Kommentar zu Dewarim 31:31

AND MOSES WENT. When Moses concluded his words, all who stood before him, and the young children, and the women returned to their own tents. It was not necessary for Scripture to mention this [that they returned to their tents], for it already stated, Ye are standing this day all of you before the Eternal your G-d;¹Above, 29:9. that thou shouldest enter into the covenant of the Eternal thy G-d,²Ibid., Verse 11. and [it is self-understood that] after having entered the covenant they would go away from him [Moses]. And so Scripture now states that Moses went from the camp of the Levites to the camp of the Israelites in order to show them honor, like someone who wishes to take leave of his friend and comes to ask permission of him.

וילך משה, "Moses went, etc." We need to know where Moses went. Yonathan ben Uzziel translates that Moses went to the study hall. Other commentators such as Nachmanides and Rabbeynu Bachyah say that he went from the camp of the Levites to the encampment of the Israelites much like a man who takes leave from his friends. The wording of the Torah is vague and does not provide a clue as to where Moses actually went. Another thing we are entitled to know is who told Moses that he would die on that day. Have we not been told in Shabbat 30 that man is not informed of precisely how long he will live? If that is correct, who told Moses that he would die on that day?

וילך משה, he was self-propelled, just as was Amram, Moses’ father who married his aunt Yocheved, daughter of Levi, and almost certainly many years his senior. (Exodus 2,1) Another of many uses of the word וילך meaning that the person described acted of their own initiative is found in Deut. 17,3 where the Jewish idolater described had not been seduced by anyone. After having concluded the matter of the covenant between G’d and this second generation of Israelites many of whom had not been born at the time of the Exodus, Moses now proceeds to comfort the people over his impending death. He does so in order that the joy over G’d having concluded this covenant with them should not be turned into sorrow over the prospect of his impending passing from the scene. Rejoicing over having been found fit to become a party to such a covenant is something natural, the psalmist in Psalms 149,2 speaking of Israel rejoicing with or over its Maker. Being in G’d’s presence, such as here, is always a joyful experience, as is offering sacrifices to Him, as we know from Deut. 27,7.when the occasion was to mark the erecting of the stones after the successful crossing of the river Jordan.

וילך משה, “Moses went, etc.” According to Nachmanides, after the people had accepted the new covenant and had gone to their respective tents, Moses left the encampment of the Levites, where the assembly had taken place, and went to the encampment of the Israelites, to show them respect and to take his final leave of them as on that very day he was to die on Mount Nebo. It is good manners not to take one’s leave without asking his host for permission to absent oneself, and Moses adhered to this time-honoured custom. His parting words commenced with his telling the people that on that day he had attained the age of 120 years. He informed them of this in order to lessen their grief over his passing, suggesting that now that he had attained that age he would no longer be a suitable leader for them. Moreover, seeing that G’d had forbidden him to cross the river Jordan, even if he felt capable and so inclined, he could not continue to lead them. Our sages said that the fountains of wisdom from which Moses had drunk during the last forty years had already dried up for him, and he could no longer draw inspiration from them. (Compare Sotah 13) This was actually a miracle G’d performed for him so that he would not grieve over Joshua taking over from him at a time when he still felt perfectly competent to continue.

Kap. 31. V. 1. וילך וגו׳. Mit den Segen- und Fluchverkündigungen und dem darauf folgenden Nachworte war das beendet, was Mosche im Namen Gottes an das Volk zu richten hatte. Er durfte daher seine Sendung für geschlossen ansehen, und wendet sich ganz den Anforderungen des Augenblicks, nämlich dem zu, was ihm noch vor seinem Scheiden und in Hinblick auf dasselbe zu tun übrig war. Es war dies: Abschied von dem Volke zu nehmen (Verse 1 — 6), ihm seinen Nachfolger mit auch ihn ermutigenden Worten vorzustellen (Verse 7 u. 8), endlich die bis dahin vollendete Toraschrift den Priestern und Ältesten des Volkes mit der Weisung zu übergeben, daraus nach jedem siebten Jahre der an der Gottesstätte des Gesetzesheiligtums vereinten Festversammlung des Volkes vorzulesen (Verse 9 — 13).

