כלי יקר — נקם נקמת בני ישראל / לתת נקמת ה' במדין

Q — Hashem commanded Moshe 'נקם נקמת בני ישראל' (avenge *Yisrael's* revenge), but Moshe transmitted to the people 'לתת נקמת ה' במדין' (give *Hashem's* revenge). Why did Moshe alter the wording?

A — Kli Yakar reads it as proof of Moshe's eagerness, against Rashi's claim that 'עשה בשמחה ולא איחר.' Midyan had wronged both Hashem (idolatry, znut) and Yisrael (the death of 24,000). Hashem had effectively forgiven His own grievance ('מה שעשו לי מחול'), leaving only Yisrael's. But Hashem had tied Moshe's death to the war: 'אחר תאסף אל עמך.' Moshe foresaw that if he told Yisrael the truth — that this was *their* revenge — they would defer it out of love for him, since Hashem had already let His grievance go and the revenge could wait. To force the immediate execution of the mitzvah, Moshe re-framed it as 'נקמת ה'' — a grievance only Hashem could waive. The textual switch proves Moshe accelerated his own death to fulfill the command without delay.