God is Not Anywhere

Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim

After the end of God communicating the 10 Commands, the Jews were frightened by the miracles, sounds sights:

All the people witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blare of the horn and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they fell back and stood at a distance. “You speak to us,” they said to Moses, “and we will obey; but let not God speak to us, lest we die.”  Moses answered the people, “Be not afraid; for God has come only in order to test you, and in order that the fear of God may be ever with you, so that you do not go astray.”  So the people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick cloud where God was. God said to Moses: “Thus shall you say to the Israelites: ‘You yourselves saw that I spoke to you from the very heavens: With Me, therefore, you shall not make any gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves any gods of gold.  Make for Me an altar of earth and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your sacrifices of well-being, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come to you and bless you.’” 

Ibn Ezra says this group of Jews were priests and officers. Earlier (Exod. 19:12) God warns Moses that he should rope off the mountain prior to revelation so nobody ascends the mountains during the event, which would be worthy of death. The sin would be viewing God as having “location” and viewable, thereby making Him physical. This addresses the entire nation. And it's significant that in that first story God says the following after He concludes His communication: “after the final shofar blast then the people can ascend the mountain” (Exod. 19:13). His intent is that the people should see no physical evidence of God, but only after the event concluded. 

So we have two groups of Jews who were responding to God's revelation in two ways. The first group—the nation as a whole—desired to approach the mountain, while this second group of priests and officers retreated from the mountain. It says twice that they stood from a far. Repetition is always God’s way of emphasizing a core idea. In contrast to that it says that Moses drew close, while they were standing from afar. Moses intended to reiterate God’s message that there is nothing “on” the mountain. God reinforces this by saying, “I spoke to you from the very heavens.” Meaning, God is not on Earth, but in some dimension, in heaven, He is metaphysical. Again, the higher level Jews thought they would die if they heard God speaking any further, so they retreated. Moses did the opposite and walked closer.  And then God steps in and says “I spoke to you from the heavens,” not from the Earth. But the lower Jews intended to “look for God” so God commanded the mountain be roped off. 

God finally says “Do not make any gods of silver, nor shall you make for yourselves any gods of gold.” God repeated the message that rendering God as a physical object is a grave sin. 

Jews “standing from afar,” “Moshe drawing close”  and then God saying He’s speaking “from the heavens”  all share one thing in common: they’re all referring to “location.”  This final story in parshas Yisro focuses on the message that God does not exist physically anywhere.