AT THAT TIME THE ETERNAL SAID UNTO ME: 'HEW THEE TWO TABLETS OF STONE.' After I cast myself down in prayer before G-d for forty days and forty nights, He was reconciled with me that He would write the second Tablets. However, the first ones were the work of G-d, and the writing was the writing of G-d,⁠¹ whereas these [second Tablets] He commanded me that they be hewn by my hands and the writing will be like the writing on the first ones, by the finger of G-d.⁠²

AND MAKE THEE AN ARK OF WOOD. The meaning thereof is that you put the Tablets into this ark when you descend [the mountain]. Now this ark, including its cover, is to be entirely from wood [and not overlaid with gold], like all arks, and the Tablets should remain there until the Tabernacle is made. [Only] then, they made the ark which was covered with gold and the ark-cover upon it of pure gold.⁠³ He did not tell Moses [to make an ark] for the first Tablets because it was manifest before Him that he would break them [immediately upon coming down the mountain]. And the meaning of the verse, and there they were, as the Eternal commanded me⁴ is that the Tablets were there [in the ark] until the Tabernacle was made concerning which He commanded me, And thou shalt put the ark-cover above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the Testimony that I shall give thee.⁠⁵ This is the good and correct [interpretation] of these verses.
And Rashi wrote: "Now, this was not the ark which Bezalel made [for the Tabernacle], because they did not occupy themselves in the making of the Tabernacle until after the Day of Atonement, for it was only when he came down from the mountain that he commanded them concerning the construction of the Tabernacle, and it was Bezalel who made, first the Tabernacle, and afterwards the ark⁶ and the vessels. Thus it follows that this [ark mentioned here] was a different one, and it was this [ark] that went forth with them to battle, while the one that Bezalel made did not go forth to battle except in the days of Eli⁷ and they were punished for this and it was captured [by the Philistines].⁠"⁸ This is the Rabbi's language, quoting words of Agadah which he found written in the Tanchuma.⁠⁹
Now one may ask: "And after they removed the Tablets from this ark and placed them in the ark which Bezalel made, what happened to this ark? And why did this one go forth with the people to battle [since it was empty, the Tablets having been removed]?⁠" Some say that the broken Tablets lay in that ark, and so in fact it is found in the Agadah, but these are the words of a single Sage, for thus we learned in Tractate Shekalim:⁠¹⁰ "We are taught [in a Beraitha]: Rabbi Yehudah the son of Rabbi Ilai says: Israel had two arks in the wilderness, one in which the broken Tablets lay etc. But the Rabbis say: there was only one, and once it went forth [to battle] in the days of Eli and it was captured [by the Philistines].⁠" The opinion of our Rabbis throughout the Talmud is also not so [that there were two arks]; but that [both] the whole Tablets and the broken Tablets lay in the [same] ark. Besides, where was this ark containing the first [broken] Tablets to stay all the years in the wilderness? For in the Tabernacle, in the Holy of Holies beyond the Veil, there were no two arks, and Solomon also brought but one ark into the Holy of Holies [of the Sanctuary]!⁠¹¹ Rather, [we must say] that this ark of Moses was stored away upon the completion of the ark of Bezalel, as is the law of implements of holiness [which must be stored away after having served their purpose].⁠¹²
