Moshe’s Additional Day of Preparation for Matan Torah
וְקִדַּשְׁתָּם הַיּוֹם וּמָחָר:
Prepare them today and tomorrow. (Shemot 19:10)
The Source
The Gemara in Masechet Shabbat (87a) relates the following regarding the timing of Matan Torah:
דתניא, שלשה דברים עשה משה מדעתו, והסכים הקב"ה עמו. (א) הוסיף יום אחד מדעתו (ב) פירש מן האשה (ג) שבר את הלוחות. הוסיף יום אחד מדעתו, מאי דריש, (שמות יט, י) " וְקִדַּשְׁתָּם הַיּוֹם וּמָחָר”, "הַיּוֹם" כ"מָחָר,” מה "מָחָר" לילו עמו, אף "הַיּוֹם" לילו עמו, ולילה דהאידנא נפקא ליה, שמע מינה תרי יומי לבר מהאידנא. ומנלן שהסכים הקב"ה על ידו? דלא שריא שכינה עד צפרא דשבתא.
It was taught in a braita, there were three things that Moshe did on his own initiative and Hashem concurred with his decision. 1) He added a day [of preparation before Matan Torah] on his own initiative 2) He separated from his wife 3) He broke the Luchot.
He added a day on his own initiative, how did he expound? (He was told) “And prepare yourselves today and tomorrow” (Shemot 19:10) just as “tomorrow” includes the night which precedes it,[1] so too “today” must include the night which precedes it, and the night of “today” has already passed.[2] One may infer from this that there need to be two days aside from today.
And from where do we know that Hashem concurred with his decision? From the fact that the Shechinah did not descend until the morning of Shabbat.[3]
Three Observations
There are a number of basic questions that may be raised with regard to the above Gemara:
1. If indeed it is the case that Moshe’s decision was based on a hekesh[4] between “hayom” and “machar,” why is this decision referred to as “מדעתו — his own initiative”? Hekesh is one of the middot through which the Torah is expounded (“מדות שהתורה נדרשת בהן”), and engaging in a drashah is essentially learning Torah and revealing retzon Hashem [and who knows these middot better than Moshe?!]. If so, then how is that called “mida’ato”? Indeed, Tosafot in that sugya (s.v. hayom) raise this question, and respond briefly, “This is not a full drashah, for the (simple) meaning of ‘hayom’ is literally ‘today’; for otherwise this would not be called ‘mida’ato.’”
2. Perhaps there is actually room to understand that Moshe’s decision was based on a (full) hekesh. And if we should ask, why then is this referred to as “mida’ato,” and why should he require an indication of Hashem’s consent? Shall we say that anytime Chazal get involved in the middot of midrash halachah they need Hashem to validate it? The answer is, in this case, yes! The reason is that at the time Moshe made this hekesh, the sum-total of Torah that had been written down was the first “megillah,” which, as Rashi tells us,[5] consisted of the Torah from Bereishit until Matan Torah. If so, then any drashah that is based on words in this “megillah” will need to be validated by Hashem, since it is possible that somewhere in a subsequent “megillah” that He will give Moshe over the course of the next forty years, there is a word or phrase that will refute the current limud! Therefore, it was necessary here for Hashem to assure Moshe that his hekesh of “‘hayom’ is like ‘machar’” was not in conflict with any section in the Torah that would be given later on.
3. However, even this is not entirely satisfactory, for the most basic question still needs to be asked. Why did Moshe see it is a necessary to defer Matan Torah for a day? Did he not know that entire world was waiting for Bnei Yisrael to receive the Torah, and that its very existence is dependent upon it? Chazal tell us[6] that the sixth day of Creation has an extra letter heh — “הַשִׁשִׁי” – to teach us that Hashem stipulated with all of Creation that its existence was dependent on Yisrael receiving the five (ה) Chumashim of the Torah! In a situation such as this, with the entire world waiting to be redeemed from the state of formlessness (תֹהוּ), and with twenty-six generations of “derech eretz” preparing the way for this event, would it not be appropriate to try and receive the Torah without any further delay?
