בשם אשר פקודי רום ותחת חבר. החל לפרש על הפשט ספר וידבר במדבר סיני. להודיע כי לא עלה משה אל הר סיני אחר היות הכבוד באהל מועד: In the name of God who counted those numbered above1The stars. See Ps. 147:4, He counteth the number of the stars. and below;2Israel.I begin to explain according to the plain meaningthe Torah portion which begins with va-yedabber.3The Book of Numbers begins with the word va-yedabber (spoke). IN THE WILDERNESS. This verse4Which states that the Lord spoke unto Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting. informs us that Moses did not go up to Mount Sinai5For revelation. since God’s glory was now present in the tent of meeting.6Otherwise, what follows would have been told to Moses on Mount Sinai.
באחד לחדש השני. לתקן את הדגלים ואיך יסעו ואיך יחנו בעבור המקדש כי בעשרים לחדש השני נסעו: ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE SECOND MONTH. To tell him to arrange the standards and to instruct him how the Israelites were to journey and how they were to camp with reference to the tabernacle,7Filwarg suggests emending ba’avur ha-mishkan (with reference to the tabernacle) to be’evre ha-mishkan (on the sides of the tabernacle). for they journeyed on the twentieth day of the second month.8Hence it was necessary to inform Moses of these things prior to their journey.