“Talk to” rather than “Quote Me” – אמר vs. לאמר (Parshat Emor)
The very word אמר (emor) for which this parsha is named, and which appears twice in the parsha, is unusual.
The opening verse says
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֱמֹ֥ר אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֑ן וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ לֹֽא־יִטַּמָּ֖א בְּעַמָּֽיו
And God said to Moshe, talk (אֱמֹ֥ר) to the priests the sons of Aharon and tell them, none should become impure of the dead among his people (Vayikra/ Leviticus 21:1).
Later on verse 22:3 reads:
אֱמֹ֣ר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם לְדֹרֹ֨תֵיכֶ֜ם כׇּל־אִ֣ישׁ ׀ אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרַ֣ב מִכׇּל־זַרְעֲכֶ֗ם אֶל־הַקֳּדָשִׁים֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַקְדִּ֤ישׁוּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לַֽיהֹוָ֔ה וְטֻמְאָת֖וֹ עָלָ֑יו וְנִכְרְתָ֞ה הַנֶּ֧פֶשׁ הַהִ֛וא מִלְּפָנַ֖י אֲנִ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃
Tell them [the kohanim] for all your generations, every man from all your progeny who, while impurity is upon him, sacrifices of the holy things that have been sanctified by the Children of Israel unto God, that soul shall be cut off from my presence, I am Adonai).
In both these verses God is asking Moshe to communicate a message to kohanim. And in both instances the phrasing is very different from the way God normally makes such requests. Indeed, the usual phrasing is as follows:
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר … דַּבֵּ֥ר אֶֽל…
And God spoke to Moshe to say thus … speak to … etc”.
God uses very precise language and expects Moshe to quote Him verbatim. Furthermore the language God uses is second person singular or second person plural, which is how Moshe then faithfully........
