Deuteronomy · Chapter 33

And this is the blessing with which Moses, the prophet of Hashem, blessed the children of Israel before his death.

וזאת הברכה … לפני מותו AND THIS IS THE BLESSING [WHEREWITH MOSES … BLESSED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL] BEFORE HIS DEATH — i.e., quite near to his death. “For” said he, “if not now, when?” (Sifrei Devarim 342:7).

AND THIS IS THE BLESSING WHEREWITH MOSES THE MAN OF G-D BLESSED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL BEFORE HIS DEATH. It states the man of G-d in order to indicate that his blessing will be fulfilled because he was the man of G-d, and the prayer of the upright is His delight. Now Scripture calls Moses our teacher the man of G-d, and so also the rest of the prophets, Elijah, and others, but it does not state “the man of the Eternal;” instead it says Moses the ‘servant’ of the Eternal. The reason is known to every student learned in [the mystic lore of] the Torah. So also by way of the Truth, [the expression ‘v’zoth habrachah’ (and this is the blessing) means that] “v’zoth is the blessing” [as explained further on], for From the Eternal has ‘zoth’ (this) come. Similarly it is said in the case of Jacob, ‘v’zoth’ (and ‘this’ is) what their father [Jacob] spoke unto them. It was this blessing that David meant when he said, ‘Zoth’ (this) came to pass unto me, because I have kept Thy precepts, alluding to Zion the city of David, for there the Eternal commanded the blessing, even life forever. The student learned in the mysteries of the Cabala will understand. Our Rabbis meant this secret in their interpretation in Bereshith Rabbah: “‘v’zoth’ (and this is) what their father spoke unto them. A man like me is destined to bless you, and, from the very place where I [Jacob] concluded — from there will he begin. At the moment Moses our teacher rose to bless them, he began with ‘v’zoth habrachah’ (and this is the blessing) — from the very place where their father concluded. This then is the meaning of the expression ‘v’zoth’ what their father spoke unto them [their father Jacob told them that the next blessing they receive would be from a man who will begin with v’zoth — v’zoth habrachah]. He [i.e., the patriarch Jacob] said to them: When will these blessings reach you? From the time you accept the Torah, in which is written, ‘V’zoth’ (And this is) the Law etc. ” For this word zoth alludes to the blessing which is the Torah, and this is the covenant, as it is written ‘Zoth’ (this is) My covenant. I have already mentioned this.

"And this is the blessing" — like the blessing of Jacob. "Man of God" — to make known that he blessed them through prophecy. "Before his death" — near the time of his death; the meaning is: on the day of his death.

וזאת הברכה אשר ברך משה, after G’d had shown him the whole Land of Israel before he died, in order that he should be able to pronounce a blessing both over the land and over the people who were going to live in it. Both Moses‘ plea to see the land by crossing the river Jordan (Deut. 3,25) אעברה נא ואראה, and G’d’s purpose in granting him this part of his prayer (Numbers 27,12) were intended for this purpose, i.e. for him to bless the people after viewing the Land of Israel would inspire him to do so. Here we have the text of this blessing.

וזאת הברכה, and this is the blessing, etc. We need to explain the conjunctive letter ו at the beginning of this verse. Moreover, we need to examine the need for the entire verse. If the Torah meant to inform us as to who was the person who bestowed this blessing and who it was bestowed upon, surely we would have known this without the benefit of this verse. All the Torah had to do was to commence with the word ויאמר in verse two and I would have known all this. If, on the other hand, the Torah wanted to inform us that Moses bestowed these blessings immediately prior to his death, this too had become clear from what the Torah had written in the previous paragraph. Besides, why was it important to record precisely when Moses bestowed these blessings? It appears therefore that the Torah's purpose was to accord praise to Moses, the man of G'd. Although he had been instructed by G'd in the previous paragraph to ascend Mount Ha-Avarim, Har Nevo, in order to die there, he did not harbour any negative thoughts in his heart concerning this although his premature death had been due in part to the Israelites' rebellious behaviour at the time when he struck the rock. Ordinary people would not feel inclined to bless those who have caused them to die. Not so Moses. The Torah therefore records that Moses not only did not harbour any hatred but even went out of his way to bless these people. This is also the reason why the word זאת was prefaced by the letter ו, to alert us to the fact that immediately before proceeding to bless the people G'd had told Moses to ascend the mountain in order to die. The Torah adds the words: "before his death," in order to further underline this characteristic of Moses, i.e. that he blessed the people even at this hour though he was painfully aware of the people's share in his death. The letter ו also testifies to the fact that the blessings Moses pronounced were unreserved; he did not hold back part because he had misgivings about his impending death. Another message that the Torah may wish to convey by writing וזאת הברכה, "and this is the blessing," is to draw our attention to the patriarchs who had blessed their children. Abraham had blessed Isaac, Isaac had blessed his children, and Jacob had blessed his children when on his deathbed, assembling them all around him. The Torah goes on record that Moses' blessing the people is to be understood as adding an additional dimension to the blessings the tribes had received at the time from their father Jacob. Sifri has explained this in connection with Deut. 1,11: "may the G'd of your fathers add more blessings, etc." The fact that the Torah here emphasises הברכה, with the definitive article, is a hint that this blessing was superior even to the blessings bestowed by Jacob at the time. The Torah goes on to outline in which respect this blessing by Moses was superior. 1) The words אשר ברך משה, "which Moses blessed," is a clear reference to the superiority of Moses as an individual. I...

וזאת הברכה, “and this was the blessing, etc.” the letter ו at the beginning of the word וזאת, indicates that the paragraph following is a continuation of what we have read immediately before. Whereas up to now Moses had admonished the people, he now switched to blessing them.

תנו לה מפרי ידיה ויהללוה בשערים מעשיה, “Acknowledge her for the fruit of her hands, and let her accomplishments praise her in her gates” (Proverbs 31,31). Solomon commenced the concluding chapter of Proverbs with the words אשת חיל מי ימצא, “who can find a woman of valour?” According to the plain meaning of the text he spoke about an intelligent woman, eager and competent to discharge the duties of her household, working hard both by day and by night; this is the meaning of Proverbs 31,18: “even when her affairs thrive her lamp does not go out at night.” This woman is known far and wide for the good she does for the poor, sustaining them with the work of her own hands. This is the meaning of 31,20: “she extends her hand to the poor, and reaches out her hand to the needy.” This whole chapter teaches us both moral/ethical lessons as well as lessons in good manners. A man is to look for this kind of a woman when he wants to get married as she is the mainstay of his home to be. Together with her he can look forward to building his family. Solomon wanted to enumerate all the virtues of such a woman in alphabetical order in order to demonstrate that a woman who possesses all these virtues also symbolizes the entire Torah. Her presence is her husband’s best preparation to achieve success in his Torah study and mitzvah performance, much as the body is the preparation for the soul to attain its objectives. This is what the sages alluded to when they said (concerning a man finding a woman) “if he has merit, she will prove an invaluable helpmate” (Yevamot 63). Addressing the same subject, Solomon said: (Proverbs 18,22) “He who found a wife has found a good thing; he will obtain favor from the Lord,” seeing the Torah had said it is not good for man to remain solitary (Genesis 2,18) Solomon, when discussing marriage, said that a woman does not deserve to be praised on account of her physical beauty, graceful mannerism. Solomon said (Proverbs 31,30) “grace is deceptive, beauty is vain, a G’d-fearing woman is the woman who is truly praiseworthy.” This is also why he concludes by saying: “acknowledge her for the fruit of her hands and let her accomplishments praise her in the gates.” It is appropriate that she be praised for what she does, not for the attributes she was endowed with at birth [something for which one should praise the Lord, not her. Ed.] We find that Abigail was the prototype for such a woman whose good virtues employed at the right time and in the right place, saved her husband and her entire household from being killed by David and his men. David himself acknowledged this when he said to her (Samuel I 25,33): ”blessed be your prudence, and blessed be you yourself for restraining me from seeking redress in blood by my own hands.“ A Midrashic approach: the words: תנו לה מפרי ידיה, “acknowledge her for the fruit of her hands,” refer to the opening words of the chapter “who can find a woman of valour?” The Midrash understands the whole chapter as a parable describing Torah and wisdom, something very elusive, almost impossible to attain fully. Solomon proceeds to enumerate the advantages of Torah and wisdom in order to encourage people to immerse themselves in both Torah and wisdom. He commences by saying that בטח בה לב בעלה, “the heart of someone who has mastered this discipline has absolute confidence in it.” This is why he adds ושלל לא יחסר, “such a person will never be short of ‘loot.’” It is a well known fact that people who constantly engage in the pursuit of wisdom do not experience the lack of anything. The poor and destitute whom Solomon refers to in verse 20 are the students, who have thus far only accumulated a minimum of wisdom, not having expended sufficient effort yet to acquire it in larger doses; this is why Solomon says to people at large: “give her (wisdom) from the fruit of her hands.” Solomon encourages the people at large to treat wisdom with respect seeing it produces such good fruit, i.e. honour and glory for those who have acquired it. The fruit which are the result of the acquisition of wisdom are the good deeds man performs, as a result of which he qualifies for eternal life in the celestial spheres. Concerning this, Solomon himself wrote in Proverbs 11,30: “the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.” He referred to the Torah being the entrance card to the tree of life, i.e. eternal life. The Torah already stated concerning the tree of life that if Adam were to eat from it “he would live forever” (Genesis 3,22). A Kabbalistic approach: when Solomon concludes the Book with the words תנו לה מפרי ידיה, “let her enjoy the fruit of her hands,” he refers to the virtue he had commenced with, i.e. “who can find a woman of valor?” Solomon wanted to seal his Book with the virtue which is the “seal” of the בנין, the structure comprised by the various emanations, its seal being the emanation חכמה [the simile with which he described the woman of valor. Ed.]. Seeing that the Jewish people had heard the Torah out of the fire and the prophet Chabakuk 3,10 referred to this experience saying נתן תהום קולו, “the deep gave forth loud roars” [see the whole verse, Ed.], Solomon arranged the praises of the Torah/wisdom in the order of the 22 letters of the aleph bet. The meaning of the concluding verse: “give to her of the fruit of her hands,” is a call to bestow a blessing on the emanation חכמה, also known as Torah. The whole idea is similar to what the sages said in Avot 3,7 תן לו משלו שאתה ושלך שלו, “give to Him part of what is His, for you yourself and all that is yours are really His.” The words ויהללוה בשערים מעשיה, “and let her accomplishments praise her in the gates,” are a reference to what the blessing consists of. David also used the words ברכה and הלול, in the same verse (Psalms 104,35) when he said ברכי נפשי את ה' הללוי-ה, “let my soul bless the Lord, Hallelujah.” Even though every human being is himself the beneficiary of G’d’s blessing, G’d nonetheless desires blessing uttered by human beings. He specifically commanded this when He said (Deut. 8,10) “you shall bless the Lord your G’d.” Isaiah tells us that “for whoever blesses himself in the land shall bless himself by the true (אמן) G’d.” (Isaiah 65,16) You should pay heed to the saying of the sages (Sotah 38) “he (the priest) who utters a blessing will in turn be blessed.” The reason is that by blessing the people in the name of the Lord, he (the priest) has included Everybody i.e. G’d, in his blessing. It is well known that the whole idea of bestowing a blessing is to contribute to the continued existence of the universe. This is why G’d bestowed blessings immediately after He had created certain phenomena, especially living creatures which are very fragile as compared to inert phenomena. [This is why we find already in Genesis 1,20 when the first living creatures were produced by the waters, that G’d felt compelled to bestow a blessing on them. Perhaps the absence of such a blessing for the vegetation on the third day is the reason we have non-fruit-bearing trees. Ed.] The reason that the whole Torah commences with the letter ב instead of the letter א for instance, is that it wanted to begin with an allusion to blessing. G’d blessed Adam, i.e. the human species (Genesis 1,28); He blessed Noach and his children (Genesis 9,1, the remnants of the human species). Only with the advent of Avraham (described by our author as ראש האמונה, “the father-figure of all true faith”) did G’d transfer the ability to bless to him and his descendants as we know from Genesis 12,2. Instead of telling Avraham that he would be blessed, ברוך, He told him that he himself would originate blessings, i.e. והיה ברכה, “become (a source of) blessing.” Ever since, the righteous have become the “sources” of blessings (or distributors directing blessings). This was how Yitzchok viewed himself when he said: “let me bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.” He meant that if he did not transfer the power to bless given to him, it would die with him as he was conscious of the responsibility entailed by this power to bestow blessing (compare Genesis 27,7). At this point, Moses makes use of this power, just as had Yaakov before his death (Genesis 49,28). The remarkable thing (from a kabbalistic point of view) is the use as an introduction of the word זאת on both occasions. This is also why the sages said that Moses continued where Yaakov had left off (Devarim Rabbah 11,1) — Yaakov concluded with וזאת ( וזאת אשר דבר להם אביהם )and Moses began with וזאת (וזאת הברכה). וזאת הברכה אשר ברך משה איש האלו-הים את בני ישראל לפני מותו, “And this is the blessing with which Moses blessed the Children of Israel before his death.” According to the plain meaning of the text Moses arranged, prepared, this entire blessing and bestowed it on the respective tribes on the day of his death, seeing it is customary for the righteous to bestow such blessings on the day they die. A Midrashic approach based on Tanchuma Vezot Haberachah 1: the letter ו at the beginning of the word וזאת means that Moses added something over and above the blessing which had been bestowed on the people by Bileam. Bileam should really have bestowed seven blessings on the people corresponding to each of the seven altars he had built at the time. However, if you will check you will find that Bileam only uttered three blessing instead of seven (We know this from Balak who remonstrated with him saying: “here you have blessed them three times (Numbers 24,10). In view of this, G’d said to him: “you wicked and niggardly person; seeing that you are too jealous to bestow the proper number of blessings on these people, I will appoint Moses, who is more generous than you to complete the blessings these people are entitled to. This is the meaning of Proverbs 22,9: “the generous one is blessed (יבורך); do not read the word as יבורך but as יברך, “he will bestow blessing.” The person whom Solomon refers to in this verse is none other than Moses. He was anxious to bless Israel, and he completed the four blessings Bileam had withheld from the people. The first one of those four is found in Exodus 39,43: “Moses saw the entire work, and behold!-they had done it all as Hashem had commanded, so had they done; and Moses blessed them.” The second occasion Moses blessed the people is in Leviticus 9,23: ”Moses and Aaron came to the Tent of Meeting; they came out and blessed the people and the attribute of כבוד appeared to the entire nation.” The third time Moses blessed the people was in Deut. 1,11: “May Hashem, the G’d of your fathers continue to increase you one thousand-fold and bless you as He has said to you.” The fourth occasion when Moses blessed the people begins in our portion with the words: “and this is the blessing, etc.” A kabbalistic approach: The words: “and this is the blessing,” are a reference to the תרומה, the gift, the Torah, and the covenant, all of which have been introduced with the word זאת on different occasions. (compare Exodus 25,3; Deuteronomy 33,1; Isaiah 59,21). This is why Moses commenced his blessings at the point where our patriarch Yaakov had left off. I already elaborated on this in connection with Genesis 49,28. איש האלו-הים, “a man of G‘d.” According to the plain meaning of the text a man who was great as he was endowed with the power of prophecy by G’d when He had appeared to Moses in the burning bush. [In his waking hours, already on the first occasion He communicated with Moses at the burning bush with His attribute of the tetragrammaton (Exodus 3,2-4,17) where he was told that he would be an אלו-הים to Pharaoh. Ed.]. A Midrashic approach based on Midrash Tehillim 90,1: the word means: “a judge.” This is based on Deut. 33,21 צדקת ה' עשה ומשפטיו עם ישראל, “he carried out the righteousness of Hashem and His justice with Israel” [See Rashi ibid. (2nd explanation)]. Moses’ personality reflected the sages’ definition of יקוב הדין את ההר, “let the attribute of Justice bore a hole in the mountain.” [He strove for absolute perfection. Ed.] Rabbi Yehudah, son of Simon said: “why was Moses described as איש האלו-הים? When a man (husband) is confronted by certain vows made by his wife he has the option of annulling them or letting them remain valid. This is what the Torah says in Numbers 30,14: אישה יקימנה ואישה יפרנה, “her husband may either confirm it or her husband may cancel it.” Similarly, Moses was in a position in his dealings with G’d to say to Him קומה ה', “let the Lord arise,” or שובה ה', let the Lord desist” (compare Numbers 10,35). Thus far that Midrash. You need to analyse what the author of this Midrash had in mind. In view of the fact that the prophetic powers of Moses were emanated from the force of the power of Mercy, which is elsewhere described as an active force, an instigator, self-propelled, the Torah compared Moses to the role of the activist, the initiator, whereas the attribute of Justice is described as both initiating and responding as the situation may require. Moses was also compared to that attribute, seeing that the glue which sticks to something is described by the material it sticks to. This is why the Torah here calls him איש האלוהים. [Instead of איש ה'. The Torah differentiates between Moses the man, and Moses’ prophecy. The former had an affinity to the attribute of Justice, the latter was an outgrowth of the attribute of Mercy. Ed.] A kabbalistic approach: the reason he is called איש האלו-הים is because it is the Torah’s nature to associate the word איש, with the attribute אלו-הים. You will not encounter the word איש ה' anywhere in the Torah. On the other hand, the word עבד is frequently associated with the attribute of Mercy, i.e. עבד ה'. Moses himself (as well as Joshua) is described as עבד ה' in Joshua 1,1 and numerous other verses. לפני מותו, “before his death.” the Torah means: “close to the time when he died.” According to Devarim Rabbah 11,5 the words mean that when an angel came to take away his soul, Moses stopped him and got up and first blessed the people. The words לפני מותו then are to be understood as לפני המלאך הממיתו — “in the presence of the angel who had come to take his soul.”

“And this is the blessing which Moses blessed.” The word “vezot” [and this] is entirely superfluous, and the connecting vav [and] of “vezot” needs explanation. It seems that this refers to what was written in Parshat Devarim (1:10-11): The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. The Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times as many as you are, etc. And our Sages said (Sifrei Devarim 1:11): “Israel said: ‘Moses, you are putting a limit on our blessings.’ He replied to them: ‘This is from me, but the Lord will bless you as He has spoken to you.’”If so, Moses had already blessed them with abundance, and that blessing was his own, not from his capacity as a man of God. And that blessing was also before his death, as Rashi explains there (1:3). Therefore, it says here “vezot” with the connecting vav, adding to that blessing with which Moses blessed them from his own accord close to his death. This blessing too he gave them, but not from himself like the first one, rather from his capacity as a man of God, because this entire blessing came to him prophetically from God and was not his own like the first blessing. He gives a reason why he is now called man of God more than at the first blessing — because this was before his death, very close to his actual death, more so than during the first blessing. After all, in the interim he had taught Israel the entire book of Deuteronomy, so certainly now he was closer to his death than he was at the first blessing. Nevertheless, God did not attach His special name to him, but only the name “Elohim,” which is shared between God and man. But at his death it says (Deuteronomy 34:5): And Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there, for then the special Name was attached to him. Another explanation: In the Midrash (Devarim Rabbah 11:1) they said, Moses began his blessings from the point where Jacob ended, as it is said (Genesis 49:28), And this is what their father spoke to them, and Moses began with And this. And it seems appropriate to interpret this Midrash in two ways. The first is that the word “vezot” [and this] is in feminine form, because all songs of this world are expressed in feminine language, as in all of them there is pain, but in the future, they will be in masculine language, as males do not give birth [and experience pain in that way]. Jacob sought to reveal the end [of days], meaning the future, but it was concealed from Him. Therefore, all his blessings were about the promises of this world from beginning to end, and thus he sealed his blessings with the word “vezot.” For all promises of this world contain pain, but Moses, who was a man of God and upon whom the Divine Presence rested, therefore began with “zot” [this], but did not seal his blessing with “zot,” because the beginning of his words were also about the promises of this world, which are necessary to achieve through them the final perfection that cannot be attained without them, but the end of his words concerned the promise of the World to Come, saying, Fortunate are you, Israel. And so it concludes in the Yalkut here (964) that this entire verse speaks of the true happiness in the World to Come: “Fortunate are you, Israel, what is prepared and stored for you for the World to Come, etc.” And similarly, what is written, And the Lord showed him all the land… to the Distant Sea (Deuteronomy 34:1–2), they interpreted as “until the distant day” (Sifrei 31:2), meaning the World to Come. If so, he was the opposite of Jacob, from whom the end [of days] was concealed, while to Moses it was revealed. Therefore, he began from where Jacob ended, because the end of Jacob’s blessings were only about the promises of this world, but Moses, although the beginning of his blessings were about the promises of this world, their conclusion was about the promises of the World to Come, as stated. The second is that he began from where Jacob left off, because all his blessings were similar in nature to Jacob’s blessings, as it is written, And Israel shall dwell in safety, alone, the fountain of Jacob (Deuteronomy 33:28). This teaches you that all his blessings were of the same nature as Jacob’s blessings, and he certainly added something to each blessing. That is why it says And this is the blessing, indicating that in addition to Jacob’s blessings, which concluded with and this he blessed them, Moses also added to each and every blessing by virtue of being a man of God. The mysteries of wisdom were revealed to him more fully, including what would happen to Israel until the final day, inclusive.

וזאת הברכה אשר ברך משה איש האלוקים, “And this is the blessing which Moses the man of G’d bestowed, etc.” His blessing endures until this day. The reason why the blessing is introduced with the word וזאת [the ו which suggests that it is a continuation, Ed.] is that Moses carried on where Yaakov’s blessings had left off. We are told in the Midrash that when Yaakov was on his deathbed he told his children that in due course there would arise another, similar to him, who would give his blessing to the tribes and who would continue where he, their father would leave off. This is why Moses made a point of recording that he viewed his own blessing as a continuation of the blessing bestowed upon them by the patriarch Yaakov.

וזאת הברכה, the Torah picks up the narrative interrupted in 31,30-32,1 by Moses’ parting poem/song. The portion begins with the words וזאת הברכה, “this is the blessing,” to indicate that Moses had finished with the admonitions to which he had devoted so much space. Before ascending the mountain where he was to die, he wanted to deliver his blessings to each of the tribes, not unlike Yaakov who had done so shortly before his death. Whereas the chapter before this is known as the שירה, song/poem, this chapter is known as the ברכה, blessing.

וזאת הברכה אשר ברך משה וגו, “and this is the blessing which Moses bestowed, etc.;” Rabbi Joseph Kara wrote that the reason that Moses added as his title the words: איש האלוקים, “the man of G–d,” was to tell the people that G–d had instructed him to pronounce these blessings. לפני מותו, “before his death;” our sages explain that at the time when the angel of death came in order to take away his soul, Moses took him prisoner (temporarily) and proceeded to bless the tribes each one in order before releasing him. (Compare Devarim Rabbah, 11,5) [In my version of the Midrash, Moses simply sent the angel back to where he came from. Ed.]

And he said: Hashem revealed Himself from Sinai, and the radiance of His Glory appeared to us from Seir; He revealed Himself in His might from Mount Paran, and with Him were myriads of holy ones — His right hand wrote; from the midst of fire He gave us the Torah.

ויאמר ה' מסיני בא AND HE SAID, THE LORD CAME FROM SINAI — First he began with praise of the Omnipresent, and only afterwards did he begin with what concerned Israel; but in the praise of God with which he began there is also mention of Israel’s merit. All this was by way of intercession, as though to say, “These are worthy that blessing should rest upon them” (Sifrei Devarim 343:1). מסיני בא [THE LORD] CAME FROM SINAI — He went forth towards them when they were about to take their stand at the foot of the Mount, — as a bridegroom goes forth to welcome his bride, as it is said, (Exodus 19:17) “And Moses brought the people forth to meet God”: this teaches us that He (God) was Himself going forth facing them (cf. Mekhilta and Rashi on the verse quoted). וזרח משעיר למו AND HE SHONE FORTH FROM SEIR UNTO THEM (the Israelites), because He first addressed Himself to the sons of Esau (the inhabitants of Seir) that they should accept the Law, but they refused, הופיע מהר פארן HE APPEARED FROM MOUNT PARAN, because He went there and addressed Himself to the sons of Ishmael (who dwelt in Paran, see Genesis 21:21) that they should accept it and they also refused (Sifrei Devarim 343:6; Avodah Zarah 2b), ואתה AND HE CAME therefore to Israel, מרבבת קדש — i.e. and with Him were a part of the myriads of the holy angels, and not all of them and not even the majority of them: not as is the way of a human being who displays all the splendour of his riches and magnificence on his marriage day (Sifrei Devarim 343:11). אשדת (lit., “fire, Law”, or “fire of Law”) — i.e. the Law which had been written before Him from olden times in black fire upon white fire (Midrash Tanchuma, Bereshit 1). The meaning of the verse is: He gave to them (למו) upon the Tablets the writing of His right hand (cf. Talmud Yerushalmi Shekalim 9:1). Another explanation of אש דת: Understand this as the Targum has it: a law which was given them from the midst of the fire (cf. Exodus 19:18).

THE ETERNAL CAME FROM SINAI. Moses states that the Eternal came to Israel from Sinai, for it was from there that He caused His Divine Glory to dwell among them and never departed from them again. The purport thereof is as follows: The Glory came down upon Mount Sinai, as it is said, And the Eternal came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mount; and the Eternal called Moses etc., and there it [the Glory] remained all the days that Moses ascended and descended the mountain, as it is said, And the appearance of the Glory of the Eternal was like devouring fire on the top of the mount etc. And when the last [i.e., the second] Tablets were given to him [Moses], the Glory rested in the tent of meeting [Moses’ own tent], as it is stated, And it came to pass, when Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud descended, and stood at the door of the tent, and He spoke with Moses, and it is further written, And the Eternal spoke unto Moses face to face etc. When the Tabernacle was set up, the Glory rested therein, as it is said, Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the Glory of the Eternal filled the Tabernacle, and all communications to Moses came from there during all the years in the wilderness. AND HE SHONE FORTH FROM SEIR UNTO THEM. For after they journeyed from Sinai the cloud abode in the wilderness of Paran, and from there Moses sent the spies, as it is said, And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran. As a result of the spies’ report, the people were banished, and there was no Divine communication to Moses until they came to Seir, at the border of the children of Esau, at the end of the forty years, as it is said there, For the Eternal thy G-d hath blessed thee in all the work of thy hand; He hath known thy walking through this great wilderness; these forty years the Eternal thy G-d hath been with thee. Now, at the time, when they arrived at Seir, the Eternal was again to them an everlasting light and the days of their mourning were ended, and He commanded them to be heedful of Ammon and Moab [not to take their lands]. At that time He said that they should begin to possess their land the land of Sihon and Og, the two great Amorite kings. HE BEAMED FROM MOUNT PARAN — He regarded them and placed their needs in the light of His countenance emanating from Mount Paran. The sense thereof is as follows: The beginning of their entry into the great wilderness was from Paran, as it is said, And the children of Israel set forward by their stages out of the wilderness of Sinai; and the cloud abode in the wilderness of Paran. Then G-d shone forth upon them to see what they needed in the great and dreadful wilderness. This expression is similar to, and Thou didst shine forth upon the counsel of the wicked, meaning that You have observed and seen with Your great light all their secret thoughts. AND HE CAME ‘MEIRIVEVOTH KODESH’ (FROM THE HOLY MYRIADS), AT HIS RIGHT HAND WAS A FIERY LAW UNTO THEM. He is stating that the Glory came to Israel ...

"From Sinai He came" — The Gaon of blessed memory said that Mount Sinai, Seir, and Paran are close to one another, and this verse concerns the Giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai; he rendered "from Sinai" as meaning "at Sinai," and likewise "from Seir." "From the myriads of the holy ones" — these are the angels; the meaning refers to the Shekhinah that descended. "A fiery law for them" — the Torah, which was given amid fire and lightning. He [the Gaon] said that the meaning of "Hashem came from Sinai" is in the manner of a prayer, as if to say: You who came at Sinai and gave over the Torah — may Reuben live! But this is far-fetched, for the correct wording would need to be "let it live" and "let it not die." Those who lack faith have said that "from Seir" refers to the religion of Edom, and "Paran" to the religion of Ishmael — but these are wanderers from the truth. Do they not see that the blessing begins with none other than the blessing of Israel alone? For it is written: "which Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel." And it says: "He shone from Seir for them" — meaning for them, as in "and there is no stumbling block for them." What seems correct to me is that the passage is a blessing for all Israel in general, followed by the particular blessing of each tribe, and afterward they are all gathered in: "There is none like God, O Jeshurun." We find that Deborah said: "Hashem, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the field of Edom" — and the field of Edom is not a mountain, contrary to what the Gaon claimed about three nearby mountains. In the Book of Psalms it says: "O God, when You went forth before Your people, when You marched through the wilderness" — and after it is written: "the earth shook." The march of the Shekhinah through the wilderness did not take place on the day of the Giving of the Torah, for the wilderness of Paran lay after Sinai. Habakkuk said: "God comes from Teman" — Teman being among the sons of Edom — which conveys the same meaning as "from the field of Edom." All of these passages speak of wars, as is evidenced by "Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered." When Hashem saves His servants the text compares it to the descent of divine aid — the earth melts, the mountains dissolve, the heavens shake — as in David's poem: "the earth shook and trembled." The phrase "that is Sinai" I have explained in its place. And so the explanation is: Hashem came — meaning the Glory that entered Israel — and its first entry was from Sinai; He shone from Seir. The meaning is: throughout all the years Israel was in the wilderness Hashem did not display His might among the nations until Israel came to the field of Edom — as it is written: "through their mountains, Seir as far as Eilat Paran," for Seir and Paran are close to each other. The full meaning is: from the place of Seir, when they came to Seir, the Glory shone upon Israel; and He appeared from Mount Paran — a repetition conveying the same idea, for there He displayed His splendor. "And with Him myriads of the holy ones" — in my view this is connected to "from His right hand," the meaning being that fire came from the myriads of the holy ones at Hashem's right hand to surround Israel, as in: "horses of fire and a chariot of fire all around Elisha." The meaning of "law" is: that which endures always.

ויאמר , before he commenced with his blessing in verse 25 with the words ברזל ונחושת מנעלך, he pronounced a list of prayers addressed not to the people but to G’d, in order to prepare the ground for his blessings when he intoned it to become effective. Words of blessing are invariably addressed to the recipient of the blessing directly. When G’d instructed the priests to bless the Jewish people, part of that instruction was: אמור להם, “say to them!” (Numbers 6,23) All Moses’ words from verse 25 on are couched in this traditional mode of phrasing a blessing. 'ה, this is an exclamation mode. מסיני בא וזרח וגו' אש דת למו. Moses recalls the Israelites’ merit in order that his prayer on their behalf be accepted. He therefore tells G’d, that at the time when He came from Sinai and became manifest in a number of locations to Israel, the word קדש in the expression מרבבות קודש does not refer only to the myriads of angels but to the totality of Torah, and that the experience of holiness by Israel at the time emanated from the “right” side of this emanation, i.e. the people experienced what is known in kabbalistic parlance as אספקלריאה מאירה, “a clear undistorted vision.”

ויאמר, ה׳ מסיני בא, He said: "Hashem came from Sinai, etc." Our sages in the Sifri understand this to mean that G'd came towards the Jewish people at Mount Sinai, וזרח משעיר למו, and that on the way towards the Jewish people He first offered the Torah to the descendants of Esau (who lived in Se-ir). The words הופיע מהר פארן would mean that G'd also offered the Torah to the Ishmaelites whose abode was in the desert of Paran. The difficulty with this exegesis is why would the Torah mention the Ishmaelites last when, geographically speaking, G'd would have first encountered the Ishmaelites, seeing He is described as coming from Sinai? Furthermore, we need to know why the Torah employs three different verbs for describing G'd's arrival, i.e. בא, זרח, הופיע? Why did the Torah not simply lump all this together by writing: "He came from Sinai, Se-ir and Paran?" Besides, why did the Torah first mention the place when referring to Sinai, whereas it describes G'd's "shining" or "appearing" before mentioning where this took place, i.e. Se-ir or Paran respectively? We may best understand this when considering why the Torah had not been given to Jacob who, after all, had raised twelve sons all of whom were loyal to the Abrahamitic tradition. Midrash Hagadol on Genesis 32,2 says that the Shechinah does not come to rest on an assembly of fewer than 600,000 (Jews or angels). Giving the Torah to the Jewish people required the presence of 600,000 as the Torah reports that G'd descended on Mount Sinai for the occasion (Exodus 19,20). How do we reconcile this statement with the opinion offered in Avot 3 that even if two people discuss words of Torah the Shechinah is present? Knowledgeable scholars explain that the first statement refers to the total presence of the Shechinah, whereas the statements we find in Avot regarding the presence of G'd when 10 or even fewer Jews engage in Torah is a reference to a portion of the Shechinah. This "portion" of the Shechinah suffices to inspire the people studying Torah to gain greater insights. The degree of insights afforded such people studying Torah varies with the number of people involved in such study. The fewer the number, the smaller the input due to the Shechinah. When the Torah mentions here that G'd came from Sinai, this is a reference to the totality of the Shechinah. It arrived to welcome the people of Israel. On the other hand, when G'd approached the tribe of Esau and Ishmael respectively, He employed only a small portion of the Shechinah. One such portion appeared to Se-ir, the other to the Ishmaelites in Paran. What the Torah describes here is the return of these two "portions" of the Shechinah which had "offered" the Torah to the nations mentioned. This is why mentioning Sinai first is perfectly in order as the bulk of the Shechinah had never departed from the encampment of the Jewish people at Sinai. The very words זרח and הופיע are only descriptions of the insignificant parts of the Shechinah which appear...

ה' מסיני בא, “The Lord had come from Sinai;” some commentators understand this phrase as meaning: “the Lord, Whose glorious presence, shechinah, emanates fro Sinai, etc;” we find an example of such a construction in Psalms 134,3: יברכך ה׳ מסיני, “may the Lord Whose glorious presence emanates from Sinai, bless you;” וזרח משעיר למו, “and He shone forth from Seir, to them;” the sunrise is witnessed each morning from the East, the sun breaking forth from behind the mountains of Seir. It appears as if lightning suddenly illuminated the earth. [According to our author, these mountains are situated to the east of Mount Sinai. On our maps this is not quite so, as these mountains are more northern than easterly from Mount Sinai. Ed. ] הופיע מהר פארן, “He manifested Himself from the mountain of Paran. [This mountain is also assumed to be situated to the east of Mount Sinai. Ed.] The concept of G-d making His appearance from an easterly direction of the universe is seen as a tribute to the people of Israel, meaning that the Lord came forward toward them. According to Rashi on Numbers 34,3, on the words: ממדבר צין, where he elaborates in an unusually lengthy manner on the geography of that region, this is to be understood as a sign of His fondness of the people. מימינו אש דת למו, “at His right hand was a fiery law unto them.” That the right side is one which symbolises fondness we know from Song of Songs 2,6: וימינו תחבקני, “and His right hand embraces me.” אשדת, spelled in the text as a single word, but read as if it had been written: אש דת.

ה' מסיני בא, “The Lord had come from Sinai.” The Torah really should have written בסיני, “at Sinai,” instead of “from Sinai.” Similarly, instead of writing משעיר, we would have expected the Torah to write בשעיר, “at Se'ir,” and בהר פארן, instead of מהר פארן. Most of the commentators simply say that the letter מ here is taking the place of the letter ב. I do not think it is that simple. Rather, I think that if the Torah had written בסיני, this would have sounded as if a certain place had been assigned to G’d. Seeing that G’d is known as the מקומו של העולם, “assigning space to the universe,” and not vice versa, the wrong impression about G’d’s omnipresence would have been conveyed (compare Bereshit Rabbah 68,10). In Psalms 68,18 David speaks of אד-ני בם סיני בקודש, “the Lord is among them as in Sinai in holiness.” David was careful to avoid saying קודש בסיני, which would have meant “holy at Sinai.” He reversed the wording to avoid giving the impression that it is possible to assign a certain place (only) to G’d. This is why here Moses had to write מסיני בא. This means that the beginning of the revelation the attribute of כבוד originated at Mount Sinai. He goes on to describe how this revelation expanded to other areas and included other people’s consciousness. Originally, it had emanated its rays towards Israel from afar i.e. from Se'ir. At that time Israel had been a long way from Sinai. It had gradually been perceived as closer, i.e. near Mount Paran. This was the area from which Moses had sent the spies (Numbers 13,3) [in terms of space, not time, Ed.] From Mount Paran this attribute of כבוד moved to Sinai; from there it was finally revealed to the Jewish people. The reason Moses did not describe all these steps in chronological order was that he wanted to demonstrate that the purpose of all these moves by the attribute of כבוד was the revelation at Mount Sinai to the Jewish people. Actually, the prophetess Devorah explained all this in Judges 5,4-5 when she said in her song of thanksgiving: “O Lord, when You came forth from Se'ir, advanced from the country of Edom; the earth trembled....before the Lord, Him of Sinai, before the Lord, G’d of Israel.” It is noteworthy that in connection with the distant Se'ir Moses used the term זרח, “shone,” i.e. the term used for the sun’s rays when it just rose over the horizon, whereas in connection with Paran Moses used the verb הופיע, which denotes that its visibility was far more pronounced. As the attribute of כבוד came ever closer to Sinai, its rays and brilliance intensified. By the time Moses speaks of the attribute of כבוד getting to Sinai, he uses the expression בא, i.e. it had arrived at its destination. This was the mountain which G’d had selected for this attribute to come to rest on (compare Psalms 68,17.) Thence, it became visible for the eyes of all the Jewish people. A Midrashic approach based on Tanchuma Vezot Haberachah 4: the words “He shone forth from Se'ir,” mean that G’d first offered the Torah to the descendants of Esau who refused it. He then offered it to the various other descendants of Avraham, all of whom declined. Finally, He offered it to the Israelites who accepted. The fact that only Esau and Ishmael are singled out for mention simply means that even they who were Avraham’s descendants did not want the Torah. Other nations, not genetically related to Avraham, most certainly did not show any interest in it either. Our sages in Avodah Zarah 2 state specifically that G’d offered the Torah to all the nations and peoples of all tongues but that they all declined. מימינו אש דת למו, “from His right, fire turned into law became theirs.” We must imagine the word היה as following the word מימינו. While G’d was displaying celestial fire, He made the Israelites hear the words of the Ten Commandments. The reference “from His right,” does not refer to the angels but to G’d’s essence. It is as if the Torah had spoken about אש ודת, “fire and (religious) law.” A Kabbalistic approach: G’d used His right side (attribute) to make the people hear the words of the Ten Commandments (as if) emanating from the fire (compare Deut. 5,19). This describes the spiritual niveau of the Jewish people at that time. However, Moses, whose spiritual niveau was higher, heard the voice of G’d from His right without the need for fire to form a screen. Perhaps the two words אשדת are spelled as one word, as an allusion to what happened at the time. This is the Torah’s way of describing the affinity of the law to the fiery experience when it was revealed. The Torah already described in Deut, 4,15: “the day on which the Lord your G’d spoke to you out of the fire.” I have referred to all this already on Exodus 20,1. Jeremiah 6,29 uses the fusion of two words into one to describe the affinity of one to the other when he said נחר מפוח מאשתם עופרת, “the bellows puff, the lead is consumed by the fire.” According to our tradition the word מאשתם is written as a single word.

