Musar for Sotah 73:8
הא כיצד זקני כהונה ולויה למטה והשאר למעלה רבי יאשיה אומר כל הראוי לשרת למטה והשאר למעלה
so how was it? The elders of the priests and Levites were below and the rest above. R. Joshiyah said: All [the Levites] who were qualified to serve [as bearers of the ark] were below and the rest above. Rabbi says: Both [the priests and Levites] and also [the Israelites] were standing below.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This seems to be implied in Josh. l.c. ');"><sup>15</sup></span> They turned their faces towards mount Gerizim and opened with the blessing, and then towards mount Ebal and opened with the curse; for what means 'al?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In Deut. XXVII, 12, translated 'upon'. ');"><sup>16</sup></span>
Shenei Luchot HaBerit
The Torah (14,15) quotes G–d as saying to Moses before the crossing of the sea: מה תצעק אלי, דבר אל בני ישראל ויסעו "Why do you cry out to Me, speak to the children of Israel, and they will start moving!" Rashi, quoting ancient sources, says that this verse teaches that while G–d spoke to him thusly Moses was engaged in lengthy prayer. G–d reprimanded Moses for spending all this time in prayer at a time when the Jewish people were in distress. This seems exceedingly strange. The Psalmist tells us in 86,7: ביום צרתי אקראך כי תענני, "On the day of my distress I call upon You, so that You will answer me." Had it not been for Rashi's comment on 14,15, we would not have experienced any difficulty. We would simply have understood G–d as telling Moses that there was no need for prayer since G–d had already assured Israel of His help when He said: ואכבדה במצרים ובכל חילו, "I shall deal severely with Pharaoh and his entire army" in 14,4. All Moses had to ask was how best to go about defeating Pharaoh. Nachmanides follows this approach in his commentary.
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