וילך משה, “Moses went;” from near the Tabernacle where he had his residence, as we know from: והחונים לפני משכן ה' משה אהרן ובניו, “and the ones encamped in front of the Tent of meeting: Moses, Aaron and his sons.”He now went from each tribe to the next to advise them of his impending death. He assured them that they had nothing to fear from his impending death, but that they should take heart and support their new leader Joshua. Why did Moses feel that he had to address and reassure each tribe separately? Why did he not merely use his trumpets and call a great assembly of the whole nation? According to Rabbi Joshua in the name of Rabbi Levi of Sakkinon, the trumpets which had been Moses’ private property, G-d had asked him to hide these trumpets so that no one else ever would blow them, not even he himself, as it would have been unseemly to do so on the day when he knew he was going to die. On that day Moses’ control over events had come to an end.

I believe we must explain our verse by recalling the Zohar volume one page 217. We are told there that 40 days prior to man's death his נשמה leaves him. Zohar bases this on Song of Songs 4,6: ונסו הצללים, "and the shadows fled." These "shadows" search for a resting place in the celestial regions and the righteous are aware of this. It is described there that Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai was aware of the fact that Rabbi Yitzchak's soul had already departed from him while the latter was still alive.

Er berief daher keine Volksversammlung zu sich, wie dies der Fall war, wenn er das Volk im Namen Gottes anzureden hatte, sondern: וילך, er ging zum Volke, um in der einfachsten, ganz den bescheidensten Mann charakterisierenden Weise sich bei ihm zu verabschieden.

וילך משה וידבר את הדברים האלה אל כל ישראל. בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום, וגו', “Moses went and spoke these words to all of Israel. ‘I am 120 years old this day.’” It is possible that the 120 years Moses lived corresponded to the 120 days he spent on Mount Sinai. During the first 40 days he received the first set of Tablets. During the second 40 days he pleaded for G’d to forgive the people the sin of the golden calf; he spent the next 40 days on the mountain in order to receive the second set of Tablets. This may be the reason why he used the term אנכי instead of אני.
Our sages in Sotah 13 feel that he meant to say that on that day he was precisely 120 years old, i.e. that he died on the same day of the same month as he had been born. This may also be the reason why he used the word היום at the beginning of the previous Parshah, so that all these speeches took place on the same day. The day in question was the seventh day of Adar at the end of the Israelites 40th year in the desert. We have further proof of this in 34,8 where the Torah reported that the people mourned Moses for 30 days during which they did not journey. The Torah states explicitly that the days of Moses’ mourning came to an end. It is proper to read this verse in conjunction with Joshua 1,10: “Joshua commanded the law-enforcement officers of the people: ‘prepare for yourselves provisions for in another three days you will cross the river Jordan.’” Anyone reading these two verses together will realize that Joshua would not command the people to prepare these provisions until the mourning period for Moses had passed. To make this plain, the Torah had to write the verse: “the days of crying for (the death of) Moses had concluded.” The Book of Joshua 4,19 reports that the Jewish people completed crossing the river Jordan on the tenth of the first month, i.e. 3 days after the conclusion of the mourning period for Moses. By counting backwards you will arrive at the date of the 7th Adar as the date on which Moses had died. When the Torah in Exodus 2,3 reported that Moses’ mother was unable to hide him any longer, the date referred to is the 6th of Sivan, the day on which the revelation at Mount Sinai took place 80 years later. On that day, the light which filled only his parents’ home on the day he was born became so powerful that it shone for the whole Jewish nation. The light which had filled the house of Amram had already forecast the eventual greatness of the boy that had been born to Yocheved. The reason Yocheved had to hide Moses in a basket, well insulated, was that the light surrounding the baby had become so much stronger that it represented a danger to the family. The Torah speaks of Yocheved having hidden Moses for שלשה ירחים ‘three lunar months,” rather than שלשה חדשים, “three months,” (Exodus 2,2) to indicate that these were lunar months. The months Adar, Nisan, and Iyar are 29,30, and 29 days long, respectively. This gives us a total of 88 days during which Moses was kept “hidden” at home, or it takes us back to the 7th day of Adar as Moses’ birthday. From all this it becomes clear that Moses died on the same day of the same month on which he had been born. The word חדש implies a period which equals 1/12th of the year, something not subject to variation either by adding or subtracting from it. The same is not true of the period known as ירח, a period which may comprise either 29 or 30 days. The reason why the Torah used the term ירחים in the verse mentioned was to enable us to calculate the precise date on which Moses was born. This prompted our sages in Kiddushin 38 to state that G’d completes the life cycle of the righteous from day to day (to grant them whole years) something they base on Exodus 23,26: את מספר ימיך אמלא, “I will fill (round out) the number of your days (meaning “years”).

