Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Exodus 33:1/אור החיים על שמות ל״ג:א׳
אלֵךְ עֲלֵה מִזֶּה. הִזְכִּיר לְשׁוֹן עֲלִיָּה, אוּלַי שֶׁיִּרְמוֹז לְמַה שֶׁאָמְרוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה (שבת פח,א) שֶׁהָעֲדִי שֶׁהִתְנַצְּלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל נָטַל מֹשֶׁה, וְהוּא הָעֲלִיָּה שֶׁרָמַז לוֹ בְּאָמְרוֹ עֲלֵה מִזֶּה, פֵּרוּשׁ מִזֶּה שֶׁעָבַר, וְלָזֶה דִּקְדֵּק לוֹמַר גַּם כֵּן תֵּבַת אַתָּה שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר כֵּיוָן שֶׁעִמּוֹ הָיָה מְדַבֵּר, אֶלָּא לוֹמַר אַתָּה תַּעֲלֶה וְלֹא זוּלָתְךָ שֶׁאַדְרַבָּה יְרִידָה הָיְתָה לָהֶם, וְאָמְרוֹ וְהָעָם פֵּרוּשׁ יֵלֵךְ עִמָּךְ.
1 לך עלה מזה, "go and ascend from this place, etc." The mention of an "ascent" is significant. Perhaps the Torah alludes to Shabbat 88 where we are told that Moses appropriated for himself the jewelry the Israelites stripped off themselves. [That "jewelry" was always perceived as being spiritual, such as the phylacteries. Ed.] This is alluded to here by the use of the word עלה in addition to לך. The apparently superfluous word אתה, "you," further supports the idea that the Torah speaks about an ascent by Moses which signified a spiritual dimension. The spiritual ascent was limited to Moses, i.e. אתה, as distinct from the people. As far as the people were concerned, G'd's instruction was only: לך, "go on."
בלֵאמֹר. טַעַם אָמְרוֹ לֵאמֹר, כִּי לָשׁוֹן זֶה הָאָמוּר בְּדִבְרֵי ה׳, לֹא הָיָה שָׁוֶה לְכֻלָּם. יֵשׁ מֵהֶם שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ בְּלָשׁוֹן זֶה, וְיֵשׁ מֵהָאָבוֹת שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ בְּלָשׁוֹן אַחֵר כַּמְבֹאָר מִן הַכְּתוּבִים, לָזֶה אָמַר לֵאמֹר, פֵּרוּשׁ, שֶׁכַּוָּנַת הָאֲמִירָה לְכֻלָּם הוּא ״לְזַרְעֲךָ״ וְגוֹ׳:
2לאמור, "to say, etc." When the Torah reported communications from G'd to the Patriarchs, such communications did not usually involve לאמור, i.e. that they were to be passed on to others. The Torah wishes to remind us that whenever G'd had spoken to the Patriarchs promising to give the Holy Land to their descendants, such promises were לאמור, i.e. they were meant to be relayed by the Patriarchs to their children, etc.