“And He said: The Lord came from Sinai, and rose [literally, shined] from Seir unto them, etc.” It should have said “came to Sinai,” and Rashi explained that He went out to meet them like a groom, etc. But it’s still difficult why [it says] came from Sinai and not from His dwelling place in heaven. Also, an explanation is needed for why the text mentions “shining” in Seir and “appearing” in Paran. It’s also difficult according to our Sages who said (Sifrei 2:2) that the Holy One, blessed be He, approached the children of Esau and Ishmael to accept the Torah, and they did not accept it — why does it mention Seir and Mount Paran and not call them by their names, Esau and Ishmael? Also, the word unto them [lamo] needs explanation, because some say the word “lamo” refers to Israel, since the nations did not want to accept the Torah and Israel accepted it, therefore Israel received additional “shining” and “appearing” — but the language of the verse doesn’t imply this. It seems that all these names refer to specific nations, as Seir is associated with Esau, the hairy [sair] man (Genesis 27:11), and Mount Paran is associated with Ishmael, about whom it is said (Genesis 16:12) he will be a wild man, and “pere” is derived from the word “Paran.” Therefore, God did not shine His Divine Presence upon those two nations themselves, because the Holy One, blessed be He, knew that they would ultimately not accept the Torah. He only came to them so they would not have an excuse to say, “If He had given it to us, we would have accepted it.” Therefore, God did not reveal His Presence to these nations because they were not worthy of it, and instead He appeared to them from those places associated with those nations. This explains the precise language and rose from Seir unto them. However, we still need to understand why the text uses “shining” in one place and “appearing” in another, and why it mentions unto them [lamo] with the shining but doesn’t mention “unto them” with the appearing. It appears that this is the explanation. We find the term “shining” used in reference to the sun, as in and the sun shines (Ecclesiastes 1:5) and many other instances. However, the term “appearing” is only found in reference to the revelation of the Divine Presence, as in You who dwell between the cherubim, shine forth (Psalms 80:2). Since Ishmael repented but Esau did not, therefore He shone from Seir, which is associated with Esau, with a shine comparable to the shining of sunlight. This further alludes to Esau who counts [the days according] to the sun, and therefore it says unto them [lamo], meaning that this minimal shining reached them, and perhaps He literally made the sun shine for them. But for Ishmael, who repented during his lifetime, He added the term “appearing,” meaning the revelation of His Presence from Mount Paran, which is associated with them. Nevertheless, they did not merit that this great light should actually reach them, therefore it does not say “unto them” [lamo] because it did not reach them, but they saw the light from Mount Paran from a distance. For Esau, since that light was merely sunlight, therefore He shone from Seir unto them directly. But for Israel, He came from Mount Sinai without any shining or appearing, because for the nations He needed to come with shining and appearing to speak to them with a shining countenance, perhaps to persuade them to accept the Torah so they would not have an excuse to say, “Had He come to us with a shining countenance, we would have accepted it.” But Israel, whose souls desired the Torah and loved it greatly, He did not need to shine upon them or appear to them, but rather from Sinai He came — a simple coming. Initially, the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai and from there He came to Israel, for that mountain is associated with Israel as it is the lowest of mountains, and Israel is the smallest of all peoples. And as they said (Avot 1:1) “Moses received the Torah from Sinai,” and they didn’t say “on Sinai,” because Moses, due to his great humility, considered himself the lowliest of men, saying, “Who am I that the Torah should be given through me?” But when he heard God’s word, When you bring the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain (Exodus 3:12), then he pondered in his heart, “Why specifically on this mountain? Aren’t there higher mountains in the world?” Rather, this is God’s way — to choose the most humble and to dwell with the contrite and lowly of spirit. From that point onward, Moses no longer refused his mission and accepted that the Torah would be given through him. Therefore it says, “Moses received the Torah from Sinai,” because from Sinai he learned that he was more worthy to receive the Torah than anyone else. This is what our Sages taught (Megillah 29a) regarding the verse Why do you look with envy, O mountains of peaks (Psalms 68:17) — “All of you have blemishes compared to Mount Sinai,” as it is said, or hunchbacked or dwarfed (Leviticus 21:20). What blemish did those mountains have, and what does hunchbacked have to do with mountains? After all, hunchbacked is a blemish of the eyes. Rather, this hints that pride of heart is a great blemish in God’s Torah, and these mountains, by being tall, have a blemish. Similarly, in humans, haughty eyes are a blemish of the eye. Therefore, he brings proof from “hunchbacked.” Thus, these mountains are not associated with Israel, only Mount Sinai is, and upon it God first descended, thereby teaching them that the Holy One, blessed be He, dwells with the most lowly. From this they should learn that not because you are more numerous than any other people did the Lord desire you, for you are the fewest (Deuteronomy 7:7), and therefore they are suited for the Torah, and the Torah is suited for them. Therefore it says, The Lord came from Sinai. And this is truly a great praise for Israel, making them worthy to receive the blessings. And You from the myriads of holiness. Some say that He came from the myriads of holy angels who said, “A hidden treasure, You are coming to give to flesh and blood?” Nevertheless, the Holy One, blessed be He, came from them because they are holy and have no evil inclination, adultery, or theft. Therefore, because they are myriads of holiness, He came to Israel to complete their deficiencies and refine the rust of their material nature like gold refined in fire. For this reason it says, from His right hand a fiery law for them, in order to refine them so they do not turn to the left but to the right, for a wise man’s heart is at his right (Ecclesiastes 10:2).

ה' מסיני בא, “Hashem came from Sinai, etc. “ Nachmanides writes that this is in accordance with how our sages portrayed G’d as having offered the Torah to the various nations of the earth, and the nations refusing to accept it, each for reasons of their own. Moses refers specifically to the descendants of Avraham including the descendants of Esau, who had two of the patriarchs in common with the Jewish people. Seeing that they were not willing to accept the Torah, His glory descended onto Mount Sinai to offer it to the Jewish people. It is possible to explain the words מסיני בא, “He came from Sinai,” as simply meaning that this was not the last stop on G’d’s journey inviting other nations to accept the Torah, but His first stop-on earth, so to speak, -the first time that G’d allowed His Presence to reside on earth again permanently since Adam had sinned in the garden of Eden. G’d’s Presence remained in that region during all the time that Moses spent on the Mountain, on and off. Once Moses had received the second set of Tablets, this Presence of Hashem, the שכינה, resided temporarily over Moses’ own tent until the inauguration of the Tabernacle. Ever since that occasion, G’d’s communications with Moses all emanated from the Tabernacle, i.e. from the lid of the Holy Ark between the cherubs. וזרח משעיר למו, “after having shone forth from Seir in its direction.” After the people had started journeying from Mount Sinai in the direction of the land of Canaan, the cloud symbolizing His Presence hovered over the desert of Paran from where Moses dispatched the spies. After that debacle, the Presence of Hashem went into voluntary exile until in the fortieth year when the people had reached the borders with Edom it re-appeared as is indicated by Deut. 2,7 כי ה' אלוקיך ברכך בכל מעשה ידך וגו', “for the Lord your G’d has blessed you in all your undertakings, etc.” From that point on the Shechinah did not again depart from the encampment of the Jewish people. When G’d had appeared to them coming from Se-ir, He was as a shining light for them and the period of mourning that had commenced after the episode of the spies had come to an end. This being the case, the time had come when they could hope to defeat Sichon and Og in battle, though they were warned not to attack or harass the Moabites and Edomites. הופיע מהר פארן, “He had appeared from Mount Paran.” This was where G’d became the people’s guiding light once they entered the great and forbidding desert; G’d looked out for all their needs. The expression הופיע is analogous to Job 10,3 על עצת רשעים הופעת, “that You should shine on the counsel of the wicked?” ואתה מרבבות קודש מימינו אש דת למו, “He approached with some of His myriads of holy (angels) flanked on His right by His fiery Torah.” Although He was preceded when approaching them by tens of thousands of angels, when it came to presenting the Torah, He did so personally, with His right hand. אש דת למו, “the fiery Torah toward them.” Hashem displayed for the people heavenly fire and let them hear heavenly voices, similar to when Moses had described this spectacle in Deut. 4,36 ועל הארץ הראך את אשו הגדולה, “and, while you remained on earth, He showed you His great Fire.”

ה' מסיני בא, and there He manifested Himself to the Children of Israel and gave them His Torah. וזרח, its light shone from Se-ir and Paran. How was that possible? שאתה מרבבות קודש, from all the four sides (exposures) of Mount Sinai the light accompanied the angels on the way from Se-ir and Paran until it arrived at Sinai. From the right side of Mount Sinai G’d gave the Torah to the Jewish people out of the fire, for He had been speaking to the people out of the fire. We have been told this explicitly in Deut. 4,33 השמע עם קול אלוקים מדבר מתוך האש כאשר שמעת אתה ויחי?, “for has any nation ever heard the sound of G’d’s voice speak to it out of the fire as you heard it and has survived such an experience? We also find this confirmed in Psalms 68,18 רכב אלוקים רבותים אלפי שנאן ה' בם סיני בקודש, “G’d’s chariots are myriads upon myriads, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them as in Sinai in holiness.” The same thought is repeated in his own words by Chabakuk 3,3 when he said: אלו-ה מתימן יבוא וקדוש מהר פארן סלה כסה שמים הודו ותהלתו מלאה הארץ, “G’d is coming from Teyman, the Holy One from Mount Paran. His majesty covers the skies, His splendour fills the earth, is a brilliant light.” In the victory song of Devorah (Judges 5,4) we also find a reference to this great happening; she wrote: ה' בצאתך משעיר בצעדך משדה אדום, ”O Lord when You came forth from Se-ir, advanced from the country of Edom; etc.” הופיע מהר פארן, He shone forth from Mount Paran.

Indeed, beloved are the tribes; all the holy ones of the house of Israel — in His might He brought them out of Egypt, and they travel under your cloud, journeying at Your Word.

אף חבב עמים YEA, HE LOVED THE PEOPLES — Also He loved the tribes with exceeding love. — Each individual tribe may be termed עם (or גוי), “a people”, for, you see, Benjamin alone was yet to be born when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob, (Genesis 25:11, see Rashi thereon) “A nation and a congregation of nations shall be of you." כל קדשיו בידך ALL HIS SAINTS ARE IN THY HAND — the souls of the righteous are stored up with Him, just as it is said, (I Samuel 25:29) “And the soul of my lord shall be bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God" (Sifrei Devarim 344:7). והם תכו לרגלך AND THEY SAT AT THY FOOT — And they are deserving of this, because they betook themselves right into the middle within the underpart of the mountain unto Thy foot at Sinai. — The word תכו expresses the idea of “they were acted upon” (a passive) — “they placed themselves right in the middle (תוך) between Thy feet”. ישא מדברתיך EVERYONE RECEIVED THY WORDS — they bore upon themselves the yoke of the Law (Sifrei Devarim 344:3). מדברתיך. The מ in it (in this word) has a close affinity to a root letter (i.e., it is an integral part of the noun and is not a prefix), as in (Numbers 7:89) “And he heard the voice uttering itself (מִדַּבֵּר) unto him”, and (Ezekiel 2:2) “And I heard Him that uttered Himself (מִדַּבֵּר) unto me”, which is the same as מִתְדַּבֵּר (see Rashi on Numbers 7:89). So, too, this word מדברתיך denotes: that which Thou didst speak unto Thyself to make it audible to me that I might tell them; tes pourparlers in old French, [English = thy utterances]. — Onkelos, however, translated it in the sense that they travelled in accordance with Thy words (only at Thy command), so that the מ in it is a servile letter (a prefix) used in the sense of מן. — Another explanation of this verse: אף חבב עמים, YEA, HE LOVED THE PEOPLES — even at the time of Thy love for the nations of the world — when You did show unto the nations a smiling (friendly) countenance and did deliver Israel into their power, even then כל קדשיו בידך ALL HIS SAINTS WERE IN THY HAND — all their righteous and pious people clung to You and did not depart from You and You did guard them (Bava Batra 8a), והם תכו לרגלך and they betook themselves right into the midst of, and gathered beneath Thy shadow, ישא מדברתיך they gladly accepted Thy decrees and Thy laws. And these were their words:

APH CHOVEIV AMIM.’ Commentators have explained that the word choveiv is of the Aramaic language [as Onkelos rendered and ye shall be Mine ‘segulah’]: “and you shall be chavivin (beloved) before Me.” The verse [here] is thus stating: “Yea, He loves Israel which consists of many peoples” [i.e., tribes], similar to what is stated, after thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples. And all His holy ones of Israel, namely, the Levites, are in Thy hand, for You have brought them near You to encamp around the ark. It appears to me that the word choveiv is from the same root as by hiding ‘b’chubi’ (in my bosom) mine iniquity, related to the expressions: into an inner chamber ‘l’heichavei’ (to hide thyself); and there is ‘chevyon’ (the hiding of) His power. He is thus stating [here]: “You are also hiding and protecting with Your hand the peoples — all the holy ones of Israel.” The above-mentioned [phrase] suggests that all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and G-d protects them with His hand, similar in meaning to the verse, And I have put My words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of My hand, and like the expression, Thou art my hiding place and my shield. Similarly, and they take counsel against Thy hidden ones. This alludes to what he said, inasmuch as Thou Eternal art seen face to face, and Thy cloud standeth over them. And similarly he said in the Song [of Ha’azinu], He compassed him about, He cared for him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. AND THEY ‘TUKU.’ This is like ‘huku’ (and they were smitten) [at Thy feet], as Scripture says ‘tirgalti l’Ephraim’ (I taught Ephraim to walk) in place of hirgalti. Similarly the feminine hei is exchanged for a thav in the following expressions: I will not give ‘sh’nath’ (sleep) to mine eyes; a sinner doeth evil ‘m’ath’ (a hundred times), and there are many such examples. He is thus stating that “‘they were smitten’ with every plague in the wilderness by following You wherever You went; they cared not for hunger, thirst, the affliction of serpents and scorpions. They only followed Thy feet and ran after You.” This is similar to what is stated, I remember for thee the affection of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, thy going after Me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown. YISA MIDABROTHECHA.’ The word yisa is similar to: Thou shall not ‘thisa’ (take) the Name of the Eternal thy G-d in vain; and nor ‘esa’ do I take their names upon my lips; ‘yisa’ (he shall swear) in that day, saying. And the word midabrothecha is like the expression ‘umidbareich’ (and thy mouth) is comely. He thus states [in the verse before us] that Israel will take Your words upon his lips and meditate upon them always.”

"Indeed He loves" — derived from Aramaic, from the idiom of "you shall be My treasure." "Peoples" refers to Israel, as in: "after you, Benjamin, among your peoples" — "peoples call them to the mountain." "And all His holy ones" — the sons of Levi. "In Your hand" — for they are stationed around the Ark. "And they follow at Your feet" — they walk in Your way. The meaning of "in Your hand" is: that You guard them. "He carries Your words" — for they will study the Torah; they are the transmitters of the Oral Torah. "He carries" — each one, even though they are many. The meaning of "Your words" is: what You have spoken they carry, for they are the bearers of the Torah — for they also carry the Ark. The meaning of "carries" is like "you shall not carry a false report." "They followed" — without an aleph; some say it is from the word "from within," as though they walk within Your footsteps. Others say the tav stands in place of a heh, as in the tav of "I trained Ephraim to walk" — meaning: even if they are struck for Your sake they will not abandon Your words. But this is far-fetched. The correct interpretation is that it is like "they drew near," meaning they went to the place where the Ark was, which is the footstool of Hashem's feet. This, then, is the blessing: that Hashem will be a wall of fire around Israel, that they will be His treasure, and the Levites will teach the Torah continually.

אף חובב עמים, he says to G’d that: “I am aware that You are fond of other peoples also, as when You said that the Jewish people are the most precious מכל העמים, from among all the nations, You meant that the species of mankind is something precious to G’d, as our sages said in Avot 3,18 חביב אדם שנברא בצלם, the species of man is especially dear to G’d among all of His creatures, seeing that only man has been created in the image of G’d.” [i.e. there are other nations to which Your relate with fondness. Ed.] כל קדושיו בידיך, You have said that You are holding all Your holy possessions (the Torah) in Your hand [people hold their most precious possessions in their hand, do not entrust them to a briefcase, for instance, which they may deposit somewhere and forget to pick up. Ed.] When You told us in Exodus 19,5 that we are to You an especially precious nation, a kingdom of Priests, You also singled us out as being Your children, (same paragraph in Avot), as well as in Deuteronomy 14,1 “You are children to the Lord your G’d.” והם תכו לרגלך, whereas they, the other nations, are lying broken at Your feet. (compare Proverbs 29,13 for a similar use of this expression where it refers to offering prayer to G’d with a broken heart) לרגלך, at the footstool of Your throne at Sinai.

אף חבב עמים, Also a lover of people, etc. Our sages in Baba Batra 8 understand these words to mean that although on occasion G'd displayed fondness for the other nations when He exiled the Jewish people amongst them, כל קדושיו בידיך והם, the Jews who study Torah continue to enjoy special privileges such as exemption from certain taxes even while they are in exile. It appears that our verse provides the rationale for what is written in the previous verse, namely that G'd came to both Se-ir and Paran. He did so in order to subject them to His anger on the day of judgment when these nations would excuse their conduct by saying that they had never been given a chance to receive the Torah and had not been informed of its contents so that they could have lived by its precepts. The entire verse needs to be understood as follows: "G'd had also displayed His love for the other nations when He offered them the Torah at the time he gave it to the Israelites." The words כל קדושיו may best be understood in line with Yalkut Shimoni at the end of Parshat Kedoshim item 626, on Leviticus 20,26: "and I have separated you from the other nations to be Mine." If the Torah had written: "I have separated the other nations from you," this would have meant that we do not accept proselytes. Seeing that the Torah uses the reverse order and writes: "I have separated you from the nations," this means that when Gentiles wish to convert to Judaism they are able to do so. [this is the thrust of the comment; our author has enlarged on it. Ed.] The words קדשיו בידיך mean that G'd reserves the right to allow those who wish to sanctify themselves by embracing the Torah to do so. Another approach to our verses may be this. The meaning of the words אף חובב is that there remains one single fondness for the Jewish people vis-a-vis the other nations, namely that those who study Torah, the "holy ones," enjoy some privileges as I have explained. The word והם, "and they," refers to the Jewish people who are the principal subject of the verse. We are told that the Jewish people are able to maintain their sanctity or improve it because תכו לרגלך, "they planted themselves at Your feet." This is an allusion to the statement in Shabbat 146 that as a result of the revelation at Sinai the Israelites were completely cleansed of any residual pollutant dating back to the sin in Gan Eden. They achieved this status because they planted themselves at G'd's feet, i.e. embraced the Torah wholeheartedly. This enabled them to be addressed by G'd directly. Our sages in Shabbat 86 go so far as to say that at that time their souls left them (based on Song of Songs 5,6: "my soul left me when He spoke"). It was this experience which removed their pollutant. This remained an advantage of the natural born Israelites over their proselyte counterparts (compare Zohar volume three page 14). ישא מדברותיך, accepting Your pronouncements. The word means "authority" in this instance. We find a similar meaning for דבר i...

אף חובב עמים, “Lover, indeed of the peoples;” (the twelve tribes of Israel are termed “peoples). We know that the Israelites were viewed as “special” by G-d when He said to us in Exodus 19,5: והייתם לי סגולה, “you will be for Me a treasure;” Why is this so? It is because all of His holy beings are under His direct supervision. How does this work in practice? “והם תוכו לרגליו, “they are sitting between His feet;” Compare Exodus 19,17: ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר, “they had taken up their positions at the base of the Mountain.” (Sinai). An alternate interpretation: even at times when G-d is fond of the gentile nations and delivers the sinful Israelites into their hands, they still remain under His direct supervision, (though they may not be aware of it.) והם, “and they are;” Israel, תוכו לרגלך; after all when the gentiles persecute them it is only because they are G-d’s people, having entered into a covenant with Him to observe His commandments.לרגלך, this expression, presuming that G-d has physical dimensions, is also used in Genesis 30,30 where even the pagan Lavan acknowledges the existence and personal providence of Yaakov by his G-d when he enriched Lavan in order that the latter treat Yaakov fairly. This is why Yaakov could say to him there: ‘ויברך ה׳ אותך לרגלי, “He has blessed you at my foot.”Another interpretation of the words: והם תוכו לרגלך, “in the Holy Temple.” The Temple is perceived as G-d’s footstool on earth. His presence manifests itself in and around the Temple. This is where most Israelites are found three times a year at least. ישא מדברותיך, “receiving part of Your words.” This was a reference to the first two of the Ten Commandments during the revelation at Mount Sinai which the whole people heard directly from the mouth of G-d before having asked Moses to become their interpreter. (Deuteronomy, 5,21-26)

אף חבב עמים, “Also (You) love the peoples (tribes of the Israelites).” Apart from having given to the Jewish people His law out of the fire, G’d displayed additional signs of His love for this nation, such as calling them סגולה, “precious.” (Exodus 19,5). The Aramaic translation of סגולה is חביבין, “beloved” i.e. the word Moses uses here. G’d meant that He was fonder of the Israelites than of all the other nations. On the other hand, it is possible that Moses meant that G’d’s fondness of His people was manifest in His applying the title “nation” to each of its tribes (compare Rashi). He bases this on Deut. 33,19 עמים הר יקראו, “the tribes will assemble at the Mount.” It is also possible to interpret that what Moses meant was that even at a time when the Torah speaks of the people derogatively, calling them simply: העם, this does not mean that G’d is no longer fond of them. We have several examples of the term העם, being used in an unflattering manner; Numbers 25,1, ויחל העם, “the people debased itself;” or Numbers 21,5: וידבר העם באלו-קים, “the people spoke out against G’d.” Or, Exodus 32,1 ויקהל העם, “the people assembled” (in preparation of demanding a new leader). In each of these instances the word העם points at their being at a moral/spiritual low. Even if Moses, perhaps, did not relate to the people with fondness at such times, G’d did not stop being fond of them. Still another way of understanding the words אף חובב עמים is that the word אף here means “anger” as it does on numerous occasions. The message is that even when G’d has reason to be angry at the people, He still also relates to them with fondness. The reason that this is so is that they are His people, עמים שלו. כל קדושיו בידך, “all its holy ones were in Your hand.” A reference to the Levites (Ibn Ezra). They took their lives into their hands, i.e. they placed their lives in Your hands, when they executed the Israelites who had actively worshipped the golden calf. והם תכו ברגלך, ”and they planted themselves at Your feet.” They always feel drawn to the site of the Holy Ark which symbolises Your Presence, which they perceive as הדום רגלך, “the footstool for Your feet.” The word תכו is the same as הכו, the letter ת being a substitute for the letter ה. This letter is used interchangeably in a similar manner in Kohelet 8,,12 where the words עושה רע מאת should normally have been עושה רע מאה, “doing evil one hundred times.” Or in Psalms 132,4 we find the words אם אתן שנת לעיני “if I will allow my eyes to sleep,” when we would have expected the psalmist to write אם אתן שנה לעיני. [The author quotes more such examples. Ed.] We sometimes find the ת replacing the letter ה, whereas on other occasions the letter ה replaces the letter ת. In the phrase (verse 11) commencing with ישימו קטורה, “they shall prepare incense,” etc., the letter ה, I believe, is also a substitute for the letter ת in the word קטורת, incense. I believe this is a rule in grammar, seeing that the letter ה normally symbolizes the feminine gender, such as in אמרה, שמרה, קראה,, as well as in all the other verbs; the letter ת seeing that it is the final and last letter in the aleph bet, also symbolizes something feminine, passive. This is the reason it was made the last letter. The letter ה at the end of the third person of the verb is also reminiscent of the last letter of the tetragrammaton. The letter ת is used in many forms of the verb in the third person feminine future. In other words, the function of the letter ת and the letter ה frequently overlap, so that we need not be surprised to see them used as alternate spelling for each other. ישא מדברותיך, “it bears (willingly) Your pronouncements.” This is a reference to the Levites carrying the Holy Ark containing G’d’s pronouncements, the Tablets with the Ten Commandments (Ibn Ezra). Alternatively, [especially because of the switch to the singular, i.e. the individual, Ed.] each one of them gladly acts as the bearer of G’d’s instructions teaching them to his fellow Israelites. This would be similar to verse 10 where Moses praises the Levites for being the teachers of Torah. A kabbalistic approach: the word תכו in תכו לרגלך, is derived from הכה, to hit, to strike. They are as if struck at the footstool of G’d, carrying the Ark and the Tablets inside them. According to the Midrash the carrying with one’s body of spiritually heavy loads, such as the Levites’ carrying the Holy Ark containing the Ten commandments and the Torah scroll, is debilitating and took its toll of the people doing this. This is why their number of adult males comprised fewer than half of that of the smallest other tribe (Bamidbar Rabbah 5,1). [Perhaps this is why they had to retire from active duty at the age of 50. Ed.] The words ישא מדברותיך is an allusion to the fact that each individual Levite was considered by G’d as the instrument of “carrying (like a flag)” the words of the Lord. The people, so to speak, heard the words of the Torah from the mouths of the Levites as if they had emerged from the Holy Ark [similar to the concept of מתוך האש, which we discussed earlier. Ed.].

“Also loving the peoples; all His holy ones are in Your hand, etc.” This means that even when the Holy One, blessed be He, shows affection toward the nations, nevertheless, the love for Israel is not comparable to the love for the nations. For all His holy ones, namely Israel — Israel is holy unto the Lord (Jeremiah 2:3) — they are in Your hand, supervised by Your blessed hand, for You did not entrust them to the governance of the celestial system. And they, meaning the nations, followed at Your feet. For they are entrusted to the celestial system which is under His blessed feet. Logic dictates this because the nations consider the word of God a burden and trouble. This is what is meant by they bear Your utterances — all Your words they bear as a heavy burden too heavy for them (Psalms 38:5). But Israel is not so; rather, Moses commanded us the Torah as an inheritance for the congregation of Jacob. Even though Moses commanded it to that generation, nevertheless it remains an inheritance for all congregations of Jacob in every generation. All of them upheld and accepted upon themselves to bequeath and pass down the Torah to their children after them. And all this indicates the opposite [of the nations’ attitude] — that the word of God is not a burden to them, but rather they upheld and accepted it upon themselves and their descendants with joy to fulfill it. And further he said, “they bear Your utterances.” Even Your good word which they hear from Your mouth is a burden upon the nations, but Israel is not so. Rather, they say that even the Torah that Moses commanded us, which we did not hear directly from the Almighty, is nevertheless an inheritance for the entire congregation of Jacob. Therefore, He became King in Jeshurun — specifically in Israel God is acknowledged as King, but not among the nations.

אף חובב עמים, “You were indeed fond of the various tribes;” Moses describes G’d’s fondness as extending to each tribe separately as if it ranked as a whole nation. We find another example of a tribe being treated or referred to as a whole nation in Judges 5,14: בנימין בעממיך, “Benjamin amongst Your peoples.” כל קרושיו בידך, “all its holy ones were in Your hand.” This is a reference to all the members of the tribe of Levi whom You G’d brought especially close to You, in allowing them to encamp around the Tabernacle and within easy range of the Holy Ark. Nachmanides writes that the word חובב is derived from the same root as חבי in Job 31,33 לטמון בחבי עוני, “to bury my guilt in a well hidden place.” The expression מחבא means a “hiding place.” The Holy Ark is the place on earth within which G’d’s Power is hidden. Allegorically speaking, Moses acknowledges that G’d also provided the Jewish nation with a hidden reservoir of spiritual fortitude. The entire Jewish nation is holy, and G’d “hides” them within His hand, as a gesture of His protection. והם תכו לרגליך, “for they had sat down at Your feet.” Ibn Ezra writes that there is no other instance in the Bible in which the word תכו or a derivative of it occurs [not in our editions of his commentary. Ed.]. According to him, some people consider the word as related to תוך, “within, in the midst of,” in which case the Israelites are perceived as walking within the protective umbrella of G’d’s feet. Others say that the letter ת in תכו instead of the letter ה, indicates that Moses refers to these people who have been the victims of every conceivable affliction during the forty years in the desert. They endured it all in order to follow G’d wherever He led them. ישא מרברותיך, “bearing Your utterances.” Israel has the words of Torah (i.e. G’d) constantly on its lips, similar to an ox that bears its yoke.

אף חובב עמים, also members of the gentile nations, such as the mixed multitude whom Moses had accepted as converts at the time of the Exodus, and who had done so in order to receive the Torah, G’d became fond of and accepted them so that they too were included in the camp which His shechinah, benevolent presence, rested over the people. We have more direct confirmation of this in Psalms 68,4. “but the righteous shall rejoice, etc.”

The Torah that Moses gave us — he delivered it as an inheritance to the congregation of Jacob.

תורה THE LAW which צוה לנו משה MOSES COMMANDED US, מורשה is AN INHERITANCE to THE CONGREGATION OF JACOB: we have taken it and we will not abandon it.

MOSES COMMANDED US A LAW. The meaning thereof is that Israel will always “take” [receive His words] and say “Moses commanded us a Law and this will be an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob, for all the children of Jacob shall possess it forever and observe it, for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed.” And our Rabbis interpreted that he did not say “an inheritance of the house of Jacob” or “the seed of Jacob” — he stated of the congregation of Jacob in order to suggest that many [strangers] would join them and the Torah will always be an inheritance of Jacob and of all who congregate to him, these being the strangers that join themselves to the Eternal, to minister unto Him, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob, and they will all be called “His congregation.”

"The Torah that Moses commanded us" — this is what [each generation] carries and says from generation to generation: thus we have received from Moses by tradition, an inheritance in our hands. The lamed of "for us" draws itself along and its companion. So too: "an inheritance for the congregation of Jacob" — like "the prophecy of Oded the prophet" — it is an inheritance, a possession of the congregation of Jacob.

ישא מדברותיך, a reference to when the people said to G’d at the revelation at Mount Sinai that He should make Moses His intermediary, elevate him to communicate G’d’s words, conveying His words to them, as they were afraid they would i.e. if they had to listen to G’d’s voice directly any longer. (This is the meaning of Moses hearing the voice of the Lord speaking to him (only) in Numbers7,8 The word מדברותיך in this verse refers to the Torah, which was attributed to Moses, on account of the people preferring to hear its words from Moses’ mouth. This is why the Torah describes the people as saying תורה צוה לנו משה, “Moses has commanded the Torah to us,” instead of “G’d has commanded the Torah to us.” (verse 5) מורשה קהלת יעקב, when something has not been acquired directly but is inherited, i.e. handed over from another owner, it is described in terms of ירושה, an inheritance. Had the Jewish people not requested to hear the words of the Torah from Moses instead of from G’d Himself, Torah would not now be described as מורשה.

תורה צוה לנו משה. Moses commanded the Torah to us. Seing that Moses is speaking, why did he not write: "I commanded the Torah to them? Perhaps we have to view this verse as a continuation of the previous verse as follows: "He will uplift the people of Israel due to their cleaving to His words of Torah which Moses had commanded them." Similarly, the meaning is that all the people of Israel will raise their collective voice jointly protesting that since Moses had commanded them the Torah and they had accepted it they deserved some consideration even in exile, etc. The words צוה לנו may be understood as describing the authority which Torah exercises over the people of Israel which even includes the king who rules only by dint of the Torah and who is obligated to personally write two copies of the Torah (Deut. 17,18). This is also one facet of the verse we quoted from Proverbs 8,15 that the "kings rule through Me."

תורה צוה לנו משה, “Moses commanded the Torah to us;” whereas G-d had commanded them the first two commandments, Moses commanded them the remaining 611 commandments. (This is why the numerical value of the letters in the word תורה total 611) In spite of the extraordinary spiritual high level the whole people had attained at that time, i.e. they were able to “see” thunder not just hear it, they could not listen to the voice of the Lord any longer and had feared they would die. תורה צוה לנו משה וגו, this verse appears in a truncated mode and should by rights read: תורה צוה לנו משה להיותה מורשה לנו קהלת יעקב, ”Moses commanded us this Torah in order for it to become a heritage to the congregation of Yaakov.”

תורה צוה לנו משה, “Moses commanded us the Torah;” according to the plain meaning of the text this is a continuation of the previous instruction to the Levites that each one of them has the burden of instructing all the Israelites that the commandments he performs are based on a tradition going back all the way to Moses. The Torah had become an inheritance for them seeing they are what is called the “congregation of Yaakov.” The reason he mentions “Yaakov” instead of saying מורשה קהלת ישראל, is to exclude the Ishmaelites and Edomites, both of whom though descendants of Avraham or even Avraham and Yitzchak, are not descendants of Yaakov, the other descendants of Avraham having declined to accept it. Torah is an heritage only for the descendants of Yaakov, being one of the four gifts from G’d given exclusively to the Jewish people. (the other three are: prophecy, the land of Israel, and resurrection of the bodies at some point in the future). It is possible to understand the word מורשה as referring to the land of Israel so that the meaning of the whole verse is: “due to the merit of Torah which Moses commanded us, we inherited the land of Israel of which it is written: ‘I give it to you as an inheritance I am the Lord’” (Exodus 6,8). The land becomes the inheritance of the community of Yaakov as a result of these people observing its commandments. If we were to transgress its commandments we would be exiled and be deprived of it. The word מורשה, as distinct from ירושה, refers to something which is continuously to be passed on as an heritage to future generations [as distinct from a normal heritage which the owner could give away during his lifetime without passing it on to his heirs. Ed.]. We find the expression מוריש ומעשיר “G’d makes poor (as opposed to ‘bestows as inheritance’) and enriches” (apparently simultaneously) something that appears very contradictory, in Samuel I 2,7 in Chanah’s prayer. This is not the only word in the Torah which appears to have opposite meanings on occasion. One such example is Numbers 4,13 ודשנו את המזבח, which at first glance could either mean: “and they will clean the altar” (from the remains of pre previous offerings), or it could mean that the priests were to provide the altar with fat, i.e. the fattest, best animals. Everything depends on the intention. When the community of Yaakov relates positively to the Torah, the land of Israel will “behave” positively toward the Jewish people, they will enjoy it as a bountiful inheritance. If the Jewish people disdain the Torah, the land of Israel will disdain the Jewish people. [The dual meaning of דשן when applied to G’d’s Altar, can have similar allegorical meaning. Ed.] A Midrashic approach (Makkot 23-24): the numerical value of the letters in the word תורה add up to 611, i.e. the number of commandments taught and commanded the Jewish people by means of their leader Moses. The other two commandments, i.e. the first two commandments in the Decalogue, the people had heard directly from the mouth of G’d at Mount Sinai. The expression מורשה קהלת יעקב is understood as including all those who have become part of the Jewish people, קהלה, through conversion. Our sages (Yuma 72) state further that there are “three crowns,” the crown of Torah (not hereditary), the crown of the priesthood, exclusive to descendants of Aaron, and the crown of the kingship, inherited only by descendants of King David. The “crown” of Torah must be perceived as if lying neglected in an out of the way corner, something which can be picked up by anyone desirous of acquiring it. Another Midrashic approach understands the Torah’s choice of the word מורשה instead of ירושה, as a hint that it could also be read as מאורשה, “betrothed,” i.e. that the purpose of giving us the Torah was to make us the Lord’s “betrothed.” A kabbalistic approach also understands as above, that the words מורשה קהלת יעקב as if the spelling had been מאורשה קהלת יעקב. Seeing that Torah is also known as רחל in terms of kabbalistic parlance, a departure (absence) of the Shechinah from the Jewish people is described by Jeremiah 31,14 as “Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her absent children.” At a time when G’d considers the Jewish people in a state of grace Rachel is described as “the wife of Yaakov” (Genesis 46,19).

מורשה קהלת יעקב, “the heritage of the congregation of Yaakov.” Our sages pointed out that Moses did not describe Israel here as “the descendants of Yaakov,” or as “the house of Yaakov,” but as “the congregation of Yaakov.” The implication is that when proselytes join the Jewish nation, i.e. they congregate around us, that they too will be so much part of our nation that Torah is their heritage as much as it is ours. Alternately, the reference is to “resident strangers,” who have not converted but who desire to live near us even if in a state of semi-servitude.

And there was a king in Israel when the heads of the people gathered together, the tribes of Israel as one.

ויהי AND HE WAS — i.e. the Holy One, blessed be He, was בישרון מלך KING IN JESHURUN — constantly was the yoke of His sovereignty upon them at all times. בהתאסף When there gathered the head (בהתאסף ראשי), i.e., the total number (the whole) of their assembly. ראשי — The word ראשי has the same meaning as (Exodus 30:12) “When you take the count (רֹאשׁ) of the children of Israel”. Consequently they are worthy that I should bless them (and so I shall now begin the blessing: May Reuben live, etc.). — Another explanation of בהתאסף: When they assemble together in one band and there is peace between them, only then is He their King, but not when there is dissension among them (Sifrei Devarim 346:1).

AND THERE WAS A KING IN JESHURUN. This alludes to the aforementioned Name [in Verse 2: ‘The Eternal’ came from Sinai], Who was King over Israel when they were upright and all the heads of the people and all tribes of Israel were gathered together. Now this verse, too, is connected [with the above theme — the Revelation at Sinai], and the sense thereof is that Israel will always say: “The Torah which Moses commanded us will forever be an inheritance to the entire congregation of Jacob. We shall never alter it or change it.” And they will further say that “G-d became King over Israel when our leaders, our elders, our judges and all tribes of Israel gathered, for we all, together, accepted His reign upon ourselves for all generations, and we are obligated to keep His Law and [acknowledge] His Kingdom forever.” This commandment is the precept of I am the Eternal thy G-d, and it constitutes “the acknowledgment of the Kingdom of Heaven,” as I have explained there. Thus he mentioned the Torah in general, and the Kingdom of Heaven in partizcular, for whoever acknowledges the Kingdom of Heaven denies the idols and acknowledges the entire Torah. The people thus intimated that they and their leaders accepted [the commandment to acknowledge] the Kingdom of Heaven [directly] from the mouth of the Almighty and saw that He is King of Israel and his Redeemer. They accepted the Torah from the mouth of Moses for they took upon them, and upon their seed to believe in him and to do whatever he commands in behalf of the King, just as they said [to Moses], and thou shalt speak unto us all that the Eternal our G-d may speak unto thee, and we will hear it, and do it. This interpretation of the verse is clear and well founded. It accords with the rendering of the Rabbis in the Gemara of Tractate Rosh Hashanah: “But only three verses referring to Sovereignty [of G-d] are found [in the Five Books of Moses]! The Eternal shall reign for ever and ever; The Eternal his G-d is with him, and the ‘t’ruah’ (shouting) for the King is among them; And there was a King in Jeshurun.” We have also been taught so in the Sifre: “When the elders [of Israel] sit in council on earth, His Great Name is praised on high, as it is said, And there was a King in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together. The term ‘gathering’ applies only to the elders, as it is said, Gather unto Me seventy men of the elders of Israel. All the tribes of Israel together — when there is but one brotherhood [then there is a King in Israel] but not when they become numerous factions. And so it is also said, It is He that buildeth His upper chambers in the heaven, [and hath founded His band upon the earth]. And in the Midrash Rabbah they also stated, ‘His throne is firmly set, as it were, on high, when Israel is formed into a single association; therefore it is stated, It is He that buildeth His upper chambers in the heaven, and hath founded His band upon the earth.’ And ...

"King" — this refers to Moses, for the tribal leaders heard the Torah clearly from his mouth; the meaning is that he was like a king, and the tribal heads gathered to him. This interpretation is supported by the text stating that the Torah was given to the priests, who in my view are "all His holy ones in Your hand," and to all the elders of Israel — that is "when the heads of the people gathered," where it is also written: "gather to me all the heads of your tribes." Rabbi Yehudah Halevi of blessed memory said that "king" here is an allusion to the Torah, and so he explained: "there is no king in Israel."

