Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Bilang 8:2

ויקרא אל משה, in view of our being told at the end of the last portion that Moses could not enter the Tabernacle (Exodus 40,35), this is why now G’d called to Moses from the Tabernacle. As a result, the meaning of the verse here is “G’d called to Moses from the Tent and spoke to him.” The meaning of the verse is parallel to Exodus 19,3 ויקרא אליו ה' מן ההר, where the operative clause is the word מן ההר, “from the mountain.” It is important for us to know from where G’d’s voice originated. At that time it came out of the mountain, whereas now it came out of the Tabernacle. At that time it signaled that G’d had “descended” into the domain of earth, i.e. on top of Mount Sinai, whereas now it signaled that G’d had taken up residence in His home on earth, the Mishkan. At a later stage, after G’d had limited His presence to the Holy of Holies, we hear in Numbers 7,89 that His voice was heard originating from above the kapporet, the lid of the Holy Ark, between the two cherubs. At the earliest stage of G’d communicating with Moses His voice originated in the burning bush, the site of Mount Sinai, also, as we know from Exodus 3,4. לאמור, there is a repetition here, i.e. וידבר and לאמור although both address the same subject. We explained this phenomenon in Genesis 8,15 This phenomenon occurs again also with Aaron in Numbers 8,2. [the author may refer to these phenomena to draw attention to his differing with the commentary of Torat Kohanim quoted by Rashi. Ed.] [The author’s understanding of the meaning of לאמור is that it is a repetition, emphasisng the preceding words, such as ויצו, or ויקרא. Ed]

The western lamp: According to the one in Menachot who says the branches were laying east and west, the second lamp from the outside which is on the eastern side (which is west of the lamp next to it) is called western. And according to the one who says that they were laying north and south, the middle one is called western, since its opening is towards the west, and all the other lamps are towards the middle [lamp], as it is written (Numbers 8:2), "towards the face of the candelabrum" - which is the middle - "they shall give light, etc." The ones of the north were facing to the south, and the ones of the south were to the north. Lamps are loces of gold, in which we place oil and wicks.

“When you mount the lamps” [8:2]; to light them in the Tabernacle. The Midrash writes. The Holy One said: not that I need your light, but light for Me as I lighted in the wilderness with a pillar of fire, expecting that I will praise you before the nations, that you have honored Me. “Speak to Aaron and say to him” [8:2]. God said to Moses: You should tell Aaron that he should light lights in the Tabernacle that was in the wilderness. If he wants to think that one should light lights because there no windows in the Tabernacle, but in the Temple there were windows, so one does not need to light lights. Therefore the verse says, “say to him.” You should say to Aaron that he should also light lights in the Temple, even if it will have windows.²Bahya, Numbers, 8:2.

ובהעלת means when he kindles them by making their flame ascend (cf. Rashi on Exodus 27:20 and on Numbers 8:2).