16. "But you that did cleave to Hashem your Elohim" (Devarim 4:4). Rabbi Yosi said, "Happy is that people, that is in such a case" (Tehilim 144:15). Happy is the people whom the Holy One, blessed be He, has chosen above all heathen peoples and raised to His lot, and blessed them with His blessing, with His name's blessing. This is the meaning of, "they are the seed which Hashem has blessed" (Yeshayah 61:9), Hashem has actually blessed, NAMELY, THE BLESSING OF HIS NAME.

17. Come and see, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave all the rest of the nations in the world to the appointed ministers that rule over them. As for Yisrael, the Holy One, blessed be He, held to them for His lot and portion, to actually unite with them. And He gave them the holy Torah in order to unite with His name. Hence, "you that did cleave to Hashem," and not to any other minister as the other nations. This has been explained in different places.

18. "And Hashem spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the voice of the words..." (Devarim 4:12). Rabbi Elazar said, We have to examine this verse. IT SAYS "the voice of the words." What does that mean? AND HE ANSWERS that IT MEANS voice is considered speech, since every speech comes from it. THE VOICE IS ZEIR ANPIN AND SPEECH IS MALCHUT, BUT SINCE WORDS COME FROM VOICE, MALCHUT IS CALLED "THE VOICE OF THE WORDS." Hence it is written, "And Hashem spoke to you OUT OF THE MIDST OF THE FIRE," since speech comes from that place, MALCHUT THAT IS CALLED FIRE. And it, MALCHUT, is called "the voice of the words."

19. "You heard," since hearing depends on it, ON MALCHUT, since hearing comes from speech. Hence IT IS WRITTEN, "You heard." This has already been explained. "And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl" (Shemot 21:6), because he blemished that place called hearing, which means both words and hearing.