This is the correct interpretation in accordance with the opinion of our Rabbis, for, in line with the plain meaning of Scripture, it is possible that the verse here, and make thee an ark of wood, refers to the ark which Bezalel made. This [could be explained as follows]: First Moses was commanded regarding the making of the Tabernacle and its vessels, the first command being And they shall make an ark of acacia-wood,⁠¹³ for this [to contain the Tablets] was the main purpose of the entire Tabernacle — that the Eternal that sitteth upon the cherubim¹⁴ be there. Afterwards they made the calf and when G-d was reconciled with Moses and told him that He would write on these Tablets according to the first writing,⁠¹⁵ He commanded him briefly that he should make for these [second] Tablets an ark of wood, this being the same one concerning which he was commanded for the first Tablets. Thus He mentioned to Moses [as narrated by Moses in the verse before us] the primary commandment regarding the Tabernacle, and [the one] upon which everything depended. It was from this [charge to build the ark] that Moses deduced [that he was] to make the Tabernacle and its vessels, as he had been commanded earlier. And in that case the interpretation of the phrase, and there they were, as the Eternal command me¹⁶ is that they be there forever as the Eternal commanded me originally: and in the ark thou shalt put the Testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee etc.⁠¹⁷ Now when Moses came down from the mountain he placed the Tablets in [his personal] tent of meeting¹⁸ until he made the ark and the Tabernacle.⁠¹⁹ For had he not broken the first Tablets, they would have been in [his] tent of meeting²⁰ until Bezalel had made the ark. And so perforce we must also say that the broken tablets were there [in his tent of meeting], for he did not return them with him when he ascended the mountain. Proof for this [i.e., that the command for making the ark mentioned here is identical with the command mentioned in the Book of Exodus with the instructions to build the Tabernacle] is the fact that Moses did not mention this command in the section of Ki Thisa,⁠²¹ for there He mentioned the ark of Bezalel expressly.⁠²² Now here he did not mention the Tabernacle and its vessels for the people saw it before them, and therefore he mentioned it only briefly [through the first command concerning the ark].
Now, do not consider it difficult that he said, So I made an ark of acacia-wood, and hewed two Tablets of stone²³ [which would seem to indicate that Moses made the ark at once and then hewed the two Tablets of stone, and, if so, this could not be the ark of Bezalel], for he completed the narration of the subject of the ark at one time. For G-d had commanded him, Hew thee two Tablets of stone etc., and come up unto Me into the mount; and make thee an ark of wood, meaning that he should first come up with the Tablets and afterwards he should make an ark of wood; but He prolonged [the subject of the Tablets] in order to say, And I will write on the Tablets the words that were on the first Tablets which thou didst break, and thou shalt put them in the ark,⁠²⁴ that is to say that these second Tablets will be identical to the first ones in writing and, therefore, it is proper that they, like the first ones, be in the [previously] commanded ark, where I will meet with the children of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by My glory.⁠²⁵ Therefore Moses finished the account by stating, So I made an ark,⁠²⁶ in order to briefly complete the commandment and the deed. Afterwards he returned to speak at length on the subject mentioned before.

