Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy

‫אבן עזרא על דברים‬

Ibn Ezra on the Pentateuch; trans. by Jay F. Shachter
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Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy

Chapter 1

Verse 1

The correct interpretation of These are the words is that the commandments written
in the upcoming parashiyyot of Re eh, Shofeṭim, Ki Teṣeh, and Ki Tavo had already
been given to the Israelites when they were in the wilderness. In other words, the
phrase that Moshe spoke is modified by the entire remainder of the verse, as if
Scripture had repeated it, saying: “These are the words that Moshe spoke to all
Israel, which Moshe had spoken in the wilderness, and in the desert across the Red
Sea…” starting from the day that they left Sinai.
between Paran and Tofel, and Lavan, and Ḥaṣerot, and Di-Zahav These places are
either not mentioned in the parasha of Masey, or they are mentioned under different
names. Many places have several different names (e.g., Mount SS e nir has three
other names [ cf. 3: 9 and 4: 48]).

Verse 2

Scripture says eleven days to tell us that Moshe spoke these words during those
eleven days wherein they traveled from Ḥorev to Qadesh Barnea. I shall later inform
you that the spies started out from Qadesh Barnea [ comment on : 3] [ see also
Numbers 32: 8]; after God swore that they would not enter the land, no new
commandments were given until the fortieth year — for so it is written [Bava Batra
121a–121b] [Ta‘anit 30b] [ cf. 2: 16–17]. Conclusive evidence is found in the
phrase “to expound this Torah” [: 5]: He explained the Torah that he had already
spoken between Paran and Tofel. Note that most of the Commandments are repeated in
this book. Accordingly, the upcoming phrase “all that God had commanded him
concerning them” [: 3] is properly modified by the preceding phrases “across the
Jordan” [: 1] and “in the desert wilderness” [: 1]. If you can grasp the mystery
behind the following problematic passages: 1) The final twelve verses of this book
2) “Moshe wrote…” [31: 22] 3) “At that time, the Canaanites dwelt in the land”
[Genesis 12: 6] 4) “…In the mountain of God, He will appear” [Genesis 22: 14] 5)
“behold, his bed is a bed of iron…” [3: 11] you will then understand the truth.
There are those who say that the reason for mentioning It is eleven day’s journey
from Ḥorev, by way of Mount SSeir, to Qadesh Barnea is to stress that they wandered
in the wilderness for forty years — hence, the contrasting phrase

Verse 3

in the fortieth year. This interpretation is incorrect, because they came to Qadesh
Barnea in the second year [: 19]. The phrase in the fortieth year actually modifies
the phrase “Moshe spoke” [: 1]. Some people assert that Moshe died on the first of
Sh e vaṭ. They claim that after the nation mourned over Moshe for a period of
thirty days [ cf. 34: 8], they remained there for approximately six more weeks
[ cf. Joshua 4: 19]. Their evidence is the phrase “that same day” [32: 48] — that
is to say, they maintain that Moshe recounted this entire book to all Israel on a
single day, and then died. This evidence is invalid, however, because “that same
day” refers only to the recitation of the song. Besides, Scripture says elsewhere
“you are soon [literally: today] to pass over the Jordan” [9: 1].
I have already explained the word on the eleventh in the parasha of NasSo [ comment
on Numbers 7: 72].

Verse 4

Verse 5

Moshe began [and] expounded Scripture employs two consecutive verbs in the past
tense, without a connective vav. Compare “turned away [and] was gone” [Song of
Songs 5: 6]. Moshe began to expound to the children born in the wilderness what had
happened to their parents. He told them all of the laws. He also repeated the Ten
Commandments — for, their parents having heard them from God, Moshe was desirous
that they too should be able to hear them from a faithful representative.

Verse 6

Ḥorev is Sinai, as I have explained [ comment on Exodus 17: 9].

Verse 7

The phrase move out [literally, “move to you”] is an instance of a Hebrew idiomatic
form. Compare, “go out” [literally: “go to you”] [Genesis 12: 1].

Verse 8

Verse 9

I am not able alone Compare, “you are not able to perform it by yourself” [Exodus
18: 18].

Verse 10

has increased you in Egypt, thus fulfilling the blessing given to their ancestor
[Genesis 26: 4] [ see also Genesis 28: 14].
The comparison to the stars in heaven is figurative. Here the noun times appears
with the number a thousand; elsewhere, it appears with the number “one hundred”
[ II Samuel 24: 3]. In both cases the word order is opposite that of Arabic.

Verse 11

Verse 12

your hardship as in “they are a trouble to me” [Isaiah 1: 14]. This is the hardship
of making foolish people understand the Commandments.
your burden i.e., their demands for bread [Numbers 21: 5], and water [Exodus 17: 2]
[ cf. comment on Exodus 17: 2], and meat [Numbers 11: 4].

Verse 13

Propose is an irregular word, for the heh is properly vocalized with a ḥaṭaf
pattaḥ.
That they should be known means that everyone should recognize them.

Verse 14

Verse 15

I have already explained captains of thousands [ comment on Exodus 18: 21].

Verse 16

The word listen [Hebrew: shamoa ] is a verbal noun, like “Remember [Hebrew:
zakhor ] the Sabbath day” [Exodus 20: 8]. The meaning is understood as if it were
followed [Hebrew: shamoa shimu ] or preceded [Hebrew: shimu shamoa ] by a verb in
the imperative mood.
I have already explained the word his tenant [ comment on Genesis 15: 13].

Verse 17

You must not recognize i.e., to tip the judgment toward the person whom he
recognizes.

Verse 18

which you must practice i.e., the statutes and laws which were taught to them.

Verse 19

all of that wilderness traversed during the abovementioned “eleven days” [: 2].
Scripture uses the term Amorite highlands because of the subsequent passage,
“in SSeir, and until Ḥormah” [: 44], and because we were to go to the Amorite
highlands [ see : 7].

Verse 20

Verse 21

inherit a peh-yod verb (like “dwell” [Genesis 20: 15]), from “inheritance” [2: 5].
be alarmed an ‘ayin-‘ayin verb, as in “the glory of Yaaqov shall be made thin”
[Isaiah 17: 4].

Verse 22

delve into as in, “delve into all of the land” [Joshua 2: 3]. To delve is to find
that which is covered.
against which we should move i.e., against which we should move first.

Verse 23

the matter pleased me on account of your unanimous approval of it.

Verse 24

Verse 25
brought it down because of the height of the tree. Actually, however, the term is
used because the people were in the South.

Verse 26

Verse 27

you protested as in “they that murmur shall learn doctrine” [Isaiah 29: 24]. The
verb is in the nif‘al form, like the verb in “do not be aggrieved” [Genesis 45: 5].

Verse 28

Verse 29

do not panic, i.e., “do not fear”. The word denotes an unnerving kind of fear, as
in “let Him be your dread” [Isaiah 8: 13].

Verse 30

fight for you i.e., He will fight on your behalf.

Verse 31

Verse 32

Verse 33

for your encampment This is not a transitive verb in the hif‘il form. We find no
evidence that this root even exists in such a form.
However, in the word to show you, the lamed is vocalized with a pattaḥ to indicate
the absence of the letter heh — just as when there is an elided definite article.

Verse 34

Verse 35

Verse 36

The yod in except is extraneous. The word is also found without a yod [II Kings 24:
14].
I shall give him the territory upon which he trod i.e., Ḥevron [Soṭa 34b].

Verse 37

I have already explained [ comment on Exodus 2: 2] that in the word “His anger”
[Hebrew: appo ] [e.g., Genesis 39: 19], a nun is absorbed in the peh. This is
evident in the Aramaic cognate. Thus, the word is from the same root as “though you
were angry [Hebrew: anafta ] with me” [Isaiah 12: 1] and God was angry [Hebrew: hit
annaf ] with me also.

Verse 38

Scripture mentions Calev first [: 36], as I have explained [ comment on Numbers 14:
30 ; see also comment on Numbers 14: 24], and then Joshua who stands before you —
he was Moshe’s minister.

Verse 39

who on the day did not know In those days, they did not know
good and evil. Scripture describes most, not all, of the children.

Verse 40

Verse 41

and you essayed [Hebrew; vattahinu ] You said, “ aye! ” [Hebrew: hen ]. (Do not
wonder that a verb can be derived from a particle. The same occurs with the
particle “upon”. We also find the word “I hesitate” [Hebrew: ’afunah ] [Psalms 88:
16], from the particle “lest” [Hebrew: pen ], as I have explained [ comment on
Psalms 88: 16].) Some say that the word comes from “ hin ”, which is a unit of
volume — but this is farfetched.

Verse 42

Verse 43

Verse 44

The Amorites came out These are the abovementioned “Canaanites” [Numbers 14: 25],
as I have explained [ comment on Numbers 14: 25].
as do the bees When someone approaches their hive they instantly chase after him
and sting him.
crushed [Hebrew: vayyakktu ] As I have explained, this word is related to “I will
beat down” [Hebrew: vekhattoti ] [Psalms 89: 24].
until Ḥormah the name of a place — or, it could be a verbal noun [meaning,
“destruction”].

Verse 45

Verse 46

you stayed in Qadesh i.e., Qadesh Barnea many years, as the days when you stayed
You stayed as many years as you spent days in spying out the land (any refutation
of this on the grounds that only the spies themselves were guilty is repudiated by
the supporting verse “According to the number of the days you have explored the
land” [Numbers 14: 34]).
Chapter 2

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4

Verse 5

do not provoke [Hebrew: titgaru ] them as in “stirs up [Hebrew: yegareh ] strife”

[Proverbs 15: 18].

Verse 6

you may buy food from them if they wish to sell. Some say, however, that it is a
rhetorical question, as if to say, “you have not needed food nor drink all these
years that you traveled”; this is borne out by the continuation God your God has
blessed you.

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

I have given Ar i.e., the territory of Mo av (most likely it ultimately returned to

Mo av after Siḥon conquered it [Numbers 21: 28]).

Verse 10

Scripture informs us that the Moabites took Ar from the Emim (I have already given
the etymology of the name Emim [ comment on Genesis 14: 5]).

Verse 11

I have already given the etymology of the name Refaim [ comment on Genesis 14: 5].

Verse 12

The Ḥorites are the descendants of “SSeir the Ḥorite” [Genesis 36: 20].

Verse 13
Verse 14

Verse 15

to annihilate them an ‘ayin-‘ayin verb in the qal form.

Verse 16

The phrase when all had expired… is connected to the upcoming verse: God spoke to
me: After all were finished dying, God said that we should pass the border of Ar.

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19

You will come toward the Children of Ammon i.e., when you will come toward them.
do not besiege them an ‘ayin-‘ayin verb.
do not provoke them an unaspirated lamed-heh verb in the hitpa‘el form.

Verse 20

The word Zamzummim is inflected according to the rules of the Hebrew language into
which it has been assimilated. Compare, “the satraps” [Esther 8: 9].

Verse 21

God destroyed them Scripture describes how God destroyed other nations in the face
of the Moabites in order to give them the land for an inheritance, just as He gave
Mount SSeir to EsSav.

Verse 22

Verse 23

as far as Gaza. This is mentioned because the region had once belonged to the
Philistines, and a covenant was in force between Abraham and Avimelekh (“you will
not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my grandson” [Genesis 21: 23]).
Scripture thus relates that the Avvim had taken Gaza [Ḥullin 60b].

Verse 24

Begin to occupy [Hebrew: resh ] From “inheritance” [Hebrew: yerushah ].

Verse 25
Verse 26

from the wilderness of Qedemot In my opinion this is the same wilderness as the one
called “Mattanah” [Numbers 21: 18].

Verse 27

by the road The road, i.e., the well-known road.

Verse 28

You will sell me food for money, that I may eat if I have a need.

Verse 29

as the children of EsSav did for me Some commentators relate this phrase to “you
will sell me food for money” [: 28], but if this be so, how can they reconcile it
with the inhabitants of Ar, who are Moabites, and of whom Scripture says “because
they did not approach you …” [23: 5]? They feel constrained to give this
interpretation, though, because the king of Edom said, “you shall not pass through
me” [Numbers 20: 18]. In my opinion, the phrase refers back to the request that we
go along the main highway, as the children of EsSav did for me — i.e., they let them
go around Mount SSeir along the main highway. Scripture accordingly related, “You
are to pass along the border of your kinsmen, the Children of EsSav, who dwell in
SSeir” [: 4]. However, the king of Edom did not let them pass through by way of his
territory (from which point they would have been close to the land of Canaan), so
they went on to Ar — as it is written [: 18]. Many others have proposed that,
although “they did not approach you” [23: 5], nevertheless Israel did purchase from
the Moabites.

Verse 30

Verse 31

I have begun [Hebrew: haḥilloty ] The inflectional prefix heh is vocalized with a
pattaḥ on account of the subsequent guttural consonant. Compare, “I have raised him
up [Hebrew: hairotihu ] with justice” [Isaiah 45: 13].

Verse 32

Verse 33

The word we defeated is missing the initial nun of the triliteral root.

Verse 34

the men i.e., male humans.

Verse 35

Verse 36
strong [Hebrew: sSagvah ] from “God alone shall be exalted [Hebrew: nisSgav ]”
[Isaiah 2: 11].

Verse 37

the land of the Children of Ammon i.e., the land that presently remains in their
hands, as I have explained [ comment on Numbers 21: 24].
you did not approach any area [literally: any arm] The word means “place”, as in
“the side [literally: the arm] of the Jordan” [Numbers 13: 29].

Chapter 3

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

having left him [ singular ] that is, every one of the Israelites (the verb is in
the past tense).

Verse 4

the Argov group The words of the Aramaic translator [“royal cities”] are well-
known. Others say that Argov is the name of a man whose patrimony contained this
group. Still others assert that the ’alef is extraneous, and that the word is
distantly related to “the clouds [Hebrew: regavim ] cleave fast together” [Job 38:
38].

Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 10
Verse 11

a man’s cubit i.e., a normal man’s cubit — thus indicating that he was twice an
ordinary man’s size (it is implausible that Scripture meant his own cubit, because
then Scripture would be telling us nothing about his size — and moreover, it would
imply that he was not at all shaped like a human being).

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

I have already explained [ comment on Numbers 32: 41] that Ya’ir the son of
Menasheh was actually from the tribe of Y e hudah.
Geshurites and Ma akatites are the names of two nations.

Verse 15

Makhir has been previously introduced [Numbers 32: 39–40].

Verse 16

brook, and boundary i.e., and its boundary. Compare, the Jordan, and [its] bank.

Verse 17

Verse 18

Although Moshe spoke only to the tribes of Reuven and Gad, he said I commanded you
because they were a constituent part of Israel. Moshe speaks synecdochically in the
opposite sense when he says to the Levites (in the passage beginning with “Take
this book of the Torah” [31: 26]) “For I know your rebellious nature” [31: 27]: He
was not then speaking only to the Levites, but to all Israel. However, since the
Levites were included, he continued to address them.

Verse 19

Verse 20

Verse 21

Verse 22

Verse 23
I begged grace i.e., I had already begged grace. Scripture has just mentioned [:
21] Moshe’s instructions to Joshua; but Moshe instructed Joshua only in consequence
of “I will not cross [with you]” [4: 22]. I did indeed beg God ’s grace to cross
over with you, because the greatness of God “is unsearchable” [Psalms 145: 3]; and
“They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” [Lamentations 3: 23].

Verse 24

The intention of the following passage is to endear the Land of Israel; for if the
land is cherished, they will keep God ’s commandments so as not to be exiled from
it.
You have begun He said: You are infinitely wise, for You have begun to show … Your
greatness … in heaven and on earth, through natural events.
Your mighty power Moshe refers to the signs which he repeatedly performed, until it
was known throughout the world that there is no God other than Him alone: prepotent
in heaven (home of the angels and the Heavenly Host) and on earth (home of animals
and men).
deeds which are wholly wise might i.e., You are capable of anything.

Verse 25

Verse 26

Verse 27

Ascend the summit of Pisgah identified with “the Gai in the fields of Mo’av — the
summit of Pisgah” [Numbers 21: 20]

Verse 28

Verse 29

we stayed in the Gai i.e., we had already stayed in the Gai (which was near the
“summit of Pisgah”), since from there we went to the plains of Mo’av. The passage
is explained correctly by assuming that the Gai forms part of the hills of Avarim
[Numbers 33: 48]. Moshe now begins to talk about the commandments; and, since they
were across Bet-Por, he begins by discussing idolatry.

Chapter 4

Verse 1

teach you to do The ultimate purpose of study is the performance of the

commandments.
so that you may live for all those who worshiped Por were destroyed.
so that you may occupy [Hebrew: viyrishtem ] Since the yod is absorbed into the
ḥiriq of the preceding vav, the second consonant of the triliteral root exhibits
progressive assimilation and also has a ḥiriq. No other Hebrew word has this
property.
Verse 2

You shall not add i.e., you shall not add your own ideas, thinking that you thereby
serve God. Likewise, you shall not diminish.

Verse 3

There is no need for witnesses to substantiate the warning “so that you may live”
[: 1], because You have seen with your own eyes what happened with Baal Por (i.e.,
because of Baal Por — as in many other Hebrew words): Everyone who did not worship
Baal Por is now alive.

Verse 4

Verse 5

I taught you Moshe has already said “…which I teach you” [: 1]; but here he adds as
God commanded me. The commandments are His commandments, which you are to perform
in the land He gives you for an inheritance. Moreover, you shall have glory among
the nations through the commandments. Any thinking person can apprehend the purpose
of the commandments, and understand why they were given.

Verse 6

Verse 7

What great nation as to have a God close by — i.e., One Who answers everything that
they wisely request. Nor is there a great nation whose decrees and laws all appear
as righteous to the unbiased mind as do Israel’s.
It is called a great nation on account of its wise and God-fearing people

Verse 8

Verse 9

Only watch yourself Even if you forget everything else, do not forget the day when
you stood at Mount Sinai.
the things which your eyes have seen (as in, “all the people saw the thunder…”
[Exodus 20: 15])

Verse 10

as long as they live upon the land God knew that they cannot perform the
commandments properly if they are under foreign rule.

Verse 11

the heart of heaven i.e., the center of heaven (from the standpoint of each
viewer), as in “the heart of the sea” [Exodus 15: 8]

Verse 12

you saw no image, only a voice i.e., you heard a voice. The voice was not seen (I
have already explained the passage “And all the people saw the thunder…” [Exodus
20: 15])

Verse 13

Verse 14

God instructed me God taught Moshe on Sinai all the statutes and ordinances; but
Moshe did not tell them to Israel until the second year, and again in the fortieth
year. Since you did not see any image, be careful not to ruin: that which you have
seen — i.e., the truth or your lives

Verse 15

Verse 16

a graven image something that is cut (as in, “Shlomo’s builders hewed” [I Kings 5:
32])
male or female denotes the worship of particular idols. In addition, there are
nations who daily fall down and worship the first animal that crosses their path.
Others claim to invoke celestial powers through the image of a scorpion, for
example, for its sting (or any of the forty-seven other constellations).

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19

the sun or the moon which are the great lights [Genesis 1: 16]. After mentioning
the stars, Scripture proceeds to give the general term all the heavenly bodies: the
planets (which are luminous like stars), the constellations, and their shapes.
be drawn away [Hebrew: niddaḥta ] like a man who slips [Hebrew: yiddḥeh ] and
falls.
allotted It is well-proven that every nation has a designated star. Every city,
also, has its star. God has granted Israel great stature, in that God is their
Advocate: they have no star, for they are the “inheritance of God ” [II Samuel 20:
19].

Verse 20

Verse 21

He brought you out to be for Him a chosen people in the land wherein you will serve
Him; however, God was angry with me, and I shall not see this benevolence.
because of your words You brought about my exclusion from the land (as I have
explained [ comment on Numbers 20: 8])

Verse 22
Verse 23

any image i.e., an image of anything which God your God has commanded you i.e., as
He has commanded you (or, which He commanded you not to do — as in, “I will command
the clouds” [Isaiah 5: 6]). This prohibition has already been mentioned; but Moshe
repeats it here (including it among the commandments “which I instruct you” [: 40])
in order to add that God is a consuming fire i.e., like a consuming fire (even
though the phrase lacks a kaf ).

Verse 24

jealous of idolatry. His jealousy consumes like a fire, which spares neither root
nor branch.

Verse 25

After describing God as a “jealous God” [: 24] Scripture now explains what will
happen to them if they make idols
or do evil concerning any of the other commandments, like murder or adultery.

Verse 26

I call as witnesses Some say [ Sa‘adya Gaon on 32: 1] that the testimony of heaven
and earth denotes the angels and the human race, respectively. Others say it
alludes to the rains, as in, “I will make your skies like iron and your land like
brass” [Leviticus 29: 19]. In my opinion, heaven and earth are called as witnesses
to watch them and their children forever, because they are permanent (as in “as
long as the heaven endures on the earth” [11: 21]; “Hear, O mountains, God ’s
controversy” [Micah 6: 2]; and “this stone shall be a witness to us” [Joshua 24:
27]). Those people who object to this interpretation on the grounds of such verses
as “heaven shall vanish away like smoke…” [Isaiah 51: 6] are vigilant in
disputation, but their minds are asleep!
you shall perish This word, like “do not learn” [Jeremiah 10: 2], is vocalized with
a long vowel because it ends a phrase.

Verse 27

a minority explained above [ comment on Genesis 34: 30]

Verse 28

neither see, nor hear… Scripture mentions four senses, and omits the fifth, because
it is less refined than the others. The sense of touch also differs from the
others, by being coextensive with all living tissue. Don’t be puzzled at the
contrast in number between you [ plural ] will seek and you [ singular ] will find.
First the verse addresses a group, and then it addresses the nation as a unit, or
each individual.

Verse 29

with all your heart explained below [ comment on 30: 10]

Verse 30
Verse 31

abandon you i.e., weaken you

Verse 32

study the history of ancient times study it now

since the day The lamed is extraneous (as in many other Hebrew words), or it serves
as a stylistic embellishment.
from one end of heaven alludes to the horizon, as I have explained [ comment on
Genesis 1: 6]
whether there has been in his life-time
Did ever a people hear This is a continuation of the previous verse, i.e., that
which has never been heard

Verse 33

Verse 34

has God ever attempted Some people have claimed — perish, perish the thought! —
that the word “God” is meant here in a secular sense (i.e., “have gods ever
attempted…”).
attempted an anthropomorphism, to aid the listeners’ understanding
miracles either this word is a general category, followed by specifics, or it is a
qualifier, modifying the words that follow (i.e., “miraculous signs”). signs as in
“performed the signs in the presence of the people” [Exodus 4: 30]...
wonders the Ten Plagues, as it is written: “Moshe and Aaron performed all these
wonders” [Exodus 11: 10]
war denotes in all likelihood the killing of the firstborn, and the judgment
rendered against the idols [ comment on Exodus 12: 12]
by mighty power Israel left Egypt mighty and irresistible, on account of the pillar
of fire and the pillar of cloud.
great terror denotes the drowning of Pharaoh and his army, together with the
splitting of the sea before Israel...
against Egypt i.e., against the Egyptians

Verse 35

You have been shown a verb in the passive, hof‘al form. I have already explained
the word God [ comment on Genesis 1: 1]. This word denotes a mysterious and
profound concept. God has shown you all these things, so that you shall know that
He alone is God.
There is none other As I alluded to in my comment on the verse “there are yet
higher ones over them” [Ecclesiastes 5: 7] [in the cited comment, ibn Ezra
indicates that there is a hierarchy of celestial powers, but that God is the
supreme ruler over them all — Translator].

Verse 36

to discipline you It is for this reason that he made you hear his voice: so that
you would revere Him (as it is written: “let God not speak to us, lest we die”
[Exodus 20: 16]). What you saw frightened you; what you heard frightened you; but
He continued to speak after making you hear his voice because he loved your
fathers: Abraham, Yiṣḥaq, and Yaaqov.

Verse 37
his descendants an allusion to Yaaqov. To say “their descendants” would include
eight other nations with us!
in His face This Hebrew metaphor denotes the anger He displayed toward Egypt. Some
people translate it in the sense of “the angel of his presence saved them” [Isaiah
63: 9]; but, in my opinion, it resembles “that you go to battle in person” [II
Samuel 17: 11].

Verse 38

this day This phrase can denote the future, if it is taken to mean, “ close to this
day”. Actually, though, it refers to the conquest of the two Amorite kingdoms.
Reuven, Gad, and half of Menasheh can certainly be called “Israel”, just as
Scripture states elsewhere: “as Israel did to the land of his inheritance” [2: 12]
After having said that “God is God; there is none beside Him” [: 35], Scripture
proceeds to elaborate why He must be honored. The evidence of one’s own eyes forms
the premise of the argument. Any clear-headed, unbiased person must realize from
the evidence that God alone is God: in heaven above (i.e., above man) and upon the
earth beneath (i.e., beneath man. Man is the standard of comparison, as in “The
skies above you will be like brass…” [28: 23]). You, having seen all these wonders,
having impressed it upon your hearts, must keep his commandments. Moreover, they
are good for you, and for your children after you.

Verse 39

Verse 40

Verse 41

At that time Moshe set aside… The day Moshe announced the Covenant coincided with
the day he set aside these three cities.

Verse 42

Verse 43

Verse 44

Verse 45

Verse 46

in the ravine of Mount Avarim. Although Mount Avarim is part of Mo av, they arrived
at Mount Avarim first, and then marched into the plains of Mo av [Numbers 33: 48].

Chapter 5
Verse 1

Moshe called out to all Israel to announce the terms of the covenant to the
children (as I have explained).

Verse 2

Ḥorev Sinai

Verse 3

Not with our fathers i.e., not only with our fathers, as in “Your name will no
longer be called ‘Yaaqov’” [Genesis 35: 10],
but with us i.e., but also with us or God did not enter this covenant with our
ancestors who were in Egypt, but, rather, with us. There were still many people in
that camp who had heard the covenant spoken by God. That is why Moshe says, “we” —
i.e., those who are still alive and with us now. The fact that Moshe uses the terms
“to you” [: 4] and “between you” [: 6] is evidence for the correctness of this
interpretation.

Verse 4

face to face i.e., without an intermediary. When someone’s voice can be heard
directly, it is called “face to face”, even if his face cannot be seen.

Verse 5

I stood between God and you I have already explained this....

you were afraid of the fire even though you did not ascend the mountain as I
advocated, but “Moshe [alone] approached the dense cloud” [Exodus 20: 18].
The word saying: refers back to “God spoke to you on the mountain from the midst of
the fire” [: 4]. Most likely, I stood between God … applies after the gathering at
Sinai. At Sinai, He spoke to you face to face; but from that day onward, I stood
between God and you, because you were afraid, as shall be explained.
Do not be distressed that the wording is variant. Although it is far removed from
its antecedent, many Hebrew sentences exhibit the same construction: the
interpolated verse is not a part of the quote. Words are like bodies, whereas
meanings are like souls. One can fashion two different utensils that perform the
identical function. For example, “fraudulent” [: 17] is synonymous to “false”
[Exodus 20: 13] — for everything false is fraudulent. Moreover, “Remember” [Exodus
20: 8] is similar to “Keep” [: 12], as I have already explained. Moshe added the
words as God your God has commanded you, referring to the assembly at Mount Sinai.

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9
Verse 10

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

nor your ox, nor your donkey, nor any of your livestock a specification followed by
a generalization. In the original [Exodus 20: 10] only the generalization appears;
but both passages mean the same thing.
so that [even your slaves] shall rest Scripture proceeds to explain why your man-
servant and your maid-servant are mentioned: For you must remember that you were a
slave and you must consequently allow your own slave to rest therefore God your God
has commanded you to observe this (allowing one’s slaves to rest) on the Sabbath
day. In other words: God brought you out of slavery, and has ordered you to rest so
that you shall remember that you were once a slave (according to some, the slaves
themselves are not required to rest).

Verse 15

Verse 16

has commanded you see my explanation above [ comment on Exodus 20: 1] that it may
go well with you Some say this is an allusion to the World to Come. I shall reveal
part of the mystery of the World to Come in my comment on “I kill, and I bring to
life” [32: 39].
your days is the antecedent of the clause, i.e., that which will go well with you.
All the scholars of antiquity believed that the First Commandment is “I am…” [: 6]
(even though it raises the question, why would one utter two commandments directly,
and then stop?). I have already offered an explanation of the Ten Commandments that
conforms to their belief. In my opinion, though, “I am…” is not one of the Ten
Commandments. Rather, it introduces the Commander, and provides a basis for all the
other Commandments, as I have already explained.

Verse 17

Verse 18

The Hebrew word ḥ-m-d has two different meanings. One meaning is robbery,
oppression, taking from others through force or compulsion (as in, “no man will
attack your land” [Exodus 34: 24] — for if the verb denotes jealousy, then a verse
intending to extol the land instead deprecates it!). The other meaning is jealousy,
that does not express itself in overt action. “You shall not be jealous of your
fellow-man’s house” [Exodus 20: 14] is the Ninth Commandment, and “you shall not be
jealous of your fellow-man’s wife” [Exodus 20: 14] is the Tenth Commandment. Either
“your fellow-man’s house” is part of the same Commandment as “your fellow-man’s
wife”, or it is a separate principle in its own right. Here there is evidence for
the latter: Moshe, explaining the Torah, in this book has replaced one instance of
“you shall not be jealous” with “you shall not desire”. Many people have said that
there is no sin in thinking something, and that thoughts carry neither reward nor
punishment. I shall not go into the many proofs to the contrary at great length.
Suffice to point out “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to God ”
[Proverbs 15: 26], “You did well, insofar as it was your intention” [I Kings 8:
18], and “to those who are upright in their hearts” [Psalms 125: 4]. Moshe himself
summed it all up when he said “to do it with your mouth and with your heart” [30:
14]. The core of all the commandments is the improvement of character — and the
majority of them are essentially reminders [ see comment on Leviticus 19: 19].
Moreover, the existence of a distinction between an intentional sin and an
accidental sin is definitive proof.

