Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus (Exodus 24:1) opens with an unexpected speaker: Michael, the Prince of Wisdom, said to Mosheh on the seventh day of the month, Come up before the Lord, thou and Aharon, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship at a distance.
The Archangel Who Carries the Invitation
The plain Torah text says simply And He said unto Moses. The Targum reveals the intermediary: Michael, called here Sar Hokhma, Prince of Wisdom. In the Jewish angelic tradition, Michael is Israel's defender — the archangel who stands for the nation in the heavenly court. Now he delivers the summons that begins the covenant ceremony.
The detail that this happens on the seventh day of the month is specific. The rabbis placed this moment in Sivan, the month of the giving of Torah. On that exact day, Michael arrived to call the leadership up the mountain.
Who Climbs, and How Close
Five named figures: Moses, Aaron, his sons Nadab and Abihu, and seventy elders. A stratified ascent. Moses alone would ultimately go to the summit. The others would stop along the way. Worship at a distance — the Torah draws invisible concentric circles around the divine presence, and each group stops at the line appropriate to its level.
The Takeaway
Even the greatest moments in Israel's history come packaged with structure. Michael calls. Moses climbs highest. Aaron, his sons, and the elders each halt at their station. Encountering God is not a free-for-all — it is a carefully graded approach, mediated by angelic hands.