ממדבר קדמות. אַעַ"פִּ שֶׁלֹּא צִוַּנִי הַמָּקוֹם לִקְרֹא לְסִיחוֹן לְשָׁלוֹם, לָמַדְתִּי מִמִּדְבַּר סִינַי – מִן הַתּוֹרָה שֶׁקָּדְמָה לָעוֹלָם – כְּשֶׁבָּא הַקָּבָּ"ה לִתְּנָהּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל חָזַר אוֹתָהּ עַל עֵשָׂו וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל, וְגָלוּי לְפָנָיו שֶׁלֹּא יְקַבְּלוּהָ וְאַעַ"פִּ כֵן פָּתַח לָהֶם בְּשָׁלוֹם, אַף אֲנִי קִדַּמְתִּי אֶת סִיחוֹן בְּדִבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם; דָּ"אַ, ממדבר קדמות – מִמְּךָ לָמַדְתִּי, שֶׁקָּדַמְתָּ לָעוֹלָם, יָכוֹל הָיִיתָ לִשְׁלֹחַ בָּרָק אֶחָד וְלִשְֹרֹף אֶת הַמִּצְרִים, אֶלָּא שְׁלַחְתַּנִי מִן הַמִּדְבָּר אֶל פַּרְעֹה לֵאמֹר (שמות ה') "שַׁלַּח אֶת עַמִּי", בְּמִתּוּן (תנחומא): ממדבר קדמות [AND I SENT MESSENGERS] FROM THE WILDERNESS OF KEDEMOTH — Although the Omnipresent had not commanded me to proclaim peace unto Sihon I learnt to do so from what happened in the wilderness of Sinai, i.e. from an incident that relates to the Torah which pre-existed (קדמה) the world. For when the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to give it (the Torah) to Israel, he took it round to Esau and Ishmael. It was manifest before Him that they would not accept it, but yet He opened unto them with peace. Similarly I first approached Sihon with words of peace. — Another explanation of ממדבר קדמות: Moses said to God, "I learnt this from what Thou didst say in the wilderness — from Thee Who wast in existence before (קדמת) the world. Thou couldst have sent one flash of lightning to bum up the Egyptians, but Thou didst send me from the wilderness to Pharaoh, to say gently, (Exodus 5:1) "Let my people go” (Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 764:27).