בהעלותך, רביעי

המשכן לאהל העדת. הַמִּשְׁכָּן הֶעָשׂוּי לִהְיוֹת אֹהֶל לְלוּחוֹת הָעֵדוּת:

The Mishkon [which served] as the Tent of Testimony. The Mishkon which was made to be a tent for the tablets of testimony.

יהיה על המשכן. כְּמוֹ הֹוֶה עַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן, וְכֵן לְשׁוֹן כָּל הַפָּרָשָׁה:

There was over the Mishkon. Similar to, “would constantly be” over the Mishkon. Similarly, all the usages in the parshah.

העלות הענן. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ אִסְתַּלָּקוּת, וְכֵן "וְנַעֲלָה הֶעָנָן", וְלֹא יִתָּכֵן לִכְתֹּב וּלְפִי עֲלוֹת הֶעָנָן, וְעָלָה הֶעָנָן, שֶׁאֵין זֶה לְשׁוֹן סִלּוּק אֶלָּא צִמּוּחַ וַעֲלִיָּה, כְּמוֹ "הִנֵּה עָב קְטַנָּה כְּכַף אִישׁ עֹלָה מִיָּם" (מלכים א י"ח):

The Cloud was lifted. As Targum [Onkelos] renders, אִסְתַּלָּקוּת, (“was lifted”). Similarly, “the Cloud was lifted.” But it would be improper to write “According to when the Cloud rose,” “the Cloud rose,” because the connotation is not rising, but flowering and ascending, as in, “behold, a tiny cloud, like a man’s palm, rises from the sea.”

על פי ה' יסעו. שָׁנִינוּ בִּמְלֶאכֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן: כֵּיוָן שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל נוֹסְעִים, הָיָה עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן מִתְקַפֵּל וְנִמְשָׁךְ עַל גַּבֵּי בְנֵי יְהוּדָה כְּמִין קוֹרָה, תָּקְעוּ וְהֵרִיעוּ וְתָקְעוּ, לֹא הָיָה מְהַלֵּךְ עַד שֶׁמֹּשֶׁה אוֹמֵר קוּמָה ה' — זוֹ בְּסִפְרֵי — וְנָסַע דֶּגֶל מַחֲנֵה יְהוּדָה:

On the word of Adonoy did they travel. We learned in [the Beraysa describing] the work of the Mishkon; When the Israelites were departing the Cloud column would fold, and extend over the tribe of Yehudah like a type of beam. They sounded the tekiah, teruah, and tekiah. But it did not proceed until Moshe intoned, “Rise, Adonoy . . .” Then the banner of the camp of Yehudah departed. This is in Sifri.

ועל פי ה' יחנו. כֵּיוָן שֶׁהָיָה יִשְׂרָאֵל חוֹנִים עַמּוּד הֶעָנָן הָיָה מִתַּמֵּר וְעוֹלֶה וְנִמְשָׁךְ עַל גַּבֵּי בְנֵי יְהוּדָה כְּמִין סֻכָּה, וְלֹא הָיָה נִפְרָשׂ עַד שֶׁמֹּשֶׁה אוֹמֵר "שׁוּבָה ה' רִבְבוֹת אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל", הֱוֵי אוֹמֵר "עַ"פִּ ה' וּבְיַד מֹשֶׁה" (ברייתא דמל"ה פי"ג):

On the word of Adonoy did they camp. When the Israelites were camping, the Cloud column would mushroom upward and extend over the tribe of Yehudah like a type of protective covering. It did not separate until Moshe said, “Come to rest, Adonoy, among the myriads and thousands of Israel.” Thus you say, “on the order of Adonoy, through Moshe.”

ויש. כְּלוֹמַר, וּפְעָמִים:

Sometimes (lit. there is). As if to say, “sometimes.”

ימים מספר. יָמִים מוּעָטִים:

A number of days. “a few days.”

או ימים. שָׁנָה, כְּמוֹ "יָמִים תִּהְיֶה גְּאֻלָּתוֹ" (ויקרא כ"ה):

Or a year. (lit. days). A year, as in “[יָמִים], a year shall be its redemption [period].”

(עשה לך. שֶׁיִּהְיוּ תוֹקְעִין לְפָנֶיךָ כְּמֶלֶךְ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וַיְהִי בִישֻׁרוּן מֶלֶךְ":

(Make for yourself. So that they they may sound the trumpet before you like a king, as it is said, “There was a king among the righteous.”

עשה לך. מִשֶּׁלְּךָ:

Make for yourself. From your own resources.

עשה לך. אַתָּה עֲשֵׂה וּמִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ בָּהֶם וְלֹא אַחֵר):

Make for yourself. You shall make them and use them, but no one else.)

למקרא העדה. כְּשֶׁתִּרְצֶה לְדַבֵּר עִם סַנְהֶדְרִין וּשְׁאָר הָעָם וְתִקְרָאֵם לֶאֱסֹף אֵלֶיךָ, תִּקְרָאֵם עַ"יְ חֲצוֹצְרוֹת:

To summon the congregation. When you want to speak with the Sanhedrin or the rest of the people, and you summon them to gather before you, summon them with the trumpets.

ולמסע את המחנות. בִּשְׁעַת סִלּוּק מַסָּעוֹת תִּתְקְעוּ בָהֶם לְסִימָן, נִמְצֵאתָ אַתָּה אוֹמֵר עַ"פִּ שְׁלֹשָׁה הָיוּ נוֹסְעִים — עַל פִּי הַקָּבָּ"ה וְעַ"פִּ מֹשֶׁה וְעַ"פִּ הַחֲצוֹצְרוֹת (ברייתא דמל"ה פי"ג):

And to initiate the departure of the camps. At the time of the camps’ departure, sound them as a signal. Consequently, you say that they departed on the basis of three [initiatives]. By the word of the Holy One, Blessed is He; by the word of Moshe; and by the trumpets.

