Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Exodus 19:24/אור החיים על שמות י״ט:כ״ד

ארֵד וְעָלִיתָ וְגוֹ׳ עִמָּךְ. כָּפַל לוֹמַר לֶךְ רֵד, אַחַת לְגוּפָהּ וְאַחַת לוֹמַר לוֹ לְשׁוֹן יְרִידָה. וְאוּלַי שֶׁהַיְּרִידָה הִיא כִּי מִקּוֹדֶם לֹא הָיָה לְמֹשֶׁה מָקוֹם מוּגְבָּל בָּהָר וְהָיָה עוֹלֶה לְרֹאשׁ הָהָר, וּכְשֶׁסֵּרֵב אָמַר לוֹ רֵד וְעָלִיתָ וְגוֹ׳, פֵּרוּשׁ כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאַהֲרֹן יֵשׁ לוֹ גְּבוּל גַּם אַתָּה יֵשׁ לְךָ גְּבוּל, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ ״עִמָּךְ״, הֲרֵי הִשְׁוָה הָאַחִים בִּבְחִינַת הַגְּבוּל.
1 רד ועלית אתה ואהרון, "descend and then ascend, you and Aaron." Why did G'd say both לך and רד? The word לך meant that Moses was to move, the word רד that he was to descend; perhaps he had to descend as he had previously not stood on a place assigned to him on the Mountain but had stood on the peak. When Moses refused to move G'd may have told him to descend (from that peak) but to ascend again with Aaron. He should know that just as there was a limit to how far Aaron could ascend there would also be a limit to how far he, Moses, could ascend. This is implied when the Torah describes Aaron as ascending עמך"with you."