The Burning Bush: Israel's Survival and Divine Presence

וַ֠יֵּרָ֠א מַלְאַ֨ךְ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֵלָ֛יו בְּלַבַּת־אֵ֖שׁ מִתּ֣וֹךְ הַסְּנֶ֑ה וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אֻכָּֽל׃ וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה אָסֻֽרָה־נָּ֣א וְאֶרְאֶ֔ה אֶת־הַמַּרְאֶ֥ה הַגָּדֹ֖ל הַזֶּ֑ה מַדּ֖וּעַ לֹא־יִבְעַ֥ר הַסְּנֶֽה׃

An angel of GOD appeared to him in a blazing fire out of a bush. He gazed, and there was a bush all aflame, yet the bush was not consumed. Moses said, “I must turn aside to look at this marvelous sight; why doesn’t the bush burn up?”

וְלָמָּה הֶרְאָה לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה בָּעִנְיָן הַזֶּה, לְפִי שֶׁהָיָה מְחַשֵּׁב בְּלִבּוֹ וְאוֹמֵר, שֶׁמָּא יִהְיוּ הַמִּצְרִיִּים מְכַלִּין אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְפִיכָךְ הֶרְאָהוּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֵשׁ בּוֹעֶרֶת וְאֵינֶנּוּ אֻכָּל, אָמַר לוֹ כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהַסְּנֶה בּוֹעֵר בָּאֵשׁ וְאֵינֶנּוּ אֻכָּל, כָּךְ הַמִּצְרִיִּים אֵינָן יְכוֹלִין לְכַלּוֹת אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל.

מתוך הסנה. וְלֹא אִילָן אַחֵר, מִשּׁוּם "עִמּוֹ אָנֹכִי בְצָרָה" (תהילים צא טו):

מתוך הסנה OUT OF THE MIDST OF A BUSH (a thornbush) — and not from any other tree, in accordance with the idea (Psalms 91:15) “I will be with him in trouble” (Midrash Tanchuma, Shemot 14).

וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה הַסְּנֶה בֹּעֵר בָּאֵשׁ. דּוֹלֵק, וְזֶה דֶּרֶךְ חִידַת הַנְּבוּאָה, שֶׁהָיָה הַמַּלְאָךְ בְּתוֹךְ הַסְּנֶה, וְהָאֵשׁ בּוֹעֶרֶת בַּסְּנֶה סָבִיב הַמַּלְאָךְ, לְהוֹרוֹת שֶׁבִּהְיוֹת צַדִּיקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁהֵם מַלְאֲכֵי ה', בְּתוֹךְ הַסְּנֶה שֶׁל עַם מִצְרַיִם, שֶׁהָיוּ לָהֶם סַרְבִּים וְסַלּוֹנִים, הַסְּנֶה יִבְעַר בָּאֵשׁ בְּצָרַת עֶשֶׂר מַכּוֹת, אֲבָל לֹא יִכְלוּ בְּאוֹתָן הַצָּרוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהוֹרָה בְּאָמְרוֹ "וְהַסְּנֶה אֵינֶנּוּ אֻכָּל", שֶׁהָיָה בִּלְתִּי כָּלֶה בָּאֵשׁ הַמְּלַהֵט בּוֹ. כִּי לֹא הָיְתָה נְבוּאַת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם אָז כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיְתָה אַחַר כָּךְ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהֵעִיד בְּאָמְרוֹ "כִּי יָרֵא מֵהַבִּיט אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים", עַל הֵפֶךְ "וּתְמוּנַת ה' יַבִּיט" (במדבר יב:ח). אֲבָל מִיּוֹם מַתַּן תּוֹרָה וָאֵילָךְ, שֶׁנִּגְלָה אָז לְכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל פָּנִים בְּפָנִים וְהֵם לֹא סָבְלוּ זֶה, כְּאָמְרָם "לֹא אֹסִף עוֹד לִשְׁמֹעַ אֶת קוֹל ה' וְכוּ'" (דברים ה:כב), וְהוּא לְבַדּוֹ נִשְׁאַר בְּאוֹתָהּ מַדְרֵגָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר "שׁוּבוּ לָכֶם וְאַתָּה פֹּה עֲמֹד עִמָּדִי" (דברים ה:כז-כח), וּכְאָמְרוֹ "וַיַּעֲמֹד הָעָם מֵרָחֹק וּמֹשֶׁה נִגַּשׁ" (שמות כ:יח), הָיְתָה נְבוּאַת מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ פָּנִים בְּפָנִים וּמַרְאֶה וְלֹא בְחִידוֹת.

