Having already informed us in Parshas Beshalach (Shemos 17:1) that they were last camped in Refidim, why does the Torah need to write here, "va'Yis'u me'Refidim"?
Rashi and Ramban: To compare their leaving Refidim to their arrival at Har Sinai - to teach us that their departure from Refidim, like their arrival at Har Sinai, 1 was accompanied by Teshuvah. 2
Seforno: It teaches us that they left Refidim with the express intention of arriving at Midbar Sinai, where the Mountain of Hashem was situated, in order to receive the Torah. 3
Oznayim la'Torah: Having interrupted their leaving between Refidim and their arrival at Har Sinai, with the Parshah of Yisro and the judges, it needed to repeat that they arrived at Sinai from Refidim.
See Ramban's objection to the question. He therefore cites the Mechilta, which bases the question on the Pasuk in Parshas Mas'ei (Bamidbar 33:15), in connection with the journeys and encampments of Yisrael in the desert. That Parshah lists the journey from Refidim to Har Sinai - so why 'repeat' it here?
Seforno: Which they knew because Hashem had told it to Moshe a year earlier at the Burning Bush. See Shemos 3:12.
Rashi asks: "Why does our Pasuk need to re-state where they travelled from? It already stated that they camped at Refidim (see 17:1,8); obviously that is where they travelled from!" Ramban asks - But that is how the Torah always describes the travels of Bnei Yisrael ( - they travelled from point a, and camped at point b)!
Gur Aryeh: The difficulty lies in the fact that Pasuk 1 already stated that they arrived at Sinai; 1 and then our verse returns to mention where it was that they journeyed 2 from. 3
Compare to Mizrachi. He adds that usually, when the Torah lists the travels of Bnei Yisrael, were it to write in brief that 'they traveled from point a, to point b and point c,' we might think that half of Bnei Yisrael went to point b, and half to point c! Therefore, it states each segment of the journey clearly, specifying both its origin and destination.
The Mechilta asks a parallel question - Why does the Torah need to specify the journey's origin and destination here in Sefer Shemos, if it later lists all of their travels in Parshas Mas'ei (Bamidbar 33)? See Ramban and Mizrachi. Gur Aryeh explains the question - When the Torah specifies an origin and destination, it is to tell us that there were no stops in between. In this case this seems unnecessary, because Refidim and Har Sinai were consecutive stops in Parshas Mas'ei. In Rashi's version of the question, there is no reason to assume that there would be an intermediate stop. Rather, the difficulty is that their arrival was already stated in Pasuk 1.
"Va'Yavo'u Midbar Sinai, va'Yachanu ba'Midbar." Why doesn't the Torah use the standard format, 'va'Yis'u me'Refidim, va'Yachanu b'Midbar Sinai'?
Ramban: So excited were they in anticipation of receiving the Torah, that the moment they entered the desert and saw Har Sinai in front of them, they encamped on the spot, 1 without searching for a suitable location to set up camp. 2
Ramban: There in the desert, or in Chorev, a barren area in front of the mountain.
This is strange, bearing in mind that their movements were determined by the Pillar of Cloud which they were bound to follow, as we learnt in Parshas Beshalach (Shemos 13:21)?
Having just said "Ba'u Midbar Sinai" (19:1), why does the Torah repeat it?
Ramban: Refer to 19:2:2:1 .
Oznayim la'Torah: To reach us that they had defeated Amalek, who had come to prevent Yisrael from receiving the Torah, and that they were now ready to receive it. 1
See Oznayim la'Torah.
Why does the Torah add the words, "va'Yichan Sham Yisrael"?
Ramban #1: To teach us that they separated the Eirev Rav from their midst. 1
Ramban #2: In order to mention them in a dignified manner when they came to receive the Torah.
Ramban: Seeing as the Torah was given to Yisrael exclusively, as the following Pasuk clearly states.
Why does the Torah write "va'Yichan Sham Yisrael... " in the singular?
Rashi and Targum Yonasan: 'Like one man, with one heart!' 1
Maharal (Derush Al ha'Torah p. 26): Torah is absolutely one; only when Yisrael were unified as one nation, was the one Torah given to them. 2
In contrast with all the other encampments, throughout the forty years, which were performed with strife (Rashi, citing the Mechilta). Oznayim la'Torah - Because the only thing that unifies Yisrael and turns them into a nation is Torah and their belief in One G-d ('Yisrael, Oraysa v'Kudsha-Berich-Hu Chad Hu'). See Oznayim la'Torah, who elaborates at great length.
Maharal: Chazal allude to this, by pointing out that Matan Torah begins with the letter Alef - one.
Why does the Pasuk first use the term "va'Yachanu," in the plural; and only then "va'Yichan" in the singular?
Maharal (Derush Al ha'Torah p. 26): It was due to this journey of Teshuvah, that Hashem now drew close to them. 1 Sin is portrayed in the plural; those who sin do so in many distinct ways. Teshuvah is in the singular, through which all direct their heart to the One G-d.
Ibn Ezra (Perush ha'Aroch): Bnei Yisrael at large camped in Midbar Sinai, further back from the mountain, whereas the tribal leaders and the elders 2 camped right opposite the mountain. (On the day of Matan Torah as well, they stood before Har Sinai arranged in proper order - each according to his station. )
As above, 19:2:1.3:1 .
Ibn Ezra: The verb "va'Yichan" is in singular, to indicate that they were few and unique.
Seeing as the Torah is mentioning the mountain for the first time, why does it write "Neged ha'Har" (with the definite article)?
Oznayim la'Torah: Because it was the mountain known as "Har Ha'Elokim." Moshe already told Yisrael about the mountain upon which Hashem had revealed himself to him, on which He had commanded Moshe to redeem them, and to bring them to Him and to worship Him on it.