It is also mentioned there that the names of the Israelites are actually the names of their respective souls. I myself have explained this on Proverbs 10,7 "that the name of the wicked will rot." Zohar Chadash 120 interprets this to mean that the wicked will not be able to remember his name, the reason being that the wicked has no soul. Having been deprived of his soul it is not surprising that the wicked does not recall his name.

לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא, “I am no longer able to go out (to war) and to come back.” Moses refers to the times he had led the armies of the Jewish people against Sichon and Og, respectively.
Nachmanides claims that the reason that Moses made this statement was to console the people about his impending death. No doubt, his physical powers had continued undiminished, as the Torah testifies about him in Deut. 34,7. He simply wanted to enhance the people’s regard for Joshua who would henceforth lead them in battle, and ensure that they would inherit the land. Our sages in Sotah 13. understand the words: “to go out and to come back” as referring to words of Torah. They claim that Moses felt that his ability to teach the Torah had waned, that the fountains of wisdom had dried up for him. This by it self was a miracle as it prevented him from relating to his impending death with worry and sadness. G’d also allowed this to happen so that Joshua could take over from him during his lifetime.

Here we are told that "Moses went;" this means that his soul, the spirit of life named Moses, had gone from him just like in any other צדיק whose end is at hand. In this instance Moses' soul is referred to in the masculine gender, i.e. וילך, to stress the greatness of his soul. By writing וידבר את הדברים האלה the Torah indicates that Moses was aware when walking that he would die on that day. He made this plain when he said: "I am exactly 120 years old today, etc." Our sages in Rosh Hashanah 11 interpret Moses' words as: "today my days and years have been completed."

Having read all this you may ask how it was that Moses knew that he would die on that day and not 40 days later seeing we said that the soul leaves 40 days before one's death? Read what I have written on Genesis 47,29 "Israel's days to die approached."

וידבר את הדברים האלה, He spoke these words, etc. Moses wanted to show that though he was 120 years old and about to die he had the strength to say all the words recorded from here until the end of the Book of Deuteronomy. No one except Moses possessed the physical or intellectual strength to do this.

וילך משה וגו' ... אנכי היום AND MOSES WENT ... I AM [HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS OLD] THIS DAY — Today my days and my years become full: for on this day (the seventh of Adar; cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 1:3) I was born and on this day I must die (Sotah 13b).

AND HE SAID UNTO THEM: ‘I AM A HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS OLD THIS DAY.’ This was to comfort them concerning his condition [i.e., about his approaching death], as if to say, “I am old and you have no more benefit from me. Moreover, G-d has commanded me that I should not go over there. Do not dread and do not be fearful, for the Eternal will go over with you; He will not remove His Presence from you on my account [i.e., because of my absence], and Joshua, he shall go over before³Further, Verse 3. you in my place.” Now, although Moses our teacher retained his vigor and health, as Scripture testifies, his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated,⁴Ibid., 34:7. he told them this [“I am old and you have no more benefit of me”] in order to comfort them [over the transfer of leadership to Joshua].
Now, Rashi wrote: “I can no longer go out and go in, because the Eternal hath said unto me: Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.” But it is not correct.⁵The text reads: ‘Vashem’ (‘and’ the Eternal) said unto me. Now, Rashi explains that the connective vav, which generally means “and,” signifies “because.” It is this interpretation which Ramban considers incorrect because vav always means “and,” not “because.” Mizrachi, too, raised this objection to Rashi and left it unanswered. See, however, in Ma’aravi where a different version of Rashi’s text is cited, in which the connective vav has its usual meaning. And in the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra the expression I can no longer go out and come in means to war, because his powers weakened in his old age. This too, is not correct.⁶For Scripture testifies: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated (further, 34:7). And our Rabbis have said:⁷Sotah 13b. “This teaches us that the well-springs of wisdom were stopped for him.” This was a miraculous event in order that Moses should not be troubled [about the transfer of leadership to Joshua] and [G-d] bestowing honor upon Joshua in his [Moses’] presence.⁸See further, Verse 14.

בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום, Moses mentions his age to remind the people that there is no reason to be sad that someone of his age has to die. According to any life expectancy and law of nature, he was no longer fit to go on living by natural means.

לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא, "I am no longer able to go out and come in" (lead you in war). Moses attributed his inability to do so to the fact that he had already lost control over his soul the one which bore his name, as we explained in the name of the Zohar. It had already departed from him.

This explains I cannot any longer, etc. It is as if he said, Because Hashem has said to me, ‘You will not cross over [the Yardein], etc. Yehoshua will cross.’ But it is not because his strength had weakened, for it is written, His appearance was not dulled and his freshness did not fade [Devarim 34:7]. For one cannot say, for Hashem is [a phrase] on its own, as if it had said, I am no longer able, and furthermore, for Hashem said to me, because the meaning of I am no longer able is I have no permission, if so that is the meaning of that the Holy One, Blessed Is He said to me do not cross. Therefore [Rashi] explains that for Hashem said is an explanation. As if to say, I am no longer able because Hashem said, etc. The [letter] vav [meaning and] of And Hashem means because, as in [the verse] And there was no man (Bereishis 2:5) which means Because there was no man.

V. 2. לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא .ויאמר וגו׳. Obgleich Kap. 34, 7 es von Mosche heißt, dass לא כהתה עינו ולא נס לחה, dass trotz seines hundertundzwanzigjährigen Alters seine Kräfte nicht abgenommen hatten, so war dies doch nur eine besondere Gnadenverleihung Gottes für die Zeit seiner Wirksamkeit. Da diese aber geschlossen sein sollte, so durfte er fernerhin nur die seinem Alter entsprechende natürliche Schwäche erwarten, und war ganz berechtigt zu sagen, dass er sich nicht zu beklagen habe, wenn er, der Hundertundzwanzigjährige, nicht mehr auf die Kraft zu einer öffentlichen Wirksamkeit rechnen dürfe. וד׳ אמר אלי וגו׳. Und wie nach dem natürlichen Lauf der Dinge seine Wirksamkeit ein Ende gefunden hatte, so hat auch der ausdrückliche Wille Gottes derselben ein Ziel gesetzt.

בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא, “I am one hundred and twenty years old today, I can no longer go out and return home.” One reason I cannot do so is my age; another reason is the fact that G–d has forbidden me to cross the river Jordan. You will not suffer a setback by my not crossing the Jordan, as G–d, personally, will cross with you, and He will destroy etc.;” i.e. כי ה' הוא עובר לפניך והוא ישמיד וגו'. I do not feel weak, but I must obey G–d’s command.

אמר אלי לא תעבור את הירדן הזה, “He had said to me: you will not cross this river Jordan.” You, the people, will not lose anything by that fact, as G-d Himself will cross the river Jordan ahead of you, leading you. (verse 3)

לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבוא I CAN NO LONGER GO OUT AND COME IN — One might think that this was because his physical strength failed him! Scripture, however, states (Deuteronomy 34:7) “His eye was not dim nor his natural force abated!” What then is the meaning of לא אוכל? It means: “I am not permitted” (cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 12:17 and Deuteronomy 24:4), because the power (leadership) is being taken from me and given to Joshua. — Another explanation of לצאת ולבוא is: I can no more take the lead in the matter of the Law; this teaches us that the traditions and the well-springs of wisdom were stopped up for him (cf. Sotah 13b).

לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא, even if I were still able, I would not be able to function physically as a leader should, such as leading you in he conquest of the Land of Israel as I am suffering from symptoms of old age.

