858. Moses Assembled

“And Moses assembled.” RASHI interpreted, “They assembled by his word.” What does that come to teach us? Otherwise, I would say that he would collect them with the hands.

The interpreters say that the tabernacle came to atone for the calf. The matter of the calf was that they said, “These are your gods, O Israel,” meaning seeing. This is called “hands.” Hence, when he assembled them, it was not with the hands, which is reception, but through speech, for “speech” is called “The heavens were made by the word of the Lord,” and as it is written, “I have a good gift in My treasury, and its name is Shabbat [Sabbath]; go and let them know.” Gift is a good thing, unlike charity.