After the חטא העגל the Torah tells us that Moshe took his tent, put it outside of the camp, called it אהל מועד, and whoever wanted to hear God’s word would have to go there.
The question is when this occurred.
Rashi in Pasuk יא tells us that this whole move from Moshe was only after Yom Kippur, as the 3 sets of 40 days with Moshe on Har Sinai only ended on Yom Kippur. The tent renained until the Mishkan was built, and it became the new ohel moed.
The Netziv in the העמק דבר, brings from the פרקי דרבי אליעזר that in fact, in the middle forty days, Moshe was not on Har Sinai the whole time. His task was actually to fix up all the debacle of the חטא העגל. He davened for Bnei Yisrael thrice daily – whilst adding extra tefillos for them. Moshe needed to mend the mess of the חאט העגל. First, he had to be מתקן the issue of the עבודה זרה, and make sure there was no inkling of it around.
Secondly, there was bedlam, 3000 people were killed by their brethren, much more in the מגיפה. There was a big balagan (as we say in Israel). We had to achieve a feeling of camaraderie and achdus amongst Bnei Yisrael to get back to the איש אחד בלב אחד – without which we’d not be able to proceed with מתן תורה and the second Luchot.
That’s what Moshe Rabbeinu was doing for those 40 days.
Although this opinion is not like that of Rashi or the Ramban, the Netziv bases in Tannaim פרקי דרבי אליעזר.
This message of Achdut, is so appropriate today on Purim, the day of reaccepting Torah קימו וקיבלו.
Esther called upon Bnei Yisrael to be unified, andto pray before she goes into Achashverosh. לך כנוס את-כל-היהודים – we have to be all together, praying together, and b’ezrat Hashem we were zoche to Hashem’s awesome miracles – the miracle of Purim.
May we merit true achdus and recommitment to Torah on this Purim day, erev Shabbat Ki Tisa.
Purim Sameach and Shabbat Shalom
