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Chumash-Shmot

Summary:

(5749) Rashi (Ex. 29:43): "There I will arrange meetings"; Two boundaries in the "Tent of Meeting" (Ohel Mo'ed)  

 

Translation:

1. Rashi comments on the verse (Ex. 29:43):

“There I will meet with Bnei Yisroel, and it will be sanctified by My glory” (וְנֹעַדְתִּי שָׁמָּה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְנִקְדַּשׁ בִּכְבֹדִי)

that:

“There I will meet: I will meet with them (Bnei Yisroel) with speech, as a king who establishes a place to speak there with his servants” (ונועדתי שמה: אתועד עמם בדבור, כמלך הקובע מקום מועד לדבר עם עבדיו שם)

One must understand:

The topic of this aspect has already been mentioned in the previous verse (ibid. 42) “Where I will meet with you, to speak to you there” (אֲשֶׁר אִוָּעֵד לָכֶם שָׁמָּה לְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ שָׁם)

There Rashi comments:

“When I set a time to speak to you, I will set it there, to come” (אשר אועד לכם: כשאקבע מועד לדבר אליך שם אקבענו לבא)

This is similar to what is stated previously in Parshat Terumah:

“I will meet with you there, and I will speak with you etc.“ (וְנוֹעַדְתִּי לְךָ שָׁם וְדִבַּרְתִּי אִתְּךָ)

And Rashi explains there:

I will meet with you there: When I set a meeting for you, to speak with you, that place I will set for the meeting where I will come to speak to you”. (נועדתי: כשאקבע מועד לך לדבר עמך, אותו מקום אקבע למועד שאבא שם לדבר אליך)

What therefore is Rashi’s intent with this additional metaphor of the “as a king who establishes a place to speak there with his servants”?

Also why does he just cite it here in the verse: “It is there that I will meet with Bnei Yisroel" (v. 43)?

 R’ Eliyahu Mizrachi (Ro”m) explains that Rashi’s difficulty is why it does not mention here (after “There I will meet”) the aspect of “speaking” (דיבור)

(As it does in Parshat Terumah, where it states:

  • “And I will speak with you” (וְדִבַּרְתִּי אִתְּךָ)
  • And also in the previous verse (v.42), where it states: “to speak to you” (לְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ)) -

Therefore:

“He (Rashi) needed to explain: ‘I will meet with them, with speech’ (אתועד עמם בדבור) where the meaning is as if he said “I will meet there, and I will speak”.

And “since it is difficult . . to say that it is a ‘concise verse that is missing words (elaboration)’, he needed to explain it as ‘a king who establishes etc.’, where the explanation is, that since the custom of a king is to set a place to speak, he said “I will meet in the place and I will speak”.

This, seemingly, is a strained explanation (פירוש דחוק). For since

(In addition to that which we find, many times in Rashi’s commentary, that he states that the verse is a “concise verse” (מקרא קצר), in our case)

in the previous verse it clearly states: “Where I will meet . . to speak to you”, there is no need to repeat this again in the following verse.

And even the essence of the explanation is difficult. For it is difficult to say that the verse does not need to specify that G-d’s “meeting” is because of “speech” (דיבור), since this is the conduct of a mortal king, who “establishes a place of meeting to speak there with his servants”. For on the contrary it is common for the Sages to explain regarding G-d (in contrasting G-d’s deeds with a mortal king “if it is with a mortal king ..” and so forth.

The Gur Aryeh writes that the reason the Rashi cites the metaphor is because:

“It is difficult why the verse plainly states: “there I will meet with Bnei Yisroel” instead of writing: “I will meet to speak there with you” (ונועדתי לדבר שמה אליך). Moreover, it already stated: “Where I will meet with you there (v.42)”.

Therefore he answers:

“He (Rashi) resolves it by stating it is like a ‘king who establishes a place etc.’. In other words, the verse is coming just to say that this place will be the set place to speak with them, ‘as a king who establishes a place to speak there with his servants”. And therefore it states again: ‘It is there that I will meet with Bnei Yisroel’. In other words that this is the established place to speak with them. And he does not need to also explain why He is meeting with them, for he already mentioned this . . and this verse is only coming to say that this is the set place of meeting. For this thing was not mentioned in the verse, namely that G-d’s speech would be there permanently (בקביעות)”.