וירא והנה הסנה בוער באש, it kept burning; This phenomenon indicated the prophetic nature of the experience. Unless the angel had been within the bush, this could not have happened as something natural. The fire Moses saw burning enveloped the angel. The implied message was that the righteous members of the Jewish people, who are themselves angels of G’d, i.e. His messengers on earth, and who are surrounded by the Egyptian nation who treated them as burning thistles or less, would themselves become subject to this fire when enduring the ten plagues, but would remain unharmed by all those plagues. This is what Moses was taught when he saw והסנה איננו אוכל. it was not consumed by the flames which kept burning. The level of Moses’ prophecy at that time was not yet at the level it would be later on. The very fact that the Torah describes Moses as being even afraid to look at the spectacle before his eyes is proof of this (compare verse 6). From the day the Torah was given, as the Torah testifies in Numbers 12,8 ותמונת ה' יביט, G’d extended the power of Moses’ prophetic visions so that He shows him a visual image of G’d. The entire Jewish people had had a brief revelation of G’d’s glory at Mont Sinai only. Their power of endurance was so limited even at that time that the Torah reports them as saying that they could not even endure hearing the voice of the Lord, not to speak of enduring a visual image. Only Moses was able to retain the level of prophecy which the entire nation experienced during the revelation at Mount Sinai. This is the meaning of Deuteronomy 5,27-28 שובו לכם לאהליכם ואתה פה עמוד עמדי, “you (pl.) go back to your tents, and you (sing.) remain standing here beside Me.” This is also borne out by Exodus 20,18 ויעמוד העם מרחוק, “the people stood at a distance,” followed by ומשה נגש, “whereas Moses approached.” (to the cloud within which the glory of G’d was enveloped). Moses’ level of prophecy from that time on remained on the level known as פנים אל פנים, “face to face,” i.e. direct, not indirect. G’d told Miriam and Aaron there that He does not speak to Moses in riddles but by showing him a visual image (Numbers 12,8)

וְהִנֵּה הַסְּנֶה בֹּעֵר בָּאֵשׁ כְּטַעַם דּוֹלֵק, שֶׁהָיָה בְּתוֹךְ אֵשׁ בּוֹעֵר, כְּמוֹ "וְהָאָבוֹת מְבַעֲרִים אֶת הָאֵשׁ" (ירמיה ז יח), מַדְלִיקִים, "וּבִעֲרוּ בָהֶם אֵשׁ" (יחזקאל לט ט). וּמַדּוּעַ לֹא יִבְעַר הַסְּנֶה, לֹא יִשָּׂרֵף וְיֵאָכֵל, וְכָמוֹהוּ "כַּפִּשְׁתִּים אֲשֶׁר בָּעֲרוּ בָאֵשׁ" (שופטים טו יד), נִשְׂרְפוּ. וְכֵן דַּעַת אוּנְקְלוֹס (תרגום אונקלוס על שמות ג':ב') שֶׁתִּרְגֵּם הָרִאשׁוֹן "בָּעַר", וְהַשֵּׁנִי "מִתּוֹקַד". אוֹ יִהְיֶה יִבְעַר מִלְּשׁוֹן "וּבִעַרְתָּ הָרָע מִקִּרְבֶּךָ" (דברים יז ז), "וְהָיָה לְאָדָם לְבָעֵר" (ישעיה מד טו), כִּי דֶּרֶךְ צַחוּת בִּלְשׁוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ לְדַבֵּר כֵּן, "רֹכְבִים עַל שְׁלֹשִׁים עֲיָרִים וּשְׁלֹשִׁים עֲיָרִים לָהֶם" (שופטים י ד):

