Drinking in the Divine: Eating & Drinking Before God

(9) Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel ascended; (10) and they saw the God of Israel—under whose feet was the likeness of a pavement of sapphire, like the very sky for purity. (11) Yet [God] did not raise a hand against the leaders of the Israelites; they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

...It is so stated, “they beheld God, and they ate and drank” (Ex. 24:11) - Was there eating and drinking there? To what is the matter comparable? To a servant who attended his master while [holding] a slice of bread in his hand and taking bites from it. Similarly, had they acted with disrespect as if they had been eating and drinking. So the elders along with Nadav and Avihu deserved to be destroyed by fire on that day; but because the giving of Torah was dear to the Holy One, blessed be He, He therefore did not want to harm them and bring calamity to them on that day. This is what is written, “But He (the Holy One, blessed be He,) did not raise His hand against the nobles of the Children of Israel” (Ex. 24:11). From this, you may infer that they deserved to have a hand raised [against them].

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Moreover, from this: “Against the noble of the children of Israel, He did not extend His hand” (Exodus 24:11).

Rabbi Pinḥas said: "From here [it may be derived] that they were deserving of the hand being extended, as Rabbi Hoshaya said: 'Did cakes go up with them to Sinai, that it states: "They beheld God [and ate and drank]"? (Exodus 24:11). Rather, it teaches that they feasted their eyes on the Divine Presence. "They beheld God" like a person who looks at another while eating and drinking.'"

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: "Actual nourishment, just as it says: 'Life is in the light of the king’s countenance' (Proverbs 16:15)."

Rabbi Tanḥuma says: "It teaches that they exposed their heads, acted with arrogance, and feasted their eyes on the Divine Presence."
Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: "Moses did not feast his eyes on the Divine Presence and benefited from the Divine Presence. He did not feast his eyes on the Divine Presence, as it is stated: 'Moses concealed his face [because he feared to look at God]' (Exodus 3:6)."

ויחזו את האלהים AND THEY BEHELD GOD [AND DID EAT AND DRINK] — They gazed at God with a coarse attitude through [simply] eating and drinking, such is the incident described in Midrash Tanḥuma, but Onkelos does not translate it that way.

AND DRINK. In happiness. Rabbi Judah Ha-Levi says that the meaning of and did eat is, they had to eat even though they were benefitting from the splendor of God’s presence. Scripture mentions this because Moses lived for forty days and forty nights without eating and drinking, as is noted in the next section.

"And upon the nobles of the children of Israel" – [He did not support them with His hand so much that they would not need to eat, as it is written: "And they beheld God, and they ate and drank," which implies that they derived pleasure from the radiance of the Divine Presence. However, they did not derive such a great level of pleasure that they could fast, as Moses did for forty days and forty nights. Similarly, Ibn Ezra wrote this in his commentary in the name of Yehuda Kastelin, and likewise, it was said in the name of Rabbi Yeshaya Matrana by the honorable Rabbi Moshe in his gloss.]

And regarding "the nobles of the firstborn"—He did not stretch out His hand against them. When the Holy One appeared to them, they were very fearful, lest they be harmed, as Manoah said: "We shall surely die, for we have seen God." But when they saw that He did not stretch out His hand against them and they were not harmed, they received the Divine Presence without injury. "And they ate and drank" because they were exceedingly joyful.

In this sense, we must understand the words “And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exod. 3:6), though retaining also the literal meaning of the passage, that Moses was afraid to gaze at the light which appeared to his eye; but it must on no account be assumed that the Being which is exalted far above every imperfection can be perceived by the eye. This act of Moses was highly commended by God, who bestowed on him a well deserved portion of His goodness, as it is said: “And the similitude of the Lord shall he behold” (Num. 12:8). This, say our Sages, was the reward for having previously hidden his face, lest he should gaze at the Eternal. (Talm. B. Berakot Fa.)

The meaning of the expression "He laid not His hand", is that since He had said, "But let not the priests and the people break through to come up unto the Eternal, lest He break forth upon them", therefore, He let it be known here that they had been careful to observe that command and that He did not break forth upon them, and that the nobles of the children of Israel were worthy of that which they saw in this vision; thus the meaning of the verse is that "they beheld G-d", but they did not break through "to come up unto the Eternal".

And they did eat and drink. This means that they ate there the peace-offerings at the lower part of the mountain before G-d prior to their returning to their tents, for peace-offerings have to be eaten within an enclosure; in Jerusalem. they were eaten within the wall of the city, in Shiloh. they could be eaten within sight of Shiloh, and here they were eaten before the altar at the lower part of the mountain, and not in the camp.