ויהי בישורון מלך, since that occasion G’d became “King” in Israel among all those who study Torah more than superficially. בהתאסף ראשי עם, at the time of the giving of the Torah, when, according to Deut. 5,19, all the elders and leaders of the people are described as approaching Moses, telling him (verse 20) that G’d had shown them His glory, יחד שבטי ישראל, G’d had thus become King over all the tribes of Israel at one and the same time as they all accepted His status as being their supreme authority. The words which the people used to express this acceptance were:ואת תדבר אלינו את כל אשר ידבר ה' אלוקינו אליך ושמענו ועשינו, “and you say to us all that the Lord our G’d will say to you, and we will hear it and do it.” (Deut.5,24)

ויהי בישרון מלך, He became king in Yeshurun. This verse means that in order for a king to become legally crowned in Israel he must be approved by a popular assembly including the heads of the people. This rule is spelled out in a Tossephta Sanhedrin 83 that only the Supreme Court of 71 judges is authorised to appoint a king. Moses referred to this rule when he mentioned the "heads of the people." When he added יחד שבטי ישראל, he referred to a national assembly of the people approving of such a choice. Another meaning of this verse is connected to Proverbs 8,6: "I speak of lofty things," a reference to Torah's rule. The words: "when the heads of the people assemble," mean that when the people request that a king be appointed such a king may be appointed in addition to the Torah. This is precisely what happened during the lifetime of the prophet Samuel. We read in Samuel I 8,5 that all the elders of the people assembled, approached Samuel and said to him: "seeing that you have aged and your sons do not follow in your footsteps, please appoint over us a king to judge us like all the other nations." Unless such a situation exists the Torah is supposed to be the only authority ruling over Israel. This is part of what Samuel replied (Samuel I 8,12) "and the Lord your G'd is your king." The king he referred to was the Torah. Perhaps Moses alluded to this when he employed the word ויהי which always signifies something regrettable. We are told that Samuel was deeply grieved by the people's request for a king and that G'd had to tell him that this request reflected a rejection of Him as king even more than a rejection of the prophet as their leader (Samuel I 8,7). Moses prophesied concerning this situation when he used the word ויהי at the beginning of our verse. Our verse also hints that the kingdom of Israel will endure only if the heads of the people assemble together (keep the peace amongst themselves) not if the leaders of the people are split. If the leaders are split, the tribes themselves will not be able to maintain their unity. A look at Jewish history shows that as long as the people were united under David and Solomon the king and the nation were extremely successful, whereas as soon as a split developed the fortunes of the Jewish people took a turn for the worse.

ויהי, “he became,” i.e. Moses; בישורון מלך בהתאסף ראשי עם, “King in Yeshurun, when the leaders of the people assembled.” This was recorded in Deuteronomy 4,10: באמור ה' אלי הקהל את העם ואשמיעם את דברי, when the Lord said to me: “assemble the people so that I can let them hear My words.”It is up to us to keep the Torah which He commanded us, and after having accepted it, it became a source of blessing for us.

ויהי בישורון מלך, “He became King in Yeshurun.” [continuing the author’s approach based on the “plain meaning”, Ed.] every Levite would be expected to declare that there was a king in Israel, i.e. none other than the Lord Himself. The concept is that the presence of the Shechinah over the Jewish camp was a manifestation of the presence of the king. The reason the expression Yeshurun has been used here is that it reflects a visual experience, i.e. the experience of the Israelites at Mount Sinai. At that time they had been enabled to have a visual experience of the attribute of כבוד. This was where all the heads of the tribes had assembled together with all the tribes in order to accept G’d as their King. [Compare Deut. 32,8 where the author explained the word ישורון, as the same as אשורנו in Numbers 24,17 where Bileam uses is to describe his visionary powers. Ed.] A Midrashic approach (Pessikta Zutrata): The “king” referred to in the line ויהי בישורון מלך, is Moses, seeing that people had heard the entire Torah (legislation) from his mouth. The Torah means that the manner in which all the people including their tribal heads assembled around him, gave Moses the stature of king. This was not the first time that Moses had acted as lawgiver. It had occurred in Deut. 31,9 already when he had given the Torah to the priests, the Levites, carriers of the Holy Ark. We also find Moses ordering all the people to appear in his presence in Deut. 31,28. Another way of understanding our verse is that the “king” described here is G’d Himself. The Torah describes that G’d became king only when all the tribal heads assembled. We find something similar described in Psalms 47,8-10 where David refers to G’d’s position as “king” in connection with the leaders of mankind indicating that they accept Him as such. In the case of the Jewish people: “when the leaders of the people volunteered to rally around Him.” We have another similar description of G’d becoming king in Amos 9,6. [The prophet portrays that G’d cannot build His chambers in heaven until an assembly of His loyal people have laid the foundation for this on earth. Ed.] The common denominator in all these verses is that G’d does not impose Himself as “king,” but waits until His creatures manifest their desire for Him to be their king. A kabbalistic approach: the word ויהי בישורון מלך, is an allusion to the emanation מלכות, which is the one emanation which has absorbed input from all the other emanations “above” it. This is the background to the commentary on the verse in Amos 9,6 הבונה בשמים מעלותיו ואגודתו על ארץ יסדה, “Who builds (commences the structure) in the heaven and gathers it all together when it reaches earth;” [my translation, Ed.] in other words, you may perceive of G’d’s “structure” described by the prophet as if it consisted of a palace built on a number of ships, in sections. As long as the ships supporting different parts of this palace are securely tied together the palace is not in any danger of crumbling; the structure which the prophet describes as the universe, G’d’s palace, i.e. heaven, is secure only as long as Israel provides its sound foundation on earth. This can only be when the Israelites themselves form a firm union one with the other, אגודתו. In the absence of the proper אגודה, “union, brotherliness,” of the Jewish people on earth, His throne in the celestial spheres may be viewed as somehow defective, insecure. The word מעלתו, though spelled in the singular, i.e. “His celestial region,” is to be read as if it had been spelled מעלותיו (pl.) i.e. “His celestial regions.” This is an allusion to the ten emanations. The letter י in the way we read the word alludes to the highest [in our diagrams lowest, Ed.]. emanation, the one which includes input from all the others. This indicates that this verse in Amos makes G’d’s throne’s completeness conditional on the condition of the Jewish people on earth, especially their brotherliness, their ability to establish a single אגודה, union. You should remain aware that the word ויהי in our verse teaches that this king is the Lord G’d. Furthermore, in the word ויהי you find three of the permutations of the holy name of G’d, the tetragram, when you perceive of that name as capable of 4 permutations. The four permutations would be יהו'ה, יה'ו, י'ה, י, the last three being capable of construction from the word ויהי. The sequence would correspond to the fruit used as part of the 4 species on Sukkot; [We use a progressively smaller number of each of these species, i.e. 3 Hadassim, 2 Aravot, 1 Lulav in the אגודה, i.e. the three species which form part of the bunch. Ed.] Seeing the word ויהי is emanated from the tetragrammaton, this indicates that the tenth emanation belongs to G’d. The meaning of the word מלך in our verse may be similar to what David had in mind when he said in psalm 145,1 ארוממך אלוה-י המלך, “let me extol You, my G’d and king.” It may also correspond to the way the word is used in Numbers 23,21 ה' אלוה-יו עמו ותרועת מלך בו, “the Lord their G’d is with them and their king’s acclaim in their midst.” Solomon may have used the word in a similar sense when he said in Kohelet 5,8 מלך לשדה נעבד, “even a king is indebted to the soil.” The expression מלך is used in that sense (also by Solomon) in Song of Songs 7,6 when he said מלך אסור ברהטים, “a king is held captive by (nazarite) tresses.” The common denominator of the verses we have mentioned is that even a king is subject to restrictions. When G’d is described as king, this does not necessarily mean His total independence, but His dependence on His subjects in a certain way. [All of this is part of what our sages call His ענוותנותו, “His self-imposed humility.” Ed.] Similarly, the verse ה’ צבאות הוא מלך הכבוד סלה, “the Lord of Hosts, He is the king of the attribute כבוד.” [If I understand the author correctly, the latter expression, i.e. king of an attribute, even that of כבוד, is less encompassing than the title represented by the tetragrammaton. All of this shows that G’d imposes restrictions upon Himself. The reason that the psalmist added the word סלה was so that we should not err and think that when G’d manifests Himself as an attribute, כנוי, that this represents His essence. Ed.]

And there was a king in Jeshurun. Whether this refers to the Holy One, Blessed be He, or to Moses, this is its interpretation: “Jeshurun” is derived from the word for “seeing,” and it is common in the world that sometimes a person rises to greatness even if he is not worthy of it because people do not examine him carefully to see his true nature, and therefore they leave him in his position of greatness, for they have eyes but do not see after him what his true nature is. But if they were to look and see his essence, that there is no substance to him, they would remove him from his greatness. But Moses was not like this; even though it is said and they looked after Moses (Exodus 33:8), meaning they scrutinized him meticulously, nevertheless they found no trace of fault in him. Therefore, there was a king in Jeshurun even among those who examined him closely. In this way, it can also be interpreted regarding the sovereignty of the Almighty, for they were constantly questioning Him through various trials, and in all of them they found that He, blessed be He, is their king.

ויהי בישורון מלך, “He became King over Yeshurun;, etc.” Nachmanides writes that the word ישורון is an allusion to the holy name of Hashem Who was indeed King in Israel as long as the Jewish people were loyal to Him and His Torah. The verse is a continuation of the previous verse and describes when all the leaders of the people gathered themselves and the whole nation. The Israelites, when they accepted the Torah, meant that it was everyone’s Torah, not a Book aimed at the elite of the people only. As such it is aptly termed a “national heritage, מורשה.” It will never be exchanged, even in the sense of being “updated.” Acceptance of עול מלכות שמים, “the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, by definition means that it is forever, not subject to change. Moses has to reiterate all this, seeing that the people, at their own request, had received all the laws except for the first two of the Ten Commandments from Moses whom they had appointed to be their trusted intermediary. Some commentators say that the subject of ויהי בישורון מלך is not G’d, but Moses; He had been accepted and hailed as such at the assembly of all the people including the elders who had heard the Torah explained by Moses directly, having heard it from his own mouth. Moses had commanded that henceforth this Torah was to be considered as a national heritage of all the people forever more. Seeing that Moses was so outstanding and illustrious, it was appropriate that the Torah he had brought to the people should be embraced with the greatest respect. A third view holds that the words ויהי בישורון מלך refer to the Torah, i.e. that the Torah should rule over Israel like a king, enjoy the same respect and awe. “Yeshurun”, in all these interpretations, is a complimentary term for the people of Israel.

ויהי בישורון מלך בהתאסף ראשי עם, “and there was a king in Jeshurun when the heads of the people were gathered.” When the Jewish people are truly united and relate to one another as true brothers, then G–d is truly King over them. When they quarrel among themselves then G–d cannot truly be seen as being their King.

May Reuben live to eternal life, and may he not die the second death; and may his sons receive their inheritance according to their number.

יחי ראובן LET REUBEN LIVE, in this world, ואל ימת AND LET HIM NOT DIE, in the world to come (Sifrei Devarim 347:1) : that the incident of Bilhah be not remembered unto him (Sifrei Devarim 347:3). ויהי מתיו מספר lit., AND LET HIS MEN BE A NUMBER — let him be counted amongst the number of his other brothers. This is exactly similar to the idea that is expressed in the text, (Genesis 35:22) “[And Reuben went] and lay with Bilhah [his father’s wife]” … “And the sons of Jacob were twelve”, which suggests that he was not excluded from the number of Jacob’s sons.

LET REUBEN LIVE. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that “he began with Reuben because he was the firstborn. He did not mention Simeon because of the sin of [Baal] Peor, because the worshippers were Simeonites, the proof being their numbers, and their prince, too, being killed [in the affair].” In my opinion, the numbers are no proof because over thirteen thousand are still unaccounted for, aside from those who died in the plague. In addition, other tribes as well diminished in population, for the sons of Gad lost five thousand, and the sons of Ephraim, eight thousand! Moreover, from the verse which states, And Israel attached himself unto Baal-peor, and it is said again, Take all the chiefs of the people it would appear that there were some among them from all the tribes, and that all their judges passed sentence on them. And similarly He said, so that I consumed not the children of Israel in My jealousy. Now do not rejoin against me from the affair of Achan where He said, Israel hath sinned [although it was but a single individual who sinned; similarly we can say that it was the tribe of Simeon alone that sinned in the affair of Peor yet Scripture describes it as if the entire nation sinned. This rejoinder is not valid, for] there, [the details of] the sin had not yet been revealed, so He mentioned Israel generally [but in the case of Peor the facts of the sin were clearly given and still He spoke of all Israel, which shows that people from all the tribes were among the worshippers of Peor]. Similarly, the identity of the victim [i.e., Zimri, a leader of the Simeonites] is no proof [that only his tribe sinned, as Ibn Ezra argues], for he [Zimri, the son of Salu] was only a prince of a fathers’ house of that tribe, not the prince of the [entire] tribe. Those who assembled against G-d in the congregation of Korach were greater and more honorable people than he [Zimri], for they were princes of the congregation, yet all their tribes did not follow them! Additionally, the psalm [that relates the sins of the wilderness] mentions Dathan and Abiram and their affair by name, saying, The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram; and it [the same psalm] mentions They attached themselves also unto Baal-peor together with Moreover, they scorned the desirable Land which applies to the general population! Forbid it also that Moses should refrain from blessing the tribe of Simeon, [when it is said] that a tribe be not blotted out from Israel! For all those who had joined Baal-peor had already died, as it is said, for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Eternal thy G-d hath destroyed from the midst of thee, and it is written of those who survived, But ye that did cleave unto the Eternal your G-d are alive every one of you this day. And why should he not bless them? They all made the [golden] calf and sinned in the affair of the spies, yet they were forgiven, and he blessed them!Now, I have seen in Midrash Rabbah the followi...

"May Reuben live" — He began with the firstborn, for that is the proper order. Simeon was not mentioned on account of Baal-Peor, for those who worshipped there were Simeonites, as their numbers testify, and their chieftain was slain. Or it follows the pattern of Jacob, who did not bless Simeon and Levi; and in honor of Aaron the tribe was withheld from mention — for there was no one as great in the tribe of Simeon as Aaron. If one objects and asks why then did he bless Reuben — the answer is that Jacob had blessed him, and the content of that blessing was "do not be preeminent," meaning he should be as one of his brothers. After Reuben he mentioned Judah, the standard-bearer who goes up first to battle; after him, Levi; and after him, Benjamin — because the Levites dwelt in Jerusalem, which lay between Judah and Benjamin, as the text states. Then comes the tribe of Joseph, not to be placed late, and his younger brother has already been advanced before him. After that, Zebulun — because he fights; then Issachar. When the sons of the freewoman were concluded, he began with Gad, who is with the banner of the sons of the freewoman, then Dan the standard-bearer, then Naphtali — for Naphtali is greater than Asher. "May Reuben live" — this is a prayer. "And let him not die" — though it is possible that he will live a measured number of years as a mortal and then die. "And let his men be few" — that is, "and let his men not be few," like "and I have not learned wisdom" and "by El Shaddai," as I have explained many times — for it is possible that he lives forever and his numbers are small, and anything that can be counted is few. So too: "and I am few in number."

יחי ראובן , even though the tribe of Reuven had chosen to live in a ritually unclean country (East bank of the Jordan), a region which is not really part of the “Holy Land,” as per Joshua 25,19 “although the land of your heritage is an unclean land, etc.,” and as a result of this they are not really entitled to eternal life in the hereafter, Moses prays that his (Reuven’s) heart may live on forever, ואל ימות ויהי מתיו מספר, may he not die out in this life on earth so that his numbers will become too insignificant. (Yaakov already described people who are few in numbers as being in danger of being wiped out, Genesis 34,30) Moses prays that the tribe of Yehudah be included in the blessing of Deut. 11,21 “so that you will enjoy many years on the earth, etc.”

יחי ראובן ואל ימות, "May Reuven live and not die, etc." According to Sifri on our verse the words "may Reuven live" mean that Moses prayed that Reuven should have a share in the hereafter. Perhaps what is meant is that the leaders of that tribe who died during the uprising of Korach should have a share in the hereafter. [seeing that a prayer for someone who had died hundreds of years ago would seem futile and even sinful. Ed.] According to Bamidbar Rabbah 18, the 250 men who died offering incense were all heads of the courts, most of them from the tribe of Reuven. Seeing that one could have assumed that the community of rebels including Korach would not have a share in the hereafter, Moses prayed that Reuven, i.e. the tribe, should live. Granted that only 250 of their number had been guilty of joining the uprising, the fact that these 250 men represented the elite of the tribe could have brought disaster on the whole tribe and jeopardised their share in the hereafter. It is also possible that Moses referred to Reuven, Jacob's son, personally. His continued share in the hereafter might have been endangered seeing that his most illustrious offspring had become guilty of the uprising against Moses. All of this is in accordance with the view expressed by one scholar in Sanhedrin 108 that the rebellious group of Korach did not forfeit their share in the hereafter. ויהי מתיו מספר, "even though he may be few in numbers." Moses prayed that the surviving members of the tribe be righteous seeing that their holy roots had been undermined due to their leaders having been guilty of taking part in Korach's uprising. The prayer concerning their numbers may be understood in accordance with Sanhedrin 26 where the Talmud discusses the prayer of King Chiskiyah that G'd should not be influenced by the attitude of Shevna his heretic scribe who commanded the support of the majority amongst the people of beleaguered Jerusalem at the time. At that time G'd replied to Chiskiyah not to worry because numbers are not relevant when He deals with the wicked. Similarly, Moses mentioned that though there may have been a substantial number of the tribe of Reuven who were not righteous, G'd should not judge the tribe by this numerically significant segment. This may be the meaning of Samuel II 23,3 that צדיק מושל יראת אלוקים, "a righteous person" (even when in the minority) rules' G'd.

יחי ראובן ואל ימות, “may Reuven live and not die;” Moses refers to the period when the members of that tribe would be in the vanguard of crossing the Jordan and battling the Canaanites. ויהי מתיו מספר, “let the number of his men of military age that had been counted not decline.” (Let them not suffer casualties)

יחי ראובן, “may Reuven live!” According to the plain meaning of the text this is a prayer that Reuven should enjoy long life and not die prior to the time set at the time of his birth seeing it is impossible that he should live forever. [The “he” refers to the tribe. Ed.] ויהי מתיו מספר, “and may his numbered ones be part of the whole nation.” The word ואל in the first half of this verse must also be understood as applying to this second half, i.e. “and may his numbers never cease.” We find a similar construction in Proverbs 30,3 ולא למדתי חכמה ודעת קדושים אדע, where the meaning is not: “and I did not learn wisdom and I will have knowledge of holy ones,” but the meaning is (as if the word לא had been repeated) “and I have not learned wisdom and (therefore) I do not have knowledge of holy ones.” Yet another example of such a construction is found Psalms 9,19 כי לא לנצח ישכח אביון תקות ענוים תאבד לעד. If one were not to read the word לא, “not,” as also applying to the second half of the verse, not only would the second half of the verse contradict the first half, but the meaning of the whole verse would be: “for not always will the destitute be forgotten, the hope of the poor will be lost for ever.” Clearly, this is not the psalmist’s meaning, but he means: “neither the destitute will be forgotten forever, nor the poor.” [The author quotes a few more such examples. Ed.] The order in which Moses enumerates the tribes in his blessing follows the sequence in which they received their inheritance. Seeing that the founder of the tribe of Reuven was Yaakov’s oldest, his tribe is also described as the firstborn seeing he is mentioned first. Moses mentioned Yehudah next, seeing this was the tribe who received its inheritance first on the West Bank of the Jordan. The next tribe receiving a blessing was the tribe of Levi because this tribe was encamped around Jerusalem, right next to the tribe of Yehudah. Next was Binyamin whose tribal territory adjoined that of Yehudah; also because the Temple area was shared by both tribes. The tribe of Joseph came next so as not to downgrade Joseph even further, seeing his younger brother Binyamin had already received his blessing. This was followed by a blessing for Zevulun, a tribe who distinguished himself by answering Barak’s call to arms in the days of Devorah. Not only that, but it was due to his financial support that his brother Issachar could devote himself to Torah study without having to worry about where his livelihood would come from. Having completed his blessings for the tribes who were offspring of Yaakov’s senior wives Leah and Rachel, Moses now turned to bless the tribe of Gad seeing he shared a flag with one of the tribes born by Leah, i.e. the tribes of Reuven and Shimon (Numbers 2,10-14). Next came Dan, who was himself in charge of one of the camps; next came Naftali who was senior to Asher. It is possible to explain the words יחי ראובן ואל ימות as applying to this tribe’s success in war, i.e. that they should not only be successful but also not incur any casualties. The words ויהי מתיו מספר would be an allusion to the distant future when the Romans would condemn 10 sages to death by torture for their forefathers having sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites at the time. Moses hinted that at that time his blessing would not be effective, and members of that tribe would be included in that decree (though Reuven their ancestor had actually saved Joseph from death). We find that the word מספר has a mystical dimension; Isaiah 10,19 speaks of so few trees of a forest remaining that even a young child can record its מספר, “its number.” Rashi quotes Sanhedrin 95, according to which the prophet refers to the letter י meaning “ten” as being so small that even a very young child can write it. Moses would then hint that whereas Reuven’s conduct vis-a-vis Bilhah had been forgiven to the extent that none of his descendants would die prematurely on that account, the pardon was not so absolute, and that is why at the time the Romans decreed the death of the ten sages the number was 10 instead of 9, seeing that neither he nor Binyamin had had a share in it. A kabbalistic approach: the word יחי in the line refers to life in the hereafter. The words ואל ימות refer to what would happen to Reuven as part of the system of the transmigration of souls, in order to spare him having to die a second time. This is the meaning of Onkelos’ translation of the words ואל ימות, i.e. יחי ראובן לחיי עלמא ומותא תנינא לא ימות. Onkelos revealed to us here that there is a transmigration of souls when the souls of people who committed certain sins reappear in another body to rehabilitate themselves by a second circuit of physical life on earth. This occurs after they had already once received their reward or punishment in the hereafter after having died, (separated from the body which housed them originally). This is a concept which is not hard to understand when one considers that the cycles of Shemittah years are something which repeat themselves time and again. A soul returns to a new habitat on earth after having received its initial judgment for how it performed on earth the first time around. [The “shemittah” cycles the author refers to are not the seven year cycles on terrestrial earth we are familiar with, but the cycles of seven times 7,000 years each of which contains as the last one thousand years a period of metamorphosis for the universe, At the end of the 49,000 years an absolutely perfect terrestrial universe will emerge. The author has referred to this in detail repeatedly, the first time on Genesis 2,3 on the words אשר ברא אלו-הים לעשות. Ed.] According to many views expressed by our sages, this metamorphosis is what is known as תחיית המתים, commonly translated as “resurrection of the dead (bodies).” [The authorities who interpret the concept in the manner we just described base themselves primarily on Isaiah 22,14. They find support for this in the way Targum Yonathan renders that verse in Isaiah. Ed.] In the Talmud Taanit 2 there is a debate concerning whether rain should already be mentioned in our Amidah prayer on the first day of Sukkot or whether one should wait until the last day of that festival. One of the arguments in favour of the former view is the fact that we mention the resurrection of the dead every day of the year in that prayer, although surely, the time for this event to occur is not daily? It is suggested that an event which could conceivably occur at any time qualifies for such mention in our daily prayers. At any rate, according to a view in the Jerusalem Talmud Yuma 8,7 the verse in Isaiah refers to the second death of the persons referred to (who deny that there is life after death). Their punishment will be that they will not participate in the ultimate resurrection. At any rate, considering both the comments of Onkelos in our verse and those of Targum Yonathan in Isaiah, it appears that the words of Moses about the tribe of Reuven are a prayer that they should live long enough so as not to need a second round of physical life on earth to rehabilitate themselves. [I wonder whether all this is in view of the tribe of Reuven and the other one and a half tribes on the East Bank of the Jordan having being the first ones to be exiled and being lost to the קהלת יעקב, Ed.] You will find that David has some very specific comments on the subject of resurrection, transformation of souls, the hereafter, etc. Compare Psalms 103, 3-5: “He forgives all your sins, heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from the Pit, crowns you with steadfast love and compassion. He satisfies you with good things (jewelry?) in the prime of life, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.” David mentions a number of experiences which occur after the initial death of the body. Forgiveness of sins; healing of diseases in the second round, a redemption from the grave. All this proves that something happens after death. Subsequently, David describes the goodness the people who have been resurrected will be surrounded with by G’d. The word תעטרני, “You will crown me,” appears to speak of an abstract experience in the disembodied life in the hereafter where one experiences the radiation of G’d’s brilliance, זיו השכינה in the parlance of our sages. This is followed by renewed youth, i.e. life in a body on terrestrial earth. It is significant that the five stages of existence dealt with by David in the three verses we quoted from psalm 103, all end with the letter י, i.e. עוניכי, תחלואיכי, חייכי, המעטרכי, נעוריכי, “your guilt, your disease, your life, your crown, your youth.” These letters י are not part of the nouns in question and have been added by David to allude to certain concepts involved here. They refer to the five names (levels) by which the soul is known. They are נפש, רוח, נשמה, יחידה, חיה. [I have listed them in ascending order. Ed.]

“May Reuben live and not die, and let his men be counted.” This first blessing is in the spirit of Jacob’s blessings when he said the excellency of dignity and the excellency of power (Genesis 49:3). Here Jacob blessed him with two blessings, one called dignity [se’et] and one power [oz]. The dignity refers to having many people to the point that they need to be counted, for something of great quantity requires numbering. And that his men be mighty, because Reuben who dwelled at the border needed all this — that his men be numerous and mighty — so they would not die in battle. Now, dignity [se’et] is a term related to counting, as in when you take [tissa] a census (Exodus 30:11) and take [nassa] a census (Numbers 4:22). And power [oz] refers to might. Now, because he disturbed his father’s bed, he deserved to have both taken from him, but through blessing they were given to him as a gift. And [Jacob] said, by right you should have exceeding dignity and exceeding power — more counting and might, twice as much as all the tribes — but unstable as water, you shall not excel (Genesis 49:4). Do not take the excess, but nevertheless, you shall be equal to all the tribes in dignity and power. And this is why Moses also blessed him with might, saying May Reuben live, meaning he should be a man of life, of many accomplishments in battle, and then not die, and let his men be counted — this is the aspect of dignity [se’et] that we mentioned. And he added, “and let him not die,” according to our Sages (Tamid 32a), “What should a man do to live? Let him kill himself.” But [Reuben] will live and will not need to “kill himself,” as it is written, What man can live and not see death? (Psalms 89:49). For if one gives life to himself, then without doubt he kills himself, and vice versa. And our Sages said (Sanhedrin 92a), “Let Reuben live in this world, and let him not die in the World to Come.” And because the World to Come is hidden, therefore the life of the World to Come remains hinted at through the precise wording and let him not die. And adjacent to this is And this for Judah, because he too was blessed with the World to Come, as his bones were rolling around, as Rashi explains. Or because it is said, But if a wicked person turns from his way and lives (Ezekiel 33:11), and Reuben was a penitent, therefore it says, Let Reuben live, etc. And this for Judah. For who caused Reuben to confess? Judah, etc. (Sotah 7b).

יחי ראובן, “May Reuven live, etc.” Nachmanides, quoting Ibn Ezra, writes that the reason that Moses commenced the blessings with Reuven was because he was Yaakov’s biological firstborn, and that the reason why Moses did not include Shimon in the list of tribes whom he blessed was because that tribe had been so guilty in the sin at Baal Peor. In fact, most of the people that sinned there were from the tribe of Shimon, something that can be proved by comparing the tremendous reduction in the number of men over 20 during the second census compared to that in the first census. The reason was that the sinners died during the plague before Pinchas had stabbed Zimri and Cosbi to death. Nachmanides adds that in his view this is not conclusive proof of anything, as even after deducting the 24000 men who had died during that plague, and assuming even that all of them had belonged to the tribe of Shimon there are still 13000 missing men from Shimon unaccounted for. (at the first census there had been 59,300 men of the required ages from the tribe of Shimon, whereas after the sin of Baal Pe’or there were only Moreover, we observe that there was substantial shrinkage in the number of men of recruiting age among some of the other tribes also, The tribe of Gad numbered 45,500 such men during the first count, whereas now it had only The number of men counted from the tribe of Ephrayim during the second count was also 5000 fewer than when they had been counted during the first census. Besides, when the Torah reports (Numbers 25,3) that Israel became attached to Baal Pe’or and that G’d told Moses “to take (gather) the leaders of the nation and hang them before Hashem, etc.,” it is clear from this verse that members of all tribes had been involved in sinning at Baal Pe’or. The fact that Zimri was the one whom Pinchas killed is no proof, as he was only the head of a בית אב, and not the prince of the tribe. The tribe of Shimon had a number of heads of families with that title. Moreover the rebels from the tribe of Reuven, Datan and Aviram, who went into the bowels of the earth with Korach were of higher rank in their tribe than Zimri was in his, and Moses did not deny the tribe of Reuven a blessing on that account. It is quite inconceivable that Moses would deny a whole tribe a blessing on account of a sin committed by one of their leading members. The Torah (Moses’ words) expressly stated that all the people who had not sinned on the occasion of the debacle of Baal Pe’or were included in the complimentואתם הדבקים בה' אלוקיכם חיים כולכם היום, “all of you who have cleaved to the Lord your G’d are alive as of this day.” In other words, Moses faced only righteous people at the time when he set out to bless the nation. The correct interpretation of why Moses did not bless the tribe of Shimon specifically has to do with the long-standing tradition that the Jewish people comprise no more than 12 tribes. At the time when Yaakov had blessed his children, he had given one blessing to Joseph, although part of the whole procedure had been the vision that both of Joseph’s sons would develop into two separate tribes. This left Moses with the problem of which tribe to delete from his blessings, seeing that including the “super” tribe Levi, there were now in effect 13 tribes. The division of the tribe of Joseph into two tribes did not occur as a mere wish of Yaakov, or as its interpretation by Moses on his own. At the inauguration of the Tabernacle and when establishing the groupings around the Tabernacle by the various tribes, Ephrayim and Menashe, by Divine decree, had clearly been treated as separate tribes. Furthermore, there was a need to mention Joshua who would be Moses’ successor and who would lead the people to the Divinely ordained heritage in the Land of Canaan, and he was a member of the tribe of Ephrayim. Seeing that Ephrayim was the junior of the two sons of Joseph, it would have been inconceivable for Moses to ignore the senior son (tribe) Menashe by not blessing that tribe separately. Moses, clearly, wanted to bless the tribe of Levi, the tribe whose members henceforth would dispense blessings to all of the people. The people’s various sacrificial offerings would have been meaningless unless the Priests, members of the tribe of Levi had blessed them. Moses could not avoid deleting one tribe from his blessing as the number 12 was not arbitrary but was symbolical of the 12 signs of the zodiac, the twelve months of the year, etc. According to the Midrash these twelve constellations in the sky known as the zodiacal constellations, are considered the arms of the universe, G’d’s instruments in supervising nature at work. When the people were blessed at Mount Gerizim and Mount Eyval, the tribe of Shimon most certainly took part in that procedure (Deut.) On that occasion the tribe of Levi was not mentioned, as its members did not share in the distribution of ancestral land. Yaakov, on his deathbed had indicated that he wished both the tribe of Shimon and that of Levi to be separated from one another in order to forestall the kind of violence plotted against the city of Shechem by these two brothers to ever occur again. (Compare Genesis 49,7) The entire portion of וזאת הברכה had, of course, been said by Moses while he was inspired with the Holy Spirit, and the reason why Reuven had been listed first was because he was the first of the tribes to receive his ancestral heritage (on the east bank of the Jordan). An additional reason was the fact that he was chronologically the most senior of the tribes, the founding father having been Yaakov’s oldest son, the firstborn. Moses prayed for the tribe’s continued well being, wishing that its name not be extinguished on account of the sin of their founding father involving an indiscretion with Bilhah, his father’s steady mate after the death of Rachel. To underscore this point, Moses referred to the fact that Reuven was the firstborn, something that everybody had been well aware of. He blessed Yehudah next, as this tribe would be the first tribe to receive its heritage in the land, and he would lead the nation in its war against the Canaanites. The blessing given by Moses to Yehudah was meant to include all of the Jewish people. Moses blessed the tribe of Levi next, as the Levites who largely lived in Jerusalem, would be territorial neighbours to Yehudah. They would ensure that the sacrificial offerings of the Jewish people, both communally and individually, would enjoy a welcome reception by Hashem. Binyamin was next in line for Moses’ blessing, as the holy Temple would stand on its territory. After having blessed Binyamin, Moses blessed the tribes named after Joseph’s two sons, as they were next in conquering and settling the land of Israel. Next Moses blessed the remaining tribes that had as their founding father sons of Yaakov principal wife Leah. He followed the pattern used by Yaakov when he had blessed those sons. This left the tribes whose founding fathers were the maidservants of Leah and Rachel, respectively. History shows that the lots allocating lands to the various tribes also confirmed the order in which Moses had blessed these tribes. Gad was mentioned first, as he with Reuven was the first to receive his share on the east bank of the Jordan. He was also part of the flag commanded by the army headed by Reuven. יחי ראובן ואל ימות, “May Reuven live and not die, etc.” Ibn Ezra understands this to mean that Reuven (the tribe) should live indefinitely, never die out. It had been possible that the lifetime of a tribe might be no different from the lifetime of an individual human being. ויהי מתיו מספר, “and may its numbers never shrink into insignificance.” Seeing that all things that are subject to count are also subject to a decline in number, Moses prayed that Reuven should not experience such a reduction in numbers. Nachmanides writes that in his view a better explanation of the above words is that of Rashi, i.e. that Moses prayed that Reuven should live on as a tribe of Israel in this world and not disappear as an entity in the world to come, either. The sin of his founding father should not be visited upon him and his descendants even in the hereafter. When reflecting on Yaakov’s comments on Reuven on his deathbed, Moses realized that it contained a great deal of anger that had been suppressed for a long time. Moses prays to protect the tribe against any fallout from this also in the future, beyond life on earth. The word מתיו, “his population,” is used to include all members of the tribe against such fallout. The word מספר “number,” is to be understood as if the Torah had written: במספר, ”in number,” a construction similar to בית אביה, ”her father’s house,” where what is meant is בבית אביה, “in her father’s house.” (Compare Genesis 38,11) It is also possible that the words מתיו מספר refer to the people of Israel who are to always look upon the tribe of Reuven as one looks on a firstborn son. Some commentators understand this blessing as being directed at the days of the conquest of the land of Canaan, Moses blessing the soldiers of the tribe of Reuven who would be in the vanguard with the members of the tribe of Gad, as agreed when they received their allocation of land on the east bank. Moses included the soldiers of the tribe of Gad in his prayer, asking Hashem not to let either of these two tribes sustain casualties during that campaign. Whereas this interpretation has much to commend it, the first interpretation is most likely the correct one.

יחי ראובן ואל ימות, “may Reuven live and not die.” When the tribe of Reuven will fulfill its promise and march as vanguard in front of the army conquering the land of Canaan, (together with the tribe of Gad and half the tribe of Menashe, as per Numbers 32,20-42) they will not suffer a single casualty during that campaign. ויהי מתיו מספר, “when counted afterwards they will not have diminished in number.” This comment refers to the previous promise of Moses that they will not suffer casualties by fulfilling their promise. In fact, they will continue to grow in numbers.

And this is for Judah; and he said: May Hashem accept the prayer of Judah when he goes forth to wage battle, and return him to his people in peace; may his hands execute retribution upon his enemies, and may You be his support against his adversaries.

וזאת ליהודה AND THIS IS FOR JUDAH — He mentioned Judah immediately after Reuben because both of them made confession of the wrong that was theirs, as it is said, (Job 15:18-15:19) “Because wise men have told their sins … unto them alone [the land was given] and no stranger passed amidst them”. Further our Rabbis explained that during the whole forty years that Israel was in the wilderness Judah's bones were moving about in his coffin because of the excommunication that he had invoked upon himself, as it is stated that he said "If I do not bring him unto thee … I shall be sinning against my father all days" (cf. Rashi thereon: “also in the world to come”). Moses said, “Who brought it about that Reuben confessed his sin?” Judah, etc. (Sotah 7b; Bava Kamma 92a). שמע ה' קול יהודה HEAR, O LORD, THE VOICE OF JUDAH — Hear the prayer of Judah’s descendants, David and Solomon, and of Asa because of the Ethiopians, of Jehoshaphat because of the Ammonites and of Hezekiah because of Sannecherib (cf. Sifrei Devarim 348:8), ואל עמו תביאנו AND BRING HIM TO HIS PEOPLE in peace from battle; ידיו רב לו LET HIS HANDS רב FOR HIM — let them successfully strive for him (רב) and avenge his wrongs, ועזר מצריו תהיה AND BE THOU A HELP TO HIM FROM HIS ADVERSARIES — He here prayed for Jehoshaphat with regard to the battle at Ramoth Gilead, as it states, (II Chronicles 18:31) “And Jehoshaphat cried and the Lord helped him”. — Another explanation of שמע ה' קול יהודה HEAR, O LORD, THE VOICE OF JUDAH — Here in Judah’s blessings he alluded to Simeon (שמע) (i.e., Simeon’s blessing was included in that of Judah). And indeed, when they divided the land of Israel amongst the tribes, Simeon took his portion from amongst Judah’s lot, as it is said, (Joshua 19:9) “Out of the allotment of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon” (cf. Sifrei Devarim 348:5). {And why did he not assign to him (to Simeon) a separate blessing? Because he had something in his heart against him on account of what he had done at Shittim (Numbers 25:14). thus is it written in the Agada on the Psalms}.

AND THIS FOR JUDAH. “And for Judah he said likewise that he live and not die, and further added for him, hear, Eternal, the voice of Judah.” This is the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. But this is not correct in accordance with our interpretation [above on the blessing of Reuben], for Judah was not involved in this [punishment of] extinction [making it necessary for] Moses to pray for him, just as he did not mention this in the blessing of the remaining tribes. But the verse is to be understood in its plain meaning: “and this is the blessing for Judah.” And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], he singled out the attribute of zoth (this) for Judah because his is the conduct of war and from him shall be royalty forever, this being the help against his adversaries. This is the secret of the verse stating, To teach the sons of Judah the bow. Behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar, for this is the bow which is seen in the cloud concerning which it is said, ‘Zoth’ (this) is the token of the covenant. HEAR, ETERNAL, THE VOICE OF JUDAH. He prayed for him when he goes out to fight, for it was Judah who was first to go up to fight and of him came he that is the prince to fight the enemies of Israel. And so also did Jacob say, thy hand shall be on the neck of thine enemies. AND BRING HIM IN INTO HIS PEOPLE — that he should return [from the fighting] in peace. HIS HANDS SHALL ‘RAV’ FOR HIM. His hands shall “be sufficient” for him, so that he need no other help except for the help of G-d Who will answer him when he prays, all as written in the words of Onkelos. So also is the opinion of the commentators. In my opinion he [Moses] further alludes to Judah’s first war against the Canaanite concerning which G-d said, Judah shall go up first. And he states his hands shall ‘rav’ meaning that he will annex and conquer from his foes “many” lands, more than are due him as his inheritance. He intimates that Judah will give part of his inheritance to his brother Simeon, this being what is stated, Out of the allotment of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon, for the portion of Judah was too much for them; therefore the children of Simeon had inheritance in the midst of their inheritance. Thus Moses mentioned Simeon by allusion together with Judah.

"And this for Judah" — He likewise said to Judah: may he live and not die; and he added: "Hear, Hashem, the voice of Judah" when he goes into battle, for he goes up first. "And bring him to his people" — to the camp at Gilgal; or it is a prayer for those who go out to fight against enemy territory. "His hands shall be his champion" — his own hands will suffice for him, and he has no need of anyone to help him, but only Hashem's help alone. Some say it is from the root of "striving," meaning: may his hands contend on his behalf. Others say it is like "and abundant lightning," from the root of "to be great."

וזאת ליהודה, this is also what I request and pray for on behalf of the people residing in the tribal territory of Yehudah that includes the members of the tribe of Shimon who were an enclave within the tribal territory of Yehudah. Let them not die in the wars in which they will be involved. They all go out to war together. ויאמר שמע ה' קול יהודה, in addition to what Moses had said under the heading of וזאת ליהודה, that whenever this tribe would pray to G’d either during war or any other occasion ידיו רב לו ועזר מצריו תהיה, though his own hands strive for him (during battle), help him against his foes.” I pray that You, G’d, be his hands, although to all intents and purposes people watching him may credit his own prowess with his victory.” רב לו, an expression of avenging wrong done to him. עזר מצריו, when they are attacking him and he is on the defensive.

