meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Commentary/Malbim/Torah/Malbim on Numbers/English/merged.txt"}
text: Malbim on Numbers
  מלבי"ם על במדבר
  merged
  
  This file contains merged sections from the following text versions:
  -Sefaria Community Translation
  -
  
  Malbim on Numbers
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Verse 2
  
  
  
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  AND MOSES AND AARON GATHERED THE "KAHAL" BEFORE THE ROCK: Now we will tell how Moses strayed from the word of Hashem...Because Hashem Said to Moses, "gather the Eidah, you and Aaron, your brother," but they gathered the "Kahal." And I have already explained previously that there is a difference between Eidah and Kahal. And Eidah is called when the Elders of the people are standing at the front. This is when they are called and Eidah, when the Sanhedrin, who are the essence, are at the forefront. A Kahal is called when the multitudes of people are gathered in no particular or correct order and the elders are not at the front. And so at the moment when the water came out of the rock at Chorev, which was also a great miracle...it was important that it was done in front of those who were deserving of seeing a great miracle- the Elders. And so too, it applies here, Hashem wanted this miracle to be performed in front of the Elders who were deserving of seeing this miracle, because the people were rebelling against the Elders. The Tanchuma Explains that when Moses saw them approaching, he said, "What is this gathering?" and Aaron answered, "They came to do Chesed because of Miriam's death (to be menachem avelim)." Moses said, "no, this is not a respectful gathering: this is one of chaos and rebellion. A respectful gathering would have its Elders at the head." At the beginning,  it calls them an "Eidah" as the elders were leading, and then they devolved into a "Kahal" who was undeserving of a miracle, Moses and Aaron gathered the wrong group when attempting to perform the miracle. When Moses and Aaron were rebuking them, they said, "Shimu na Homirim! This rock will NOT take out water for you!" IF they had gathered the "Eidah," then water would have been produced immediately. 