To which side of Har Sinai did Bnei Yisrael encamp?
Ramban: The moment they caught sight of Har Sinai, they immediately made camp 3 in the barren desert ("va'Yachanu ba'Midbar"), without even pausing to find the best place in the area to situate their camp.
Chizkuni: The Bnei Yisrael were travelling from west to east, from Mitzrayim towards the plains of Moav. Surely, they did not pass right by Har Sinai, only to camp at its further side! Rather, they camped on the west side of the mountain, looking eastwards at its western face.
Panim Yafos (Ba'al Hafla'ah): When Moshe first came to Har Sinai while tending Yisro's sheep, he came from the direction of Midyan, to the east. Hashem informed Moshe that Bnei Yisrael would return after the Exodus to serve Him there. That is why Moshe now led them around the mountain to its eastern side -- towards the same place where he had previously stood before Hashem.
Malbim: Our Pasuk indicates that they camped at Sinai in two stages - a. initially on its barren west side ("va'Yachanu ba'Midbar"); b. and then on its east side, unified in preparation to receive the Torah ("va'Yichan Sham Yisrael Neged ha'Har"). 4
Thus they faced westwards towards the mountain, because the Shechinah is in the west. See also Panim Yafos; and the Vilna Gaon writes likewise (Aderes Eliyahu to Devarim 33:2, and to Chavakuk 3:3). Mechilta d'Rashbi - They faced west towards the eastern side of the mountain. The Shechinah is always at the east (i.e., the eastern face of the sanctified area) -- just like the Kohen [is facing westwards when he] does Haza'ah towards the eastern face of the Kapores in the Kodesh ha'Kodashim (Vayikra 16:14).
Ramban seems to align with Chizkuni's view in answer #3, that they camped to the west of Har Sinai.
Malbim: Even when they were still camped at Refidim, Hashem gave them their water at "Chorev" (see 17:6) - i.e., the western face of Har Sinai, which was not far away. Moshe and many members of Bnei Yisrael had camped there ever since then, and all went there in order to draw water. Now, the Clouds led the camp at large to join them on Har Sinai's western side. Then, they proceeded as one to its eastern side, in preparation to receive the Torah.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "... Just as they arrived at Midbar Sinai, in [a state of] Teshuvah...." How is this evident in the Pasuk?
Gur Aryeh: Rashi relies on his following comment - The word "va'Yichan" appears in the singular, 1 which indicates that they acted with one heart, etc.
Rashi writes: "... So too, their departure from Refidim was with Teshuvah." What did their Teshuvah entail?
Maharal (Derush Al ha'Torah p. 25): At Refidim, they had distanced themselves from Hashem. They journeyed to Sinai in order to draw close to Hashem; and He too drew close to them from Heaven. 1 This shows the greatness of Ba'alei Teshuvah; it is due to their Teshuvah that Hashem draws close to them.
That is the significance of mentioning Refidim in this Pasuk. It was because of this journey of Teshuvah, that Hashem descended upon Har Sinai!
Rashi writes: "Neged ha'Har - To its east. Whenever you find the term 'Neged,' it means facing east." Ibn Ezra (Perush ha'Aroch) asks - But in Bamidbar 2:2, Bnei Yisrael are instructed to camp "mi'Neged, Saviv l'Ohel Moed" - meaning on all sides of it, not only the east! Also, Hashem tells Moshe to view the Land "mi'Neged" (Devarim 32:52) - which in context means 'from a distance' - not specifically from the east?
Mizrachi: The word "Neged" means 'Nochach' - opposite. It implies east, only when the term comes to specify a particular direction (and this is because to be 'opposite' something means to face it, and east faces forwards). In Bamidbar, the Torah is not specifying a direction; rather they were to camp all around the Ohel Moed. So too in Devarim, where the term "Neged" is used to imply distance, and not any particular direction.
Gur Aryeh: There is a distinction between "Neged" and "mi'Neged." "Neged" means 'opposite, standing face-to-face.' In the Torah's compass, east is in front, and west is behind. An inanimate object can be said to "face" somewhere, only in that sense - towards the east. "Mi'Neged," on the other hand, means 'somewhat close, but not right next to.' It does not imply being face-to face, just being nearby. 1 Hence, Rashi interprets "Neged ha'Har" as "east of the mountain." 2
Gur Aryeh: For example, if Levi is standing behind Shimon's back, and both stand with their face towards Reuven, Levi is "mi'Neged" (close by) Reuven, but is not "Neged" (directly opposite) - because someone is in the way. "Mi'Neged" is therefore the precise description for Yisrael's formation in the Midbar. (See Rashi to Bamidbar 2:2 - The Shevatim camped "mi'Neged" - one Mil's distance from the Ohel Mo'ed, such that they could still come on Shabbos. Only Moshe, Aharon and the Leviyim camped right next to the Ohel Mo'ed - intervening between them, such that Yisrael were "mi'Neged," but not "Neged," the Mishkan). Our Rashi is saying only that "Neged," being face-to-face, means east. (Also see a second answer in Gur Aryeh regarding the Ohel Mo'ed).
Rashi writes that they left Refidim amidst Teshuvah. How does this tally with the Mechilta, which states that Refidim is an acronym for 'Rafu Yadayim' (they were lax in Torah-study), and that is why Amalek came?
Riva and Moshav Zekenim: When they camped in Refidim, they slackened in their Torah-study; 1 and when they left, they did Teshuvah. 2 "Va'Yis'u me'Refidim" implies that they went away from their Rifyon Yadayim.
Compare to Gur Aryeh - As a direct result of that shortcoming, they were attacked in Refidim by Amalek. By the time Bnei Yisrael left Refidim, they were in a state of Teshuvah. Also see 19:2:1.3:1 .