מקשה. מִן הָעֶשֶׁת תַּעֲשֶׂה בְּהַקָּשַׁת הַקֻּרְנָס:

Beaten. From a [single] ingot you should make it, by beating [it] with a hammer.

ותקעו בהן. בִּשְׁתֵּיהֶן, וְהוּא סִימָן לְמִקְרָא הָעֵדָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וְנוֹעֲדוּ אֵלֶיךָ כָּל הָעֵדָה אֶל פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד":

When they will blow them. Both of them. This is the signal for summoning the community, as it is said, “The entire community shall present itself to you at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.”

ואם באחת יתקעו. הוּא סִימָן לְמִקְרָא הַנְּשִׂיאִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וְנוֹעֲדוּ אֵלֶיךָ הַנְּשִׂיאִים", וְאַף הֵן יְעִידָתָן אֶל פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, וּמִגְּזֵרָה שָׁוָה הוּא בָא בְּסִפְרֵי:

But if they blow one of them. This is the signal for summoning the leaders, as it is said, “The leaders shall present themselves to you.” They, too, meet at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. This is derived by Scriptural comparison in Sifri.

ותקעתם תרועה. סִימָן מַסַּע הַמַּחֲנוֹת תְּקִיעָה תְּרוּעָה וּתְקִיעָה, כָּךְ הוּא נִדְרָשׁ בְּסִפְרֵי מִן הַמִּקְרָאוֹת הַיְתֵרִים:

When you blow a teruah. The signal for the camps to depart; tekiah, teruah tekiah. This is how it is extrapolated by Sifri from the redundant passages.

ובהקהיל את הקהל וגו'. לְפִי שֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר "וְהָיוּ לְךָ לְמִקְרָא הָעֵדָה וּלְמַסַּע אֶת הַמַּחֲנוֹת", מַה מִּקְרָא הָעֵדָה תּוֹקֵעַ בְּב' כֹּהֲנִים וּבִשְׁתֵּיהֶם — שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וְתָקְעוּ בָהֵן" וְגוֹ' — אַף מַסַּע הַמַּחֲנוֹת בִּשְׁתֵּיהֶם, יָכוֹל מַה מַּסַּע הַמַּחֲנוֹת תּוֹקֵעַ וּמֵרִיעַ וְתוֹקֵעַ, אַף מִקְרָא הָעֵדָה תּוֹקֵעַ וּמֵרִיעַ וְתוֹקֵעַ — וּמֵעַתָּה אֵין חִלּוּק בֵּין מִקְרָא הָעֵדָה לְמַסַּע אֶת הַמַּחֲנוֹת — תַּ"ל "וּבְהַקְהִיל אֶת הַקָּהָל" וְגוֹ', לוֹמַר שֶׁאֵין תְּרוּעָה לְמִקְרָא הָעֵדָה, וְהוּא הַדִּין לַנְּשִׂיאִים, הֲרֵי סִימָן לִשְׁלָשְׁתָּם, מִקְרָא הָעֵדָה בִּשְׁתַּיִם וְשֶׁל נְשִֹיאִים בְּאַחַת — וְזוֹ וָזוֹ אֵין בָּהֶם תְּרוּעָה — וּמַסַּע הַמַּחֲנוֹת בִּשְׁתַּיִם עַ"יְ תְרוּעָה וּתְקִיעָה (ספרי):

But when gathering the congregation, etc. Since it says, “they shall be used by you, to summon the congregation and to initiate departure of the camps” — [we derive that] just as, when summoning the community, the trumpeting is by two kohanim with both [trumpets], as it is said, “they shall trumpet with them, etc . . .” so, when initiating the camps’ departure, with both. Perhaps, just as, when initiating the camps’ departure, they sound the tekiah, teruah, and tekiah, so, too, when summoning the community, they sound the tekiah, teruah, and tekiah, thus leaving no differentiation between summoning the community and initiating the camps’ departure? The Torah therefore teaches, “But when gathering the congregation, etc. . .” to say that there is no teruah for gathering the community. The same rule applies for the leaders. Here is a synopsis for all three: summoning the community with two, that of the leaders with one. Each of these has no teruah. Initiating the camps’ departure with two, through the teruah and tekiah.

ובני אהרן … יתקעו. בַּמִּקְרָאוֹת וּבַמַּסָּעוֹת הַלָּלוּ:

The sons of Aharon . . . shall sound. For those summonings and departures.

על עלתיכם. בְּקָרְבַּן צִבּוּר הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר (ערכין י"א):

For your burnt — offerings. Scripture speaks of the communal offerings.

אני ה' אלהיכם. מִכָּאן לָמַדְנוּ מַלְכִיּוֹת עִם זִכְרוֹנוֹת וְשׁוֹפָרוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וּתְקַעְתֶּם" —זוֹ שׁוֹפָרוֹת, "לְזִכָּרוֹן" — זוֹ זִכְרוֹנוֹת, "אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם" — זוֹ מַלְכִיּוֹת וְכוּ' (ספרי):

I am Adonoy your God. From here we learn [that we combine Adonoy’s] Majesty, remembrance, and the shofar, as it is said, ”You shall blow” — hence the shofar, “as a remembrance” — this is remembrance, “I am Adonoy your God” — this is Majesty, etc.