ויּצְעַק מֹשֶׁה אֶל יְדוָד לֵאמֹר קל נָא רְפָא נָא
“Moshe cried to Hashem saying, please (nah) ‘Kail’ please (nah another time) heal her,” (Bamidbar 12:13).
Rashi explains: “Hashem, please heal her.” This pasuk teaches (derech eretz) proper conduct, that if one asks a friend for a favor, he should precede (his request) with two or three words of supplication, and only then should he make his request. Saying: What is the meaning of the word, “saying?” Moshe said to Hashem: “Tell me if You are going to cure her or not.”
Rashi asks two questions about this pasuk: Why is “please” mentioned twice in the second half of the pasuk, and what is the meaning of the word “saying” in the first half of the pasuk?
He answers the first question by explaining that “please” is mentioned twice to teach derech eretz—indicating that when asking something from somebody, he should not only ask for that thing, but to add a few words of appeal, like, “please,” or “would you mind?” etc.
The answer to the second question is that Moshe didn’t just ask Hashem to heal Miriam but also requested that Hashem inform him if his prayers were answered, and Miriam was saved.
Zera Shimshon points out something very interesting: Rashi explained the second part of the pasuk before he explained the first part! Why didn’t Rashi explain the pasuk in the order that it was written, first the beginning of the pasuk and then the second half of the pasuk?
Zera Shimshon gives two answers.
The first answer is that Rashi’s explanation of the second part of the pasuk serves as an introduction to his explanation of the first half of the pasuk. This means that understanding the double use of “nah” as teaching the proper way to ask something from someone else is essential to understand why Moshe asked Hashem to inform him whether his request was granted or not.
How is this?
We translated “nah” as “please.” However, that is not its only meaning. “Nah” can also mean “immediately.” For instance, the Torah commanded us to eat the Korban Pesach grilled and not “nah,” which means immediately after it is shechted, while it is still raw. If this was the meaning of the word here—implying that Moshe prayed to Hashem to immediately heal Miriam—then it wouldn’t make any sense for Moshe to ask Hashem if He answered his prayers or not. He could see for himself: if she is better, then his prayers were answered; if not, then they were not.
Rashi, therefore, first explained that “nah” doesn’t mean “immediately,” but it is used here simply as an expression of derech eretz. Only after that is established, can Rashi now explain that the word, “saying” means that Moshe asked Hashem to inform him if his prayers were answered or not.
The second explanation is based on a very interesting halacha in the Shulchan Aruch. The Shulchan Aruch rules that one may not raise their voice when davening to Hashem, as it may appear as though they believe Hashem cannot hear whispers, which is obviously not true. Hashem sees what we do in the dark, hears what we whisper and even knows what we think! This is a basic tenet in Judaism. However, it is permitted to raise one’s voice for educational purposes, such as to teach others the proper words, the proper pronunciation or the order of the brachos (in the days before siddurim).
According to this, Zera Shimshon explains that Moshe cried out loud to Hashem to heal his sister, and it was permitted here because it also served to teach the people the proper way to ask for something—by adding a few words of appeal. He hadn’t done this until now because he was concerned that they might mistakenly learn from him that it is also permitted to daven out loud even for no special reason. They wouldn’t realize that it was only permitted because Moshe was teaching them how to daven.
However, in this case, there was another reason for his davening out loud. He wanted them to see that he prayed a short prayer—not even mentioning Miriam’s name—to prevent people from thinking that he only davens and cares about his family members. Therefore, they wouldn’t make the mistake of learning from him that it is permissible to daven out loud.
However, it wasn’t clear to him if he made the right decision or not, so he asked Hashem, “laimor,” to tell him if he had prayed properly and Hashem accepted his prayers, or did he act improperly and he would pray again.
Therefore, concludes Zera Shimshon, since Moshe’s praying out loud the word “nah—please,” was the reason that he asked Hashem to tell him if he was right or wrong, Rashi first explained what “nah” means and only after that what “laimor—saying,” means even though “laimor” is written before “nah.”
One important lesson we can take away from Zera Shimshon’s explanation is that in our complex world, we often are forced to make some very multifaceted decisions. At the time, our logic may seem solid, but often we are merely justifying our actions. When we present our reasoning to an objective observer, they can reveal that our arguments aren’t as sound as we believed. It’s like assembling a jigsaw puzzle in a dark room—we think all the pieces fit together perfectly, and the picture is complete, until someone turns on the light and reveals the flaws in our work.
We should learn from Moshe that when making such decisions, we can and should ask Hashem to show us if we are on the right track. While we might not receive direct answers like Moshe asked for, we can ask Hashem to provide clear signs to guide us in knowing whether our actions are correct or not.
This week’s divrei Torah is being sponsored by Dovid Yaakov ben Chana. In the merit of his sponsorship, Hashem should speedily grant him and his mother Chana bas Rivka prosperity and good health.
