In many Ashkenazi synagogues, the concluding portions of the Sabbath morning service include the rhymed poem An'im Zmirot, known formally as “The Song of Glory,” a work distinguished by its ornate Hebrew and its shocking anthropomorphism.
The song's theological nub derives from a uniquely explicit description in Exodus 33 of an encounter between man and the Almighty; in it, Moses asks God to show Himself to him, and the Lord obliges. This revelation occurs after the Lord—although He's forgiven the sin of the golden calf—decides He needs some space from the constantly backsliding rabble He's taken out of Egypt. He therefore declares that He will withdraw His presence from the Israelites and instead send an angel to travel with them to the promised land. But Moses starts to argue with Him about this, bringing us to the crux of the matter, which is also the crux of this song: how much of God can human beings actually touch?
Read Full Article »