Mei HaShiloach · Volume I, Numbers, Matot, Chapter 1
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וידבר משה אל ראשי המטות לבני ישראל לאמר זה הדבר וכו'. (בגמ') (ספרי מטות ב') כל הנביאים נתנבאו בכה הוסיף עליהם משה שנתנבא בזה הדבר. ודבר זה לא היה נוהג אלא בדור הזה, והוא כי כל הנביאים היה שליחותם לישראל במאמר נביאתם כפי העת והזמן וכפי כח השגתם כן התנבאו, ועלה ברוח נביאתם אשר דבר נבואה הלז יהיה קיים לעולמי עד, אך באמת נמצא שנוים כפי ערך דור ודור, וע"ז הוסיף עליהם משרע"ה להתנבאות בזה הדבר, היינו שהוא השיג כל דבר לפי שעתו ומקומו והבין כי הנבואה אינה רק לזמן ולאחר זמן יחפוץ הקב"ה בענין אחר, ולכן בפרשת נדרים נאמר זה הדבר אף שהוא נוהג לדורות כדיליף בגמ' (בבא בתרא ק"כ:) משחוטי חוץ, אעפ"כ נאמר זה הדבר, כי הנודר מדבר הוא לפי ערך השגתו שדבר הזה ירע לו לעבודת ה' וגם שאין בדבר הזה שום טובה, ולכן נאמר זה הדבר שצריך האדם להבין כי לא נאסר לו רק לזמן, והש"י יוכל ליתן לו כח לקבל כל הטובות שבעולם ולא ינתק מעבודת הש"י.
“And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel saying, this is the word which God has commanded.” (Bamidbar, 30:2) “All the prophets prophesied with ‘Ko,’ ‘thus [spoke God],’ Moshe was superior to them all, saying, ‘Ze haDavar,’ ‘this is the word’” (Sifrei Mattot, 2).78One explanation: The prophets of Israel received their prophecy in a vision or a dream, but Moshe, the greatest of all prophets, would see God’s word clearly and lucidly before him, saying, “this is the matter, this is the word.” Moshe’s level of prophecy only occurred in this (Moshe’s) generation. That is to say, all the prophets had a mission to Israel in conveying of their prophecies according to the particular time in which it was said and according to the power of their understanding. They would prophesize within these parameters. It occurred to them in their prophetic spirit that whichever particular word of prophecy they were speaking was enduring for all eternity. Yet truly, there were changes according to the quality of each generation. On this, “Moshe Rabeynu’s level of prophecy was superior to them all, prophesizing with ‘this is the word.’” This means that he understood the prophecy according to its time and place, understanding that a prophecy is only relevant for a particular time, and later God may desire something else. This is why the Parsha’s discussion of the laws of vows opens with “this is the word,” even though it is a commandment incumbent on every generation. This is understood from the Gemara (Baba Batra, 120a–b), “from sacrifices slaughtered outside.”79“From sacrifices slaughtered outside” of the temple, and afterwards brought to the temple. This command is introduced with “this is the word,” and ends saying that it is for “all generations.” The Gemara compares it with the laws of breaking vows, saying that both are relevant in all generations, and then depending on the time and place. Nonetheless it is introduced with “this is the word,” for one who vows not to do something does so according to the level of his understanding that this abstention will bring him to the service of God. He also understands that this action has nothing inherently good about it. Therefore it is said, “this is the word,” for one must understand that the particular action is only temporarily forbidden to him, and that God can give him the power to receive all the good of the world without being disconnected from the service of the Divine. (When one vows he accepts upon himself to abstain from something permitted, that he won’t eat this food or won’t speak to this person et al, because he knows that he cannot serve God with this action. Zeh hadavar is to say that after the vow is no longer relevant he needs to know that God can give him all manner of goodness from any action that he might have for a vowed to abstain from for a period of time.)
וידבר משה אל ראשי המטות לבני ישראל לאמר זה הדבר וכו'. (בגמ') (ספרי מטות ב') כל הנביאים נתנבאו בכה הוסיף עליהם משה שנתנבא בזה הדבר. ודבר זה לא היה נוהג אלא בדור הזה, והוא כי כל הנביאים היה שליחותם לישראל במאמר נביאתם כפי העת והזמן וכפי כח השגתם כן התנבאו, ועלה ברוח נביאתם אשר דבר נבואה הלז יהיה קיים לעולמי עד, אך באמת נמצא שנוים כפי ערך דור ודור, וע"ז הוסיף עליהם משרע"ה להתנבאות בזה הדבר, היינו שהוא השיג כל דבר לפי שעתו ומקומו והבין כי הנבואה אינה רק לזמן ולאחר זמן יחפוץ הקב"ה בענין אחר, ולכן בפרשת נדרים נאמר זה הדבר אף שהוא נוהג לדורות כדיליף בגמ' (בבא בתרא ק"כ:) משחוטי חוץ, אעפ"כ נאמר זה הדבר, כי הנודר מדבר הוא לפי ערך השגתו שדבר הזה ירע לו לעבודת ה' וגם שאין בדבר הזה שום טובה, ולכן נאמר זה הדבר שצריך האדם להבין כי לא נאסר לו רק לזמן, והש"י יוכל ליתן לו כח לקבל כל הטובות שבעולם ולא ינתק מעבודת הש"י.
“And Moshe spoke to the heads of the tribes of the children of Israel saying, this is the word which God has commanded.” (Bamidbar, 30:2)
“All the prophets prophesied with ‘Ko,’ ‘thus [spoke God],’ Moshe was superior to them all, saying, ‘Ze haDavar,’ ‘this is the word’” (Sifrei Mattot, 2).78One explanation: The prophets of Israel received their prophecy in a vision or a dream, but Moshe, the greatest of all prophets, would see God’s word clearly and lucidly before him, saying, “this is the matter, this is the word.” Moshe’s level of prophecy only occurred in this (Moshe’s) generation. That is to say, all the prophets had a mission to Israel in conveying of their prophecies according to the particular time in which it was said and according to the power of their understanding. They would prophesize within these parameters. It occurred to them in their prophetic spirit that whichever particular word of prophecy they were speaking was enduring for all eternity. Yet truly, there were changes according to the quality of each generation. On this, “Moshe Rabeynu’s level of prophecy was superior to them all, prophesizing with ‘this is the word.’” This means that he understood the prophecy according to its time and place, understanding that a prophecy is only relevant for a particular time, and later God may desire something else. This is why the Parsha’s discussion of the laws of vows opens with “this is the word,” even though it is a commandment incumbent on every generation. This is understood from the Gemara (Baba Batra, 120a–b), “from sacrifices slaughtered outside.”79“From sacrifices slaughtered outside” of the temple, and afterwards brought to the temple. This command is introduced with “this is the word,” and ends saying that it is for “all generations.” The Gemara compares it with the laws of breaking vows, saying that both are relevant in all generations, and then depending on the time and place. Nonetheless it is introduced with “this is the word,” for one who vows not to do something does so according to the level of his understanding that this abstention will bring him to the service of God. He also understands that this action has nothing inherently good about it. Therefore it is said, “this is the word,” for one must understand that the particular action is only temporarily forbidden to him, and that God can give him the power to receive all the good of the world without being disconnected from the service of the Divine. (When one vows he accepts upon himself to abstain from something permitted, that he won’t eat this food or won’t speak to this person et al, because he knows that he cannot serve God with this action. Zeh hadavar is to say that after the vow is no longer relevant he needs to know that God can give him all manner of goodness from any action that he might have for a vowed to abstain from for a period of time.)