parshaמפרשי הפרשה

הכתב והקבלה — ודברתם אל הסלע לעיניהם

'ודברתם אל הסלע לעיניהם' is grammatically odd. Speech is heard, not seen — Hebrew normally pairs דיבור with אוזן ('וידבר אל עפרון באזני עם הארץ,' 'אשר אנכי דובר באזניכם'). Why 'לעיניהם'?

אין לפרש 'לעיניהם' על אבר הראות, כי אין הדיבור פועל באבר הראות רק באוזן, לכן בכל מקום יחובר אוזן אל הדיבור, כמו 'וידבר אל עפרון באזני עם הארץ', 'אשר אנכי דובר באזניכם', והיה ראוי לומר כאן 'לאזניהם', מהו 'לעיניהם'? ויתכן שהוראתו כאן עיני ההתבוננות... כמו 'פקח נא עיניך וראה', 'ותפקחנה עיני שניהם', שענינם השגת ידיעה והתבוננות... והיה אם כן המכוון ממנו יתעלה בזה הענין לעורר בם דעת ותבונה על יוקר וחשיבות דיבור האלוקי בצוויו אליהם, וזהו 'לעיניהם'.

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הכתב והקבלה

הכתב והקבלה, במדבר כ׳:ח׳

HaKtav VeHaKabalah, Numbers 20:8

Chukat

Q — 'ודברתם אל הסלע לעיניהם' is grammatically odd. Speech is heard, not seen — Hebrew normally pairs דיבור with אוזן ('וידבר אל עפרון באזני עם הארץ,' 'אשר אנכי דובר באזניכם'). Why 'לעיניהם'?

A — HaKtav VeHaKabbalah distinguishes two senses of 'עין.' Beyond the physical organ, Tanakh uses 'עיניים' for *understanding* — 'פקח נא עיניך וראה' (Melachim II 19:16), 'ותפקחנה עיני שניהם' (Bereshit 3:7), where the 'eye-opening' is not visual but cognitive ('השגת ידיעה והתבוננות'). 'לעיניהם' here means: to their *eyes of understanding*. The mitzvah was to speak to the rock specifically so that *the people* would understand — the kal-vachomer Rashi cites: a rock that neither hears nor speaks obeys Hashem's word; how much more should we, who hear and speak. The speech wasn't aimed at the rock's ears; it was aimed at the people's intellect. The chiddush completes Rashi's chiddush: 'לעיניהם' tells you *which* eyes the lesson is meant to open.

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