שמע ה׳ קול יהודה, "Hearken, O Lord, to the voice of Yehudah." Seeing that Yehudah had sinned in his relationship with Tamar and had confessed his guilt (Genesis 38,26) when he said: "she is more righteous than I," Moses prayed that G'd should accept his confession. He mentioned this only in order to be able to continue with ואל עמו תביאנו. We have explained in our commentary on Genesis 49,9 (page 424) how the union of Yehudah and Tamar enabled Yehudah to qualify for the description אריה, a fully grown lion. Yehudah's spiritual ascent had been due to his being able to tear himself away from the prey, i.e. from the pools of souls that had been taken captive by the forces of Satan as a result of Adam's sin. In our verse Moses alludes to this when he refers to Yehudah's "hands having performed a mighty deed." ועזר מצריו תהיה, "may she be a helper against his enemies." the word תהיה, refers to the eventual descendant of Yehudah, Ruth the Moabite, without whom even such illustrious people as Zerach and Peretz could not have guaranteed that he would become the founder of the dynasty culminating in King David and eventually the Messiah. The word עזר, is an allusion to the first female, Eve, who was described by the Torah (Genesis 2,18) as Adam's helper, עזר. Similarly, Yehudah's female descendant Ruth would perform this role in asssuring that he could attain his destiny. Compare also what I have written on Genesis 43,9 (page 347).

וזאת ליהודה, “and this for Yehudah;” he meant that his blessing that Reuven should not suffer casualties in battle, should also apply to the men of military age of the tribe of Yehudah;At this point Rashi said (based on the Talmud tractate Sotah folio 7) that Moses gave the credit for Reuven’s having done penitence to how Yehudah had demeaned himself publicly when admitting that his daughterinlaw had become pregnant by him. (Genesis 38,26) In Genesis 37,29, we read about Reuven being mortified when Joseph was no longer in the pit the brothers had thrown him into. Although he had not even been present when Joseph was sold, he held himself responsible for not staying around at that time. Yehudah, though admitting his paternity of his daughterinlaw’s Tamar’s babies did not do so until challenged. Until Yehudah admitted his guilt publicly, Reuven had done so only privately; (Genesis 37,29). After hearing of Yehudah’s confession, he too admitted his defiling his father’s couch openly. שמע ה׳ קול יהודה, “hear o Lord the voice of Yehudah!” Whenever Yehudah finds himself in difficulties and appeals to You for help on behalf of his people, grant his plea! He is singled out for this as he normally leads the rest of the tribes in warfare. (Compare Judges 1,2) The same applied to Reuven, as he had been the first tribe to cross the Jordan and face the enemy. Compare Joshua 6,7.) Shimon did not need to be mentioned separately as that tribe always made common cause with Yehudah as reported in the Book of Judges. [His territory was an enclave within the territory of Yehudah. Ed.] (Compare Judges 1,3) A different interpretation of Moses’s pleading: יחי ראובן, “may Reuven live!” Seeing that the founding father of the tribe of Reuven had committed a serious offense against his father Yaakov, and the commandment of honouring father and mother is accompanied by the promise that people doing so would enjoy long life, (Exodus 20,12) it could be inferred that people failing to do so would have their lives cut short, Moses blesses the tribe, emphasising that the descendants of Reuven should not be affected by something their founding father had done wrong. וזאת ליהודה, “the following is the blessing for Yehudah, as distinct from praise for its founding father. Its founding father had also caused his father grief due to Joseph’s having been sold at the time was due to his suggestion. (Genesis 37,27) Moses was not willing to mention the name of the tribe of Shimon as Moses held him responsible in his heart for being the one who had first suggested that Joseph be killed. (Compare Rashi’s commentary on Genesis 42,24)

וזאת ליהודה, “and this for Yehudah;” according to the plain meaning of the text we have to insert the word ברכה, “is the blessing” after the word וזאת “this.” He needed the blessing especially since it was this tribe who always was in the forefront in any military encounter between Israel and its enemies. This is why Moses assured Yehudah that G’d has heard his voice, i.e. his prayer for assistance. ידיו רב לו, “his (own) hands will fight on his behalf;” he will not even need help from the other tribes. According to Rashi, Reuven and Yehudah are paired as both of them had been guilty of sins and both made public confessions. Makkot 11, referring to Yehudah having been guilty of the (conditional) oath in Genesis 44,32, where he guaranteed the safe return of Binyamin. This was something beyond his power as it needed the agreement of other parties over whom Yehudah had no control, making him guilty of uttering a vain oath. His punishment was that during all the 40 years that the Israelites were in the desert the bones in his coffin kept rolling around. Moses reasoned that the confession of Yehudah (concerning his mistake of sleeping with his daughter-in-law Tamar and almost burning her to death) was what triggered Reuven’s confession concerning his misconduct with Bilhah and that therefore he should be credited with this merit so that his bones could find rest. [Tosafot state that although Yehudah’s sleeping with Tamar had occurred after Reuven’s misconduct so that “how did his confession affect Reuven?” They answer that up until Yehudah’s public confession that Tamar was more just than he, Reuven had not confessed publicly, only privately. The letter ו which precedes the word זאת, conceptually links Reuven’s conduct and Moses’ blessing for him to that of Yehudah. Ed.] Even though Yehudah’s bones had now come to rest, this still did not represent total forgiveness, i.e. he did not have the strength to ascend to heaven unaided, by his own strength. The reason was that the banishment he had accepted for himself in that oath we referred to covered both this life and the life in the world to come, in his own words: כל הימים, ”for all times.” This is why Moses added the words ואל עמו תביאנו, “and return him to his people.” Reuven’s public confession cleared his brothers from the suspicion that one of them might have been the one who tampered with the bed of Bilhah. A kabbalistic approach: When Moses said the words וזאת ליהודה, he addressed the emanation מלכות which is the emanation from which the hereditary dynasty of Yehudah draws its divine input. It is this emanation which gives the kings of Yehudah the power to wage war successfully. Interestingly, David, a king descended from Yehudah, refers to the same emanation as זאת, when he proclaimed in Psalms 27,3: אם תקום עלי מלחמה בזאת אני בוטח, “if war overtakes me, I put my faith in זאת, the emanation from which my forefather Yehudah drew his strength.” The emanation מלכות, sometimes referred to as זאת, is featured repeatedly in the life of David, such as in Psalms 99,4: ועוז מלך משפט אהב, or in Psalms 72,1: משפטיך למלך תן. This is the reason that David was successful in all his many wars. This is also why he never fails to give thanks to the Lord Who was the source of his success. The whole formula למנצח מזמור לדוד, is evidence that David attributed his success to the מנצח, “The One Who grants victory.” Just because the kings of Yehudah enjoyed the assistance of the attribute/emanation מלכות, it was doubly important for David to acknowledge that ultimately success is rooted in the Original Cause, in Hashem. Seeing that David’s career involved spilling much blood, he was not chosen as the tool to build the Holy Temple which symbolizes peace (Chronicles I 22,8). It was left to his son Solomon, a man of peace, someone who practiced the attribute of צדקה, to build the Temple. This is the meaning of Psalms 72,1 וצדקתך לבן מלך, “and Your clemency to the king’s son.” [David speaking about the status of his son Solomon, contrasting his own dominant characteristic of משפט, with that of his son, i.e. the characteristic צדקה, Ed.]

“And this is for Judah, and he said: Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah.” Our Sages of blessed memory said (Sifrei 33:7) that he hinted at a blessing for Simeon when he said Hear, O Lord, etc., because the word hear [shema] is derived from the name Simeon [Shimeon]. This requires explanation. What seems most reasonable to me is to say that they learned this from what is written, And this is for Judah, which appears superfluous, for it should have said simply “And to Judah he said.” Rather, this is its explanation: the request and bring him to his people was referring to Simeon, because Jacob had said of him, I will disperse them in Israel — that from him would come teachers and poor people. And one who is dispersed needs to be gathered to his people, because even though they were scattered among the children of Israel, nevertheless, since he is scattered, dispersed, and separated from his family and his father’s house, he is not with his people. Therefore, Judah prayed for him and said: “Please, O Lord, bring him to his people and to his birthplace, so that he will not be scattered across the face of the entire earth.” It is known that Judah also needed this prayer, as understood from the two interpretations of Rashi who believes that the prayer and bring him to his people refers to Judah. But I say that Judah prayed this prayer for Simeon, and whoever prays for their fellow when they themselves need the same thing, they are answered first (Bava Kamma 92a). If so, that prayer which Judah prayed for Simeon also stood for him. This is what is meant by And this for Judah — that same prayer that he prayed for Simeon also stood for Judah. And this is what is meant by Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah — that voice with which he prayed for Simeon — and bring him to his people, meaning Judah according to its simple meaning, because with that voice he prayed for Simeon; therefore it is right that he should be answered first and that You should also bring him to his people. And because this prayer stood for both of them, it subsequently says, his hands shall contend for him — adding the word for him because this blessing was for him alone, and Simeon did not need the blessing of his hands shall contend for him. Only Judah, who was king, needed this blessing.

וזאת ליהודה, “and this to Yehudah, etc.” Ibn Ezra translates the word וזאת, as “and similarly he said to Yehudah, etc.” i.e. he too should live on indefinitely and not be diminished in numbers, adding that Hashem should respond to the prayers of Yehudah. [Presumably, Ibn Ezra felt that Yehudah’s role in the sale of Joseph and the deception of his father Yaakov also needed forgiveness still. Nachmanides disagrees with the interpretation of Ibn Ezra on this, seeing that Yehudah’s sin had not been of the type that the Torah would punish with the karet penalty [generally understood to include destruction of one’s soul, Ed.] if it had been committed deliberately and had not been repented properly. This is also, in his opinion, why Moses did not offer a special prayer on behalf of Yehudah, just as he did not do so on behalf of the other tribes whose founding fathers had been involved in the sale of Joseph and the deception of their father. He therefore understands the words וזאת ליהודה as the preamble to the blessing he would forthwith bestow on that tribe. He would receive the latter part of Reuven’s blessing also, as he, more than any other tribe needed G’d’s protection against suffering casualties, as this tribe was always leading in the wars Israel fought. He had a merit exceeding that of the other brothers, as it had been he who had saved Joseph from the brothers’ demand that he be killed immediately. שמע ה' קול יהודה!, “Hearken O Hashem to the voice of Yehudah!” when he entreats you whenever he goes into battle, seeing he is at the head of the army. ואל עמו תביאנו,“and return him to his people;” to the encampment. This verse could also be understood as a general prayer to bring back all those who went out to battle in the enemy’s country, to return home safely, unharmed. ידיו רב לו, “may his hands suffice to fight on his behalf;” may he not have to rely on outside assistance other than the help of Hashem, alone. Some commentators, seeing in the word רב an analogy to ריב, “quarrel, strife,” understand the verse to mean that Moses wishes that Yehudah’s hands alone should prove equal to any strife he will be involved in. Still other commentators see an analogy to Psalms 18,15 וברקים רב, where the word is used to describe “stunning” blows, by means of lightning. Nachmanides writes that these words are an allusion to the first war against the Canaanites, and are an encouragement to Yehudah to not only worry about conquering his own allotted ancestral territory, but also that allotted to his brethren of the other tribes. In particular, it would be a hint to conquer land beyond that needed by himself, and to cede it to the members of the tribe of Shimon, who, as it turned out were going to be an enclave within the boundaries of the tribal lands of Yehudah. This is borne out by Joshua 19,9 where the members of the tribe of Shimon are described as receiving their share of the ancestral heritage as “within” that of the tribe of Yehudah.

וזאת ליהודה, “”and this for Yehudah;” i.e. “and this is the blessing for Yehudah. Moses means that the blessing he had just given to Reuven will also apply to Yehudah. He prayed that they both be extraordinarily successful in that war. The reason he also singled out Yehudah for such a blessing was that that tribe usually was always at the head of the army. (Compare Judges 1,2) In that verse G–d had answered t]he people’s query who should lead them in war now that Joshua had died. Our sages in the Talmud, tractate Sotah folio 7 state that the bones of Yehudah were rattling in their coffin all the years that the Israelites wandered in the desert, the reason being that he had said to his father Yaakov before obtaining permission to take Binyamin to Egypt, that he would consider himself as having sinned unforgivably against him for all his life if he did not bring him back safe and sound. (Genesis 43,9). Even though it appears at first glance as if Binyamin had descended with the rest of Yaakov’s family (Genesis 46,21) when a wise man utters a curse, even a conditional one, it comes true at some time [Yaakov had cursed the anonymous person who had stolen Lavan’s t’raphim if he would be found, and although he never found that person Rachel died prematurely on account of that as she had stolen them. Ed.] (compare Talmud, tractate Makkot, folio 11) The Talmud there describes that at the time when David dug the hole known as shitin, under the site where the Temple would stand in the future, the subterranean waters started rising from the depths and threatened to flood the earth. At that point, when Achitofel did not rule on the subject though he had been openly invited to do so, David reasoned as follows before writing the holy name of G–d on a shard commanding the waters to stop rising. If in the case of a woman suspected of infidelity by her husband, the priest dissolves a parchment with the Holy Name of the Lord in order to help restore marital harmony, when the life of the whole of humanity is at stake, surely I am not only allowed but I have the duty to try and save mankind by that means. (Compare Numbers 5, 11-31) When Achitophel saw that his advice concerning the rebellion of Avshalom had not been followed, he went home and arranged his affairs, and hung himself. (see beginning of chapter 17). [Achitofel, according to tradition was the outstanding Torah scholar of his generation, and at one time David’s tutor. Ed.] The Talmud Makkot quoted before comes to the conclusion that Moses when wondering why the bones of Reuven did not rattle in their coffin whereas those of Yehudah, his brother did not, especially since it had been Yehudah’s public confession of having fathered Tamar’s children which had caused Reuven to also publicly confess that he had committed an indiscretion with Bilhah, and remains with a question, else he would not have commenced Yehudah’s blessing with the words he did. He did not bless Shimon, just as his father had also not given him a blessing on his deathbed, as in addition to the deceit and violence at Sh’chem, as the leader of that tribe, Zimri had added to his sin by sleeping provocatively with a Midianite princess, as reported in Numbers 25,6. Although Levi had been Shimon’s partner in the killing of the male population of Sh’chem, his descendants had rehabilitated themselves when, to a man, none of them participated in worshipping the golden calf. (Compare Exodus 32,26) Moses at least hinted at a blessing for Yehudah, according to the Talmud in Makkot there.

And of Levi he said: The Thummim and Urim You clothed upon the man who was found devout before You, whom You tested with a trial and he was wholehearted; You tried him at the waters of Meribah and he was found faithful.

וללוי אמר means AND OF LEVI HE SAID (not to Levi). תמיך ואוריך THY THUMMIM AND URIM — He is addressing God (not Levi). אשר נסיתו במסה WHOM THOU DIDST TRY WITH TRIALS — [Since this is said in praise of the Levites] we may gather from it that they did not murmur together with the other tribes. תריבהו וגו׳ THOU DIDST STRIVE WITH HIM [AT THE WATERS OF MERIBAH] — Understand this as the Targum has it: (“Thou didst put him to the test”). — Another explanation of תריבהו על מי מריבה: Thou didst seek an occasion against him to come with a pretext, for if Moses said, “Hear now, ye rebels”, what sin did Aaron and Miriam commit? (why were they not allowed to enter the land?) Sifrei Devarim 349:3).

UL’LEIVI’ HE SAID - “and ‘of’ Levi he said.” This is Rashi’s language, and it is also the opinion of the commentators. It is like the expressions: say ‘li’ (of me):. he is my brother; and the men of the place asked him ‘l’ishto’ (about his wife). There are many such examples. In my opinion [the expression here is to be understood literally: “and ‘to’ Levi he said”] because Moses had mentioned the names of Reuben and Judah in his blessing [of them], saying, Let Reuben live, the voice of Judah, but he did not mention the names of the other tribes in [the text of] their blessings. Therefore Scripture states, And to Levi he said, To Benjamin he said [in order to make it clear to whom he was addressing his blessing]. This indicates that the tribes were facing him [Moses], and he called Levi and put his eyes upon him and said, thy Thummim and thy Urim. Similarly he blessed each tribe face to face. WHOM THOU DIDST PROVE ‘B’MASSAH’ — “that You tested him by trial. And the purport thereof is that Levi was scrupulous in whatever You tried him with, and no reproach could be found in him except [for the affair at] the waters of Meribah, for which You have already punished him [by depriving Moses and Aaron of the right to enter the Land]. He made the calf, however, [on the wrong assumption that it was] for the glory of G-d [and therefore, because it was a mistake rather than an intentional sin, Moses did not mention it here].” This is the language of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. And in the Sifre it is stated: “Whom Thou didst prove ‘b’massah’ — You tested him many times and he was found perfect in all trials. With whom Thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah. Unfounded charges were turned against him [Aaron] at the waters of Meribah. If Moses said, Hear now, ye rebels [for which he was punished], what did Aaron and Miriam do?”In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, it seems to me that the correct interpretation is that b’massah simply refers to the place where the people tested G-d, in Rephidim [which was subsequently renamed Massah u’Meribah]. The verse [here] states: “Your Thummim and your Urim will forever be with your holy ones, with his seed after him, whom Thou didst prove at Massah when the children of Israel sinned and tested G-d concerning water. And he [the tribe of Levi] was not among the company of them that gathered themselves against the Eternal because he believed in G-d and in His word that He will bring them forth water out of the rock of flint. On the second occasion You strove with him and punished him [by decreeing that Moses and Aaron would die in the wilderness] at the waters of ‘Meribah’ [i.e., ‘the quarrelling’] of Israel, for it was on account of their [Israel’s] striving that the punishment came and not that he [Aaron] trespassed against G-d — for he believed from the start, as well, that it is You who turned the rock into a pool of water, [the flint into a fountain of waters]. Surely [Aaron believed] this [second time at Kades...

"And of Levi he said" — on behalf of Levi he spoke to Hashem, as in "say of me that he is my brother." "The man of Your devoted one" — the man who is Your devoted one. "Whom You tested at Massah" — "at Massah" functions as a name, like "in the testing"; the meaning is that he was devoted and no flaw was found in him aside from the matter of Meribah, for which You already punished him. This also supports my interpretation regarding the incident of the golden calf — for he acted for the sake of Hashem. The meaning of "Your Thummim and Your Urim" — that they should always belong to him and his descendants.

תומיך ואוריך לאיש חסידך, Moses refers to G’d having given to Aaron who was the outstanding member of the tribe of Levi, the pious tribe, the urim and tumim lodged within his breastplate pouch. The Talmud Yuma 73, derives from the above that any priest who speaks with holy spirit is of the calibre that when he employs the urim and tumim to address enquiries to G’d, he will receive G’d’s answer to such enquiries. Hence the word “איש,” a man of lofty spiritual standing, as if to underscore that character trait. אשר נסיתו במסה, Moses reminds G’d that in all the various tests (Numbers 14,22) that the Jewish people had subjected Him to, the tribe of Levi had never been a participant in such demonstrations of lack of faith. This was also why the decree which G’d imposed on the generation of the spies did not apply to them, and the Levites that were of age at that time did not die in the desert. תריבהו על מי מריבה, You have challenged them at the waters of strife, as a result of which You deprived the people of the two outstanding heads of the tribe of Levi.

וללוי אמר תמיך ואוריך לאיש חסידך, "And concerning Levi he said: "Let your Tummim and your Urim be with Your faithful one." This is a prayer that Levi should continue forever to be qualified to perform the respective duties of the Levites and the priests. אשר נסיתו במסה, "whom You have tested at Massah." Seeing that Jacob (Genesis 49,5) had expressed himself negatively concerning any union of Shimon and Levi, cursing their anger, Moses goes on record to say that in the meantime the Levites had proved at Massah that they (by themselves) did not display anger and transgress G'd's commands. Instead of having tested G'd's patience there (Exodus 17,7) where the people questioned G'd's ability to provide them with water) as had the other tribes, this tribe had stood the test of loyalty (and had not participated in that complaint). [There may be an allusion to this in that paragraph as at the beginning the Torah speaks about the whole community arriving at that place whereas when speaking about who complained the word "whole" is absent. Ed.]

וללוי אמר וגו׳, “and of Levi he said, etc.” Moses referred to the Levite (singular) who had been chosen to wear the breastplate with the Urim and Tumim, (the High Priest of the people) evidence that he was considered a pious individual, Even though G-d had put him to a test repeatedly, and although he had failed a test by the Lord at Massah/Merivah, he had nevertheless qualified to become so holy that he was not allowed to defile himself even for the burial of his father or mother or brother or son. [The High Priest in any generation is not allowed to cause himself to become ritually defiled except when a corpse has no one else who could bury him without delay; Leviticus 21,11) Ed.]...

וללוי אמר, “and concerning Levi, he said:” The preposition ל in the word וללוי must be understood as בעבור, “for the sake of;” Moses is addressing G’d in this verse. He adds the words לאיש חסידך, “for Your pious one,” referring to his brother Aaron. He continues with אשר נסיתו במסה, “whom You have tested at Massah,” referring either to the incident at the waters of strife which was the only time Aaron had ever failed. Alternatively, Moses referred to the location Massah formerly known as Refidim [it is not clear to me how Aaron was involved there. Ed.] תריבהו על מי מריבה, “You strove with him at the waters of מריבה; “a reference to the sin involving the striking of the rock instead of speaking to it. This was the only sin Aaron had ever been guilty of. Moses did not mention Aaron’s involvement in the sin of the golden calf, seeing Aaron’s intentions at that time had been 100% honourable. If Moses had entertained the slightest doubt about Aaron’s sincerity at that time, he surely would have mentioned it now in order to ask forgiveness for that sin. The fact that Moses uncharacteristically mentioned the תומים here before the אורים, needs analysis. The Torah always mentions the אורים ahead of the תומים. The reason is that they represent the principal names of Hashem. The reason Moses reversed the sequence here is to make plain that they are mutually interdependent, that the אורים, though preceding the תומים, are a totally ineffectual tool for communicating with Hashem unless they are accompanied by the תומים. I have explained this in greater detail in my commentary on Exodus 28,30. This is also the opinion of Nachmanides. They are perceived as representing a certain level of Holy Spirit; any High Priest who wore these folded over parchments inside the folds of His breastplate was equipped with this level of Holy Spirit while wearing same. This is what prompted Onkelos to translate the words תומיך ואוריך לאיש חסידך, as ,תומיא ואוריא אלבשת לגבר דאשתכח חסידא, “I dressed a man who is pious in Your Urim and Tumim.” The matter is similar to what we read in Chronicles I 12,19: “and a spirit ‘dressed’ (seized) Amashai.” There are four distinct levels of prophecy. Bat Kol, Urim veTumim, Ruach haKodesh, and full-fledged prophecy. They are listed here in ascending order, but all of them are derivatives of the emanation tzedek; this is the meaning of Job 29,14: ”I clothed myself in righteousness and it robed me; Justice was my cloak and turban.” Let me explain something about the differences between the four levels of prophetic power I have listed. There is a mystical element to the phenomenon known as בת קול which accounts for the name בת קול as opposed to the masculine בן קול. Similarly, there is a mystical reason why the Talmud speaks frequently of בנה אב to describe an exegetical method more familiarly known to us by a masculine expression, i.e. בנין אב (in the Baraitha de Rabbi Yishmael which we recite in our daily morning prayers). Why, for instance, do they not call it בנה אם? Similarly, the expression יש אם למקרא or יש אם למסורה is strange, seeing we might have expected the expression יש אב למסורה or יש אב למקרא to convey that there is a valid tradition justifying a certain way of reading or writing a word in the written Torah. All of these expressions have been formulated by our sages with extreme care and reveal a deep insight into the different levels of divine inspiration which they reflect. [Rabbi Chavell, in his notes, quotes a certain Rabbi Ezra bar Shlomoh (a kabbalist from Gerona, hometown of Nachmanides, author of commentary on aggadot in Talmud, disciple of Rabbi Yitzchak the blind (also Gerona) who found that the only five times the Talmud uses the masculine expression בנין אב is when it refers to a direct verse from the written Torah, i.e. a more direct link to the divine origin of such an exegetical tool.] Actually, every single verse in the written Torah is in the nature of something directly revealed, and the sages could have been expected to refer to it in the masculine form every time, i .e. בנין אב, or בנה אב, but certainly not as אם למקרא, or אם למסורה. The fact is that matters handed down to us by the oral tradition, i.e. תורה ש-בעל פה, the sages usually preface with the word אם, in order to make the distinction of the origin of the tradition. If we keep these principles in mind, we can understand that the expression בת קול was used, seeing that the listener received his instructions via what the Torah itself describes as only a קול and not from the mouth of G’d. Compare Deut. 28,1 which states clearly and unambiguously והיה אם שמוע תשמע בקול ה' אלוקיך, “it will be when you will surely heed the voice of the Lord your G’d.” Also in Numbers 7,89 the Torah speaks of Moses hearing the voice speaking with him from above the lid of the Ark.” It is appropriate to call that “voice” בת, “daughter” [like the subsidiary companies in Israel are called חברת בת, literally: “daughter companies.” Ed.], seeing that the instruction was heard through an intermediary. The author describes as yet another reason why the sages called this relatively low key form of divine communication בת קול, their perception of it as an illustration of the “throne” of G’d which is perceived as broad at the top, tapering off towards the bottom. He claims that אש, fire, is similarly perceived as broad at the top and narrow at the base. The term בת קול therefore reflects something which originates at the throne of G’d rather than in His Essence. This type of communication from celestial regions was a fairly commonplace one even during the period of the sages of the Talmud (Eruvin 12, et al). Moreover, the pious people during the second Temple experienced this kind of communication from celestial sources after there were no more prophets and the High Priest did not have the breastplate with the Urim veTumim embedded in them to facilitate direct communication with G’d. This latter form of communication from celestial sources was one rung higher than the Bat Kol. The form of this communication was representative of what is termed אספקלריא שאינה מאירה, “an unclear vision,” which characterized the type of prophetic visions experienced by most prophets in varying degrees. We had explained already in connection with Numbers 12,6 that the Urim veTumim were a device confirming the truth of the communication received, (compare author on Exodus 28,30). The word אורים itself suggests spiritual enlightenment. The function of the אורים was to visually make the High Priest aware of the letters representing the divine communication, whereas the function of theתומים was to enable him to arrange the letters in question in the appropriate order, to avoid misunderstanding the message. The third level of divine communication is commonly known as רוח הקודש, which is equivalent to or an outgrowth of the tenth emanation. The author appears to feel that a person is able to attain this level of spirituality if he applies to himself Deut. 23,10 ונשמרת מכל דבר רע, “to guard yourself against anything evil.” This level of divine inspiration appears as if it was self-generated by the recipient, who was granted insights without hearing any outside voice or seeing any vision as do prophets. People who experience this level of spirituality are apt to make statements regarding future events without appearing in the least captive to outside communicators. They neither dream the message nor go into a trance or anything like that. It is simply that what they say is perceived as inspired from a higher source. The person uttering such messages has no idea of where they originated from. The fourth level of prophetic insights is prophecy uttered by an acknowledged man of G’d, someone who, while doing so, completely divests himself of his normal personality, becomes merely an instrument of G’d communing exclusively by means of his disembodied intellect with the source from whom he receives his message/instructions. Once he has divested himself of his bodily functions so that they do not represent an impediment to his receiving clear and undistorted messages from a celestial origin, this may occur either in a dream or even during his waking hours. There is no point in elaborating on this at this point as I have already done so in a book called חשן משפט. [The book does not seem to be extant. Ed.] On the other hand, Nachmanides appears to feel that the level we know as רוח הקודש is superior to the level known as נבואה, prophecy. According to his view, the levels starting from the highest to the lowest are: רוח הקודש, נבואה, אורים ותומים, בת קול. According to his view the level of spirituality we call Ruach Hakodesh, “Holy Spirit,” is derived form very lofty spiritual regions such as have been described in Exodus 35,31 (concerning Betzalel) וימלא אותו רוח אלוקים בחכמה, “He filled him with divine spirit, with wisdom, etc.” You will also find in the Sefer Yetzirah 1,9 that חכמה is referred to as רוח אלוקים חיים ברוך ומבורך, that the name of G’d is both דבור קול, רוח i.e. that all these manifestations of G’d’s name are called רוח הקודש as they are all disembodied, incapable of being perceived visually. At any rate, the author of the Sefer Yetzirah describes חכמה as רוח אלוקים חיים, “spirit of the Living G’d,” and lists it as first and foremost in a list of spiritual attainments. The foundation of prophecy, נבואה, is anchored in the tetragrammaton; Urim and Tumim, the level of spirituality ascribed to true Torah scholars, rank below the spiritual level of prophecy, but above that of Bat Kol, seeing that the Bat Kol has its origin not in the tetragrammaton but in the Shechinah (attribute kavod). All the various spiritual attainments by man (of a lower level than Bat Kol) are also traced back to the Shechinah. At any rate, seeing that the phenomenon of Bat Kol is rated so low, it is clear why the sages stipulated אין משגיחין לבת קול, “that pronouncements from heaven reaching us via the phenomenon of Bat Kol have no binding force halachically” (Baba Metzia 59). [when opposed to rulings based on other forms of exegesis. Ed.] Such pronouncements cannot countermand halachic rulings based on נבואה, prophecy, for instance, either. The reason we are in the habit of referring to נבואה also as רוח הקודש is that this is the celestial source of all spiritual attainments which devolve from it. [The term רוח הקודש, then is used loosely as a collective term for all that is divinely inspired.] לאיש חסידך, every High Priest from the tribe of Levi is given the title חסיד, ‘the devout one.’ The reason for this is that it is the function of the High Priest to draw down to his people the heavenly attribute of חסד, (loving kindness). This is why the priests bless the people in order to channel this attribute and its beneficial effects to as many of his people as possible. The blessing is pronounced by invoking the tetragrammaton, the holy name not allowed for others to pronounce. The blessing originates in the tenth emanation, and this is why the Torah prefaces the formula of the words of the blessing with the word כה which is the attribute of Justice, as we know from Exodus where Moses tells Pharaoh in the name of G’d הנה לא שמעת עד כה, “here you have not listened until כה,” i.e. from now on the attribute of Justice will be invoked against you (Exodus 7,16) [This announcement had been the prelude to the first of the Ten Plagues. Ed.] Moses followed this (verse 17) by telling Pharaoh בזאת תדע, “through the attribute זאת you will know, etc.,” i.e. clear proof that both כה and זאת are כנויים, [similes for the attribute of Justice, most commonly appearing as elo-him. Ed.] At any rate, Moses refers to the fact that the whole world is blessed by means of the Priest, hence Psalms 145,10 וחסידך יברכוכה, “and Your devout ones shall bless You.” Instead of reading this as one word, David may mean that the word is to be read as יברכו כה, “will bless the attribute of Justice.”

And of Levi he said: “Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your faithful one, etc.” Since Jacob cursed them, saying, Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel (Genesis 49:7). And perhaps from that curse Moses stumbled in his anger when he said, Hear now, you rebels (Numbers 20:10). Therefore, Moses said that Jacob’s words had already been fulfilled in him, and hopefully there would not be such an occurrence again in the tribe of Levi, since they are the ones who render legal decisions in Israel, and all anger leads to error. Therefore, Moses prayed and said of Levi, Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your faithful one, that You should illuminate the path for him so that he would not stumble again in his anger. And if you should say, “What shall I do about the words of my father, Israel the elder, who cursed their anger?” To this he responded, whom You tested at Massah, etc., for there his curse was already fulfilled, and henceforth the year and its curses should end. And what happened to Moses should be an atonement for the entire tribe, for it is enough that the words of the elder were fulfilled, and such things should not happen again, since that tribe renders legal decisions in Israel.

וללוי אמר, “and concerning Levi, Moses had said” Rashi understands the letter ו at the beginning of the word וללוי, as meaning על, i.e. “about.” Similar use of that letter in that sense is found in Genesis 26,7 וישאלו אנשי המקום לאשתו, “the people of that place enquired about his wife.” There are other examples of that kind of usage made of the letter ו in the Scriptures. Nachmanides writes that seeing Moses had addressed Reuven and Yehudah in his blessings by name both in the introduction and as an integral part of the blessing, he hastens to face each tribe separately when blessing them, so that they do not feel slighted. In other words, each time we find the introductory letter ו before the tribe’s name, this means that at that moment Moses had taken up position directly in front of the members of that tribe. After positioning himself opposite the members of the tribe of Levi, he commenced with the words תומיך ואריך וגו'. אשר נסיתו במסה, “whom You had tested at Massah.” According to Ibn Ezra the word במסה is not a reference to a location but to a test of faith when executing the fellow Israelites during the golden calf episode was not considered death without benefit of trial, i.e. murder, but an act of supreme faith, risking their lives on behalf of preserving the glory of the Holy Name of Hashem. The only sin the Levites were guilty of collectively also, was the one their leaders Moses and Aaron also became victims of, the confrontation after Miriam’s death when the people ganged up on Moses and Aaron demanding water to drink. (Numbers chapter 20); [note that whereas at the beginning of that chapter only העם, the common people, the mixed multitude according to some, is mentioned as being rebellious, near the end even the בני ישראל, the elite of the people, are described as having quarreled with Moses. Presumably, Ibn Ezra feels that the Levites were included, or the Torah would have credited them with being without guilt during that episode. Ed.] Nachmanides, approaching the verse from the peshat point of view, writes that the correct interpretation is that the word במסה refers to a location, i.e. the place previously known as Refidim, which was renamed on account of the unruly behaviour of the Israelites there, as detailed in Exodus Moses credits the Levites with already at that time not being part of the people who ganged up on him and adopting a threatening posture. [Perhaps the Levites’ “cool” when the people had no water is especially commendable seeing that the Levites were not subject to slave labour in Egypt; they had been the ones to benefit least by the redemption, and therefore suffered most by deprivation in the desert. Ed.] Moses therefore blesses them with the blessing that its loyalty and steadfastness should remain a characteristic of theirs throughout the ages. This is the meaning of the reference to תמיך ואוריך. “May the qualities displayed then ensure that you will always be men of piety.” The people’s sin, even then had not been that they had clamoured for drinking water; far from it. Their sin had been that they had accused Moses for being responsible for the absence of the Shechinah, which most certainly would not have allowed a situation such they found themselves in to arise had not their leaders fallen out of favour with Hashem The thought that they themselves could have been at fault did not even occur to them. תריבהו, “you have quarreled with Him at the waters of Merivah.” Compare Psalms 35,1 ריבה ה' את יריבי, “O G’d strive with my adversaries” (David speaking). It sounds as if Moses is hinting that G’d ought to punish those who had been responsible for his losing his temper at מי מריבה. He hints that the people had provoked him to lose his composure so that he had shouted at them: (Numbers 20,10) “listen you rebellious people!” Moses had first addressed the priests, as he had said to Levi, asking them to be loyal to the High Priest, wearer of the urim and tumim, the breastplate that had the ineffable Name in its pouch, assuring the High Priest constant communication with G’d if the situation warranted this. Afterwards, he addressed the whole tribe of Levi who had participated in the general uproar on that occasion.

He who showed no compassion for his father and his mother when they sinned from the judgment, and did not favor his brothers and his sons — for they kept the charge of Your Word and did not alter Your covenant.

האמר לאביו ולאמו לא ראיתיו WHO SAID TO HIS FATHER AND TO HIS MOTHER, I HAVE NOT SEEN HIM — When they sinned in the matter of the golden calf and I said, “Who is on the Lord’s side, let him come to me” (Exodus 32:26), all the sons of Levi gathered themselves unto me, and I ordered them each to kill his mother’s father, he being an ordinary Israelite, or his brother on the mother’s side, or the son of his daughter whose husband was an ordinary Israelite, and thus did they do. — It is impossible to explain the term “his father” literally, and “his brothers” as being those on his father's side, and similarly to understand “his sons” literally, for really all these are Levites, and of the tribe of Levi no one sinned., as it is said, “[And there gathered unto me) all the tribe of Levi” (Sifrei Devarim 350:1, Yoma 66b). כי שמרו אמרתך BECAUSE THEY KEPT THY WORD, viz., Thou shalt have no other gods, ובריתך ינצרו AND THEY GUARDED THY COVENANT viz., the covenant of circumcision (Sifrei Bamidbar 67 on בהעלתך); For the [ordinary] Israelites who were born in the desert did not circumcise their sons, whereas the Levites were [not only] circumcised themselves, [but they] also circumcised their sons.

"Who said" — he speaks of the tribe, as in Samuel, who was brought when he was weaned to the house of Hashem to accustom him to it. "And his sons he did not acknowledge" — there was one among them who fathered sons to serve Hashem. "For they observed Your word" — like "they kept His testimonies and the statute He gave them," until they could teach them to Israel. Some say this refers to the matter of "whoever is for Hashem, come to me."

האומר לאביו, during the episode of the golden calf, ואת בניו לא ידע כי שמרו אמרתך, he showed no personal consideration for his closest family members when it involved carrying out G’d’s commandment. When speaking of the Levites’ children, Moses refers to their performing the rite of circumcision on their sons even in the desert, though many babies died through infections contracted after they had been circumcised, so that the other tribes did not perform this rite in the desert. Our sages in Yevamot 72 claim that the northerly wind did not blow during those 40 years [except at midnight according to some, Ed] and that without the therapeutic effect of the northerly wind the babies would have been at risk. ובריתך ינצורו, as our sages confirm in Yuma 66 that the members of the tribe of Levi never became guilty of worshipping idols. This distinction proved itself both in Egypt and in the desert.

האומר…יורו משפטיך ליעקב. "Who says ….they shall teach Your laws to Jacob." We may explain this verse best according to Baba Batra 60 where the Talmud relates that Rabbi Yannai had a tree the branches of which overhung the adjoining street causing inconvenience to the passers-by. He was called upon to expound the law in a similar situation and asked to be given until the morrow before presiding over this litigation. During the intervening night he gave instructions to cut down the branches of his tree which overhung the street so as not to be accused of being himself guilty of an offence which he was supposed to adjudicate. [The Talmud explains that originally Rabbi Yannai had thought that the shade provided by his tree for the passers-by outweighed any damage it could cause to the passers-by who failed to look where they were going. Ed.] The word האומר is an allusion to the kind of judge qualified to sit in judgment of others, i.e. only people who ensure that their own house is in order may judge others. In order to face one's parents and criticise them one must first be free from guilt himself. Another message contained in this verse refers to the Torah's injunction in Deut. 16,18 that the judges should be from the respective tribes. Moses adds here that inasmuch as the tribe of Levi had demonstrated during the episode of the golden calf that they did not show favouritism even to their closest family members if the latter were guilty, that they could preside in judgment even over litigations involving members of other tribes. This is the meaning of יורו משפטיך ליעקב, i.e. they can judge any descendant of Jacob.

כי שמרו אמרתיך, “for the Levites observed Your commandments not to defile the sanctity of the Tabernacle/Temple.” (Leviticus 21,12) None of the Levites committed the error of worshipping the golden calf, and they were prepared to execute family members whom they found doing so. (Sifri and Rashi) ובריתך ינצורו, “and they kept Your covenant.” The covenant G-d made with the priests whose status became hereditary from father to son. (Numbers 25,13)

האומר לאביו ולאמו לא ראיתיו, “who says of his father and his mother : ‘I have no regard for them.’” Moses speaks of the tribe of Levi as a whole here, just as at the time of the sin of the golden calf he had simply called out: “whoever is for Hashem, to me!” (Exodus 32,26) In response to that call all the members of the tribe of Levi responded with alacrity (same verse) Moses had then instructed them to execute all those who had actively worshipped the golden calf, and not to spare even family members if there were such who were guilty. Just as in that instance, although Moses mentioned ‘his son and brother,” this was not meant literally, so here too the words ‘his father and mother,” are not meant literally, as there never had been a father or mother of a Levite who had been guilty of that sin so that their son could have demonstrated that he was prepared even to kill father or mother in response to that call. If even a single Levite had been guilty of worshipping the golden calf, how could the Torah have testified that “the entire tribe of Levi assembled around Moses in response to his call?” The meaning of the words: “father, mother, brother, etc.,” in the verses mentioned referred to such relations who were not from the tribe of Levi. If a Levite had married a woman from the tribe of, say, Zevulun, and the son of that woman found his maternal grandfather worshipping the golden calf, then her son would have had the duty to execute his grandfather seeing he was not a Levite and was guilty of execution. In other words, Moses referred to a possible grandfather, calling him “father,” something not unusual in those days. [the Torah constantly calls the ancestors ‘your fathers’, not your grandfathers or your great-grandfathers.” כי שמרו אמרתך, “for they have carefully observed Your words;” a reference to the second of the Ten Commandments: ‘you shall not have any other gods.’ ובריתך ינצורו, “and Your covenant they have preserved.” This is a reference to the covenant of circumcision. We have a tradition according to which the Israelites did not circumcise their male children while in the desert, whereas the tribe of Levi did perform this commandment also in the desert (Sifri Behaalotcha 67). Even though Moses speaks here of the tribe of Levi in general, there is also a specific allusion to the prophet Samuel (a Levite himself) concerning whom Moses said that he did not see his father or his mother seeing that as soon as he had been weaned, his mother took him to the Tabernacle and entrusted him to the High Priest Eli to raise and train in the service of the Lord. The words: “and he did not recognize his brothers nor knew his sons,” also apply to the prophet Samuel; the idea is that he sired children for the service of the Lord rather than in order for them to be his personal convenience [as many fathers considered their children then. Ed.]

