(and by extension to all the plagues), followed by twice with regards to the luchot, the first of which is quoted above and the second of which can be found in Parshat Eikev:
ֹאמְ רו ּ הַ חַ רְ טֻ מִּ ים אֶ ל־פּ ַ רְ ע ֹה וַ יאֶ צְבַּע אֱ -ֶחֱזַק לֵב־פַּרְעֹה לֹהִים הִוא וַי וְלֹא־שׁ ָמַע אֲלֵהֶם כַּאֲשׁ ֶר דִּ בֶּר ה'׃ ִתֵּן ה' אֵלַי אֶת־שְׁנֵי לוּחֹת הָאֲבָנִים כְּתֻבִים בְּ וַיאֶ צְבַּע אֱ -לֹהִים וַעֲלֵיהֶם הָאֵ שׁ בְּ יוֹם הַקָּהָל׃ כְּכָל־הַדְּ בָרִ ים אֲשׁ ֶר דִּ בֶּר ה' עִמָּכֶם בָּהָר מִ תּ וֹך
Then the magicians said to Pharoah, This is the finger of G-d: and Pharoah’s heart was hardened, and he listened not to them; as the Lord had said. And the Lord delivered to me two tablets of stone written with the finger of G-d; and on them was written according to all the words which the Lord spoke with you in the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly.
Rabbeinu Bachya says that אֶצְבָּעוֹת can be found employed during Creation, as learned from a pasuk in Tehillim (8:4):
כִּ י מַ עֲשֵׂ ה אֶ רְ אֶ ה שׁ ָ מֶ יך אֶ צְבְּ עֹתֶ יך יָרֵ חַ וְכוֹכָבִים אֲשׁ ֶר כּוֹנָנְתָּה׃
When I behold Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You set in place.
Hakadosh Baruch Hu created the world with His fingers. This is explained in the Gemara (Ketuvot 5a):
דָּרַשׁ בַּר קַפָּרָא: גְּדוֹלִים מַעֲשֵׂה צַדִּ יקִים יוֹתֵר מִמַּעֲשֵׂה שׁ ָמַיִם וָאָ רֶ ץ, דְּאִילּוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂה שׁ ָמַיִם וָאָרֶץ כְּתִיב: ״אַף יָדִ י יָסְדָה אֶרֶץ וִימִינִי טִפְּחָה שׁ ָמָיִם״, וְאִלּוּ בְּמַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵיהֶם שׁ ֶל צַדִּ יקִים כְּתִיב: ״מָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתְּך פָּעַלְתָּ ה׳ מִ קְּ דָ שׁ אֲ ד ֹנָי כּ ו ֹנְ נוּ יָדֶ יך ָיא שְׁמוֹ: ״וְיַבֶּשׁ ֶת הֵשִׁיב בַּבְלִי אֶחָד, וְרַבִּי חִי יָדָיו יָצָרוּ״! ״יָדוֹ״ כְּתִיב. וְהָכְתִיב ״יָצָרוּ״! אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק: יָצְרוּ יָרֵ חַ וְכוֹכָבִ ים מַ עֲשֵׂה אֶצְבְּעוֹתֶ יך אֶצְבְּעוֹתָ יו, כְּדִ כְתִ יב: ״כִּי אֶרְ אֶה שׁ ָמֶ יך אֲ שׁ ֶ ר כ ּ ו ֹ נ ָ נ ְ תּ ָ ״.
Bar Kappara taught, the handiwork of the righteous is greater than the creation of heaven and earth, as with regard to the creation of heaven and earth hand is written in the singular, whereas with regard to the handiwork of the righteous – the Mishkan’s construction – hand is written in the plural. Rabbi Ḥiyya responded with a challenge, pointing to the mention of hands, in plural, with regards to creation of the earth, only to be told the word is pronounced in its plural form (יָדָ יו) but written in singular form (יָ ד ו ֹ). And with regards to a second instance also written in plural – יָצָרוּ – this plural is referring not to multiple hands but to Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s multiple fingers, as found in Tehillim.
