לקוטי שיחות חלק יח - מסעי א

In our parsha, the verse speaks of news that affected not only Amalek, but also the other nations. The news was that they “thought permission had been granted to wage war against the Jewish people.” Amalek, by contrast, does not need permission; he only needs an opportunity.

This is why Rashi emphasizes that the passing of Aharon — because of which they thought permission had been granted — was itself the news. The main point was not merely that the Clouds of Glory had departed.

Rashi states on the verse (33:40), “And the Canaanite heard”: “Here the Torah teaches you that the passing of Aharon was itself the news, for the Clouds of Glory departed, and he thought permission had been granted to wage war against the Jewish people. Therefore, the Torah wrote it again.”

This requires explanation. From the end of Rashi’s comment, “Therefore, the Torah wrote it again,” it seems that only the end of Rashi explains why the words “And the Canaanite heard” are repeated. If so, what difficulty is Rashi addressing at the beginning of his explanation?

Another question: Rashi already explained this matter in a similar way in Parshas Chukas. Why is it repeated here?

The explanation is: in our parsha it says, “The Canaanite, king of Arad, and he was dwelling in the Negev in the land of Canaan.” This means that “dwelling in the Negev” is not a description of the Canaanite himself, but only specifies where he lived.

In Parshas Chukas, however, the verse says, “The Canaanite, king of Arad, dweller of the Negev.” There, “dweller of the Negev” is part of the description of the Canaanite.

The explanation is that “dweller of the Negev” refers to Amalek. Therefore, in Parshas Chukas the verse speaks of news that affected Amalek specifically. Amalek is “prepared at all times for punishment and trouble”; as soon as there was an opportunity, when the Clouds of Glory departed, he came to wage war against the Jewish people.

In our parsha, however, the verse speaks of news that affected not only Amalek but also the other nations. The news was that they “thought permission had been granted to wage war against the Jewish people.” Other nations would come to fight only if they thought permission had been granted. Amalek, by contrast, does not need permission; he only waits for an opportunity.

This is why Rashi emphasizes that the passing of Aharon was itself the news, and not merely that the Clouds of Glory had departed. Aharon’s passing is what caused them to think that permission had been granted to fight the Jewish people.

The reason this detail is explained specifically here is that our parsha, in which Aharon’s passing occurs in many years, contains several details about the passing of Aharon. Therefore, this detail is also brought here.

From the inner dimension of Torah: from this we see the connection between the parsha and the time when it is read. This teaches a lesson regarding the daily Chitas: one should study the daily portion on its proper day and not delay it until the next day.