He who says to his father and his mother, ‘I have not seen him,’ etc. For the Rabbis of blessed memory said (Megillah 17, see there) that anyone who engages in Torah study is exempt from honoring one’s father and mother. And proof [of this] is from Jacob, who was not punished for those 14 years that he was hidden in the house of Shem and Eber, during which he did not fulfill the commandment of honoring his father and mother. This is what it means when it says, He who says to his father and his mother, “I have not seen him,” that he does not need to look after them. And all the more so, his brothers he did not recognize, meaning he does not need to know about them. And his children he did not know, as it says in the tractate of Eruvin (22a): What is meant by “black as a raven”? Rava said: In whom do you find [knowledge of] Torah? In one who makes himself cruel toward his children like a raven. Like the case of Rav Ada bar Matna, who when he was going to the house of Rav, his wife said to him, “What shall I do with the children?” He said to her, “Are there no vegetables in the marsh?”This is what it means when it says here, And his children he did not know, that even toward his children, he should make himself as if he does not know them. And why is all this necessary? For they have observed Your word and kept Your covenant. They shall teach Your laws to Jacob, etc. That is to say, because they need to engage in Torah constantly, therefore his children he did not know, as mentioned. They shall put incense before You, etc. For one who engages in the laws of sacrifices, it is as if he has offered them (Menachot 110a). Bless, O Lord, his strength, his power, because Torah weakens a person’s strength. Therefore it says, Bless, O Lord, his strength, that is, his power. And accept the work of his hands, that he should engage in Torah in order to observe and do. Crush the loins of those who rise up against him, etc., for if this vile one — the internal enemy that is called vile — encounters you, draw him to the study hall (Sukkah 52b).

These worthy ones shall teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your Torah to Israel; they shall place fragrant incense before You and whole burnt offerings to Your good pleasure upon Your altar.

יורו משפטיך THEY MAY TEACH THY JUDGMENTS (the emphasis is to be placed on “they”) — they alone are worthy of doing this (cf. Onkelos). וכליל — means burnt-offering (which was entirely (כליל) burnt on the altar) (Sifrei Devarim 351:3).

"They shall place incense" — the priests from among them. "And a whole offering" — this is the burnt-offering.

יורו משפטיך ליעקב, Moses prays to G’d that seeing that this tribe has proven so fit as a standard bearer of the Jewish nation, let them be the teachers of Torah. Compare Moed Katan 17 “if the Rabbi is comparable to an angel, let the people come and listen to his words of Torah.”

יורו משפטיך ליעקב, “They will teach Your ordinances to Yaakov;” seeing that they are impartial people not showing undue favours to anyone, they are qualified to teach and help enforce Your laws. (Compare Ezekiel 44,23: ואת עמי יורו,”and My people they will instruct.) It is also written in Deut: 17,9: ובאת אל הכהנים הלוים והגידו לך את דבר המשפט, “when you will come to the priests, who are members of the tribe of the Levites, and they will tell you matters concerning the ordinances.”An alternate interpretation: “they will teach you the laws of the Torah, since they do not have to earn their living from farming, etc., they have the time to study and teach all these laws.” The reason they did not receive any share of the land of Israel was to enable them to do just that.

יורו משפטיך ליעקב, “They shall teach Your social laws to Yaakov;” These words refer to the entire tribe of Levi. The priests, on their part will offer the incense on behalf of the entire nation.

Bless, O Hashem, his wealth, and may the offering of his hands be accepted with favor; break the loins of those who hate him, and those who are his adversaries — may they not arise.

מחץ מתנים קמיו means, smite those who rise up against him with a smiting of the loins, similar to the idea that is expressed, (Psalms 69:24) “Make their loins continually to totter”. It was about those who contested the High priesthood that he spake thus. — Another explanation: He foresaw that Hasmon and his sons would in future war with the Greeks, and he therefore prayed for them, because they were few in number, viz., the twelve sons of Hasmon and Eleazar against several myriads of the enemy. On this account he prayed ברך ה׳ חילו ופעל ידיו תרצה BLESS, O LORD, HIS ARMY AND ACCEPT FAVOURABLY THE WORK OF HIS HANDS (cf. Genesis Rabbah 99:2; Midrash Tanchuma, Vayechi 14). ומשנאיו מן יקומון (The first word is, like קמיו, the object of the verb מחץ) — i.e. smite those who rise up against him and those who hate him (משנאיו), that they shall have no recovery.

BLESS, ETERNAL, ‘CHEILO’ — that they be a great chayil (army). And the meaning thereof is that they should increase and not decrease when they enter the Holiness, similar in meaning to the verse, Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites. It is similarly stated in the admonitions concerning [the Levites], and that they may not die. And Onkelos rendered cheilo — “his possessions,” from the expression and all their flocks, and all ‘cheilam’ (their possessions). He means what our Rabbis have said concerning the incense — that it bestows a blessing [upon the priest that performs that service]. The phrase [before us] is connected with the expression in [the preceding verse], they shall put incense before Thee, because, as a result of it, his possessions will be blessed, as we have been taught: “Fresh priests come and draw lots for the incense.” And in the Sifre it is stated: “Bless, Eternal, ‘cheilo’ — his possessions. From here the Rabbis have deduced: Most priests are wealthy. In the name of Abba the Preacher the Rabbis have said: I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken — this refers to the seed of Aaron.”

"Bless, Hashem, his wealth" — the firstfruits and the tithe. "And the work of his hands" — the sacrificial offerings. "Smite the loins" — the meaning is: smite his adversaries. "Of those who rise against him" — of those who rise against them, as in "the sea covered them."

ברך ה' חילו, "please G’d bless their worldly activities," so that by making an easy livelihood they can devote themselves to instructing the people in your Torah. ופועל ידיו תרצה, may their Temple service find favour in Your eyes. מן יקומון. So that their enemies cannot rise against them with any chance of success. Moses referred to internal enemies, such as Korach and King Uzziah, both of whom challenged the exclusive and hereditary status of the Priests.

ומשנאיו מן יקומון. "and let his enemies rise no more." The unusual construction מן יקומון may be a reference to the kingdom of the Greeks which would fall victim to the Hasmoneans (members of the tribe of Levi; compare Bamidbar Rabbah 14). Moses prayed that the Levites be able to maintain themselves even during the period when the Greeks (or other nations) would generally oppress the Jewish people. The plural משנאיו is a reference to a time when the Jews would be oppressed in their homeland and appear helpless. Even at such a time, מחץ מתנים, the Hasmoneans would smite their oppressors.

ופועל ידיו תרצה, “and may the work of his hands be welcomed by You;” the “work” Moses speaks of are the sacrifices of the priests who are members of this tribe. The expression נרצה is especially appropriate for the expiation for sins most sacrifices are meant to achieve. If anyone who is not a member of the priestly tribe offers such sacrifices they will not achieve this. מן יקומון, “from anyone rising up against the Israelites.”

ברך ה' חילו, “O Lord bless his resources;” this is a reference to the heave-offerings, tithes, firstborn male domesticated animals, and the first ripe fruit, which made up the livelihood of the priests and Levites. ופועל ידיו תרצה, “and the work of his hands shall find Your favour;” this refers to the sacrificial offerings, a portion of which was for consumption by the priests. מחץ מתנים קמיו, “smash the loins of his foes; as if the Torah had written: “smash his foes in the loins.” מן יקומון, “so that they cannot rise.” Prevent those that attempt to rise against them.

ברך ה' חילו, “Bless, O Hashem its resources, etc.” According to Nachmanides this is a plea by Moses to Hashem to grant the tribe of Levi plenty of human resources, seeing that in fulfilling their tasks they put their lives at risk if they make any of many possible mistakes which result in such people forfeiting their lives. Compare Numbers 4,18 “Do not let the tribe of the Kehatites be cut off from the rest of the tribe of Levi.” Onkelos translates חילו as “its material resources,” using Genesis 37,29 and Number 31,9 as his models. In both those verses the expression ואת כל חילם means: “all their physical possessions.” The verse is an appendix to ישימו קטורה באפך in the previous verse, which describes the material possession of man most closely related to a spiritual asset, i.e. the fragrance of the incense burned on the Altar. ופועל ידיו תרצה, “and may the work of his hands be received with goodwill.” A reference to the sacrificial offerings, generally, the incense being the most refined type. מחץ מתנים קמיו ומשנאיו מן יקומון, “smash the loins of his foes and his enemies so that they may not arise again.” Ibn Ezra understands the words מן יקומון as “preventing them from arising again.”

Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of Hashem shall dwell in security; He shall be a shield over him all his days, and in his land the Shechinah shall dwell.

לבנימן אמר OF BENJAMIN HE SAID — Because the blessing given to Levi referred to the Temple service and that of Benjamin to the Temple being built in his territory he mentioned one after the other. He placed Joseph immediately after him (after Benjamin), for he too had a Sanctuary in his territory: the Tabernacle at Shiloh was erected in his territory, as it says, (Psalms 78:67) “And he rejected the Tabernacle of Joseph” (v. 60 speaks of God forsaking the Tabernacle of Shiloh, the two verses being parallel). Because the “Eternal House” (the Temple) was more endeared to God than the Tabernacle of Shiloh, therefore he mentions Benjamin before Joseph (although Joseph was the elder), חפף עליו means, He covers him and protects him, כל היום ALL THE DAY — i.e., forever. From the day that Jerusalem was chosen as the seat of the Temple, the Divine Glory has never dwelt at any other place. ובין כתפיו שכן AND BETWEEN HIS SHOULDERS SHALL HE DWELL — On the highest spot of his (Benjamin’s) land was the Temple built (cf. Sifrei Devarim 352:9), except that it was twenty-three cubits lower than En Etam (Yoma 31a), and originally indeed David's intention was to build it there, as it is stated in the Treatise "on the slaughter of the holy sacrifices" (Zevachim 54b): People said him (David), Let us place it a little lower, because it states, "and between his shoulders (which are lower than the head) shall he dwell" – and you have no finer part of an ox than his shoulders.

THE BELOVED OF THE ETERNAL SHALL DWELL IN SAFETY BY HIM. He called Benjamin the beloved of the Eternal, saying: “Benjamin, who is the beloved of G-d, will dwell in his land in safety relying on G-d and G-d will shelter him always and cause His Divine Presence to rest in his land.” And He dwelleth between his shoulders — this alludes to what the Rabbis have derived from this expression. By the way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], the verse states: the Beloved, the Eternal, will dwell over Benjamin, and this is the assurance to the Benjaminites that they may trust in the Eternal forever, for the Eternal is G-d, an everlasting Rock. And He will shelter and protect Benjamin all the day, and they shall not be ashamed at the time of trouble, and between the shoulders of Benjamin He will dwell forever. It is from this verse that Solomon was called Yedidiah [i.e., the beloved of the Eternal], for the Eternal’s sake, and he built His lovely dwelling-place, just as he was called Shlomoh, also meaning to say that his nature was perfect (shleimah) in peace (shalom), and therefore it is spelled with the letter hei [at the end, in order to indicate that he is shleimah — “perfect”]. And the Rabbis said in the Midrash of Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakanah: “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him [Solomon]: Since your name is like the name of My Glory I will give you My daughter, for it is written, And the Eternal gave Solomon wisdom etc. But it did not become manifest [to others]. And where did it become manifest? Further on, [where it is said], for they saw that the wisdom of the Eternal was in him, to do justice, etc.”It is correct to interpret that with his three references in this verse to the Divine Presence, Moses alludes to the three Sanctuaries. Of the First Sanctuary he says, He shall dwell in safety by him, similar to what is stated, and the Glory of the Eternal filled the House. Of the Second Sanctuary he says, He covereth him all the day, since the Divine Presence did not dwell there, but only sheltered and protected it. Or it may be that it [the Divine Presence] literally “hovered” over it, as is mentioned in Pirkei Heichaloth. [The third reference,] and He dwelleth between his shoulders alludes to the days of the Messiah, for at that time they shall call Jerusalem The throne of the Eternal. It is interpreted in the Sifre in this manner.

"Of Benjamin he said" — on behalf of Benjamin, who is beloved of Hashem, may Benjamin dwell in safety relying on Hashem, and Hashem dwelling between his shoulders. "Sheltering over him" — over the Glory that dwelt in Jerusalem, in Benjamin's portion, as the text states. The meaning of "between his shoulders" — in the midst of his inheritance. Or it may mean that the Glory also appeared there, and "between his shoulders" should be read as connected to "sheltering."

'ידיד ה, as our sages interpret this compliment (Shabbat 55) that Binyamin died only because of the venom of the original serpent, which brought death for human beings into this world. He, personally, had not committed any deed which would have warranted his death otherwise. ישכון לבטח עליו, Moses prays that this tribe should not join the rebellion against the dynasty of the house of David and become part of the Northern Kingdom.

לבנימין אמר, Concerning Benjamin, he said, etc. The word לבנימין was said by Moses, whereas the word אמר is the Torah speaking. If it were not so how could we understand these two words? The following verse in which we have וליוסף אמר, or ולזבולון אמר must also be understood in this way. ישכון לבטח עליו, "may he dwell safely alongside Him." Seeing that the Temple was in the territory of Benjamin it is natural that that tribe should enjoy the greatest feeling of security. After all, who would dare attack the king? [G'd who dwells in the Sanctuary. Ed.]

לבנימין אמר, “to Binyamin he had said: Binyamin is mentioned by Moses immediately after the tribe of Levi, seeing that the major part of the Temple building was situated on its ancestral land, and the Levites and priests therefore were moving on that soil when they performed their priestly duties. ידיד ה, “the beloved one of the Lord;” he is called the beloved one because ישכון לבטח עליו, “seeing that the protective Presence of the Lord which resides in the Temple is constantly manifest on his ancestral land.” The term: עליו, in the sense of “by Him,” is also found in Numbers 2,20, ועליו מנשה, where it describes the location of the tribe of Menashe as next to Ephrayim, both parts of the tribe of Joseph. חופף עליו כל היום, “G-d’s manifestation covers him (Binyamin) all day long;” it saves him from potential attackers. ובין כתפיו שכן, ”and He dwells between his shoulders.” The word כתף, “shoulder,” is used by Moses as a metaphor, similar to Numbers 34,11, where it describes the slopes leading to the sea of Galilee as “shoulder.” The reason why this tribe received such a complimentary title is that its founding father was the only son of Yaakov who had not been involved in the sale of their brother Joseph. And furthermore, Benyamin was the only one of the twelve brothers who was born in the Land of Israel. This is why G-d’s Presence could feel so at home on its territory and that is why the Temple was located on it.

לבנימין אמר, “to Binyamin he said:” according to the plain meaning of the text the preposition ל here must be understood as בעבור, “for the sake of, on behalf of;” Moses means that seeing Binyamin is a favourite of the Lord, He will make His residence (Temple) in the territory of that tribe. The tribe will dwell in security, trusting the Lord, the Lord His G’d dwelling between his shoulders. חופף עליו, “it hovers over him;” a reference to G’d’s attribute of כבוד, i.e. the Shechinah which rested over Jerusalem, most of which was situated in the territory of Binyamin. The reason Moses speaks of the Shechinah hovering between the shoulders of Binyamin instead of “over his head,” is because the floor of the courtyard to the Temple the עזרה did not literally stand on the top of the mountain but about 23 cubits below the summit, near the level of a well called Eytam (Yuma 31). It had been David’s intention to build it there as explained in the Talmud Zevachim 54. Moses refers to the Temple here as “shoulder,” and so did Joshua his disciple in Joshua 16,5. The reason Joshua added the word “Jebusite” there is to hint that David purchased the site from Arona the Jebusite (Samuel II 24,24). Some (Ibn Ezra) explain the words: “between his shoulders” as describing the fact that the Temple stood in the middle of the tribal territory of Binyamin. A Midrashic approach: our verse contains allusions to three Temples. (compare Zevachim 118) The words ישכון לבטח, “will dwell safely,” refer to the first Temple, Solomon’s. This is why in the Book of Chronicles the attribute כבוד is specifically mentioned as filling the inside of that Temple (Chronicles II 7,1). The words “He (the attribute כבוד ) hovers over it all day long,” refer to the second Temple; the word ”hover” denotes a less regular presence than does the word ישכון used by Moses as describing the situation during the first Temple. Finally, the words: “and He dwells between his shoulders,” are a reference to the third Temple when the full extent of the Shechinah will return to the Holy of Holies. This is what our sages explained in Sifri on our verse. The reason all these allusions are contained in the blessing for Binyamin is that it was this tribe which served as host for the Divine presence. We have a tradition that the body of the original Binyamin was never attacked by worms. There are seven people concerning whom we have a tradition that their bodies were not attacked by worms. They are: Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moses, Aaron, Miriam and Binyamin the son of Yaakov (compare Baba Batra 17). Of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov the Torah said specifically that G’d blessed them in all respects, i.e. בכל, מכל, כל respectively. Of Moses and Aaron the Torah writes that they died על פי ה', If they died “by a kiss” as our sages describe their mode of dying, it is reasonable that G’d would not allow the worms to attack their remains. Although the Torah, for obvious reasons, does not describe Miriam’s death as similar to that of her brothers, our sages feel certain that her death was similar. As to Binyamin’s death, the very description of him as ידיד ה', “beloved of the Lord,” surely suggests a similar treatment of his body by the Lord. Some sages say that David’s body too was not attacked by worms. They base this on Psalms 16,9 (“also my flesh will dwell securely”). I have heard a support for this theory from Exodus 16,24 describing that the manna which fell on Fridays did not turn putrid and was not attacked by worms, contrary to the manna which fell on other days and was saved overnight. The word הבאיש, normally understood as “turned putrid,” could be read with the first two letters as an acrostic so that it would be ה'ב איש, meaning “7 men” (were not attacked by worms), etc. This would serve as Scriptural support for the view of Rabbi Eleazar that Miriam was also one of the people whose flesh was not attacked by worms. (to make up the number ה'ב=7) The word בו in that same verse in Exodus, having a numerical value of 8, would serve as support for the view that the flesh of an eighth’ person was immune to worms, i.e. the flesh of David. A kabbalistic approach: The words: לבנימין אמר ידיד ה' ישכון refer to the attribute כבוד having made this statement. As a result of that attribute dwelling among the tribe of Binyamin, the latter felt secure, i.e. לבטח, being confident that he was under the protection of G’d, the Essence. The whole matter is similar to what we read in Exodus 14,31: וירא ישראל את היד הגדולה ויאמינו בה', “as soon as Israel saw the ‘great’ hand, they believed in the Lord.” This is also the reason that the prophet Nathan named David’s second son from Bat Sheva ידיד-יה (Samuel II 12,25) [“beloved one of G’d,” to show publicly that no stigma was attached to the union of David and Bat Sheva now. Ed.] According to the Sefer HaBahir item 65, G’d said to Solomon: “seeing you bear My name, I will allow you to be the one to build the Temple for Me.” This is the meaning of Kings I 5,26: “and the Lord had given [I believe the key is the word נתן instead of ויתן, which would have meant that this wisdom had been granted to Solomon only at that point. Ed.] wisdom to Solomon, as He said to him.” We do not have a verse (at that junction) where G’d is on record as granting wisdom to Solomon. However, in Kings I 3,28 we have this verse: “when all of Israel heard the decision of the king (about the two women who each claimed that the baby was hers) they stood in awe of the king; for they saw that he possessed divine wisdom to execute justice.” Thus far the Sefer HaBahir. [the author of that book also refers to the sages who said that every time the word שלמה appears in Song of Songs we must treat it as one of the holy names of G’d. From all the foregoing we learn that among all the tribes there was none who was as blessed as Binyamin in that the Shechinah dwelled among him permanently in a more concentrated form than among any of the other tribes. Clearly, he possessed greater merit than the other tribes. Perhaps this is also the reason why this tribe was singled out to be mentioned separately, i.e. Moses begins his blessing with the word לבנימין, instead of ולבנימין, which would have emphasised what he had in common with the tribes mentioned first. (Only Reuven, who was mentioned first, did not have the letter ו meaning “and” introducing him). Perhaps, just as the etrog occupies a special position among the four species, not being tied up together with the other three species, the absence of the letter ו when introducing the blessing for the tribe of Binyamin may convey similar considerations. The absence of the letter ו (where we really would have expected it) may be a hint that Binyamin is to be perceived as part of the בנין, “the structure” comprised of the ten sefirot, creative forces, leading to the terrestrial universe.

To Benjamin he said, “The beloved of God shall dwell in safety upon him.” Since Jacob had said, Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he shall devour the prey, and in the evening he shall divide the spoil (Genesis 49:27). And one who tears prey does not eat it in safety, as his heart fears that the one from whom he snatched it might return against him. Therefore, Moses said, he shall dwell in safety upon him/it — where the word upon it refers back to the spoil that Jacob mentioned. And because Jacob said, in the morning he shall devour the prey, and in the evening he shall divide the spoil, which the Targum explains as referring to the sacrifices that were offered evening and morning in the Temple that was in Benjamin’s portion, Moses added, saying He shall hover over him all day long — meaning that it [the Temple] would not be destroyed like Shiloh, Nob, and Gibeon, but rather the Divine Presence would always remain in the eternal House [Temple]. And he dwells between His shoulders — because there were the bearers of the ephod, as the Divine Presence was in the Urim and Thummim which the priest carried between his two shoulders. This is what it means: and He dwells between his shoulders.

ידיד ה', “Hashem’s beloved;” Benjamin, G’d’s beloved, will dwell securely on his land. עליו, “over him;” guarding the habitat of Hashem in the Tabernacle or Temple. Hashem’s Presence, in turn will hover over him (Benjamin) in turn all of his days and allow His glory on his territory, ובין כתיפיו ישכון, “and he will feel at home between his shoulders.” An allusion to what our sages explained that during a competition as to who would be the first one into the Sea of Reeds, Binyamin did not wait for the argument to be settled but jumped in (Sotah 36) [first version of that argument. Folio 37 there has a different version. Ed.] Another allusion contained in this simile is that our verse contains references to all three Temples and the respective significance of each one. The statement about “dwelling securely,” would apply to the period of the first Temple, whereas the statement about “hovering all day long,” would refer to the period of the second Temple, a period during which the Jewish state was a vassal state, and many of the symbols of our close connection with the Shechinah were absent, the Tablets and the Holy Ark being some of these symbols. The description of “residing between its shoulders,” is an allusion to the third Temple, the one that will be built after the arrival of the Messiah.

And of Joseph he said: Blessed from before Hashem is his land — it produces choice things from the dew of the heavens above, and from the springs of wells and the depths that flow from the deep places of the earth below.

מברכת ה' ארצו BLESSED OF THE LORD BE HIS LAND — It is a fact that there was in the inheritance of all the tribes no land so full of every good thing as Joseph's land (Sifrei Devarim 353:1). ממגד — this means dainties and sweet food. ומתהום [BLESSED OF THE LORD BE HIS LAND] BY THE DEEP — for the deep ascended and moistened it from below (תחת). — You will find that in the case of each tribe Moses' blessing corresponded in some way with Jacob's blessing (cf. for instance this verse with Joseph's blessing in Genesis 49:25).

MIMEGED’ OF HEAVEN. “Meged is an expression for dainty food and sweets. 14. ‘UMIMEGED’ OF THE FRUITS OF THE SUN — for Joseph’s land was exposed to the sun and it sweetened the fruit. ‘GERESH YERACHIM’ (THE YIELD OF THE MOONS). There are fruits which the moon ripens; they are cucumbers and melons. ‘Geresh yerachim’ — fruits which the earth ‘puts forth’ and produces ‘from month to month.’” This is Rashi’s language. And if so, with ‘pri m’gadim’ will mean “with sweet fruits.” Thus Moses blessed Joseph that his land would benefit from the sweetness of heaven which will be from the dew, and that it would be blessed from the deep that couches under his land, becoming fountains and depths, springing forth in valleys and hills. It is possible that the fruits [themselves] are called m’gadim, and he thus says that “Joseph’s land is blessed of the fruits of heaven, namely the dew” — since sweet fruits result from dew, therefore the fruit is called meged — “and his land shall also be blessed from the deep beneath.” Moses’ blessing is similar to that of Jacob who said, with blessing of heaven above, blessings of the deep that coucheth beneath. And the meaning of geresh yerachim is the fruits which are given forth month by month, for all trees blossom and bud in their [respective] seasons that they might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit. This is the sense of the verse, it shall bring forth new fruit every month, meaning that in the particular months a certain fruit will become timely before [the fruits of] all other trees.

"From the best" — that the heavens should give.

מבורכת ה' ארצו, Moses explains that the lands given to the tribe of Joseph are naturally fertile, blessed by G’d. ממגד שמים מטל, He now prays that in addition to this “natural” fertility, G’d should also endow Joseph’s portion with the attributes provided only by Divine assistance, such as regular dew from the skies so that it will not have to depend on rain, and on the underground springs, all of which will help to produce bountiful crops.

מברכת ה׳ ארצו, "blessed of the Lord be his land, etc." Perhaps there is an allusion here to the time when the tribe of Joseph would complain to Joshua that it did not have enough land to support its population (Joshua 17,14). Moses blessed their land especially, i.e. that it be enlarged according to circumstances. Another reason the tribe of Joseph merited this special blessing was the fact that Joseph their founder had provided sustenance for all the brothers in Egypt. He who provides sustenance is considered as if he were the father as we know from Psalms 77,16 where the Psalmist speaks of "the sons of Jacob and Joseph" as if Jacob had had no other sons. Sanhedrin 19 explains that this unusual phrase is due to Joseph having been the provider.

וליוסף אמר מבורכת ה' ארצו, “and of Joseph he said: “blessed by the Lord be his land;” When Adam, the first human being, had sinned by allowing himself to be seduced by his wife, the land on which he lived afterwards was cursed as a result, and his livelihood became one that required hard toil. Joseph, who had withstood the deduction by the wife of Potiphar, was rewarded in that the land his descendants dwelled on was especially blessed.

מבורכת ה' ארצו ממגד שמים מטל, “his (Joseph’s) land is especially blessed by the Lord, with the heavenly bounty of dew.” Moses refers to rain as מגד שמים (Ibn Ezra) reflecting a statement by the sages in Bereshit Rabbah 4,3 that the waters in the celestial regions were suspended (kept in place) only by a word of G’d. What are the “fruit” of these waters? The rain waters. This is also in line with what David said in Psalms 104,1: “You irrigate the mountains from Your lofts, from the ‘fruit’ of Your work the earth is sated.” The “heavens” are considered G’d’s “works.” We have another verse making a similar point in Psalms 8,4: “When I behold Your heavens, the “work” of Your fingers.” The psalmist calls the rain “the fruit of His works.” Similarly, here; Moses refers to this as מגד. By adding the word ומטל, Moses blesses Joseph with both dew and rainfall. ומתהום רובצת תחת, “and from the deep waters crouching below.” This is a reference to the waters on terrestrial earth, i.e. Moses blessed Joseph in that both the waters from above and from below should be beneficial for his land. You may perceive the relationship between the upper waters and the lower waters as analogous to the relationship between light and darkness; hence the choice of the word תהום, by Moses, a word which meant “darkness” already in the second verse of the Torah. The reason the word טל was left to the end, was to place it next to the word תהום, seeing dew descends at night when it is dark.

And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord is his land. This blessing is precisely in the spirit of Jacob’s blessing to him with abundant produce, because he fed and sustained the entire house of Israel. And here Moses added “with the precious fruits brought forth by the sun and moon,” because they had already submitted to him in his dream, Behold, the sun and the moon, etc. (Genesis 37:9). And from the chief things of the ancient mountains, and from the precious things of the everlasting hills. The reason it doesn’t mention the word “precious” [meged] regarding the ancient mountains, we can say that it hints that all the merit of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs belongs to Joseph. For Abraham and Sarah bore only Isaac, and Isaac, even though he fathered Esau and Jacob, nevertheless in Isaac shall your seed be called (Genesis 21:12) — in part of Isaac’s offspring, not in all of his offspring. Thus, Jacob is the main descendant, and regarding Jacob it is written These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph (Genesis 37:2). Therefore, Joseph is the primary descendant of them all, and consequently all the merit of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, who are symbolized by mountains and hills, belongs to Joseph. This is what is meant by And from the chief things of the ancient mountains, because the Patriarchs preceded the world, and their merit will stand for him to gore all the ends of the earth, for war belongs to men, not women. However, women are endowed with the ability to bear children, therefore their merit will stand for him to have his land full of precious fruits. This is what is meant by and from the precious things of the everlasting hills. This is what he clarified regarding these two types of blessings when he said, His firstborn bull has majesty — this refers to the abundance of produce that comes from the merit of the Matriarchs, the everlasting hills, for much increase comes by the strength of an ox (Proverbs 14:4). And his horns are like the horns of a wild ox — this refers to victory in war that comes from the merit of the chief things of the ancient mountains. And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim. Because his name stems from For God has made me fruitful (Genesis 41:52). And he was given the ten thousands from Jacob’s blessing, and his name indicates an abundance of fruits and an abundance of his descendants. This is unlike Manasseh, therefore it is said and they are the thousands of Manasseh.

And it produces choice things, and the yield from the ripening of the sun, and choice things from the beginning of each month.

וממגד תבואת שמש AND BY THE PRECIOUS FRUITS BROUGHT FORTH BY THE SUN — for this land lay exposed to the sun and it therefore produced sweet fruit (Sifrei Devarim 353:3). גרש ירחים [AND BY] THE PRECIOUS THINGS PUT THINGS FORTH BY THE MOON — there are some fruits which the moon brings to maturity, these are cucumbers and melons (Sifrei Devarim 353:3). — Another explanation of גרש ירחים: this refers to fruits which the earth puts out and produces from month to month (cf. Onkelos).

"The onset" — from the root of "its waters surged forth"; this is what the moon produces through the moisture of the air, for its warmth is not like the power of the sun. He says "months" because they renew themselves and there are many of them in a single year.

וממגד גרש ירחים, “and from the precious things due to the moons.” The fruit of the trees emanate from the earth, and the trees start growing at the beginning of the month. On each new moon a different category of fruit tree commences the cycle of growing and subsequently ripening. Our author quotes four examples of this as an illustration.

וממגד תבואת שמש, “and from the bounty of the sun’s crop.” It is well known that the sun is closely associated with the element fire. The closer we get to the sun or vice versa, the hotter it gets. The feeling of being cold is generally associated with the distance from the sun. The heat of the sun causes crops and fruit to ripen. The moon, by contrast, is associated with the element water. Proof is the fact that it exerts influence on the oceans (beaches) determining the tides. Absence of the moon in the sky, or gradual disappearance of it, results in the waters of the sea and some rivers receding. The power of both sun and moon to affect the ripening of crops on earth is called by Moses מגד. The verse tells us that the territory of Joseph will experience the beneficial effects on its harvests of both sun and moon. The moon is perceived as מגרשת הפירות, brings the fruit of the tree to separating. [I prefer Hirsch, who sees in the word ירחים an allusion to the number of months animals are pregnant, i.e. the fruit of the womb is produced after a certain number of “moons,” Ed.]

And from the tops of the first mountains, and from the good things of the heights that do not cease.

ומראש הררי קדם AND BY THE FIRST THINGS OF THE HILLS OF קדם (taken in the sense of: the hills priority) — the meaning is: and it is blessed through the earliest ripening of the fruits, because its hills are earliest (קדם, "prior") to bring their fruits to maturity. – Another explanation: this tells us that their creation (the creation of the hills in the territory of Joseph) was prior (קדם) to that of all other hills (Sifrei Devarim 353:4). גבעות עולם [AND THROUGH THE PRECIOUS THINGS OF] THE EVERLASTING HILLS — i.e., of hills which everlastingly (עולם) produce fruit, and do not cease to do so through restraint of rain.

"And from the top" — the meaning is: and from the best yield of the ancient mountains. "Everlasting hills" — a repetition.

ומראש הררי קדם; “and from the top of the ancient mountains.” This is an expression of praise, as for instance in Jeremiah 2,3: ראשית תבואתה, “the first fruit of its harvest, orAmos 6,6: וראשית שמנים, “with the choicest oils.” Moses refers to the choicest mountains that were created during the first six days of creation. הררי קדם, the mountains of Ephrayim; the land allocated to the tribe of Joseph’s descendant Ephrayim, son of Joseph was especially mountainous. Compare Samuel I 1,1, צופים מהר אפרים, “from the district of Tzofim in the mountains of Ephrayim.

ומראש הררי קדם, “and from the tops of ancient mountains.” Seeing that fruit growing in the mountains are perceived as superior to those growing in the valley, Moses blesses the fruit of the mountainous regions in the territory of Joseph. [According to the Talmud, the best fruit came from Ginosaur on the shores of Lake Kineret, certainly not a mountainous region but 200 meters below sea-level. Ed.]

And from the goodness of the land and its fullness — and the favor of Him whose Shechinah is in the heavens, who was revealed to Moses in the thornbush — may all these come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the man set apart from his brothers.

ורצון שכני סנה — the last two words are the equivalent of שוכן סנה (the י being the suffix that that sometimes appears in participles, for the most part in poetry). The-meaning is: And may his land further be blessed through the favour (רצון) and satisfaction of the Holy One, blessed be He, who first revealed himself to me in the thorn-bush (סנה). רצון means satisfaction and appeasement, and similar is the meaning wherever רצון occurs in scripture. תבואתה LET IT COME — i.e. let this blessing come לראש יוסף ON JOSEPH'S HEAD. נזיר אחיו means THE ONE WHO WAS SEPARATED FROM HIS BRETHREN through his being sold.

AND FOR THE PRECIOUS THINGS OF THE EARTH ‘U’MLO’OH’ (AND THE FULNESS THEREOF). This means: “for the precious things of the land of the plains and of which it is full,” for he mentioned the mountains and the hills previously and now he speaks of the valley and the plains, according to the words of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. In my opinion, the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof is identical with the blessings of the breasts, and of the womb, for all humans and all creeping things that are alive are called “the fulness of the earth.” Similarly, let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; Surely I will fill thee with men, as with the locust. This blessing is thus like Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, and the fruit of thy cattle. URTZON’ (AND THE WILL OF) HIM THAT DWELT IN THE BUSH. This is connected with above [i.e., with the word umimeged at the beginning of this verse, where the prefix mem means “from.” Here, too, the word urtzon is equivalent to] u’mirtzon — “and from the Will of Him that dwelt in the bush.” Now the Glorious Name is called “Him that dwelt in the bush” because it was there that He first appeared to Moses, and He dwelt many days on Mount Sinai which is a place of bushes and from Sinai He came and dwelt in Israel. And the sense of the verse is that Joseph’s land be blessed from the Will of G-d, similar in meaning to these expressions: ‘ratzitha’ (Thou hast been favorable) unto Thy land; ‘v’ertzeh’ (and I will take pleasure) in it, and I will be glorified. TAVOTHAH’ (SHE SHALL COME) UPON THE HEAD OF JOSEPH. The meaning of tavothah [in the feminine form] is that this brachah [“blessing” — a feminine noun] shall come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the crown of the head of him that is prince among the brethren. Or the meaning thereof may be: “Let the Will of Him that dwelt in the bush come upon the head of Joseph” [the feminine tavothah referring to the masculine ratzon]. Now, do not wonder that [the masculine ratzon] “will” is described with the feminine [tavothah — she shall come], for it [“will”], in the Aramaic language is indeed so [feminine, as it is said] ‘ure’uth’ (and the pleasure of) the king. And in the language of the Sages we find the expression “cheftzath (the desire) of his soul” [again a feminine usage].And by way of the Truth, [the mystic teachings of the Cabala], the verse states that the Will — that is, the Divine manifestation that dwelt in the bush — shall come upon the head of Joseph, for with Her he will raise up the head. It mentions the Will in the construct form [saying urtzon — “and the Will of”] in place of the independent form of the noun [i.e., v’ratzon — “and the Will”]. There are many such cases [in Scripture]. Or it may be that the word urtzon is in construct with the aforementioned Glorious Name [Blessed of ‘the Eternal’ is his land]. Thus this verse means: “and the Will of the Eternal that dwelt in the bush shall come upon the head of Joseph.” This i...

"And the best of the earth" — a repetition: the earth of the plain. "And its fullness" — of what it is full. "And the favor of the One who dwelt in the bush" — this is the heavens. "Its yield" — this blessing. The two sign-letters, tav and heh, are joined, as in "her help," "her salvation," "in her distress." Because he mentioned produce he compared the tribe to an ox, and said: "the firstling of his ox" — for it has great strength, being the first of his might.

ורצון שכני סנה, may it enjoy the goodwill of the Lord Who first manifested Himself to me at the burning bush. It was on that occasion that G’d had first indicated that He was going to redeem the Israelites forthwith, in response to the groaning of the Jewish people as reported immediately before the Torah reports Moses’ encounter with G’d. (Exodus 2,23-24) In Psalms 91,15, Moses, the author of that psalm, refers to G’d responding to the outcry of the oppressed. תבאתה לראש יוסף, apart from the blessings the tribe of Joseph shares with all the other tribes, Moses prays that G’d will relate to this tribe without employing His usual intermediaries (such as angels). ולקדקוד נזיר אחיו, seeing that he was the most self-controlled of all his brothers, [my definition of Nazir, Ed.] (alternative translation, the crowned head in Egypt) and he conducted himself with unparalleled piety toward his brothers, Moses feels that Joseph’s descendants deserve the distinction he prays for.

ורצון שכני סנה, "and the goodwill of the One who allotted me a place at the burning bush." Moses refers to the time when he found favour in G'd's eyes who appointed him to release the Jewish people from their painful bondage. This is the reference to his having stood in front of the burning bush. תבאתה לראש יוסף ולקדקוד, "may these rest on the head of Joseph, etc." Moses speaks in respect of two outstanding virtues of Joseph. 1) Although he had been exiled to Egypt and had experienced many temptations and injustices he remained loyal to his father's upbringing. (Compare what Midrash Rabbah 1,7 writes on Exodus 1,5, i.e. "although Joseph was in Egypt.") Moses alluded to this when speaking of ראש יוסף. 2) The second virtue of Joseph deserving special mention is the fact that he repaid the evil his brothers had done to him by doing good for them. Tanchuma explains this on Genesis 37,17 נסעו מזה. In spite of the brothers having severed their connection with Joseph at that time, he provided for them as we know from Genesis 47,12.

ורצון שוכני סנה, “May it enjoy the good will of Him (G-d) that dwells in the (burning) bush.” נזיר אחיו, (according to Rashi) ‘the one who had been separated from his brothers.” According to other commentators this ought to be translated as: “the prince among his brothers.” Use of the expression נזיר as meaning “prince” is found in Lamentations 4,7: זכו נזירה משלג, “her princes were purer than snow.” Joseph had clearly been at least a prince among his brothers.

