ואמר אלכם בעת ההוא לאמר. מַהוּ לֵאמֹר? אָמַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה לֹא מֵעַצְמִי אֲנִי אוֹמֵר לָכֶם, אֶלָּא מִפִּי הַקָּבָּ"ה (שם): ואמר אלכם בעת ההוא לאמר AND I SPAKE UNTO YOU AT THAT TIME, SAYING — What is the force of לאמר, (lit., to say. i.e. being bidden to say)? Moses, in effect, said unto them: Not of myself do I tell you that I am not able to bear you, but by the bidding of the Holy One, blessed be He (Sifrei Devarim 9:1),
לא אוכל לבדי וגו'. אֶפְשָׁר שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה מֹשֶׁה יָכוֹל לָדוּן אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל? אָדָם שֶׁהוֹצִיאָם מִמִּצְרַיִם, וְקָרַע לָהֶם אֶת הַיָּם, וְהוֹרִיד אֶת הַמָּן, וְהֵגִיז הַשְּׂלָו, לֹא הָיָה יָכוֹל לְדוּנָם? אֶלָּא כָּךְ אָמַר לָהֶם, ה' אלהיכם הרבה אתכם – הִגְדִּיל וְהֵרִים אֶתְכֶם עַל דַּיָּנֵיכֶם, נָטַל אֶת הָעֹנֶשׁ מִכֶּם וּנְתָנוֹ עַל הַדַּיָּנִין; וְכֵן אָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה (מלכים א ג') "כִּי מִי יוּכַל לִשְׁפֹּט אֶת עַמְּךָ הַכָּבֵד הַזֶּה"; אֶפְשָׁר מִי שֶׁכָּתוּב בּוֹ (שם ה') "וַיֶּחְכַּם מִכָּל הָאָדָם", אוֹמֵר מִי יוּכַל לִשְׁפֹּט? אֶלָּא כָּךְ אָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה, אֵין דַּיָּנֵי אֻמָּה זוֹ כְדַיָּנֵי שְׁאָר הָאֻמּוֹת, שֶׁאִם דָּן וְהוֹרֵג וּמַכֶּה וְחוֹנֵק וּמַטֶּה אֶת דִּינוֹ וְגוֹזֵל אֵין בְּכָךְ כְּלוּם, אֲנִי אִם חִיַּבְתִּי מָמוֹן שֶׁלֹּא כַדִּין, נְפָשׁוֹת אֲנִי נִתְבָּע, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (משלי כ"ב) "וְקָבַע אֶת קֹבְעֵיהֶם נָפֶשׁ" (ספרי; סנהדרין ז'): לא אוכל לבדי וגו׳ I AM NOT ABLE [TO BEAR YOU] ALONE — Is it possible that Moses was not able to judge Israel? The man who brought them forth from Egypt, and divided the sea for them, and made the Manna fall, and collected the quails, was not he able to judge them?! But thus did he say unto them, ה' אלהיכם הרבה אתכם THE LORD YOUR GOD HATH MADE YOU GREAT (הרבה) — He has made you superior to and has placed you higher than your judges, inasmuch as He takes the punishment off you and places it upon your judges if they could have prevented your wrongdoing and did not do so. Solomon made a similar statement (namely that the Jewish judge may easily make himself liable to punishment): “For who is able to judge this thy grievous people?” (1 Kings 3:9). Is it possible that he of whom it is said, (1 Kings 5:11) “He was wiser than all men”, should say, "Who is able to judge”? But this did Solomon mean: The judges of this people are not like the judges of other peoples, for if one of the latter gives judgment and wrongly sentences a person to death by the sword, or to flagellation, or to strangulation, or wrests his justice and thus robs him of his due, it is regarded as of little importance (lit., there is nothing at all in that); I, however, if I unjustly sentence a person to pay even a sum of money, my life is required of me, as it is said, (Proverbs 22:23) “And He robs of their life those who rob them" (Sifrei Devarim 9:2; Sanhedrin 7a).