Verse 19

These words i.e., the Ten Commandments — but not the exact wording given above
[ comment on : 5]
a mighty voice the like of which they had never heard before
that has not continued for this was the only revelation. This verse explains why
the people dispersed.

Verse 20

Verse 21

His glory the display of fire

His magnificence the thunder and lightning and sound of the shofar...
His voice the Ten Commandments (there is a single opinion that only the First
Commandment was directly uttered by God)

Verse 22

Verse 23

the voice of the living [ plural ] God Here the plural is used, as I have explained
[ comment on Genesis 1: 1].
The word living in my opinion here designates the manifestation of God in Nature,
as opposed to God Himself, Who does not move or change.

Verse 24

then you [ feminine ] will communicate to us Use of the feminine pronoun also
occurs in “But if You [ feminine ] deal thus with me” [Numbers 11: 15], where its
appearance is explained in detail.

Verse 25

has been agreeable an ‘ayin-vav verb in the past tense

Verse 26
Who would grant! Scripture does not say, “who would grant me ”, but rather, “who
would grant them ” (the word them is displaced in the sentence, and appears after
that they had such a will ). Know that the Divine decree underlies all actions and
all phenomena, in the sense that the nature and potentiality of everything in the
universe, including living creatures, is determined by the action of the
constellations on the four elements. A creature’s behavior at every moment is
governed by its nature and its potential. However, as the author of the Sefer
Yeṣira has explained, a certain amount of deviation can exist. Individuals derive
their nature from the species, and they can change their nature within the
boundaries of their species’s potential. This is the meaning of “God hardened the
heart of Pharaoh” [Exodus 9: 12], although elsewhere Scripture asserts, “he
hardened his heart; he and his officials” [Exodus 9: 34]. Both statements are true.
Accordingly the prophets have said, “I know, God, that the way of a man is not in
himself” [Jeremiah 10: 23] and “Why have you made us stray, God, from Your ways?”
[Isaiah 63: 17]. Nevertheless, Moshe said, “choose life” [30: 19]. God does not
prevent anyone from achieving good. Indeed, He wishes to bestow good; and Scripture
says so anthropomorphically by using the expression, Who would grant.

Verse 27

Go, tell them implying that he descend from the mountain

Verse 28

But you stay here with Me implying that he then re-ascend the mountain, as it is
written: and I will speak to you all the commandments, the decrees, and the
judgments. Thus, most of the Torah was told to Moshe on Mount Sinai. However, Moshe
apparently transmitted it during the entirety of their stay in the Sinai Desert, as
well as during the eleven days’ trip from Sinai.

Verse 29

Now observe to practice The purpose of this seemingly redundant verse is to add the
injunction do not turn aside to the right or the left.

Verse 30

all of the path This metaphor explains the abovementioned “to the right or to the
left” [: 29] and it denotes the instructions, the decrees, and the judgments — the
ultimate purpose of which is that you will revere — i.e., you, your son, and your
grandson. Thus, the ultimate purpose of all the commandments is sincere faith.
Faith is the fulfillment of man, and it is for faith that man was created, as it is
written in Ecclesiastes [Ecclesiastes 12: 13]. Faith will also assure long life —
long life for the nation in the land of Israel, and long life for the individual in
the World to Come.

Chapter 6

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3
observe to practice I command you to observe that which is for your own benefit.
a land flowing with milk… either this is the displaced object of the verb “to
inherit” [: 1] or the verse omits a preposition, and should read “ in a land
flowing with milk…”. See “in the house of God” [II Kings 12: 11] for a similar
construction.
Everything that our ancestors, of blessed memory, have transmitted concerning the
reading of the Shma‘ is true and needs no justification. Know that the glorious
Name is God’s proper name [ comment on Exodus 3: 15]. If so, why is it immediately
followed by another name of God? The answer is that the Name can serve both as a
proper name, and elsewhere as a descriptive, but not a proper name (just as “man”
[Hebrew: adam ] is both a proper name [Genesis 3: 17], and a descriptive name
derived from “Earth” [Hebrew: adama ]). The evidence for this is that there are
places where the Name appears in the construct case (as in “the Lord of Hosts” [I
Samuel 1: 11]) and other places where it stands alone. The Name is then further
repeated, to say: God, who is our Lord, is one God — in other words, He is
absolutely unique. An uncountable number of things demonstrate God ’s uniqueness.

Verse 4

Verse 5

you shall love Since we have no gods other than He Himself, consequently you must
love Him, there being no other god to love.
with all your heart The “heart” denotes consciousness (and is here an allusion to
the spirit of intelligence, corresponding to the first Divine Wheel [Ezekiel 1:
15]), as in “wise of heart” [Exodus 31: 6] and “acquires a heart” [Proverbs 15:
32].
with all your soul denotes the corporeal spirit (i.e., desire). This force
manifests itself in the kidneys.
with all your might [Hebrew: m’odekha ] from “much” [Hebrew: m’od ] — in other
words, to love Him exceedingly much — as much as you can — and that your love be
unqualified.

Verse 6

these words The Dissenters [this term, which appears fifteen times in ibn Ezra’s
commentary on Deuteronomy, is used by ibn Ezra to denote anyone who does not accept
the Rabbinic tradition, in full or in part; in ibn Ezra’s time the dominant non-
Rabbinic movement was the Karaites, but a “Dissenter” is anyone who questions the
Rabbinic tradition: frequently, but not necessarily, a Karaite — Translator] have
applied this phrase to the Ten Commandments (they also believe the Ten Commandments
are meant below in “you shall write them on the doorposts of your houses” [: 9]);
but the truth is that these words denotes all the commandments.

Verse 7

repeat them over from “a sharp arrow” [Proverbs 25: 18] — and it is well known that
an arrow becomes sharp only after continuous, repeated sharpening. From this we see
that the essence of Man is the service of God ; and that one serves God by
recognizing His works. The Exegetes, upon whom we all rely, have transmitted to us
the prescribed times for the reading of the Shma ‘:
when you sit (this adverbial phrase modifies speak of them )
when you lie down to sleep (for no commandments apply to someone who is actually
sleeping). Thus we see that speak of them includes both speech and thought.

Verse 8
Bind them as a sign upon your arm literally.
frontlets [Hebrew: ṭoṭafot ] Scripture contains no related words. Although the
Dissenters have said the word comes from “preach” [Ezekiel 21: 2], this is
unlikely, since the triliteral root of “preach” is n-ṭ-f, while this word is
missing the nun and has two ṭet ’s.

Verse 9

You shall write them The Dissenters have also disputed this commandment, claiming
that it is figurative, as in “bind them about your neck” [Proverbs 3: 3]; but we
who have received the truth from our ancestors shall disregard these fabricators.

Verse 10

Verse 11

good vocalized with a shuruq instead of a ḥolem : The two vowels interchange when
the word is not in the construct case.

Verse 12

the house of bondage There, your cities and houses were not so well-stocked.

Verse 13

Revere i.e., do not do anything forbidden

serve i.e., perform the positive commandments...
swear by His name and not in the name of any other gods (compare, “every tongue
shall swear” [Isaiah 45: 23]). In other words, you shall not swear in the name of
any god, other than God alone. But you may swear to affirm testimony, or to confirm
a contract — so long as it is true. Do not follow other gods since you may not
swear in their name.

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verse 16

in Massah the name of a place, as in “He called the name of the place Massah…”
[Exodus 17: 7]. There I explained the meaning of the name [ comment on Exodus 17:
2]. People were questioning whether “God is among us” [Exodus 17: 7]: If so, we
will worship him. But there is no need to put God to the test. Simply keep his
commandments; and if you do what is right in His sight, He will grant you every
good, and

Verse 17

Verse 18
Verse 19

He will thrust out all your enemies (the heh in to thrust out is part of the
triliteral root of the word — compare, “he pushed him down” [Numbers 35: 22]).

Verse 20

what are the rituals That is to say: Why do we, intelligent human beings, accept
such shackles? You shall answer that God redeemed us from the house of slavery, and
He has performed all this good for us; consequently we are obliged to revere His
name, having already acknowledged that He has been our Benefactor. Moreover, it
will be to our benefit, and it will keep us alive — for His commandments are life
to those who find them.

Verse 21

Verse 22

Verse 23

Verse 24

Verse 25

It will be our privilege Some say that this alludes to reward in the World to Come.
Literally, though, it means that from the standpoint of strict justice, we are
obliged to obey His will, because He is our Master. In my opinion the verse carries
an additional meaning: All the nations will perceive that we are righteous, because
we follow commandments and laws which are themselves righteous (for so it is
written [4: 8]).

Chapter 7

Verse 1

fell from, “your olives will drop off” [28: 40] (the nun here is part of the
triliteral root).

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4
will turn your son away The subject of the sentence is “his son” mentioned above [:
3] — his son to whom you should not give your daughter in marriage or The subject
of the sentence is your foreign neighbor, whose daughter you should not take for
your son in marriage, as mentioned above

Verse 5

But thus i.e., Only this shall you do to them — because you are holy people — and
you shall not make yourself loathsome through the objects of the Gentiles, who
adorn themselves with monuments and with Ashera trees.

Verse 6

beloved As explained above [ comment on Exodus 19: 5], this word denotes something
beautiful, the like of which can be found nowhere else (as in “the treasures of
kings” [Ecclesiastes 2: 8]).

Verse 7

attach you and choose you and no one else.

Verse 8

His keeping a verbal noun

Verse 9

He is the Almighty He is truly the Almighty, because He is both powerful and

faithful. This point is made in reference to “the oath” [: 8]; for one can be
faithful, but powerless to fulfill one’s oath, just as one can be powerful, yet
faithless.
He keeps the covenant, and the kindness, for His beloved No one has higher stature
than they
and for them who keep His commandments they are second in stature or He keeps the
covenant, and the kindness, for them who love Him in their hearts …them who keep
His commandments in their speech and in their actions...
a thousand generations “Thousand” here denotes “infinite”. Some people have
incorrectly seen here an allusion to the theory that the planetary cycles repeat
themselves every thirty-six thousand years. In fact, they repeat themselves
approximately every seventy years.

Verse 10

He repays His enemies [ plural ] every one of his enemies (as in, “the righteous
[ plural ] are secure [ singular ] like a lion” [Proverbs 28: 1] [ cf. comment on
Leviticus 19: 8])
to his face i.e., to himself, personally. Some people also compare the word to “in
His face”, a Hebrew metaphor for “in His anger” [ cf. comment on Leviticus 26: 17],
meaning that He will punish His enemies for having made themselves enemies of the
Truth.
to destroy him; for his enemy He does not defer Some interpret the verse to mean
that the wicked are rewarded in this world for the good they have done, and He does
not defer their reward for the World to Come. In my opinion, though, the correct
interpretation contrasts the wicked against the righteous. Unlike them, who endure
“a thousand generations” [: 9], God ’s enemies will perish, and will not continue
into the future, although they may falsely expect their children or their
grandchildren to survive (see “to the third and fourth generation” [Exodus 20: 5]).
Verse 11

Therefore keep Just as God keeps the covenant, so must you keep His commandments.

Verse 12

consequently i.e., the end reward — as in, “always, to the end” [Psalms 119: 112].
The meaning of the earlier passage “He keeps the covenant” [: 9] is that he kept
the covenant of Abraham; but if you are among “those that love him” [: 9], then He
will continue to keep the covenant. If you are one of “those who love him”, then He
will love you, and bless you, and increase you (this being the meaning of “the
covenant and the kindness” [: 9]).

Verse 13

your belly denotes progeny (“belly” is a euphemism).

Scripture lists grain, wine, and oil, because they are the main produce of your
land.
I have already explained the word “herd” [Exodus 13: 12] [the reference is to an
earlier commentary on Exodus, known as the Perush Haqqaṣar — Translator].
your cattle [Hebrew: ‫ כ‬alafekha ] as in “our oxen [Hebrew: ‫ כ‬allufeynu ] are heavy
laden” [Psalms 144: 14].
litters that is, “flocks”. A great Spanish commentator [this is believed to be
Yәhudah HaLevy — Translator] revealed the reason why the Hebrews refer to cattle
with the term “herd”, and to Caprinae with the term “litters” [Hebrew: ashtarot ] —
similar to his interpretation of “the Baalim and the Ashtarot” [Judges 10: 10] to
mean “the lord [Hebrew: baal ] of the ascendent constellation [namely, Taurus the
Bull — Translator], and the tenth [Hebrew: asSiri ] constellation [namely, Capricorn
the Goat — Translator]”. Not only will He bless the fruit of your womb, but also
there will not be among you any sterile male (one whose semen cannot induce
conception), nor even any infertility among your livestock; moreover, you will not
fall ill from any sickness (a well-known, conventional occurrence), nor from any
diseases (which are unnatural).

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verse 16

you will consume We are commanded to destroy them, like someone consuming bread, as
evidenced by the subsequent phrase your eye shall have no pity.
For it [ singular ] would be a snare to you i.e., every one of their gods.

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19
Verse 20

the ṣirah a bodily sickness, from ṣaraat [Leviticus 13: 2].

Verse 21

you shall not be terrified of them; rather, you should only be terrified of God,
who is a great and awe-inspiring God. Sa‘adya Gaon says [ Sa‘adya Gaon on this
verse and on Exodus 23: 29] that lest the wild beasts become numerous alludes to
the sign which will indicate at what future time they should undertake to overpower
their enemies; but there is no need for this interpretation, as I have explained
[ cf. comment on Exodus 23: 29].

Verse 22

Verse 23

Verse 24

Your annihilating is a verbal noun; even though the second syllable is vocalized
with a ḥiriq, the phrase “leaving [Hebrew: hish ‫ כ‬ir ] him a survivor” [Numbers 21:
35] exhibits a (probably) similar construction. Conclusive evidence here is them,
the direct object of the verb. silver and gold on them either You shall not desire
the silver and gold that is on them or You shall not accept silver and gold in
exchange for leaving them alone.

Verse 25

The vav in the word ensnared [Hebrew: tivvaqesh ] replaces a yod (which appears in
the word “I have laid a snare [Hebrew: yaqoshti ] for you” [Jeremiah 50: 24]).

Chapter 8

Verse 1

every commandment That is to say: If you desire to observe the commandments — so

that you may live — then

Verse 2

remember the path. I have already explained the idea behind sending hardships to
you in order to test you, to know… [ comment on Genesis 22: 1].

Verse 3

He afflicted you on the road.

He famished you before the coming of the manna. — or, more likely, He “famished”
needs other than hunger.
The word they knew [Hebrew: yadun ] ends with a nun, like “They poured out [Hebrew:
ṣaqun ] a silent prayer” [Isaiah 26: 16], and also “they camped [Hebrew: yaḥanun ]
on the other side of ‫ כ‬Arnon” [Judges 11: 18]....
The word to inform you is in the infinitive form.
the bread means that which a man is accustomed to.
that emanates from the mouth of God i.e., what He decrees. Compare, “as the word
went out of the king’s mouth” [Esther 7: 8]. The sense of the verse is that Man
does not live from just bread, but rather, from the energy that it contains — and
could live just as well from energy that comes to us from Heaven, through the
Divine decree (this is the meaning of emanates from the mouth of God ). The proof
is that although you did not eat bread, you nevertheless lived [ cf. 29: 5].

Verse 4

Your clothes Some say that this was a miraculous sign. Others say that they brought
many garments out of Egypt. The probable explanation is that a diet of manna
naturally does not give rise to perspiration.
did not swell [Hebrew: vaṣeqah ] from “they baked the dough [Hebrew: baṣeq ”
[Exodus 12: 39]. When someone travels on foot for a long distance, his foot
normally swells up. Here, it is likely either that God gave them extra endurance,
or that He made them walk slowly.

Verse 5

you will know with your heart You will have a heartfelt (i.e., a fundamental)
understanding. Because you listen to the Lord when He disciplines you — even though
He may discipline you by famishing you, or by afflicting you with thirst along the
way — your reward shall be that He will bring you into the good land.

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

a land of wheat… Scripture mentions the foods that are metabolized into blood. I
have already explained honey [ comment on Leviticus 2: 11].

Verse 9

indigence leanness, poverty (see also “a poor and wise child” [Ecclesiastes 4:
13]).

Verse 10

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

Contrary to the opinion of Rabbi Moshe ben Shmu’el Gikatilla HaKohen, the yod in
multiply is in place of a heh [Gikatilla held that lamed-heh verbs are in fact
quadriliteral, and that a penultimate yod forms part of the root — Translator].

Verse 14

you become haughty and forget that you had been an abject slave, and forget the
poverty and the hunger and the thirst that you suffered in the wilderness — and
that, despite all this, God provided for you.

Verse 15

The word in the wilderness modifies two different clauses, as if Scripture had said
“through the vast” (that is, both long and wide)...
“and dreadful wilderness, a wilderness of fiery…”.
flint denotes any hard stone.

Verse 16

Verse 17

this power that is, riches (as in, “they shall leave their wealth [literally: their
power] to others” [Psalms 49: 11]), in the sense of: the fruits of their toil, and
of their strength.

Verse 18

Remember In other words: If it should occur to you to say, “My strength and the
might of my hand…”, then remember Him Who gives you strength.

Verse 19

Verse 20

consequent the ultimate reward (whether for good or for evil)

Chapter 9

Verse 1

you cross today I.e., during this season (or perhaps the sense of the verse is,
“Think of yourself as if you were crossing today”).

Verse 2

Verse 3

The metaphor a devouring fire connotes a rapid destruction. Thus, Scripture

subsequently says quickly.

Verse 4
Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 7

The lamed in from the day is extraneous.

in the wilderness after you departed from Ḥorev.

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 10

The word with the finger has already been explained [ comment on Exodus 31: 18].

Verse 11

at the mark either the beginning or the end of the forty days [ cf. comment on
Numbers 13: 25]. Scripture here reveals that on the very day when Moshe was given
the tablets, the Golden Calf was made.

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 15

Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 18

I prostrated myself This is what was stated earlier, in the passage, “now I will go
up to God ” [Exodus 32: 30]
(the word I prostrated myself means that he bowed his face to the ground).

Verse 19

that time as well Moshe had previously prayed for them 1) At the Reed Sea (this is
evident from “Why are you crying out to me?” [Exodus 14: 15]) 2) “He prayed to God
and God showed him a tree” [Exodus 15: 25]

Verse 20

Verse 21

your sin denotes the calf, and Scripture proceeds to clarify that, by specifying
the appositive the calf.
crushed into fine dust, as the dust of the earth.

Verse 22

Taverah is probably the name of a place where they encamped for only one day,
therefore it is not mentioned in the parasha of Masey ; but it is one of the thirty
places they traversed on the way from Mount Sinai to Graves-of-Lust, as I have
explained [ comment on Numbers 10: 31]. The connection between Taverah and Massah
is that in both places the people were grumbling against — were testing, as it were
— God. The reason Taverah is mentioned first, before Massah, is that at Massah
nothing happened to them. And some say that Amalek came because [the
Israelites] tested the Lord. And therefore it mentioned the burning of the Lord's
fire in them and the pursuit of Amalek and the plague of those that desired - the
most difficult first. Some say that Taverah is Massah, along the lines of “from the
top of SS ә nir and Ḥermon” [Songs of Songs 4: 8]. But the correct explanation is
the one I have given.

Verse 23

you did not trust in your thoughts.

you did not listen in your actions. Moshe returns to elaborate on the prayer that
he prayed [ cf. : 18].

Verse 24

Verse 25

Verse 26

Verse 27

Verse 28
Verse 29

Your people and Your inheritance because of their forefathers.

The reason Scripture says they are Your people is that clearly they are the ones
who are Your people, because they are the ones whom You brought out by Your great
power which you revealed in the world.

Chapter 10

Verse 1

At that time during the abovementioned [9: 25] forty days.

a wooden ark The Exegetes, of blessed memory, have said [Palestinian Talmud Soṭa 8:
3 (22b)] that Moshe himself made an original ark, different from the one that was
later made. Their evidence is I made an ark, followed by I hewed…, after which
Moshe says “I put the tablets into the ark which I had made” — and their
understanding is greater than ours. But it would seem that “The glory of God dwelt”
[Exodus 24: 16] refers to the glory that the elders had already seen [Exodus 24:
10]. The exact date of Moshe’s first ascent is not clear, and a surface reading of
Scripture suggests that Moshe only fasted for eighty days: The period denoted by “I
stayed on the mount, as the first days:” [: 10] coincides with the second forty-day
period [9: 25], so that the sense of the passage is, When I had stayed in the
mountain these forty days, God “hearkened” unto me [ cf. : 10], and said, “lead the
march” [: 11] — which is the same as “go, lead the people” [Exodus 32: 34]. If all
this be true, then the “wooden ark” [: 1] was made at Moshe’s command, but it is
actually the same ark that B ә ṣal ‫ כ‬el made [ cf. Exodus 37: 1].

Verse 2

Verse 3

I made an ark That is, he commanded that an ark be made. Consequently, “Moshe
gathered” [Exodus 35: 1] must mean, “Moshe had gathered” (I have already shown you
many similar instances). All this was necessitated by the passage they remained
there as God had commanded me, assuming that the reference is to “put the Testimony
into the Ark” [Exodus 25: 16]. Nevertheless, it is also possible that the reference
is to “make for you a wooden ark” [: 1]. In any case, the Tradition must prevail.

Verse 4

Verse 5

Verse 6

The children of Israel traveled from Bә ‫כ‬erot-Bәné-Yaɐqan to Moserah. This verse is

inserted here, because Moshe had said “I also prayed for the sake of Aaron at that
time” [9: 20]; Scripture accordingly informs us that Aaron did not die, until the
fortieth year. The evidence for the correctness of this explanation is that, while
they were at Mount Sinai, “at that time, God set apart the tribe of Levi” [: 8] (as
I have explained in my commentary on the parasha of Bәmidbar [ comment on Numbers
3: 1]). Our ancestors asserted [Palestinian Talmud Yoma 1: 1 (38b)] that they
backtracked to a previous encampment — but what then is to be done with the word
“there” in there Aaron died, and there he was buried? The Spaniard Rabbi Isaac ben
Y ә hudah ibn Ghiyyat, of blessed memory, translated the word “there” into “then”
(similarly, “from then on [literally: from there] he became a shepherd” [Genesis
49: 24]). But in my opinion none of this is needed. Rather, Beerot-Bәné-Yaaqan is
not the same as “Bené-Yaaqan” [Numbers 33: 31]; and also, Moserah is not the same
as “Moserot” [Numbers 33: 30]. Bә ‫כ‬erot-Bәné-Yaɐqan is another name for Qadesh, and
Moserah is the name of the desert region surrounding Mount Hor. There are many
similar instances (e.g., note that Scripture calls a place “the Shur Wilderness”
[Exodus 15: 22], but in another verse says “the ‫ כ‬Eytam Wilderness” [Numbers 33:
8]).

Verse 7

From there they marched to Gudgod This is not the same as “Ḥor-Haggidgad” [Numbers
33: 32]. Rather, it is the general name for the region that includes Ṣalmonah
[Numbers 23: 41], Punon [Numbers 23: 42], and also ‫ כ‬Ovot [Numbers 23: 43]. Yoṭvata
here is the place that is elsewhere called “B ә ‫ כ‬er” (for so it is written: “from
thence they went to B ә ‫ כ‬er” [Numbers 21: 16]), which explains the phrase an area
rich in brooks of water. The nobles dug with their staves, and water flowed forth [
cf. Numbers 21: 18]. This verse, containing the statement from there they marched
to Gudgod, is juxtaposed to “Eleazar ministered” [: 6]. Even though I previously
told you [ comment on Exodus 29: 42] that Israel offered no sacrifices after they
left Mount Sinai, it seems likely that they did offer them when they arrived at
Ṣalmonah and Punon. Thus the beginning of Eleazar’s ministry as High Priest
occurred in those places, on Rosh HaShanah (he officiated in the place called B ә ‫כ‬
er on Yom Kippur). The explanation, then, is as follows: “Eleazar officiated when
they marched to such-and-such a place. And why was Eleazar the kohen? Because at
the time of the worship of the Calf, God set apart the tribe of Levi, to carry the
Ark, and to stand before God.”

Verse 8

The Levites were to minister before Him together with the descendants of Aaron.
to bless in His name for Eleazar used to give the Priestly Blessing [ cf. Numbers
6: 24 ff.].

Verse 9

God is their allotment along the lines of “God is the portion of my inheritance,
and of my cup” [Psalms 16: 5] — meaning, service of God through the study of His
ways.

Verse 10

I have already explained I stayed on the mount [ comment on : 1].

Verse 11

The word lead the march is a verbal noun.

Verse 12

Verse 13
Verse 14

Verse 15

He has chosen their descendants who are you — and the phrase is followed by the
appositive you.

Verse 16

Circumsize the foreskin of your hearts by distancing yourselves from desires, which
are as thick and as heavy as a foreskin. Perhaps the idiom also means: Purify your
heart, so that it will understand the truth.
I have explained the word your neck [ comment on Exodus 32: 9]. Moreover, the idiom
is used here, because he previously had said “you are a stiff-necked people” [9:
6].

Verse 17

I have already explained the phrase the Supreme Judge [ comment on Genesis 1: 1].
The Lord of lords for there are levels of greatness among rulers, as in “and there
are yet higher ones over them” [Ecclesiastes 5: 7]. One who recognizes these
attributes is “circumsized of heart” [ cf. : 16].

Verse 18

executes justice Although He is lofty, He executes justice for the orphan and
widow, who have no ally. Compare [Megilla 31a], “Father of the fatherless” [Psalms
68: 6]. Likewise with respect to the alien: He will provide for those who depend on
Him. Since God loves the alien, you are required to love him.

Verse 19

Verse 20

Revere God your God do not violate the negative commandments.

Him shall you serve through the positive commandments.
to Him will you cleave in your heart.
by His Name you will swear in speech (in the manner prescribed [Temurah 3b]).

Verse 21

He is your glory i.e., it is appropriate for you to glorify in Him, because He has
done awesome things for you.

Verse 22

I have already explained seventy souls [ comment on Genesis 46: 23]. Since He has
multipled you, you are bound to love Him (which has been said before, but here
Scripture adds always ).

Chapter 11
Verse 1

Verse 2

it is not your children The conclusion of this sentence is “your own eyes have
seen” [: 7]. In other words: These miracles are not for the future, to be seen by
your children; but rather, you yourselves have seen them.
His greatness, His strong hand, His outstretched arm in taking you out of Egypt.

Verse 3

His signs, His actions toward Pharaoh, who was the main recipient.

Verse 4

made flow [Hebrew: heṣif ] from “water flowed [Hebrew: ṣafu ] over my head”
[Lamentations 3: 54].
destroyed them meaning that never again did their descendants arise to attain their
level of grandeur.

Verse 5

what He performed for you in the wilderness denotes the manna.

Verse 6

their households specifically, their wives and children.

all the possessions is a general term.
on their feet meaning, which existed on their account — or, perhaps the term is to
be taken literally. After having seen all of these things with your own eyes, take
care to keep God ’s commandments.

Verse 7

Verse 8

you will occupy [Hebrew: viyrishtem ] the resh is vocalized with a ḥiriq because
the vav is vocalized with a ḥiriq [ cf. comment on 4: 1].

Verse 9

Verse 10

For the land… After establishing that you are obliged to keep His commandments, the
meaning of this passage is: For the land is not like the land of Egypt; rather, it
has a need for God to set His eyes upon it all year long. (This latter expression
is a figure of speech, connoting someone who watches for whatever is needed, and
provides for everything in its proper time.

Verse 11
Verse 12

The word from the beginning is missing an ’alef. Many similar words exist [ cf.
comment on Leviticus 11: 43].) For this reason, Scripture says If you will
carefully follow …

Verse 13

Verse 14

I will give the rain for your land — i.e., elaborating the abovementioned “the eyes
of God your God are set upon it” [: 12].
early rain [Hebrew: yoreh ] The rain which notifies [Hebrew: yoreh ] of a
prosperous year, coming at the beginning of the season. The meaning of the word
latter rain is known [e.g., Zechariah 10: 1].

Verse 15

you will eat and be satisfied referring to the abovementioned “grain and wine” [:
14], not the more proximate grass in your fields.

Verse 16

Verse 17

I have already explained the word its produce [ comment on Leviticus 26: 4].
you will be quickly lost You shall be exiled like wanderers because of the famine,
even though the land had formerly been good. For this reason, you must take these
matters to heart.

Verse 18

The word frontlets has already been explained [ comment on 6: 8]. If you take these
matters to heart, you will not perish from upon the land; rather, you will extend
your days as long as the heaven endures on the earth.

Verse 19

Verse 20

Verse 21

Verse 22

Whereas I.e., concerning that which I mentioned earlier — that you would “perish
quickly from upon the good land” — realize that you will not even arrive there in
the first place, and you will not conquer it, if you do not observe God ’s
commandments.
to love in one’s heart.
to walk in all His ways and neither stray, nor turn back
cleave to Him upon expiring (this is a great mystery).

Verse 23

Verse 24

Verse 25

Verse 26

Behold [ singular ] Moshe addresses every individual.