וממגד ארץ, “and from the bounty of the earth.” Having first mentioned the fruit growing in the mountains, Moses now mentions the fruit growing in the plains. By adding the word ומלואה, “and its fullness,” he refers to other benefits to be derived from that earth such as silver and gold and other ores to be mined there. The whole land is blessed by the Lord Who resides in the סנה, the burning bush, the site of Moses’ first encounter with Hashem. A Midrashic approach, [based on Torah Shleimah Bereshit 3,17 note #124] The Midrash asks why the land of the tribe of Joseph was blessed more than that of any other tribe? The answer given relates to the cursing of the earth as a result of Adam’s sin in Gan Eden. The soil which Adam subsequently had to work in the sweat of his brow was cursed because he had listened to the urging of his wife to also eat from the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Joseph, on the other hand, had withstood the urgings of the wife of his master Potiphar to enjoy the “fruit” she had to offer. Therefore, his descendants, in commemoration of the merit accumulated by their ancestor, do not have to work the soil so hard to make it give up its produce as have the other tribes whose founding fathers do not have this merit going for them. תבואתה לראש יוסף, “may it come to rest (the blessing) on the head of Joseph.” The word תבואתה is a strange word; it is composed of the two words באתה and תבא. Moses is trying to hint here that just as Joseph went into exile into Egypt long before the remainder of his brothers, so when the redemption will come he, (his tribe) will also enjoy that experience before the other tribes will. These are the 45 years discrepancy mentioned between the 1290 years and the 1335 years which Daniel speaks of in Daniel 12,11-12. There is a time lapse between the ingathering of the exiles referred to as נדחים, “outcasts,” and those referred to as נפוצים, “scattered.” (compare Deut. 30,2-3).

וממגד ארץ ומלואה, “from the bounty of the land and its fullness;” this refers to the produce grown in the coastal plains, seeing that the produce growing on mountains and on hills has already been mentioned. Nachmanides explains the words as referring to blessings of the breast and womb respectively, corresponding to Yaakov’s blessing in Genesis He claims that every living creature is called מלואה inasmuch as they help fill the earth. He quotes as proof Chronicles I 16,32 ירעם הים ומלואו, “let the sea and all that is in it thunder.” ורצון שוכני סנה, “and by the favour of Him Who rested on the thorn bush.” This was when the Shechinah had his first encounter with Moses. This was also where he had spent many days (either receiving the Torah, or pleading for forgiveness for his people.) The thorn bush was at the bottom of Mount Sinai, or Mount Chorev as it is known also. Eventually, after the building of the Tabernacle, the Shechinah came to rest above the Holy Ark in that Tabernacle, i.e. over the encampment of the whole Jewish people. תבואתה, “may it be present, etc.;” a reference to this blessing. לראש יוסף, “upon Joseph’s head.” Moses expresses the wish that Hashem bestow this blessing on the tribe of Joseph. Alternately, the meaning is that “the goodwill of the One Whose residence is above the thorn bush should bestow His blessing on the tribe of Joseph.” The reason that Moses would be referring to G’d in the feminine mode (apparently, by saying תבוא instead of יבוא, is that this is the standard mode employed in Aramaic when referring to attributes of Hashem. [Compare Targum on Kohelet 5,7 where G’d is described in the feminine mode as רעותא ד'.] Some commentators say that when viewed from the perspective of the plain meaning of the text, the פשט, Moses means to say that although there is no need to express a special blessing for the parts of the land of Israel which is naturally bountiful, Moses wanted to bestow a similar blessing on the parts which normally do not yield nature’s bounty. The thorn bush represents such normally barren areas in any country.

The greatest among his sons — splendor is his, and the mighty deeds done for him from before the Almighty and Most High; in his might he shall strike down nations together, to the ends of the earth — and these are the myriads of the house of Ephraim, and these are the thousands of the house of Manasseh.

בכור שורו THE FIRSTBORN OF HIS OX — There is a usage of the word בכור that denotes greatness and sovereignty, as it is said, (Psalms 89:28) “I will also make him a בכור” (i.e., a man of rank), and similarly (Exodus 4:22) “My son, my firstborn (בכורי) is Israel”. The text means: the king who will issue from him, and that is Joshua, whose strength will be mighty as that of an ox to subdue many kings, הדר לו HONOUR TO HIM — i.e., honour is given unto him, as it is said, (Numbers 27:20) “And thou shalt give of thy honour (הודך, a synonym of הדר) unto him” (Joshua). וקרני ראם קרניו AND HIS HORNS ARE THE HORNS OF A RE’EM — The ox — its strength is mighty but its horns are not beautiful, a Re’em, however — its horns are beautiful but its strength is not mighty: therefore it ascribes to Joshua the strength of an ox and the beauty of a Re’em’s horns (Sifrei Devarim 353:10). אפסי ארץ [NATIONS] OF THE ENDS OF THE EARTH — The thirty-one kings whom Joshua conquered — is it possible that they were all of the land of Israel? But there was no king or ruler who did not acquire for himself a palace and territory in the land of Israel because it was so estimable to all of them (Sifrei Devarim 353:12), as it is said of Palestine, (Jeremiah 3:19) “An inheritance, the desire of hosts of nations” (see Rashi on this verse). והם רבבות אפרים AND THEY ARE THE MYRIADS OF EPHRAIM — i.e., those who are gored are the myriads whom Joshua, who was descended from Ephraim, slew. והם אלפי מנשה AND THEY ARE THE THOUSANDS OF MANASSEH — they are the thousands whom Gideon, who was descended from Manasseh, slew of Midian, as it is said, (Judges 8:10) “And Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor [and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left … for there had fallen a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword]”.

B’CHOR’ (THE FIRSTLING) OF HIS BULLOCK, MAJESTY IS HIS. “B’chor (firstborn) is sometimes used to denote greatness and sovereignty, as it is said, I also will appoint him [David] first born. Similarly, Israel is My son, My first born. [Hence, this verse means:] The strength of the king who will come forth from him [Joseph] — namely, Joshua — will be as great as that of an ox to subdue many kings. And his horns are the horns of the wild-ox. The ox has great strength but its horns are not beautiful; the wild-ox, on the other hand, has beautiful horns but its strength is not great. Moses then ascribed to Joshua the strength of an ox and the beauty of the horns of the wild-ox. And they are the ten thousands of Ephraim — those who are gored are the myriads whom Joshua, a descendant of Ephraim, slew. And they are the thousands of Menasheh — the thousands whom Gideon [a descendant of Menasheh] slew of Midian, as it is said, Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor. Many thousands are enumerated there.” Thus far the language of Rashi. But this interpretation leaves the verse in disorder. Since the expression his horns are the horns of the wild-ox is a description of the firstling of the bullock, namely Joshua, how could it be said that he [a descendant of Ephraim] gore with them [the horns] the thousands of Menasheh, the victims of Gideon [a descendant of Menasheh]? And the language of the Sifre is as follows: “Since Scripture has not made clear to us how many Canaanites were slain by Joshua, it states Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor — all one hundred and thirty-five thousand. Therefore it is stated, and they are the thousands of Menasheh. ” The intent of the Rabbis is to interpret that the phrase with them he shall gore the peoples all of them, even the ends of the earth is also an allusion to Joshua. The verse says that these ends of the earth which he [the tribe of Joseph] will gore, are the ten thousands that Ephraim — meaning Joshua — slew, and they are the [same] thousands slain afterwards by Menasheh. For Joshua slew them all [the nations], and of their descendants who arose after them Menasheh slew thousands from among them. Similarly it is taught there [in the Sifre]: “With them he shall gore the peoples all of them. But what [nations] did Joshua capture? Did he not subdue only thirty-one kings? The verse teaches [us] that Joshua subdued kings and rulers that were from one end of the world to the other. All of them, even the ends of the earth. But which lands did Joshua capture? Did he not conquer only this small portion [of the earth]? Only [this is to teach us] that all the kings that he subdued were sovereigns and rulers” [rather than insignificant, powerless figures].In line with the plain meaning of Scripture [the verse states]: Because Moses blessed Joseph with the increase of the field, he compared him [here] to an ox, for much increase is by the strength of the ox. He further stated that Joseph will be the firstborn that will beget ...

"Majesty is his" — a great body; the meaning is: a great multitude. "The horns of a wild ox" — in strength. "The myriads of Ephraim" — according to the words of Jacob.

בכור שורו, although Yehudah is the leader of the tribes, just as the lion is the leader of the free roaming beasts, the ox ranks first among the domesticated pure animals, as we know from a comment by our sages in Chagigah 13 that the lion is the king among the predators whereas the ox is the king among the domesticated animals. This makes Joseph rank second among twelve tribes. Compare Hoseah 13,1 כדבר אפרים רתת נשא הוא בישראל, “when Ephrayim spoke piety in Israel he was exalted.” The prophet spoke of the earlier generations such as when Joshua was the leader, when Ephrayim was highly esteemed. in the eyes of G‘d as well as by the people. הדר לו, even though he does not enjoy the official position of being Royalty, he is fit and deserving of such honours. בהם עמים ינגח יחדו, he, together with the tribe of Yehudah, proving Royalty will prevail over many nations by locking horns with them. Compare Isaiah 11,13-14 “then Ephrayim’s envy shall cease and Yehudah’s harassment shall end; Ephrayim shall not envy Yehudah, and Yehudah shall not harass Ephrayim. They shall pounce on the back of the Philistines to the west and together they shall topple peoples of the east.”

בכר שורו הדר לו, "Like a firstling bull in his majesty, etc." Here Moses blessed two outstanding individuals who were descended from Joseph. Concerning his first born son Menashe, Moses said the words בכר שורו are a reference to Gideon. The reason he chose the simile of the bull is because of what the angel said to Gideon (Judges 6,28) "take the bull which belongs to your father, and take the second bull which is seven years old and destroy the altar of the Baal belonging to your father, etc. and offer ….it as a burnt offering." The הדר, "spiritual beauty," Moses speaks about is that Gideon needed only 300 men to defeat the Midianites, as all these men were of spiritually outstanding quality. Such success reflects favourably on the leader, hence הדר לו, it is a compliment for him. וקרני ראם קרניו, "he has thorns like the horns of the wild-ox." This is a reference to Joshua, a descendant of Joseph's younger son Ephrayim. His reputation was world-wide, "his horn" comparable to the horn of the wild-ox. בהם עמים ינגח, "with them he gores nations." When the kings of the Emorites heard that G'd was with Joshua they no longer had any fighting spirit and could not offer Joshua resistance. The reason that Moses repeats that he speaks of both the myriads of Ephrayim and those of Menashe is because both blessings were meant for both these tribes. Although Moses mentioned Menashe first, the blessing extended to that tribe was of somewhat lesser range than that for Ephrayim. Moses followed the pattern of giving his blessings in an ascending order. When giving details of the blessings he mentioned Ephrayim first as he received the major blessing.

בכור שורו, “His firstling bullock;” Joshua was the first king chosen by G-d from the descendants of Joseph. This is why he is referred to by Moses here as בכור, “firstborn.” The reason why Moses compares a king to an ox is because the ox or bullock is the king amongst the domesticated four legged mammals. (Talmud tractate Chagigah folio 13.) והם רבבות אפרים, “and they (the horns) are tens of thousands of the warriors of Ephrayim.” Seeing that Joshua was from the tribe of Ephrayim, the soldiers of that tribe would be the first to rally around him when war broke out. והם אלפי מנשה, the Israelites had a great leader from the tribe of Menashe also, by the name of Gideon, who was known for fighting with far fewer soldiers, i.e.,אלפי מנשה, the thousands of Menashe. Yaakov when on his deathbed, had insisted on placing his right hand on Ephrayim, the younger of the two brothers. This is reflected in Moses’ blessing here.

בכור שורו הדר לו, “like a firstling ox in his majesty;” seeing Moses had already spoken of grain harvests, Moses compares the tribe of Joseph to an ox [used in ploughing, the first stage in working a field. Ed.]. We find this simile used in the same sense in Proverbs 14,4: ורב-תבואות בכח שור, “bountiful harvests are due to the strength of the ox.” The reason that Moses applies the term “firstborn” to Joseph is because he was the firstborn of his mother Rachel. וקרני ראם קרניו, “and his horns are like the horns of the Re'em.” A reference to the tens of thousands of the members of Ephrayim (and thousands of Menashe). A kabbalistic approach: in saying בכור שורו הדר לו, Moses attributes two principal attributes, virtues, to Joseph. They are the emanations (attributes) נצח and הוד, the former on the right side of the diagram of the emanations, the latter on the left side. The word הדר symbolises the emanation נצח, whereas the word שור alludes to the emanation הוד. You know that these were the emanations which responded to David’s prayer; compare Psalms 22,22 ומקרני רמים עניתני, “rescue (answer) me from the horns of wild oxen.” [I do not understand how our author squares this with his oft-repeated warning that in prayer one must only address the tetragrammaton, no subordinate attributes. Ed.] Two tribes emerged from Joseph one of whom represented fertility, i.e. אפרים, whereas the second מנשה represents שכחה, forgetting. The latter name is associated with דין, judgment.

בכור שורו הדר לו, “Like a firstling bull is his majesty;” Nachmanides, referring to the plain meaning of the verse, writes that seeing Moses had blessed the tribe of Joseph in terms of abundant crops, he had likened that tribe to an ox, the animal without whose work most crops would never see the light of day. He wishes that the firstborn of this tribe be majestic, an allusion to the position which Joshua, an illustrious member of the tribe of Joseph, would occupy among the people shortly, after Moses would die. He would henceforth be remembered as the most illustrious of Joseph’s descendants. וקרני ראם קרניו, “his glory will be like the horns of the Re’em.” Moses refers to the horns in the plural, parallel to the term רבבות אפרים, the tens of thousands of Ephrayim, on the one hand, and the אלפי מנשה, “the thousands from Menashe” on the other. Ephrayim’s blessing recalls that Yaakov, at the time, had insisted on placing his right hand on Ephrayim, and his left hand, i.e. אלפי, on Menashe. Israel has been described elsewhere as consisting of רבבות אלפי, “tens of thousands of thousands,” (Numbers 10,36)

And of Zebulun he said: Rejoice, Zebulun, when you go forth to wage battle against your adversaries, and Issachar, when you go to observe the appointed seasons of the festivals in Jerusalem.

ולזבולן אמר AND OF ZEBULUN HE SAID — These five tribes whom he blessed last, Zebulun, Gad, Dan, Naphtali and Asher, it repeats their names in order to instil them with strength and power, because they were the weakest of all the tribes. They are the very same whom Joseph took to Pharaoh, as it is said, (Genesis 47:2, cf. Rashi thereon) “And of the least of his brothers he took five men [and placed them before Pharaoh]” — because these looked weak, so that he (Pharaoh) should not appoint them his war officers (Bava Kamma 92a). שמח זבולן בצאתך ויששכר באהליך REJOICE, ZEBULUN. IN THY GOING OUT, AND, ISSACHAR, IN THY TENTS — Zebulun and Issachar entered into a partnership: Zebulun dwelt at the harbour of ships and went out in ships to trade; he made profit and used to provide food for Issachar who sat at home and occupied themselves with the Torah. Consequently he mentioned Zebulun before Issachar (although the latter was the elder) because Issachar’s knowledge of Torah was due to Zebulun (Genesis Rabbah 99:9). שמח זבולן בצאתך REJOICE, ZEBULUN, IN THY GOING FORTH — Be successful when thou goest out to trade, ויששכר AND ISSACHAR, be successful when you sit in your tents (באהליך) to study the Torah — to sit in the Sanhedrin and to intercalate the years and to fix the day of New Moon, as it is said, (I Chronicles 12:33) “And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times, … the heads of them were two hundred”: as the heads of the Sanhedrin they used to busy themselves with this (Genesis Rabbah 72:5), and in accordance with their fixing of the seasons and their calculation of intercalary years...

REJOICE, ZEBULUN, IN THY GOING OUT — that is, when you journey in merchant-ships. He alludes to [what Jacob said of Zebulun that] he shall dwell at the shore of the sea. And you Issachar [rejoice] in thy tents, thus intimating that Issachar saw a resting-place that it was good, and his land that it was pleasant, in accord with Jacob’s blessing.

"Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out" — to battle; likewise: "Zebulun, a people who risked their lives unto death." "And in your tents" — as in: "and he saw that rest was good."

שמח זבלון בצאתך, "Rejoice, O Zevulun, on your journeys;" Although as a general rule we are not supposed to rejoice as per Kohelet 2,2 ולשמחה מה זה עושה, "and of joy, what does it accomplish?" Moses says here that Zevulun goes to sea joyfully even though he leaves the halls of Torah study in order to engage in commerce. The reason he is entitled to do this is that the proceeds of his commerce are intended to enable Issachar to devote himself to uninterrupted Torah study. Another meaning of these words is that when a man sets out on an undertaking he does not know if he will be successful. Moses is giving Zevulun an assurance that he will be successful; this is why he emphasizes that he may rejoice even at the outset of his journey. He may consider himself as a שליח מצוה, someone to whom the performance of a מצוה has been entrusted. באהליך, "in your tents." This is a simile for Issachar. The reason Moses uses this simile is twofold. 1) It denotes the fact that any dwelling in this world is to be considered only a temporary dwelling; our whole terrestrial existence is transient. 2) It describes that the Shechinah forms a "tent" over Zevulun and Issachar. Even though Zevulun is preoccupied with commerce and does not spend his time in the אהל של תורה, the tent of Torah, he qualifies for the presence of the Shechinah no less than Issachar his partner. David alludes to this when he said in Psalms 85,14: "Justice goes before him as he sets out on his way."

שמח זבולון, “rejoice Zevulun;” he had complained about the portions of ancestral land he had drawn. We read in the Talmud tractate Megillah, folio 6 That he complained about having received mountainous territory and sandy territory alongside the ocean, compared to Naftaly who had been given apparently fruitful earth in the mountainous regions, as had most other tribes. (Deborah praised this tribe in her victory song in Judges 5,18 as literally having mocked death in the constant danger as a seafaring tribe. When Zevulun had seen Naftaly completely exposed, as the other tribes simply failed to respond to Deborah’s call to arms, he responded without hesitation. Foreseeing all this in a prophetic vision, Moses is trying to calm Zevulun for having received his share near the beaches of the ocean where they would be far less exposed than Naftaly; would he have preferred to have been exposed to the dangers Naftaly faced?) It will be explained soon how Zevulun in fact benefited by his territory facing the ocean. בצאתך, “when you are setting out;” Moses blesses each tribe according to what he foresees will be its special needs. Zevulun as a seafarer, who derives his livelihood from maritime trade, will require a special blessing to keep his ships safe when they are on the high seas, so that his merchandise will not be lost at sea. Compare Yaakov’s blessing for him in Genesis 49,13, where reference is made to the beaches of the sea in connection with him. Moses blesses him in wishing him that instead of being fearful when setting out on each voyage, he should be joyful, confident of G-d’s help. ויששכר באהליך, whereas he blesses Yissochor by wishing him similar confidence seeing that his fertile soil may become the envy of his neighbours, so that he is forced to stand guard watching against potential robbers. Moses wishes him success in this. Yaakov had already hinted at this in his blessing for this son when he said in Genesis 49,14: רובץ בין המשפתים, “crouching among the sheepfolds.”

שמח זבולון בצאתך, “Rejoice Zevulun in your journeys;” a reference to going out into war (Ibn Ezra). Even though his brother Issachar was senior to him, Moses mentions Zevulun first when according these blessings seeing that it would be he who enabled Issachar to engage in intensive Torah study. Yaakov (Genesis 49,13) had also blessed him before he blessed his older brother Issachar, as he foresaw that in the future Zevulun would be the financial backer of Issachar’s Torah study. Without such financial backing, Issachar could not have devoted himself to Torah study as he did. The joy Zevulun is promised here is his reward in the world to come in recognition of his share in Issachar’s Torah. Even though, as Ibn Ezra has stated, the plain meaning of the word בצאתך refers to going out to battle, one may also understand it as: “when you leave this life on earth.” Moses blesses Zevulun with the joy which will await him in the world to come. The reason all of this joy is (apparently) reserved for Zevulun, is that he is the mainstay of Torah knowledge through his support of those who engage in its study. Basing themselves on our verse, the sages (Pesachim 53) have formulated the saying: “anyone who gives merchandise (on credit) to a Torah scholar to trade with will be rewarded for this in the Torah academy in the world to come, seeing Solomon has said in Kohelet 7,12: ‘for to be in the shelter of wisdom is to be also in the shelter of money;’ and the advantage of intelligence is that wisdom preserves the life of him who possesses it.” You will note that Moses’ blessing here contains two distinct subject matters. 1) He addresses Zevulun before he addresses his older brother Issachar. 2) He makes the blessing for Issachar part of the blessing bestowed on Zevulun. 3) The blessing for Zevulun is longer than that for the other tribes. He said concerning Zevulun that: “he will be nourished by the riches of the sea and by treasures concealed in the sand (of the beaches). At the same time, Moses was very brief in his blessing for Issachar, saying only: “Issachar in your tents.” No other tribe received such a briefly worded blessing. Seeing that Issachar was the tribe excelling in Torah study, we would have expected Moses to devote more words of recognition for that tribe. We know that Issachar excelled in Torah wisdom from Chronicles I 12,32 where the author Ezra explains the reason why that tribe dispatched only 200 members to attend the crowning ceremonies of King David, by adding that the 200 men in question were יודעי בינה לעתים, “men who understood the needs of the times,” (or were so schooled in Torah that each one could predict when the year would have to be adjusted in order not to conflict with the solar seasons). The fact is that in spite of the relative brevity of Moses’ blessing, the words “in your tents” (pl) contained all the blessings it is possible to bestow on someone. Moses meant the “tent” in the celestial regions, as well as the “tent” in the terrestrial regions. He extended his blessing to Issachar in both worlds. The joy that Moses referred to in the terrestrial regions has been described by David in Psalms 19,9 as פקודי ה' ישרים משמחי לב, “the ordinances of the Lord are just and fair and provide joy for the heart” (of the people studying them). He also blessed Issachar as being happy in the tent of the celestial region, a region where joy is perfect and complete. Our sages in Ketuvot 8 described this celestial region as one in which שהשמחה במעונו, “the true home of joy is in His heaven called מעון.” In that region reward is double what it is elsewhere. Perhaps the double letter ש in the name of יששכר, already indicates that his reward would be divided into two parts. One part of the reward would be given to him who studies the Torah, the other to those who sustain those who study Torah.

“And of Zebulun he said: ‘Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar in your tents.’” According to Jacob’s blessing to them, Zebulun would dwell at the seashore, engaging in commerce, while Issachar is a strong-boned donkey, engaging in Torah study. Thus, one goes out for business while the other dwells in tents. I have heard that since money has no completeness except through going out [spending] — as spending is better than accumulating — therefore it says, Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out. However, the completeness of Torah is also achieved in your tents, for its perfection does not depend on spending, therefore it says, and Issachar in your tents. Furthermore, the acquisition of money is external to a person and does not cleave to them, hence the language of “going out” is used. But the acquisition of Torah becomes an essential part of a person and cleaves to them, becoming one flesh with them in their tent, therefore it says in your tents. Some say that anyone engaged in commerce is not yet happy when setting out on their journey, for they do not know whether they will profit or not. But to Zebulun it says that he should rejoice even when setting out on his journey, because his heart is confident that he will succeed in all his journeys, since Issachar is in his tents studying Torah on his behalf, and his merit will stand for Zebulun as well, because Zebulun would provide sustenance for Issachar. “They shall call peoples to the mountain.” This means that they will call the tents of Zebulun and Issachar a mountain, because just as on the good mountain and the Lebanon [Temple Mount] they offer sacrifices to God, so too in their two tents, there they will also offer righteous sacrifices. For Zebulun, who engages in commerce and provides for Issachar, there is no greater charity than this, as it is written: Happy are you who sow beside all waters (Isaiah 32:20), and “sowing” refers to charity, as it is said: Sow for yourselves righteousness (Hosea 10:12). And water refers to Torah, as it is said: Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters (Isaiah 55:1). The intention here is that sowing beside all waters, which means supporting Torah scholars, there is no charity like it. And it is written: To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice (Proverbs 21:3). Therefore, it is appropriate to call Zebulun’s tent a mountain, because one who ascends to it is like one who ascends the mountain of God where burnt offerings and sacrifices are offered to God, since in his tent too, righteous sacrifices are offered. And similarly, the tent of Issachar, where they engage in Torah study, and whoever engages in the study of the burnt offering law etc., therefore it is fitting to call his tent the holy mountain, for there too they will offer righteous sacrifices. For they will draw sustenance from the abundance of the seas, etc. For they would benefit both in this world and in the World to Come. In this world, they will draw sustenance from the abundance of the seas, and for the World to Come, treasures hidden in the sand — this alludes to the great reward stored away for the righteous in the World to Come. It also alludes to the attainment of wisdom, about which it is said, The earth will be filled with knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9). This is what is meant by “they will draw sustenance from the abundance of the seas” — they will attain the hidden secrets of the Torah. This is the meaning of treasures hidden in the sand — a metaphor for the things that are concealed and stored away; there they will find understanding and intelligence.

שמח זבולון בצאתך, to the sea to engage in trade.

שמח זבולון בצאתך, ”Rejoice Zevulun when you are going out!” Zevulun would travel to Tzidon and Tzur in Lebanon as well as to more distant destinations. This is why Moses blessed them, wishing them success in their endeavours ויששכר באהליך, “(also wishing success) to Yissachar in your tents.” Yissachar’s ancestral land was suited for the pursuit of agriculture, and its members would sit in tents in their fields to protect their crops from thieves. Moses therefore prayed that they would also enjoy the fruits of their labour. Yaakov, in Genesis 49,14, had wished Reuven similar success and protection from people claiming their land as belonging to them.

The tribes of Israel shall assemble at the Mount of the Temple; there they shall offer sacred sacrifices to good pleasure, for they shall consume the wealth of the nations, and the treasure hidden in the sand shall be revealed to them.

עמים THE PEOPLES of the tribes of Israel, הר יקראו THEY CALL TO THE MOUNTAIN, i.e., they assembled at Mount Moriah on the Festivals; — it speaks of calling them there because every assembly was (took place) in general by means of a summons to it — and שם THERE יזבחו THEY SACRIFICED on the Festivals, זבחי צדק SACRIFICES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. כי שפע ימים יינקו FOR OF ABUNDANCE OF THE SEAS SHALL THEY — Issachar and Zebulun — SUCK, and they will consequently have leisure to busy themselves with the study of the Torah. ושפני טמוני חול means, covered things that are hidden in the sand — the Tarith (a kind of fish; Rashi in his comment on the Talmudical passage afterwards quoted states that it is the tuna fish), the Chalazon (from which purple dye was obtained) and while glass (all valuable articles of commerce) which come out of the sea and the sand. This was in the territory of Issachar and Zebulun, as it is stated in Treatise Megillah 6a: The Scriptural text (Judges 5:18) is to be explained as follows: “Zebulun was a people that cursed his soul even unto death” because that “Naphtali was on the high places of the field“, i.e., Zebulun complained about his territory, saying, To my brother (Naphtali) you have given fields and vineyards (while to me you have given hilly and mountainous land; to my brother you have given land while to me you have given seas and rivers! God replied. “All your brethren will be in need of you”, as it states, “And the treasures hidden in the sand”, which the Talmud goes on to explain are the marine creatures Rashi mentions above, deriving each of them from the words of the text, For they shall suck … of the concealed treasures of the sea). ושפני has the meaning of “covering”, as it is said (1 Kings 6:9) “And he covered (ויספן) the house”; (Jeremiah 22:14) וספן בארז, which the Targum renders by: “And it was covered with panels of cedar”. — Another explanation of עמים הר יקראו THEY CALL THE PEOPLES TO THE MOUNTAIN — Through Zebulun’s trading, merchants of the world’s nations will come to his land, he living at the coast, and they will say, “Since we have taken so much trouble to reach here, let us go to Jerusalem and see what is the God of this people and what are His doings”. When they behold all Israel serving one God and eating one kind of food (only that which is permissible to them), they are astonished because as regards the other nations, the god of one is not as the god of another, and the food of one is not as the food of another, so that they will say, “There is no nation as worthy as this”, and they will therefore become proselytes to Judaism there, as it is said, “There shall they sacrifice sacrifices of righteousness” (Sifrei Devarim 354:5). כי שפע ימים יינקו FOR OF THE ABUNDANCE OF THE SEAS SHALL THEY SUCK — “they” means Zebulun and Issachar; for the sea will give them wealth in abundance.

"They shall call peoples to the mountain" — because Zebulun dwells by the shore of ships, his wealth will be great; this is the meaning of "for they shall suck the abundance of seas" — which is from the root of "the abundance of camels." "And the hidden treasures of the sand" — this word has no parallel in Scripture; its meaning is like "what is hidden," and similarly "earth of dust." The meaning is that they will have such great wealth that they will hide it in the sand. And because of their wealth the majority of them will come to the mountain of Hashem to offer thanksgiving sacrifices to Hashem.

עמים הר יקראו, Issachar and Zevulun will call the nations of the earth to the “good mountain” with choice wares not to be found among those nations. שם יזבחו זבחי צדק, even the merchants of the gentile nations who had been offering sacrifices to “dead” deities all their lives, when they come to Jerusalem, the ”good mountain,” will offer sacrifices which qualify for the description “offerings of righteousness” (to the real G’d). כי שפע ימים יינקו, for Issachar and Zevulun draw from the riches of the sea among which are found such rare sources of colours as the chalazon worm from which techelet, blue wool is dyed. There one can also find a type of “white glass” or silicon on the beaches of the sea, much treasured for use in exotic goblets.

ושפני טמוני חול, “and the hidden treasures of the sand.” Sometimes when ships break up when at harbour and are buried deep in the sand; when the waters of the sea retreat, it is revealed that this sand which buried their ships had also hidden treasures which would have remained undiscovered if the ship had not broken up.

שם יזבחו זבחי צדק, “there they will slaughter offerings of righteousness.” Moses means that all the people coming to Mount Moriah then will do so in order to offer their thanks to the Lord for His having granted them so much wealth.. A kabbalistic approach: Moses related the sacrificial offerings to righteousness, i.e. צדק, as this is the emanation which is perceived as the initial one (מלכות) which “receives” offerings in the first instance. The letter ה at the end of the word המזבחה, (Leviticus 1,9) alludes to this emanation; I have already remarked on this in my comments on that verse. The path of the offerings proceeds “upwards” from the emanation צדק until it reaches the highest regions. ושפוני טמוני חול, “and by the treasures concealed in the sand.” Moses blessed Zevulun and Issachar with generous amounts of material wealth. They would possess so much wealth that they would be forced to bury some of it in the sand to protect it against thieves (Ibn Ezra). The word ושפוני is as if the Torah had written it with the letter צ at the beginning, i.e. וצפוני, “and hidden.” The repeated wording, i.e. both שפוני and טמוני, is similar to the expression אדמת עפר in Daniel 12,2; Onkelos appears to understand it as the sand itself indicating that treasures are buried beneath it.

עמים הר יקראו, “being aware of the dangers of seafaring they would make frequent trips to Mount Zion to thank G–d for their success and ask Him for continued protection. Once they were there, they would present many voluntary offerings in the Temple. (Compare Talmud tractate Chulin, folio 13, based on Leviticus 22,18) כי שפע ימים יינקו, “for they will suck the abundance that the seas have to offer;” the seas will make them prosperous. ושפוני טמוני חול, “and the treasures hidden in the sand.” This is a reference to ships which foundered and went to the bottom of the sea laden with treasures. Eventually, when the hull breaks up they are revealed. The treasures then become the property of the finders. According to the plain meaning of the text, we have to ask why Moses listed Zevulun here before Yissachar, seeing that Yissachar was the older of the brothers? The answer is provided by the Midrash, (B’reshit Rabbah 99,9) according to which Yissachar and Zevulun made an agreement according to which the merits acquired by the Torah study of the members of the tribe of Yissachar would be shared equally with the tribe of Zevulun, who would look after the members of the Torah studying members of the tribe of Yissachar financially.

And of Gad he said: Blessed is the One who gave Gad room to dwell; he rests like a lion and shall slay rulers together with kings.

ברוך מרחיב גד BLESSED BE HE THAT ENLARGES GAD — this teaches us that Gad’s territory extended far eastward (Sifrei Devarim 355:2). כלביא שכן HE DWELLETH AS A LIONESS — Because he was near the border it therefore compares him to lions, for all who are near the border must be strong (that they may repulse attacks from neighbours) (Sifrei Devarim 355:3). וטרף זרוע אף קדקד TEARING THE ARM WITH THE CROWN OF THE HEAD — Those whom they slew could be easily recognised, because they used to cut off the head together with the arm at one blow.

BLESSED BE HE THAT ENLARGETH GAD. “This teaches that Gad’s border was enlarged toward the east.” [Since his territory was east of the Jordan it could be extended towards the east.] This is Rashi’s language from the Sifre. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that because Moses likened Gad to a lion [he dwelleth as a lioness], he said, “Blessed be He Who enlarges Gad, Who gives him strength so that whoever [any enemy] sees him will flee him, and no one will trouble him.” The correct interpretation is that it refers to Gad’s inheritance, for the two tribes [Reuben and Gad] that took their inheritance on the east bank of the Jordan did not take it by the lot. Instead Moses gave them the entire kingdoms of Sihon and Og and their inheritance was broader as it wound about higher than all the tribes. Moses did not mention this [blessing] in the case of Reuben, for his prayer was sufficient. It is also possible that the children of Gad took more territory than the children of Reuben for they were mighty and therefore Moses gave them the entire [eastern] border. The cities which they built were also more numerous than those of Reuben. In addition, it was the Gadites who first requested that land [east of the Jordan as their inheritance] as I have explained there, and thus they were the cause of this expansion.

"He who enlarges Gad" — he compared him to a lion; all who see him will flee, and none will press upon him.

ברוך מרחיב גד, Who has given him a larger tract of land on the east bank of the Jordan than any other tribe received even in that part of the country. For while it is true that the lands of Sichon and Og were larger in the number of square meters accorded to the tribes on the west bank, the latter were of the category known as “flowing with milk and honey,” whereas the land on the east bank was primarily grazing land as opposed to “homesteading” land, i.e. farming land. כלביא שכן, he deserves the extra acreage as he holds his own against enemies that surround him and he behaves like a brave courageous lion though badly outnumbered. Such a lion does not hesitate to devour what is around him.

מרחיב גד, "the One who enlarges Gad." G'd had enlarged Gad's properties as we know from Numbers 32,1 where the Torah tells us that the tribe possessed large numbers of cattle and sheep. The reason they had so much cattle is also mentioned in Numbers 31,53 that the soldiers each plundered as much as they could. Seeing that the men of Gad were renowned as fighting men they garnered more for themselves than the other tribes. Moses' simile "like a lion who is at rest after he has brought the torn off limbs of his prey," accurately reflects what happened.

מרחיב גד, “Who enlarges Gad; Moses blesses him to whom G-d had given a large territory, suitable for raising sheep and cattle. וטרף זרוע אף קדקוד, “to tear off arm and scalp;” seeing that the scalp is mentioned last, it is clear that he disabled his opponent first by disabling his arm which carries his weapon. He does so by taking aim at the sword raised against him. By doing so he succeeds in not only disabling his opponent’s arm but decapitating him at the same time with one stroke.

And to Gad he said: Blessed is He who enlarges Gad, etc. Since it says nearby He executed the righteousness of the Lord, etc., and to one who performs righteousness [tzedakah], the term “Gad” applies, as it means “one who provides for the poor” [playing on the Hebrew letters of Gad: Gimel-Dalet = Gomel Dalim]. And the Holy One, blessed be He, expands [his portion] many times over, doubled. And by this merit, as a lion he dwells and tears the arm and also the crown of the head, as our Sages said (Bava Kamma 17a): “Anyone who engages in Torah study and acts of kindness, enemies fall before him as casualties,” etc. The text has not yet explained what righteousness Gad performed, therefore it says and he saw the first portion for himself. For he himself decided to take upon himself what he was not obligated to do according to the strict letter of the law. And what did he decide for himself? And he saw the first portion for himself — meaning he decided to go as the vanguard of the armed force, because he relied on the merit that in his territory was buried the lawgiver [Moses], so that his land would remain peaceful and undisturbed during the time they would be at war. And he came with the heads of the people — at the head of the vanguard, for in this he performed the righteousness of the Lord. Just as the Holy One, blessed be He, performed this righteousness with Israel, as it is said (Exodus 13:21): And the Lord went before them, etc., so too did they perform this righteousness. However, and His ordinances with Israel — because according to the root of justice, they only needed to go equally with Israel, but as an act of righteousness, they took upon themselves to go as the head of the vanguard. And also according to the commentators who interpret And he came at the head of the people as referring to Moses, the explanation is as follows: In every battle, Moses walked before them, and he also commanded Joshua to do the same, as it is said For he shall cross over before the people (Deuteronomy 3:28). Nevertheless, in all his judgments, he was equal with Israel, as he did not seek precedence over them. And regarding what is written, And tears the arm, even the crown of the head, it relates to “skin for skin” etc. — when one strikes with a sword from above, the person being struck raises his arm to protect his head, and then the attacker first cuts the arm in two and afterward the crown of the head, as the sword passes through both. Therefore, arm is mentioned before crown of the head, and this explains the word even [אף].

ברוך מרחיב גד, “Blessed, He, Who broadens the territory of Gad;” Ibn Ezra states that seeing that he had likened Gad to a lion, Moses pronounces a blessing on the One Who had equipped Gad with such an imposing stature; allegorically speaking, his territory is so wide, as no one dares hem him in, come too close to him. Nachmanides writes that the correct interpretation of our verse is that the word מרחיב refers to the territorial size of the ancestral heritage of Gad, which was larger than anyone else’s. The two and a half tribes who took their lands on the east bank of the Jordan had not been required to participate in the allocation by lot that took place under the supervision of Joshua. It is quite possible, that in light of the Gadites being natural born warriors, that they grabbed more land for themselves than did the members of the tribe of Reuven. Furthermore, the Gadites had been the very first to raise the subject of remaining on the east bank of the Jordan because the land was suited for grazing and they possessed such large herds after the war against Sichon. Large land allocation was therefore a factor high on the Gadites’ agenda.

ברוך מרחיב גד, “blessed be he who enlarges the territory of the tribe of Gad.” Seeing that the ancestral land allotted to Gad was suitable for grazing rather than planting crops, this root is more appropriate for describing expansion. Compare also Hoseah 4,16: “עתה ירעם ה' ככבש בשמרחב, “now the Lord will graze him on the range like a sheep.” וטרף זרוע אף קדקד, “and he tears the arm, as well as the crown of the head.” Rabbi B’chor Shor explains this line when the attacker will strike the victim and he raises his hands in self defense, holding it in front of his face for protection, that attacker will strike him on the head instead. As a result the blow will even injure the shoulder of the victim

And the first portion was received as his own, for there, in his inheritance, Moses the great scribe of Israel is buried; and he went out and came at the head of the people — righteous deeds before Hashem he performed, and His ordinances with Israel.

וירא ראשית לו AND HE SAW THE FIRST PART FOR HIMSELF — i.e. he saw good to take for himself territory in the land of Sihon and Og, the subjugation of which was the beginning (ראשית) of the conquest of the Land, כי שם חלקת BECAUSE THERE WAS THE PORTION — i.e., because he knew that there in his territory was the portion of the field where was the grave of the מחקק, THE LAWGIVER, viz., Moses, ספון HIDDEN — i.e. that field was hidden and concealed from every creature, as it is said (Deuteronomy 34:6) “And no man knows his burial place” (Sifrei Devarim 355:6). ויתא AND HE CAME — i.e. Gad came. ראשי עם AT THE HEAD OF THE PEOPLE — They (the men of Gad) marched before the armed men at the conquest of the Land, because they were mighty, and thus does it state that Joshua said to them, (Joshua 1:14) “Ye shall pass armed before your brethren, etc.”. צדקת ה' עשה HE DID THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LORD — because they proved true to their word and kept their promise to cross the Jordan and to remain there until they (the Israelites) had conquered it and divided it amongst the tribes. — Another explanation: ויתא AND HE — the Lawgiver, Moses — CAME ראשי עם AT THE HEAD OF THE PEOPLE, צדקת ה' עשה HE DID THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LORD — This, too, is spoken of Moses (cf. Sifrei Devarim 355:9).

