Comentario sobre Exodo 19:24

לך רד GO, GO DOWN and warn them a second time. God said this, because the rule is that one admonishes a person before an action is to be done and then one again admonishes him at the very moment when the action is to be done (cf. (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 19:24:1).

לך רד, now, when I am speaking with you, be with them at the bottom of the mountain.

רד ועלית אתה ואהרון, "descend and then ascend, you and Aaron." Why did G'd say both לך and רד? The word לך meant that Moses was to move, the word רד that he was to descend; perhaps he had to descend as he had previously not stood on a place assigned to him on the Mountain but had stood on the peak. When Moses refused to move G'd may have told him to descend (from that peak) but to ascend again with Aaron. He should know that just as there was a limit to how far Aaron could ascend there would also be a limit to how far he, Moses, could ascend. This is implied when the Torah describes Aaron as ascending עמך"with you."

One might think they, too. . . “They, too” refers to the kohanim [and not the people. This is evident because later,] Rashi mentions the [area of the] kohanim, but does not write: “. . .And the people.” [Rashi knows that the kohanim were closer to Moshe] because it is impossible for the people, too, to be with Moshe. For if so, to whom would “Do not break through” apply? [Everyone would be with Moshe!] Perforce, [it is as Rashi said]. Rashi is saying as follows: If you suggest that the kohanim are included in the warning, “Do not break through,” [for they are with the people,] why did it not say ואהרן עמך והעם אל יהרסו , [omitting והכהנים ]? This would convey that the kohanim, too, should not break through. But the verse states והכהנים . If so, perhaps והכהנים should be read with the preceding, thus the kohanim are with Moshe? Therefore the verse says ועלית אתה , to exclude [a certain set of people from being with Moshe]. But since the excluding אתה is written before ואהרן , perhaps it implies that Aharon, too, is excluded. Therefore it says עמך , to indicate that Aharon is indeed with Moshe in the same area — he is not with the kohanim. [To resolve these seemingly contradictory inferences,] we are forced to conclude that אתה means Moshe has his own area, not with Aharon. And Aharon has his own area, not with the kohanim, for it says עמך . And “they”, the kohanim, have their own area, not with the people. Re”m, [who does not grant the kohanim their own area], happened upon a different version of Rashi. (Nachalas Yaakov; see there.)

ויאמר אליו ה' לך רד, Hashem said to him: “go and descend, etc.” If you were to ask why was there any need for three separate warnings (verse 12, verse 21 and this verse)? The warning in verse 23 refers to the warning in verse 21 where G-d had warned the people not to approach the mountain in order not to become a victim of destruction by trying to have a visual image of G-d. Moses had assumed that the very fact that they had been warned would be equivalent to the people’s inability to violate G-d’s commandment. G-d had already said in verse 12 that the people would be immediately killed if they were to try and ascend the Mountain or even its lower edge. Surely they could exercise control over their feet! Concerning their having control over their eyes, not to try and see the glory of G-d was a much more difficult task. This is why the warning had to be repeated. They would think that it was a good deed to try and catch a glimpse of their King! Moses had misinterpreted the prohibition as applying only to a physical ascent of the Mountain. This is why G-d had to add that not only ascent was potentially fatal, but even touching the base of the Mountain and even trying to catch a glimpse of G-d’s Majesty.

ועלית אתה ואהרן עמך והכהנים AND THOU SHALT COME UP, THOU AND AARON WITH THEE AND THE PRIESTS — One might think that they (the priests) shall also be with thee! Therefore it states “and thou shalt come up”. Consequently you must now admit that this is what God spake to him: thou hast a designated place for thyself, and Aaron a designated place for himself and they a designated place for themselves — Moses approached closer than Aaron and Aaron closer than the priests — but let the people under no circumstances break down their position to go up to the Lord (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 19:24:2).

ועלית אתה ואהרן, at the conclusion of the Ten Commandments and the portion Mishpatim as we read in Exodus 24,1. The Torah writes there: עלה אל ה' אתה ואהרן “ascend to G’d, you and Aaron.” [the elders and Aaron there are bidden to prostrate themselves from a distance. Ed.]

ואהרן עמך, “and Aaron with you;” he was allowed to accompany Moses part of the way to the base of the Mountain. Moses was going to explain to the people the last nine of the Ten Commandments, starting with the words: לא יהיה לך, “You must not have, etc.” which the people had not heard or understood clearly from G-d’s mouth. Another way of interpreting G-d’s instructions here: G-d told Moses to descend in order that the people and the priests would not be under the mistaken impression that Aaron was no better than they as they had all been forbidden to ascend or even begin to ascend the Mountain. By being allowed to accompany Moses far closer to the Mountain than they had been, it became clear to them that Aaron was on a higher spiritual level than they. To prevent the people from thinking that Aaron could ascend all the way G-d told Moses to descend before Aaron could do so.

פן יפרץ בם LEST HE BURST FORTH UPON THEM — Although it (the word יִפְרָץ) is punctuated with a Chataf Kametz (our Kamets Chataf — short Kametz), it has not departed from its normal grammatical form, for thus is the way of every word which has the vowel Melopum (our חולם) in its hit syllable, that being a closed syllable: when it comes with a Makkef (a hyphen) after it the vowelling is changed to a Chataf Kametz (our short Kametz).