His words need examination:

For this concept that “this is the established place to speak with them“ was already explained in the previous verse (v.42 and in Rashi) (“I will set it to come there“). And also previously in Parshat Terumah (“(it is at) that place I will set  . . to speak to you.”), as aforementioned.

Perhaps his intent (as it appears from the conclusion of his words) is that the innovation of this verse is (not the establishment of the place of speech, but rather) “that G-d’s speech would be there permanently“ (and not just temporarily (עראית)).

However, it is difficult to explain Rashi’s wording: “as a king who establishes a place to speak there with his servants” to mean permanence. For according to his explanation, the emphasis is not on the establishment of the place, but rather on the establishment of the time (permanence), that the king speaks with his servants there in a permanent manner (באופן קבוע).

2. Seemingly it is possible to explain Rashi’s intent, plainly:

The main difficulty in the verse that Rashi is coming to resolve, is why it states: “It is there that I will meet with Bnei Yisroel”. From this it proves that the intent is regarding the aspect that is relevant (not just to Moshe alone, but rather) to all of Yisroel.

According to this one must say, seemingly, that the intent of the verse “I will meet” here is not to mean: “I will meet with them with speech” (for this only concerns Moshe), but rather that it is in the context of (Behaalotecha 10, 3-4): “(the entire congregation) shall assemble to you” (וְנוֹעֲדוּ אֵלֶיךָ כָּל הָעֵדָה) which means to meet and gather together (להתוועד ול­הקהל יחד). This refers to the resting of the Shechinah in the Mishkan, which is for all Yisroel.

(As it states after this (Ex.29:45): “I will dwell in the midst of Bnei Yisroel“ and (v. 46): “that I may dwell in their midst”)

(Whereas in Parshat Terumah (v. 22) where it clearly states “I will meet with you (נוֹעַדְתִּי לְךָ)”. Therefore one must say that this is an aspect that is relevant just to Moshe, and therefore Rashi explains there “When I set a meeting for you to speak with you“ (כשאקבע מועד לך לדבר עמך ).

And also in our Parsha (v.42) where it states: “Where I will meet with you, (to speak to you there)” (אֲשֶׁר אִוָּעֵד לָכֶם)“. Nevertheless Rashi (as aforementioned) explains “When I set a time to speak to you there“ (כשאקבע מועד לדבר אליך שם ),  

(And he does not explain that:“with you” (לָכֶם) is an independent aspect that refers to the resting of the Shechinah in the Mishkan for Bnei Yisroel) –

the reason is understood, that since it states “to speak to you“ (לדבר אליך)  

 (and not “and I will speak to you“ (ודברתי אליך))

which means that this is the purpose of “I will meet with you” (אִוָּעֵד לָכֶם)“

And this is what Rashi negates in his commentary and writes: “I will meet with them with speech” (אתועד עמם בדיבור), namely that also here the intent is to establish a place for the purpose of speaking (דיבור) (and not the resting of the Shechinah in the Mishkan, that was (not in the time of the meeting (מועד), but rather) constant.

And to answer how it is possible to say the meaning of that “there I will meet with Bnei Yisroel” means “I will meet with them with speech”,

which is not found, even once, that G-d would speak to Bnei Yisroel from this place –

Rashi cites a metaphor “as a king who sets a place to speak there with his servants”.

Just as a with a king who wants to convey something to his servants, there is no necessity for the king himself to speak with them each time, but rather the king himself speaks with his ministers and aides, and they deliver the king’s words – so too is it in the meaning of the metaphor, that the explanation of “ It is there that I will meet with Bnei Yisroel” is, that G-d established a place to speak with Bnei Yisroel, like a king who speaks with his servants, so that the speech reaches them (at times) through the intercession of the minister etc., So too G-d’s speech reaches Bnei Yisroel through Moshe Rabbeinu.

And one could say that this is plain. For when G-d wants to convey a command to Bnei Yisroel, they gathered at the entrance of the Ohel Mo’ed and Moshe heard G-d’s word from within the Tent and conveyed it to Bnei Yisroel.

