Ki Sisa · EXTRA · Or HaChaim on Ki Sisa 32:28

Core Text — Or HaChaim on Ki Sisa 32:28

בְּנֵי לֵוִי. וְלֹא אָמַר ״כָּל״, כִּי לֹא כֻּלָּם בְּנֵי חַיִל לַעֲשׂוֹת הָאָמוּר בָּעִנְיָן. וְצָרִיךְ לָדַעַת לָמָּה הֻצְרַךְ לְהַזְכִּירָם וְלֹא סָמַךְ עַל מַה שֶׁבָּא זִכְרוֹנָם בְּסָמוּךְ. וְאוּלַי שֶׁבָּא לְמַעֵט שֶׁלֹּא עָשָׂה עִמָּהֶם הַדָּבָר זוּלָתָם. וּמִפָּסוּק רִאשׁוֹן שֶׁאָמַר ״וַיֵּאָסְפוּ אֵלָיו כָּל בְּנֵי לֵוִי״ אֵין לִשְׁמֹעַ שֶׁמִּעֵט אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֶלָּא בָּא לוֹמַר שֶׁכָּל בְּנֵי לֵוִי בָּאוּ, וְיֵשׁ מָקוֹם לוֹמַר שֶׁבָּאוּ קְצָת מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל, לָזֶה אָמַר וַיַּעֲשׂוּ בְנֵי לֵוִי לוֹמַר וְלֹא אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל. כִּדְבַר מֹשֶׁה. פֵּרוּשׁ, כִּי דִּבְרֵי מֹשֶׁה לְבַד יַסְפִּיק לְמַה שֶׁעֲשָׂאוּהוּ, אוֹ יִרְצֶה שֶׁלֹּא נִשְׁתַּהוּ אֶלָּא כְּכַלּוֹתוֹ לְדַבֵּר, סָמוּךְ לִגְמַר דְּבָרָיו עָשׂוּ.

English: בני לוי , the members of the tribe of Levi, etc. The Torah did not say that all the Levites displayed this loyalty by rallying to Moshe' call. We need to understand why this part of the verse had to be written at all and the Torah was not content with reporting the Levites' response to Moshe' call in verse 26 when all of them are reported as rallying around their leader. Perhaps the Torah wanted to stress that no one except the Levites acted as executioners at the behest of Moshe. Verse 26 in which all the Levites are reported as rallying around Moshe would not have made it plain that Moshe had charged only the Levites with the task of being executioners. That verse only told us that all the

Or HaChaim on Ki Sisa 32:28

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