R. Judah then expounded the verse: “Now Moses took the tent and pitched it without the camp” (Ex. 23, 7). Why did he do so? Said Moses: Since Israel have denied the Holy One, blessed be He, and have exchanged His glory for another, let His pledge here be in the hands of a faithful keeper until we see with whom it will be left.
He said to Joshua: Thou shalt be the man of trust between God and Israel, and the pledge shall be entrusted to thee, until we see with whom it shall be left. Why to Joshua? Because he stood to Moses in the relation of the moon to the sun,1Cf. T. B. Baba Bathra, 75a. and he was a fitting person to hold the pledge, and therefore it is written, “Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the camp” (Ibid. 11).
Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses: Moses, this is not right. I have given my pledge to them, and even though they have sinned against me, it must remain with them. Therefore return my pledge to them, and for its sake I will not abandon them wherever they are.
פָּתַח רִבִּי יְהוּדָה וְאָמַר, (שמות ל״ג:ז׳) וּמֹשֶׁה יִקַּח אֶת הָאֹהֶל וְנָטָה לוֹ מִחוּץ לַמַּחֲנֶה וְגוֹ'. וּמֹשֶׁה יִקַּח אֶת הָאֹהֶל, אֲמַאי. אֶלָּא אָמַר מֹשֶׁה, הוֹאִיל וְיִשְׂרָאֵל קָא מְשַׁקְּרֵי בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְאַחְלִיפוּ יְקָרָא דִּילֵיהּ, הָא מַשְׁכּוֹנָא דִּילֵיהּ יְהֵא בִּידָא דִּמְהֵימָנָא, עַד דְּנֶחֱמֵי בְּמַאן יִשְׁתְּאַר.
R. Judah then expounded the verse: “Now Moses took the tent and pitched it without the camp” (Ex. 23, 7). Why did he do so? Said Moses: Since Israel have denied the Holy One, blessed be He, and have exchanged His glory for another, let His pledge here be in the hands of a faithful keeper until we see with whom it will be left.
אָמַר לֵיהּ לִיְהוֹשֻׁעַ, אַנְתְּ תְּהֵא מְהֵימְנָא בֵּין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וּבֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְיִשְׁתְּאַר מַשְׁכּוֹנָא בִּידָךְ בְּהֵימְנוּתָא, וְנֶחמֵי בְּמַאן יִשְׁתְּאַר. מַה כְּתִיב, וְשָׁב אֶל הַמַּחֲנֶה וּמְשָׁרַתוֹ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן נַעַר לֹא יָמִישׁ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל. מַאי טַעֲמָא לִיְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּגִין דְּאִיהוּ כְּסִיהֲרָא לְגַבֵּי שִׁמְשָׁא, וְאִיהוּ אִתְחֲזֵי לְנַטְרָא מַשְׁכּוֹנָא. וְעַל דָּא, לֹא יָמִישׁ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל.
He said to Joshua: Thou shalt be the man of trust between God and Israel, and the pledge shall be entrusted to thee, until we see with whom it shall be left. Why to Joshua? Because he stood to Moses in the relation of the moon to the sun,1Cf. T. B. Baba Bathra, 75a. and he was a fitting person to hold the pledge, and therefore it is written, “Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the camp” (Ibid. 11).
אָמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמֹשֶׁה, מֹשֶׁה, לָא אִתְחֲזֵי הָכִי, דְּהָא מַשְׁכּוֹנָא דִּילִי יָהַבִית בִּידַיְיהוּ, אַף עַל גַּב דְּאִינּוּן חָאבוּ לְגַבָּאי, מַשְׁכּוֹנָא יְהֵא לְגַבַּיְיהוּ, דְּלָא יִתְפָּרְשׁוּן מִנֵּיהּ. (ס"א דלא אתפרש מנייהו) תִּבְעֵי דְּאִתְפְּרַשׁ מִנַּיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלָא אֵיתוּב לְגַבַּיְיהוּ לְעָלְמִין, אֶלָּא אָתִיב מַשְׁכּוֹנָא דִּילִי לְגַבַּיְיהוּ, וּבְגִינֵיהּ לָא אֶשְׁבּוֹק לְהוֹן בְּכָל אֲתַר.
Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses: Moses, this is not right. I have given my pledge to them, and even though they have sinned against me, it must remain with them. Therefore return my pledge to them, and for its sake I will not abandon them wherever they are.
אַף עַל גַּב דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל חָבוּ לְגַבֵּיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, הַאי מַשְׁכּוֹנָא דִּילֵיהּ לָא שָׁבְקוּ, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לָא נָטִיל לֵיהּ מִבֵּינַיְיהוּ. וְעַל דָּא, בְּכָל אֲתַר דְּגַלֵּי יִשְׂרָאֵל, שְׁכִינָה עִמְּהוֹן. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, וְנָתַתִּי מִשְׁכָּנִי בְּתוֹכְכֶם. וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ.
Therefore wherever Israel go into exile the Shekinah is with them, and therefore it is written, “And I will set my tabernacle among you”.’