This teaches that he was sealed off from the masoretic teachings, etc. The reason is so that he should not be upset that the greatness was taken from him and given to Yehoshua. For once the traditions of wisdom were blocked from him, why would [he wish to continue to] live? If you ask: Why does Rashi switch [the verse] and first explain I cannot any longer go forth and return and afterward he explains I am today [One hundred and twenty years old] which is not in the order [written] in the verse? And another question: This another interpretation should have been said immediately, before I am today. One can answer in the manner of pilpul: I cannot any longer go forth and return, ‘perhaps, etc.’ until ‘for Hashem has said to me, etc.’ And Rashi asks on this: If you were to ask, that the midrash says that Today my days [and years are completed], etc., which implies that if not for this reason For Hashem said to me, etc. he would not have been able to go forth and return! And he answers, Really, etc. as I explained. And what you asked, that the Midrash says Today my days [and years] were completed, etc. which implies that without this reason of For Hashem has said to me, etc. he would not have been able to go forth and return! One can answer that the Midrash explains to go forth and return in a different manner, [as Rashi himself explains in the] alternative answer: To go forth and return, “with respect to words of Torah, etc.” [in the name of Maharitz]. According to the alternative answer one must explain For Hashem has said [to me], etc. according to its plain meaning, that Hashem said. [Re”m]

He also wanted to explain to the people why he was convinced that he would die on that day. While we have already supplied the reason for this, it is not in the nature of the righteous to let on to their peers that they have some superior perceptions; this would be arrogant. This is why Moses cited two different reasons. 1) I am unable to lead you in war, i.e. I no longer have G'd's permission to do so. This permission has now been given Joshua. 2) G'd has told me: "you will not cross this river Jordan." From these two indicators it was clear to him that he had outlived his usefulness and was about to die.

לצאת ולבא ist der allgemeine Ausdruck für die öffentliche Wirksamkeit einer Volksleitung (siehe zu Bamidbar 27, 17).

וה' אמר אלי — This (according to the previous comment) is the explanation of לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבוא: I can no more go out and come in because (ו = because) the Lord has said unto Me, [Thou shalt not pass over this Jordan].

וה' אמר אלי לא תעבור, furthermore, G’d had said to me a while ago: “you will not cross;” even if I were physically capable of leading you, the fact that G’d told me that I would not cross the Jordan would have made my leadership pointless. You are therefore better off without me so that you will be able to cross.

The letter ו before the word השם is to be understood as the reason for the word היום Moses had used immediately before.

The sequence of the words וה׳ אמר אלי, "and the Lord had said to me, etc." which follow so closely on Moses' statement: I cannot go out, etc." indicate his loyalty as a servant of the Creator. He suggested by this sequence that if, per chance, this same G'd would now give him instructions to cross the Jordan, he, Moses, would gird himself and be ready to lead the Israelites across though he did not feel capable of doing so at this moment. The only reason he did not insist on doing so was that G'd had told him not to.

ה' אלוקיך הוא עובר לפניך, so that you have no reason to be saddened by my absence. You will enjoy leadership superior to mine, by G’d Himself orchestrating the crossing of the river. 'יהושע הוא עובר לפניך כאשר דבר ה. Although, strictly speaking, Joshua is not he people’s leader in that crossing, he will be the one who nominally will be leading you across the river, just as G’d has said.

ה אלוקיך הוא עובר לפניך…הוא ישמיד "The Lord your G'd will personally cross ahead of you;…He will destroy these nations, etc." Moses had to repeat the word הוא, "He," a second time as he intended to console the people over his own death which represented a double loss for them. Firstly, it had been he who had repeatedly protected the people from G'd's anger such as at the episode of the golden calf and then again when G'd had threatened to wipe out the people after they had accepted the majority report of the spies. Secondly, Moses had defeated the two mighty kings Sichon and Og. They would therefore be concerned who would take Moses' place should the need arise.

He will cross over before you: Behold we saw four expressions of providence in this section: "He will precede (over) ahead of you"; "He goes with you"; "He is the one who will go ahead of you"; "He will be with you." And it is all precise. But we should first see the language of the Gemara, Pesachim 7b: Shmuel said, "With regard to all the commandments, one recites a blessing over them prior to (over) their performance." From where may it be inferred that the word, over, is an expression of precedence?... Abbaye said... "And their king preceded [vaya’avor] ahead of them" (Micah 2:13). But it is difficult, why did Shmuel say it with an expression that needs to be explained (why did he choose this unusual unclear expression, "over their performance")? He should say, "kodem (before)" their performance," or "lifnei (ahead of)" their performance!" Rather there is a profound intention in this [choice of words]. Kodem and lifnei imply that he has not started with the commandment at all. As a result, he used the expression, "over," which implies immediately adjacent; such that he is holding the item of the commandment in his hand, and he will then begin to recite the blessing. And this is the intention of, "and their king passed ahead of them" - as it is clear that the king will not begin to go until all of his army is ready to go out and they are standing at the border...