(And according to this, the flow of the following verses is also understood:

  • “I will sanctify the Tent of Meeting . . and I will sanctify Aaron . . to serve Me“ (v. 44)
  • “I will dwell in the midst of Bnei Yisroel and I will be their G-d“ (v.45)

For in the beginning he explains the verse with regard to Moshe, that even though G-d’s words are just to Moshe, nevertheless, it is like a king who speaks with his servants, that the words are intended from all of Yisroel. Therefore the words “It is there that I will meet with Bnei Yisroel” applies. And in continuation to this it says that this is also regarding the general aspect of the Mishkan. For even though the service in the Mishkan applied to the sons of Aharon, the kohanim that served in the Mishkan, nevertheless, the resting of the Shechinah in the Mishkan was (not just for Aharon and his sons, but rather) “in the midst of Bnei Yisroel“.

3. However, this explanation is not resolved according to the Rashi’s words, for:

  1. If Rashi’s intent is to resolve the wording of “(There I will meet) with Bnei Yisroel”, he should have cited these words (Note: namely the words “Bnei Yisroel”) in the heading of his commentary?
  2.  If the main innovation of Rashi is, that the intent of “I will meet” is for the purpose of speech (דיבור), even though it states “with Bnei Yisroel” – Rashi should have been concise in the beginning of his comment and written: “I will meet there – with speech”. Why does he preface, with the words: “I will meet with them” (״אתועד עמם״). For this seemingly is just a repetition of the words of the verse itself?
  3. Why does Rashi write “with speech” (בדיבור) and not “to speak” (לדבר) (like the words of the verse “to speak with you” (לדבר אליך)?
  4. The main point: This question already arose in the previous verse (v.42) "Where I will meet with you . . to speak to you there “ (אֲשֶׁר אִוָּעֵד לָכֶם שָׁמָּה לְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ שָׁם). This proves that the speech to Moshe (אֵלֶיךָ) is called “I will meet with them” (לָכֶם) (to Bnei Yisroel). Therefore one must say that this is because the speeches to Moshe are for the sake of Yisroel. If so Rashi should have cited the metaphor there.

4. Therefore, it appears that Rashi’s words should be explained in a difference manner. To preface:

The verses of "Where I will meet etc.” (v.42) and “I will meet etc.” (v.43) come following (the beginning of the verse which states)

“It shall be a continual burnt offering for your generations, at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting before the L-rd - where I will meet etc. “.

Simply, this is the explanation of Ohel Mo’ed (Tent of Meeting), which is called so because there “I will meet with you, to speak to you” (and) “ It is there that I will meet with Bnei Yisroel”.

According to this one could say that the two verses

  1. "Where I will meet with you, to speak to you” (אֲשֶׁר אִוָּעֵד לָכֶם שָׁמָּה לְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ)
  2. “It is there that I will meet with Bnei Yisroel”  (וְנֹעַדְתִּי שָׁמָּה לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל)

are two different aspects in the “Tent of Meeting” (Ohel Mo’ed)

The explanation of this is:

Further on in Parshat Tisa it is explained that after the Sin of the Calf, Moshe took his tent outside of the encampment “and he called it the Tent of Meeting. Everyone who sought the L-rd, would go out to the Tent of Meeting etc.“ Rashi explains there that “he would call it the tent of meeting. That is the meeting house of those seeking the Torah. “(והיה קורא לו אהל מועד, הוא בית ועד למבקשי תורה)

And afterwards it states “And it would be that when Moshe entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and He would speak with Moshe“. In other words Moshe‘s tent (which he called “Ohel Mo’ed”) was the place where G-d spoke with him. Therefore we find that in the Moshe‘s tent, there were two aspects:

  1. A “meeting house of those seeking the Torah“ (בית ועד למבקשי תורה)
  2. The place where G-d spoke with Moshe.

This order, in Moshe’s tent, was only conducted until the Mishkan was set up, as Rashi explains there that “Moshe conducted himself in this way from Yom Kippur until the Mishkan was erected, but no more (than that) . . once it was erected, He no longer spoke with him except from the Tent of Meeting“. This means that after the setting up of the Mishkan, these two aspects of Moshe’s tent were transferred to the Mishkan.

Like we find that, in addition to that which the Mishkan was a place where G-d spoke with Moshe, it was also a “meeting house” for Yisroel, a place of gathering of Yisroel, as is explained in the verse (that it is) “to summon the congregation . . the entire congregation shall assemble to you, at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting“. We also find concerning the daughters of Tzelofchad that “They stood before Moshe and before . . the entire community at the Tent of Meeting entrance“ (as Rashi explains there “They were sitting in the study hall” (בבית המדרש))

5. One could say that this is Rashi’s intent here in writing “There I will meet: I will meet with them“(אתועד עמם):

The explanation of the word: “I will meet“ (אִוָּעֵד) in the previous verse (v.42) "Where I will meet with you to speak to you“ is the establishment of a place, like Rashi’s words: “When I set a time . . I will set it to come there“.

