Commentaire sur Les Nombres 12:13

אל נא רפא נא לה HEAL HER NOW, O GOD, I BESEECH THEE — Scripture intends to teach you by this form of prayer the correct altitude in social life — that if one is asking a favour of his fellow man he should first say two or three words of supplication and then solicit the favour (Sifrei Bamidbar 105).

א-ל נא רפא נא לה, he was pleading that Miriam should be healed forthwith so that she would not be subjected to the embarrassment of having to leave the camp.

ויצעק משה אל השם, Moses cried out to G'd, etc. The reason the Torah added the word לאמור, was to tell G'd that he had not felt offended at all and that such an assumption should not result in Miriam and Aaron assuming that he harboured some enmity against them although he wanted Miriam to be cured. It had been Aaron's words in verse 12 which had made Moses feel that he had to indicate that he never harboured any resentment against them.

קל, נא, רפא נא לה, “please, o Lord, heal her” In addressing the unspoken question why Moses added the name of the Lord, קל, Ibn Ezra understands Moses as pointing out that G’d, being G’d had the power to heal Miriam immediately, and that Moses was so emotionally upset about the suffering his sister was undergoing that he phrased his appeal so urgently. This is why G’d was obliged to explain to him the nature of Miriam’s sin as deserving at least a minimum period of her being ostracized.

ויצעק משה אל ה', “Moses cried out to the Lord:” he expressed his pain over Miriam’s fate and prayed for her. The reason the Torah continues with the word לאמור, was to tell us that this prayer by Moses was not merely in his heart but that he verbalized it. This is the meaning of Berachot 31 “if someone prays he must move his lips and enunciate the words of his prayer.” The reason is that by moving one’s lips the letters one says assume a certain shape (in the atmosphere) through the use of voice, breath, and verbalising them. When such a prayer has assumed a certain shape it ascends to the celestial regions and arrives in the presence of the Lord.

Answer me. Because the word “saying” is superfluous and the Torah should have said “Moshe cried out to Hashem: Please God [please] heal…!” Rather Moshe said to Him “answer me,” similar to “Moshe spoke…”

א-ל נא רפא נא לה, “Heal her, please, O G–d, I beseech You!” the first word נא is to be understood as a plea, whereas the second time Moses used the word נא it means: “now!”

אל נא רפא נא לה, “Heal her now, I beseech you, G-d!” the first word נא is to be understood as a request. The second time it is used, it appeals for immediate action by G-d. Proof of this is the fact that G-d’s reply explains why G-d cannot fulfill Moses’ second request. The minimum period time Miriam has to suffer from this affliction is one whole day.

לאמר SAYING (more lit., to say, i.e. that he should say) — What is the force of this word? It means “to say” i.e. that God should say, viz., he (Moses) said to Him, “Answer me whether you are going to heal her or not”, — until at length He replied: “If her father had but spit in her face etc.” Rabbi Eleazer, the son of Azariah, said: In four instances Moses asked the Holy One, blessed be He, to tell him whether He would fulfil his request or not. Similar to the case here is, (Exodus 6:12): “And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “[Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hearken to me]”. What is the force of the word לאמר? — “Answer me whether you will redeem them or not”. Until at length the Lord said unto him, (Exodus 6:1) “Now shalt thou see [What I will do to Pharaoh]”. Similar to this is: (Numbers 27:15—18) “and Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, ‘Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh set a man [over the congregation]’”. He answered him, “Take thee [Joshua the son of Nun, etc.]”. Similar to this is: (Deuteronomy 3:23—26) “And I besought the Lord at that time, saying, [O Lord, God, thou hast begun to show thy servant thy greatness]’ , the Lord replied: “Let it suffice” (Sifrei Bamidbar 105).

אל נא רפא נא לה, “O Lord, please heal her.” The attribute El which Moses prayed to is the one with the power to heal; it is part of the attribute of Justice “wrapped” in Mercy. In most instances when this attribute is mentioned it represents חסד, “G’d’s loving kindness." Examples are: Psalms 22,2 אלי אלי למה עזבתני, “My G’d, My G’d why did You forsake me?” or Psalms 50,1 אל אלוהים דבר וירא ארץ, “G’d the Lord G’d spoke, and summoned forth the earth.” The sequence of these attributes is חסד-דין-רחמים, the attributes which were employed by G’d when He created the universe. We also have a verse in Psalms 99,8 where G’d is described as relating to the Jewish people as אל נושא היית להם “You related to them as a G’d who forgives.” If, in apparent contradiction to the aforementioned, we find a verse in Psalms 7,12 which describes ואל זועם בכל יום, “a G’d who pronounces doom each day,” the meaning is that only on such days as the attribute of Justice is manifest does G’d pronounce doom. There are many days when that attribute is not in evidence seeing that the attribute of חסד has displaced it as we know from Genesis 18,23. (where Avraham prayed for the good people in Sodom).

The word לאמור may also mean that before Moses commenced his prayer he told G'd that as far as he, personally, was concerned he had waived any honour due him so that he did not feel slighted.

רפא נא לה HEAL HER, I PRAY THEE — Why did Moses not pray at length? In order that Israel should not say: His sister is in trouble, and he stands and offers long prayers! (Sifrei Bamidbar 105). — [Another explanation is: He did not pray at length so that Israel should not say: On behalf of his sister he prays long, but on our behalf he would offer no long prayer].

א-ל נא רפא נא לה. "Please O Lord, heal her." Moses addressed the attribute of חסד, similar to Psalms 52,3 where David speaks of חסד קל. [According to Rabbi Moshe Alshich the חסד, "kindness" of G'd's anger, is its very brevity. It lasts a second, no more. Ed.] The words רפא נא are a plea to grant the cure immediately.