VV. 3-5. ׳ד׳ אלדיך וגו, ihr werdet mich nicht vermissen, es ist ja Gott und nicht ich, der deine eigentliche Führerschaft hat und dich auch in die bevorstehende neue Zukunft führt, und an meine Stelle hat Gott Josua bestimmt. Wie Gott euch den Sieg über die Völker verleiht, habt ihr an Sichon und Og bereits erfahren. Richtet euch nur in eurem Verfahren gegen sie ganz nach dem, was ich für eure Kriegszeit (Kap. 20, 10 f.) geboten.

'כאשר דבר ה, “as the Lord had said.” This is a reference to Deuteronomy 18,15, where G-d had promised: “that He would raise a prophet amongst them, just like Moses.” He had also told him to take Joshua the son of Nun who had been filled with the spirit of G-d (Numbers 27,18).”

From here we understand the difference between that which is written about the time of the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 13:21), "And the Lord went lifneihem (ahead of them) by day"... which implies, before Israel went - as behold Israel did not do anything, neither regarding the splitting of the Red Sea, nor regarding the killing of snakes and scorpions. However now Moses says that it shall not be so, but rather the Lord "will over (precede) ahead of you" - adjacently to your action...

Concerning the fact that he had been able to assuage G'd's anger on two critical occasions, he now said that G'd would עובר לפניך, in the sense this word occurred in Exodus 17,5 where G'd had said to Moses עבור לפני העם, suggesting that Moses forgive, "pass over" the sins he had accused the people of committing. At that time, G'd wanted the miracle of producing water to be credited to Moses rather than to Himself. On another occasion, immediately after the sin of the golden calf, G'd had said to Moses: "Let Me be so that I can destroy the people." In other words, it had been G'd who had given Moses a hint that his prayer might help (Exodus 32,9). In view of this Moses said: "He will pass over your sins Himself;" you do not depend on me doing this for you.

As far as Moses' prowess in warfare, He told the people that it was not his own personal strength which had performed all these valiant deeds but that G'd had been the real Warrior. As to the means G'd would employ in His fight against the Canaanites, Moses cited Joshua as the official representative who would march at the head of the army.

He emphasised the word הוא, "he," to make clear that the fact that Joshua marches at the head was crucial. When the army of Israel [a small contingent of about 3.000 men. Ed.] suffered a defeat at the town of Ai (Joshua 7,5-15) and there were about 36 Jewish casualties, Joshua is reported as falling on his face complaining to G'd. One of the reasons cited by the Talmud Sanhedrin 44 for this defeat was that Joshua had not been at the head of that army contingent. He had not considered the objective as deserving his personal attention. Moses here stresses that it is Joshua's task to walk in front of the army.

אשר צויתי אתכם, “which I have commanded you.” This is a reference to Deut. 20,16, where G-d had commanded the Jewish people not to allow a single soul of the Canaanites to remain alive, (unless they had left that land of their own accord).

לא ירפך means He will give you no looseness that you should be abandoned by Him (cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 4:31).

לא ירפך, for at the hour of battle G’d will lend you additional mental fortitude

He will not precipitate, in you, the feebleness [ירפך], etc. Rashi did not explain [the letter chaf] is in place of you [i.e. meaning He will not weaken you] as he normally does, that its meaning is that He will not make you weak before Sichon and Og. It seems that this is because whenever a reason is given it refers to what precedes it, and it is written Do not quake before them [and the reason is] because He will not make you weak. For this reason, “Do not quake before them.” is understandable if the meaning of yarpecha is that He will not give you weakness, to be abandoned from Him. Then it is understandable, for this reason “Do not fear,” because you are not [being] abandoned by Hashem. But if the meaning is He will not make you weak the phrase Do not quake cannot apply, because this is no reason not quake. This is also the explanation of R”em.

V. 6. חזקו וגו׳, seid fest im Widerstand und stark im Überwinden (siehe Kap. 3, 28) אמץ: vielleicht (מצ (ה) ,מצ (א mit vorgesetztem א: etwas für sich erreichen.

