eating and drinking. However, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not want to disturb the joy of the Torah, so He did not send forth His hand against them now, but rather on the day of their reckoning. This matter will be further explained below in the portion of Acharei Mot, with God’s help, blessed be His name.