Verse 27

The blessing, that you will observe I.e., through your observing, you become
blessed. A blessing is an increase in good, whereas a curse [Hebrew: qәlalah ] is a
reduction (from “degrade” [Hebrew: qalah ]).

Verse 28

Verse 29

you will place the blessing orally (as in “he will put them on the head of the he-
goat” [Leviticus 16: 21]).

Verse 30

across the Jordan opposite the wilderness.

toward the setting sun meaning, If you travel westward, you will find them.
in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the plain for there are Canaanites who
dwell in the hills.
opposite Gilgal Since the mountains are extensive, Scripture specifies which part
of the mountains. The phrase opposite Gilgal [which name did not exist until the
time of Joshua [Joshua 5: 9] — Translator] must be understood the same way as “he
pursued as far as Dan” [Genesis 14: 14]: either it was written prophetically, or
there are two places with the same name.
opposite meaning, “facing”.
‫כ‬Eloney Moreh the same that was mentioned in Abraham’s time [Genesis 12: 6].
Scripture will specify later the exact wording of the blessing and of the curse
[27:15 ff ].

Verse 31

The passage For you are crossing means: You are about to begin observing the
commandments, whereby the land will become a permanent inheritance for you.

Chapter 12
Verse 1

Verse 2

You must utterly eradicate all the places… The grammarian Rabbi Yona ibn Janaḥ said
that the phrase their gods is missing a vav, as if to say “the places where they
worshiped, [and] their gods …”. But his explanation contributes nothing. Rather,
the phrase is the object of the verb they worshiped.
The word leafy, like the word “tranquil” [e.g., Isaiah 33: 20], always appears with
two nun ’s. Its meaning is related to “green” [Job 8: 16].

Verse 3

their asherim these are trees.

destroy their name so that it shall not be mentioned.

Verse 4

You shall not do so to … I.e., you shall not sacrifice on the hills, nor on the
mountains, but only on the place where He shall set His Name.

Verse 5

to put His Name Compare, “wherever I case My Name to be pronounced” [Exodus 20:
21].
You will seek out His abode denoting the locale, in the sense of “the place where
His glory dwells” [ cf. Psalms 26: 8].

Verse 6

Verse 7

there you (i.e., the Kohanim and the Levites) will eat.

Verse 8

But you must not do as we are doing here After the death of Aaron — since they used
to travel from one encampment to another — a man might offer, e.g., a burnt-
offering, in whatever encampment he desired; or, one man might offer the firstborn
of his flock, while another man did not so offer — because the obligation in each
case is dependent on the land of Israel. I do not agree with this interpretation.
Rather, Moshe’s meaning is that they were not all completely dedicated to God. The
reason he can say we [thereby including even himself — Translator] is that there
were many commandments concerning, e.g., burnt-offerings, which could not be
fulfilled except in the land of Israel (for so it is written [Numbers 15: 2]). the
rest Figuratively, a condition from which their descendants will not stray. The
same interpretation can be given to the word “inheritance”. Actually, however, the
word rest is to be understood in connection with the phrase He grants you
tranquility; and the word “inheritance” denotes the time when you will dwell in
safety.

Verse 9
Verse 10

Verse 11

the choice of your vows One is obliged to satisfy his vows with the choicest of his
animals [Yoma 34b].

Verse 12

Scripture repeats the word you will rejoice [ cf. : 7], in order to introduce the
principle that you must gladden the Levite, because he has no portion as you
yourself have.

Verse 13

Scripture repeats the idea of in every place which you deem suitable [ cf. : 8] in
order to exclude meat of luxury. Since peace-offerings are holy, and since a
ritually impure person who eats holy meat incurs excision, Scripture clarifies that
meat of luxury may be eaten by the ritually impure and the ritually pure.

Verse 14

Verse 15

like the gazelle and like the deer which are never offered on the Altar — and hence
a gazelle’s suet, as well as a deer’s suet, may be eaten (this supports my previous
assertion [ comment on Leviticus 7: 23 ff.]; but we rely primarily on our ancestral
tradition [Ḥullin 117a]).

Verse 16

Verse 17

to eat within your gates the tithe of your grain… Scripture addresses the Levites
(and, according to many, also the common Israelites, apropos the second tithe);
similarly in the phrase the firstlings of your herd and flock, Scripture addresses
the Kohanim. The Levites, as well as the Kohanim, are included among “Israel” in
general (as in “I commanded you” [3: 18], wherein Moshe addresses only two and one-
half tribes). Compare “however, you must redeem…” [Numbers 18: 15], which is
addressed to all Israel, but which only applies to someone who has a firstborn that
he is obliged to redeem. Thus, to eat within your gates… you may eat it before God
your God can only apply to someone who is obliged to eat it. The Dissenters have
said that there are two firstborns: 1) the firstborn who “opens the womb” [Exodus
13: 12] and 2) the “firstborn of the flock”; but there is no need to reply to their
nonsense. Others among them have said that this passage concerns the firstborn [15:
22] [Bekhorot 32b] and the tithe [Yevamot 85b ff ] that an ordinary Israelite may
eat — that it may be eaten even in the “chosen place”. But this is the opposite of
what Scripture says! because your appetite desires to eat meat i.e., if your
appetite desires to eat meat. This law has already been mentioned [: 15], but
Scripture repeats it here to add the passage when the place will be too far. This
includes any place outside of the land of Canaan: its status is the same as that of
any place within your gates.
Verse 18

Verse 19

Verse 20

Verse 21

Verse 22

Verse 23

I have already explained the phrase for the blood is the life [ comment on Genesis
9: 4 : comment on Leviticus 17: 15].

Verse 24

Verse 25

that it may be good for you One should not incorporate the soul of a beast, and
thereby adulterate one’s own soul. Since both the soul, and the form of the body,
are formed in the image of the father, Scripture accordingly continues your
children after you.

Verse 26

consecrated animals e.g., your burnt-offerings, your peace-offerings, and your

vows.
carry meaning, you must bring them to the chosen place.

Verse 27

you may eat the meat Scripture addresses the Kohanim, in the case of a firstling,
or a sin-offering, or a guilt-offering. In the case of a peace-offering, only the
thigh and the breast are meant, the greater part of it being eaten by an ordinary
Israelite.

Verse 28

observe and heed to spill the blood at the side of the Altar.

Verse 29

When He cuts down This passage is connected to the passage “When He enlarges…” [:
20] — if they are not victorious over the other nations, then He cannot enlarge the
borders.
Verse 30

The word and lest introduces an elliptical construction, as if Scripture had said
“and be careful … lest you inquire after their gods, in order to act as they act,
saying…”.
in that same manner will I act in worshiping God, thinking that you thereby do
well. However, you must not act thus, because all of their actions are abhorrent to
God (as evidenced by the subsequent explanation, they even set fire to their
sons… ). Rather, you must observe that which I have commanded you.

Verse 31

Chapter 13

Verse 1

Verse 2

if a prophet arises among you The meaning of among you is that a prophet must be
from the nation of Israel. The common thread connecting this passage with the
previous passage is the prohibition against idolatry (the burning of children [12:
31] was an idolatrous practice). The word prophet here denotes someone who claims
that God, or a messenger of God, spoke to him while awake. The other possibility is
that it occurred in a dream. Some say, that the prophet discussed here is likely
one of the “thieves of God ’s words” [ cf. Jeremiah 23: 30] — to wit: A true
prophet announces that a certain miracle will come, to justify him; someone else
overhears this, and then asserts that the miracle applies to himself. Others say,
that we do not believe him, even if the signal or marvel comes to pass, because he
says things that are contrary to logic. In my opinion, the Hebrew words signal and
marvel here have the sense of “sign” [and not any supernatural event — Translator]:
1) The words of Isaiah provide evidence for this interpretation. He said “Behold,
I, and the children whom God has given me, are for signs and for portents” [Isaiah
8: 18] (the prophet’s own sign was “…just as my servant Isaiah has walked naked and
barefoot…” [Isaiah 20: 3]; the sons’ signs were their names, each being named after
an event which was to occur in his lifetime, i.e., “Immanu ‫ כ‬el” [Isaiah 7: 14],
“Maher-Shalal-Ḥash-Baz” [Isaiah 8: 3], and “Sh ә ‫ כ‬ar-Yashuv” [Isaiah 7: 3]). 2)
With respect to plagues, Scripture says “They will serve you as signs and proofs”
[28: 46]. Many similar examples exist.

Verse 3

Verse 4

test in that He let him be, and did not kill him. God tests people to reveal the
virtue of him who is tested.

Verse 5

after God your God must you walk you must imitate His acts, to the best of your
ability, and pursue His ways.
Him must you revere fearing to question “Why is this?”
His commandments must you keep i.e., the commandments which are ends in themselves.
His voice must you obey i.e., the commandments which remind us of those ends.
Him must you serve in action.
and to Him must you cleave in your heart — in the first life, and in the afterlife.

Verse 6

he spoke rebellious i.e., he spoke rebellious words. Compare, “in the multitude of
counsellors, [counsel] is established” [Proverbs 15: 22].
The derivation of the Hebrew word rebellious [Hebrew: sarah ] could be that he
turned away [Hebrew: sarah ] from God Who commanded us to turn away from idol-
worship, or it comes from “insubordinate [Hebrew: sorer ] and rebellious” [21: 18]
— and the latter etymology is correct (it would thus be appropriate for the resh to
be vocalized with a dagesh )....
Scripture repeats the sense of Who brought you out in redeemed you, for the sake of
emphasis....
I have already explained the word you must remove [ comment on Numbers 24: 22].

Verse 7

If you brother entices i.e., if even your own brother.

the son of your mother who was in the same womb as you. The mother represents the
substance, whereas the father represents the form. Only a few people, though, can
discern the form.

Verse 8

Verse 9

do not assent to him in your heart’s belief.

nor accept his words in action.
you must not spare him from being killed.
you must not cover him by refraining from action. Rather, you must reveal the
matter, so that witnesses will come and hear it from his own mouth (for so it is
written [17: 6]) — and then you must kill him.

Verse 10

Let your hand be first Were it not for the tradition, it would seem that this is
addressed to each one of the witnesses [ cf. 17: 7] [the halakha [Sanhedrin 67a] is
that it is the witnesses who begin the stoning, not the people subjected to the
enticement, whenever they are distinct from one another — Translator].

Verse 11

Stone him Scripture specifies the form of death.

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14
Verse 15

The terms inquire and search and investigate are well explained in the words of our
Sages, of blessed memory [Sanhedrin 44a ff ].

Verse 16

Verse 17

entirely All of it belongs to God your God, i.e., you must burn it in fire for the
glory of God.
heap [Hebrew: tel ] from “a high and lofty [Hebrew: talul ] mountain” [Ezekiel 17:
22].

Verse 18

in order that God may turn from the fierceness of His anger and not destroy you in
the city’s iniquity.

Verse 19

The verse for you will follow… means: So will you do, if you seek to practice what
is right in His eyes. This passage is juxtaposed to the subsequent passage on
account of the enticers to idolatry (be they brother, or son, or father, or the
inhabitants of the “seduced city”) — it is forbidden to mourn over them at all, and
certainly to cut one’s flesh, which is forbidden for any dead person.

Chapter 14

Verse 1

cut your flesh ([Hebrew: titgodәdu ] from “upon all the hands shall be gashes
[Hebrew: gәdudot ]” [Jeremiah 48: 37]) for the same reason as “any incision for the
soul” [Leviticus 19: 28].
nor make any baldness as the other nations do, to this very day.
Children Once you understand that you are children of God, and He loves you more
than a father loves his child, then you will not cut your flesh over anything that
He does, for everything that he does is good. Even if you do not understand it — as
small children do not not understand their father’s actions, yet they trust him —
you should yourselves act likewise, because you are a consecrated people and you
are not like the other Canaanites. Accordingly you should not act as they act. The
reason for the juxtaposition of this passage with the passage you must not eat any
abominable thing is: You are to be a holy nation, in your hearts and in your
mouths. You must thus be distinguishable from the other nations, so that anyone who
sees you will recognize you. Accordingly you must not make yourselves bald over the
dead [ cf. : 1], nor may you eat just any animal — for, if you are to be a holy
nation, it is not fitting that you should eat that which is defiled, and thereby
defile your souls.

Verse 2
Verse 3

any abominable thing i.e., anything which is abhorrent to a refined spirit, such as
the vermin of the earth [ cf. comment on Leviticus 18: 22].

Verse 4

the ox [and] Scripture omits the connective vav the sheep kid and the goat kid The
word “kid” can, in Hebrew, be applied both to the goat species and the sheep
species.

Verse 5

The meanings of the terms up till the gazelle and the deer are commonly known; the
remaining five terms require the Tradition [ Sa’adya Gaon on this verse].

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

but no cud Scripture employs brevity, and omits either the word “chews” (i.e., “but
chews no cud”) or the word “has” (i.e., “but has no cud”).

Verse 9

I have already explained the words fins and scales [ comment on Leviticus 11: 9].

Verse 10

Verse 11

bird is a generic term, as I explained earlier [ comment on Genesis 15: 10], when I
pointed out that “turtle-dove” [Genesis 15: 9] and “pigeon” [Genesis 15: 9] were
two individual species within the same generic term. Similarly, dayyah and ra ‫ כ‬ah
are specific terms classified under the more general term “ da ‫ כ‬ah ” [Leviticus
11: 14]; here Scripture gives additional detail.

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 15
Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19

Verse 20

every ritually pure winged thing e.g., the locust.

Verse 21

you must not eat anything that died by itself whether a bird, or a beast.
to the resident alien who is within your gates and has not converted to Judaism.
The person to whom one sells it may either be a stranger who does not dwell in the
land, or he may have the status that I have explained [ see comment on Exodus 22:
20]. Because this passage concerns meat, it is connected to the passage you must
not cook a kid…, as I have previously explained [ comment on Exodus 23: 19 ; the
reference is to an earlier commentary on Exodus, known as the Perush Haqqaṣar —
Translator].

Verse 22

This passage, in turn, is connected to the passage You must set aside the tithe
because Scripture has informed us that one may not eat a ritually impure bird, nor
a ritually impure beast, nor a beast that has died by itself — thereby concluding
the discussion of meat. With respect to grain, on the other hand, there is a
consecrated portion which may not be eaten except in the appropriate place.
The Spaniard Rabbi Y ә hudah HaLevy — may he be for us a light from above! — has
said that the phrase which the field goes out year after year modifies the word
seed (and thus denotes the seed that one takes out into the field). In my opinion,
the meaning is more straightforward: it denotes the produce that the field brings
forth. If you should object that Scripture uses the term “goes out”, which is an
intransitive verb, I shall show you “the city that brought forth [literally: went
forth] one thousand, shall have one hundred left” [Amos 5: 3] in which the verb
“shall have left [ singular ]” is definitive proof of the other verb’s
transitivity. Our Sages, of blessed memory, have asserted [ Sifrey on this verse]
that this verse describes the Second Tithe. Understand that if you count upward,
you begin with One; if you count downward, you begin with Ten. This is the mystery
of the first-born, and of the tithe [ cf. comment on Leviticus 27: 32 ff.].
Understand that the number One is in a class by itself. So is the number Ten (which
corresponds to the number One), because it is both the beginning of the tens, and
the end of the units. All the other unary numbers are contained within them,
between one and the other. Because One and Ten are the fundamental quantities, they
and the numbers midway between them — i.e., Five and Six — are called “round
numbers”. Accordingly, the silent letters in the Hebrew alphabet [’ alef, heh, vav,
and yod — Translator] are those that correspond to these four quantities; and among
them are the letters that form the Glorious and Awesome Name [ cf. comment on
Exodus 3: 15].

Verse 23

…the firstlings of your oxen i.e., he who is fit to eat them will eat them, as I
have explained [ comment on 12: 17].
The obvious meaning of in order that you learn is: When you are staying in the holy
place, they will teach you. But a non-obvious meaning is in the sense of “a well-
broken heifer” [Hosea 10: 11], meaning “you will become accustomed to”. I believe
that the latter interpretation is the correct one.

Verse 24

Verse 25

The tithe mentioned here is the object of the verb you may exchange.
The word in your hand means, entrusted into your hands.

Verse 26

or alchoholic beverage made from honey, or from dates, or from wheat, or from
barley.
whatever your heart desires e.g., fruit.
you and your household you and your sons are obliged, whereas the rest of your
household are permitted. The commandment to observe the three festivals is binding
only upon males [Exodus 23: 17]; but those women will be rewarded who, like the
wives of ‫ כ‬Elqanah, [I Samuel 1: 3 ff.], go on pilgrimage to the appointed place.

Verse 27

the Levite who resides within your gates denotes any member of the Tribe of Levi.
You will be rewarded if you do not forsake them, but rather, if you give them
commensurate to what you can afford. The most plausible interpretation is that
Scripture is discussing the first tithe. Having just mentioned the second tithe,
Scripture now says: Do not think that you fulfill your duty with only the second
tithe.
within your gates The first tithe should be given to him who resides within your
gates. One should not say, “Since he will always be with me, I shall send this to a
different Levite”, or “I have already given to him”.

Verse 28

The passage at the boundary of three years discusses the Pauper’s Tithe. During
this year, one should not set apart the Second Tithe [Rosh HaShana 12b]. Some say,
though, that one should set apart all three tithes. The Dissenters assert that the
passage “you must set aside…” [: 22] denotes the first tithe
(and that the passage “take the money in your hand…” [: 22] is addressed to the
Levites, just as the phrase “the firstlings of your herds” [: 23] is addressed to
the Kohanim),...
boundary here denotes the beginning and that there is a second tithe only every
three years, known as the Pauper’s Tithe — but we shall rely on our ancestral
tradition.

Chapter 15
Verse 1

At the boundary of seven years you will arrange a release denotes the beginning of
the year, as is corroborated by the passage of “assemble the people” [31: 12]. The
passage is connected to the previous one because, having mentioned that the
Pauper’s Tithe belongs to the Levite, and the alien, and the orphan, and the widow
[ cf. 14: 29], it is now logical to discuss the general release. release [Hebrew:
shmiṭṭah ] from “drop her” [Hebrew: shimṭuhah ] [II Kings 9: 33]: i.e., they
released her, and she fell.

Verse 2

The word debt [Hebrew: masheh ] has the same form as the word “staff’ [Hebrew:
maṭṭeh ], and in my opinion is a noun (according to many, however, it is a verb
[meaning “lending” — Translator]). The word possessor is here used in the same
sense as in “wisdom preserves the lives of them that have it” [Ecclesiastes 7: 12],
or “takes away the life of its owners” [Proverbs 1: 19], denoting the person to
whom something belongs.
hold is a transitive verb; the borrower is said to be “beholden to”.
press [Hebrew: yiggosS ] i.e., “oppress”, as in “you exact [Hebrew: tingosSu ] all
your payments” [Isaiah 58: 3] (in which one can see the nun, which normally
disappears in the future form of a peh-nun verb).
a release to God i.e., in honor of God, Who has given the creditor wealth. The
association here with God is due to the earlier statement “it is the Sabbath of God
” [Leviticus 25: 2].

Verse 3

You may press the foreigner for payment i.e., it is permissible.

Verse 4

However… The sense of this passage is: Know that there might be no need for that
which I have commanded you concerning not pressing your brother for payment; for
there will be no one among you in need of your lending to him if all (or the
majority) of Israel hearkens unto the voice of God. Rather, you will all secure
loans from many nations (meaning, that you will take their “security” — i.e.,
“collateral” — for the money that you will give them, which they need in order to
engage in commerce).

Verse 5

Verse 6

Indeed, as long as you remain upright, you will rule over them. Nevertheless, the
command does apply If there be among you a needy man. Accordingly, Scripture
informs us that “the needy will not be absent in the midst of your land” [: 11]; He
knew that the generation would come in which the majority of people are not
innocent.

Verse 7

do not toughen your heart You must speak kind words to him.
shut means “to close” when the verb is in the qal form.
needy [Hebrew: evyon ] Some say that the word is related to “he did not want
[Hebrew: avah ] to let them go” [Exodus 10: 27] (thereby attributing to it the same
form as is shown by the Hebrew words “lofty [Hebrew: elyon ]”, “hideaway [Hebrew:
ḥevyon ]”, and “logic [Hebrew: higgayon ]”, whose triliteral roots are -l-h, ḥ-v-h,
and h-g-h, respectively), denoting one who is in want of everything, due to his
great need.

Verse 8

You must open employs a verbal noun. In fact, every verb that is not preceded by
the verbal noun is in reality an elliptical construct. But the homiletical
explanation [Bava Meṣi‘a 31b] [that it applies to the poor of other cities as well
as to of one’s own — Translator] is also attractive.
open your hand to him applies to someone who has nothing, as opposed to
you must secure a loan to him — you must give him of yours, in exchange for his
collateral (the verb “secure a loan” means “take in exchange for a security”).

Verse 9

The word base [Hebrew: bliyyaal ] is a noun. Some say, however, that it is a
compound word, suggestive of a prayer that does not ascend [Hebrew: yaal ], nor
increase, nor endure.
your eye be mean employs an ‘ayin-vav verb, of the same form as “she returns to her
father’s house” [Leviticus 22: 13].

Verse 10

on account of [literally: “in rolling over”] i.e., “for the reason of” [literally:
“in turning over”]. Compare “to turn this matter the other way” [II Samuel 14: 20].
The reason behind this verse’s assertion is that all of our individual bodies are
nothing more than parts of an integrated Whole.
give, give indicating that if you give to him, God will then increase your
possessions.

Verse 11

I have already explained the needy will not be absent in the midst of your land
[ comment on 15: 7].
You must first give to your brother (i.e., your blood relative),
before giving to your poor (i.e., the poor in your family); and the needy of your
land have precedence over the needy of another land. The common theme which
connects this passage with the passage If your Hebrew brother be sold to you is the
idea of “supply him with a bonus” [: 14].

Verse 12

I have already defined the term Hebrew brother [ comment on Exodus 21: 2].
or female The case is when a man sells his daughter to be a maidservant [ Mekhilta
on Exodus 21: 7].

Verse 13

I have already explained the word empty [ comment on Genesis 31: 42].

Verse 14

supply with a bonus [Hebrew: haneyq taniq ] You must behave beautifully toward him,
from “a necklace [Hebrew: ɒ naqim ] about your neck” [Proverbs 1: 9]. Or, it could
be that the word has no cognate, and that its meaning must be deduced entirely from
context.
Verse 15

Verse 16

Verse 17

I have already given the reason for piercing his ear at the door [ comment on
Exodus 21: 6]. The reason Scripture mentions this again is that you owe him a debt
when he goes free; but, if he does not want to go, you must pierce his ear instead.
So shall you do even to your maid-servant refers back to “supply him with a bonus”
[: 14] (even though it is remote — compare the antecedents of “He must make
restitution; if he has nothing wherewith to pay…” [Exodus 22: 2], “if these three…”
[Exodus 21: 11], and many others [ see also comment on Leviticus 19: 25]), because
a woman’s ear is not pierced [Qiddushin 17b].

Verse 18

you must not begrudge… We find the verse “three years, as the years of a hireling”
[Isaiah 16: 14] from which we learn that a man is not permitted to hire himself out
for more than three years. This principle applies in equal force to the employer
(that is, he who pays his wage). Thus, the word “twice” denotes “double” (as it
does in “there will be twice” [Exodus 16: 5]), when the word serves as a noun. On
the other hand, when the same word appears in such phrases as “second to the king”
[Esther 10: 3] the word functions as an adjective. It comes from the word “two”, as
I have explained [ comment on Esther 10: 3]. Scripture thus clarifies here that the
phrase “at the seventh year he shall go out free, without paying” [Exodus 21: 2]
denotes the beginning of the seventh year. Further proof could be brought from the
case of the Sabbatical year, or even from the case of the Sabbath day.
The word will bless you denotes the future, not the past. When a vav precedes a
verb beginning with a labial consonant, there is no way to distinguish between the
two tenses, so the meaning must be known from context.

Verse 19

The common theme which connects the passage of all the firstling males to the
previous passage is you must not do any work with the firstlings of your ox.

Verse 20

You must eat As I have explained [ comment on 12: 17], Scripture addresses only him
who is fit to eat it.
Thus, you and your family denotes the family of the kohen. This law is here stated
for the second time, in order to mention the treatment of a blemished animal.

Verse 21

any serious defect which have been enumerated [Leviticus 22: 22 ff ].

Verse 22

You may eat it within your gates Some say that the kohen may eat it outside of the
Sanctuary. Others assert that, since it is defective, it belongs to the Israelite —
but, in my opinion, this is farfetched [the halakha [Bekhorot 33a] is that a common
Israelite may eat a defective firstling, once he has acquired it from the kohen —
Translator].
ritually impure and ritually pure refers to you may eat it. The heh in both words
carries the vocative meaning, as if to say, “you, whether ritually impure or
ritually pure”. In other words, he is permitted to eat it whether he is ritually
pure or not. This is mentioned because normally someone who eats holy meat while
ritually impure incurs the penalty of karet. Since the previous passage contained
the law of “annually” [15: 20], Scripture now mentions the laws of “three times a
year” [: 16]. Another connection is that a firstling must be eaten in the
Sanctuary, and likewise the Paschal sacrifice may only be eaten during the
existence of the Sanctuary, and not outside of it.

Chapter 16

Verse 1

the month of Spring is so called because it was during the Springtime that they
left Egypt. The Dissenters have claimed that one may not perform the Paschal
sacrifice until Spring-time. I have replied to their nonsense elsewhere [ comment
on Exodus 12: 2] (nevertheless, we must acknowledge that the court did examine
whether or not Spring had arrived). Know that in the Hebrew language the months
have no proper names. The names that appear in Scripture — like Nisan [Esther 3:
7], Sivan [Esther 8: 9], Kislev [Nehemiah 1: 1], Ṭevet [Esther 2: 16], and Adar
[Esther 3: 7] — are all Aramaic. Consequently, Scripture had to tell us, “…this
being the month of Nisan” [Esther 3: 7]. The only Hebrew terms that we find are the
descriptive terms “Splendor” [I Kings 6: 1], “Mighty” [I Kings 8: 2], and “Wilt” [I
Kings 6: 38]. The original rule was that the first month (the month from which the
others are counted) was to be reckoned with the coming of the Spring — whether the
previous year had twelve or thirteen months being of no concern. However, our
ancestors, of blessed memory, added other considerations, in addition to the Spring
[Sanhedrin 11b]; and all of their words are true.
at night God brought you out from under the authority of Pharaoh, and they left
shortly afterward, as I have explained at greater length [ comment on Exodus 12:
31].

Verse 2

flock for the fulfillment of the Paschal sacrifice,

and oxen for the festival peace-offerings. Corroborating evidence is found in “…and
three thousand bullocks” [II Chronicles 35: 7] after Scripture had already stated
“…and for the paschal offerings,” [ ibid.] regarding the lambs and kids. Moreover,
“five thousand” animals for paschal offerings, in addition to “five hundred oxen”
[II Chronicles 35: 9], were given to the Levites. Here, too, Scripture first
mentions the paschal offering, before mentioning the cattle. Compare, “you, and
your household” [14: 26].

Verse 3

you must not eat leaven on it meaning, no leaven may remain at the time when one
may slaughter the Paschal offering [Pesaḥim 28b].
bread of affliction as a remembrance.
all the days of your life i.e., every year.

Verse 4

which you offer on the eve This denotes the meat of the Paschal offering.

Verse 5
Verse 6

I have already explained the term toward evening, at sunset [ comment on Exodus 12:
6].
The phrase at the time when you went out of Egypt refers back to the Paschal
sacrifice, not to toward evening, at sunset — for they went out of Egypt during the
Springtime month.

Verse 7

As I have explained [ comment on Exodus 12: 9], the word you will cook here denotes
roasting. Compare, “they cooked the Paschal sacrifice in fire” [II Chronicles 35:
13]. Scriptures says you will cook only to indicate that it must not be eaten raw.
in the morning you may return The Dissenters have said that one may return home to
one’s land on the holiday. But we must not rely on our own understanding when
deriving the Commandments — rather, we must rely on the Exegetes of the Torah.
Indeed, although we do find “on the eighth day he dismissed the people” [I Kings 8:
66] — which was clearly a holiday — we see written elsewhere “on the twenty-third
day of the seventh month he dismissed the people” [II Chronicles 7: 10]. Some say
that the word “to their tents” in the former verse denotes their temporary tents,
and that they did not return to their land until the workday. Similarly in this
verse, you may return to your tents denotes the tents just outside of Jerusalem.
They left for their land on the workday.

Verse 8

Our ancestors have said [Menaḥot 66a] that the six days are to be counted “from
when the first standing grain is reaped” [: 9]. It is also plausible that the
seventh day is to be added on to the six days, in which case Scripture
distinguishes between the beginning and the end of the festival in order to
admonish you must not do work. Note that Scripture did not say “any work” [e.g.,
Exodus 20: 10], because here the meaning is “any servile work” [e.g., Leviticus 23:
7] (in the one place where “any work” is used in this context it is immediately
qualified by “except…” [Exodus 12: 16]). Since Scripture has mentioned Passover,
during which one is required to visit the Sanctuary, Scripture then proceeds to
discuss the second and the third holidays. Thus Scripture does not here mention the
New Year, nor Yom Kippur, because on those days the congregation does not gather
together in the Sanctuary.

Verse 9

Verse 10

The letter samekh in the word tribute [Hebrew: missat ] is vocalized with a dagesh
to indicate the absorption of a nun ; the word comes from “flag” [Hebrew: nes ], in
the sense of “raising up one’s arm”,
a freewill offering of your arm denotes burnt-offerings and peace-offerings.