"He saw a first portion for himself" — the meaning is that he looked out for himself and sought his inheritance before the rest of Israel. "For there a portion" — like "a share." "The lawgiver" — that is the great one and the ruler, as in "my heart goes out to the lawgivers of Israel." "And hidden" — like "and it was paneled with cedar" — ("hidden among them") — [it should read:] "in your houses, the hidden ones" — meaning that they are hidden away; likewise: "the paneled walls." The meaning is that he saw palatial buildings, hidden away, which were the portion of the great men of the Amorites. "And he came" — the aleph is missing; the meaning is that the leaders of Gad came with Israel as armed troops — and Moses saw this through prophecy. "He performed the righteous acts of Hashem" — for he fulfilled with his hand what he had spoken with his mouth: the sons of Gad had vowed to go out with Israel to fight their enemies. He did not mention Reuben here; it may be because the sons of Gad were mightier than the sons of Reuben — as Chronicles attests, saying of the sons of Gad: "the likeness of a lion was their faces" — which you will not find of the sons of Reuben.

וירא ראשית לו, he was also entitled to this, although when the tribe of Gad chose lands formerly belonging to Sichon or Og, a land which was not part of the “Holy Land,” there had been additional motivation to that of having good grazing land for their flocks, namely that their part of the land would contain Moses’ burial place. This is the meaning of the reference to מחוקק, “the legislator” in our verse. ויתא ראשי עם, this was where the leaders of the people came together at the head of the nation in order to conquer the land. צדקת ה' עשה ומשפטיו עם ישראל, this was where the legislator, מחוקק, performed the righteous deeds of Hashem, by explaining to them G’d’s Torah in detail. This was also where the people of Israel were judged, and where Moses argued with the people about the application of the various social laws of the Torah. The term is found in Samuel I 12,7 where the prophet Samuel tells the people to line up so that he can not only judge the people but explain the righteousness of the laws of G’d, i.e. צדקות ה'.

וירא ראשית לו. "He chose the first portion for himself." Moses means that actually the ראשית, i.e. the Torah, should have been his share as Moses the lawgiver was buried in his territory. Alternatively, Gad became custodian of a חלק, a small part of the lawgiver, i.e. Moses' earthly remains securely hidden. The reason why Moses was buried there, i.e. on the East Bank of the Jordan was ויתא ראשי עם, in order for the generation of the Exodus, the heads of the nation, to eventually be resurrected together with Moses in order to be allowed to cross the Jordan. The reason that generation is referred to as ראשי עם is that they were the generation whom G'd acquired as His people. Another meaning of the words וירא ראשית לו is that it is a reference to the initial inheritance this tribe took possession of in the lands formerly owned by Sichon and Og. The word לו means that it became his inheritance rightfully. It was not just a land grab. There was a need to confirm this in view of Ketuvot 111 that anyone who lived in the land of Israel or is buried there is assured of a portion of the hereafter. Moses had to confirm that as far as the land of Gad (and Reuven and half the tribe of Menashe) is concerned the same consideration applied. The words כי שם חלקת מחקק ספון mean that just as Moses who is buried in that land will be resurrected so will be the tribe of Gad, or vice versa, i.e. that Moses was not buried in exile. צדקת ה׳ עשה. "carrying out G'd's justice." These words refer to Moses again. This is the explanation why Moses would merit to bring others with him at the time of the resurrection. He had performed acts of righteousness vis-a-vis G'd. An alternative explanation may be that Moses had done more than was required of him, i.e. צדק, as we have already mentioned in our commentary on Deut. 6,25 וצדקה תהיה לנו (pages 1815-16). ומשפטיו עשה עם ישראל. This means that Moses was constantly involved in defending the Israelites vis-a-vis G'd, usually succeeding to wrest a favourable verdict from Him, such as in the matter of the golden calf, the uprising of Korach, etc. The word עשה may be understood as "rectified, rehabilitated." Still another meaning of our verse may be to understand the words צדקת ה׳ עשה as referring to how G'd dealt with Moses when He decreed that Moses be buried on the East Bank of the Jordan and did not let him complete his prayer in which Moses had asked to be allowed to remain with the main body of the Israelites. The words עם ישראל are a reference to incidents which caused Moses problems. Alternatively, the words צדקת ה׳ עשה may refer to Gad who acted in a manner which G'd considered as righteous when this tribe undertook to join the main body of the Israelites and to remain with them until completion of the wars of conquest. If we were to consider the matter on a purely legal basis, i.e. their obligations vis-a-vis G'd, the tribe of Gad was not obligated to do this. They had received their inheritance in the place of their choo...

וירא ראשית לו, “he chose a first part for himself.” Even though the Ammonites and Moabites dispute his territorial claims to its land, as is evident from Judges 11,13 and Yiftach rebutting their arguments. (Compare Rashi there) Another interpretation of this line: What is the meaning of the phrase: כי שם חלקת מחוקק צפון, “for in part of that land the grave of the Israelites’ lawgiver (Moses would be hidden)" Alternately, Reuven has been referred to as the lawgiver; in Judges 5,15, when Deborah describes him as such with the words: בפלגות ראובן גדולים חקקי לב, “among the clans of Reuven who were debating great decisions of the heart.” The Reuvenites had long been entrenched in these lands already, (at the time of Yiftach, 300 years after Moses had died). According to yet another interpretation the whole line speaks about both Reuven and Gad, the two tribes who had decided to settle on the east bank of the Jordan river. Since both of these tribes had proven outstandingly strong, Moses accords them recognition already in his parting words to the people.

וירא ראשית לו, “He saw the first (portion) claiming it for himself.” According to the plain meaning of the text the tribe of Gad requested the lands of Sichon and Og which were the first part of the land of Canaan to be conquered. The words: “for that is where the lawgiver’s plot (grave) is hidden,” refer to Moses’ grave. The word מחוקק, usually translated as “lawgiver,” may mean “an outstanding person,” such as in Judges 5,9 in Devorah’s song where she speaks of לבי לחוקקי ישראל, “my heart goes out to the rulers of Israel.” [I suppose the author considers the term “lawgiver” inappropriate once the Torah had been given. Ed.] The reason Moses speaks of ספון, “hidden,” is an allusion to the fact that the exact site of his grave would remain concealed forever. The word is used in such a sense in Jeremiah 22,14 as well as in Chagai 1,4 where it means “roofed,” “covered.” Moses probably also did not want to use the word קבור, “buried,” as this has a ring of finality about it, whereas he considered his grave as a temporary parking place for his body pending the resurrection. He realized that the decree that he had to be buried outside the borders of Eretz Yisrael proper was in order to facilitate the resurrection of the generation of Israelites who had died outside the boundaries of the land of Israel under his leadership and whose resurrection would be due only to his personal merit (Tanchuma Chukat,10). ויתא ראשי עם, “he came at the head of the nation;” a reference to the two and a half tribes who formed the vanguard of the army of conquest under the leadership of Joshua. צדקת ה' עשה, “he carried out G’d’s judgments;” by honouring his verbal undertakings to Moses the tribe of Gad carried out G’d’s judgment. He (and the tribe of Reuven and half the tribe of Menasheh) had vowed not to return home until all the tribes had received their heritage. A Midrashic approach based on Bereshit Rabbah 1,6: The words וירא ראשית לו, are an allusion to the tradition that the universe was created due to the merit of Moses who has been described as ראשית in our verse here. A kabbalistic approach: the words וירא ראשית לו in our verse may be understood as part of the previous line speaking about G’d expanding the territory of Gad. [The reference is to expansion of intellectual horizons. Ed.] The whole verse commencing with ברוך מרחיב גד may thus be understood as וירא מרחיב גד ראשית לו, “the One Who expands (the territory of) Gad saw that the one called ראשית was His.” The message is: “when the Lord looked at the emanation חכמה, which is the topmost of the operative emanations, in order to begin creating the universe [ראשית and חכמה are thus equated. Ed.], He foresaw that the burial plot of the one called מחוקק(Moses) was hidden in the portion of land allocated to the tribe of Gad, seeing Moses was so integrally part of the emanation ראשית. [Clearly the word ראשית here must be understood on two levels, both in terms of time and in terms of wisdom. Ed.] He (G’d) decided then to radiate the attributes known as ראשי עם from there. In order to better understand this, refer to Psalms 24,7:שאו שערים ראשיכם , where the word ראש, ראשית, is used in a similar meaning. [The word ראשיכם clearly is a concept only, seeing gates do not have heads. Solomon (the author of that psalm who found that he could not bring the Holy Ark into the newly constructed Temple) prayed for an expansion of his perceptive powers. Ed.] The words צדקת ה' עשה ומשפטיו עם ישראל refer to the emanations תפארת and כבוד which emanate from there. This is all very clear (author’s words). [It is not clear to me at all, but I suspect that the message is that seeing all abstract mystical concepts must have a place on earth from which they are made accessible to man, the author tells us that seeing Moses, who represented the emanation wisdom in the most near perfect level attainable by human beings would be buried there, i.e. would be “at home” there, it is natural that ‘lower” attributes, emanations, such as תפארת and כבוד, may become accessible through him who had attained the level of a higher emanation i.e. חכמה. Ed.] The meaning of the Midrash as well as its mystical dimension, i.e. that Moses=ראשית, is based on the fact that he was the only prophet whose prophetic powers were such that he received what our sages call אספקלריא מאירה, “a clear, unblurred vision.” This type of prophetic vision is also known as ראשית, the “beginning, the top,” seeing that this was the highest level of wisdom Moses had attained. Anyone who prophesies does so from the level of emanation he personally has attained. However, prophesying ”from,” i.e. “out of” an emanation, does not mean that the prophet has “mastered” the essence of this emanation. This explains why Moses asked for additional perceptive powers when he said to G’d (Exodus 33,18) הראני נא את כבודך, “please show me Your attribute כבוד.” This request went unanswered. The reason the Torah does refer to him as מחוקק is because his prophecy was always in the name of the tetragrammaton, G’d’s essence. All the 248 positive commandments were legislated by G’d in His capacity as Hashem. The numerical value of the letters מחקק =248. The total number of negative commandments is 365, a number reminiscent of G’d’s attribute א-ד-נ-י (which is really 65). The opening letters of Daniel’s prayer (Daniel 9,19) asking forgiveness for trespasses (transgressions of negative commandments) are ש-ס-ה i.e. 365. Each request is prefaced by use of the attribute א-ד-נ-י. The whole verse there reads אדנ-י שמעה, אדנ-י סלחה, אדנ-י הקשיבה, so that each word separately features this attribute and the three ראשי תיבות spell 365. I believe that Onkelos may have alluded to this when he translated מחוקק as ספרא רבא, “the great scribe,” seeing the source of his prophecy was the great name of the Lord, Hashem. This association of the name Hashem with the word מחוקק is particularly marked in Isaiah 33,22 כי ה' שופטנו, ה' מחוקקנו, ה’ מלכנו, הוא יושיענו. The numerical value of the letters in the word שופטנו=451, which breaks down into 365 (negative command-ments) emanated by the attribute האלוהים =86. 86+365=451. The numerical value of מחוקקנו is 312, composed of 248+the name of Hashem spelled in words instead of letters making 63. By adding the digit 1 representing the word itself we get 248+64=312. [There probably is significance in the spelling of מחקק without the letter ו here in the Torah, and the spelling with the letterו in Isaiah. How else could we have arrived at the allusions represented by the numerical values? Ed.] Even though Rashi understands the word מחוקק in Isaiah as מושל, “ruler,” rather than as “lawgiver,” he himself understands it in as “students, disciples.” in Genesis 49,10. I believe that I am correct in my approach. Targum Yonathan (on the verse in Isaiah) also speaks of מחוקק as “the one who gave us אולפנא, ‘religious law.’” This is correct as the Torah was given under the aegis of G’d’s Essence, Hashem. This may be an appropriate point at which to point out a number of things which are all associated with G’d’s “great” name, such as the Holy Temple, for instance. It is pointedly referred to as גדול, in Kings II 25,9: “He (Nevuchadnezzar) burned down the house of the Lord, the house of the King, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and the whole great House he burned by fire.” The last words clearly elaborate on what he did to the Temple. The priest serving in that Temple has also been referred to as the “great Priest.” The largest river on earth the Euphrates has also been described as “the great river.” (Deut. 1,7) In Deut. 11,7 the work of the Lord is described as מעשה ה' הגדול. When we respond during the recital of the Kaddish, we use the formula אמן יהא שמיה רבא, “Amen, may the great name be blessed.” The Aramaic word רבא is the translation of the word גדול, “great´ in Hebrew. We also speak of שלמא רבא in that same kaddish prayer, referring to the “great peace,” i.e. the peace under the aegis of the great name Hashem. The benediction over wine recited on Sabbath morning is known as קדוש רבא as opposed to that on Friday night. (compare Pesachim 106). [Perhaps the great name of Hashem is more appropriate for the day than for the night; the night is usually under the aegis of the attribute of Justice. Ed.] The seventh day of Sukkot is known as הושענא רבא, the “great salvation.” The prayers on that day which feature the willow branch are addressed to Hashem more so than any other day as the day concludes 26 days from the date G’d commenced creating the universe on the 25th of Ellul. 26=the numerical value of the tetragrammaton, i.e. י-ה-ו-ה, hence the appellation “great” is very much appropriate for that date. If you will analyse these examples you will discover that there is a common denominator to the adjective “great” which is associated with these days or with these phenomena.

כי שם חלקת מחוקק ספון, “for it is there that the lawgiver’s plot is hidden.” Ibn Ezra understands the three words חלקת, מחוקק, ספון as if the Torah had written חלק ומחוקק וספון, that Gad had three reasons for choosing the portion he chose, 1) the land was very desirable, 2) the lawgiver, Moses, would be buried on that land, 3) there the Emorites had fancy houses with paneled walls.. He quotes Chagai 1,4 speaking of בבתיכם ספונים, “in your houses with the paneled walls and ceilings,” as another example of the use of the word ספון in that sense. צדקת ה' עשה, “he exacted G’d’s righteous justice.” The Midrash states that the words וירא ראשית לו mean that Gad took the lands of Sichon and Og, which represented the beginning, ראשית, of the Israelites’ conquest of the Canaanite nations. By doing so he did a צדקה, a righteous deed for the whole of the people of Israel, who learned from that tribe to build fortified cities. All the elderly and sick people of Israel stayed in those fortified cities during the seven years that the conquest of the land lasted.

וירא ראשית לו, “he chose a first part for himself;” (the tribe of Gad) he chose the first part of the available land of Canaan for himself.” This is a reference to the lands formerly owned by the kingdom of Sichon and the kingdom of Og, both on the east bank of the river Jordan. כי שם חלקת מחוקק ספון, this needs to be translated as does Targum Onkelos, “he knew that the lawgiver, (Moses) would be buried on that portion of ancestral land.” This is why he chose this part of the territory of the east bank, although he also knew that Ammon and Moav both had claims on that piece of land. If he had worried about their claims being honoured in the future, he would not have chosen it as his share of the Holy Land. צדקת ה' עשה, “he fulfilled the promise he had made to G–d via Moses to be in the vanguard of the army battling for the land on the west bank of the Jordan.

And of Dan he said: Dan is mighty as the whelp of a lion; his land drinks from the streams that flow from Matnan.

דן גור אריה DAN IS A LION’S CUB — He, too, lived close to the border, and therefore it compares him to a lion (Sifrei Devarim 355:12). יזנק מן הבשן HE SHALL LEAP FROM BASHAN — Understand this as the Targum has it: (“His land drinks of the rivers that flow from Bashan”) — for the Jordan issued from his territory (ירדן = ירד דן, “It comes down from Dan”) — from the cave of Pameas that is identical with Leshem which is in the territory of Dan (cf. Bekhorot 55a), as it is said, (Joshua 19:47) “And they called Leshem, Dan”, but its spurting (זנוק) and gushing forth (the source of the river) was from Bashan. — Another explanation is: Just as a gush of water issues from one place and divides itself afterwards into two directions, similarly the tribe of Dan took a portion in two places: first they took in the northwest, Ekron and its adjoining parts, and this did not suffice them, so they came and fought against Leshem, which is Pameas. and is in the north-east, — because the Jordan issued from the cave of Pameas which is in the east of the land of Israel and goes from north to south and ends at the extremity of the Salt Sea which is in the east of Judah who took his territory in the southern part of the Land of Israel, as is set forth in the Book of Joshua, and that is the meaning of what is said, (Joshua 19:47) “And the border of the children of Dan went forth from them; for the children of Dan went up and fought against Leshem … [and possessed it and dwelt therein]”, i.e., their border went forth from all that direction in which they first took their inheritance (Sifrei Devarim 355:13).

"He shall spring" — this word has no parallel in Scripture; the meaning is that he compared him in his might to a lion's whelp as it leaps from the Bashan.

גור אריה יזנק מן הבשן. Actually, lions do not grow up in Bashan, a land reserved for cattle, as we know from Psalms 22,13 אבירי בשן, “the mighty ones (bulls) of Bashan.” Lions, as predators do not lie in wait to jump on their prey there. They would only lie in wait in Bashan, a region considered safe from predators, if they planned to attack prey beyond the borders of Bashan. The tactics of the tribe of Dan are compared by Moses to the tactics of the lions. Dan will feel secure in his lair from which he will attack unsuspecting adversaries.

גור אריה, "a lion cub, etc." Perhaps the Torah referred to Samson who tore the lion with his bare hands as if it had been only a lamb (Judges 14,6). יזנק מן הבשן, "leaping forth from Bashan." This is a reference to the Holy Spirit with which Samson was endowed when he performed his deeds of valour. It made him appear as if he leapt out of the mountains of Bashan.

יזנק מן הבשן, “he leaps forth from the region of Bashan.” He (Dan) conquers in that region, although it is well known as the habitat of lions and other ferocious beasts.

דן גור אריה, “Dan is a lion cub.” According to the plain meaning of the text Moses compares Dan’s bravery and physical strength to that of a lion, describing how he leaps down from the mountain of Bashan. A kabbalistic approach: the tribe was called Dan, corres-ponding to the attribute of Justice. When the original Dan was born his step-mother Rachel had said that G’d had judged her (Genesis 30,6). The reason Moses compared the tribe of Dan in his blessing to a lion was that the celestial image of the attribute of Justice is that of a lion cub.

Of Dan he said: Dan is a lion’s cub. According to what Jacob said, Dan shall judge his people, and every judge needs to be as strong as a lion, as it is written And you shall choose from among all the people, men of valor (Exodus 18:21). So that he will not be afraid of the litigants if there are any intimidating people among them. Therefore he said of Dan that he would be a lion’s cub that leaps from Bashan. Bashan is a place of vicious animals that prey [on others]; similarly a judge’s entire praise comes from “the cows of Bashan,” to save prey from their hands. Therefore, a judge must also have a heart like the heart of a lion.

יזנק מן הבשן, “leaping forth from the Bashan.” Ibn Ezra points out that the word יזנק, i.e. the root זנק, does not occur any place else in the Bible. It describes that the might of the lion to which Dan is compared here is that he appears to leap forth suddenly from a lair or hiding place one has not been aware of, has not suspected.

דן גור אריה, “Dan is a lion’s whelp;” he is described as such as its troops were constantly standing guard along the borders, making sure no enemy forces would cross into the Israelites’ territory. יזנק מן הבשן, “these would try and jump the border from Bashan. The author describes tributaries of the Jordan as providing opportunities to enter the Israelite territory. Seeing that this area was extremely well irrigated it was tempting for enemies to try and get a foothold there. (Compare Genesis 13,10-11) where Lot is already described as coveting that area.

And of Naphtali he said: Naphtali, full of favor and abounding in blessings from before Hashem — the west of the Sea of Gennessar and the south he shall inherit.

שבע רצון [NAPHTALI IS] SATISFIED WITH DESIRE — it means that his land was full of everything that its inhabitants could desire. ים ודרום ירשה POSSESS THOU THE WEST (lit., the sea) AND THE SOUTH — The sea of Kinneret fell to his portion and he received on its south a ropes length of fishing-coast for spreading out his nets and meshes (Bava Kamma 81:2; cf. Sifrei Devarim 355:17). ירשה — This word it a form of the imperative, as is the verb in (Deuteronomy 1:21), “Go up and take possession (רַשׁ)”. The accent that is penultimate, on the ר, proves this. Just as in the case of the ordinary imperative forms of the verbs, סלח, ידע, לקח, שמע, when one adds a ה at the end the accent will be penultimate, viz., ,סלחה, ידעה, לקחה, שמעה, here also ירשה is an imperative form. In the Massora Magna we find it included in an alphabetical register of imperative forms the accent of which is on the penultima (next to the last syllable).

O NAPHTALI, SATISFIED WITH FAVOR. “[This means] that his land satisfied every desire of its inhabitants.” This is Rashi’s language. The correct interpretation is that it is connected with the Glorious Name [mentioned later in the verse: and full with the blessing of ‘the Eternal’], the verse stating that “Naphtali is satisfied and full of the Will of the Glorious Name and His blessing.” But in the Midrash of Rabbi Nechunya ben Hakanah the Rabbis commented on this verse: “Rabbi Amora said: What is the meaning of this verse, And full with the blessing of the Eternal; ‘yerashah’ (possess thou) the sea and the south? Thus said Moses: If you will walk in my statutes you will inherit the World to Come which is likened to the sea, as it is said, and broader than the sea, and this world which is likened to the south, as it is said, for that thou hast set me in the land of the ‘negev’ [that is, a dry land], and is rendered by the Targum: ‘the southern land.’ And why is it written yerashah [‘possess thou’ — in the feminine], it should have said yerash [in the masculine]? Because even the Holy One, blessed be He, is included [in Naphtali’s inheritance], for the word yerashah consists of two words: resh Y-ah (possess G-d). To what may this be compared? To a king who had two treasures [i.e., the two worlds], and set one of them aside. At the end of many days he said to his son, ‘Take the contents of these two treasures.’ The son said, ‘Perhaps he will not give me the one he set aside.’ Thereupon the father said, to him, ‘Take everything.’ It is this which is written ‘yerashah’ (possess thou) the sea and the south — Y-ah resh. Everything is given you — if only you keep His ways!” They have further said: “And full with the blessing of the Eternal; possess thou the sea and the south. The ‘sea’ is an allusion to the Torah alone, as it is said, and broader than the sea,” and [so they continue] the entire Midrash there. If so, the secret of the verse is as follows: “Naphtali is satisfied with the favor saturated by the blessing of the Eternal, which is ‘the sea’ combined in all [and comprised] of all.” It is similar to what Scripture states, All the rivers run into the sea, this being “the house of the King.” This is like the parable of those who seek to see the king and ask, “Where is the house of the king?” Then [after finding the house] they ask, “Where is the king?” And even this world which is parched and dry of the favor [of G-d in comparison to the World to Come], Naphtali will inherit with Y-ah [as the word yerashah — resh Y-ah — indicates]. The student learned in the mysteries of the Cabala will understand.

"Satisfied with favor" — an adjectival noun; thus: he shall be satisfied with favor. "Sea and south" — for his portion will lie in the southwest.

נפתלי שבע רצון ומלא ברכת ה' ים ודרום ירשה, You, Naftali, have become the heir to the west and the east. You have enjoyed so much blessing from the Lord that there is no need for me to pray on behalf of your portion of the land to be blessed. Seeing that the fruits of Ginnosaur, the earliest ripening fruit of the land, grow within your boundaries there is no need for me to pray for such blessings to materialise. When you offer the first and finest of your products as bikkurim they will surely generate much goodwill for you from Hashem.

שבע רצון, Naftaly is satisfied, aware of having been favoured;” the fruit of his orchards is not only of the highest quality, but also ripens ahead of those in other regions of the land. Whenever he tastes them he is gratefully conscious of his good fortune. ומלא ברכת ה “and filled with G-d’s blessing.” Whoever visits his part of the land of Israel and blesses the Almighty for its fruits.

נפתלי שבע רצון, Naftali, satiated with favour;” according to the plain meaning of the text the reference is to the favour of G’d with which this tribe will be satiated; it is somewhat similar in meaning to the words in verse 16 רצון שוכני סנה, “the goodwill of (the Lord) resident in the burning bush.” He will be full of G’d’s blessing and inherit land in the west and south. A kabbalistic approach: Naftali will be satiated with the favour of G’d in His capacity as the attribute זאת, seeing that portion had commenced with the words וזאת הברכה. The words ים ודרום are an allusion to the world to come which is compared to ים and רחבת ים in Job 11,9. The present terrestrial world is compared to דרום, south, as we know from Joshua 15,19 (where Joshua gave such territory to the daughter of Calev, calling it (ארץ הנגב). This is also what is explained in the Sefer Habahir item 9, that the word ירשה is inappropriate as the word for שבט, tribe, is masculine and Moses should have said ירש, or רש. The addition of the letters י at the beginning and ה at the end are indicative of the blessing this territory enjoyed. We may therefore understand the verse as if Moses had written ים ודרום ויה רש, “he inherited west and south plus the blessing of the Lord.” Moses implied that he hoped that as a result of such blessing Naftali would be meticulous in observing G’d’s ways. According to my personal understanding of this verse, the allusions in it are both “peace” and “the covenant,” and even the emanations חכמה and בינה are referred to as רש, and this is the meaning of the sequence ים ודרום ויה רש (mentioned in the Sefer Habahir). The fact is that the tribe of Naftali was encamped alongside Dan in the north (Numbers 2,25-29). His flag depicted an eagle (see our comment there on verse 2). This is hinted at in the acrostic נ-ש-ר forming the opening letters of the words נפתלי שבע רצון. [There is therefore ample justification for not taking the words “west and south” at face value. Ed.]

“And of Naphtali he said, Naphtali is satisfied with favor.” Jacob blessed him with the blessing of a hind let loose, he gives goodly words, meaning that his fruits ripen quickly, and therefore they bring the first fruits from his land first. This is what is meant by he gives goodly words, because when bringing the first fruits, they praise and thank God. Therefore, it is said here that he is satisfied with favor, because God has satisfied all His desires, and consequently he is full of the blessing of the Lord, as he blesses God first through bringing the first fruits. For in the place where Jacob said he gives goodly words, here it says and full of the blessing of the Lord. Possess the sea and the south means that he has a portion in the Sea of Galilee and in the south.

נפתלי שבע רצון, “Naftali is sated with favour;” Rash understands this phrase to mean that the territory allocated to Naftali would prove to be so well endowed that all its inhabitants would express their satisfaction with it. Nachmanides writes that the words שבע רצון, “well pleased,” refer to Hashem being well pleased with the lifestyle of this tribe and this would express itself visibly through the blessings He would shower upon that tribe.

נפתלי שבע רצון, “Naftaly is sated with favour;” its territory produced fruit that ripened earlier than that of the other tribes. According to our author, fruit that ripens early in the season is more satisfying than fruit ripening later in the season. The psychology behind this is explained by the author as the farmer having had to anxiously wait full of desire until he could satisfy his longing. ומלא ברכת ה, “and it is full of the Lord’s blessing.” Anyone visiting the territory of Naftaly during the growing season would bless the Lord when witnessing the produce approaching the harvesting season. Yaakov had already referred to this when he blessed his children in Genesis 49,21. Our sages in the Talmud, tractate B’rachot, folio 51, state that anyone who fills a cup to the brim in order to recite a benediction of thanksgiving (after a meal when saying grace) will inherit both worlds The authors of this saying, Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Yossi, who words it slightly differently, base themselves on our verse here, quoting: ומלא ברכת ה' ים ודרום ירשה, “possess you the sea and the south.” Some commentators interpret the word ים as referring to the west, i.e. the present material world, which is compared to night, whereas they understand the word דרום, as the region in the universe housing the sun during the periods between summer and winter. He who fills the cup of benediction to the brim will inherit both this world and the world to come which is compared to day.

And of Asher he said: More blessed than the blessing of the sons is Asher; may he find favor with his brothers, and may he prosper in the delicacies of kings.

ברוך מבנים אשר LET ASHER BE BLESSED AMONG SONS (or, “on account of sons”) — I have found in the Sifrei Devarim 355:19 the following: You will find none of the tribes who was so blessed with children as Asher, but I do not know how this was so. יהי רצוי אחיו LET HIM BE ACCEPTED OF HIS BRETHREN — and this was so for he pleased (רצה) his brother-tribes with oil of unripe olives (used for anointing the body) and fine fruits, and they paid him (רצה) with grain. — Another explanation of יהי רצוי אחיו HE WILL BE ACCEPTABLE TO HIS BRETHREN — because his daughters were beautiful (and were much sought in marriage), and this is what is stated in Chronicles (1 Chronicles 7:31) [”The sons of Asher … Malchiel] who was the father of ברזית”, which is explained to mean: that his daughters were married to High Priests and Kings who were anointed with olive oil (זית) (Genesis Rabbah 71:10; cf. Rashi on this verse). וטבל בשמן רגלו AND LET HIM DIP HIS FOOT IN OIL — it means that his land flowed with oil as a fountain: once it happened that the people of Laodicia were in need of oil; they appointed an agent (to purchase a large quantity and were able to do so only at a city of Asher; see Rashi on Genesis 49:20), as it is related in Menachot 85b.

BLESSED ‘MIBANIM’ BE ASHER. If the letter mem [in the word mibanim] serves to signify greater status [meaning that Asher is singled out from among the tribes for greater blessing] as indicated by the mem in these expressions: blessed ‘minashim’ (from among all other women) shall Jael be; they [the ordinances of the Eternal] are to be desired ‘mizahav’ (more than gold), yea ‘umipaz rav’ (even more than much fine gold), and other similar expressions — then one may wonder: how could Moses diminish the rest of the tribes by saying that Asher be blessed more than all the sons of Jacob? Moreover [if such was his intent], his blessing was not fulfilled, for it did not come to pass. And Rashi wrote: “I have seen in the Sifre: ‘You will find none of the tribes as blessed with children as Asher.’ But I know not how this was so.” Now, our Rabbis meant to explain blessed ‘mibanim’ that Asher be blessed with the many children that he will beget, similar to the usage of the letter mem in the expression Blessed of the Eternal be his land, ‘mimeged’ (of the precious things) of heaven, ‘mital’ (of the dew). Therefore, the Rabbis said that Moses blessed all the rest of the tribes with strength or with their inheritance, and Asher alone was blessed with children. And our textual version of the Sifre reads: “You will find no one who was as blessed with children as Asher.” But how this blessing was fulfilled has not been explained. Perhaps it relates to what is written in [the Book of] Chronicles, All these were the children of Asher, heads of the fathers’ houses, choice and mighty men of valor, chief of the princes. And the number of them reckoned by genealogy for service in war was twenty and six thousand men. Such praise is not mentioned there about the rest of the tribes. In line with the simple meaning of Scripture, Blessed ‘mibanim’ be Asher is similar to the blessing let him be the favored of his brethren, the verse stating that Asher be blessed by all the sons of Jacob their father and be favored by all his brothers. The reason is that his land is rich and from there will come all royal dainties for all the tribes, and they will all constantly say, “May G-d bless this land which brings forth such fruits.” The letter mem in the word mibanim will be like the mem in: ‘mei’Hashem’ (‘from’ the Eternal) proceedeth the thing; ‘mei’E-il’ (‘from’ the G-d of) thy father [so that our verse means: “Blessed will be Asher ‘from’ the sons” of Jacob].And Onkelos translated: “The blessing of Asher will be from the blessings of the sons” [of Jacob]. It appears that Onkelos meant to say that all of the tribes will come to Asher to buy oil, and Judah, and the Land of Israel, will be his merchants for wheat of Minnith, and balsam, and honey, and oil and all choice fruits of the land all of which they will bring to sell him, and they will buy oil. Thus Asher will be blessed with all the delicacies available to all the tribes, this being the sense of the expression favored of hi...

"Favored" — meaning beloved. "And who dips his foot in oil" — because of the abundance of oil, as in the sense of "he washes his garment in wine"; and so Jacob said: "his bread is fat."

ברוך מבנים אשר, Asher will enjoy an exceptional blessing, not shared by the other tribes. It is in the nature of things that wealthy people attract the jealousy of those who are not so blessed with wealth. Asher will not be subject of jealousy, but, on the contrary, will be well liked by all the other tribes. The reason is that he will sell the abundance of olive oil over which he disposes at low prices to his fellow tribes.

ברוך מבנים אשר. "Asher is the most blessed of the children." I have explained this statement in Numbers 7,72 where the prince of this tribe is mentioned (page 1381).

ברך מבנים אשר, “Asher be blessed more than the other sons (of Yaakov).” He receives these blessings from the other tribes, as proved from the end of this verse. יהי רצוי אחיו, “let him be the most favoured among his brothers.” What is the reason why all the other tribes bless Asher? He is able to bathe his feet in oil, i.e. this tribe enjoys an abundance of oil harvested from the olive trees on his territory. All of his brothers can anoint themselves with this oil at minimal cost. ברוך מבנים אשר, according to Rashi, the interpretation of this line is that there is no other tribe that has enjoyed being as fruitful, having so many children. (Rashi quotes Sifri as his source, adding that he does not know the reason for this.) If we consider the numbers of the tribes’ male children provided by the Torah, Menashe appears to have been equally blessed if not more so. The latter, of course was not a son but a grandson of Yaakov. יהי רצוי אחיו, according to tradition, when Reuven had defiled the couch of his father, it was Asher who told his other brothers about this. When hearing this, the brothers chided him for badmouthing their oldest brother. They ostracised him forthwith. Moses now revoked this ostracism. Seeing that when someone is ostracised this is introduced by the word: “be cursed,” Moses reversed this by now introducing his blessing of this tribe with an additional word of blessing, i.e. ברוך. When someone has been officially ostracised he is not allowed to engage in marital intercourse. He is also not allowed to anoint his skin with oil, nor to wear normal shoes; hence Moses refers to this tribe’s feet being shod with exceptionally strong shoes, i.e. his shoes are as strong as iron. [According to Rabbi Chavell, this interpretation is found in Tossaphot. Ed.]

וטובל בשמן רגליו, “and he dips his foot in oil.” The choice of the word טבל was meant to indicate the abundance and even surfeit of oil (olive oil) in the part of the land allocated to Asher (Ibn Ezra). This is why Moses said: “his foot,” instead of saying: “his hand.” The simile is similar to the one we find in Genesis 49,11: “he washed his garments in wine.” At that time Yaakov mentioned “laundering” to indicate how abundant the wine in Yehudah’s territory would be if one could afford to use it as water is used in laundering. Both expressions do not have to be understood literally.

“And to Asher he said, blessed of sons is Asher.” Since regarding his birth it is written Happy am I, for the daughters have called me happy (Genesis 30:13), therefore he adds to say that also among sons he shall be blessed and happy, for both son and daughter — all will call him happy and bless him. Regarding what it says “and as your days, your strength.” It alludes to what our Sages of blessed memory said (Chullin 24b): “The oil with which my mother anointed me in my youth, is what sustained me in my old age.” Therefore it says here and dips his foot in oil, and through the oil he will be strong and healthy in his old age just as in his youth. This is what is meant by and as your days, your strength. And according to those who say that Asher was blessed with many children because he fulfilled the commandment to be fruitful and multiply both in his youth and in his old age, as it is written In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening (Ecclesiastes 11:6)… This is what is meant by and as your days, your strength, and as Rashi explained, it comes to equate the days of old age with the days of youth.

ברוך מבנים אשר, “Asher is more blessed than any of the other tribes;” Nachmanides writes that if the letter מ in front of the word בנים is meant to introduce a comparative, i.e. “more than,” similar to the expression תבורך מנשים in Judges 5,24 where it means that Yael was more blessed than other women, we have a problem, as Moses would then have portrayed all the other tribes as at a disadvantage when compared to the blessings received by Asher. Surely, Moses did not mean to arouse the other tribes’ jealousy? Furthermore, and even more to the point, if that had been what Moses meant, history did not bear out what Moses promised or predicted. Rashi writes that he had seen a comment in the Sifri, according to which none of the other tribes had been blessed with children as abundantly as had the tribe of Asher. [It is strange that Nachmanides did apparently not know of that comment in the Sifri. Ed.] Nachmanides contents himself with considering that statement as unsupported by evidence of any kind. Nachmanides writes that our sages understood these words to mean that whereas all the other tribes’ blessings referred in some manner to the blessed nature of the piece of land they would inherit, in the case of Asher Moses emphasized the quality of the children that the tribe of Asher would be blessed with. The versions of the Sifri that were in circulation at Nachmanides’ time did not have the line quoted by Rashi. There is no record of the prediction made by Moses here being fulfilled. Perhaps Chronicles I 7,40 which commences with the words כל אלה בני אשר, having given details of descendants of Asher to the ninth generation, is some hint that the tribe developed exceedingly well. [Compare relative tables in the דעת מקרא edition of Chronicles by Mossad Harav Kook, and edited by Yehudah Kil. Ed.] The 26000 officers of varying rank listed in Chronicles as Asher’s contribution to the army is not matched by any of the other tribes. According to the plain meaning of the text, the פשט, Moses expresses a prayer that seeing that the land granted to the tribe of Asher is exceedingly productive, he hopes that the tribe will enjoy the blessing of G’d to ensure that they can benefit from this to the full extent possible, seeing that this land has a greater potential than that of the other tribes. The tribe should nonetheless be so well liked by the members of the other tribes, that instead of being jealous, they formulate a blessing when they bestow it, by using Asher as the model of someone being blessed by Hashem. Onkelos translates the phrase above as אשר יהי רעוא לאחוהי, “may he be well liked by his brothers, etc.” As a result of Asher’s popularity, the other tribes would make a point of buying their olive oil from that tribe’s ample supplies.

ברוך מבנים אשר, the Israelites blessed him as he waded in oil, (they benefited from his abundance of olive oil.)[It is not clear whether the comments by Rash’bam quoted on verses 18 and 24 are indeed attributable to him. Ed.]

ברוך מבנים אשר, “Asher is blessed more than the other sons.” The reason for this is that all the other tribes also bless the tribe of Asher, as we know from the words יהי רצוי אחיו, “let him be favoured by his brethren.” (our verse) Moses goes on to explain the reason for this when he says: וטובל בשמן רגלו, “and let him dip his foot in oil.” His territory is so full of oil (from his olive groves) that it provides a surfeit for all the other tribes. Rabbi Eliyahu the priest, quoting his uncle, Rabbi Moshe, points out that tin the latest census the numbers for the tribe of Asher were 30% higher than in the previous census. Seeing that the total number of army aged males had practically not changed over 39 years, this is most remarkable, and the reason why Moses describes that tribe as more blessed than any of the others. (Compare Numbers 1,41 and Numbers 26,47)

Your dwelling place is as strong as iron and bronze, and as the days of your youth, so shall your strength endure.

ברזל ונחשת מנעלך THY LOCKS SHALL BE IRON AND COPPER — He is now addressing all Israel: This prophecy was fulfilled because their mighty men used to dwell in the border cities and, as it were, locked it (the country) so that the enemy should not be able to invade it, as though it were closely shut by locks and bars of iron and copper. Another explanation of ברזל ונחשת מנעלך: your land is locked in (surrounded) by mountains from which iron and copper is hewn, and the country of Asher was the “lock” of the Land of Israel (Sifrei Devarim 355:25). וכימיך דבאך AND AS THY DAYS SO SHALL BE דבאך — i.e. and as the days that are thy best, — that is, the days of thy beginning, the days of thy youth, so shall be the days of thy old age, which דואבים, i.e. which flow away and decline (דבאך therefore means: the period of thy decline). Another explanation of וכימיך דבאך: as the number of thy days — all the days when thou didst perform the will of the Omnipresent, — shall be דבאך, thy flowing, i.e., referring to the fact that all countries will make gold and silver flow into the land of Israel, because it will be blessed with fruits, and all countries will take their supply of fruit from it and will, in payment, pour into it their silver and gold; askorant in old French: thus their silver and gold will come to an end, because they will pour it into your land (Sifrei Devarim 355:26).