AND, BEHOLD, THE BUSH ‘BO’EIR’ (BURNED) WITH FIRE. [The word bo’eir] has the same meaning as doleik (burning), i.e., [the bush] was in the midst of a burning fire, and it is like the verse, and the fathers ‘m’va’arim’ the fire, meaning, “kindling” and burning the wood with fire. But the expression, why the bush is not ‘yiv’ar’? means, “why is it not consumed and wasted?” Similarly, As flax that was ‘ba’aru’ with fire means “consumed.” And so is the opinion of Onkelos, who translated the first [bo’eir] as bo’eir (burning), and the second one [yiv’ar] as mitokad, [the Aramaic word for “consumed”]. It may be that yiv’ar has the same meaning as in the verses, ‘Uvi’arta’ (So shalt thou put away) the evil from the midst of thee; Then a man useth it ‘l’va’eir’ (for fodder). Such is the style of the Sacred Language to use [one term in the same instance with two different meanings], as in the verse: They rode on thirty ‘ayarim’ (ass colts) and they had thirty ‘ayarim’ (cities).

וּמִשֶּׁחָרַב בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ – אֵין לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ־בָּרוּךְ־הוּא בְּעוֹלָמוֹ מִשְׁכָּן וּמָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתּוֹ, הוּא יִחוּדוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ, אֶלָּא אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת שֶׁל הֲלָכָה, שֶׁהוּא רְצוֹנוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ וְחָכְמָתוֹ הַמְלוּבָּשִׁים בַּהֲלָכוֹת הָעֲרוּכוֹת לְפָנֵינוּ. וְלָכֵן, אַחַר שֶׁיַּעֲמִיק הָאָדָם מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ בְּעִנְיַן בִּיטּוּל הַנִּזְכָּר לְעֵיל כְּפִי יְכָלְתּוֹ, זֹאת יָשִׁיב אֶל לִבּוֹ: ״כִּי מִהְיוֹת קָטָן שִׂכְלִי וְשֹׁרֶשׁ נִשְׁמָתִי מֵהָכִיל, לִהְיוֹת מֶרְכָּבָה וּמִשְׁכָּן לְיִחוּדוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ בֶּאֱמֶת לַאֲמִיתּוֹ, מֵאַחַר דְּלֵית מַחֲשָׁבָה דִילִי תְּפִיסָא וּמַשֶּׂגֶת בּוֹ יִתְבָּרֵךְ כְּלָל וּכְלָל שׁוּם הַשָּׂגָה בָּעוֹלָם, וְלֹא שֶׁמֶץ מֶנְהוּ מֵהַשָּׂגַת הָאָבוֹת וְהַנְּבִיאִים, אֵי לָזֹאת, אֶעֱשֶׂה לוֹ מִשְׁכָּן וּמָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתּוֹ, הוּא הָעֵסֶק בְּתַלְמוּד תּוֹרָה כְּפִי הַפְּנַאי שֶׁלִּי, בִּקְבִיעוּת עִתִּים בַּיּוֹם וּבַלַּיְלָה, כְּדָת הַנִּיתְּנָה לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד בְּהִלְכוֹת תַּלְמוּד תּוֹרָה, וּכְמַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: ׳אֲפִילוּ פֶּרֶק אֶחָד שַׁחֲרִית כוּ׳׳״.

But since the Temple was destroyed, the Holy One, blessed is He, has no sanctuary or established place for His habitation, that is, for His Unity, blessed be He, other than the “four cubits of halachah,” which is His will, blessed be He, and His wisdom, as embodied in the laws which have been set out for us. Therefore, after contemplating deeply on the subject of this self-nullification, discussed above, according to his capacity, let the person reflect in his heart as follows: “Inasmuch as my intelligence and the root of my soul are of too limited a capacity to constitute a chariot and abode for His Unity, blessed be He, in perfect truth, since my mind cannot at all conceive and apprehend Him with any manner or degree of apprehension in the world, nor even an iota of the apprehension of the Patriarchs and Prophets—if this be so, I shall make for Him a tabernacle and habitation by engaging in the study of the Torah, as my time permits, at appointed times by day and by night, in accordance with the law which was given to each individual in the Laws Concerning the Study of the Torah, and as the Rabbis stated, ‘Even one chapter in the morning….’”