Verse 11

Verse 12

you must remember that you were a slave… follows from the earlier mention of “…your
man-servant and your maid-servant” [: 11].

Verse 13

When you gather in from your threshing floor and your winepress whence the holiday
is also called “the feast of ingathering” [Exodus 23: 16].

Verse 14

Verse 15

you [ singular ] shall celebrate i.e., you shall perform the sacrifice. This either
denotes the community collectively, or it refers to the individual, who may offer
burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. The word He blesses you [ singular ] provides
evidence for the latter interpretation, as if to say: You shall do this, because
God has blessed you. Scripture adds all your crops, to specify that the blessing
refers to the crops that the land has produced,
and your undertakings refers to commerce, and the professions.
you will be only happy There is a special commandment to rejoice on the festival of
Sukkot. Some people, however, interpreting because He blesses you in the future
tense, say that it means: You shall be happy forever.
only i.e., you may not experience any other feelings.

Verse 16

one must not appear… and consequently, one must bring the abovementioned “tribute
of a freewill offering of your arm” [: 10].
I have already explained the phrase before the face of God [ comment on Exodus 23:
15].

Verse 17

Verse 18

Even though every individual commandment stands on its own, nevertheless conjecture
may be offered concerned their ordering and juxtaposition. Accordingly, the reason
for now bringing in the passage on Judges may be: Although you go three times a
year to see the Kohanim who serve in the Sanctuary, there to ask them questions
about our statutes and laws, you still do not fulfill your duty unless you have
judges in each of your city gates. officers denotes the authorities, from
“overseer, or ruler” [Proverbs 6: 7], and “its dominion in the earth” [Job 38: 33].
The judge dispenses justice, whereas the officer enforces it.
in each of our city gates exactly as Jehosophat did [II Chronicles 19: 5].
in your tribes that is, in the gates of each tribe.
they (i.e., the “judges”) must judge.

Verse 19

You [ singular ] must not pervert justice Scripture addresses every individual
judge.
I have explained the word show regard in my commentary on “you must not recognize
any person in court cases” [1: 17].

Verse 20
Justice, justice Scripture addresses the litigants. The word appears twice: because
one must pursue justice, whether it be to one’s gain, or to one’s loss; or the
repetition denotes “time after time” — all the days of your life; or for emphasis.
Scripture addresses those who are entering the land in the phrase so that you may
live;
and Scripture addresses their descendants in the phrase and inherit (meaning, that
the inheritance will endure ). The first cases that the judges must examine will be
those involving the most widespread forms of idolatry. You must not plant for
yourself an asherah for this was an idolatrous practice (as in “…in the gardens,
behind one in the interior” [Isaiah 66: 17]).

Verse 21

Verse 22

You may not put up a monolith for idolatry, as evidenced in the qualifier which He
detests. But a monolith that is not idolatrous in nature is permitted [the halakha
[ cf. Sifrey on this verse] is that a monolith is always a forbidden form of
worship — Translator], conclusive evidence being found in the parasha of Vayyishlaḥ
[Genesis 35: 14].

Chapter 17

Verse 1

You must not offer to God your God Since Scripture has mentioned the prohibitions
of the asherah, and the monolith, Scripture now states that it is also prohibited
to sacrifice anything blemished to God.
any repugnant thing is the explication of the term blemish.
abhorrent in the sense of “offer it to your prefect” [Malachi 1: 8], because to
offer such a sacrifice is a punishable offense, whereas no punishment falls to one
who fails to offer a sacrifice (except for the obligatory ones).

Verse 2

If there be found among you … After mentioning the case of an asherah near the
altar — something which is out in the open, in plain sight of everyone — Scripture
now turns to admonish us concerning a private individual who commits idolatry.
breaking a covenant means the opposite of fulfilling it.

Verse 3

The grammatical properties of the word worshiped are discussed in my book Sefer
Hayyǝsod. other gods denotes man-made idols, as opposed to
the sun, or the moon, or the heavenly bodies, which are the handiwork of God.
which I commanded you not to i.e., I commanded you not to worship them, even though
they are My creations....

Verse 4

investigate well here means intensely (as in “I am greatly angry” [Jonah 4: 9]).
The word well is closely related to the Hebrew word for “good”.

Verse 5
stone them that is, the man, or the woman, whichever the case may be. Compare “they
will burn him and them” [Leviticus 20: 14]. Having mentioned the two possibilities
“it be reported to you” [: 3] (i.e., secretly) and “you hear it” [: 3] (i.e.,
publicly), Scripture must now clarify that though it may have been reported to you,
and you may have heard it, one is nevertheless not put to death except by the
testimony of two witnesses.

Verse 6

or three witnesses Sa‘adya Gaon interprets the passage to read “three (people who
accept the testimony of the) witnesses”. Some say that if two witnesses contradict
two other witnesses, then a third party can reconcile the conflicting testimony,
whether it lead to a conviction or to an acquittal. Others say “two witnesses” if
they be scholars, but “three witnesses” otherwise. Thus you see that we require,
perforce, the words of the Tradition [Makkot 5b].

Verse 7

the hand of the witnesses that is, the hand of every one of the witnesses. Compare,
“the heart of the people melted” [Joshua 7: 5], and many similar instances.
I have already explained the word eliminate [ comment on Numbers 24: 22].

Verse 8

Should something be too difficult for you Scripture here addresses the judge. The
sense of the verse is: “If it be still hard to decide, after receiving the
testimony of the two witnesses, whether to execute the accused…” (this is the
meaning of between blood and blood: to decide whether the execution would be an act
of innocent bloodshed, or culpable bloodshed).
The word difficult appears also in the phrase “is anything too difficult for God?”
[Genesis 18: 14], where it is explained [ comment on Genesis 18: 14].
between judgment and judgment monetary matters.
between injury and injury cases of wounding and battery.
Controversial matters is the inclusive category. I have already explained the terms
you must get up, and ascend [ commentary on Numbers 16: 12].

Verse 9

I have already explained [ commentary on Numbers 16: 1] concerning the Levite

priests that there can be priests who are not of Levite extraction.
the magistrate here denotes the king, who has written a copy of the Torah under the
kohanim’s instruction [ cf. : 18].
to the magistrate to wherever he may be.

Verse 10

Verse 11

according to whatever teaching they direct you concerning the difficult matter.

Verse 12

that man will die The Court will execute him, the reason being that All Israel
should hear, and fear. Having mentioned the sovereign [ comment on : 9], Scripture
now lists the laws that he is obliged to keep.

Verse 13
Verse 14

Verse 15

you shall set i.e., it is permissible [the halakha [Sanhedrin 20b] is that it is
mandatory — Translator] to do so, so long as the monarch is chosen by a prophet, or
through the use of the Urim — the point being that you yourselves may not choose
the king.
you cannot (i.e., you may not) enthrone your brother if he be not an Israelite
(e.g., an Edomite, even though he is called “your brother” [23: 8]). The reason for
the law about the horses is that in those times horses were imported from Egypt.
The evidence is the passage “a chariot going out of Egypt…” [I Kings 10: 29], which
occurred during Solomonic times. Because of Solomon’s need for their horses, he
caused the people to sin and to return to Egypt. Obviously, it is a disgrace to
return to Egypt after God has redeemed us from there (Uriah the prophet fled there
only because his life was in danger [Jeremiah 26: 21]; and Jeremiah went there
against his will [Jeremiah 43: 5-7]).

Verse 16

you will not again This had been given as a commandment, even though it was not
recorded. Some people explain this to refer to “you will never again…” [Exodus 14:
13], but the latter verse was not spoken in the sense of a commandment.

Verse 17

that his heart not turn in the pursuit of his lusts.

nor may he amass silver and gold so as not to overtax the people. Consider Solomon,
who made silver as plentiful in Jerusalem as stone [I Kings 10: 27] through his
great love of opulence. The Israelites complained about him, saying “your father
made our yoke heavy” [I Kings 12: 10]. Some people assert, incorrectly, that this
complaint was about the construction levies. However, foreigners built the Temple
(for so it is written [II Chronicles 2: 17]). Note, too, that when Solomon died,
Adoniram the tax-collector was stoned to death [I Kings 12: 18].

Verse 18

When he is seated at the beginning of his reign.

a copy [Hebrew: mishneh ] from “duplicate” [Hebrew: shenit ].

Verse 19

it [ feminine ] will be with him i.e., the Torah [ feminine ].

he will read it [ masculine ] i.e., the book [ masculine ].
He will personally revere;...
whereas observe all the words means that he will enforce observance upon others.

Verse 20

that he may not be haughty which would occur, if he were above the law.
that he may not turn away for if he did not study, he would not know the law. His
reward will be that he lengthen the days.

Chapter 18
Verse 1

the Levite priests Having mentioned the regulations pertaining to the sovereign,
who is the Chief Justice, Scripture now mentions certain ordinances concerning the
priests, who are the teachers of the Law. And, since they have no land allotted to
them, they shall take from every sacrifice the shoulder, the cheeks, and the
stomach. The shoulder — from the body; the cheeks (including the tongue) — from the
head; and the stomach — from the internal organs. There is a homiletical
explanation, based on the fact that the kohanim slaughter the peace-offerings [the
halakha [Zevaḥim 31b] is that a non-kohen may slaughter the sacrifice —
Translator], which depicts the shoulder as the reward for the slaughtering, which
is done with one’s arm; the cheeks are the reward for the recitation of the
benediction; and the stomach is the reward for the inspection of the internal
organs. But the straightforward meaning is that these are the choicest cuts of
meat. Scripture also mentions the matter of the Levite, because he is a teacher of
the Torah as well, in the provinces. This is evident from Chronicles [II Chronicles
17: 7 ff ].

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4

Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

except for his patrimony [Hebrew: mimkarav ] Some people relate this word to “of
your acquaintances [Hebrew: makkareykhem ]” [II Kings 12: 8], but this is extremely
far-fetched, and does not conform to the laws of grammar. Rather, it is related to
“if you sell a commodity [Hebrew: mimkar ]” [Leviticus 25: 14], — meaning, if he
sells his hereditary estate (as it is written: “the sale [Hebrew: mimkar ] of a
house, and a city of his holding, expires…” [Leviticus 25: 33]). This, then, is the
meaning of patrimony, that you should not say: You have your own, and you may not
eat any more. Rather, they will eat an equal share. After concluding the discussion
of the magistrate, and the priest, Scripture now mentions the role of the prophet.

Verse 9
Verse 10

passes his son… This was a form of idolatry. Even nowadays, there are among us many
sects who worship fire.
a diviner of objects This is in all likelihood a general term, denoting anyone who
predicts the future with certainty, saying, “such-and-such a thing will be”,
similar in meaning to “soothsayers” [Daniel 2: 27], and related to “a divine
sentence is in the lips of the king” [Proverbs 16: 10] (the specific terms follow:
a diviner of auspicious times, a diviner of omens, and a sorcerer ). Another
possibility is that the term denotes a specific form of “scanners of heaven”
[Isaiah 47: 13]: one who knows the rules for distinguishing between true stars, and
apparent stars.
a diviner of auspicious times, or a diviner of omens already explained [ comment on
Leviticus 19: 26]
a sorcerer likewise [ comment on Exodus 7: 11].

Verse 11

combiner of combinations those who claim that the demons combine with one another.
I have already explained the terms charmer and wizard [ comment on Leviticus 19:
26].
inquires of the dead like those who go into a graveyard, and take a bone of a dead
person. Through mental concentration, they then fall into a frenzy, upon which they
see the simulacrum of various objects while dreaming (or even when awake). All of
these practices are abominations to God. The true way is that the heart of a man
should be ever devoted to his Creator. Whenever a man relies on his own crafts to
learn the truth or predict the future, and not on God, he is therefore spiritually
imperfect as well as mistaken. Let him who wishes to inquire, inquire of God,
through a prophet. For this reason, we come forthwith to the section of a prophet
in your midst. This is Joshua, as evidenced by the pronouncement to him you shall
listen, and the subsequent confirmation “the children of Israel listened to him”
[34: 9]. Moreover, we find no other prophet, besides Joshua, who entered with
Israel into the land. However, this verse also presents the paradigm for all future
prophets who might arise after the time of Moshe.

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 15

such as I i.e., a prophet of God, and not a soothsayer.

Verse 16

Verse 17
Verse 18

Verse 19

I will punish him meaning, his death will be in God’s hands. The evidence for this
assertion is the passage describing the man who refused to obey the instructions of
someone who was already known to be a prophet, and who commanded “strike me” [I
Kings 20: 35], speaking in the name of God. After finishing explicating the matters
of the diviners, which involved a form of idolatry prevalent in the area, Scripture
now admonishes us not to shed innocent blood in the land. The sense of the
juxtaposition is: Just as the land must be uncorrupted by the abomination of
divination, so must the land be uncorrupted by innocent blood.

Verse 20

Verse 21

Verse 22

if the prophet predicts something… Just as in the words of Jeremiah (“when the word
of that prophet shall come to pass” [Jeremiah 28: 9]), the event must occur within
the time specified by the prophet.

Chapter 19

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3

prepare the road that the city be in a place served by usable and inhabited
roadways.
apportion into three Either You will divide the land into three parts, at the
points of these cities, or You must place the cities each in its own third of the
country.

Verse 4

with his fellowman As in many other instances, the Hebrew word et here has the
sense of “with”.

Verse 5

The word strays is a verb in the nif‘al form. The qal form of the verb can be seen
in “He gathers together the outcasts of Israel” [Psalms 147: 2].
blade [Hebrew: garzen ] the iron part, with which one cuts the wood (from “ I am
cut off [Hebrew: nigrazty ]” [Psalms 31: 23]).
the blade drops meaning, it moved (from, “your olives will drop off” [28: 40]).
Here the verb is intransitive; in the phrase “He will fell many nations” [7: 1] the
same word is transitive (compare the intransitive “a mighty voice, that has not
continued” [5: 19] with the transitive “God has added grief” [Jeremiah 45: 3]). All
this is according to the views of a great grammarian [probably Rabbi Y ǝ hudah ben
David ibn Ḥayyuj — Translator]. But in my opinion, the verb is transitive in both
instances [ cf. Makkot 7b].

Verse 6

strike him mortally [literally: strike his life] an elliptical construction,

meaning “strike him a mortal blow ” — i.e., strike him a blow in a place from which
his life will leave him.

Verse 7

Verse 8

And if God your God enlarges… This is conditional on the observance of the Torah.
Accordingly, Scripture says, if you observe this entire commandment (namely, the
commandment of the three cities).

Verse 9

ever to walk in His ways continuously.

Verse 10

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

The meaning of the word remove is known; it has a meaning close to “destroy”.
Compare, “remove not the ancient landmark” [Proverbs 22: 28].
primogenitors those who parceled out the land. This passage is juxtaposed to the
previous one because land encroachment leads to arguments, to blows, and to murder.
Accordingly, Scripture says later on, “a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a
tooth for a tooth…” [: 21].

Verse 15

Moreover, someone who accuses his fellow of encroaching on his property must bring
witnesses, hence the passage one witness will not stand — whether testifying
against a murderer, or a batterer, or an encroacher upon property, or anything
else. the testimony of two [Hebrew: shney ] witnesses Here Scripture employs the
short form of the word. Elsewhere, Scripture reads “the testimony of two [Hebrew:
shnayim ] witnesses” [17: 6].

Verse 16

to accuse him rebellious e.g., idolatry [ see comment on 13: 6].

Verse 17

Verse 18

The word chastised here means “accused”. It is also used in the contexts of injury
and punishment.

Verse 19

Verse 20

Verse 21

you must not show mercy upon the false witness.

Chapter 20

Verse 1

The passage when you go out in war is juxtaposed to the previous passage because,
although “you must not show mercy” [19: 21] upon the guilty, you must show mercy,
when you go out in battle, upon the betrothed, the homebuilder, the planter, and
the fainthearted.

Verse 2

the kohen will come forward i.e., the one specifically attached to the military
[Soṭa 42a].

Verse 3

fear not in your thoughts.

neither be alarmed so as to flee.
nor panic in your actions [ see comment on 1: 29].

Verse 4

Verse 5
inaugurated it as in “the dedication of the altar” [Numbers 7: 10], and also
“initiate the child” [Proverbs 22: 6] (from which our Sages, of blessed memory,
derived the principle that one must educate one’s children [Qiddushin 30a]). The
reason for these commandments is that his attention, and all of his desires, are
directed to dedicating his house. Thus, his thoughts are on his house, and not on
the battle; consequently, he will flee, and he will induce others to flee.

Verse 6

celebrated it as in “flutes” [Jeremiah 48: 36]. It was customary to party in the

vineyards.

Verse 7

betrothed a woman, but has not taken her in marriage. This passage indicates that
there is such a thing as dying before one’s time. Namely, someone who dies in war
dies before his time. Accordingly, David said, “…or he shall descend into battle,
and be swept away” [I Samuel 26: 10].

Verse 8

cowardly afraid to kill another.

faint hearted afraid to be killed by another.
The Hebrew preposition et before the word the heart seems to be extraneous; as I
have explained, however [ comment on Exodus 10: 8], it indicates the most important
noun in a clause.

Verse 9

will be appointed a verb in the qal form.

Verse 10

Presumably, the commandment to “offer it peace” only applies to an optional war

[ see Sifrey on this verse] [ see also Palestinian Talmud Shvi‘it 6: 1; the
authorities disagree regarding this halakha — Translator].

Verse 11

Verse 12

propitiate that is, make peace.

Verse 13

Verse 14

Verse 15

far off and do not belong to the Seven Nations.

Verse 16
you must not spare It was forbidden to feed them, or give them water. The basic
principle is that one was required in those days to kill them, if possible.
Scripture does not here mention the Girgashites, because they were they fewest and
the smallest of them.

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19

man is a tree of the field I have already explained, in Sefer Hayyǝsod, that in
every language there is a tendency to omit words in order to be concise.
Nevertheless, one never omits the word “not”, because then one’s meaning is
reversed. A great Spanish grammarian asserted that the sentence is missing an
interrogative heh, as if Scripture were asking rhetorically, “is a tree of the
field a man?” — but in my view this interpretation is not correct, because it makes
no sense to explain a prohibition against destroying a fruit tree, on the grounds
that a tree is not a man (and is thus incapable of running away). In my opinion
there is no need for any of this. The meaning, rather, is as follows: You may eat
of them, but do not cut them down, for man is a tree of the field (i.e., the life
of man depends on the trees of the field). A similar construction appears in “for
it is taking a life in pawn” [24: 6], which clearly means “it is taking the means
of a man’s livelihood in pawn”. The phrase but do not cut them down is conceptually
tied to the phrase to come before you in the siege, to wit: You may not destroy
fruit-bearing trees, which are a source of life to mankind, but you may eat of
their fruit; you are forbidden to destroy them so that the besieged city will
surrender before you. The subsequent phrase cut to build up siegeworks is proof
that this is the correct interpretation.

Verse 20

until it is brought low for if it were not a great city, Scripture would not have
said “a long time” [: 19].

Chapter 21

Verse 1

If a corpse is found After mentioning the case of war against our enemies,
Scripture now discusses the case when a man wages war against his fellow man, and a
corpse is found in the land of Israel, the murderer of which is unknown.

Verse 2

your elders i.e., the elders and judges of the nearby cities.

Verse 3

which was not yet used for plowing.

which was not yet drawn to the yoke to draw loads, that being the normal use of
heifers.
Verse 4

uncultivated rough.
there they shall break the neck [literally: they shall neck] i.e., they will remove
the heifer’s neck.

Verse 5

the kohanim, the descendants of Levi those that are clearly descended from Levi
[ cf. comment on 17: 9].
on their lips shall be the punishment determined for every conflict and every blow.

Verse 6

then all the elders of the town this clarifies “your elders will come forth” [: 2].

Verse 7

The heh in the word spilled takes the place of the ordinary plural indicator, as in
“my steps had slipped” [Psalms 73: 2]. There is also a homiletic explanation to the
effect that the verb became singular (since the word “hand” is feminine, in most
cases [ see comment on Exodus 17: 12]).
and our eyes did not see The reason God commanded the nearest city to perform this
ritual is probably that, had they not done a corresponding sin, it would not have
happened that a man close to them was murdered. But the thoughts of God, next to
our own, are limitlessly deep and profound.
they will call out and say Compare, “you shall call out and say” [26: 5], where I
shall explain it [ comment on 26: 5].

Verse 8

forgive your people For we were negligent, and we did not guard the dangerous
highways.
The word will secure forgiveness omits the tav of the nitpa‘el form (as in “that
all women may be taught” [Ezekiel 23: 48]), which is a combination of two forms:
the hitpa‘el form and the nif‘al form....
Scripture mentions whom You have redeemed, as if to say: Just as You redeemed them
from Egypt, for the sake of Your kindness, so may You redeem them from this blood,
and its punishment.

Verse 9

So will you remove the innocent blood either the punishment for innocent bloodshed
or the word “blood” is here to be understood to denote “the blood of the innocent”
or (according to some people) you must destroy those who shed blood In my opinion,
it is as I have explained [ comment on : 7] — innocent blood will not be spilled in
your land if you do that which is right in the eyes of God (as expressed in the
mystery of “the reward of transgression is transgression” [Avot 4: 2] and “the
reward of virtue is virtue” [Avot 4: 2]).

Verse 10

The passage when you go out is connected to the passage “When you besiege a city”
[20: 19]. The passage of the broken-necked heifer was inserted between the two
passages because it applies to a corpse that is found within the land of Israel —
but not outside the land of Israel, and not in wartime [ cf. Soṭa 47b].

Verse 11
Our Sages, of blessed memory, have already explained [Qiddushin 21b] the form of
the word woman [ construct case ].
good-looking in his eyes.
you desire her, and take her for your wife i.e., you desire to take her for your
wife — for only later does Scripture say, “you may be her husband” [: 13] (similar
is “I took her to me, to be my wife” [Genesis 12: 19]).

Verse 12

Some say the reason why you will bring her into your house, where she will shave is
that perhaps you desire her on account of her hair — accordingly, you must shave
it.
do her nails i.e., grow her nails, so that she may be repulsive in his eyes.

Verse 13

she will remove her raiment of captivity perhaps he desired her on account of her
beautiful clothing.
weep in order to drive away the joy he has in her.
a full month during which his desire may abate. Alternately, some say that “she
will shave” [: 12] because she was formerly ritually impure (as in the treatment of
someone afflicted with ṣara‘at [Leviticus 14: 8]).
“Do” [: 12] means rectify, the improvement being that she cut off the excess part
(as in “he had not done his beard” [II Samuel 19: 25] and “instead of well-done
hair” [Isaiah 3: 24]). The concept of improvement underlies all Scriptural
instances of “doing”, except those that refer to disgusting, or completely evil,
things.
She will remove her raiment because it is befouled.
The sense of she will stay in your house, and weep is that she must stay in your
house a full month while she bewails
her father and her mother, if they were recently deceased. Some say that she weeps
for her father and mother because they did not convert to Judaism; but in my
opinion, every mentally balanced human being is obliged to honor his father and
mother, in life and in death.
weep i.e., she must mourn for them (in the Jewish manner, because she has converted
to Judaism) if they were killed at the time she was taken captive. It is
unnecessary to mention here that she must immerse herself, since she requires the
standard “waters of separation” [Palestinian Talmud Pesaḥim 8: 8 (36b)], as was
previously stated: “both yourselves, and your captives” [Numbers 31: 19]. Our
Sages, of blessed memory, ruled that one must abstain for three months [Yevamot
48b]. Although there is no need to bring support for their words, the evidence for
their reasoning is seen in the verse “about three months later” [Genesis 38: 24] —
that being the time when the fetus first begins to stir. It is forbidden to
initiate sexual relations with a woman unless one knows whether or not she is
pregnant, in order that the paternity of the child may be known — for some babies
are born two months earlier than normal, or later than normal (though the latter is
less common).
a full month [literally: a lunation of days] as in “a month of days” [Numbers 11:
21]. I have already explained how the term “lunation” denotes a month, since the
basis of a month is the lunar cycle.

Verse 14

you must send her off to be her own person free to do what she likes.
you must not sell her for money Scripture describes the common practice, but the
intent is that she may not be sold in exchange for anything.
nor may you enslave her Compare, “…enslaves him, and sells him” [24: 7]. The word
has no other cognates. Its meaning must be deduced from context, from which we
understand it to denote some form of dishonesty.
Verse 15

beloved in his view — not in an absolute sense.

despised an adjective. This passage is connected to the previous passage on account
of the two cited outcomes: “you desire her” [: 11] and “you do not desire her” [:
14].

Verse 16

he bequeathes his estate to his children whether while still of sound body, whether
on the day of his death as he lies on his deathbed, or whether posthumously, by the
court.
make the firstborn by declaration, or by elevating him in deed.
The word he cannot is here to be interpreted as it is in similar instances [ see
comment on 17: 15].

Verse 17

recognize He must grant him a formal recognition. or He must publicly designate him
to be the firstborn, if he is in a place where he is not known. or He is obliged
from the beginning to recognize which of his sons is the elder, in the case when
there were twin boys.
a double portion He is to take two portions. If there are three sons, then the
estate is to be divided into fourths, and he will take two portions. If there are
two sons, the estate will be divided into thirds, et cetera (in my opinion, this is
also the correct interpretation of “let a double portion of your spirit be upon me”
[II Kings 2: 9], as I have explained in its proper place [no copy of this
commentary is known — Translator]).
he is the first fruit of his strength that is, as far as is known. Scripture
concerns itself with proper folk (and all Jews are presumed proper in this regard).

Verse 18

insubordinate and rebellious against God, and against his parents (if the latter be
God-fearing people).
insubordinate as in “like a headstrong cow” [Hosea 4: 16], meaning he does not
observe the positive commandments.
rebellious regarding the negative commandments.
they discipline him in front of witnesses. They are obliged to take hold him and
bring him. The traditional explanation of this verse [that the law can apply only
to someone who has both parents — Sifrey on this verse] is also true.

Verse 19

Verse 20

glutton is a general term, denoting someone who permits himself everything that he
desires. But here the word is explained [Sanhedrin 70a] specifically to denote a
gluttonous eater of meat.
drunkard someone who drinks excessively, to the extent that he gets drunk. Such a
person resembles a follower of Epicuros, for he seeks from the life of this world
only pleasure, through all kinds of food and drink. This passage appears here on
account of the passage of the good-looking woman; this is evidenced by various
Scriptural instances of “…the name of his mother” [Leviticus 24: 11] [I Kings 15:
2]. See also my hint concerning the sons of Aaron [ comment on Exodus 6: 23].
Verse 21

Verse 22

From our Sages, of blessed memory, we have received the laws explaining which
criminals are hanged [Sanhedrin 45b].

Verse 23

a hanged man is a curse of God since he blasphemed against God. But the simple
explanation is that God is the source of the curse, which will descend everywhere
close to the hanged man. There is a mysterious aspect to this curse which attaches
itself to human life. Accordingly, Scripture says you shall not defile your land.
This passage is necessarily placed in close proximity to the passages describing
warfare (as it is written: “When you go out in war…” [: 10]). As demonstrated in
the Gibeonite War [Joshua 10: 27], the reason behind must not remain overnight is
not the dignity of the corpse, but rather, the dignity of the land. In this respect
it does not matter whether the dead body be Canaanite or Israelite.

Chapter 22

Verse 1

You must not look on when the ox… even if you are on your way to war, as it is
homiletically explained.
The word and conceal yourself is the displaced continuation of the phrase, you must
not look on. Scripture mentions the ox and the lamb, and has previously mentioned
the donkey [Exodus 23: 4], but the law is the same for all livestock.

Verse 2

you must bring it home if you are returning home. Otherwise, you must appoint a
reliable agent to do so.

Verse 3

The phrase you cannot is here to be interpreted as it is in similar instances [ cf.

comment on 21: 16].

Verse 4

fallen down is parallel in meaning to “lying” [Exodus 23: 5]; the former is simply
a more general term.
you must certainly raise up with him but not alone. Compare, “you must certainly
relieve with him” [Exodus 23: 5].

Verse 5

The passage dealing with the attire of a man is juxtaposed to the passages dealing
with going out to war, because Woman was created to rear children, and if she were
instead to go out among the men to war, she would eventually become involved in
debauchery. For the same reason a man may not dress himself…, because otherwise a
man who does not yet have a full beard could mix with women, and he could fornicate
with them, without the matter becoming widely known. This passage shows us that the
Israelite custom, like that of most cultures, was that men’s clothing was
distinctive from women’s clothing — they were not the same. Some commentators
understand this passage to be an allusion to unnatural sexual intercourse. Although
there is no need for such an interpretation here, God surely detests anyone who
alters God ’s design.

Verse 6

The passage of if you happen upon is tied to an earlier passage through the common
phrase “on the road” [: 4].
happen upon [Hebrew: yiqqare ] from the word “happenstance” [Hebrew: miqreh ] [I
Samuel 6: 9] [albeit here the word is spelled with an ’alef — Translator] (as in
“as I happened by chance” [II Samuel 1: 6]). Here it means “to encounter”. The
’alef in the word young ones is extraneous, like the ’alef in “and with your
[actually, “an” — Translator] arm” [Jeremiah 32: 21]. The point of this commandment
is that it would be profoundly cruel if “the mother is dashed in pieces upon her
children” [Hosea 10: 14], just as in the case of an ox, or a lamb [Leviticus 22:
28].

Verse 7

it may be good with you God will show mercy to you, and bestow good upon you.
you shall extend your days since you did not destroy the entire nest, but left
alive the progenitor.