ולא יעזבך, neither will He abandon you afterwards by decreasing the attention He pays to your affairs. As a result, none of the neighbouring nations will dare attack you.

Do not be in dread: Onkelos translated, "and you shall not break." Likewise did Onklos translate (31:8), "do not be dismayed," "do not break." Nevertheless there is certainly a difference in the meanings: "Dread" is the breaking of a platoon, such that they give themselves up to their enemies, whereas "dismay" is the breaking of the heart...

אל תיראו ואל תערצו (siehe Kap. 1, 29). — רפה ,לא ירפך heißt schwach sein, erschlaffen, und לא ירפך könnte heißen: er wird dich nicht schwach sein lassen, רפה ist ja der Gegensatz von חזק (Bamidbar 13, 18), und würde dann לא ירפך die Anforderung: חזקו unterstützen, wie לא יעזבך die Anforderung: אמצו. Allein in allen Stellen, in welchen הרפה mit dem Suffixum des Akkusativs vorkommt, heißt es: etwas loslassen, etwas fahren lassen, es nicht weiter festhalten, also: seine festhaltende Kraft in Beziehung auf etwas nicht üben. So אחזתיו ולא ארפנו (Hohel. 3, 4), בצדקתי החזקתי ולא אַרפֶהָ (Job. 27, 6), לא תרפני עד בלעי רוקי (daselbst 7, 19). So ja auch הַרִפו ,הֶרֶף, wie Dewarim 9, 14, Sam. I. 15, 16 usw. Wir glauben, es daher auch hier so verstehen zu müssen: er wird dich nicht loslassen, wird dich festhalten, nicht fallen, nicht sich entreißen lassen. Es ist dies dann ebenfalls eine Unterstützung der Anforderung: חזקו, bleibet fest, lasst euch nicht überwinden, denn es ist Gottes Hand, die euch festhält; wenn ihr treu an ihm haltet, muss man seine Hand überwinden, wenn man euch überwinden will.

He shall not fail you: When you are fit and merit [it].

nor forsake you: Whey you are fit for punishment, He will certainly fail you, but He will not completely forsake you, God forbid. Rather He stands a bit away, until they receive their punishment. And then the Holy One, blessed be He, returns to them.

כי אתה תבוא את העם הזה — Translate this as the Targum does: ארי אתה תעול עם עמא הדין, THOU SHALT GO WITH THIS PEOPLE. Moses, by the statement “Thou shall go with this people” (as one of them) said in effect to Joshua: The elders of the generation will be with thee: everything has to be done according to their opinion and their advice. The Holy One, blessed be He, however, said to Joshua, (v. 23) “For thou shalt bring (תביא) the children of Israel into the land which I swore unto them” — thou shalt bring them even against their will; everything depends on you alone: if necessary take a stick and beat them over the head: there can be but one leader for a generation, and not two leaders for a generation (Sanhedrin 8a).

כי אתה תבא, even though I myself have not merited this.

כי אתה תבא את העם הזה, "for you will come with this people, etc." Moses did not say תביא, "you will bring this people," seeing it was G'd who would actually bring the people by destroying their opposition. All Joshua was required to do was to march at the head of the people. While it is true that our sages in Sanhedrin 8 drew our attention to the end of our portion (verse 23) where G'd tells Joshua "you shall bring the children of Israel to the land I have sworn to them," the reason that G'd used the expression תביא was to correct the impression Moses' words had left when he said תבא. According to Rabbi Yochanan Moses meant "you and the elders." G'd objected by saying that there can only be one authoritative spokesman per generation, i.e; dabbar echad ledor. To make this point, G'd said to Joshua "you will bring," instead of "you will come." Now that we have that verse we can interpret the verse in which Moses said "you will come" as a reminder that G'd would do the actual "bringing."

There are two meanings in this, according to the manner of Mishneh Torah (Deuteronomy).

Let the elders of the generation join with you, etc. Rashi is answering the question: Later (v. 23) it is written, For you will bring, etc. If so, the verses apparently contradict each other! One cannot answer that You will come has the same meaning as You will bring in order that these verses do not contradict each other. This is not the case, for Unkelos translated the [verse] For you will come, etc. as Because you will go up with this people. Rashi answers and explains that here [it is] Moshe who said it to him.

