Alshich's Thoughts on Perek Zayin

ובבא משה אל אהל מועד לדבר אתו וישמע את הקול מדבר אליו מעל הכפרת אשר על ארן העדת מבין שניהכרבים וידבר אליו. (פט):

 

הנה, פסוק זה יראה בלתי מקושר, עם הקודם ועם המאוחר. ועוד, כי אמרו רבותינו ז"ל (תנחומא בהעלותך ה) על סמיכות פרשת בהעלותךאל חנוכת המזבח. ואמרו, שהיה אהרן מהרהר ומצטער, הנה כל השבטים הביאו חנוכת המזבח, ואני לא הבאתי מצד שבט לוי. ואמר לוהקב"ה, שלך גדול משלהם, כי בהעלותך את הנרות וכו'. והלא לפי זה לא היה ראוי להפסיק בפסוק ובבא משה וכו' בנתים. ועל פי דרכנו,נשים לב אל אומרו מדבר בחיר"ק המ"ם. והנה פרש"י, שהוא, כי אינו כבוד כלפי מעלה לדבר עם בשר ודם. על כן, היה הקול כמתדבר בינולעצמו, ומאליו שומע משה. ועל היות דוחק שבא לספר נגד משה רבינו ע"ה, גם אין לו ייחס פה:

 

ואחשבה, בשום לב אל אומרו אחר כך וידבר אליו. כי הנה בא לספר מעלת משה. כי בבאו לדבר אל השם יתברך רעד והיה בוש להתחיל.והיה צריך רשות, כדרך המלך שצריך תחלה רשות לדבר. אמר, כי הוא יתברך היה מתחיל, להורות כי חפץ בו לדבר אתו.

 וזה לא היה על ידי מלאך, רק היה שומע את הקול כמתדבר אליו דרך הקבלה טובה. ואחר כך וידבר אליו לנוכח אתו, כאשר ידבר איש אל רעהו. אך לאמתחלה. כי מה שהוא הכנה אל הדבור, אין ראוי ליעשות לנוכח. ודבר גדול היה ליעשות על ידי עצמו, וטרם יתחנן משה לפניו, כי אם היה הוא יתברך היה מתחיל:

 

והנה אמרו רבותינו ז"ל בויקרא רבה (א ט) כי גדול כח משה מאברהם. כי באברהם המלאך עשה ההכנה, ויקרא אליו מלאך ה' וכו' (בראשית כב יא). ואחר כך הוא יתברך דבר עמו, אל תשלח ידך וכו'. ובמשה, ויקרא אל משה על יד עצמו. ועל דרך זה הוא מה שכתבנו:

 

ונבא אל הסמיכות, והוא, כי הנה כאשר היה מהרהר אהרן, על שלא היה מחנך המזבח על שבט הלוי, הנה גם משה היה יכול להרהר על זה.לכן באה תורה ואמרה, הנה משה אין לו תלונה, כי מה לו יותר על השגתו והתקרבו אליו יתברך. כי ובבא משה וכו', שטרם יתחנן אל ה'ידבר אתו, מתחיל הוא יתברך, ועושה לו הקבלה אחרת וידבר אליו. ועל אהרן גם כן לא יהרהר, כי הנה וידבר וכו', בהעלותך אתהנרות וכו' כמו שאמרו ז"ל (תנחומא שם) שלך גדול משלהם וכו':

By this דיבור המתחיל, Alshich talks about the connection between במדבר פרק ד' פסוק פט and the פסוקים immediately before, the חנכת המזבח, and right after בהעלתך את הנרות. Alshich quotes חז"ל, who say that the סמיכות פרשיות between the חנכת המזבח and בהעלתך is that Aharon wondered why he wasn't a representative of שבט לוי in the dedication of the מזבח, and Hashem answers that as the כהן גדול, Aharon has his own special, more individualized task, lighting the מנורה on a daily basis. That's a great idea and all, but if that's the case, what is פסוק פט, which talks exclusively about Moshe, doing here? 

Alshich's answer is that Moshe really could have said the exact same thing as Aharon, but Hashem is showing in this פסוק how really he has his own special relationship with Hashem and no reason to worry. Moshe gets the opportunity to communicate with Hashem in a way that no person before or after ever did- as the פסוק says, לדבר אתו, to speak with him- and just like Moshe has this unbelievable opportunity, Aharon should learn that he has a unique privilege as well to light the Menorah and need not wonder why he wasn't part of the חנכת המזבח because he's far above that level.

In order to prove his answer, Alshich quotes the words of פסוק פט, and inevitably as he always does, there are several lessons involved. Alshich compares Aharon's question to the Nevuah of Moshe. He says that it starts as מִדַּבֵּר- notice the היריק which Alshich says is indicative of the fact that in the beginning Hashem and Moshe weren't really talking but Hashem was as though talking to himself and Moshe was listening. Then it progresses to the level of וַיְדַבֵּר אֵלָיו, which Alshich says is like when you come before a human king and you wait for the king to speak to you before you respond. But after that, Moshe talks to Hashem on the level of לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ, like a man talks to his friend, something no other Navi ever experienced (I think the Bar Ilan text has a mistake and the second וַיְדַבֵּר אֵלָיו should be לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ). Alshich compares the Nevuah of Moshe to the Nevuah of Avraham and it's clear that Moshe's is far superior as Avraham was called out to by a מלאך while Moshe was called out by Hashem himself. 

How about those lessons? The obvious one is at the end, where Alshich sets out to prove that Moshe was the greatest נביא to ever live. Other than that, he has underlying themes of the fact that Hashem is on a much higher level than human beings, that you must have extreme reverence whenever you "come before Hashem" in תפילה, that good things come to those who wait, and that you should never question Hashem knowing that everything will always work out in the end as long as you believe.

In this פירוש, Alshich sets out to clarify an idea from the גמרא and does so with flying colors in an intuitive idea that can also teach us a variety of things to apply in our lives. Sometimes Alshich's ideas are a little bit out there, but in this one he uses strong textual proofs seamlessly intertwined with his usual type of lessons in a lucid פירוש that was a quick yet influential read.