Verse 8

The passage of when you buy a new house is juxtaposed to the previous passages,
because the commandments concerning residences will apply only after engaging in
warfare upon entering the land.
The word railing [Hebrew: maɒ qeh ] has no cognates; its meaning is understood from
context. One grammarian [it is not certain who is meant, but it could be Yosef
Qimḥi — Translator] derived it from “the offenses [Hebrew: aqat ] of the wicked”
[Psalms 55: 4], and thereby succeeded only in being rather offensive himself.
falling person Scripture employs prolepsis, describing what he becomes. Compare,
“the condemned [literally: the dead person] will die” [17: 6], “you strip the naked
of their clothing” [Job 22: 6], and also “the sons moved strongly” [Genesis 25:
22]. Countless other words, as well, describe what their referents will become. We
do not know whether this is the ordinary Hebrew idiom, or whether they are all
prophetic utterances (like “he pursued as far as Dan” [Genesis 14: 14], “to
Grapecluster Valley” [Numbers 13: 23], and “therefore a man shall leave his father
and his mother, and join with his wife” [Genesis 2: 24]). The commandments of
sowing and planting follow the commandments involving a house, because after
entering the land, and building a house, one proceeds to sow.

Verse 9

The consequence lest it be consecrated is conditional on you must not sow … with
diverse seeds. The Spaniard Menaḥem ben Ya‘aqov ibn Saruq has explained in his
Textbook that the word consecrated comes from the triliteral root q-d-sh, on
account of the seeds’ intermixture with one another.

Verse 10

You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey God shows mercy to all of His creatures
(for a donkey is not so powerful as an ox). This passage is connected to the
previous one through the common concept of sowing. For the same reason, Scripture
proceeds to discuss wool-and-linen. This prohibition was mentioned before
[Leviticus 19: 19] in general terms, but now Scripture explains it to denote wool
and linen, and no other fabrics.
Verse 11

Verse 12

you must make for yourself tassels The Dissenters claim that this is a separate
commandment, applicable at night, as the “fringes” [Numbers 15: 38] are applicable
during the day, and for this reason Scripture says which you cover yourself. The
Exegetes, though, have transmitted to us the knowledge that this verse discusses
the same commandment as the “fringes”, and that it is applicable only during the
day. The word tassels is to be interpreted in the sense wherein it was used apropos
the building of the Temple: “wreathes of chain-work” [I Kings 7: 17]. The
Dissenters derived it from “largeness”; but we shall believe only in the words of
our forebears. Scripture mentions this verse in order to specify that the
commandment applies only to things with four corners. It is connected to the topic
of wool-and-linen, because wool-and-linen is permissible on one’s fringes [Yevamot
4b].

Verse 13

According to the Dissenters, the passage dealing with when a man takes a woman
appears here because of the connecting idea “with which you cover yourself” [: 12].
However, the truth is in accordance with the homiletic explanation: the passages
concerned with the house are followed by passages concerned with one’s garment,
followed by passages that involve the mistress of the house.

Verse 14

charges i.e., “grounds”.

words which could be either true or false.
virginity a plural noun without a singular form [ cf. comment on Leviticus 21: 13],
like “youth” [ cf. Ecclesiastes 11: 9], “old age” [Genesis 37: 3], and “childhood”
[ cf. Isaiah 54: 4].

Verse 15

The father and mother of the young woman if they are alive, otherwise someone
appointed by the Court.

Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19

all his days means that she will be forever his, until the day he dies.

Verse 20
Verse 21

they will stone her It is assumed that someone had sexual relations with her after
she was betrothed (the fiancé presumably having betrothed her only upon her stating
that she was a virgin). The Exegetes of our religion have interpreted these matters
in exceedingly great detail [Ketubbot 44b ff ]. The abovementioned “virginity” can
be obtained only up to a certain time [Ketubbot 36a], depending on the biology of
the young woman. Because of the word they shall stone her, this passage is
connected to the case of the married woman, and subsequently the case of the
betrothed woman. also the particulars of one case are the particulars of the other,
with the exception of such additional details as are introduced in each case.

Verse 22

Verse 23

If there shall be [ masculine ] i.e., if this thing [ masculine ] should come to

pass.

Verse 24

gate the seat of the village elders. Note that here Scripture terms a betrothed
women his fellowman’s bride ; but we do not otherwise know the principles of
betrothal, except from the words of the Tradition.

Verse 25

Verse 26

for it is as Presumably she did not consent, nor have any fore-knowledge, until the
man came and raped her, and thus Scripture compares him to a murderer.

Verse 27

cried out She is assumed to have cried out.

Verse 28

This instance of a woman who is not betrothed is that of the assaulted woman, not
the seduced [Exodus 22: 15] woman.

Chapter 23

Verse 1

A man may not take his father’s wife including a woman who had been raped, but
never married (hence the juxtaposition to the previous passage) [the halakha
[Yevamot 97a] is that a man may marry a woman with whom his father has had sexual
relations outside of marriage — Translator].

Verse 2
gonads [Hebrew: dakkah ] testicles (the word has no cognate). Some grammarians have
offered an etymology from the tissue of a testicle, that it is “crushed” [Hebrew:
dakkah ] — but this is far-fetched.
phallus [Hebrew: shofkhah ] denotes the penis, from which one spills out [Hebrew:
yishpokh ] one’s urine, and semen.
…God’s community meaning, he shall not be considered as one of God ’s community for
purposes of marriage to an Israelite woman [Qiddushin 72b–73a]. The same applies to
an Ammonite (but not an Ammonitess), and a Moabite (but not a Moabitess ).

Verse 3

the term mamzer has been explained by our Sages, of blessed memory, to denote
offspring that come from incest [Yevamot 49a]. The two mem ’s are extraneous, like
the mem ’s in “the barns are broken down” [Joel 1: 17]. Others claim that it is the
name of a nation, since we see the verse “a mamzer shall dwell in Ashdod”
[Zechariah 9: 6] — and it is unlikely that Israel would be mentioned in
uncomplimentary terms, even in a passage dealing with Messianic times (the Aramaic
translator there gives a nonliteral translation).

Verse 4

Verse 5

Verse 6

turned Balaam’s intention was to curse, but God did not let him.

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 10

When the camp goes forth The camp that goes out in battle against the enemy,
bringing the Ark with it, is known as the “lesser camp” (as opposed to the “greater
camp”, where the Ark was surrounded by partitions). When they went out in battle,
they were close to the environs of the Ark. Clearly, to be “ritually impure due to
a nocturnal event” means to have had a seminal emission. The juxtaposition of this
passage to the previous one, which mentioned the Balaam affair, is due to the
Midianite War (since they had “harassed” us on account of “their princess” [ see
Numbers 25: 18]), because the Ark was with them in the campaign against Midian.
every evil thing To the spirit, and to the body, like a seminal emission.

Verse 11

The mem in the word from an event is prepositional, like in “from his hereditary
land” [Leviticus 27: 16].

Verse 12

at eventide as in, “the day declines” [Jeremiah 6: 4]. This provides support for
the words of our Sages, of blessed memory [ cf. Berakhot 2b; Nazir 66a], whereas
the Dissenters assert that tide means “before” — but this is a vacuous statement.
Some say that the term denotes when the day first begins to decline; but we see
that after at eventide, Scripture goes on to say when the sun sets, thus indicating
the time right before sunset. Compare, “at daybreak” [Exodus 14: 27], which means
“right before sunrise”.

Verse 13

quarter here means a place, as in “the flank of the Jordan” [Numbers 13: 29]. This
verse provides additional evidence that the topic is the “lesser camp” [ cf.
comment on : 10], since a man with a seminal emission was not required to leave the
camp of Israel, and certainly not all people (including infants!) when they need to
relieve themselves. Further evidence is given by the verse “they must expel from
the camp everyone suffering from ṣara‘at, everyone suffering from a constant flow,
and everyone who is ritually impure from a corpse” [Numbers 5: 2] — i.e., any
ritually impure person capable of rendering someone else ritually impure [the
halakha [Pesaḥim 67a–67b] is that the cited verse applies to such people as well —
Translator] — but not someone ritually impure for only one day.

Verse 14

The ’alef in the word your weapons (from “and they washed their weapons” [I Kings
22: 38]) is extraneous.
you will cover for every visible disgraceful thing produces a representation of
that disgrace within one’s mind.

Verse 15

nothing unchaste either in action or in speech.

lest He depart from you meaning that he will not “walk before you”, as stated.

Verse 16

you must not turn over As they went off to war, it is likely that (non-Jewish)
slaves would flee to their camps.
to his master also denotes a non-Jew. The fact that the slave came there for refuge
is a honor to the Divine Name that Israel carries; and if Israel were to hand the
slave back to his master, it would be a desecration of the Name. Hence, you must
not oppress him.

Verse 17

Verse 18

The passage involving a prostitute comes next, because of the connection through
the male slave. The Exegetes of our religion have asserted [Sanhedrin 54b] that a
male prostitute denotes a catamite (as evidenced by the preposition from the sons
of Israel ). Moreover, when Elihu said “…and their life as that of the male
prostitutes” [Job 36: 14], the word “their soul” was parallel to “their life”, and
thus the word “male prostitutes” was parallel to “youth”. In addition, there are
the verses “there was male prostitution in the land” [I Kings 14: 24], and “the
houses of the male prostitutes” [II Kings 23: 7] (where the latter are distinct
from the “women”, who were “weaving there”). I do not understand the etymology of
the word prostitute. However, when one inquires thoroughly into the meaning of the
word, it becomes clear that it denotes a woman who is receptive to any man (this is
evidenced by “where is the prostitute?” [Genesis 38: 21]). If so, then a male
prostitute is someone who performs the acts of the Egyptians — verbum sat sapienti.
After mentioning harlotry, Scripture then proceeds to discuss

Verse 19

the earnings of a harlot. The word earnings [Hebrew: etnan ] comes from the word
“gift” [Hebrew: mattan ], with an extraneous ’alef, and a repeated nun (like the
peh in “her adulteries” [Hosea 2: 4] and the resh in “torrential” [Proverbs 27:
15]). It denotes that which the prostitute took (i.e., that which was given her by
the men who engaged in prostitution with her).
Scripture says an abomination in this case, because the act is forbidden, and in
the case of the price of a dog, because it is disrespectful.

Verse 20

you must not utilize interest with your brother Having mentioned the non-Jewish
slave, Scripture must now elucidate that you are permitted to charge him interest,
even though it says, concerning him, “you must not oppress him” [: 17].
you must not utilize interest with your brother There is a difference between
“charge interest” and “utilize interest”: The latter means that you may not even
accept interest from your brother who offers it to you (who would also be guilty of
violating the interest prohibition). The verb takes both a direct and an indirect
object. Others say that “utilize interest” is the same as “charge interest”, and
there is no difference between the two words.

Verse 21

Verse 22

Having mentioned the prohibition of “the earnings of a harlot … for any vow” [:
19], Scripture now discusses the case of when you vow a donation.
will require it Scripture makes an analogy to a human being, who is sure to seek
after that which you have promised.
you will be found guilty i.e., you will be punished.

Verse 23

Verse 24

whatever issues from your lips in any matter involving mention of the Name.
pledge for every vow is a pledge, although clearly not every pledge is a vow [ cf.
comment on Leviticus 22: 18].
which you spoke with your mouth Once the words have been uttered you may not take
them back.

Verse 25

When you come into your fellowman’s vineyard in order to harvest the grapes, you
may eat them. This passage is connected to the previous one, because you are
required to fulfill your vows from your own possessions, and not take others’
property for your own use.
The yod in the word your bag is vocalized with a schwa, like the yod in “your
jewelry” [Exodus 33: 5].

Verse 26

into your fellowman’s grain field in order to harvest the grain (the passage you
must not lift up a sickle caused the Dissenters to claim that permission is
extended to wayfarers as well).
you may pluck as in “they pluck saltworts” [Job 30: 4].
The meaning of ears of grain is determined from context.
sickle is a quadriliteral word.

Chapter 24

Verse 1

a woman is also considered somewhat like a “field” [ cf. comment on Leviticus 19:
23].
disliking her e.g., they have incompatible personalities.
having found her but he is unable to demonstrate it because there were no
witnesses. The connective vav here has the sense of “or”, as in “he who strikes his
father or his mother” [Exodus 21: 15].

Verse 2

having left never to return. Moreover, it must be publicly known that she has
ceased being a member of his household.
becomes by having sexual relations with the man.
The Hebrew words another and latter can function as pronouns as well as adjectives.

Verse 3

divorce so called because they are completely divorced from being married.

Verse 4

she became impure with respect to the first husband only. The sense is that she is
impure to him, because she had sexual relations with another man. The ṭet acquires
a dagesh because it absorbs the tav of the hotpa‘el. Compare, “the symptom after
being laundered” [Leviticus 13: 55].
The command you must not defile is addressed to the nation of Israel.

Verse 5

Some say that a new woman denotes a virgin; but the majority opinion is that it
means someone new to him (since a man may remarry his divorced wife — if she did
not become “impure” [ cf. : 4] — Scripture has to specify a new woman).
untainted i.e., he shall be free from the government’s levies. The word untainted
is used as it is in “him that is innocent” [Job 22: 30].
The lamed in anything is extraneous (as in “the third, Avshalom” [I Chronicles 3:
2]).

Verse 6

The Dissenters claim that the passage one may not take for security the lower
millstone, nor the upper millstone is juxtaposed to the previous verse on account
of “gladden his wife” [: 5], and that it is an allusion to sexual intercourse (in
other words, he may not withhold sex) — but this is vacuous inanity. They offer for
proof the verse “let my wife grind unto another” [Job 31: 10], which I have already
explained. The true meaning is the literal one: It is forbidden for someone to take
a millstone as security. The sentence fails to specify its subject, as in “he told
Joseph” [Genesis 48: 1], “she bore her to Levi” [Exodus 26: 59], and many similar
instances. In all cases the implicit subject is assumed: “ the speaker spoke to
Joseph”, “ the mother bore her to Levi”, etc.
The word lower millstone is in the dual form, and presumably does not exist in the
singular form.
The upper millstone is the one that stays in the water, although others say that it
denotes the wood that surrounds the millstone, and others say that the lower
millstone is the one on the bottom, and the upper millstone is the one on the top.
for it is taking a life in pawn because it produces life’s sustenance. We need not
address those who rely excessively on the juxtaposition of passages, since every
commandment stands on its own, and explaining their connection is for homiletical
purposes only [ cf. comment on 16: 18]. However, one notices the following
connections in this region of the text: Scripture mentions that one may not steal
another’s grapes, to take into one’s bag [23: 25], nor lift up a sickle against
another’s grain [23: 26]. It then discusses one’s taking of a wife — at which point
she becomes his [: 1] — and mentions that even if she is divorced from him [: 1],
another man who marries her must still rejoice with her, and must not be pressed
into military service [: 5]. The taking of a millstone in pledge is a form of
oppression, as is kidnapping. Moreover, the symptom of ṣara‘at [: 8] comes about
through inattention to one’s speech, which is extremely harmful to those who are
closest to one. Accordingly one must not mistreat a poor person regarding his
pledge [: 10], nor may one mistreat a hireling [: 14], in order that one’s small
children shall not die from their fathers’ sins [: 16]. This also relates to
discriminating against an alien, or an orphan, or to the taking of a widow’s
garment as a security [: 17], as well as to forgotten grain [: 19], since it
belongs to the destitute, as do the fruit which “you may not glean” [: 21]. This
leads to the concept of “lest he continue”, and thus “be degraded” [25: 3]. To
muzzle an ox [25: 4] is a mistreatment of the animal, which cannot eat as it toils;
a man who refuses his levirate duties [25: 7] perpetrates a form of mistreatment,
as does the woman who grabs genitalia [25: 11]. Keeping two different measures of
weight [25: 13], or two different measures of volume [25: 14], is certainly a form
a mistreatment. And finally, Amalek mistreated Israel [25: 17].

Verse 7

of his brethren Scripture proceeds to specify of the children of Israel, since Edom
is also called “brother” [ cf. 23: 8].
This instance of the verb enslaves means the same as its fellow [21: 14].

Verse 8

the Levite priests i.e., those that are descended from Levi.

Verse 9

to Miriam The placement of this verse provides support for the homiletical passage
“do not read ‘[the] mǝṣora ’”, read rather ‘[the] defamer [Hebrew: moṣi’ shem
ra ]’” [ Midrash Tanḥuma on Leviticus 14: 2].

Verse 10

The word lend stems from the triliteral root n-sh-h.

The heh in the word any is extraneous, like the heh in “night”.
to secure means to take someone’s pledge. Exodus 20: 5].
Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

will have righteousness means that it is right for you to allow him to sleep with
his collateral. In many places, in the view of the Exegetes, a distinction is drawn
between justice and righteousness. In the parasha of Mishpatim, in the place where
I commented on the gender of the word “his garment” [Exodus 22:26], I have already
explained what is the point of having a pledge in the first place [ comment on
Exodus 22:25-26].

Verse 14

Verse 15

on the same day you will pay him his wage — the sun shall not set Scripture adds on
a negative commandment, for emphasis,
with it i.e., with his wage,
he supports himself the reason he hires himself out is in order to sustain himself
therefrom.

Verse 16

A few confused souls have inquired how it can be that Scripture asserts fathers
must not be put to death... whereas elsewhere it says “remembering the sins of the
fathers...” [Exodus 20:5], But their question is vacuous. Fathers must not be put
to death is a commandment addressed to Israel, whereas “remembering the sins of the
fathers” applies to the Rememberer, as I have already explained in its place
[ comment on Exodus 20:5].

Verse 17

Verse 18

remember that you were a slave and consequently you should remember the alien, and
not deny him justice. Some of these commandments were already mentioned to the
older generation, and are now repeated to the younger generation.

Verse 19

in order that He will bless you for you gave of what you only imagine to be yours;
but God will give to you of that which is truly His.

Verse 20

When you shake Compare “threshing wheat” [Judges 6: 11], where the verb appears in
the qal form. In “beaten out with a staff” [Isaiah 28: 27] the same verb appears in
the nif‘al form.
glean [Hebrew: tǝfa’er ] do not shake the limbs [Hebrew: p orot ] (i.e., the
branches), as in “it brought forth branches, and sent out sprigs” [Ezekiel 17: 6].
The ’alef following the ḥolem is silent, as it is in “wine bottles” [Joshua 9: 4].

Verse 21

Verse 22

The concept of remember that you were a slave is associated with the concept of
being an “alien” [: 21].

Chapter 25

Verse 1

The implied subject of they will judge them is “the judges”. Compare, “one may not
take for security the lower millstone…” [ comment on 24: 6].

Verse 2

In the phrase deserves flogging the Hebrew word bin is vocalized with a ḥiriq, as
it is in the phrases “the son of Nun” [Joshua 1: 1], and “the son of Yaqeh”
[Proverbs 30: 1]. It is used in the sense of “a base man” [I Samuel 25: 17] and,
similarly, “it was a creature of a night” [Jonah 4: 10]. The reason he deserves to
be flogged must be, in my opinion, that he struck his companion.
The judge will not stretch him down personally, but it will be done at the judge’s
command. The word he will flog him is to be understood similarly, as evidenced by
in his presence.
the amount of floggings that he deserves for his guilt Were it not for the words of
the tradition [Makkot 22a], which alone are true, it would otherwise appear to us
that there are some crimes which deserve ten lashes, and others twenty, or various
other greater or lesser amounts (as evidenced by the phrase that he deserves for
his guilt ), as long as one does not exceed forty lashes (some people have proposed
that the phrase the amount that he deserves for his guilt denotes lashes that may
be either strong or gentle, albeit they are always forty in number).

Verse 3

The reason Divine justice demands that he suffer forty lashes, is that your brother
not be degraded — for everyone will know that the punishment was a decree from God,
and was not subject to the discretion of the judge.

Verse 4

The Dissenters assert, needlessly, that the “while” in the word while it is
threshing indicates that the prohibition applies even if one muzzles the ox before
it goes out to thresh.

Verse 5

They also claim that the phrase when brothers dwell together denotes close
relatives, but not actual brothers. They bring the case of Boaz [ cf. Ruth 3: 9 ;
Ruth 3: 13] as evidence. This is vacuous, however, because no mention is made there
of the word yibbum [here translated as “acting as the husband’s brother” —
Translator], only of “redemption” [ cf. Leviticus 25: 25]. Besides, what, then, is
the meaning of the word together? That they live in the same country? In the same
courtyard? That they are fond of each other? The Dissenters claim further that the
Scriptural usage of the term act as her husband’s brother proves that she is his
brother’s wife in name only, but not in fact, as in the phrase “your brother’s wife
has returned” [Ruth 1: 16]. But they have stumbled into error. Note that regarding
the sons of Y ǝ hudah, Scripture explicitly says, “act as her husband’s brother”
[Genesis 38: 8], although there he clearly already was her husband’s brother. Even
the abovementioned use of the word “your brother’s wife” can be understood on the
grounds that the two women were married to two brothers. Every sensible person
knows that, although the prohibitions that were told to Moshe were not forbidden
beforehand, if someone before the time of Moshe refrained from engaging in such
actions he would not have displeased God. Scripture even states, “for the men of
the land who preceded you practiced all these abominations” [Leviticus 18: 27], and
yet we have no evidence that any prophet had ever admonished them against such
actions. With respect to Onan Scripture specifically says that he did not “provide
progeny for his brother” [Genesis 38: 9] and consequently “it was evil in the sight
of God ” [Genesis 38: 10]. For these reasons, we will rely on the tradition that
actual brothers are meant here.
childless For there is no need to perform the ritual [ cf. : 7 ff ] if he had a
child, since the widow is then forbidden [Leviticus 18: 16].
together is to be understood as the Exegetes have spoken [Yevamot 17b].
Even if the husband’s brother consents, she may not marry outside (i.e., a strange
man ).

Verse 6

With respect to the first son that she bears, the statement that he will bear the
brother’s name,
and the subsequent assurance that his name will not be extinct, both refer to
inheritance, not the actual name of the child. I have already discussed the phrase
that she bears in my comment on the phrase “to a foreign nation” [Exodus 21: 8]
[the reference is to an earlier commentary on Exodus, known as the Perush Haqqaṣar
— Translator].

Verse 7

The second yod in the word to fulfill the duty of the husband’s brother toward me
denotes the direct object of the verb.

Verse 8

He stands up and says in order to be heard by the elders.

Verse 9

The Hebrew word unlace also implies “pull off”, as in “pull out the breast”
[Lamentations 4: 3].
Our traditional sources inform us [ Sifrey on this verse] that the word facing him
here has the sense of “in his presence” [and not that she must spit in his face —
Translator]. In fact, the most straightforward interpretation is “facing it ” —
i.e., facing the shoe. Compare, “written on its face and on its back” [Ezekiel 2:
10].

Verse 10

Verse 11
When men fight The opposite of the previous passage’s “When brothers dwell
together” [: 5]. These people may be brothers, or total strangers,
his pudenda i.e., his testicles (from “pudency”). Not only is it brazenness to
uncover the genitalia, which must be covered, but it is also a vulnerable spot.

Verse 12

The phrase you shall cut off her hand must be interpreted the same way as “an eye
for an eye” [ cf. comment on Exodus 21: 24 ; comment on Leviticus 24: 20]: if she
does not pay compensation, her hand deserves to be cut off.
You must have no pity if she is poor.

Verse 13

in your pouch Either This term denotes the place where one keeps one’s scales. or
It refers to one’s pocket, from which one surreptitiously removes a false weight.
The former interpretations seems to be the correct one, as evidenced by “we shall
all have one lode” [Proverbs 1: 14] — meaning, a single mass, as in “you will
measure out the lamb” [Exodus 12: 4] (even though the latter word stems from a
slightly different triliteral root). Other people have unnecesarily interpreted the
word to mean “purse”.

Verse 14

Verse 15

a perfect [Literally: complete] weight I.e., it may not be hollow anywhere. a …

just efa measurement means one that is exactly the same volume as the market
standard.
so that your days will be long It is well known that every rightous society will
endure; for rightousness is like a building, whereas deceit is like a destructive
force, which can topple a wall in an instant.

Verse 16

The phrase everyone who does such things refers back to the abovementioned “two
weights” [: 13] and “two efa measurements” [: 14]; but Scripture then generalizes
to everyone who practices deceit: whether in word, or in deed; whether in private,
or in public.

Verse 17

Verse 18

happened upon you as in “all that had befallen them” [Genesis 42: 29].
sheared off your rear [Hebrew: vayzannev bekha ] i.e., cut off your tail [Hebrew:
zanav ] — namely, those who were enfeebled, The word enfeebled [Hebrew:
neḥeshalim ] is probably the same as the word neḥelashim. The two consonants
transpose, as in “sheep” [Hebrew: kevesS ] [Leviticus 4: 32] and “lamb” [Hebrew:
kesSev ] [Leviticus 3: 7].
you were weak They had just arrived at Refidim [Exodus 17: 8], where the people
thirsted after water (for so it is written [Exodus 17: 3]).
and lagging, because they had no strength to walk.
The phrase feared not refers to Amaleq. The verb is in the perfect tense, as in “it
was too difficult for you” [Exodus 18: 18], “when Isaac was old” [Genesis 27: 1],
and “as he used to enjoy” [Genesis 27: 9].

Verse 19

The phrase when God your God grants you rest indicates that this commandment
applies only after they take possession of the land, and the wars have subsided on
all fronts. As long as they are engaged in war against their neighbors, they are
not obliged to fight Amaleq.
blot out the memory of Amaleq This is the same as [I Samuel 15: 3] “kill man and
woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep” (in order that no one might say “This ox
was part of the booty from Amaleq”). The wording of the Torah is general, and the
words of the prophet Samuel provided the specifics.
The phrase you must not forget adds emphasis to the word “Remember” [: 17], as in
many other commandments of the Torah.

Chapter 26

Verse 1

When you enter After previously saying “when God grants you rest” [25: 19], God now
states that there are other commandments which apply before “God grants you rest” —
in fact, as soon as you enter the land — namely, first-fruits [: 2 ff ], tithes [:
12 ff ], the writing of the Torah on stones [27: 2 ff ], the building of an altar
[27: 5 ff ], and the recitation of the blessing and the curse upon the two
mountains [27: 12 ff ].

Verse 2

pannier a kind of basket; compare “your breadbasket” [28: 5]. This detail applies
only to those who live near the Sanctuary site [the halakha [ Sifrey on this verse;
see also Tosefta Bikkurim 2:8] does not distinguish in this regard between someone
who lives nearby and someone who lives far away — Translator].

Verse 3

The phrase in those days means that the obligation is in force as long as there is
a High Kohen.
I declare out loud, so that the young ones will hear. The verb may also denote “to
acknowledge” — i.e., thanking God that He fulfilled his promise — and this
interpretation is supported by the presence of the fruit.

Verse 4

Verse 5

you shall reply Apparently the kohanim say something to the effect of, “What is
this that you have brought?” — consequently, you shall reply. But the verb can also
denote initiating a conversation, as in the first appearance of “Job declared” [Job
3: 2] [ cf. comment on Exodus 15: 21].
lost is an intransitive verb. If the Aramean referred to Lavan, then the verb would
be in the transitive hif‘il or pi‘el form. Besides, what sense is there to say,
“Lavan tried to destroy my forefather, and he went down to Egypt”? Lavan never
considered going down to Egypt! The plausible interpretation is that the Aramean
refers to Yaaqov, as if Scripture had said, “When my forefather was in Aramea, he
was lost” — meaning, he was a pauper, without property. Compare, “give strong drink
to him who is lost” [Proverbs 31: 6], where it is immediately followed by, “let him
drink, and forget his poverty” [Proverbs 31: 7]. Thus the lost Aramean was my
forefather. The intent of this passage is: I did not inherit this land from my
forefather, for he was a pauper when he came to Aramea, and he was a stranger in
Egypt, where he was few in number. Afterwards, he became a great nation; and you,
God, brought us out of slavery, and gave us the good land. Do not object to
Yaaqov’s being called an Aramean, since similar apellations can be found. Consider
“Yeter the Ishmaelite” [I Chronicles 2: 17], even though he was really an Israelite
(for so it is written [II Samuel 17: 25]).
The word folk must be in the construct case, because it never appears in the
singular form. In its normal form (e.g., “menfolk” [Deuteronomy 2: 34]) it is a
plural noun.

Verse 6

Verse 7

poverty means lack of wealth,

whereas toil refers to the building projects.
distress as in, “they rushed them, saying, ‘fulfill your task’” [Exodus 5: 13].

Verse 8

Verse 9

Verse 10

Verse 11

you, and the Levite, and the alien means that you are obliged to gladden them with
the fruit of the earth.

Verse 12

The verb disposing of the tithes is in a unique form of the hif‘il construction.
The year of the tithe i.e., the tithe of the poor.
to the Levite, the alien, the orphan, and to the widow i.e., to anyone you wish
from among these categories.

Verse 13

I have removed that which is holy i.e., the tithe. Moreover, I have not stored it
up; rather, I have given it to those to whom I am obliged to give it.
I have not violated intentionally.
neither have I forgot to distribute the tithe. (It is also possible that these two
verbs refer respectively to the two different tithes.)