AND I TURNED AND CAME DOWN FROM THE MOUNT, AND PUT THE TABLETS IN THE ARK WHICH I MADE. The meaning thereof is "which I made at the time I came down from the mountain.⁠" And there they were forever, as the Eternal commanded me, that His Glory dwell among the children of Israel.⁠²⁷

[An interpretation of this verse is included in the commentary on Verse 1]

[An interpretation of this verse is included in the commentary on Verse 1]

[An interpretation of this verse is included in the commentary on Verse 1]

[An interpretation of this verse is included in the commentary on Verse 1]

AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL JOURNEYED FROM BEEROTH-BENE-YAAKAN TO MOSERAH. "Why does this matter belong here? Furthermore, did they indeed journey from Beeroth-bene-yaakan to Moserah; did they not come from Moserah to Bene-yaakan, as it is said, And they journeyed from Moseroth, and pitched in Bene-yaakan?⁠¹ And further, here it is said, there [in Moserah] Aaron died; but did he not die in Mount Hor?⁠² Go and count and you will find that there are eight journeys from Moseroth to Mount Hor!⁠³ But really this is also part of the reproof [spoken by Moses, saying in effect]: 'This also you did; When Aaron died in Mount Hor at the end of forty years [after the exodus] and the clouds of Divine Glory departed, you feared war with the king of Arad⁴ and you appointed a leader to return to Egypt and you turned backwards eight journeys until Bene-yaakan and from there [you continued] to Moserah [as stated here]. There the children of Levi fought you and slew some of you, and you [slew] some of them, until they forced you back the road [along which you had retreated]. From there [Moserah] you returned to Gudgod⁵ which is identical with Hor-hagidgad,⁠⁶ and from Gudgod to Moserah.⁠⁷ And at Moserah you made a great lamentation on account of the death of Aaron which brought this [retreat and subsequent battle with the Levites] upon you, and it [the sadness] was as if Aaron had died there [thus accounting for the verse which states: there — at Moserah — Aaron died]!' Now Moses placed this reproof next to the [narrative about the] breaking of the Tablets in order to intimate that the death of the righteous is as grievous before the Holy One, blessed be He, as was the day on which the Tablets were broken, and to inform you that it was displeasing to Him what they said Let us make a captain [and return to Egypt]⁠⁸ in order to break away from Him, as was the day when they made the calf. At that time the Eternal separated the tribe of Levi⁹ — this refers back to the first subject [of this chapter]. At that time, in the first year of your departure from Egypt when you sinned by worshipping the calf, but the sons of Levi did not sin, G-d separated them from you. This event is placed next to the retreat to Bene-yaakan [where, as explained earlier, the Levites showed faith and heroism] in order to intimate that in this matter, also, the sons of Levi did not sin but stood steadfast in their faith.⁠" All this is the language of our Rabbi Shlomo [Rashi] from the words of Agadah.⁠¹⁰
Now, Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, [in order not to deviate from the literal meaning of the text by saying that they retreated backwards eight stages] found it necessary to say by way of the plain meaning of Scripture that "Beeroth-bene-yaakan [mentioned in the verse before us: and the children of Israel journeyed from Beeroth-bene-yaakan to Moserah] is not identical with Bene-yaakan [mentioned in Numbers 33:31] and Moserah [mentioned here] is not Moseroth [mentioned in Numbers 33:30], but Kadesh¹¹ is called Beeroth-bene-yaakan,⁠¹² and the name of the wilderness where Aaron died is Mount Hor-moserah [so that there is no need to say that they retreated back toward Egypt]. From thence they journeyed unto Gudgod¹³ is not identical with Hor-hagidgad¹⁴ but instead is a general name for Zalmonah, Punon, and Oboth,⁠¹⁵ while Jotbah¹⁶ is the place called B'eir,⁠¹⁷ this being the purport of the expression [here in (7) describing Jotbah as] a land of brooks of water [and in B'eir was the well, whereof the Eternal said unto Moses: 'Gather the people together, and I will give them water'].⁠¹⁸ And the expression, and from Gudgod to Jotbah¹⁹ is connected with the phrase [in (6) before us], and Eleazar his son ministered in the priest's office in his [Aaron's] stead, for it was there in Jotbah that Eleazar began ministering as the High Priest and performed the offerings.⁠" [Thus far is Ibn Ezra's language.]
But all these are windy words²⁰ [i.e., words devoid of substance]. For how is it possible for all these many places to be new locations that have not been referred to in the section [enumerating all] of the journeys [of Israel from Egypt to the promised Land].⁠²¹ Moreover, it is the custom of Scripture everywhere to make slight changes when mentioning names a second time, whether it is the name of a place or the name of a person [so that even slightly different names would refer to the same place or person] and surely here, when the names are alike, for between Moserah and Moseroth there is no [significant] change or difference; similarly, Hor-hagidgad and Gudgod are one name, and Jotbah [mentioned here and in Numbers 33:34] are surely alike. Furthermore, it was in Mount Hor that Eleazar ministered upon the death of his father [Aaron] when Moses clothed him in the garments [of the High Priest],⁠²² for he was immediately distinguished [as a High Priest simply] by virtue of [being clothed in] the larger number of official garments [of the High Priest], this being the law of the High Priests even during succeeding generations! [Hence there is no justification for Ibn Ezra to say that Eleazar ministered as a High Priest in Jotbah for the first time.]
