In שמות, Perek כז, Pasuk כ, it says ואתה תצוה את בני ישראל ויקחו אליך שמן זית זך כתית למאור להעלת נר תמיד.
Why did the Pasuk have to say ואתה תצוה-that you had to order them (when talking about taking the olive oil)? In every case Moshe instructed the people to do something, so why did it have to specifically say in this case that he commanded them?
The רמבן explains that Moshe had to inspect the olive oil to make sure that it was pure and good enough to be used for the נר תמיד.
I think this opinion really makes sense because it shows how important this specific case was for Moshe and the נר תמיד. If it didn’t specifically say ואתה תצוה, it would be like any other case.
Sforno says that the word ואתה, means “and you personally.” That Moshe was personally give instructions to the Bnei Yisrael for providing the oil for the Menorah.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is easier for Bnei Yisrael to hear a commandment from Hashem through Moshe and not from anyone else because they trust Moshe and therefore it says that Moshe should personally tell Beni Yisrael.
The Gerrer Rebbe rereads the text by focusing only on those two words “VeAta Tetzaveh” (“You shall command“), and explains; VeAta – And You, Tetzaveh – is a commandment. Hashem is not only instructing Moshe to teach the Jewish people how to build a Mishkan but also telling Moses to tell Bnei Yisrael, that each and every one of them is a mitzvah! I like this idea because it shows us that we aren't just following rules that were once told to our nation many years ago, but still, we are apart of Bnei Yisrael.
ReplyDeleteKayla Markovitz
Abby Pollack
ReplyDeleteaccording to the pasuk, Moshe is instructed the obligation to provide oil for the menorah. Rashbam comments on the word teztzaveh because in this context it can be interpreted differently and it could mean something else because, in fact, Moshe is always obligated and commanded to do something. in this context however,the root of the word is “you will command.” Whenever that root occurs the subject matter it addresses is one of ongoing importance, not a commandment to be carried out only once, only because of special circumstances. This principle has been spelled out by Torat Kohanim in Leviticus at the beginning of Parshat Tzav, as well as in Sifrey on Parshat Nasso section 1.
i like this idea because it shows more than just a simple command that Hashem gave to Moshe. Yes, Moshe was commanded to do something, but in this situation the commandment had a more important meaning behind it, which i find to be meaningful.
Ayala Kilimnick:
ReplyDeleteAccording to Chizkuni, after Hashem gave Moshe all the instructions for the Mishkan, He told Moshe how to keep it lit at all times. This is similar to how Hashem was when he created the world. Hashem commanded that when the Mishkan was completed, that Moshe would be supplied with olive oil.
I like this idea because I like how it compares the way Hashem is creating the Mishkan to the creation of the world because it shows how important the Mishkan is.
Jen Felder
ReplyDeleteThe Or Hachaim has a unique and personal take on what these two words are in the Pasuk for. Hashem hinted that the commandment was supposed to appear as if it had come from moshe himself which is why it says ואתה. By telling Moshe to “command” the people instead of simply just “speaking” to them, it made the matter more urgent in their eyes. Using the root צו instead of דבר is to convey that for no reason should the matter be taken any more lightly than if it had appeared to come from Hashem himself. Additionally, the way Hashem commanded Moshe in all matters concerning the tabernacle He always used the direct speech “you (Moshe) shall do” thereby involving Moshe personally in every aspect of building the tabernacle.
I feel that this is a good explanation of why two simple words in the Torah had a deeper meaning of the love that Hashem had for Moshe and בני ישראל therefore wanting the relationship between all of them to be increased by creating an equally important commandment for בני ישראל emanate from Moshe himself.
According to kitzur Baal haturim, they were specifically commanded in this because they would have to keep it every day, it was serious business. Because of this, it must be reenforved with an extra commandment from Moshe. In addition, it’s deliberate that Moshe’s name does not appear here (only saying that he needs to command them). The reason for this is because it’s a fulfillment of the curse that Moshe proclaimed against himself- to be blot out of the Torah if HaShem wouldn’t forgive the Jews. Even though He did forgive, the curse still had to come true.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with this approach because it just seems like a stretch, and the answer to why they had to be commanded doesn’t really give any information. The same thing can be said for lots of mitzvot.
Naomi Kutin ^
DeleteThe Tur HaAroch says that Moshe had to specifically command Bnei Yisrael about the oil because he wanted to provide top quality olive oil for the lamps on the Menorah. They were also commanded to provide funds for the Karbanot
ReplyDeleteI really like this idea because i think its important that when you do the Mitzvah, you have the highest quality things to fulfill it.
Eden Schechter
ReplyDeleteRabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch says:
On the altar, where the burnt offerings were brought. They were animals, consumed by a fire from G‑d. And this happens within the Jew. The sacrifice is of himself. The animal is his “animal soul,” his egocentric desires. And the fire which consumes them is the fire of the love of G‑d Whose undying source is the spark of holiness at the essential core of his soul.