פּירוש אויף שמות 19:2

ויסעו מרפידים AND THEY JOURNEYED FROM REPHIDIM — What does Scripture teach us by again expressly stating from where they set forth on the journey, for is it not already written (Exodus 17:1) that they had encamped at Rephidim and it is therefore evident that they set forth from there?! But Scripture repeats it in order to make a comparison with the character of their journey from Rephidim to that of their arrival in the wilderness of Sinai! How was it in the case of their arrival in the wilderness of Sinai? They were in a state of penitence (as shown by the unanimity with which they encamped before the mountain: cf. Rashi on the end of this verse)! Thus, too, their setting forth from Rephidim was in a state of repentance for the sin they had committed there (see Exodus 17:2) (Mekhilta).

ויסעו מרפידים, “they journeyed on from Refidim, etc.” according to Rashi, these words mean that the people moved forward spiritually, i.e. that they had repented their conduct once they moved on. All the time they were at Refidim they had not yet repented. [The reader is referred to chapter 17 where upon questioning whether the Lord was in their midst, and the subsequent attack by Amalek when they encamped at Refidim as His way of showing them what would happen if He were not in their midst. Ed.] Rabbi Yoshua in the Talmud Sanhedrin, folio 106, understood the word Refidim as an allusion to the people’s having become very weak in their Torah orientation, as a result of which G-d had showed them that His protection of them would weaken accordingly.

“And they journeyed from Rephidim and came to the desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert; and Israel camped there opposite the mountain.” See how many repetitions are written here, and what would the verse have lacked if it had said, “And they journeyed from Rephidim and camped in the desert of Sinai opposite the mountain”? And why did it first say they camped [plural] and afterwards he camped [singular]? First it mentions desert of Sinai, and afterwards it simply says in the desert; first it called the mountain by the name Sinai and afterwards simply called it the mountain. It appears that all this is evidence that Israel was not worthy of receiving the Torah until there was peace among them, words of the wise given from one shepherd (Ecclesiastes 12:11). The Torah’s paths are all peace, because through division of hearts, one forbids and another permits, and thus the Torah becomes like two Torahs. This is what is meant by In the third month… on this day they came to the desert of Sinai. It indicates that this month, whose zodiac sign is Gemini [Twins], signifies attachment and love, that together they would be perfect like twins to each other, and then there would be abundant peace for those who love the Torah. This also alludes to the two tablets that were like twins together, five opposite five.