Rabbeinu Bachya then points out that אֶצְבַּע is also found with regards to the plague of kinim (lice) and the luchot, and in the name of Rav Saadia Gaon, he provides us with the common denominator of these three instances of אֶ צְבַּע – heaven and earth, the plague of kinim, and the luchot. Rav Saadia Gaon says, Hakadosh Baruch Hu creating the world with His fingers – i.e., מַ עֲשֵׂה אֶצְבְּ עֹתֶ יך – refers to three creations. Firstly, the גַּלְגַּל עֶלְיוֹן – the highest sphere, from which the גַּלְגַּלִּים, the planetary system of planets, moon, and mazalot are all orchestrated. This represents the largest and grandest possible creation. Secondly, the kinim – representing the smallest or most mundane type of creation. Thirdly, the luchot – not as large as the galgalim and not as small as the kinim, but containing the highest level of holiness, as they were formed and engraved by Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself. This broad spectrum of creations by ל ֹהִ ים-אֶצְבַּע אֱ, from largest to smallest to holiest, demonstrate that everything is one – all acts of creation are equal to Hakadosh Baruch Hu and represent His limitless ability to create.
In his sefer Torat HaMincha, Rabbi Yaakov Sikili provides another link between the three, through examination of a Pasuk in Shemot where the name of Hakadosh Baruch Hu – אֶ הְ יֶ - ה – appears three times consecutively. Moshe Rabbeinu asked Hakadosh Baruch Hu what he should say to Bnei Yisrael and Pharoah upon reaching Egypt, and was told:
ֹאמֶ ר אֱ וַי-ל ֹהִ ים אֶ ל־מֹשׁ ֶ ה אֶ הְ יֶ -ה אֲשׁ ֶר אֶהְיֶ -ֹאמֶר כֹּה תֹאמַר לִבְנֵי יִשְׂ רָ אֵ ל אֶ הְ יֶ -ה שׁ ְ לָחַנִי אֲלֵיכֶם׃
Rav Sikili says there is incredibly deep significance to this name being repeated three times in succession. One instance corresponds to the Eser Ma’amarot (Ten Utterances) with which the world was created, the next to the Eser Makot (Ten Plagues), and the final corresponds to the Aseret HaDibrot (Ten Commandments).
The idea that follows can be found in greater depth in sefer Ne’imot Yomeiru - Pesach, and can also be found in summary in Rav Baruch Rosenblum English Shiurim for Va’eira 5783, Bo 5783, and Va’eira 5784.
Nobody was present to witness the Creation of the world, as man was created at the end of the sixth day when everything was in place. It was designed so that he show up like a groom at his wedding, stepping out of the limousine with no awareness of the prior work performed to prepare the hall for his arrival. The details of Creation were only dictated by Hakadosh Baruch Hu to Moshe Rabbeinu after the fact, so they could be written in the Torah.
When Moshe was sent to confront Pharoah, by using the name אֶ הְ יֶ - ה, he was to deliver a message that the G-d Who created the world sent him. But Pharoah did not accept this, and responded, “I do not know this G-d you speak of nor any of the work you say He performed”. יְאוֹר לִי וַאֲנִי עֲשִׂ יתִ ינִי – Pharoah believed he alone was responsible for everything, including the creation of himself and all that surrounded him (Yalkut Shimoni, Nach 330). This set the stage for Hakadosh Baruch Hu to demonstrate to Pharoah, and all mankind, that He created the world.
How did He do so? Through a “recreation” of the world, or “re-enactment” of Creation. The ten makkot revealed the ten ma’amarot originally used to create the world (with varying opinions as to which plague aligned with which utterance and creation). The ten makkot revealed how every element in the world was created – i.e., through the word of Hakadosh Baruch Hu – and set up the subsequent delivery of the Aseret HaDibrot, which also align one-to-one with the plagues. All this to say, the Eser Makkot and Aseret HaDibrot correspond to the Eser Ma’amarot of Creation. This is an explanation as to why on Friday night, in Kiddush, we refer to two seemingly unrelated events – זִכָּרון לְמַעֲשֵׂה בְרֵאשִׁית and זֵכֶר לִיצִיאַת מִ צְרָ יִם. We were not present for the former, but the latter revealed it to us and connected us directly to it.
With that, let’s learn something beautiful. There are not many mitzvot performed with one’s fingers. The first mitzvah of the day – washing one’s hands – indeed involves the fingers, as we pour water over them. Shortly thereafter, at shul, men wrap the straps of their Tefillin around the finger three times:
לִ י בְּ צֶדֶ ק וּבְ מִ שׁ ְ פּ ָט וּבְ חֶ סֶ ד וּבְ רַ חֲמִ ים: לִ י לְעוֹלָם, וְאֵ רַ שְׂ תִּ יך וְאֵ רַ שְׂ תִּ יך לִ י בֶּ אֱ מוּנָה, וְ יָדַ עַ תְּ אֶ ת־ה וְ אֵ רַ שְׂ תִּ יך':
And I will betrothe you to Me forever; and I will betrothe you to Me in righteousness, in justice, in kindliness and in mercy. And I will betrothe you to Me in faithfulness and you shall know Hashem.