Verse 14

I have not eaten it in my mourning as in “son of my mourning” [Genesis 35: 18] or

“bread of mourners [Hosea 9: 4].” This word’s meaning (to which I alluded in my
treatise on the Hebrew language) is the same as “while I was mourning” — to wit: I
did not eat anything sanctified as the tithe, while I was in mourning.
Neither did I remove any of it In other words, I did not waste anything holy
when ritually impure — i.e., on anything that was ritually impure.
for a dead person here means for the needs of a dead person (although some people
believe that this term is an oblique reference to idolatry). The reason behind all
of these declarations is that it is forbidden to bring out one’s produce for any
purpose whatever before first giving away the tithe, which is holy. It would be
disrespectful to use the remainder of the produce first, even if one were to use it
for a ritually impure purpose. And just as I have carefully guarded my produce, in
order to extract the holy portion therefrom, so may God guard our country — hence
the reference to the land

Verse 15

— and may it always continue to be a land flowing with milk and honey.

Verse 16

The words on this day mark the resumption of Moshe’s speech.

observe them in your heart.
practice them on the land.

Verse 17

The Hebrew word bespoke carries connotations of exaltation. Compare, “in the top of
the uppermost bough” [Isaiah 17: 6]. The Spaniard Rabbi Y e hudah HaLevy — may he
be for us a light from above! — cleverly explained how the word is related to the
verb “to say”: the sense of the passage is that you have done all that is proper,
to the point that you cause other people to say “He will be your God”; and He will
likewise act toward you so as to cause you to say that you will be His treasured
people. According, the verb “to bespeak” takes both a direct and an indirect
object.

Verse 18

Verse 19

to elevate you in praise … is the reward for the abovementioned mutual dedication.

Chapter 27

Verse 1

Moshe instructed at the behest of God.

He spoke together with the elders of Israel so that the task would be less
difficult (as in many other instances, which I have already mentioned [ see comment
on Exodus 18: 22]).
observe the entire commandment, namely, to erect for you stones which much be large
enough to contain the entire Torah (Sa‘adya Gaon, of blessed memory, proposed the
attractive hypothesis that the stones contained only an enumeration of the
commandments such as is found in the codes of law, as a kind of public notice).

Verse 2
with plaster to preserve the writing.

Verse 3

so that you shall come for God will aid you, if you start by observing His
commandments. This was their very first obligation upon entering: to build a new
altar, to thank God for the start of their occupation of the land.

Verse 4

Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 7

Verse 8

thoroughly clarified i.e., the writing.

Verse 9

Moshe and the Levitical kohanim spoke just as it was related earlier [: 1] that he
spoke along with “the elders of Israel”. But in all such cases the primary speaker
was Moshe.
The word be attentive has no cognate, thus it must be understood from context.
this day you have become a nation God is about to formalize a covenant with you
[ cf. 28: 69].

Verse 10

heed his voice today, and

practice His precepts in the future.

Verse 11

Verse 12

Verse 13

Verse 14

The Levites these are the “Levitical kohanim” mentioned earlier [: 9]; their job
was to recite “Cursed be he …” et cetera. They recited the blessing toward the
children of Jacob’s full wives, and they recited the curse toward the children of
the maidservants. The latter group, however, was two tribes short, because Leah had
had so many sons; so the oldest and the youngest of Leah’s sons were chosen to join
the sons of the maidservants.
shall respond see my comment on “You shall reply and say” [26: 5]. Our Sages, of
blessed memory, have asserted [Soṭa 32a] that this verb indicates that they also
uttered blessings corresponding to each of the curses (e.g., “Blessed be the man
who does not make a graven or molten image”, et cetera ). But the plain sense of
the passage is that the abovementioned “blessing” [: 12] refers to the passage
“Blessed be you in the city…” [28: 3 ff ] whereas the “curse” refers to the
contrary passage [28: 16 ff ]. There is also a passage in the Book of Joshua
[Joshua 8: 34] which indicates that the “blessing” was something that was
explicitly written in the Torah.

Verse 15

These eleven transgressions are specifically mentioned, because they are sins that
are committed in private (note the qualifier, and sets it up in secret — since he
would be liable for the death penalty if he had done it in public [there is no
source in Talmudic literature for this assertion — Translator]; note also, “he who
injures his neighbor in secret” [: 24]). Scripture starts with the basis of
everything, the relationship toward one’s Maker, and then proceeds to discuss the
relationship toward one’s parents (for who would know, if someone insulted his
parents?).

Verse 16

The word disgraces is a transitive word, derived from the noun “disgrace” [Hosea 4:
18].

Verse 17

removes his neighbor’s landmark This is an act done in secrecy, as is misleading a

blind person, since the victim cannot make known who misled him.

Verse 18

Verse 19

perverts the justice of the alien or orphan Scripture mentions the alien, the
orphan, and window, because these people have no allies, so to mistreat them is
also an act committed in private. If a judge were to pervert the justice of others,
they would appeal against him, and thus subject him to public scrutiny. But aliens,
orphans and widows have no power. Someone who lies with his father’s wife (or his
sister [: 22], or his mother-in-law [: 23]) typically does so in complete secrecy,
because he does not fall under any suspicion for being alone with her. This is not
the case with respect to the other forbidden sexual relations.

Verse 20

Verse 21

any beast whether male or female. Unlike another man, a beast has no mouth with
which it can protest and bring charges. Accordingly, the prohibition against sexual
relations with a man is not here mentioned.
Verse 22

Verse 23

Verse 24

Verse 25

According to many people, he who takes a bribe denotes a judge; but in my opinion,
it denotes a false witness.

Verse 26

Some people claim that the verse who will not fulfill… refers to the entire Torah.
Others claim that it only denotes the abovementioned prohibitions; but these people
have spoken vacuously, since Scripture proceeds to say and practice them. In my
opinion, having already cursed all those who violate the abovementioned negative
commandments, Scripture now curses all those who secretly violate the positive
commandments. That is why Scripture uses the form and practice them.

Chapter 28

Verse 1

elevated above all the nations of the world This is the blessing in its general
form: that there will be no nation in the world like you.

Verse 2

they will come i.e., they will come of themselves.

and overtake you even if you do not pursue them (in other words, you will not have
to exert effort).

Verse 3

in the city This blessing extends to all kinds of commerce.

in the field in sowing and in planting.

Verse 4

the fruit of your belly i.e., your offspring ( belly is a euphemism).

I have already explained the words calving [ comment on Exodus 13: 12] and litters
[ comment on 7: 13].

Verse 5

The word breadbasket normally means the place where bread is stored, but to put it
before the word kneading-trough appears to be a violation of chronological order.
Here it might mean the place where flour is stored.

Verse 6
your going Either to celebrate the festivals, or to conduct commerce, or to bring
in the spoils of battle; or all everyday comings and goings (meaning, you will
succeed in everything you do — cf. the subsequent passage [: 20], where the reverse
of this blessing is stated explicitly).

Verse 7

Having already stated that you will dominate all the nations [: 1], Scripture now
states what the outcome will be if they revolt against you, hence the term who rise
up against you.
The word seven is here chosen to denote any large number (because the fortunes of
war are determined by the stars, and one returns to the same day of the week after
seven days).

Verse 8

The context of the word warehouses indicates that it must mean “storehouses”, or
something similar.

Verse 9

establish you i.e., maintain you.

consecrated people with the nature of the consecration being the keeping of the
commandments.
keep in thought; walk in deed.

Verse 10

Verse 11

will grant you overabundance Though there may be evil in the land, and famine, and
malediction, you will enjoy a preponderance of good.

Verse 12

his treasury so called because its contents are dispensed only through His agency.
Compare, “treasuries of the snow” [Job 38: 22]. Having previously mentioned “will
grant you overabundance”, Scripture proceeds to mention rain, the lack of which is
the primary cause of famine,
you will lend to many nations when they experience hunger; but there will never
come a time when you will borrow. All of these blessings fall under the generality
that you shall always be at the head.

Verse 13

if you will hearken i.e., if you will resolve in your heart to observe and to
practice. The core principle is not to depart from following God, and thereby
engage in idolatry; for idolatry — i.e., the denial of God — is the root of all
transgressions. Conversely, to affirm the unity of God is to observe and to
practice the commandments, in the sense that it is the root of all observance and
of all practice.

Verse 14
Verse 15

Verse 16

Verse 17

Verse 18

Verse 19

Verse 20

malediction i.e., that which causes to diminish.

confusion so that he will be unable to complete his undertakings.
failure he will not rejoice in his achievements, but rather, he will feel
apprehension after each of his labors. There are some who say that the words

Verse 21

Verse 22

shaḥefet and qaddaḥat denote specific illnesses [ see comment on Leviticus 26: 16].
qaddaḥat is a daily recurring fever, from “a fire has flared [Hebrew: qadḥah ]
within My nostrils” [32: 22].
delerium is a more intense fever, which only recurs every three or four days.
Morphologically, the words “confusion” [: 20], “failure” [: 20], shaḥefet,
qaddaḥat, and delerium are all adjectives,
paralysis [Hebrew: ḥarḥur ] from “that its brass may burn [Hebrew: ḥarah ]”
[Ezekiel 24: 11].
dehydration [Hebrew: ḥerev ] from “waste [Hebrew: ḥorev ]” [Isaiah 61: 4].
blasting denotes a bloating, as in “bloated by the East wind” [Genesis 61: 6].
However, some say that it has the opposite meaning, and that it means to render
something thin.
mildew means the same in Hebrew as it does in Arabic. Some people say that the term
blasting (as well as the cognate term “bloated by the East wind” [Genesis 61: 6])
denotes a plant disease. Their evidence is that the same word appears in the verse
“I have smitten you with blasting and mildew” [Amos 4: 9], and also that the
current instance is immediately followed by The skies above your head…. They
accordingly suggest that all of the abovementioned terms, here and in the parasha
of Beḥuqqotai [ cf. Leviticus 26: 16], denote plant diseases.

Verse 23

brass The skies will be like brass. Similarly, the earth will be like iron.

Verse 24
powder and dust due to the great dehydration [: 22] and the powerful winds.
The verb you are destroyed appears here in a rare conjugation (like, “on the day
that you were created” [Ezekiel 28: 13]).

Verse 25

The consonants of the word horror are reversed, as in “sheep” [Hebrew: kevesS ]
[Leviticus 4: 32] and “lamb” [Hebrew: kesSev ] [Leviticus 3: 7].

Verse 26

with none to frighten them off The implied object of the verb is the antecedent
birds and beasts.

Verse 27

Those people who survive will then be struck with Egyptian boils.
The condition known as p…s has to do with that which is excreted from a part of the
body that is normally covered — hence, [the Hebrew vulgarity in the text] is
spelled with the letters -p-l, from “mound [Hebrew: ofel ]” [II Kings 5: 24].
scabs means the same in Hebrew as it does in Arabic.
itch [Hebrew: ḥeres ] A condition wherein one requires the use of a potsherd
[Hebrew: ḥeresh ] (as in the case of Job [Job 2: 8]), though here the word is
spelled with a samekh. Others translate the word as “sunstroke”. The truth is that
this word, like all the others, is the name of some specific disease; however, in
this case the word has no cognate from which we can ascertain its meaning. The
three conditions madness, blindness, and bewilderment are all diseases of the mind.

Verse 28

Verse 29

you will grope Scripture elaborates on the abovementioned “blindness” [: 28].

In Hebrew, the verb succeed takes a direct object.
oppressed and robbed by the enemy, and none will come to your aid. Scripture now
proceeds to give the details of the abovementioned “oppression”.

Verse 30

f… This word is a vulgarity that denotes sexual intercourse. The three letters of
its root are found in the word “royal consort” [e.g., Psalms 45: 10] — i.e., a
designated bedmate.
enjoy from the Hebrew word for “flute” [ cf. comment on 20: 6].

Verse 31

Verse 32

you will pine from “longs, indeed it pines” [Psalms 84: 3]. and “David longed” [II
Samuel 13: 39].

Verse 33

smashed through force.

Verse 34

Scripture now elaborates on the cause of the abovementioned “madness” [: 28]: the
sight of your body covered with boils.

Verse 35

of the knees and of the legs These are the areas where boils are particularly
difficult to remove.
you will not be cured because it is not an internal disease.

Verse 36

where you will worship but it will do you no good. It will only serve to make you

Verse 37

a wonder — i.e., all who see you will wonder at you.

a proverb something that one hears frequently. a byword something that one says
frequently (from, “teach them diligently” [6: 7]).
God will drive you on account of your sins. But before that happens, while you are
still on your land,

Verse 38

The verb will consume it [Hebrew: yaḥselennu ] is derived from the Hebrew word
ḥasil, which is a kind of locust.

Verse 39

You will plant You will work at planting to exhaustion.

drink at harvest time.
collect i.e., gather. This verb can also be found in “gathers in harvest-time”
[Proverbs 6: 8].

Verse 40

annoint from “nor did I annoint myself at all” [Daniel 10: 3]. Scripture describes
the situation that is the opposite of “oil upon your head” [Ecclesiastes 9: 8].
The verb will drop off is in the nif‘al form.

Verse 41

Verse 42

appropriate is a verb in the pi‘el form. It has the sense of “to drive out nations”
[4: 38].
The word locust stems from a quadriliteral root, and it has no cognate; its meaning
must be taken from context.

Verse 43

higher and higher The adverb is doubled, possibly to indicate that there will be no
one higher than he or that the rise will be continuous. The same can be said of
lower and lower. But it may be that the repetition indicates a simple
intensification.
Verse 44

he will be ahead along the lines of “the borrower is servant to the lender”
[Proverbs 22: 7].

Verse 45

Verse 46

a sign from God, reminding you of your rebellion against Him. Not only shall the
sign be against you, but it shall also be against your descendants (as in “our
fathers have sinned, and are no more…” [Lamentations 5: 7]), as I have elsewhere
mentioned [ cf. comment on Leviticus 26: 39].

Verse 47

an abundance of everything denotes either everything that you might desire, or

everything that you need.

Verse 48

Verse 49

swoop a manner of flying, as in “he soared on the wings of the wind” [Psalms 18:
11].

Verse 50

Verse 51

Verse 52

Verse 53

you will eat your own children during the siege.

will press [ singular ] you i.e., each one of your enemies will press you. It is
equally plausible, though, that the noun “enemy” is singular, and that it appears
to assume the plural form here simply because it falls at the end of a verse.

Verse 54

The antecedent of the verb he has spared is either the enemy, or some-one who
spared the children by hiding them (such an act having been necessitated by the
circumstances of the siege).

Verse 55

in all of your gates that is, everywhere.

Verse 56

Verse 57

The placenta is the place where the fetus lives while in its mother’s womb.
The phrase from between her legs is a euphemism. Compare, “he had not bathed his
legs” [II Samuel 19: 25].

Verse 58

Verse 59

The word your plagues has elements of the singular form and of the plural form, in
combination. Compare, “this testimonies of mine that I shall teach them” [Psalms
132: 12].
The word mysterious denotes something wondrous, the like of which is never seen nor
heard.
chronic they will not go away.

Verse 60

Verse 61

bring from “brought” [Jeremiah 16: 14] (even though there the ‘ayin is vocalized
with a ḥaṭaf segol ). Others say that the word is to be understood in its Aramaic
sense, meaning “bring”.

Verse 62

Verse 63

as He rejoiced Do not think that anything can harm God, or that He suffers (see,
“if you are righteous, what do you give Him?” [Job 35: 7]).
you will be removed is a peh-nun verb in the nif‘al form. Compare, “God will pluck
out” [Proverbs 15: 25].

Verse 64

Verse 65

Verse 66

In the word insecure, an ’ alef replaces the heh of the triliteral root.

Verse 67
Verse 68

The word you will sell yourselves has a different meaning from the word “you will
be sold” [e.g., Isaiah 50: 1]. It means that you will attempt to sell your own
selves — both men and women. However, none will buy you. God had previously
commanded that this covenant be enacted in the plains of Mo av.

Verse 69

Chapter 29

Verse 1

Moshe summoned all Israel for the purpose of ratifying the covenant. Accordingly,
this passage is immediately followed by the passage “You are standing assembled
today…” [: 9].
You have seen, as well as the subsequent verse “I led you…” [: 4] and the
subsequent mention of how ‘Og came out to wage war [: 6] are to be understood in
the sense of, “There are among you those who have witnessed the signs which God
performed in Egypt; both they and the next generation have witnessed the wonder of
eating no bread other than the manna; and the younger generation witnessed how God
aided them in the defeat of the two kings”.

Verse 2

Verse 3

They lacked an understanding heart in that they tested God ten times [Numbers 14:
22], not recalling all the “signs” [: 2] which they had witnessed.
God has not given you The idea is expressed in this way, not only because He is the
First Cause of all things, but also, more specifically, because they eventually
noticed how they did not require bread or wine [ cf. : 5].

Verse 4

I have already commented on the statement that their garments did not wear away
[ comment on 8: 4]. The defeat of Siḥon and ‘Og is mentioned specifically, because
it had happened recently. Therefore, for all of these reasons, you are obliged to
observe the covenant.

Verse 5

Verse 6

Verse 7
Verse 8

The verb achieve is in the hif’il form, like the word “succeed” [Jeremiah 32: 5].
It is a transitive verb with both a direct and an indirect object, as evidenced by
the word you do. Compare, “David achieved in all his endeavors” [I Samuel 18: 14].

Verse 9

You are standing assembled … before God your God They were surrounding the Ark.
your chiefs Scripture elides the second instance of a word which properly should be
restated in the construct case. Compare, “toward the tent, [the tent] of Sarah his
mother” [Genesis 24: 67] as well as “and the prophecy, [being the prophecy] of
‘Oded the prophet” [II Chronicles 15: 8]. Here, too, the meaning of the passage is
“your chiefs, (namely, they who are the chiefs) of your tribes” (as in the similar
passage “and their glory was lost, [the glory] of Ḥeshbon” [Numbers 21: 30] [this
is one of two different explanations for that verse which ibn Ezra there offers —
Translator]). The intent of this passage is to mention the leaders first, and then
the elders, and then the officers, and afterwards all the men of Israel (i.e., the
males), followed by the (male) children, and then the women, and finally, the
aliens.

Verse 10

Verse 11

to cross over a verbal noun. The word is used in its idiomatic sense ( cf. “they
passed between its sections” [Jeremiah 34: 18]). Note that when not followed by the
preposition into, the word has the exact opposite meaning.

Verse 12

Verse 13

Not with you alone but rather, with you, and with those who shall come after you:
your children, and your children’s children.

Verse 14

The nun in the word is is extraneous.

with him who is not that is to say, with him who is not here now, but who shall
come after us. The passage is not to be understood according to those who claim
[ cf. Shabbat 146a] that the “spirits” of the unborn were present.

Verse 15

you have known… There are some among you who have witnessed the abominations of
Egypt (i.e., their gods), and all of you have witnessed the abominations of the
other nations. you have passed i.e., you passed by them, namely, Edom, Ammon, Mo
av, and Midian.

Verse 16

Verse 17
developing into hemlock and wormwood Hemlock is harmful to someone who is healthy,
and the illnesses that it produces are among the deadliest.

Verse 18

this curse “Cursed be the man who makes a graven or molten image…” [27: 15].
bless himself Rabbi Yehudah HaLevy, of blessed memory, said that the word “bless
himself” should be taken literally: When he hears the malediction, in his heart he
will consider himself blessed, thinking all will be well with me. In other words,
he will hear the ban, but think to himself, “I am an exception”.
that it be included [Hebrew: sefot ] 1) Rabbi Y e hudah HaLevy — may he be for us a
light from above! — said that this word has the meaning of “termination” (as in
“will you destroy…” [Hebrew: tispeh ] [Genesis 18: 23]). The man engaged in
blessing himself intends to nullify the words of the righteous — here denoted by
the word moist — by means of the words of the “thirsty” (the righteous man is
called moist, along the lines of “like a tree planted by the water” [Jeremiah 17:
8], whereas a wicked man is called thirsty, along the lines of “like a juniper bush
in the desert” [Jeremiah 17: 6]). Likewise, he thinks that by blessing himself, he
can cancel out the malediction. All this would have been a fine explanation — were
it not for the fact that moist is an adjective; the verse would have to read “…
moisture with thirst”. 2) The grammarian Rabbi Yona ibn Janaḥ explained the verse
to mean: Since he sees that the innocent are destroyed the same as the wicked, he
decides in his heart to be wicked. This cannot be right, though, on account of the
phrase all will be well with me. In my opinion, the word included [Hebrew: sefot ]
denotes an accretion, as in “that sin be added [Hebrew: sefot ]” [Isaiah 30: 1].
The meaning is: “all will be well with me, even though I follow the evil impulses
of my heart, because I will survive through the merit of the righteous; they are
many, whereas I am just a single sinner”. For this reason, Scripture immediately
says, God will not consent to pardon him — that is, he will be instantly destroyed.
The image is of something wet adding moisture to something parched. Scripture
compares the righteous man to land that is watered (as in, “like a tree planted by
streams of water” [Psalms 1: 3]) and the wicked man to land that is parched (as in
“like a juniper bush in the desert” [Jeremiah 17: 6]). Evidence for this
interpretation is provided by the beginning of the passage: “a root developing into
hemlock and worm-wood” [: 17] — which only occurs in a dry area.

Verse 19

wrath will fume The fire of wrath shall bum him until smoke appears. If he is an
individual, he will die immediately; if it is a whole family, then all of the curse
will alight — i.e., the curse shall alight upon that family, until its name is
obliterated; if it is a whole tribe, then God will single it out for disaster. Each
enumerated consequence applies to a different possibility, like “…shall be
dedicated to God, and I shall offer it up for a burnt offering” [Judges 11: 31], as
I have explained [ comment on Judges 11: 31].

Verse 20

Verse 21

The future generation denotes both your children and the foreigners who will
observe the plagues of the land.

Verse 22

brimstone… They will pray to God that all the land be scorched with brimstone and
salt, as in the overthrow of the places mentioned. Some commentators say, however,
that the subsequent verb “they will say” [: 23] does not introduce a new sentence,
but that it is only a repetition of the previous verb “will say” [: 21]. The verb
is repeated, following the rules of Hebrew usage, because of the length of the
intervening clause. They i.e., the older generation will answer. The reason
Scripture says the God of their fathers is that they abandoned that which both they
and their fathers had known, to worship that which they had not known.

Verse 23

Verse 24

Verse 25

I have already explained not allotted to them [ comment on 4: 19].

Verse 26

Verse 27

The word exiled lacks the nun of the root n-t-sh because it is absorbed into the
following consonant, in accordance with the rules of grammar.
The words to this day are part of the quoted answer.

Verse 28

the hidden matters … that is, if someone practices idolatry in secret, it is for
God our God — meaning, his judgment will be at the hand of God, Who will punish
him; but if it be public, then we, and our descendants, are obliged to do what is
written in the Torah. (Some have interpreted the verse as follows: “The hidden
matters are for God our God, and the revealed matters. It is only for us to act
according to the words of the Torah.” But this interpretation contains a non
sequitur. What would be the point of mentioning it, in this context?) Having
previously said that God “cast them into another land”, Scripture now proceeds to
say, “but if you return to God, even though you be outside the Land of Israel, God
will restore your exiles.” Rabbi Y e hudah ben David Ḥayyuj, the grammarian, is of
the opinion that the first instance of the word “restore” means “grant rest”. The
sense of the verse is: “He will provide respite to the captives, and grant them
mercy; afterward, he will send them back, and gather them …”.

Chapter 30

Verse 1

Verse 2

Verse 3
Verse 4

the end of heaven antipodal to the Land of Israel.

Verse 5

Verse 6

God your God will circumsize This is attributed to God, because He is the First
Cause of all things. After having stated [: 2], You will repent, and hearken unto
His voice, Scripture proceeds to say, “and He will assist you; He will circumsize
your heart, and the hearts of your children” — unlike a corporeal circumcision,
which you must perform entirely on your own.

Verse 7

Verse 8

Verse 9

will grant extra prosperity as a result of placing all the maledictions on the
enemies.
as He rejoiced over your ancestors who inherited the land (Scripture is here
addressing those who will be exiled from the land in the future).

Verse 10

written in this Book of the Torah for the basis of all the precepts are there, even
though they may require interpretation by the tradition. This observance will not
occur until the heart is whole; accordingly, with all your heart — since the
commandment of “observance” involves one’s heart.

Verse 11

wondrous either mysterious or a superhuman task, which you will be unable to

perform

Verse 12

it is not in heaven an elaboration on “wondrous” [: 11].

Verse 13

beyond the sea an elaboration on “distant” [: 11]. Probably the Mediterranean sea
is meant, which cannot be traversed lengthwise, due to the murkiness of its waters.

Verse 14

in your mouth, and in your heart The essence of all the commandments is in one’s
heart; but they also entail deeds, so that one may recall them with the words of
one’s mouth.

Verse 15

life i.e., longevity.

good i.e., prosperity, and health, and honor.
death and evil i.e., the reverse of the above.

Verse 16

to love this being the essential thing.

to walk in His ways not to alter the path of deeds and duties which He has
commanded you; and, if you should not know why the decrees and judgments were given
—
it is so that you will live (corresponding to the abovementioned “life” [: 15])...
and multiply (corresponding to the abovementioned “good” [: 15]), which denotes
physical increase, both of children, and of wealth.

Verse 17

if your heart turns for the heart is the essence.

I have already explained the word be drawn away [ comment on 4: 19].

Verse 18

you will be utterly lost This corresponds to the abovementioned “death” and “evil”
[: 15]. They, and their children, and their fortune, shall all perish.
you will not last long This is the opposite of “God your God will bless you in the
land” [: 16].

Verse 19

the heaven and the earth because they are permanent. Compare, “this stone shall be
a witness to us” [Joshua 24: 27] and “Hear, O mountains, God ’s controversy” [Micah
6: 2] [ see also comment on 4: 26].
life and death are respecified as the blessing, and the curse. Scripture then
states, You have the ability to choose life. The phrase that you may live may mean
living corporeally, or it may mean to live on in memory. Scripture then proceeds to
explain that
The phrase that you may live may mean living corporeally, or it may mean to live on
in memory. Scripture then proceeds to explain that to love is the purpose of life.

Verse 20

He is your life The subject of this proposition, to which the pronoun “he” refers,
according to the commentators, is God ’s voice. But in my opinion, it is God
Himself — as the poet has said, God is “my salvation” [Psalms 18: 47], “my God of
kindness” [Psalms 59: 18], “my shield” [Psalms 18: 3], and “my sword” [ cf. 33:
29].

Chapter 31

Verse 1

went He went to each tribe, to inform them that he was going to die, so that they
would not be frightened, and to hearten them with respect to Joshua (this is the
reason for the passage which immediately follows: “… you will divide it among them”
[: 7]). It is also my belief that this is when Moshe blessed the tribes, even
though it is recorded later [ cf. 33: 1 ff.].

Verse 2

To go to and fro denotes going out to, and returning from, battle. In other words:
“Even if I were not now going to die, still I am incapable of waging war. Thus, you
have no need of someone who would leave you unattended. But rather, God will
destroy the nations, and Joshua also — and the proof is that which you have seen
with your very eyes, namely, the war of Siḥon and ‘Og.”

Verse 3

Verse 4

Verse 5

and you will deal with them i.e., to destroy their altars.

Verse 6

Be courageous and brave now that you know that God will stand with you in any place
where you go to do battle. Moshe then said

Verse 7

be courageous and brave to Joshua as well, because he was to be their leader.

for you will enter with [Hebrew: et ] this people The Hebrew word et here has the
sense of “with”.

Verse 8

Verse 9

entrusted it to the kohanim, descendants of Levi because they are the teachers of
the Torah.
to all the elders of Israel This either denotes the Sanhedrin, or it is meant in
the sense of “Moshe and the elders of Israel” [27: 1] [i.e., “elders” denotes a
group of unspecified people who are to assist the kohanim in their mission —
Translator].

Verse 10

at the end of every seven years i.e., at the inception of the following year.

Verse 11

Verse 12

your alien Perhaps he desires to convert to Judaism. When those who are not learned
(and the small children as well) will hear, they will ask questions; and as a
consequence, they will learn.
in order that they may learn for all of the coming year. The Torah reading on the
Sabbath serves the same purpose.

Verse 13

Verse 14

The time for you to die is nearing. Everyone has his predestined times, as I have
explained [ comment on Exodus 23: 26].
Moshe went from the Israelite camp, where he was, back to the camp of the Divine
Presence.

Verse 15

The Hebrew word in the Tent contains the definite article. God appeared in the Tent
The column of cloud was upon the entrance, to be distinguished from the epiphany of
God, which took place within the Tent. The latter is what is meant by the term “the
Glory” [e.g., Exodus 16: 10]. All apparent references here to God ’s speaking to
Joshua — e.g., “I will charge him” [: 14] — actually denote Moshe’s charging Joshua
with God ’s commandments [: 23] (this is why Moshe says there, speaking in God ’s
name, “which I promised them” [: 23]). Only afterwards did the passage of You are
about to lie with your forefathers take place, since the Torah does not always
record events in strict chronological order. Similarly, the passage “when Moshe
completed writing” [: 24] occurred immediately after the passage “Moshe wrote down
this Torah” [: 9].