The correct interpretation appears to me to be that Mount Hor is the largest of the mountains and is many parasangs long.⁠²³ Its name [Hor Hahar — literally: "the mount of the mount"] so indicates, for it is called "mount" and people called it "the mountain" because of its height and length. And so our Rabbis said that this was a mount on top of a mount.⁠²⁴ The end of the mountain extended as far as the border of the land of Edom²⁵ and the beginning of it was near Hashmonah²⁶ [eight stages away from Mount Hor proper].⁠²⁷ Now in the plain before Mount Hor there were cities or places called Moseroth, Bene-yaakan, Hor-hagidgad, Jotbah, Abronah, Ezion-geber, and Kadesh.⁠²⁸ There was no great distance between these places, for that large camp [of the Israelites] walked in one day about a parasang²⁹ or less. From Kadesh they journeyed, and pitched in Mount Hor,⁠³⁰ entering a low place at the foot of the mount. Then G-d commanded Moses, Take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto Mount Hor,⁠³¹ meaning that he is to climb upward to the top of it [the lower part of the mountain] which is the beginning of the [upper part of the] mountain. Thus they ascended to the top of the mountain, arriving [at the part] opposite Moseroth, and Aaron died there, this being the intent of the verse, and Aaron died there 'in the top of the mount,'³² and thus his death [is also described in the verse before us as having] occurred in Moserah. It is possible that all these places as named were considered as if they were [also] on the mountain itself, so that the summit of the mountain and its opposite site in the plain were called "Moseroth" [in the plural] and the name of each place separately was "Moserah" [in the singular] so that people spoke of "Moserah in the mount" and "Moserah in the plain.⁠" And in the place called Hashmonah there were wells in the field, which people referred to as Beeroth ("The wells of) bene-yaakan" because the inhabitants of Bene-yaakan came there to water their flocks and they made these wells, for there they found running water. And from there [from Beeroth-bene-yaakan] they journeyed to Moserah [as is mentioned in (6) before us], and from there they journeyed to Moseroth,⁠³³ and they journeyed from Moseroth, and pitched in Bene-yaakan,⁠³⁴ for that [i.e., Bene-yaakan] was the name of that place.⁠³⁵ And Scripture continues to tell [here in (7)], From thence they journeyed unto Gudgod; and from Gudgod to Jotbah, a land of brooks of water in order to inform us that they stayed there [many] days on account of the brooks. It abbreviates [in listing] the journeys because it has already explained them [in the section on the journeys],⁠³⁶ but it states that from thence — from Moserah — they journeyed unto Gudgod and unto Jotbah which was all a land of brooks of water, for from Gudgod to Jotbah was well watered everywhere.⁠³⁷
It is further possible that we say that when Aaron went up to the top of the mountain and died there opposite Moseroth or in Moserah itself [as explained above that the top of the mountain was also called Moserah] and he was buried there, the Israelites went back to Moseroth [i.e., to "Moserah" at the foot of the mountain, mentioned here in (6) before us] to weep and to mourn at the grave of the man of G-d,⁠³⁸ and, for the entire thirty days [of mourning]⁠³⁹ their prominent men would go up to the top of the mountain and mourn for the holy one of the Eternal,⁠⁴⁰ and then they would return to the camp which was pitched in Moserah. After the thirty days [of mourning] they journeyed from Moserah to Hor-hagidgad, and from Gudgod to Jotbah [as stated here in (7)], for now, as they returned from Moserah, they travelled quickly [and did not stop in Bene-yaakan which was between Moseroth and Hor-hagidgad;⁠⁴¹ hence it is not mentioned here]. This is a very proper interpretation of explaining the verses in a manner that fits the text. Scripture mentions that the name of the place was Yotbathah ["Jotbah,⁠" from the root tovah — good] because it was a "good" place for there were brooks of water, while the rest of the wilderness was a land of drought,⁠⁴² thirsty ground where there was no water.⁠⁴³ The reason for Moses' mentioning the death of Aaron now while discussing these subjects is because he had said, and I prayed for Aaron also at the same time⁴⁴ [and so he indicated here] that the punishment of "destruction"⁴⁵ did not touch him [Aaron] neither himself personally nor his seed — for Aaron did not die until the fortieth year [after the exodus], being old and full of days, and his son ministered in his stead. He said, And the children of Israel journeyed, and not "and you journeyed,⁠" for in the sections of reproof he speaks directly to the people to chastise them, but in this [verse] he narrates the journeys of the children of Israel.

[An interpretation of this verse is included in the commentary on Verse 6]