This represents the kinyan of Hakadosh Baruch Hu acquiring us, just as it is performed under the chuppah with a ring placed on the finger. Additional mitzvot are certainly performed using our hands, such as lifting up the lulav and etrog, or a kiddush cup, but none of them involve a direct commandment to use our hand. Even spilling drops of wine at the Seder table – where some use their pinky, some their index finger, and some go the route of tipping their cup sixteen times – is only a minhag. There is not much that involves, and requires, usage of the fingers.
There is another mitzvah, performed directly with one’s fingers, which I’d like to discuss, but it does not appear anywhere in the Shulchan Aruch. In every shul, when the Torah is raised during Hagbah, in unison everyone calls out: ב ּ ְ י ַ ד מ שׁ ֶ ה'וְזֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשׁ ֶר שָׂם משׁ ֶה לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל פִּי ה. And what do they do while reciting that pasuk? They point at the Torah. Some use their index finger, others use their pinky, and some use the edge of their tallit to point. Some even kiss their finger or tallit corner when done. All methods are both right and also wrong, because there is no mention whatsoever of this practice in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 134), where the only thing we’re told to do during Hagbah is to bow our heads slightly upon seeing the ktav of the Sefer Torah and recite “Vezot HaTorah”. While the Shulchan Aruch mentions bowing our heads once, the Ben Ish Chai says we bow our heads multiple times, corresponding to the number of aliyot given out that day, whether three, seven, or other. In a shul that just handed out forty hosafot – Oy! You’ll be bobbing your head like a chicken for quite a while! Regardless of these clear instructions, today, we all find ourselves pointing. In the Midrash (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 2:4) on the pasuk וְדִ גְלוֹ עָלַי אַהֲבָה, Rabbi Ḥunya says, in the past, if a person would point to the image of a king with his finger, he would be punished, possibly with the death penalty. Now, a person places his hand on a mention of Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s name, and he is not harmed. Moreover, Hakadosh Baruch Hu says: His thumb [gudalo] over Me is love. Just as, l’havdil, our thumbs are used to instantly Like something these days, Hakadosh Baruch Hu yearns for the pointing of Bnei Yisrael and Tinnokot Shel Beit Rabban to Him and His Torah.
We laid out the three sets of ten: Utterances, Plagues, and Commandments. In the name of the Shelah HaKadosh, there is the next set of ten: עֶשֶׂר הָאֶצְבָּעוֹת – the ten fingers. Rav Avraham Zvi Margalit shlit”a, Chief Rabbi of Karmiel, writes in his sefer Na’eh Doresh, that his grandfather worked with old books and manuscripts, and once came across an old sefer of Hai Gaon, titled Rashuyot L'Hai Gaon. In it, he asks why man has two hands and ten fingers. Why not three or four hands, and six or eight fingers? What is the significance of two and ten? He answers, the two hands represent the two luchot, and the ten fingers represent the Aseret HaDibrot. And here comes the absolute petzatza! Hakadosh Baruch Hu initially wanted to write the Aseret HaDibrot on the hands of Moshe Rabbeinu, with one Dibur on each finger! Moshe Rabbeinu reached such heights that his hands could have been the שׁ ְ נֵי לֻחוֹת אֲבָנִים! And why did it not play out this way? It was גָּלוּי וְיָדוּעַ – revealed and known to Hakadosh Baruch Hu that Bnei Yisrael would create the golden calf and sin at Har Sinai, and that Moshe Rabbeinu would descend from the mountain and shatter the luchot upon seeing them. Had the Aseret HaDibrot been engraved on Moshe’s hands, it would not have been stones smashed to pieces but rather Moshe Rabbeinu’s hands. If not for that undesired outcome, according to Hai Gaon, Hakadosh Baruch Hu would have delivered the Aseret HaDibrot on Moshe’s hands! Rav Margalit then adds, this idea is supported in a pasuk found in the battle against Amalek:
ִקְחוּ וִידֵי מֹשׁ ֶה כְּבֵדִ ים וַי ָשִׂימוּ אֶבֶן וַיתַ חְ תּ ָ יו.
But Moshe’s hands grew heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him.
Rav Margalit points out that Targum Yonatan and Targum Onklos both translate the word כְּ בֵ דִ ים as יַ קְ רִ ין and יְ קָ רָ ן – important and valuable. Moshe’s hands were so highly valued that Hakadosh Baruch Hu did not want to have them shattered and therefore placed a stone תַ חְ תּ ָ יו – in their stead.
