What are the connotations of, "Mamleches Kohanim"?
Rashi: It means, 'a kingdom of princes.' 1
Ramban: It means, 'a kingdom of people who serve Me.' 2
Seforno and Targum Onkelos: It means 'a kingdom of Kohanim' - to teach all the nations to call in the Name of Hashem and to worship Him. 3
Targum Yonasan: It means 'a nation of kings, who are bound 4 with the crown [of Torah], and of Kohanim 5 who serve Hashem.'
Zevachim 19a: It happened once when Huna bar Nasan was standing in front of King Izgadur with his belt tied above the height of his elbows, the king lowered it to the height of his elbows 6 and declared "It is written about you (Yisrael), 'Mamleches Kohanim!'"
Oznayim la'Torah #1: It means that, in their capacity as a nation of Kohanim, they will spread Hashem's Divinity in the world; by virtue of which Hashem will provide us with all our needs. 7
Oznayim la'Torah #2: It means that, in their capacity as a nation 8 of Kohanim, 9 Yisrael will teach the world the knowledge of Hashem.
Maharal #1 (Derush Al ha'Torah, p. 29): a. The term "Mamleches" implies domination over all others. Lest one object that at times, the tables could turn, and others might dominate over them; the Pasuk specifies, "a kingdom of Kohanim." A Kohen is under the domain of Hashem; it is impossible that others would dominate over him. b. "A holy nation" means in Olam ha'Ba, which is entirely holy and transcendent.
Maharal #2 (Chidushei Agados Vol. 1, p. 93, to Rosh Hashanah 8b): Yisrael stands apart from the other nations; they are innermost, closest to Hashem. They are referred to as 'kings' - just like the king must stand apart from the rest of the people. 10
Meaning that every Jew will be a prince.
As if to say that Yisrael is to the nations of the world, what Kohanim are to Yisraelim.
Seforno: As the Navi indicates in Yeshayah 61:6 and Yeshayah 2:3 - "For Torah will go out from Tziyon."
Perush Yonasan and Yayin ha'Tov: Presumably this refers to the two crowns, one corresponding to "Na'aseh" and the other to "Nishma," which the angels bound on to Yisrael at Matan Torah.
Indicating that the crown of Torah incorporates the crown of kingship and the crown of Kehunah (Na'ar Yonasan citing Rabeinu Bachye).
See Torah Temimah, note 12.
Oznayim la'Torah: Like we find by the Kohanim, about whom the Torah writes in Parshas Shofetim, "Hashem Hu Nachalaso" (Devarim 18:2).
See Oznayim la'Torah.
See Devarim 33:10.
The Gemara on which the Maharal comments, tells us that on Rosh Hashanah, just as a king stands in judgement prior to the common people, independent of the masses and any of their transgressions; so too on Rosh Hashanah the Jewish people is judged first, before the rest of the world. Maharal explains why this is so; and he cites our Pasuk as the source that Yisrael is considered to be kings.
What is the connotation of, "Goy Kadosh"?
Seforno: It means that when Yisrael received the Torah, they would inherit eternal life - the existence of Olam ha'Ba was destined to take effect 1 and they would live forever. 2
Seforno: As the Pasuk indicates in Yeshayah 4:3. See also Sanhedrin 92a.
Seforno: This changed however, when Yisrael worshipped the Golden Calf, and they were ordered to remove the jewellery that symbolized this gift - as the Pasuk clearly states in Ki Sisa, 33:6.
What are the implications of "Eileh ha'Devarim ... "?
Rashi: It implies that Moshe was not permitted to add to or to detract from, anything that Hashem told him. 1
Oznayim la'Torah: Even though they did not contain any Torah or Mitzvos, only words of encouragement to pursuade the people to accept the Torah.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "These are the words [that you shall speak] - No less, and no more!" Would we have thought that Moshe would add on to the words of Hashem?!
Gur Aryeh: In this instance, Moshe was forbidden to add on his own words of convincing (even if he would inform the Bnei Yisrael that they were his own words). The reason was, lest they later claim that they had been excessively persuaded (into accepting the Torah, and that their agreement was not binding).
Maharal (Derush Al ha'Torah, p. 29): Hashem's message came in the form of a condition, "If you will surely hearken... you will be unto Me a treasured nation; etc." That implies that should they fail to listen, then - on the contrary - they would become distanced from Hashem. Perhaps upon hearing this, the Bnei Yisrael would become disheartened, calculating their potential risk as greater than their gain, and thus refrain from accepting the Torah. Moshe was therefore liable to leave out the word "if" - thus masking the fact that the benefits of the covenant were conditional, dependent upon Bnei Yisrael's deeds. Similarly, perhaps Moshe would change the order; by presenting the benefits, "you shall be unto Me a kingdom of Kohanim, etc." before the stipulation of the preceding Pasuk, "if you hearken." This would help them focus in on the great destiny that was in store for them, before hearing the conditions attached. But to do so would be counter-productive, because they would then accept the Torah as "servants who serve the master in order to receive reward" (see Avos 1:3). 1 Furthermore, by the rules of making conditions (Tenai), the stipulation must precede the result, or else the stipulation is invalid (see Gitin 75a). For all of these reasons, Hashem specifically warned Moshe not to make any changes of his own volition.
Whereas now that they heard the condition first, their acceptance would not be merely "in order to receive reward" - since perhaps they would not end up receiving reward, but rather the opposite. (We may point out, however, that although it is true that one who acts in order to receive reward, or to avoid punishment, does not meet the greater level of 'one who serves not for the sake of reward;' in this context we are not discussing service of Hashem, but rather the initial acceptance of the Torah. Had their motivation been merely reward, they would have refused to accept it - lest they ultimately face punishment instead. Seeing as Bnei Yisrael did accept the Torah, they must have truly wanted the Torah itself; they wished to serve Hashem. As such, their acceptance must be classified as 'not for the goal of receiving reward.' See Maharal below (19:9:4:7 ), where Chazal derive that Bnei Yisrael "accepted suffering, joyfully." Maharal implies that this acceptance in advance of any Divine punishment that should arise, was the antithesis of being "servants in order to receive reward." Only someone whose goal is truly to draw close to Hashem, rejoices in suffering and the closeness to Hashem that it brings. (EK))