IRON AND BRASS SHALL BE THY BARS. Asher was at the end of the Land of Israel, as it is written with reference to his inheritance, and it reached to Carmel westward, and it is further stated, and its goings out were at the sea. And again it is said, Asher drove not out the inhabitants of Acco, which is located on the Great Sea [i.e., the Mediterranean], as the Rabbis have said: “At first [the ocean] advanced till Acco, and the second time till Japho.” And if so, Asher’s land was like the bars of the Land of Israel. Therefore, Moses said, Iron and brass shall be thy bars, that he will have [so to speak] doors of brass and iron bars, and the entire Land will be locked with them. This is an intimation that G-d will protect the whole Land from the enemy and the avenger. Or perhaps the verse states that strangers will not come to plunder the oil, for it will be transported from his land to the whole world in merchant ships. AND AS THY DAYS ‘DAVECHA.’ Concerning this word [davecha] it seems to me that it is like zavecha [meaning: “so shall ‘thy flowing’ oil be” — as explained further on], for these letters [daleth and zayin] are regularly used interchangeably [in our language]. Thus it says, ‘madheivah’ (the exactress of gold) ceased [written with a daleth] in place of mazheivah [written with a zayin, from the word zahav — gold]. The entire Aramaic language follows that rule [of daleth — zayin interchangeability] in every usage of [the Hebrew words] zevichah (slaughtering), and also in every usage of zechirah (remembrance), and similarly, zahav (gold), zakan (beard), zanav (tail), ‘zrei’ (scatter) away, and many others, [in each of which, Aramaic substitutes a daleth for the Hebrew zayin]. So also for [the Hebrew words] zavah (a woman suffering a flux), the female flow, or the male flux [all are rendered in Aramaic] davah. Their entire language constantly interchanges the zayin with the daleth in this way. Thus [the Hebrew] my days are ‘nizachu’ (extinct) is in place of [the Aramaic] nidachu. So also ‘zachalti’ (I feared) and was afraid is like dachalti. Scripture thus states here: “and as your days so shall zavecha be,” meaning “that your land will ‘flow’ with the aforementioned oil, and you will dip your foot in it all your days forever.”What they have interpreted is also possible — and it is correct — that the word davecha [spelled: daleth, beth aleph, kaph] is a reversed [and hence synonymous] form of da’avon (languishing) of soul [spelled: daleth, aleph, beth, nun]. Scripture calls the days of old age da’avon (languishing) for they are the days of evil and pain; and it calls the days of youth his days since they are his to rejoice in them and cheer his heart. Thus the meaning of the verse is as follows: “and as the days of your youth so shall be the days of your old age,” this being an allusion to Asher’s security and honor while the earth remaineth. Now, I have seen in [the rendering of] the Targum Yerushalmi: “as the days of their youth, so sh...

"Iron and copper shall be your bolts" — for in his portion there will be mountains of iron and copper. "And as your days, so shall your strength be" — this word has no parallel; the meaning as the translator renders it is well known: your vigor shall be as great as your days. Some say the aleph stands in place of the doubling letter, as in "those who despise her have made her rivers a wasteland" — meaning it is from the root of "stirring the lips of the sleeping." But this interpretation has no merit.

ברזל ונחושת מנעלך וכימיך דבאך, may your door bolts be iron and copper, and your security last all your days.אין כאל ישורון, after Moses had completed his prayer concerning the tribes, he began blessing Israel as a whole.You, who are also known as Yeshurun, wear this title due to the nature of your power, אל, being different from all the other nations in two vital aspects. 1) other nations will not covet your land or try to invade it as they are afraid, something that proved true during the entire reign of Joshua and while any of the elders who were his advisers remained alive. (compare Joshua 24,31). Moses describes the land during that period as if bolted securely with heavy metal bolts, i.e. ברזל ונחושת מנעלך. 2) Your kingdom will not experience constant ups and downs such as the kingdoms of other nations whose position in the world constantly changes. כימיך דבאך, your position among the nations will be constant. The reason why I am certain that my blessing will materialise is that אין כא-ל רוכב שמים וארץ, no one else has a G’d that rides the heavens and the earth. Moses develops a theological/philosophical concept that contradicts that of the nations of the world, even those who recognise a supreme G’d who has created the universe. In their estimation, such a G’d would not bother to constantly stoop down to earth to see what goes on there, i.e. “ride both the heavens and the earth.” These nations believe that such matters must be left to delegates, such as the constellations of the stars, horoscopes, etc.

דבאך, “your old age.” The expression is one of דאבה, “old age;” it is one of the words in which the sequence of two letters have been reversed, such as in כשבים and כבשים sheep, or שמלה and שלמה, both meaning: dress, or garment. Moses refers to the days of old age which often are days of anxiety and depression, i.e. דאבה. Moses blesses Asher in that even in his old age he would be full of vigour and enjoy the golden age. Compare a statement to this effect in the Talmud, tractate Chulin, folio 24.

ברזל ונחושת, “iron and copper.” This means that these ores will be found in Asher’s territory (Ibn Ezra). The verse could also be an allusion that Asher would be the “locksmith” of the land of Israel, i.e. that it would provide secure gates made of copper and iron for its territory to protect it against invaders or thieves trying to steal the oil. The people of Asher would, however, export their oil to other countries. The whole country would be locked by means of these gates (Nachmanides). וכימיך דבאך, “and as your days (of your prime) may be your old age.” Onkelos believes that the word דבאך should really have been דאבך, as in דאבון נפש, “mental distress.” He implies this in his translation of these words as וכימי עולמתך תקפך, “as in the days when you were full of vigor.” The words ימיך refer to youth, years which have been described elsewhere as ימים; whereas the period of old age is generally viewed as a period in which one endures distress of one kind or another, a period which Kohelet described as a period אשר אין לי בהם חפץ, “years which I do not enjoy” (Kohelet 12,1). The plain meaning of these words, however, is based on the word דבאך meaning: “your flow,” like זבת שמן “flowing with oil.’ Moses prays that Asher will experience this abundance all the days of his life. The Aramaic of זב is דאיב, and Moses may have used an Aramaic word here. This would not be the only time that Aramaic words have been used in the Torah. One example which comes to mind is Genesis 31,47 יגר שהדותא, which is the translation of גלעד. Other Aramaic words are found in Deut. 33,2, ואתה מרבבות קודש. In the Book of Prophets Isaiah 21,12 we have the words אתא בוקר. The author quotes several more examples from the Book of Prophets as well as from the Scriptures. He also quotes words of identical meaning in both languages. The Talmud’s editors Ravina and Rav Ashi used both languages at will. The only reason they could do so was that they followed the example of the Torah. The author hints that there is a mystical foundation for all this, i.e. the relationship between the Holy Tongue Hebrew and Aramaic, which he is not at liberty to elaborate on.

ברזל ונחושת מנעליך, “your borders (those of all the tribes having borders other that the sea) be sealed tightly by iron and copper fences.” May Hashem always protect your borders from attack. וכימיך דבאיך, “may your old age be similar to your prime.” Nachmanides understands the word דבאך as being similar in meaning to זובאך, claiming that the letter ד and ז are very often used interchangeably, quoting one or two examples. The meaning of the line would be: “may the oil flowing from your olive presses be so bountiful that you can dip your feet in it, כימיך, as long as you live.” It is true that what commentators have pointed out in connection with Deut. 28,65, that the word דאבון, which means “mental depression,” is the opposite of the optimism that one possesses in one’s prime. i.e. ימיך. Moses’ prayer is that the Jewish nation, when its members experience old age, should not feel depressed by it, but should enjoy it no less than their prime.

ברזל ונחושת, “iron and copper;” this is a metaphor for what are the sinews and bones for the body. They are for the body what the lock is on the door of the house. וכימיך דבאך, “and as your days so shall be your strength.” Moses blesses Asher to be as agile and physically strong in old age as in its prime. The author quotes Rabbi Chanina saying in the Talmud, tractate Chulin, folio 24, that this Rabbi, at the age of 80, praised the Lord who had given him the strength to still tie his shoe laces while standing on one leg unsupported, (of course). He attributed this to how his mother, during his youth, had massaged oil into his bones and she had regularly bathed him in hot water.

There is no God like the God of Israel, whose Shechinah is in the heavens to your aid, and whose might is in the highest heavens.

אין כאל ישרון THERE IS NONE LIKE GOD, O JESHURUN — Know, O Israel, that there is none like God among all the gods of the peoples, and that their rock is not as your Rock. רכב שמים — The meaning is: A RIDER UPON THE HEAVEN is the God who is your help, ובגאותו שחקים AND IN HIS MAJESTY he rides UPON THE SKIES.

"There is none like God, O Jeshurun" — he returns to bless the whole in general. "Who rides the heavens" — the meaning is that He is mighty, as is evidenced by His riding the heavens. "And in His majesty upon the skies" — the meaning is: in His majesty they stand.

ובגאותו שחקים מעונה, a reference to the presumed haughtiness of G’d, Who, just because of His lofty stature would only remain in the celestial spheres. This, i.e. the domain called שחקים, is a reference to the orbit of a constellation that occurs during the day when, because of it being light, no stars or other celestial objects are noticeable. The force of energy propelling this “constellation” is invisible just as the מעונת האריה, the hidden lair of the lion, which harbors within it unseen and unsuspected strength.

אין כאל ישרון, "There is none like G'd, O, Yeshurun." There is no other G'd like the G'd of Yeshurun (Israel) who performs all these deeds on their behalf, i.e. who rides all over the heavens on behalf of Israel in order to assist them. The word בעזרך means "in order to help them," i.e. to fight on "your" behalf. Compare Exodus 14,14: "G'd will fight on your behalf." When G'd engages in warfare on behalf of Israel all the forces of heaven are His chariot.

אין כא-ל ישורון , “There is none like G’d, Yeshurun;” after Moses had concluded blessing the tribes individually, he now addresses the whole people reminding them of how fortunate they are in receiving their share on earth by the Creator of the universe directly. He tells them that they will inherit the land of Canaan, something that has been denied him; he also explains aspects of the hereafter to them, as I will explain in greater detail. He seals his words with esoteric matters, and this is why he begins this paragraph reminding the people that there is No One comparable to G’d. Whereas all the other nations have been placed under the guidance of intermediaries, angels, etc., not so the Jewish people. The first time Moses had requested from G’d that this be so was in Exodus 33,16 with the words ונפלינו אני ועמך, “and let me and Your people be distinct.” The reason he calls the Jewish people ישורון at this stage is not because of their character but because they have a “direct line,” (ישר) to G’d, unlike the other nations. This is also why, in extolling the advantages of the Jewish people compared to other nations, he says אשריך ישראל מי כמוך, “Hail to you Israel; who is comparable to you?” (verse 29). They are unlike the other 70 nations. This is why he tells the people that their share of the worldly goods and their status on earth is different from those nations. He commences by describing the G’d of Israel as “riding the heavens,” always available to assist His people ובגאותו רוכב שחקים, “in His majesty (He rides) through the upper regions.” In the last part of this verse the word רוכב is to be added before the word שחקים, otherwise there is a verb missing. The concept of G’d “riding” the heavens requires some analysis. According to the plain meaning of the text the verb “riding” depicts simply someone who is in control, much as the mounted police are in control of the mob on foot. It is similar to 32,13: “He makes it (Israel) ride on the heights of the Land,” where “riding” also was a simile for being in a dominant position. Just as the horse performs at the command of its rider, Moses describes the function of the heaven as being to perform at the will of G’d Who rides it. We find this described in Job 39,18: תשחק לסוס ולרכבו, “making fun of both horse and its rider.” (G’d describing that were it not for being deprived of its natural instincts, the ostrich would fly and not leave its eggs exposed to all kinds of danger.) The orbits of the celestial bodies must not be ascribed to their own ability and power, but only to the power of G’d Who is the source of their motion. In this verse the word שמים refers to the heavenly regions known as ערבות. Our sages in Chagigah 12 deduce this from the verb רוכב used by Moses here in describing G’d’s movements over the heaven and the same verb used in Psalms 68,5 סולו, לרוכב בערבות, “extol the One Who rides in the ערבות.” Maimonides writes in Moreh Nevuchim 1,70 “consider the wording of Chagigah 12 where the sages describe the Aravot as high and G’d ‘dwelling’ upon them.” They quote in support the word רוכב from Psalms 68,5. The reason that David used the word רוכב in that psalm rather than the word שוכן is that the latter word would have created the impression that a fixed site had been assigned by him to G’d, something inappropriate seeing He is the site of the universe and not vice versa. At best, using the word שוכן would have made G’d appear no better than some of the other celestial phenomena none of which possess independent powers. A Kabbalistic approach: when Moses described G’d as רוכב שמים, the word שמים has to be understood as a reference to the various attributes of G’d, whereas the One “riding” them is the Essence, Hashem, the אין סוף. The message Moses wishes to convey is that as long as the Israelites carry out G’d’s commandments, the distance between G’d the Essence, and G’d in the form of His attributes is minimal, no more so than that of a horse and a rider. If the Israelites do not observe the Torah, however, He will gradually withdraw His Essence to more distant regions, thus distancing Himself from His attributes. This has been expressed in a similar vein by our sages who interpreted Psalms 60,14 where David says באלו-הים נעשה חיל, “with G’d we shall triumph;” i.e. at a time when Israel performs the commandments, whereas צור ילדך תשי, Deut. 32,18: “You weakened the Rock Who brought you forth,” i.e. you weakened G’d’s powers by not observing His commandments.

אין כא-ל ישורון, “There is none like G’d, Yeshurun;” The reason is that there is no other nation equal to the Jewish people, a people who are able to call upon G’d Who rides across heaven and earth to help them.

אין כאל ישורון, “there is none like G–d, Yeshurun; now Moses addresses his words to the whole people of Israel, telling them to serve the Lord with all their heart. They are to fortify their reverence for the Lord. After all, there is no Power comparable to their Lord. There is no other source of help comparable to Him. He rules over all creatures be they in heaven or on earth.

The dwelling of the God who is from of old — by His Word the world was made; He drove out the enemy from before you and said: Destroy.

מענה אלהי קדם A DWELLING PLACE FOR THE ANCIENT GOD (This must be connected with the preceding): — The skies serve as a dwelling place for the ancient God, i.e. the God Who pre-existed (קדם) all gods, for He selected the skies as His residence and dwelling place, ומתחת AND BENEATH His dwelling place, all the mighty men (men of strong arm, זרוע) dwell. זרעת עולם THE ARMS OF THE WORLD are men such as Sihon and Og and the kings of Canaan who were the strength and might of the world. Therefore, since they are beneath God’s dwelling place, in spite of themselves they must tremble and quake, and their power prove frail in His presence, for always the fear of the one above falls upon him below, so that He, being above, to Whom therefore belong strength and power, is thy help. ויגרש מפניך אויב AND HE DROVE OUT THE ENEMY FROM BEFORE YOU, ויאמר AND HE SAID to you השמד DESTROY them! מענה — Every word that requires ל at its beginning, [Scripture] places (may place) a ה at its end instead (Yevamot 13b).

"The God of old is a dwelling-place" — know that a dwelling-place is like a booth, as evidenced by "and in Salem was His booth, and His dwelling in Zion," and many similar cases. The meaning is: Your dwelling-place is the God of old, as in "the Most High made His dwelling" — "You have always been a dwelling-place for us." The dwelling is always above, for the one who takes shelter in it, while the place below is beneath it. "And beneath are the everlasting arms" — that they support you. The meaning of "everlasting" is that they will always be thus forever and never weaken; and Your dwelling-place will not depart, for He is the God of old — meaning the Eternal One who has no beginning and no end. The terms beginning and end are used only with reference to created things. The Gaon said that the meaning of "and beneath" is "and beneath Hashem," but he explained nothing.

אלוקי קדם, the true G’d ever since the beginning of all existence. Anything that is of more recent origin has been called into existence by this G’d. ומתחת זרועות עולם; beneath the heavens this G’d manifests Himself as the G’d of everlasting arms, (in the sense of extensions of His essence) mortal rulers whose power is of short duration, even the supposed basic elements, as well as what we call nature, the phenomena supplying nourishment for all he mortal forms of life on earth, including the ability to procreate. ויגרש מפניך אויב, He, this eternal G’d, expelled on your account the inhabitants that inhabited the land promised to your forefathers by Him. He had said to you: השמד!, “destroy!” For you certainly did not conquer this land by force of arms with your sword, so that you would be afraid of losing it after a time, when your strength would ebb, as does the strength of every conquering nation after a while. Seeing that it had not been you who had driven them out, you have no reason to fear a natural erosion of your power to hold on to this land. [Only the One Who has expelled them is in a position to expel you if you give Him reason to do so. Ed.]

ומתחת זרועות עולם, “and underneath are the everlasting arms;” Asher is perceived riding on the globe which is seen as beneath the rider. The “arms” are seen as supporting the universe, carrying its weight. The One Who rules both the upper regions of the universe and its lower regions is seen as supporting Asher also. ויגרש מפניך אויב, “He thrusts out the enemy from before you. They are specifically: Amalek, Sichon and Og.,ויאמר: השמד, and Who said: “destroy,” i.e. תמחה את זכר עמלק “wipe out the memory of Amalek” (Deut 25,19” (Deut 25) and לא תחיה כל נשמה “do not allow a single soul to survive” (in the land of Canaan).

מעונה אלו-הי קדם, “you made as your abode the G’d who preceded time.” According to the plain meaning of the text the words mean: “your abode is the G’d from immemorial times.” The meaning is similar to Psalms 91,9: עליון שמת מעונך, “you established the most High as your haven.” The meaning of the word מעון is similar to סכה, “hut,” in the sense of “shelter.” Compare Psalms 76,3 ויהי בשלם סכו ומעונתו בציון, “Salem became His abode, Zion His den.” The difference between מקום and מעון is that the former describes a place beneath the subject, the latter a place above the subject (Ibn Ezra). ומתחת זרועות עולם, “and beneath are the world’s mighty ones.” This could refer to powerful forces on earth which provide support for the Jewish people, or it could refer to G’d being the זרועות, “the mighty arms,” Who supports both what is beneath Him as well as what is perceived as above the earth. The simile is somewhat like Psalms 104,2 where David describes G’d as establishing the firmament (without supporting pillars) over the whole globe as if it were a carpet. The fact that G’d suspends earth without perceptible supports has also been described in Job 26,7: “He suspends the world (earth) over nothing (emptiness).” All the Lord needs to support the universe is His invisible, abstract force, power. We human beings have to restrain ourselves from voicing the thought: “how is this possible?” We are simply not able to comprehend this. (something which does not it make any less true). The word בלימה in Job 26,7 are two words spelled as one, i.e. בלי מה, “without anything.” Heaven and earth both are supported by an invisible force. This is also what Isaiah quotes G’d as saying to him in Isaiah 46,4: “I have made it and I carry it.” The prophet speaks of G’d saying that He made both heaven and earth and He carries or supports both. Anyone who possesses this kind of strength is certainly able to expel His enemies from His presence (a reference to the second half of our verse here). A Kabbalistic approach: The letter ה at the end of the word מעונה (which is usually simply מעון) is a reference to the attribute of Justice. If this were not so, Moses would have said (as he did in Psalms 90,1): ה’ מעון אתה היית לנו, “Lord You have been a refuge for us.” In Psalms Moses uttered a prayer and alluded to Hashem, the attribute of Mercy. Hence he spoke of מעון rather than of מעונה. Here Moses was forced to allude to the attribute of Justice as it is the attribute which will drive out G’d’s (and Israel’s) enemies. The word זרועות is not in the construct form, i.e. “arms of,” or something to that effect. The letter ה at the end of the word מעונה then is a reference to the first letter ה in the tetragrammaton, not the last. [I confess I cannot follow from here to the end of this paragraph. The author tries to describe that Moses demonstrates how, through observance of G’d’s commandments, an aspect of the attribute of Justice may be converted into becoming an advocate on behalf of the people. The precise steps and how they are reflected in the wording here escape me. Ed.]

מעונה אלוקי קדם, “that (the שחקים at the end of the last verse) is the abode of G’d since days immemorial.” Some commentators understand this phrase as meaning: “Your abode is that of the Immemorial G’d.”

מעונה אלוקי קדם, “the ancient G–d is a source of refuge;” the heavens are G–d’s residence, He Who preceded everything and everyone else. ומתחת זרועות עולם, “and underneath (as support) are the ever-lasting arms;” The G–d in heaven also supports the universe below that He has created. He is the ruler of both the “upper” regions and the “lower” regions in the universe. ויגרש מפניך אויב, “He will expel every enemy from before you,” ויאמר: השמד, “by simply ordering (His agent), in this case the Jewish people, by saying to them “destroy Amalek utterly,” as in Deuteronomy 25,19. The era when this order will be given a second time, [it had been given a first time to the first Jewish King Sha-ul, who had not completely carried it out, Ed.] will be only after the Jewish people are no longer under attack or even afraid of attack from the gentiles. One of the conditions for that time having arrived is spelled out by the prophet Bileam in Numbers 23,9 when he described the Jewish people as not feeling part of the “United Nations,” but as residing in solitary splendour, perfectly content in their role.

And Israel dwelt in safety, alone, in the likeness of the blessing with which their father Jacob blessed them — a land producing grain and wine; moreover, the heavens above them shall glisten with dew.

בטח בדד [THEREFORE ISRAEL DWELT] IN SAFETY, ALONE — This means, every individual dwelling “each under his vine and under his fig-treeבטח) ״; cf. 1 Kings 5:5 where the words Rashi quotes are preceded by לבטח), separated one from another (בדד, “alone”), because after the enemy was driven out, as stated in the preceding verse, they had no need to come together and to dwell in company on account of the enemy. עין יעקב — The word עין has the same meaning here as in (Numbers 11:7) “And its appearance (עינו) was as the appearance (עין) of crystal” (i.e., the word עין is used as a term of comparison, “as”, ”like”). The meaning is: And Israel dwelt alone like the blessing with which Jacob blessed them (cf. Targum); not like the בדד which Jeremiah used, (Jeremiah 15:17), viz., “I sat alone (בדד) [because of thy hand, for thou hast filled me with Thy indignation]”, but like the assurance which Jacob gave them, (Genesis 48:20) “And God shall be with you, and bring you back to the land of your fathers” (cf. Sifrei Devarim 356:6). יערפו means THEY WILL DRIP. אף שמיו יערפו טל ALSO HIS HEAVENS SHALL DRIP DEW — Also Isaac’s blessing will be added to Jacob’s blessing: “And God shall give thee of the dew of heaven, etc.” (Genesis 27:28) (cf. Sifrei Devarim 356:7).

"The well of Jacob" — all who issue from the wellspring of Jacob; and likewise: "and from Judah's waters they went forth." "To a land" — meaning: to the land, as in: "and they prayed toward this place." "Even his heavens" — the heavens of the land, or of Israel; the meaning being that the produce of the land to bring forth grain and wine — even the heavens will always give their dew, and there will be no need for irrigation.

וישכון ישראל בטח, as we read in Joshua 11,23 והארץ שקטה ממלחמה, “the land was tranquil, rested from war.” בדד עין יעקב אל ארץ דגן ותירוש, insulated, secure is Yaakov’s tenure, He, the G’d of Yaakov, is the source of the land producing corn and wine. He is the Lord whom you seek out, who, after all said and done is עין ישראל, Israel’s fountain. This is manifest in the manner in which שמיו יערפו טל, His heavens will provide your land with ample and blissful dew. Moses’ blessing envisages the times of the Messiah when the heavens by dripping dew will make the land fruitful as it had been before Adam’s sin, as documented in Genesis 2,5-6 that when there was not yet a human being to till the soil, and G’d had not yet made it rain on to the earth, a vapour rose from the earth and irrigated it,” so that it could produce crops without the need for rain from above. Once the messianic age will dawn, conditions on earth will be similar to what they were before Adam had sinned, and, as a result, growing one’s food had been decreed to be something laborious, involving sweat. The Talmud Shabbat 30 foresees that at that time ready made cakes will materialise from the soil of the land of Israel.

וישכן ישראל בטח, Israel dwelled in safety; when does this situation occur? When they live in isolation. The statement introduced by the words וישכן, etc., is a continuation of the previous statement ויאמר השמד, that G'd had ordered the Israelites to wipe out the Canaanites. As a result of fulfilling this instruction Israel would be assured of dwelling safely in the Holy Land. The additional words עין יעקב, may mean that although Israel's eyes are directed at the promise of inheriting a land flowing with milk and honey, i.e. at material considerations, this will not lead to their rejecting G'd's Torah as long as they have eliminated all the former inhabitants of the land.

עין יעקב, “the fountain of Yaakov;” a metaphor for the descendants of Yaakov, as in Isaiah 48,1: וממי יהודה יצאו, “and who came forth from the waters of Yehudah.” (metaphor for “from the loins of”)

עין יעקב, “the well of Yaakov.” According to the plain meaning of the text “someone who had emerged from the ‘well’ of Yaakov” (Ibn Ezra). We find a similar expression pertaining to offspring of Yehudah in Isaiah 48,1, where the words וממי יהודה “and have issued forth from the waters of Yehudah,” also mean that the people the prophet refers to are descended from Yaakov through Yehudah. The words אל ארץ דגן, “to a land of grain,” clearly must be understood as “in a land of grain, etc.” We have a similar use of the word אל in Kings I 8,35 where Solomon describes people praying at the Temple as ויתפללו אל המקום הזה, “and they will pray to this place.” Clearly, he did not mean that their prayers should be directed at the “place,” but, to G’d Who is perceived as being at that place. If Moses speaks of the inheritance of the land in conjunction with Yaakov (instead of Avraham or Yitzchok), this is to preclude anyone thinking that other descendants of the two senior patriarchs had any claim to that land. This is also why we never find the expression עין אברהם or עין יצחק as it would have included other sons of Avraham, or Esau, a son of Yitzchok. We have pointed out repeatedly that the Jewish people have an exclusive claim to four gifts: prophecy, Torah, the land of Israel, and resurrection of the bodies after an interval. The exclusivity of these gifts to the Jewish people can be attributed directly to quotes from Moses’ own lips. Concerning the gift of prophecy, he said in Deut. 18,15: “a prophet among you, one of your brethren, someone like me, etc.” He meant: “just as I am a direct descendant of Yaakov, so any future prophet will be a direct descendant of Yaakov.” This verse teaches that prophecy is not to be found except among the Jewish people. If you were to counter that we do find Bileam as a prophet among the Gentile nations, the fact is that Bileam was not a prophet at all; he had the occasional communication from G’d, a communication described as מקרה, as we know from the Torah itself which described G’d ‘s communication to him as ויקר instead of as ויקרא, i.e. a happening which was of a totally irregular nature. Even on that occasion, G’d communicated with him only for the sake and honour of the Jewish people (compare author’s words on Numbers 23,16 and 24,4). Alternatively, the only reason Bileam was granted prophetic powers was to silence the Gentiles’ argument that if G’d had given them prophets they too would have risen to the same moral and ethical levels as had the Jewish people (Bamidbar Rabbah 20,1). The exclusivity of the gift of the Torah to the Jewish people is proved by the verse (Deut. 33,4) “Moses has commanded the Torah to us, an hereditary gift for the community of Yaakov.” The exclusivity of the gift of Eretz Yisrael to direct descendants of Yaakov is proved by our verse mentioning עין יעקב אל ארץ דגן ותירוש. History has proved that during the many centuries of the Jewish people being exiled from that land no other nation ever succeeded in making it a land flowing with milk and honey. This is why it was never settled successfully by another nation for any period of time. The resurrection of the dead being something reserved for the Jewish people is attested to by the words in our verse אף שמיו יערפו טל, “even its heavens drip with dew.” The word שמיו, “its heavens,” refers to the expression עין יעקב at the beginning of the same verse, meaning that the dew which in the future will be the mechanism awakening the dead to rebirth comes from the part of heaven ערבות, in which the descendants of Yaakov ride in the interval. In other words, the Yeshurun described in verse 26 are the souls of the Jewish people after death awaiting the call to be resurrected. This part of heaven contains the dew which will reunite these souls with their bodies. Other nations do not share this privilege; their souls will not be reunited with their bodies. This is what Daniel 12,2 referred to when he spoke about many awakening from their slumber, the “many” being Jews. The word רבים, chosen by Daniel as the ones who will be resurrected is a word which has been used to describe Jews on other occasions in the Bible, such as in Esther 8,17 ורבים מעמי הארץ מתיהדים, which, according to Sifri Haazinu 306 (end of Deut. 32,2), refers to Jews becoming proper Jews again. According to Rabbi Simai there, Moses calls the heaven the domain of the soul, whereas he refers to the earth as the domain of the body. He calls on the dew to reunite the two. People who studied and practiced Torah on earth are as if “heavenly,” and the curse that they will die (permanently) as described by David in Psalms 82,7 does not apply to them. Obviously, the people he speaks of can only be the Jewish people. We also find that Isaiah prophesied about the future of the Gentile nations saying that מתים בל יחיו, רפאים בל יקומו, “they are dead, they can never live; shades, they can never rise” (Isaiah 26,14), whereas in verse 19 of the same chapter he writes: ”your dead will live, let corpses arise! Awake and shout for joy, you who dwell in the dust, for your dew is like the dew on fresh growth, you make the land of shades come to life.” The meaning of the two verses is that a revival of the dead will occur only for the Jewish people. You should know that all of the Jewish people will be resurrected physically, however they will then experience a judgment which will determine their future. This is why Daniel 12,2 describes that some “will remain alive indefinitely whereas others will be consigned to everlasting abhorrence.” This is also what the psalmist Assaph referred to in (Psalms 73,20) בעיר צלמות תבזה, “when awake you despise death.” The word בעיר in that verse has its root in ער, awake, and is to be understood as בהעיר, “when in a state of wakefulness.” We encounter similar constructions, such as in Isaiah 23,11 where the word לשמיד is to be understood as if the prophet had written להשמיד, “to destroy.” Targum Yonathan renders the verse in Psalms 73,20 as “like the dream of a person who is awakened from a dream to face a day of judgment when I awaken them from their graves in anger to announce their permanent death.” We have also been taught in a Baraitha (Rosh Hashanah 16) that when the day of judgment arrives there will be three groups of people. One group comprises the totally righteous, one the totally wicked, irredeemable, and one group consists of the ones who fall in between the other two categories. The first group will be immediately inscribed and sealed in the Book of the righteous and their fate will be sealed so that they can immediately proceed to the hereafter. The second group will be consigned to hell immediately, in accordance with the verse from Daniel which we already quoted. This proves to you that even the totally wicked (Jews) will first be awakened before being consigned to their eventual destination. For the wicked this resurrection of their bodies will actually be a punishment rather than a reward seeing that they will be judged in Gehinom both body and soul in one of the seven levels of that domain. Concerning the people who fall between the two extremes of being totally righteous and totally wicked, the Talmud Rosh Hashanah 17 says that they will express their pains during the punishments endured but, if their merits exceed their demerits, they will rise from the pain inflicted upon them and join their brethren in the hereafter reserved for the righteous. The ones whose demerits exceed their accumulated merits, however, will descend into Gehinom for a period of 12 months. At the end of that period their bodies will cease to exist and their souls will be burned, the remains being scattered beneath the soles of the feet of the righteous inhabiting these celestial regions. The fact that the Talmud describes their bodies as “ceasing,” proves that they had descended to Gehinom first both as bodies and souls. In order to hint that the resurrection of the bodies is something reserved exclusively for the Jewish people, Moses mentioned “dew,” and immediately afterwards: “hail to you Israel.” Our sages in the Sifri 340, commenting on the words in 34,3 where the Torah describes the extent of the vision granted to Moses, עד הים האחרון, “as far as the western sea” in 34,3, add: that instead of reading these words as עד הים האחרון, we should read them as עד היום האחרון, “until the final day.” A Midrashic approach based on Sifri Vezot Haberachah 356: the words עין יעקב mean: “a similar type of blessing to that bestowed by Yaakov.” The essence of Yaakov’s blessing had been that G’d would bring his family back to the land of Israel. (Genesis 48,21). אף שמיו יערפו טל, “also its heavens will drip dew.” The simile: “its heavens” (read “his” heavens) refer back to G’d, (א-ל) just as the words ויגרש as well as ויאמר in verse 27 also refer back to that subject at the beginning of verse 26. Alternatively, the simile שמיו, “its heavens,” may refer to Israel, and the construction would be an example of appending something minor to something major. Moses phrased it thus in order to emphasise the great stature of the people of Israel, making the “heavens” subordinate to Israel. A third possibility is that the word שמיו, “its heavens,” refers to the word הארץ, “the earth;” it would not be the first time that the word ארץ appears as masculine. We have several such examples, one of which is Genesis 13,6 ולא נשא אותם הארץ, “the earth could not support them,” where the word נשא is masculine instead of נשאה. Another such example of the word ארץ appearing as masculine is found in Isaiah 9,18 נעתם ארץ instead of נעתן ארץ, “the earth was shaken.” The meaning of our verse then would be: “”the heavens which correspond to the sacred earth will drip dew,” i.e. beneficial dew. The word יערפו would then have the meaning of ירעפו as in Proverbs 3,20: “will drip down.”

How fortunate are you, O Israel — there is none like you, a people whose redemption is from before Hashem; He is the Mighty One to your aid, and your mighty deeds are victorious from before Him. And your enemies shall deny you, yet you shall tread upon the necks of their kings.

אשריך ישראל HAPPY ART THOU, O ISRAEL — After he had recited unto them all these blessings in detail, he said to them. “Why should I detail everything to you? Everything is yours. אשריך … מי כמוך HAPPY ART THOU … WHO IS LIKE UNTO THEE! Thy help is in God (נושע בה׳), Who is מגן עזרך THE SHIELD OF THY HELP and חרב גאותך THE SWORD OF THY EXCELLENCY; ויכחשו איביך לך AND THY ENEMIES SHALL DENY THEMSELVES AS SUCH UNTO THEE, e.g., the Gibeonites who said, (Joshua 9:9) “Thy servants have come from a far land, etc.” ואתה על במותימו תדרך AND THOU SHALT TREAD UPON THEIR HIGH PLACES, just as it is said, (Joshua 10:24) “Put your feet upon the necks of these kings” (cf. Onkelos).

"Who is like you" — among the nations. "The shield of your help" — that no evil may touch you. "And the one who is your sword" — He is the sword with which you will triumph over all your enemies. "You shall tread" — like "treading," as in "treading the sole of the foot," as Gideon spoke.

אשריך ישראל, at that time true אישור, happiness, will become manifest in our world, This is the loftiest level of collective satisfaction a nation can attain. מי כמוך, so that there will not be another nation that can compare to you. Compare Maleachi 3,12 ואשרו אתכם כל הגויים, “and all the nations will account you happy, etc.” 'עם נושע בה, in those days your salvation will not be due to your having prevailed in war, in a dangerous conflict, but G’d will do all the fighting on your behalf if there is any need for it. מגן עזרך, the One Who had proven to be your shield in exile so that you had not perished. Compare Psalms 124,2-8 “had it not been for Hashem Who had helped us…….the waters would have swept us away and drowned us…our help was due only to the name of Hashem.” ואשר חרב גאותך, “and He will again be the sword of your pride.” This sword will triumph over the nations when these will wage war against us. Compare Isaiah 66,16: ובחרבו את כל בשר, “with His sword against all flesh.” ויכחשו אויביך לך, the same ones who had previously belittled You, even despised You, will have to deny their previous attitude when they decide to honour You. Compare Isaiah 60,14 “all those who used to torment you shall prostrate themselves at the soles of your feet.” ואתה על במותימו תדרוך, even their kings will humble themselves before you. Compare Isaiah 49,23 והיו מלכים אומניך וגו', ”Kings will become your children’s babysitters.”

אשריך ישראל…עם נושע בשם, "Fortunate are you, O Israel; …a nation delivered by the Lord." Whereas any wars the other nations are engaged in are fought by their protective angels, and each nation is afraid that the protective angel of its adversary may prevail unless G'd smites that angel, this does does not apply in the case of Israel whose "protective angel" is G'd Himself. -Compare Exodus 14,30 where the Torah describes the Israelites seeing the protective angel of Egypt dead, as explained by Shemot Rabbah 21,5. Israel is fortunate not to have to depend on intermediaries. This enables the Jewish people to be free from fear. Another meaning of the words נושע בשם is that it may refer to the king of the Israelites enjoying G'd's deliverance when in difficulties. When discussing Deut. 30,3 we pointed out that since the Torah does not speak about G'd "bringing back" the exiles but about G'd "returning" (Megillah 29), this means that the Jews are in the enviable position of G'd descending into exile with them as it were, so that He returns with them to the Holy Land when the time is ripe. ואשר הוא חרב גאותיך. These words may mean: "and Who is the sword drawn against those who feel superior to you." Nobody enjoys a mightier sword than that of G'd who fights on Israel's behalf.

ויכחשו אויביך לך, “and when your enemies will try to deceive you, etc.;” your enemies will sometimes pretend to be your friends in order to lull you into a sense of security.

אשריך ישראל מי כמוך, “Hail to you, Israel;” this verse is an explicit promise to the Jewish people concerning life in the hereafter. Seeing that in the previous verse Moses had discussed the destination(s) of the body i.e. what is good for the body, such as the blessings bestowed on earth, abundant crops, conditions of secure tenure of the land, such as a land with ample supplies of grain and wine, a land benefiting from the beneficial dews descending from the skies, and even the promise that should the people ever be exiled, no conquering nation would ever feel at home in their land, now Moses addresses his attention to matters of benefit to the soul. We know about this already from Bileam’s blessing in Numbers 23,9: “they are a nation which dwells in solitary splendor,” הן עם לבדד ישכון; Moses now takes up this theme when he refers to Israel being בדד. (verse 28) He is at pains to point out that the rosy future of the Jewish people comprises more than a secure and worry-free existence in Eretz Yisrael, accompanied by an abundance of material blessings. This is why he introduces the subject by describing a unique feature of the Jewish people, i.e. “hail to you Israel, who is like you?” He means that whereas all the other nations, at best, can look forward to a worry-free life of plenty on terrestrial earth, Israel will experience an additional dimension of life in the celestial spheres. This is the meaning of the words עם נושע בה' תשועת עולמים, “a nation delivered by Hashem Who extends His deliverance into 2 worlds” [עולמים, pl. Ed.]. A true deliverance must include life in the world to come, or it is by definition not a true deliverance. [One may understand the words “true deliverance” as a deliverance from the initial curse that came on upon mankind, i.e. death, when Adam ate from the tree of knowledge. Every “true” deliverance should free one from that. Ed.] After having told the people that there would indeed be a reward for keeping the Torah in the world to come, Moses proceeds to offer the Jewish people proof of this in the form of a miracle. He tells the people that G’d Himself would be their shield, that they would be able to boast about G’d being their “sword,” מגן עזרך. This promise includes the attribute of Justice, even. The word מגן, shield, is an allusion to the attribute of Justice, seeing a shield is generally worn on the left, and the attribute of Justice is perceived as on the left side of the diagram of the emanations. David also speaks of G’d being Israel’s shield in Psalms 18,36, when he said: ותתן לי מגן ישעך, “You gave me the shield of Your protection.” He elaborates further in Psalms 84,12, saying: כי שמש ומגן ה' אלו-הים, “for the Lord is both sun and shield.” In that verse David refers to the tetragrammaton, Hashem, as “sun,” and to the attribute of Justice, אלו-הים, as “shield.” Moses reassures the people that constant military success on earth against all their enemies is proof that they have a future in the very regions from which this success emanates, is orchestrated on their behalf by G’d. You may consider it a rule that all the various promises to the people of Israel as a whole, such as at the beginning of the portion Bechukotai, do not concern them themselves merely with the promise of reward in this finite world of ours. They are all similes for the kind of reward awaiting us in celestial regions after the death of our bodies. The success promised by the Torah in our terrestrial world is only to be viewed as proof of the far greater reward in store for us (if we keep the commandments) in a far better world than the terrestrial globe on which we have been born. It is most appropriate that the King of Israel, Moses, on the day when he himself readied himself for entry into that better world, tells his charges that he blessed them in this fashion, that all of them could look forward to that kind of a future.

ואשר חרב גאותך, “and that is the sword of your excellence.” Your voluntary isolation, -as opposed to being ghettoized,-is proof of your maturity as G–d’s people. It elevates you above all other nations.