Back to our ten fingers, the Shelah Hakadosh says each finger corresponds to one of the Aseret HaDibrot. For example, the pinky corresponds to the first commandment of Anochi, because the Gemara (Ketubot 5b) counts fingers beginning with the זֶרֶ ת – pinky. According to the Shelah, it is for this reason we use the pinky when pointing at the Torah, as it represents the first of the Aseret HaDibrot.
Another explanation as to why the index finger is used for pointing to the Torah is found in sefer Mishpat B’Tzedek, based on a grouping of pesukim found in Tehillim whose subject is the Torah. They are a series of six rhythmic verses, each containing five words and together corresponding to five books of the Torah:
תּוֹרַת ה’ תְּמִימָה מְשִׁיבַת נָפֶשׁ \ עֵדוּת ה’ נֶאֱמָנָה מַחְכִּימַת פֶּתִי׃ פִּקּוּדֵי ה’ יְשׁ ָרִ ים מְשַׂמְּחֵי־לֵב \ מִצְוַת ה’ בָּרָה מְאִירַת עֵינָיִם׃ יִרְאַת ה’ טְהוֹרָה עוֹמֶדֶת לָעַד \ מִ שׁ ְ פְּ טֵי־ה’ אֱמֶ ת צָדְ קוּ יַחְ דָּ ו׃
Take note how the name of Hakadosh Baruch Hu appears second within each pasuk. For this reason, according to Mishpat B’Tzedek, the index finger – i.e., the second finger – is used to point to the Torah, as the second position is where the Torah is connected to Hakadosh Baruch Hu. (This opinion begins its count from the thumb rather than the pinky finger.)
Rabbotai, I would like to travel back in time and bring those of you who are married back to the day of your chuppah. Standing under the chuppah, the chatan is asked to produce a ring, followed by some quick verification of its ownership and value. Which finger is that ring then placed on? According to Halacha it can be any finger, but our custom is to use the index finger of the right hand. Why? Sefer Nachalat Shiva says it is because the index finger is the one most often used to point and thus the most visible – therefore, the declaration of this woman now being married is made on it for everyone to see. The Ben Ish Chai says the index finger is used in connection with the aforementioned Tehilim verses whose focus is the Torah, as just preceding them we find: וְהוּא כְּחָתָן יֹצֵא מֵחֻפָּתוֹ – who is like a bridegroom coming from his chamber.
The Shelah HaKadosh also has an explanation as to why the kallah’s index finger is used and it connects back to his opinion that the pinky is used to point to the Torah, highlighting the first of the Aseret HaDibrot. Why do we switch over to the index finger under the chuppah? The answer relates to the positioning of the young couple. Whereas just prior to that moment they stood side by side, when placing the ring on the kallah’s finger, the chatan stands facing her. The index finger of her right hand, while they stood side by side, represented the fourth commandment: Shabbat. But once turned around and facing one another, the index finger of her right hand now corresponds to the seventh commandment: ל ֹא תִּ נְ אָ ף – Thou shalt not commit adultery. Quite appropriate for the occasion.
With this, we can conclude with a very nice idea. If we say that a chattan and kallah enter kiddushin using the index finger, when we point to the Torah we are pointing to the same idea – namely, that we entered into kiddushin with Hakadosh Baruch Hu through the Torah. Where do we see this? Right here in our Parsha:
ִתֵּן אֶל־מֹשׁ ֶה כְּכַלֹּתוֹ לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ בְּהַר סִינַי שְׁנֵי לֻחֹת הָעֵדֻת לֻחֹת אֶבֶן וַי כְּתֻ בִ ים בְּ אֶצְבַּע אֱ -ל ֹהִ ים׃
As we learned, Rashi says the word כְּ כַ לּ ֹת ו ֹ is written without a vav to indicate the Torah was handed to Moshe just as a kallah is handed over to the chatan. The Rosh says, Matan Torah was an act of kiddushin, which is performed with the index finger, and therefore our index finger is used to reflect on that moment when we see the Torah raised. We recollect and indicate through our index finger, and its linkage to the commandment of ל ֹא תִּ נְ אָ ף, that unlike the first time on Har Sinai, we will not abandon the Torah and Hakadosh Baruch Hu will not be replaced with anything else.
Just as we employ our fingers to point towards the sacred, may we swiftly witness the day when Hakadosh Baruch Hu extends His entire hand to vanquish our adversaries and terminate the dreadful oppression imposed upon us by Bnei Yishmael. May we promptly witness the Geula of our people and the rebuilding of the Mikdash. ◊