Day and Night
Let us suggest the following explanation. As we know, with regard to Bnei Noach, the night follows the day, as it says (Bereishit 8:22) “וְיוֹם וָלַיְלָה לֹא יִשְׁבֹּתוּ — and day and night shall not cease.”[7] This is not the case with Bnei Yisrael, who operate in accordance with the original plan for the world, which is (ibid. 1:5) “וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד — it was evening and it was morning; one day.” And this is indeed fitting, since Chazal tell us[8] that it was “בשביל ישראל שנקרא ראשית — it is only for Yisrael who are called ‘reishit’ that the world was created.” From the time of the chet of Adam HaRishon, mankind was demoted from the level of “וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר” to the level of “וְיוֹם וָלַיְלָה,” until the time when Bnei Yisrael received the Torah and were once again capable of functioning on the level of “וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר.”
According to one opinion in Chazal,[9] the events recorded in Shemot perek 24, known as Brit Torah — the covenant of Torah, occurred on the Fourth of Sivan, before the Torah was actually given. On that day, Hashem instructed Moshe “וְקִדַּשְׁתָּם הַיּוֹם וּמָחָר — prepare them today and tomorrow.” (Shemot 19:10) In which case, that instruction was said at a time when the people had already left the status of Bnei Noach and attained the status of “Yisrael.”[10] Therefore, in keeping with their new status, it was clear to Moshe that “hayom” and “machar” both included the nights that preceded them, as befitting for Bnei Yisrael.
Darshening the Spoken Word of Hashem
Perhaps we may suggest an additional, deeper, reason as to why Moshe needed to receive validation from Hashem regarding his drashah. We have mentioned that according to Rashi,[11] the first “megillah” of Torah [the “Sefer HaBrit”] was dictated by Hashem to Moshe on the Fourth of Sivan. This sefer included within it the text of the Torah from Bereishit until the events of that day, including Hashem telling Moshe “וְקִדַּשְׁתָּם הַיּוֹם וּמָחָר,” the words which Moshe was then doresh through a hekesh. However, in terms of pshuto shel mikra it seems clear that those words were said to Moshe by Hashem before they were dictated to him as part of the Sefer HaBrit. If so, then it turns out that the subject of Moshe’s drashah was not the text of the Torah, but Hashem’s Spoken Word! This is something quite remarkable! Is it possible to apply the middot of drash to Torah SheBaal Peh? Surely Torah SheBaal Peh is to be learned, but derashot exist solely within the realm of Torah Shebichtav!
We are forced to conclude that the madreigah of Moshe at the time of Matan Torah was such that he was able to hear words spoken to him by Hashem, and intuit which of those words would be written down in the Torah, and in what form. This process of categorizing words that Hashem spoke to him into Torah Shebichtav and Torah SheBaal Peh is certainly one that required the haskamah of Hashem, which in this case was indeed forthcoming, “for the Shechinah did not descend until Shabbat morning.”
There is a similar idea mentioned by Rabbeinu Bachye (Bereishit 18:19) in the name of Rabbeinu Channanel, “The words received from the Avot, even if they are not written in the Torah, are as if they are written in the Torah.” If this is true regarding individuals such as the Avot, then it may certainly be the case that Moshe was able to “hear” Hashem’s words and relate to them as written, and hence to apply a hekesh between two of those words.
According to this explanation, the term “mida’ato,” as applied to Moshe making this drashah, has a very special and unique meaning, indeed.
[1] Since in Torah the day always begins at night.
[2] For Hashem always spoke with Moshe in the morning (Rashi Shemot 19:8), in which case the day He told him to prepare was missing its night, and hence was not a full day.
[3] That is, the day following Moshe’s additional day of preparation.
[4] A halachic equation based on two terms being mentioned near each other.
[5] Shemot 24:7, s.v. sefer.
[6] Shabbat 88a, quoted in Rashi to Bereishit 1:31.
[7] These words were said by Hashem to Noach, and hence represent the order of the day for Bnei Noach; see Panim Yafot to Bereishit there.
[8] Vayikra Rabbah Parsha 36, siman 4, quoted in Rashi, Bereishit 1:1.
[9] See Rashi there, pasuk 1.
[10] Through Brit Torah.
[11] To Mishpatim perek 24 mentioned above.