Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Sforno · Torah

Sforno on Exodus 33:11/ספורנו על שמות ל״ג:י״א

אפָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים. וְלֹא נֹפֵל וּגְלוּי עֵינַיִם (במדבר כד:ד), אֲבָל בְּעוֹדוֹ מִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בְּחוּשָׁיו:
1פנים אל פנים, as opposed to נופל וגלוי עינים, (Numbers 24,4) as Bileam described his visions which came to him only when he had lost control over his own senses.
בכַּאֲשֶׁר יְדַבֵּר אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ. וְלֹא בְּחִידוֹת.
2כאשר ידבר איש אל רעהו, as opposed to soliloquizing, [as in praying but not receiving an answer.]
גלֹא יָמִישׁ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל. לִמְנוֹעַ שֶׁלֹּא יִכָּנֵס שָׁם אָדָם מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהָיוּ כֻלָּם נְזוּפִים אָז, וְהַמָּקוֹם הָיָה מוּכָן לִשְׁרִיַּת שְׁכִינָה, כְּעִנְיַן "אַל תִּקְרַב הֲלֹם" (שמות ג:ה) שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לְמֹשֶׁה, בִּהְיוֹתוֹ אָז בִּלְתִּי מוּכָן בְּמַסְפִּיק לַמָּקוֹם.
3לא ימיש מתוך האוהל, in order to ensure that none of the Israelites would enter this tent, seeing all of them were in a state of disgrace. This tent was reserved for the presence of the Shechinah out of bounds, as in Exodus 3,5 where Moses was warned not to come close while wearing footwear. The reason that at that time even Moses was not admitted as he was, shows that he was not yet spiritually equipped for that degree of communication from G’d.