The meaning of the expression "and they drank" is that they made it an occasion for rejoicing and festival, for such is one’s duty to rejoice at the receiving of the Torah, just as He commanded when they finished writing all the words of the Torah upon the stones, "And thou shalt sacrifice peace-offerings, and shalt eat there; and thou shalt rejoice before the Eternal thy G-d " (Deut. 27:7). And with reference to Solomon it is written, "Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee etc." (II. Chron. 1:12), and immediately after that, "he came to Jerusalem… and made a drinking-party for all his servants" (1 Kings 3:15). “Rabbi Elazar: 'From here, you learn that we make a drinking-party at the finishing of the Torah" (SOS Rabbah 1:9). With reference to David, Solomon’s father, it is likewise said that when the people gave of their free-will towards the building of the Sanctuary, And they offered sacrifices unto the Eternal, and offered burnt-offerings unto the Eternal etc., and they did eat and drink before the Eternal on that day with great gladness. Similarly, here too on the day of the “wedding” of the Torah, they did likewise.

They made great rejoicing on the day the Torah was given, as it is commanded when writing all the words of the Torah on stones, "And you shall offer peace offerings and eat there," since there is a commandment to rejoice in the covenant of the Torah.

Some explain the phrase "And they ate and drank" as a way to distinguish between them and Moses. For Moses saw just as they saw, yet he did not eat for forty days and forty nights, whereas they saw and immediately ate.

"And they ate and drank" in the manner of those who make a covenant, just as those who descended joyfully from the mountain and ate the peace offerings that their young men had sacrificed. And this verse was written in honor of Moses, for they needed to eat and drink even though they derived pleasure from the radiance of the Divine Presence. However, Moses was there for forty days and forty nights without eating or drinking, as was immediately explained.

V. 11. Im feindlichen Sinne Hand an jemanden legen, heißt in der Regel: שלח יד ב־ (es kommt allerdings in diesem Sinne zweimal auch שלח יד אל־ vor: Bereschit 22, 12 u. Job 1, 12). Es dürfte auch schwerlich hier gesagt sein, es seien die V. 9 genannten Erlesenen Israels von Gott nicht feindlich berührt worden, obgleich sie zu seiner Erscheinung hinangetreten waren. Es war ja gar keine Veranlassung dazu, da sie auf ausdrückliches Geheiß Gottes hinangegangen waren. Dagegen heißt יד ה׳ auch die Gewalt des Gottesgeistes, die den Propheten fasst und ihn in das Bereich der Prophetie emporhebt. — אצל, wovon אֵצֶל: neben, heißt zunächst eine räumliche Absonderung, und Jesaias 41, 9, wo אצילם noch einmal vorkommt, ומאציליה קראתיך, scheint es, synonym mit dem vorangehenden אשר החזקתיך מקצות הארץ, die räumlich Gesonderten, Entfernten zu bedeuten. Wir vermuten daher, daß mit אצילי בני ישראל auch hier die in der Entfernung Stehenden, aus der Nähe des Berges und der Gotteserscheinung Ferngehaltenen, somit das in seiner Umgrenzung verharrende Volk bezeichnet sei. Die den Berg hinan in die Gottesnähe Berufenen (V. 9) wurden von der יד ד׳ ergriffen, und darum ויראו, sahen sie את אלקי ישראל usw. Bis zu den ferner Stehenden sendete aber Gott את ידו nicht, vielmehr ויחזו ( — im Verhältnis zu ראה, dem mehr konkreten und nahen Sehen, heißt חזה [wovon חָוֶה Brust] ein inneres oder ein Fernsehen —) "sie schauten Gott innerlich im Geiste" oder: "sie schauten zu der fernen Gotteserscheinung hinan", ויאכלו וישתו, ohne daß sie dem gewöhnlichen, normalen, von Sinnlichkeit umschränkten irdischen Standpunkte enthoben worden wären. Die von der Prophetie Ergriffenen wurden zu Gott emporgehoben, den zu dieser Stufe nicht emporgehobenen Israelssöhnen trat Gott im Bewusstsein nahe, sie fühlten die Nähe Gottes in ihrem Innern beim Opfermahle (V. 5), sie genossen die Seligkeit der Gottesnähe mitten im irdischen Leben, jene höchste, normale Blüte des jüdischen Lebens und Strebens vor Gott, die ja auch Dewarim 27, 7 bei dem erneueten Ausdruck des am Sinai geschlossenen nationalen Bundes mit dem Gesetze (vergl. das. 5-7 mit unserm Kap. V. 4 u. 5) also lautet: וזבחת שלמים ואכלת שם ושמחת לפני ד׳ אלדיך. — Megilla 9a wird das אצילי בני ישראל nicht auf das ganze Volk, sondern auf die נערי בני ישראל V. 5) bezogen, die als die für die gottesdienstliche Familienrepräsentanz geweihten Erstgeborenen אצילים, die "Ausgesonderten" genannt werden. Auch dann dürfte das לא שלח ידו und das ויחזו וגו׳ in dem von uns geglaubten Sinne zu verstehen sein.