Commentary for II Samuel 6:3
וַיַּרְכִּ֜בוּ אֶת־אֲר֤וֹן הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־עֲגָלָ֣ה חֲדָשָׁ֔ה וַיִּשָּׂאֻ֔הוּ מִבֵּ֥ית אֲבִינָדָ֖ב אֲשֶׁ֣ר בַּגִּבְעָ֑ה וְעֻזָּ֣א וְאַחְי֗וֹ בְּנֵי֙ אֲבִ֣ינָדָ֔ב נֹהֲגִ֖ים אֶת־הָעֲגָלָ֥ה חֲדָשָֽׁה׃
And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.
Rashi on II Samuel
On a new wagon. [Dovid] made a mistake about something that even children at their Rebbe's school know "Because the sacred work was [incumbent] upon them, which they had to carry on their shoulders" (Bamidbar 7:9). And because [Dovid] said, "Your statutes were songs for me in the house of my dwelling,"1Hashem said to Dovid, “The words of the Torah upon which it is written, ‘Blink your eyes [and be distracted] from it and it is gone’ (Mishlei 23:5), you are calling songs?” (Sotah 35a). A song is of only temporary interest and then forgotten (Maharsho, ibid). (Tehilim 119:54) he was punished to come to this,2Making the mistake of transporting the Ark by wagon. and [to have] Uzoh die through his hand. Therefore3After learning from this mistake. when they brought [the Ark] from the house of Oveid they brought it by shoulder as it says (Divrei Hayomim I, 15:12), "And he said to them, 'You, the heads of households for the Levites, you and your brothers sanctify yourselves and bring up the Ark… because, the first time you did it not.4Transporting the Ark on your shoulders. Hashem, Elokeinu made a breach upon us because we did not consult with Him as was proper'."5Consequently leading to our tragic mistake.
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