Aligned sentence by sentence
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Part One · Chapter Thirty-Seven — Panim: Face, Presence, and the Divine Countenance
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Panim is an equivocal term, and most of its equivocality is by way of metaphorical extension. It is the name for the face of every living creature: 'and all faces shall be turned to pallor' (Jer 30:6); 'why are your faces downcast?' (Gen 40:7) — and this is frequent.
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And it is the name for anger: 'and his face was no longer toward her' (1 Sam 1:18). According to this sense it is used frequently in the meaning of God's anger and displeasure: 'the face of the Lord has divided them' (Lam 4:16); 'the face of the Lord is against evildoers' (Ps 34:17); 'My face shall go and I shall give you rest' (Ex 33:14); 'and I will set My face against that man and against his family' (Lev 20:5) — and this is frequent.
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It is also the name for the presence and station of a person: 'before all his brethren he fell' (Gen 25:18); 'before all the people I will be honored' (Lev 10:3) — meaning: in their presence. 'Unless Your presence goes with us, how will it be known?' (Ex 33:16) — in Your presence and by Your existence. According to this sense it is said, 'and the Lord spoke to Moses face to face' (Ex 33:11) — meaning: presence to presence, without an intermediary — just as it is said, 'come, let us look one another in the face' (2 Kgs 14:8); and just as it says, 'face to face the Lord spoke with you' (Deut 5:4). And He made clear in another passage, saying: 'the voice of words you heard, but no form did you see, only a voice' (Deut 4:12) — and He alluded to that by 'face to face.' Similarly His saying, 'and the Lord spoke to Moses face to face,' is a circumlocution for His saying regarding the form of the address: 'and he heard the voice speaking to him' (Num 7:89). It has thus become clear to you that hearing a voice without the intermediary of an angel is what is alluded to by 'face to face.' And from this sense: 'and My face shall not be seen' — the reality of My existence as it truly is shall not be apprehended.
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Panim is also a locative particle — in Arabic, 'before you' or 'in front of you' — and it is very frequently used in this sense with regard to God, exalted be He: 'before the Lord' (lifnei Adonai). And according to this sense, too, it is said: 'and My face shall not be seen' — in the interpretation of Onkelos, who said: 'and that which is before Me shall not be seen' (ודקדמי לא יתחזון). He indicates that there are also great creatures that a person is unable to apprehend as they truly are — these are the Separate Intellects; and they are attributed to God as being perpetually before Him and at His hands, because of the intenseness of His care for them always. But what can be apprehended — according to Onkelos — in truth, are the things that are below these in rank of existence, I mean things having matter and form; and of them he said: 'and you shall see that which is behind Me' (ותחזי ית דבתראי) — meaning: the existents from which I am turned away and which are behind Me, in the manner of a figure for their remoteness from God's existence, exalted be He. And you will hear my interpretation of what Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, requested.
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Panim is also a temporal particle, meaning 'before' or 'of old': 'in former times in Israel' (Ruth 4:7); 'of old You laid the foundations of the earth' (Ps 102:26).
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Panim is also the name for care and consideration: 'you shall not show favor to the poor' (Lev 19:15); 'one who shows no favor' (Deut 10:17) — and this is frequent. According to this sense too it is said: 'may the Lord lift His face toward you and give you peace' (Num 6:26) — meaning: may He be of those who show care for us.