Commentary for Numbers 20:16

וישמע קלנו HE HEARD OUR VOICE — through the blessing with which our father, Jacob, had blessed us — “the voice is Jacob’s voice” (Genesis 27:22), because whenever we cry we are answered (Midrash Tanchuma, Beshalach 9 on בשלח).

וישמע את קולנו, “He listened to our voice (prayer).” This was a reference to the power of prayer i.e. הקול קול יעקב, “the voice is the voice of Yaakov,” bequeathed by Yitzchak to his son Yaakov (Genesis 27,22).

Through the blessing … “The voice is the voice of Yaakov.” From the answer that the king of Edom gave to Moshe we see that Moshe said to him, “Through the blessing…” Meaning: The Torah writes shortly (v.18), “Lest I go out against you with the sword.” There Rashi explains the reason that he responded, “You pride yourselves…” This proves that Moshe [first] said to him, “Through the blessing…” (Devek Tov) For if not so, when Moshe said, “We cried out to Hashem…” he should merely have said, “Hashem heard and He sent…” Why did he mention “our voice”? Rather, it was “through the blessing…”

בקדש עיר גבולך, “at Kadesh, a town on the border of your Kingdom.” This was at the southeastern end of the land of Canaan.

מלאך A MESSENGER (or an angel) — This was Moses; from this we may learn that the prophets are termed “angel”; so, too, it says, (II Chronicles 36:16) “And they grieved the angels (מלאכי) of God” (Leviticus Rabbah 1:1).

וישלח מלאך, “He dispatched an angel, etc.” A supernatural being, not an emissary such as Moses (Ibn Ezra). This is based on Isaiah 63,9 ומלאך פניו הושיעם, “and the angel of His Presence delivered them.” It is also possible to see in the word מלאך a reference by Moses to himself (Rashi) as we find in Chagai 1,13: ויאמר חגי מלאך ה', “and Chagai, the Lord’s messenger said to the people.” In the eyes of the people Moses enjoyed the status of an angel in that he was so totally devoid of preoccupation with matters pertaining to the body. We have proof that this is how the people had viewed him as at the time when they thought he would not come back from Mount Sinai they said: “this man Moses who has taken us out of Egypt we do not know what happened to him.” Apparently, until Moses’ failure to return on time the thought that Moses could be an ordinary mortal had not occurred to them (compare Exodus 32,1). [As soon as Moses did return they clearly thought of him as an angel even more, seeing he went without food or drink for 40 days. Ed.].

This refers to Moshe. Rashi is answering the question: But it was Moshe who took them out! So Rashi explains “from here…”