(And also, the previous verse “I will meet” in Parshat Terumah where Rashi explains “When I set a meeting . . (it is at) that place that I will set for the meeting etc.“). This is also like the Targum Onkelos that it is an expression of designation (לשון הזמנה). In other words that it is designated and specified (מיועד ומיוחד) for a specific cause.

However, in our verse, the intent is for the second aspect:

“I will meet“ is an expression of “I will meet with them” from the phrase “meeting house“.

(And like the aforementioned words of the verse (in Parshat Behaalotecha) “the entire congregation shall assemble to you” (וְנוֹעֲדוּ אֵלֶיךָ כָּל הָעֵדָה)).

And it is understood plainly, that the reason that it states “to Bnei Yisroel”, is because the intent is to refer to the place of the gathering of the congregation.

(We therefore find, that in Tent of Meeting (Ohel Mo’ed) there are two meanings:

  1. "Where I will meet with you, to speak to you (meaning) - a set and prepared place for G-d to speak with Moshe
  2. “It is there that I will meet with Bnei Yisroel” – a “meeting house“ (of Bnei Yisroel).

And the reason that Rashi adds “(I will meet with them) with speech” (בדיבור) – is because the verse states: “There I will meet”. In other words that this is not just a “meeting house“ of Yisroel between themselves, but rather the place that G-d “meets” with Yisroel,. Therefore Rashi needs to explain, what the “connection” is between G-d and Yisroel in this place. Therefore he says “with speech”.

According to this, the precise wording of Rashi in stating “with speech” (where he does not state like the words of the verse “to speak“ (לדבר) ) is also understood:

This “meeting” (התועדות) between G-d and Yisroel with speech, was not just in that G-d spoke with Yisroel in this place (through Moshe’s intercession, as aforementioned) but rather it is also the opposite. When Bnei Yisroel needed to request something from G-d, they would enter this “meeting house“ to pray to Him.

(And this is precise in Rashi’s words of the metaphor where he writes that it is “like a king who sets a place to speak there with his servants”. For seemingly he should have said “to his servants’.

(Similar to the words of the previous verse “to speak to you” (לדבר אליך) (not “with you” (עמך) or “together with you” (אתך)) even though, there, it refers to Moshe)-

However, Rashi’s intent in this is to precisely indicate, that the emphasis of this is not that this is the place that the king speaks to his servants, but rather that this is the established place where the king converses (מתדבר) with his servants (including also, that the servants speak there with the king)

And one should not ask: ‘where do we find (in the simple meaning of the verse) that Bnei Yisroel prayed at the entrance of the Ohel Mo’ed?’ – for this is something that is self-understood (and Rashi does not need to explain it). For when there is a need to pray, we do this in a place of the gathering (like a Beit HaKnesset). And in the desert this was by the entrance of the Ohel Mo’ed, the place “to summon the congregation“ (לְמִקְרָא הָעֵדָה).

And especially since we explicitly find so regarding the Temple, where it is called “My house . . a house of prayer“. For in addition to that which the Temple is the place for the resting of the Shechinah, and where they offered Korbanot – it is also the place where Yisroel gathers to pray to G-d, as it states: “pray and make supplication to You in this House“

(And one could say that this is also understood from Rashi’s comment previously on the verse “and this is the gate of heaven“, that it is – “a place of prayer to ascend their prayers to heaven“).

And since the Mishkan is also called “Mikdash” (מקדש), as it states: “And they shall make Me a sanctuary (“Mikdash”) and I will dwell in their midst“, it is understood, that before the building of the Temple, the Mishkan was the “place of prayer”.

And may it be His will, that is should also be for us, namely that through our occupation with studying the “form of the House . . and its exits and its entrances “ that we should merit the building of the (third) Temple. For there the Mishkan (and all of its vessels) that Moshe made will also be revealed - “It is there that I will meet with Bnei Yisroel”, speedily in our days, mamosh.

MSichas Shabbat Parshat Tetzaveh 5740

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