Verse 16

[16] It is unlikely that the word will arise is part of the previous phrase
[Sanhedrin 90b], because if it were, how then could one make sense out of the
following words, this people, and become faithless?
The word become faithless means to withdraw one’s loyalty.
after the gods of the nations of the land As we all know, God is One. Any apparent
alteration in His actions is due to alterations in the actedupon objects (for God
’s actions do not change, since they are One with the Divine Intelligence). The
purpose of all service to God is to preserve one’s capacity to receive Divine
influence, each object according to its nature. It is in this sense that we must
understand “the laws of the land’s God” [II Kings 17: 26]. Similarly, Yaaqov said
“Remove the strange idols” [Genesis 35: 2] [prior to entering the holy city of
Bethel — Translator]. The alteration of Yaaqov’s location also effected the extent
to which God tolerated sexual relations which are forbidden on grounds of
consanguinity — verbum sat sapienti [ cf. comment on Leviticus 18: 26]....
The antecedent of within which [ masculine ] could be the noun foreigner, as if the
verse had read, “…and become faithless by following after the gods of the foreign
nations, they being the gods of the land…”. It is more likely, though, that the
antecedent is the word land, which occasionally is found taking the masculine
gender (compare, “the land could not support [ masculine ] them” [Genesis 13: 6],
and “the land is darkened” [Isaiah 9: 18]).

Verse 17

I will reject them [ plural ] all of them.

They will be [ singular ] Every one of them will be as fodder for the enemy.

Verse 18
I shall utterly conceal In the sense that if they call Me, I will not answer. The
analogy is to a man who cannot be seen, so no one knows what he is going to do. The
Hebrew language repeats a verb to express emphasis or intensification, as the
grammarians well know.
they turned to This is the greatest of all evils, as I have explained [ comment on
28: 14].

Verse 19

write yourselves [ plural ] Not only Moshe, but also everyone who knows how to
write, is commanded to do so [Sanhedrin 21b].
teach it i.e., he is to explain the difficult meanings to them.
place it into their mouths that they should know it word for word.
The word teach it (as well as the word place it) is unusual, because according to
the rule, the heh ought to be vocalized with a qamaṣ, and the daled should be
vocalized with a segol....
a witness concerning the children of Israel Either This is meant to be joined to
the subsequent phrase I shall bring them — that is, the poem is a witness that I
shall bring them. or, more plausibly, it is to be contrasted to that passage, on
account of the subsequent will respond ([Hebrew: veantah ] as in, “do not speak up
[Hebrew: taeneh ] against your neighbor as a false witness” [Exodus 20: 13]). In
other words: The poem will answer those who will say, “Why has all this befallen
us?”

Verse 20

Verse 21

before them in the sense of “against them”. The meaning is that this testimony
shall not depart from them, but shall remain with them always.
for I know their proclivities Even if I did not know the future, I still know all
that they have done up until today.

Verse 22

on that day means that he did not postpone the matter. In all likelihood, though,
the day of his death was not the day when he began writing the Torah (for the
writing of the poem was included in the writing of the entire Torah).

Verse 23

Verse 24

The phrase completing them [ plural ] refers to the words of the Torah.

Verse 25

the Levites Scripture employs brevity, as if it had specified, from among the
abovementioned Levites, those who are kohanim — but not all of the Levites, since
the latter may not touch the Ark.
who carry the ark of God ’s covenant here means, as in many other instances, that
they do so only when commanded.

Verse 26
so that it may remain there as a witness against you i.e., against all of Israel,
in which the kohanim are included.

Verse 27

how much more so after my death I know that it will also take place after my death,
for so God has told me — that “this people will arise…” [: 16] after you lie “with
your forefathers” [: 16] — which means, after I die.

Verse 28

Verse 29

The word befall, ending in a tav, is the third person feminine singular of a
lamed-’alef verb, as in “it is your nation who has sinned” [Exodus 5: 16], as I
have there explained [ comment on Exodus 5: 16].

Chapter 32

Verse 1

As I have already explained in Sefer Moznayyim, the word listen [Hebrew: ha ɒzinu ]
comes from the word “ear” [Hebrew: ozen ], as if to say, “incline your ear”.
heavens Sa‘adya Gaon, as I have previously indicated [ comment on 4: 26],
understands this word metonymically, to refer to the angels. Similarly, earth, he
says, denotes the people of the earth. Alternately, the reference is to the
testimony of the rain, which falls from the heavens, and to the crops, which grow
from the earth. In my opinion, however, the point being made here is that these
things are permanent. Compare, “Hear, O mountains” [Micah 6: 2]. Compare as well to
Joshua’s stone, where the verse says, “for it has heard” [Joshua 24: 27] [ cf.
comment on 4: 26]. Previously I have suggested that the human soul is a bridge
between the spiritual and the corporeal. It understands everything — even the human
soul itself — anthropomorphically: Things corporeal it elevates, and things
spiritual it brings down to its own level of understanding.

Verse 2

drop as in, “He shall topple their altars” [Hosea 10: 2], meaning “to fall down”.
my teaching [Hebrew: liqḥi ] i.e., that which another takes [Hebrew: loqeaḥ ] from
him. Compare, “good teaching [Hebrew: leqaḥ ]” [Proverbs 4: 2].
The word showers, in my opinion, denotes a milder kind of rain, whereas...
the word downpours [Hebrew: revivim ] (both words are adjectives) comes from the
Hebrew word for “abundant” [Hebrew: rav ], since the word vegetation generally
denotes a stronger kind of plant than the word grass. Some say that the word
showers comes from the word “hair”. Others have related it to “the storm wind of
God ” [Jeremiah 23: 19], albeit the former is spelled with a sSin whereas the latter
is spelled with a samekh (similarly, “shall come against him like a storm” [Daniel
11: 40], is spelled with a sSin, although its meaning is identical to the same word
spelled with a samakh ). It is also possible that the word simply has no cognate in
Scripture. Employing the customary prophetic style, Scripture expresses the same
idea twice, for emphasis, the idea being that Moshe prays for his words to fall
like dew and rain. Dew and rain do not descend without effect; they never fall
without, as it is written, “watering the earth” [Isaiah 55: 10]. The idea is that
Moshe’s words should enter the hearts of his audience in the same way that rain and
dew enter the earth, causing it to bear life, and to flourish.
Verse 3

The words ascribe greatness to our God are addressed to the abovementioned heavens
and earth. Compare, “the heavens declare the glory of God” [Psalms 19: 1], as I
have there elaborated [ comment on Psalms 19: 1]; similarly, “let the heaven and
earth praise Him” [Psalms 69: 35].

Verse 4

Moshe begins with the Rock Whose deeds are perfect to indicate that any evil that
has befallen Israel has been caused by their own evil deeds.
Rock He endures forever, like a rock. Do not be amazed at the use of such an
analogy, as they are common in Scripture (e.g., “Who shall roar like a lion” [Hosea
11: 10]). It is impossible for us to describe God in any way other than in terms of
His creations (for every thing that exists is His creation). Compare, “the Rock
[Hebrew: ṣur ] of my heart” [Psalms 73: 26] — meaning support, strength, pillar.
There are also those who say that the word comes from “form” (as in “their form
[Hebrew: ṣuram ] shall waste away in the grave” [Psalms 49: 15]). Their thesis is
that God has no substance, but is primal form. In my opinion, however, the former
etymology is correct.
Whose acts are perfect Every cause is an imperfect cause, on account of its
dependence on its antecedent cause, except for God, the exalted Prime Cause of all.
Everything in the universe can be acted upon, except He Who formed the universe.
for all His ways are lawful They do not alter; they follow a unitary Law, which is
the Origin of all. All created things alter their actions in accordance with their
circumstances; but the actions of God are subject only to His wisdom (that the sun
was made to stand still is no disproof; the intricacies of that situation are
explained from the words “and the moon, in the valley of Ayyalon” [Joshua 10: 12],
as I have explained in its place [no copy of this commentary is known —
Translator]).
a trustworthy Power, without injustice I.e., only He is intrinsically powerful.
Even the mightiest human achievements are dependent on circumstances to which
others have contributed. The sense is that since He is completely powerful,
therefore it is not possible that He should do injustice. or The word Power is a
nominative to which two separate descriptions [“trustworthy” and “without
injustice”] are applied.
Scripture says righteous and upright is He on account of the upcoming phrase To
waste from Him, meaning that it is His righteousness to lay waste a perverse
nation. He alone is upright, and it is the nature of uprightness to straighten that
which is crooked. Thus the word from Him means, those who had been His, in former
times. [Here the interpretation begins to employ word groupings that are at
variance with the cantillation marks — Translator]

Verse 5

not His sons I.e., those who say that they are not His sons. Compare, “sons that
are not trustworthy” [: 20]. The meaning of the phrase is that they do not
acknowledge Him as their Creator; or, if they acknowledge Him on their lips, they
do not acknowledge Him in their heart, as evidenced by their not fearing God. The
lamed in the word from Him is a preposition that takes a compound object. It also
attaches to the word their defect, in the sense of “ because of their defect” —
namely, that they are a generation crooked and perverse (the word perverse means to
be confirmed and ongoing in one’s crookedness. Compare, “all of God’s twisted ways”
[Genesis 30: 8]). Some say that the phrase to waste from him is to be understood as
“to waste from them ” — i.e., they wasted themselves. Do not question the use of
the singular, because such is the nature of the Hebrew language. Do we not also
have the verse, “Remember [ singular ] ancient days; study [ plural ] the years of
each generation” [: 7]? In my opinion, however, the correct interpretation is as
follows: The object of the waste is God — in other words, they have perverted the
ways of God which are innate, as well as the decrees which He has commanded — as if
the verse had read, “A crooked generation, who are not His sons, has disregarded
Him, this being their defect”. This interpretation is confirmed by the subsequent
verse, Shall you render this to God. As for the letter heh which begins the verse,
I have already explained its unusual size and vocalization in Sefer Moznayyim.

Verse 6

vile in its actions.

unwise in its heart. Thus they are entirely defective: in thought, and in deed.
Scripture uses the word your Father on account of their having said that they are
not His sons.
your Owner as in, “God produced me” [Proverbs 8: 22].
He constituted you I.e., he designed you.
and established you I.e., made you capable of fulfilling the design.

Verse 7

days [Hebrew: yemot ] Both this form and yemey [e.g.. Genesis 3: 14] are valid
forms of this word, just as years [Hebrew: shenot ] and sheney [e.g., Genesis 23:
1] are both valid forms of the word.
ancient [literally: eternity] here denotes the past.
ask your father Having just a moment ago said remember, Scripture now continues:
But if you have forgot what your fathers related to you, then ask them.
he will tell you Scripture employs a pronomial suffix, even though the verb
normally takes an indirect object, requiring a preposition. Compare the pronomial
suffixes in, “You have given to me a desert land” [Joshua 15: 19], and “my children
have gone out from me” [Jeremiah 10: 20].
your elders The idea is repeated, in the manner of an admonition.

Verse 8

The traditional commentators have explained the passage beginning When the Most
High allotted inheritances to the peoples as referring to the Generation of the
Dispersion [ see Sifrey on this verse]. It was during that time that the land
became scattered, and it was then that God decreed that the land of the Seven
Nations would be Israel’s (and that it would be sufficient to their population —
hence, to the number of the children of Israel).
Some people have asserted that set [Hebrew: yaṣṣev ] is a verbal noun, like “Lo, I
cannot speak [Hebrew: dabber ]” [Jeremiah 1: 6]. Others have suggested that it is a
verb in the future tense taking the place of one in the past tense, as in “they
made a calf in Ḥorev” [Psalms 106: 19]. In my opinion, however, “ask your father”
[: 7] and “your elders” [: 7] are references to the learned, and the meaning of the
current passage is similar to that in “God has allotted them” [4: 19] — namely,
that to every component of the terrestrial world there is a corresponding component
in the supernal world....
Thus, according to the number of the children of Israel must be understood along
the lines of the statement made by our Sages, of Blessed Memory, that the image of
Father Jacob is engraved on the Throne of Glory [ Midrash Tanḥuma on Numbers 3: 40]
— this is a great secret teaching of the Torah. The evidence for this
interpretation is the phrase God ’ s share is His people; and it is the greatest of
all possible privileges, one which “He has done so for no other nation” [Psalms
147: 20]. This is why Scripture asked “shall you render this to God, O vile and
unwise people?” [: 6] — that is, a people that has fallen from eminence through its
own wrongdoing. This is the meaning of “your Father, your Owner” [: 6] — i.e., He
has acquired you for His glory. He then tutored you, as Scripture will illustrate,
in the manner of a father with his son.
Verse 9

parcel [ literally: cord] meaning, “lot” (as in “the bounds” [Psalms 16: 6]),
because land parcels are measured out with cords [ cf. Amos 7: 17].

Verse 10

He found him in a wilderness land Now begins the elaboration of “your Father, your
Owner” [: 6]. He found him because it was in the wilderness that the Glory was
first joined to them. Moreover, they were in an area which no man had explored (for
so it is written [Jeremiah 2: 6]), and,
since it was a wilderness, it encompassed a waste-land.
howling a place where there is a howling of animals, like jackals and owls, whose
sound terrifies anyone within earshot.
He surrounded him a reference to the clouds.
He gave him wisdom i.e., the Torah.
He guarded him from enemies.
the pupil of his eye I have already explained the word pupil.
eye is an anthropomorphism. The meaning is that He protected them from every enemy
and snare.

Verse 11

like an eagle stirring his nest a transitive verb, meaning to convey from place to
place.
The word his young denotes a bird’s little ones. Compare, “a turtle-dove, and a
young [pigeon]” [Genesis 15: 9]. The word young is a general term, like “bird”,
modifying whatever specific term is employed to denote the species of the
nestlings.
hovering ( cf. “was hovering” [Genesis 1: 2]) as the clouds did over Israel, in
their travels.
spreading his wings, taking him [ singular ] He takes up the fledglings one at a
time onto his plumes (since they cannot fly on their own power, that being the
analogy here ). 1 The specific mention of an eagle’s wings, however, is used in the
same sense as it is in “I brought you to Me”, referring to the swiftness of their
arrival at Mount Sinai, having departed “triumphantly” [Exodus 14: 8]. Compare “who
are these that fly as a cloud” [Isaiah 60: 8].

Verse 12

alone led him 1) God alone (as in “at the word of God they encamped and … marched”
[Numbers 9: 23]) — meaning, God used no emissary. 2) It is also plausible that the
word alone refers to Israel, as in “Behold, it is a nation dwelling alone” [Numbers
23: 9].
there was no other power with him I.e., there was no other power with Israel. This
interpretation is evidenced by the subsequent verse “They aroused His jealousy with
strangers” [: 16].

Verse 13

He conveyed him to the heights of the earth I.e., the land of Canaan, which is the
center of the inhabited earth. The word he conveyed him is a rhetorical form.
heights [Hebrew: bametey ] (here written with an unvocalized vav ) From “you shall
tread on their towers [Hebrew: bamoteymo ]” [33: 29], not from “among the wicked …
his tomb [Hebrew: bemotav ]” [Isaiah 53: 9].
the produce meaning, the fruits. Compare, “if riches increase” [Psalms 62: 11].
of the field [Hebrew: sSadai ] an adjective, vocalized as in “wise” [Hebrew:
ḥakham ], with a yod in place of a heh (like the vav in “I was at ease” [Job 16:
12]), as evidenced by “let the field be joyful” [Psalms 96: 12], where the singular
form of the verb is used.
suckled him on honey from the stone This is a figure of speech, like “the mountains
shall drop down sweet wine” [Joel 4: 18], meant to convey the abundance of honey,
and of oil, which are exported from the land of Canaan (for so it is written
[Ezekiel 27: 17]).
The lamed of flint is vocalized with a schwa, because the word is in the construct
case — exactly the opposite of “a rock of flint” [8: 15]. Similarly, “knives of
stone” [Joshua 5: 2] is the opposite of “the edge of his sword” [Psalms 89: 44].

Verse 14

The fat of cattle denotes the abundance of flesh the milk [Hebrew: ḥɒlev ] of sheep
Were it not for the traditional vocalization of the letters, this verse would be
support for the suet controversy (which I mentioned in its place [ comment on
Leviticus 7: 23]); alternately, the suet [Hebrew: ḥelev ] of lambs could mean the
best and thickest fat, as in “the choicest [Hebrew: ḥelev ] of the oil” [Numbers
18: 12].
of the Bashan breed who were raised on the hills of Bashan.
fat kidneys of wheat This is a bit of imagery, bringing to mind the deposits of fat
that surround the kidneys. Also, a kernel of wheat resembles a kidney in shape.
the blood of the grape denotes wine. Scripture thus tabulates an abundandace of:
honey; oil; flesh; bread; wine, and all manner of fruits (there are also some who
say that the abovementioned “honey” denotes date-honey) — completing the
description of “the produce of the field” [: 13].
wine a synonym for “wine”. Compare, “a vineyard of wine” [Isaiah 27: 2]. The tav in
you drank denotes the second person masculine singular. It suggests a man speaking
to his fellow, saying, “there is so much abundance, you will drink wine
constantly”. There are those, however, who say that the tav denotes the third
person feminine singular, and that grape acts as the feminine subject of the verb.
This suggestion is vacuous, though, because it would require the tav to be
vocalized with a pattaḥ, in the form of a causative hif‘il verb. A slightly more
plausible reading is suggested by those who say that the feminine subject of the
non-causative verb is the implied word “congregation”, since the congregation of
Israel is sometimes masculine and sometimes feminine [e.g., I Samuel 17: 21].

Verse 15

Yeshurun grew fat i.e., Israel. Most likely the name is derived from the word
“upright” [Hebrew: yashar ], and the meaning of the verse is that he who had once
been upright has become fat. Another opinion is that the name is related to “I gaze
at it” [Hebrew: ashurennu ] [Numbers 24: 17]; but the former explanation, in my
opinion, is the more just of the two, as evidenced by the verb’s being in the
singular [since the latter explanation implies that the reason for the yod in
Yeshurun is to indicate the third person masculine plural — Translator].
and kicked from “why do you kick” [I Samuel 2: 29], where the meaning of the word
can be understood from context.
You grew fat and did not take it to heart.
you thickened as in “my little finger will be thicker” [I Kings 12: 10].
you became covered [Hebrew: kasSita ] Some say that the word is related to “he has
covered [Hebrew: khissah ] his face with his fat” [Job 15: 27], since the verb also
appears in the qal form [e.g., Proverbs 12: 23]. Others say that it is from “I
wandered like a lamb [Hebrew: kesSeh ] gone astray” [Psalms 119: 176] — except that
there is no verbal form that uses an auxiliary kaf. The correct interpretation, in
my opinion, is that this word has no cognate, and that its meaning is similar to
“you kicked”.
He abandoned the precepts of his God.
debased in thought, and in word. Scripture says the Rock of his salvation, in all
likelihood, to indicate that he desecrated the Name of the One Who, for that
reason, did not confer upon him salvation. One can also apply the interpration of
“The Rock Whose acts are perfect” [ comment on 32: 4] to the current passage.

Verse 16

They aroused His jealousy had they acted on their intentions. Compare, “and now
nothing will be withheld from them” [Genesis 11: 6].
strangers strange gods.
abominations i.e., idols.

Verse 17

to demons See my commentary on “to the satyrs after which they stray” [ comment on
Leviticus 17 7]. Similarly, Rabbi Yiṣḥaq ben Sha ul — may his soul dwell in
Paradise — relates the word trembled before them [Hebrew: sSearum ] to the word “to
the satyrs” [Hebrew: lasSsSeirim ] [Leviticus 17: 7]. He also claims that the lamed
(“to”) in the word to demons takes a delayed object in addition to its immediate
object, rendering the verse “to demons, and to a non-power…”. In my opinion,
however, none of this is necessary. The verse reads, “to demons, who have no
power…”. They are called “demons” on account of the terror felt toward them,
causing minds to become demented.
gods whom they did not know How can they think that they are gods? They know it
neither from their personal experience (thus, they did not know), nor from
tradition (thus, before whom your fathers did not tremble ).
new ones that arose of late from recent, not from ancient, times — even your
fathers did not know them.
trembled before them From “shall come against him like a storm” [Daniel 11: 40],
and also “it made the hair of my flesh bristle up” [Job 4: 15] — meaning, they did
not fear them (although there is a pronomial suffix, the preposition before is
implied; cf. “my children have gone out from me” [Jeremiah 10: 20], and “you are
stronger than I, and have prevailed” [Jeremiah 20: 7]). The word is related to
“tempest” [Hebrew: searah ] [Ezekiel 1: 4] even though the latter word is spelled
with a samekh.

Verse 18

You have rejected the Rock Who bore you The prophet speaks in wonderment: How could
you have rejected the One Who bore you? The verse “look to the Rock from which you
are hewn” [Isaiah 51: 1] provides an additional interpretation of the Rock Who bore
you — that you are, as it were, made from Him, since everything exists only by
strength of God (compare, “that spreads abroad the earth by myself” [Isaiah 44:
24]). The wonderment is against those errant of belief who have forgot this verse,
as well as “this day have I begotten you” [Psalms 2: 7].
You have neglected from “you shall not be forgotten” [Isaiah 44: 21]. Here the
letter following the tav is missing, with a dagesh taking the place of an absorbed
nun, and also with a yod in place of a heh (as in “do not blot out” [Jeremiah 18:
23] — both these words are accented on the penultimate, to distinguish the second
person masculine singular future from the second person feminine singular future of
an unaspirated lamed-heh verb) — although in my opinion the yod is simply
extraneous, as the verb could have been conjugated as in “do not fail the words of
my mouth” [Proverbs 4: 5].
Who established you expresses the same idea as Who bore you. Both refer to a God
who is mighty and firm, like a rock. The word Who is established you probably
derives from the triliteral root ḥ-y-l. Compare, “a pregnant woman, about to give
birth” [Isaiah 26: 17]. detested probably a transitive verb, as it is in the verse
“and one detests the almond tree” [Ecclesiastes 12: 5], although it could also be
an intransitive verb.

Verse 19
His sons and daughters The women as well as the men offered incense to idols.

Verse 20

He said to Himself, or to the angels.

I will hide Scripture employs an anthropomorphism (as in “I will hide My eyes”
[Isaiah 1: 15]), to mean, When they beseech Me, they will find no succor.
I shall see what will be their end Some have understood this passage to mean “I
will hide My face, because I see what they will do in the end”, but in my opinion
the verse means just what it seems to mean: “I will hide My face, until I see what
they do when their troubles overtake them”.
The antecedent of for they are a contrary generation is I will hide My face.
contrary They have reversed themselves: they, who had been My children — for it is
I Who bore them — have gone to worship other gods. There is thus no trustworthy
among them (this word could be a noun, or it could be an adjective, meaning that
there is no man among them who deserves trust).

Verse 21

They have aroused My jealousy For euphonic reasons, the second letter of the
triliteral root lacks a dagesh.
with a non-power i.e., something that lacks the ability to save.
with their vanities and not with any true thing.
I will arouse jealousy against a verb in the hif‘il form, taking both a direct and
an indirect object.
with a non-people that is, not My people. This is the elaboration of how I will
enrage them : namely, that this nation will inflict its various troubles only on
them, and more on them than on any other victim. a barbarous nation The imbecile
and the barbarian lack knowledge, and thus kill without mercy.

Verse 22

ignites “Jealousy”, or “that which they do” is the implied subject of this verb,
which we find used only transitively (e.g., “for you have kindled fire in My
nostrils” [Jeremiah 17: 4]). But it is also plausible that here the word means is
ignited (as in “all these joined” [Genesis 14: 3] — meaning, were joined ). In any
case, the image denotes anger.
burning to the lowest depths Along the lines of “brimstone, and salt with burning
fire on all its grounds” [29: 22].
devoured the land i.e., the land of Israel.
set fire from “flaming sword” [Genesis 3: 24].
mountains i.e., the mountains of Israel.

Verse 23

I will pile up There are some who say that this word means “accumulate”, but
actually it is more like the word I will exhaust, from “would you even destroy?”
[Genesis 18: 23], even though there the root appears in a different conjugation.
The meaning is that not a single evil will remain that shall not befall them. The
misfortunes are compared to arrows, which come upon one suddenly, and from which
one cannot protect oneself.

Verse 24

swollen of hunger consumed by hunger, from “to heat the furnace” [Daniel 3: 19].
bread for the vultures food for birds, as in “ethereal beings fly upward” [Job 5:
7]. My understanding of this passage is that it recounts the four bearers of evil
judgment, namely: 1) swollen of hunger i.e., famine 2) bread for the vultures,
lethal plagues i.e., pestilence 3) I shall send against them the teeth of beasts
i.e., wild animals, and 4) the sword (as in “without, the sword shall bereave”
[:25]) The word vultures is related to “her coals are coals of fire” [Song of Songs
8: 6], in the sense that the air became hot Lethal means “destructive”. See also,
“nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday” [Psalms 91: 6], where it is used in
the sense of “pestilence”.
plagues Illness that is borne on the air, as in “the blackness of the day” [Job 3:
5]. Bread for vultures means “food”, as in many similar instances [ comment on,
e.g., Exodus 16: 4].
with the venom of the crawlers of dust to be bitten thereby. The word venom is only
used in an expression of biting. crawlers of dust refers to poisonous serpents. The
word crawl also means “to cower” — for all who see them, cower in fear before them
(compare “ Emim” [ comment on Genesis 14: 5]) — since participles frequently act as
nouns. Similar usage can be found in the speech of Elihu the son of Barakhel [Job
32: 6].

Verse 25

The phrase both the youth is the delayed object of the sword shall bereave.
I have already explained the usage of the Hebrew word both [ comment on Exodus 4:
10]. The intent is to include everyone: “young men and maidens, the elderly with
the young” [Psalms 148: 12].

Verse 26

There are those who say [ cf. Sifrey on this verse] that I would annihilate them
[Hebrew: af eyhem ] is three words spoken together, but the truth is that it is a
word which lacks a cognate, and which means “to destroy”, since the following
parallel construction says I would obliterate their memory from mankind. And if
things were in accordance with the opinion of those grammarians [ cf. Septuagint on
this verse: ειιπα Διασπερω αυιτούς — Translator] who translate “I shall scatter them
to every comer [Hebrew: pe ah ]”, the parallelism would not adhere to the word’s
meaning. Those who take the word to mean, “I shall destroy them in my anger
[Hebrew: appi ]” rendering the word correctly in the sense of “to extirpate”, and
conjugating the verb like the word “I would obliterate them” — it is true that they
get the parallelism right, and they would be correct, were it not for the second
’alef in af eyhem, which according to their theory ought to be a nun : anpihem,
meaning, I shall be angry at them. Thus my original explanation is the correct one.
I said an anthroporphism, i.e., “I said to Myself”.

Verse 27

My concern I was fearful, as in “Moab was terrified” [Numbers 22: 3]. Scriptures
employs an anthropomorphism, so as to be better understood by the reader. Although
the Aramaic translator relates the word to “gathers at harvest-time” [Proverbs 6:
8], the truth is that the word is derived from “attack” [ cf. Psalms 39: 11].
deny The opposite of “recognize, acknowledge” (as in “he acted as a stranger toward
them” [Genesis 42: 7]).
has wrought all this against the tribes of Israel.

Verse 28

For they are a nation lacking counsel The enemies of Israel are the referred-to
nation. The word lacking, a participle in the construct case (hence the pattaḥ
under the vet ), here serves as an adjective. It is well known that lacking is an
intransitive verb; the word counsel simply explains that which they are lacking.
Compare “withered of her leaves” [Isaiah 1: 30]. See also “lost from the way”
[Psalms 2: 12], where the construct case is predicated on the word “way”.
Accordingly, the translator who rendered “they have lost counsel”, translated
wisely.
Verse 29

were they wise Either If they were wise, they would realize that God has wrought
all this against Israel on account of their sins or They would have understood what
the end result would be — what God would do on account of their sins.

Verse 30

How can one pursue The sense of the passage is, If Israel were wise, they would
realize: how can one of their enemies pursue a thousand Israelites, were it not
because their Rock has abandoned them? Another interpretation is, How can Israel,
which formerly pursued one against a thousand, now be defeated?
their Rock had renounced [literally: sold] them Here used in the sense of “given
them away”. Compare, “God will give Sis e ra up” [Judges 4: 9]. The choice of words
suggests giving them away “in exchange for” their evil deeds — which is, in a
sense, a kind of “selling”.
given them up This word is to be understood either in the sense of “He shuts the
door on a man” [Job 12: 14], or, perhaps, in the sense of “our part is to give him
over” [I Samuel 23: 20].

Verse 31

For their rock is not like our Rock These are the words of Moshe, elaborating on
the above “they are a nation lacking counsel” [: 28]: Our Rock has renounced us —
not that they have a god like ours, nor that they are better warriors than we.
Accordingly Moshe proceeds to state, “nor are our enemies judges” (the word not
continues to modify the remainder of the verse, as in “I have not learned
knowledge, [nor] understood holiness” [Proverbs 30: 3]. However, there is another
opinion that the latter clause is meant in the affirmative sense — our enemies are
just (i.e., they acknowledge the truth, that our Rock has renounced us). Under this
interpretation, the passage from the vineyard of Sodom does not refer to our
enemies.
and from the fields is a parallelistic construction, as is bitter clusters.

Verse 32

Verse 33

Although hemlock is here spelled with an ’ alef, it is cognate with the same word
spelled with a vav [: 32].
vipers as in “on a viper’s pit” [Isaiah 11: 8].
cruel implacable. The ’ alef is extraneous, like the ’ alef in “finger” and in
“arm” [ cf. Jeremiah 32: 21 ; Job 31: 22].

Verse 34

Is it not secreted with Me These are the words of God. Some say that the implied
antecedent is the evil decrees; but it seems more plausible to me that the
antecedent is the “wine that is the hemlock of vipers” — it is reserved for them,
to drink it. The word secreted is understood from context, because there are no
words related to it.
sealed within My vaults so that no one may touch it; but it is reserved for them,
to exact vengeance from them.

