Kommentar zu Dewarim 2:3

פנו לכם צפנה TURN YOU NORTHWARD — Turn you along the eastern side of Moab, from the south to the north, your faces directed to the north. Consequently they were travelling along the east side of Moab, and this is what is meant by (Judges 11:18) “And they came by the east side of the land of Moab”.

Many say that this verse...has a hint for that time and for the future. This idea of “going around” refers to the many years which the Jewish People will be wandering (in exile). As long as Israel is in exile they are told, “turn to the Tzafon”. The rabbis interpreted this to mean, “If the time of (the nation of) Esau comes, hide yourselves. (ed.- The root of the word for North, Tzafon, can also mean “to hide”)

צפונה, in the direction of the land of Israel, seeing that they were at its southern tip at the time.

רב לכם סב את ההר הזה, “you have spent enough time being around this mountain.” G’d prevented the people from harassing the Edomites out of regard for the fact that their patriarch Esau had shown much honour to their mutual father Yitzchak. G’d does not shortchange a single creature of the reward due to it. The reason is so that such a creature would not have an argument in the world to come and G’d could say to it that it had already received all the reward due to it for the merits it had accumulated while on earth.

Turn yourselves towards the eastern side, etc. This command was given when they were at the end of the southern border of Edom. If so, it contradicts Rashi’s explanation in Parshas Masai (Bamidbar 34:3), that they first turned northward after they had traversed the southern border of Moav. [The answer is:] Nevertheless, Moshe had [first] requested from the king of Edom to travel northward through his land, but he refused. [And therefore] afterwards they needed to traverse the entire southern border of Moav, and then they turned northward (Re”m). But it seems to me as follows: The original intention of, “Turn yourself northward,” was to turn northward after coming to the end of Moav’s border. This is explained in the verses following. And when they came to the border of Edom it says, “Do not incite them (v. 5).” And when they came to the border of Moav and they wanted to pass through their border on the north, Hashem said to them, “Do not besiege Moav (v. 9).” Therefore, it was inevitable that they would have to traverse the entire border of Moav until its eastern side [and then turn northward].

V. 3. צפונה in der Richtung auf das Land.

רב לכם, סוב, “you have been skirting this land enough, now turn around (in a northerly direction) The word רב here is used in the same way as Esau used it in his encounter with Yaakov in Genesis 33,9 when he first wanted to refuse to accept Yaakov’s gift and said to him:יש לי רב אחי “I have lots, my brother;” he meant that he had been repaid sufficiently for any harm Yaakov had caused him in the past.

ההר הזה, “this mountain.” This is Mount Seir.

This idea of hiding means that if a Jewish person in exile finds some small amount of success he should hide it from (the people of) Esau, because there is no nation which is more jealous of Israel than Esau, because in their opinion everything (the Israel has) is stolen from Esau because Jacob our forefather took the blessings from Esau.

פנו לכם צפונה, “turn yourselves northward!” Devarim Rabbah 1,19 comments on this that when the time arrives for Esau to be supreme, it behooves Israel to move north. Another comment from the Midrash: G’d said: “I have only one Altar and he (Esau) is going to destroy it.” [It is seen as a concealed warning not to make common cause with the people who in the end will destroy the Temple. The Israelites (Hyrcan and Antipater) who called in the Romans for political reasons lived to suffer the consequences. The word צפון is understood as something hidden, exclusive; in other words: “do not share your exclusive and direct ‘hotline’ to G’d.” Ed.]

פנו לכם צפונה, “turn northward!” this commandment was not meant to be carried out immediately. It went into effect only after the detour around the territory of Edom and Moav had been completed. The people appear to have misunderstood this part of the instructions. This may be why in verse 4, Moses spelled this out in greater detail. If there had had not been some misunderstanding it is not clear why they asked the King of Edom for permission to cross his territory.