Комментарий к Бамидбар 10:2

עשה לך MAKE THEE etc. — make לך, “for thyself” (on thy own behalf) suggests that they shall blow them in your presence, as before a king, as it is said, (with reference to Moses) (Deuteronomy 33:5) ויהי בישרון מלך “and he was king in Jeshurun”.

עשה לך שתי חצוצרות כסף, seeing that the immediate plan was for the people to journey to the Holy Land without delay, G’d gave the commandment for the trumpets to be used as “Royal trumpet blasts,” announcing the moving of the Tabernacle to a new location, or announcing the arrival of the Tabernacle at its next location. The trumpets would also be blown before battles, as we know from verse 9.

עשה לך שתי חצצורות "make two trumpets for yourself." Why did Moses require trumpets to announce the journeys when all the Israelites could see the cloud move and this was their signal to commence packing and journeying? Perhaps the reason is that not all the tribes began their journey at the same time. The tribe of Yehudah was the first to break camp followed by the members of the clan of Gershon who carried the Tabernacle, followed by the camp of the tribe of Reuven, etc. The trumpets were required so that each group knew exactly when to start moving. When we questioned the need for the trumpets we could have also questioned why the trumpets were described as לך, "for yourself" i.e. for Moses. The fact is that just as G'd had paid Moses the compliment not to let the clouds move or come to rest without Moses telling it to, so G'd paid him the compliment of allowing him to give the signal to break camp by means of the trumpets. In that sense then the trumpets were Moses'. The word לך means that these trumpets would be at the exclusive disposition of Moses. Sifri on our verse understands the word to mean that Moses had to pay for these trumpets out of his own funds. Bamidbar Rabbah 15,15 suggests that only Moses was allowed to blow these trumpets. As there are 70 different ways to explain the Torah, all of these explanations are legitimate.

והיו לך למקרא העדה, these trumpets were to be Moses’ personal property to be used to alert the congregation in times of need by blowing in them. A second purpose would be to alert the encamped Israelites to get ready to move on. מסע, the word is a noun similar to נסיעה.

עשה לך שתי חצוצרות כסף, “make two silver trumpets for yourself!” The trumpets were to be made of silver instead of gold, in order not to remind Hashem of the golden calf each time they would be used. The sound, otherwise, would be associated with the loud noise the Israelites made when they danced around that idol. (Compare Exodus 32,18)

At the time of departure of המחנות (the camps). Most texts read “departure of המסעות (the formations)” meaning at the time of the departure of the formations, each comprising three camps, each under its banner. Either way, with this Rashi ensures that one not say that when they wanted to travel they would sound the trumpets. For this is not the case; rather the cloud folded first, and afterwards Moshe would say “Arise Hashem.” Only afterwards would they sound the blasts. Therefore, Rashi explains that that at the time of the departure of the camps when they prepared themselves to travel, they would not depart until the trumpets were sounded.

Kap. 10. V. 2. חצוצרות. Die Wurzel ist offenbar: הצר mit verdoppeltem zweiten Wurzelbuchstaben, statt eines Dagesch forte: חַצוֹרָה . So Chron. II. 5, 13 מְחַצְצרִים fürמְמַצְרִים . Wie aus unsern Bemerkungen zu Bereschit 2, 18 und Schmot 27, 9 erhellt, istחָצֵר die einem Hauptmittelpunkt sich anschließende Umgebung, ein umkreisendes Zubehör, also "Hof" in seiner eigentlichen Bedeutung. חצר würde also heißen: einen Hof um sich bilden. Auf Instrumentaltöne übertragen wäreחצר : ein Signal ertönen lassen, und חצוצרה ist das Signalinstrument, die Trompete. Ein jedes Signal ruft nämlich alle die, an welche es gerichtet ist, entweder in Wirklichkeit oder mit dem aufmerkenden Geiste zu dem hin, von welchem es ausgeht, es macht also diesen zum Mittelpunkt eines ihm sich anfügenden Kreises, es ist ein hofbildendes Zeichen, sein Instrument ist: חצוצרה, das "hofbildende", in den Hof rufende Instrument. —(ספרי) שיהו שוות במראה בקומה ובנוי :שתי חצוצרות , wie überall, wo nur zwei Objekte angeordnet werden und die Zweizahl neben dem Plural genannt ist, die völlige Gleichheit derselben gefordert wird (siehe Wajikra 16, 7). V. 34, 4 wird bestimmt, dass mit einer Trompete das Signal zur Berufung der Repräsentanten der Volksgemeinde, der Häupter der Tausende als Nationaleinheit, mit zweien aber der Nation in ihrer Vielheit gegeben werde. Aus doppelten Gründen dürfte daher die völlige Gleichheit beider Signalinstrumente gefordert sein: die Häupter und das Volk in ganz gleicher Würde und die Vielheit der Nation in völliger Gleichheit aller ihrer Glieder zu zeigen. — כסף: Silber ist das edle חצר-Metall (siehe Schmot Kap. 27, Ende). — מקשה: aus einem Stück gehämmert, die Einheit und Gleichheit des Rufenden und des Gerufenen vergegenwärtigen. Doch ist מקשה bei הצוצרות nicht מעכב (Menachot 28 a). —:עשה לך והיו לך כל הכלים שעשה משה כשרים לו וכשרים לדורות חצוצרות כשרים לו ופסולים לדורות, daselbst. Alle durch Mosche angefertigten Geräte durften auch nach seinem Tode gebraucht werden, nur nicht die חצוצרות, daher das wiederholte לך. Wohl dürfte damit der spezifische Unterschied zwischen Mosche und allen seinen Nachfolgern eben diesen seinen Nachfolgern im Bewusstsein gehalten sein. Das ולא קם נביא עוד בישראל כמשה fand seinen sprechendsten Ausdruck darin. Die Trompeten, welche Häupter und Volk zu Mosche gerufen hatte, durften nach Mosche Tode für keinen andern an den Mund gesetzt werden. — מסע .ולמסע את וגו׳ hat verbale Bedeutung: zum Aufbrechen lassen, daher את המחנות. So שתהא מזמן העדה ומסיע את המחנות :ספרי.

עשה לך שתי חצוצרות, “make yourself two trumpets, etc.” they were meant to be at Moses’ disposal at all times so that he would not have to send out to find someone who owned trumpets.

עשה לך MAKE THEE — from that which is thine own and not from the common funds (Sifrei Bamidbar 72).

והיו לך למקרא העדה, to assemble the people or their leaders in front of the Tabernacle. G’d wanted that the trumpets be used to render honour to the king.

את המחנות, as if the Torah had written למחנות, for the encamped communities.

עשה לך MAKE FOR THYSELF” also suggests: you make them and use them, but no one else.

למקרא העדה [THAT THOU MAYEST USE THEM] FOR THE CALLING OF THE ASSEMBLY — i. e. when you wish to speak to the Sanhedrin and the rest of the people and you summon them to assemble unto you, you shall summon them by the trumpets.

ולמסע את המחנות AND FOR THE JOURNEYING OF THE CAMPS — at the time of departing on the journeys you shall blow them as a signal. Consequently you must say that they used to travel by a three-fold call: by the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, by the word of Moses (cf. Rashi on v. 18 at the end), and by the sound of the trumpets (Boraitha d’ Mlechet ha-Mishkan s. 13).

מקשה OF BEATEN WORK — from a block of silver you shall make them by hammer blows (Sifrei Bamidbar 72).