Verse 35
Vengeance is Mine, and recompense This last word is a noun. Compare, “in not the
incense …” [Jeremiah 44: 21]. The meaning is: I shall have vengeance, and I shall
have recompense, to pay them back for their deeds.
at the moment their feet shall waver meaning, when they fall, and are unable to get
up.
the moment cf. “even the wicked for the day of evil” [Proverbs 16: 4]. There is a
profound mystery [i.e., Divine foreknowledge of human choices — Translator]
concealed here.
near Do not think that the vengeance will be against their descendants.
they shall feel [ singular ] their [ plural ] destiny Each individual shall sense
his own future, as in “branches [ plural ] that run [ singular ] over the wall”
[Genesis 49: 22]. The verb feel stems from a biliteral root.
destiny The evils that are destined to befall them.

Verse 36

God will execute justice for His people He will take His people’s judgment away
from them. Compare, “Judge me, God, champion my cause” [Psalms 43: 1]. I have
already explained the word He will repent [ comment on Genesis 6: 6].
powerlessness [literally: exhausted arm] that is, the powerless of Israel.
arm here denotes “power”. The tav in exhausted [Hebrew: azlat ] appears in place of
a heh ; both letters are used in Hebrew to indicate present tense feminine
singular. Compare, “it reverts [Hebrew: shavat ] to the prince” [Ezekiel 46: 17].
nothing either gathered or ungathered When there are large numbers of captives,
they normally take some, and leave the rest; but now, nearly all are gone.

Verse 37

he will say i.e., the enemy will say.

the Rock in Whom they trused already explained [ comment on : 4].

Verse 38

ate These are the words of Israel’s enemies, who believed that the burnt-offerings
are the food of the gods. Note their use of the plural form of the verb. That is
why Scripture replies, “I, I” [: 39]: I alone — One — and no other God with Me.
wine-offering [Hebrew: nasikh ] as in “wine-offering” [Hebrew: nesekh ] [Leviticus
23: 13]. The same root has given rise to two different nouns. There are some who
interpret the phrase to mean, “the wine of their king”, after “princes [Hebrew:
nsikhey ] of Midian” [“princes of Siḥon” [Joshua 13: 21] must be meant —
Translator], the etymology being that the king was the one who offered the
sacrificial wine. But the former interpretation strikes me as more likely.
and help you The suffices indicate a second person masculine plural direct object,
masculine plural subject (as in “we bless you” [Psalms 118: 26]). But if you assert
that He is singular — then let Him come and provide you with refuge against the
coming calamities.

Verse 39

I, I Either a mere stylistic repetition, as in “I, I” [Isaiah 51: 12], or, more
correctly, “I am I”, meaning, I am the same One — I have not changed. There is no
other actor working with Him — I am the One Who has brought death to Israel, and I
am also the One Who shall bring life to them. And just as they did not escape from
Me, so, too, there will be none to save you from My hand — i.e., you, too, are in
My hands, until I shall have done you justice. Many say [Pesaḥim 68a] that this is
the verse from which we learn the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, since
the verse first says I slay, and then says I bring life (as in “God kills and gives
life” [I Samuel 2: 6], as evidenced by the subsequent statement that God “lowers to
the grave, and raises up” [I Samuel 2: 6]). Others [ Breshit Rabba on Genesis 9: 5]
have said that the doctrine is derived from the verse “Surely your blood of your
souls” [Genesis 9: 5] [because the prohibition of suicide that is derived from the
verse would be meaningless without an afterlife — Translator], or from “It will be
our privilege” [6: 25] or [Qiddushin 40a] from “For He is your life” — in this
world — “and your longevity” — in the World to Come [30: 20], or [Qiddushin 39b]
from “that it may be well with you” [5: 16] [see also Sanhedrin 90b — Translator].
Hai Gaon, of blessed memory, has said that Scripture did not need to explain the
doctrine of the World to Come, because it has been transmitted to us through
tradition. My opinion is that the Torah was given to everyone, not to the lone
individual, and that not one man in a thousand can comprehend the doctrine of the
World to Come, on account of its profundity. To understand the reward of the World
to Come requires an understanding of the nature of the soul. It comes about in
return for one’s “service of the heart”, the service of which is to contemplate the
works of God, for they are the ladder by means of which one ascends to the level of
knowledge of God, the ultimate goal. Moreover, the Torah has provided, for the
discerning, the illustration of the “Tree of Life” [ cf. comment on Genesis 3: 24],
through which the Cherubim [Genesis 3: 24] receive the power of immortality.
Whoever eats of the Tree of Life will live forever, like the ministering angels
[ cf. Genesis 3: 22]. Similarly, in the forty-ninth Psalm, there is the mysterious
passage, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, for He will take
me” [Psalms 49: 16], and also, “afterward, You will take me into honor” [Psalms 73:
24]. Both passages employ the verb “to take”, just as is used to describe Ḥanokh
[Genesis 5: 24] and Elijah [II Kings 2: 10]. The discerning will understand how the
Psalmist can say “their soul’s redemption is too costly” [Psalms 49: 9] and then
say later “He will redeem my soul” [Psalms 49: 16].

Verse 40

For I raise My Hand to heaven An oath is taken over something lasting. raise
Compare, “He raised his right hand and his left hand to heaven” [Daniel 12: 7]. The
word is an anthropomorphism, to aid the reader’s understanding.
As I live Just as I live, so shall I surely do this.

Verse 41

I have sharpened An ‘ayin-‘ayin verb (like “I ingratiate myself to the children of

my belly” [Job 19: 17]), from “a sharp arrow” [Proverbs 25: 18].
My Hand shall grasp hold of justice The sword is the warrior’s instrument of
justice.
I shall return vengeance meaning, Just as they have done to Israel, so shall I pay
them back.

Verse 42

from the blood of the slain is a displaced specification of the phrase I shall make
drunk ….
The word captives refers to those who were wounded.
from the head is a displaced specification of the phrase shall consume flesh. It
denotes the cutting off of a head.
punishments as in “when vengeance was taken” [Judges 5: 2]. In Rabbinic Hebrew this
root can be seen in the nif‘al form.

Verse 43

O Nations, glorify His people! They will glorify them, after God has exacted
vengeance for their blood. Some people derive the word from “a cry went over” [I
Kings 22: 36], understanding the word in the sense of “a proclamation” — i.e., in
all the places where they [Israel’s enemies — Translator] may be, they will
announce proclamations over them.
and atone for His land, His people Some say that this passage is missing a vav, and
should be understood as if it read, “atone for His land, and for His people”. There
is also a homiletical explanation [Palestinian Talmud Kil’ayyim 9: 4 (32d)] that
the land atones for His people. Although this idea is correct, it does not fit into
the context of the verse, and, moreover, “land” is a feminine noun (as definitively
evidenced by the terminal heh, even though here a tav takes its place), whereas the
verse does not employ “atone” in its feminine form. The correct explanation, in my
opinion, is that the nation will atone for the land, reversing the order of the
subject and the object of the verb, as we find in “water wears away stones” [Job
14: 19]. There are other cases where “atonement” appears without the preposition
“for” (e.g., “you shall purify it and make atonement [for] it” [Ezekiel 43: 20]).
The sense of the verse is that Israel shall exact vengeance against the nations,
and thereby atone for the land of Israel, on account of the blood that had been
spilled there (as in, “the land will not receive atonement” [Numbers 36: 33]). This
fits in with the context of the verse. Another explanation is that “atone” is used
here in the sense of “purify”, as in “make atonement [for] it” [Ezekiel 43: 20];
similarly Ezekiel says, concerning the final war, “they will cleanse the land”
[Ezekiel 39: 16], referring to Israel.

Verse 44

Moshe came To indicate that after Moshe went to every tribe and charged them
[ comment on 31: 1], he then came to the Tent of Assembly, where all the children
of Israel gathered before him, and where he then recited the song.
he and Hoshea the son of Nun Compare, “Moshe, and the children of Israel, then
sang” [Exodus 15: 1] [ comment on Exodus 15: 1]. This was also done to exalt the
stature of Yehoshua in the eyes of the nation. Scripture calls him Hoshea because
that was the name by which all Israel knew him, for who, other than the chieftans
of the people, knew that Moshe had changed his name to Yehoshua? There is also the
well-known homiletical explanation [that he remained as pious as when he had been a
commoner — Translator] [ Sifrey on this verse].

Verse 45

Verse 46

Verse 47

it is your life as in “fear of God extends one’s days [Proverbs 10: 27]. Also, that
you will live in a goodly land, and not in exile.

Verse 48

On that selfsame day The day on which he recited the song.

Verse 49

Verse 50

and die i.e., to prepare oneself to die (for he was to bury himself, as I shall
explain [ comment on 34: 6]). I have already alluded [ comment on Genesis 25: 8 }
to what one of the sages of our generation has said concerning the word and was
gathered.
Verse 51

in that you failed to sanctify as explained earlier [ comment on Numbers 20: 8].

Verse 52

Chapter 33

Verse 1

This is the blessing Like the blessing of Yaaqov [Genesis 49: 28].
the man of God to indicate that he gave them the blessing through prophecy.
before he died i.e., close to his death (here meaning: on the day of his death).

Verse 2

came on Sinai Sa‘adya Gaon, of blessed memory, said that Sinai and Seir and Paran
are all close to one another, and that this verse refers to the Revelation at
Sinai. Although the verse mentions Sinai with a mem, it is here used in the sense
of “ upon Sinai”, the same being the case with the word Seir.
from the holy myriads This denotes the angels. The subject of the clause is the
Divine Presence, which had descended.
a fiery law i.e., the Torah, which had been given among fire and lightning. Sa‘adya
Gaon said further that God came on Sinai is an invocation, as if to say: “O, You
Who descended upon Sinai, and bequeathed the Torah, may Reuven live etc. ”. But
this is all farfetched, because in that case it would have to employ the second
person masculine singular imperative, “grant life” and “do not kill”. Those who
lack belief have said that Seir denotes the religion of Edom, while Paran denotes
the religion of Ishmael. But these people are befuddled. Did they not see that he
set out to bless Israel alone? — as it is written, “which Moshe, the man of God,
bestowed upon the Children of Israel” [: 1], and then continues with shone to them
from Seir. The correct interpretation, in my opinion, is that this section is a
general benediction, covering all Israel, followed by the specific blessings for
each individual tribe, after which he once again includes them all (in the passage,
“Jeshurun, there is none like God” [: 26]). We find elsewhere that Deborah said,
“God, when you came forth from Seir, when you marched out of the field of Edom”
[Judges 5: 4], where clearly “the field of Edom” does not denote a mountain,
although Sa‘adya Gaon claims that our verse describes three mountains that adjoin
one another, or that face one another. Also, from the book of Psalms: “God, when
You went forth before Your nation, when You marched through the wilderness” [Psalms
68: 8], following which we have “the earth shook” [Psalms 68: 9]; and the
abovementioned “march of the Divine Presence through the wilderness” did not occur
on the day of the giving of the Torah, for they entered the desert upon leaving the
wilderness of Paran. Moreover, Habakkuk said, “God came from Teyman ” [Habakkuk 3:
3] (the latter being one of the descendants of Edom — see “Teyman, Omer, …”
[Genesis 36: 11]) meaning the same as “from the field of Edom” [Judges 5: 4]. These
verses all speak about wars, as evidenced by “let God arise, let His enemies be
scattered” [Psalms 68: 2]. Scripture likens God ’s rescuing of His servants to help
“descending” from God, and to the earth trembling, and to mountains melting, and to
the heavens clamoring. Further evidence can be found in the song of David: “the
earth shook and trembled” [Psalms 18: 8]. I have explained “Sinai itself” [Psalms
68: 9] in its place [ comment on Psalms 68: 9], but I shall repeat myself here:
“God came” — denotes the entry of the Glory among Israel Sinai was the beginning of
that entry. shone from Seir — during all the years that Israel was in the
wilderness, God did not display His might among the nations, until Israel came to
the field of Edom. From the verse “their Mount Seir, as far as El-Paran” [Genesis
14: 6] we see that Seir was near Paran. Clearly, then, the meaning of our verse is:
from the place of Seir (i.e., from the time that Israel arrived at Seir), at that
point the Glory shone upon Israel. appeared from Mount Paran — this is a
parallelism, repeating the idea that here was the point at which He displayed His
splendor.
and came from the holy myriads In my opinion, this phrase is governed by at His
right. In other words: A fire came from holy myriads, from the right hand of God,
to surround Israel (like the fiery horses and fiery chariot surrounding Elisha [II
Kings 6: 17]), and the word law means that it is constant, permanent.

Verse 3

however loving cognate to the Aramaic word which translates “you shall be My chosen
treasure” [Exodus 19: 5]. peoples denotes Israel. Compare, “After you, Benjamin
with your peoples” [Judges 5: 14], “They shall call nations to the mountain” [:
19].
All His holy ones the children of Levi.
are in Your hand for they surround the Ark. The word in Your hand means, You watch
over them.
they follow at Your feet they walk along Your path.
carrying forth at Your words for they shall teach the Torah (referring to those who
transmit the Oral Law).
carrying forth [ singular ] each single individual (even though the word they is
plural).
Your words means that they shall carry all that You have spoken. It is they who
carry the Torah, and it is also they who carry, literally, the Ark.
carrying as in, “you shall not raise up groundless reports” [Exodus 23: 1].
follow There is no other word related to this word. There are some who say that it
comes from “from within”, as if to say, “they go forth from within Your feet”.
Others say that the tav appears in place of a heh (like the tav in “I taught
Efrayim to walk” [Hosea 11: 3]), as if to say, Even though they be “beaten” on Your
account, they shall not abandon Your words. But this is far-fetched. The correct
interpretation of the word is similar to “they are drawn”, meaning, they will go to
the place where the Ark is situated, which is “God ’s footstool” [ cf. Psalms 99:
5]. This blessing, then, is that God will be a wall of flame surrounding Israel,
and that His beloved, along with the Levites, will forever teach the Torah.

Verse 4

The Torah that Moshe commanded us This verse — describing how we received from
Moshe the heritage that we possess — shall be handed over and recited from
generation to generation [Sukka 42a]. The lamed in the word for us is a preposition
with a compound object, applying also to the congregation of Jacob. The word
inheritance is similarly duplicated in meaning (as in “and the prophecy, [being the
prophecy] of ‘Oded the prophet” [II Chronicles 15: 8]), as if the verse read, “The
Torah that Moshe commanded for us as an inheritance, is an inheritance for the
congregation of Jacob”.

Verse 5

king This denotes Moshe, from whose mouth the heads of the nation heard the Torah
elucidated [the halakha [Rosh HaShana 32b] is that this verse may be used in the
liturgy to refer to God’s majesty — Translator]. The intent of the verse is that
Moshe was like a king, who gathered before him the chiefs of the tribes. This
explanation is substantiated by the verses which state that the Torah was given to
the kohanim [31: 9] (who — in my opinion — are meant by “all His holy ones are in
Your hand” [: 3]), and then to all the elders of Israel [31: 9] (they being meant
by when the chiefs of the people assembled ). In fact, in the above-cited passage,
Scripture states, “Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes” [31: 28]. However,
Rabbi Y e hudah HaLevy, of blessed memory, said that the king was allegorical of
the Torah. He also gave a similar explanation to “There was no king in Israel”
[Judges 18: 1].

Verse 6

May Reuven live He begins with the eldest, as is customary. He does not mention
Shimon, either because of the incident of Baal Peor [Numbers 25: 3], in which the
worshipers were Shimonites, as evidenced by their decline in numbers [Numbers 26:
14] [ cf. Numbers 1: 23], as well as by the fact that it was their chieftain who
was killed [Numbers 25: 14]. or He follows Yaaqov’s example, who did not bless
Shimon or Levi. Out of respect for Aaron, his tribe was excepted, borne up on the
coattails of Aaron; but Shimon lacked a great man of equivalent stature. If one
should object, and ask, Why, then, did Moshe bless Reuven? — the answer is that
Yaaqov did bless Reuven, the blessing being “you shall not stand out” [Genesis 49:
4], i.e., that he should be as one of his brethren. After Reuven, he mentions Y e
hudah, who was the standard-bearer, and the first to go into battle. Then Levi, and
then Benjamin, on account of the Levites’ dwelling in Jerusalem, which lay between
the territory of Y e hudah and the territory of Benjamin, as it is written [ cf.
Joshua 18: 28, Judges 1: 8]. Then the tribe of Joseph, in order not to postpone
them, having already given precedence to his younger brother. Then Zevulun, on
account of his going into war [Judges 5: 18], and then Yissakhar. After completing
the children of the major wives, he begins with Gad, who encamped under the
standard of two children of the major wives, and then Dan, since he was a standard-
bearer, and then Naftali, because he was greater than Asher.
The phrase May Reuven live is a supplication. and not die for it is possible that
the tribe could survive a finite number of years, like a man, and then die.
and his men be numbered i.e., and his men not be numbered, as in “I have not
learned knowledge, [nor] understood holiness” [Proverbs 30: 3] (see also the
particle “as” in “as Almighty God” [Exodus 6: 3] [ comment on Exodus 6: 3]), as I
have explained in numerous places — for it is possible for the tribe to survive
indefinitely, and still remain few in number. Anything that can be numbered is
scanty (compare, “my men are numbered” [Genesis 34: 30]).

Verse 7

This for Yehudah The same was said for Y e hudah — that he should live, and not
die. Then he proceeded to add Hear, O God, the voice of Yehudah (when embarking in
battle — since Y e hudah marched at the head of the army)
and bring him to his people (this either refers to the headquarters at Gilgal
[Joshua 10: 43], or it is a prayer for those who go off to do battle in enemy
territory).
his hands shall satisfy [Hebrew: rav ] him i.e., his own hands shall suffice him:
He shall not be in need of help from anyone, save that of God alone. But there are
some who derive the word from “strife” [Hebrew: merivah ], meaning that his hands
will strive for him. Others relate the word to “He shot out [Hebrew: rav ]
lightnings” [Psalms 18: 15], along the lines of “shot at him [Hebrew: robbu ]”
[Genesis 49: 23].

Verse 8

Of Levi [literally: to Levi] he said He said to God, concerning Levi. Compare, “Say
concerning me, ‘He is my brother’” [Genesis 20: 13].
for Your pious one the man who is pious for You.
whom You tested at Massah this last word here has the sense of a common noun,
meaning “a test”. The verse thus is rendered as follows: He is a pious one, in whom
there has been found no fault, except for the matter of Merivah, over which he has
already been punished. This also strengthens my explanation concerning the matter
of the golden calf, that he made it for the glory of God [ comment on Exodus 31:
18].
Your Tumim and Your Urim will forever be his, and his descendants’.

Verse 9

Who says … [ singular ] “The tribe” is the subject of the verb. The reference is
to, e.g., Samuel, who came to train in the House of God as soon as he was weaned [I
Samuel 1: 22].
nor know his children The reference here is to someone who fathers children
dedicated to the service of God [ cf. I Samuel 1: 19].
for they kept Your word This is to be understood the same way as “they kept His
testimonies, and the decree that He gave them” [Psalms 99: 7] [ comment on Psalms
99: 7]: they preserved it, till they were to teach it over to Israel. However,
there are some who say [Yoma 66b] that this verse refers to the “whoever is for
God, join me” episode [Exodus 32: 26].

Verse 10

they shall place incense i.e., the kohanim among them.

wholly-consumed sacrifices i.e., the burnt-offering.

Verse 11

Bless, O God, his resources i.e., the first-fruits and the tithe.
his handiwork the sacrifices.
wound the loins meaning, wound in the loins those who rise up against him.
from rising up from those who rise up against them. The relative pronouns is
implied, as in, “the waters [which] cover the sea” [Isaiah 11: 9].

Verse 12

Of Benjamin he said i.e., concerning Benjamin [ cf. comment on : 8], who is beloved
of God, he said that Benjamin shall dwell securely upon God, and that God shall
dwell between his shoulders.
hover upon him refers to the Glory, which dwelt in Jerusalem, in Benjamin’s
territory (for so it is written [ cf. comment on : 6]).
between his shoulders means “in the middle of his hereditary lands”, or it might
mean “prominent”, or, then again, it might be another modifier of hover upon him,
as if to say, “He shall hover upon him, and situate Himself between his shoulders,
all day”.

Verse 13

from the sweetness of heaven i.e., the sweetness of that which the heavens give to
us.

Verse 14

the sun’s produce the products of field and vineyard are dependent on the sun.
crop (from “whose waters cast up” [Isaiah 57: 20]), denoting that which the moon
engenders in the air through its wetness (for the heat of the moon in no way
compares to the power of the sun). moons the plural is used because the moon
continually renews itself, so that there are many moons in one year.

Verse 15

from the top Scripture employs ellipsis, meaning, “ from the sweetness of the top
of the ancient mountains”.
eternal hills a parallelism. However,

Verse 16

the repeated parallelism the sweetness of the land denotes the plains.
and its fullness i.e., the things that it contains.
and the desire of the thornbush-dweller denotes thoughts of heaven [ cf. comment on
Exodus 3: 2].
It shall come [ feminine ] that is, the blessing [ feminine ] shall come. The word
has two ornamental affixes, the tav and the heh. Similarly, “help” [Psalms 44: 27],
“salvation” [Psalms 3: 3], and “distress” [Psalms 120: 1]. Scripture compares the
tribe to an ox, on account of having mentioned the produce of the field; and it
mentions the firstborn of his ox, on account of its greater stength (the firstborn
being the “first of strength” [21: 17]).

Verse 17

glory denotes a vast panorama. The reference is to their great numbers.

the horns of a wild ox refers to their power.
the myriads of Ephraim as Yaaqov predicted [Genesis 48: 19].

Verse 18

Rejoice, Zevulun, in your excursions to battle. Compare, “Zevulun, a people that

mocks death” [Judges 5: 18].
in your tents as in, “he saw that serenity was good” [Genesis 49: 15].

Verse 19

They shall call multitudes to the mountain Because they dwell by the harbor,
Zevulun will become very wealthy from accumulating the bounty of the seas (the word
is related to “a multitude of camels” [Isaiah 60: 6]), to the extent of
the secrets buried in sand (the word has no cognate, but it means the same as
“buried” — for a similar poetic repetition, see “dusty earth” [Daniel 12: 2]) —
meaning, their riches will be so great, that they will have to bury it in the sand.
Consequently, great numbers of them will come to the mountain of God, to offer
thanksgiving sacrifices to God.

Verse 20

Who gives Gad space He compares Gad to a lion; everyone who sees him will flee, and
no one will crowd him.

Verse 21

He saw the beginning for him meaning, he looked after himself, and he requested his
inheritance before the rest of Israel.
for there the portion [Hebrew: ḥelqa ] a feminine variant of “portion” [Hebrew:
ḥeleq ]. statesman denotes a chief or a ruler, as in “my heart is with the leaders
of Israel” [Judges 5: 9]. covered as in “paneled with cedar” [Jeremiah 22: 14] and
“in your paneled houses” [Haggai 1: 4], both of which denote coating over with a
veneer or a plating. Compare, “the ceiling beams” [I Kings 6: 15]. The meaning is
that he beheld veneered palaces, which had been the possession of the Amorite
chieftains.
The word he came is missing an ’alef. The meaning of the passage is that the
leaders of Gad came over with the rest of Israel in battle formation, and Moshe
foresaw this prophetically.
he performed God ’s righteousness i.e., he fulfilled in deed the thing of which he
had spoken in word — namely, the children of Gad swore that they would go out in
battle with Israel against their enemies [Numbers 32: 27]. Moshe does not mention
Reuven in this context, perhaps because the tribe of Gad were more valorous than
the tribe of Reuven (as is suggested by the passage in Chronicles, which says of
Gad, “their faces were like the face of a lion” [I Chronicles 12: 9], without any
similar statement about Reuven).

Verse 22

The word springing has no cognate in Scripture. The sense of the passage is that
Dan is compared, in his strength, to a wild lion, as he leaps from the hills of
Bashan.

Verse 23

Although willingly satisfied has the form of a participle, the sense is future: he
will be willingly satisfied.
West and South His inheritance will be Southwest [of Gad — Translator].

Verse 24

favorite meaning, “beloved”.

he will immerse his leg in oil because of the abundance of oil. Compare, “he will
wash his garments in wine” [Genesis 49: 11]. Yaaqov said similarly of Asher, “his
bread shall be oily” [Genesis 49: 20].

Verse 25

Your doorbolts are iron and brass because there will be hills of iron and brass in
his territory.
as your days is your strength The latter word has no cognate, although the meaning
of the Aramaic translation [“may your old age be like your youth”] is well known
(that you will have vigor all your life). There are some who say that the ’ alef in
this word [Hebrew: dov ekha ] takes the place of the duplicated letter in an
‘ayin-‘ayin root (as it does in “whose land the rivers have despoiled” [Isaiah 18:
2]), thus relating the word to “causing the sleepers’ lips to murmur [Hebrew: dovev
]” [Song of Songs 7: 10]. But this idea is nonsense.

Verse 26

O Jeshurun, there is none like God Moshe returns to an all-inclusive blessing [ cf.
comment on : 2].
The sense of Who rides the heavens is: He is mighty, as is evident from his command
over the heavens. in His grandeur, the skies i.e., they endure only on account of
His grandeur.

Verse 27

the ancient God is a shelter The word shelter means “booth” (as evidenced by “in
Shalem is His booth, and His shelter in Zion” [Psalms 76: 3], and many similar
passages). In other words: Your shelter is the ancient God. Compare, “you have made
the Most High your shelter” [Psalms 91: 9] and “You have been a shelter for us”
[Psalms 90: 1]. A shelter is always above that which is sheltered by it; the
sheltered area is always beneath.
with His arms beneath to support you.
The sense of eternal is: Since they are forever, they will not weary. Similarly,
your shelter will never pass away. because it is the ancient God (meaning,
“primal”, with absolutely nothing antecedent to Him, nor anything that will succeed
Him — for the concepts of “predecessor” and “successor” apply only to material
things). Sa‘adya Gaon understood beneath to mean “below God ”, but this explanation
is vacuous.

Verse 28

the fountain of Jacob all those who issued forth from the stream of Jacob. Compare,
“who came forth from the waters of Y e hudah” [Isaiah 48: 1].
The phrase toward a land is here meant in the sense of “ in the land”. Similarly,
“pray in this place” [literally: toward this place] [I Kings 8: 35].
even his [ masculine ] heavens The antecedent could either be land (here taking the
masculine gender), or it could be Israel. In either case, the sense is: Just as it
is the way of the land to bring forth grain and wine, so, too, the heavens
faithfully yield their dew, and there is no need for irrigation.

Verse 29

who is like you among the nations.

the shield of your aid so that no evil will touch you.
of Whom the sword i.e., Who is Himself the sword through which you will triumph
over all your enemies, as in Gideon’s slogan [ cf. Judges 7: 20].
you shall tread as in “footstep” [2: 5].

Chapter 34

Verse 1

It is my belief that Joshua wrote from this verse onward, because once Moshe
ascended, he wrote nothing further. Joshua must have written prophetically, as
evidenced by God showed…, as well as God said to him…, and “He buried…” [: 6].

Verse 2

Verse 3

Verse 4

Verse 5

There died Moshe, the servant of God Even in his death, he acted as a servant,
performing that which he was commanded.
by the word of God For He had said to him, “Ascend…and die” [32: 49–50]. It is
likewise written concerning Aaron: “by the word of God ” [Numbers 33: 38], and
similarly, “by the word of God they encamped” [Numbers 9: 23].

Verse 6

He buried him He buried himself (by going into a crypt within the Gai). Compare,
“the shepherds tended themselves [literally: the shepherds tended them]” [Ezekiel
34: 8] and “the officers of the Children of Israel saw them” [Exodus 5: 19]. Mount
Avarim (also known as Mount Nebo, named for a star) is the same place as the Gai
which is at the top of the cliff across from Beth-Peor. This is attested to by
Scripture, which states that Israel traveled from Bamoth to “the Gai which is in
the field of Moab, by the top of a cliff” [Numbers 21: 20]; Scripture also states
that “Moshe ascended from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of the
cliff” [: 1], where he died and was buried. Elsewhere Scripture says, “we stayed in
the Gai, across Beth-Peor” [3: 29]; and subsequent to their encampment in the Gai,
Scripture says that “the Children of Israel marched on and encamped at the plains
of Moab” [Numbers 22: 1] [ see also 3: 29]. But in another place, Scripture says,
“they encamped in the hills of Avarim, in front of Nebo; then they marched from the
hills of Avarim, and encamped in the plains of Moab” [Numbers 33: 47–48]. And it is
clear that the place where Moshe died would be the place where he was buried.
to this day These are Joshua’s words [Bava Batra 15a], who wrote them, most likely,
toward the end of his life.

Verse 7

The heh in his moisture replaces a vav ; compare “his tent” [Genesis 9: 21]. The
word comes from “fresh” [Genesis 30: 37]. Most elderly men are defeated by the
forces of dessication.
abate is the opposite of “to become taut”.

Verse 8

the sons of Israel But when Aaron died, the whole “House of Israel” mourned
[Numbers 20: 29], out of respect for Moshe.
came to an end i.e., when the days of weeping in Moshe’s mourning came to an end
there, then the Children of Israel hearkened to Joshua.

Verse 9

full of the spirit of wisdom i.e., the spirit of God. This is borne out by for
Moshe had laid his hands upon him (because nowhere else in Israel was one found
upon whom he could rely).
and did as God had commanded Moshe namely, they hearkened to Joshua.

Verse 10

I have already explained the term face to face [ comment on 5: 4].

Verse 11

Verse 12

powerful might the wonders of the Red Sea.

great and awesome acts the revelation at Sinai.