Moshe drawing near as emissary

קרב אתה ושמע.

"You [Moshe], draw near and hear" (Devarim 5:24).

After the revelation at Sinai, Bnei Yisrael asked Moshe to draw close and receive the rest of the Torah on their behalf.

והלא עמהם הי' עומד שם והם נתרחקו ומה קרב.

But was he not standing there together with them? They were the ones who drew back — so what "drawing near" was there for Moshe?

The Sefas Emes raises a difficulty: Moshe was already standing among the people. It was the nation that recoiled in fear; Moshe did not move. So in what sense was he told to "draw near"?

ונראה שכשהי' שליח מכל ישראל לשמוע עבורם הי' צריך להתקרב יותר למעלה.

It seems that, once he became the emissary of all Yisrael to hear on their behalf, he needed to draw nearer — higher up.

The "drawing near" was not a physical step but a spiritual ascent. As the shaliach (emissary) of the entire nation, Moshe had to rise to a loftier level in order to receive the Torah for all of them.

ובילקוט איתא שלא רצה ליקרב ומלאכים קרבוהו בע"כ דכ' ומשה נגש כו' ע"ש.

And in the Yalkut it is brought that Moshe did not wish to draw near, and the malachim brought him near against his will, as it is written, "and Moshe drew near [to the thick cloud]" (Shemos 20:18) — see there.

The Midrash relates that out of humility Moshe held back, and the angels had to bring him close. The verse "and Moshe approached the cloud" reflects this — he was drawn near, not entirely of his own initiative.

[גם י"ל כי למשה הי' הדיבור ממקום גבוה יותר.

[One may also suggest that for Moshe the divine speech came from a higher place.

An additional explanation: the level of prophecy and divine communication that reached Moshe normally originated from a loftier source than that of the people.

רק ע"י שכל ישראל שמעו מקודם.

Only that, because all of Yisrael had first heard [the opening Dibros together],

At the initial revelation, the whole nation heard directly. Because that hearing was shared by everyone, it came from a level accessible to all.

לא הי' ממקום גבוה כ"כ.

it did not come from so high a place.

That communal revelation, by its nature, was drawn from a level not as exalted as Moshe's own unique prophecy.

ואפשר זה הי' רצון בנ"י באמת]:

and perhaps this was truly the desire of Bnei Yisrael.]

When the people asked Moshe to "draw near and hear," they may in truth have wanted the Torah to be received through Moshe specifically — so it would be drawn from that higher source unique to him, and transmitted to them through his loftier level.

Summary: When the people asked Moshe to "draw near and hear" for them, the nearness was a spiritual ascent, not a physical step: as the nation's emissary he had to rise higher to receive the Torah on their behalf. The Midrash teaches the angels drew the humble Moshe close; and perhaps Bnei Yisrael truly wished the Torah to come through Moshe's uniquely exalted level.