Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Exodus 24:12/אבן עזרא על שמות כ״ד:י״ב
אויאמר. ושב שם עד שאתן לך, אמר חכם אחד בספרד, כי הלוחות הראשונים שהיו מעשה אלהים, והטעם מתוקנים נבראו כמדת הארון, כי גם השניים מעשה אלהים היו שהוא בורא הכל, רק משה תקנם, כי התקון נקרא מעשה, כמו וימהר לעשות אותו (ברא' יח ז), ובעבור שהוא כתוב לוחות אבן ולא הזכיר אבנים כאשר הזכיר בשניים, והנה הראיתי לו בעלותי ההרה לקחת שני לוחות האבנים (דבר' ט ט), ושלש פעמים הזכיר, כי על כן פי' לוחות האבן, שהם ממין אבן לא מעץ, אמר הגאון כי אשר כתבתי, דבק עם לוחות האבן, ולא עם התורה והמצוה כי השם לא כתב רק עשרת הדברים ופי' התורה תורה שבכתב והמצוה תורה שבע"פ כי כל המצות ניתנו למשה בסיני בימים שעמד בהר וכן כתוב ואתה פה עמוד עמדי (דבר' ה כח) ולפי דעתי כי התורה הדבור הראשון והחמישי, והמצוה השמונה דברים:
1AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES: COME UP TO ME INTO THE MOUNT. And be there until I give you [the tables of stone, and the law, etc.].37 A Spanish sage38 said that the first tablets which were the work of God,39 (ma’aseh) God. which means were finished by God, were created the same size as the ark.40 means put into their final form by God. For the size of the ark, see Ex. 25:10. The second tablets also were The work of God, who is the One who created everything.41 However, Moses finished the second tablets.42 A finished product is called a work. We thus read, va-yemaher la’asot43 comes from the same root as the word ma’aseh (work).oto (and he hastened to dress it) (Gen. 18:7). The sage said this because Scripture reads, tables of stone44 and does not employ the term stones as it does in reference to the second tablets.45, which literally means tables of stones. It refers to the first tablets as luchot even (tables of stone). The Spanish sage assumed that the phrase luchot even refers to a perfectly created stone, whereas luchot avanim refers to stones which require additional work (Filwarg). Now I pointed out to the above sage that Scripture states,46 When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone (avanim)47 (Deut. 9:9). Furthermore, Scripture there48 employs the phrase luchot avanim (tables of stone) three times.49 The meaning of luchot even (tables of stone) therefore50, and the distinction that the sage made between them is untenable. is tables made of stone and not of wood.51 The Gaon says that which I have written is connected to tablets of stone and not to the law and the commandment,52. for God only wrote the Ten Statements.53 He explains that the meaning of the law is the written law and that of the commandment is the oral law, as all the commandments were given to Moses on Sinai during the days that Moses was on the mountain. It is similarly written, But as for thee, stand thou here by Me (Deut. 5:28).54. However, I believe that the law refers to the first and fifth statements of the Decalogue,55 and and the commandment refers to the other eight statements.56 to that which immediately precedes it.