Shabbat Parashat Mishpatim - 5781

Rabbi Hal Miller

And to the nobles of the children of Israel He did not send forth His hand, they

viewed God yet they ate and drank. [Shemot 24:11]

Numerous questions arise in this verse. First, who are the "atzilei" of the children

of Israel? Some translate it as nobles, or great men, or leaders. Rav Hirsch says

"the far-off children of Israel", referring to the people, but most seem to understand

it as a reference to the same folks mentioned in [24:1] and [9], Moshe, Aharon,

Nadav, Avihu, and the seventy elders. Why is this important? The previous few

verses referred to what this list of men were doing, and our verse could easily be

applied to them, but it could instead mean the rest of the people, that God did not

punish the nation for something that these leaders did wrong.

So did they do something wrong? If so, what? And why did God not "send forth"

His hand, which usually refers to some form of punishment?

Rashi says our verse "implies that they were fit to have a hand sent forth

against them", referring to these leaders. Why? Rashi says, "They viewed God.

They looked at Him with familiarity while eating and drinking." In other words,

these leaders ignored what was going on, the Divine giving of the Torah, and

just went on with a feast, keeping God waiting. But not all the commentators

see this as a bad event.

Rav Soloveitchik writes, "The covenant is always established through a meal."

He reads the verse, not as "yet they ate and drank" rather, "and they ate and

drank", so these men were not being disrespectful, ignoring God at lunchtime,

but were celebrating with God in the only way they knew how. Ramban says

much the same in pointing out that they were eating the peace-offerings, which

is part of that service. Whether celebration or service, they were doing right.

The verse prior to ours tells us a little more. "They saw the God of Israel, and

under His feet was the likeness of sapphire brickwork, and it was like the

essence of heaven in purity." Rashbam says they "were being honored by God

with visions." In Berachot [17a], "And they saw God. Not as this world is the

world to come," which is interpreted to be the eating and drinking--they drank

in this vision, not having anything to do with eating in the physical sense.

Our verse tells that these elders approached the mountain, but at God's

command, so there was no punishment required, rather they were rewarded

with a vision of the world to come, and their reaction was one of ecstasy.

Hal Miller