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Why does Onkelos translate "I will go down" literally only when Hashem (ה׳) tells Yaakov "Anochi ereid imcha Mitzrayima"? The shiur develops the distinction between Hashem's transcendental and immanent presence through the burning bush. Moshe's physical embodiment of divine reality made him the vehicle through which Hashem Himself descended to Egypt.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a complex question from the Rambam (רמב"ם) in Moreh Nevuchim: Onkelos consistently translates anthropomorphic expressions of Hashem (ה׳) "going down" as "revealing Himself" (isgalei), avoiding any impression of physical movement—except in one instance. When Hashem tells Yaakov Avinu "Anochi ereid imcha Mitzrayima—I will go down with you to Egypt," Onkelos translates "ve'eicheis—I will go down" using the literal, physical term. The Rambam explains this exception: since the context clearly indicates a prophetic dream, there's no risk of误understanding. The Ramban (רמב"ן) disputes this explanation, though his own reasoning remains somewhat unclear. Rabbi Zweig asks: even within a dream, why should Onkelos deviate from his standard practice of avoiding physical terminology? The shiur then pivots to the burning bush narrative to develop the answer. A seeming contradiction appears in Gemara (גמרא) Brachos 7a regarding Moshe's response at the sneh. According to Rabbi Shimon ben Korcha, when Hashem wanted to reveal Himself at the burning bush, Moshe hid his face and refused to look—and Hashem later told him, "When I wanted to show you, you didn't want to see; now that you want to see, I don't want to show you." This implies Moshe could have seen Hashem's "face" had he looked. Yet after the golden calf, when Moshe asks to see Hashem's glory, the Torah (תורה) states explicitly, "ki lo yir'ani ha'adam vachai—no man can see My face and live." The Maharsha asks: how could Moshe have been offered something at the bush that the Torah declares absolutely impossible? Furthermore, if Moshe sinned by refusing, why wouldn't Hashem grant him the revelation later once he understood?
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Shemos 3:1-12 (Parshas Shemos)
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