Chasidut על במדבר 11:22
Kedushat Levi
Another way of understanding the line: אנכי ארד עמך מצרימה ואנכי אעלך גם עלה will be appreciated when we first examine the meaning of Numbers 11,21 שש מאות אלף רגלי אשר אנכי בקרבו, “I am an integral part (בקרבו) of 600,000 foot soldiers, etc.” According to the Talmud Makkot. 24, this peculiar expression for Moses needs to be understood as follows: The first two of the Ten Commandments were addressed by G’d directly to the whole people, whereas the remaining 8 Commandments spoken by G’d at the revelation at Mount Sinai, were spoken to the people by Moses after he had been chosen by them to act as their interpreter. [The word תורה has a numerical value of 611, i.e. the number of Commandments Moses taught the people, the remaining two G’d having taught them directly. Ed.] Seeing that the people heard the first two commandments directly from G’d’s mouth, these are more deeply engraved upon their hearts than the others. Moses is overwhelmed that a people, i.e. comprising 600,000 foot soldiers who had been privileged to hear the Lord speak to them could face such a fate. While G’d had told Moses that He would meet their demand and give them meat, He had also predicted that many of the people in their greed for meat would die as a result of eating too much of it for too long. (Compare Rashi on Numbers 11,22) Moses was aghast to hear from G’d’s lips that a people who had attained such a level of spiritual excellence would be killed instead of being given an appropriate reward.)
If we understand the word אנכי as an oblique allusion to the Redemption and subsequent giving to the people of the Torah, and we apply this to our verse here, G’d would be explaining to Yaakov that although the present stage of his life, and his descendants appears to herald negative experiences ahead in Egypt, this would prove to be only a temporary situation leading up to the redemption and G’d revealing Himself personally to the entire people with the words אנכי ...אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים” I am the Lord your G’d Who has brought you out of Egypt, etc.”
If we understand the word אנכי as an oblique allusion to the Redemption and subsequent giving to the people of the Torah, and we apply this to our verse here, G’d would be explaining to Yaakov that although the present stage of his life, and his descendants appears to herald negative experiences ahead in Egypt, this would prove to be only a temporary situation leading up to the redemption and G’d revealing Himself personally to the entire people with the words אנכי ...אשר הוצאתיך מארץ מצרים” I am the Lord your G’d Who has brought you out of Egypt, etc.”
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