Parshas Korach 5786
- Torah Tavlin
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
ויאמר שמואל אל העם לכו ונלכה הגלגל ונחדש שם המלוכה ... (שמואל א' יא-יד)
As a descendent of Korach, Shmuel HaNavi devoted his life to correcting his ancestor’s rebellious actions by always making sure to present the proper Torah perspective in everything. As Shmuel gathered the nation for his final farewell speech, he said, "לכו ונלכה הגלגל ..." - “Come, let us go to Gilgal.” At face value it seems innocent enough - after all, Gilgal was the main location for gatherings at the time. However, Shmuel seems to be using two words to say the same thing - “Come” and then “let us go.” Why is that?
R’ Yaakov Yosef of Polnoye zt”l explains from the teachings of his holy Rebbi, the Baal Shem Tov zt”l that we see from various places that when the Torah uses a double wording like this, it is meant to emphasize two aspects of one action. For example, the mitzvah to establish a king was stated as, "שום תשים עליך מלך" another seemingly redundant double wording. However, while the Abarbanel zt”l grapples with whether this was an actual mitzvah being that Shmuel chastised the nation for eventually requesting one, the consensus is that the double wording underscores a deeper meaning in that the nation must be aware that if a king is placed over you, he will then rule you, not the other way around.
Thus, in a similar vein, the double wording here of "לכו ונלכה הגלגל" - underscores Shmuel Hanavi’s message to Klal Yisroel that at this juncture in time there will be a shift in guidance and power. The nation must recognize and acknowledge it, and then “go to it” willingly.