V. 7. חזק ואמץ .ויקרא וגו׳, die an das Volk gerichtete Anforderung: חזקו ואמצו bezog sich dem Zusammenhange nach zunächst auf die im Kampfe mit den Bevölkerungen des Landes zu bewährende Festigkeit und Stärke. Die Anrede חזק ואמץ an Josua aber umfasst seine ganze Aufgabe als Führer des Volkes. So wiederholt (Josua 1, 6. 7 u. 9) רק חזק ואמץ מאד לשמר לעשות ,חזק ואמץ כי אתה תנחיל וגו׳ הלא צויתיך חזק ואמץ ,בכל התורה וגו׳, und wird dies (Berachot 32 b) speziell erläutert: חזק בתורה ואמץ במעשים טובים, bleibe fest in Erkenntnis deiner Aufgaben aus der תורה und sei stark in Überwindung aller Hindernisse bei deren Lösung. Fest im Prinzipe und stark in der Ausführung, das sind die ersten Anforderungen an den Führer.

לעיני כל ישראל, “in the sight of all of Israel;” this was necessary so that none of them would ever be able to say toJoshua that as long as Moses had been alive he had not had permission to assume the mantle of leadership.

One leader [דבר] for a generation, etc. The meaning of dabor is leader.

כי אתה תבא את העם הזה, “for you will come with this people;” seeing that here Moses was speaking with Joshua in the presence of the whole people, he honoured the Jewish people by not saying that Joshua would go ahead of them when crossing the Jordan, but that they would walk alongside them.

וה׳ הוא ההולך לפניך, "as to the Lord, it is He Who will walk in front of you." In this instance Moses did not refer to the Lord as "your G'd" as he did on most other occasions. The reason is that G'd does not associate His name with individuals who are still alive. When speaking of the Jewish people as a whole it is quite in order to refer to G'd as "your G'd" such as in Exodus 20,2 "I am the Lord your G'd," the opening sentence of the Ten Commandments.

He is the who will go ahead of you: As the Holy One, blessed be He, will be seen with you and He will command you prior to your beginning with rulership. And in this manner, it is called "going ahead of you" - prior to your placing yourself as the leader. And for this reason, when the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to reassure Joshua later on (verse 23), He only says the second reassurance of Moshe, "and I will be with you."

When Moses refers to G'd by the pronoun הוא, saying "He walks before you," instead of saying "and G'd walks before you," he did so to preclude us from thinking that G'd plus some other force would destroy the Canaanites. Omission of the word הוא would have left us with והשם, "and G'd, etc." Moses did not want that anybody should misunderstand the meaning of the letter ו in this context.

הוא יהיה עמך, "He will be with you." Moses again stresses the הוא, to emphasise that G'd's שכינה i.e. a very high level manifestation of His presence will walk in front of Joshua. הוא יהיה עמך, this manifestation of G'd's presence will remain at Joshua's side. Its effect will be that Joshua will not weaken in face of a variety of challenges.

ויכתב משה ... ויתנה AND MOSES WROTE [THIS LAW] AND GAVE IT [UNTO THE PRIESTS, THE SONS OF LEVI] — When it was completely finished he gave it to the sons of his tribe.

AND MOSES WROTE THIS LAW — from the beginning of Bereshith to in the sight of all Israel.⁹Ibid., 34:12. Even though it is written here, thou shalt read this law before all Israel,¹⁰Verse 11. and according to the opinion of our Rabbis,¹¹Sotah 41a. Therefore, how can the expression this Law in Verse 9, refer to the entire Torah, while in Verse 11 the same expression refers to the Book of Deuteronomy? Ramban proceeds to answer this question. it refers to this Book of Deuteronomy,¹¹Sotah 41a. Therefore, how can the expression this Law in Verse 9, refer to the entire Torah, while in Verse 11 the same expression refers to the Book of Deuteronomy? Ramban proceeds to answer this question. at this point, he reverted and explained, And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this Law in a book, until they were finished.¹²Further, Verse 24. This includes the entire Torah. [Hence the expression this Law in the verse before us means the entire Torah, while in the following Verse 11, concerning the reading in the Assembly, the same expression refers only to the Book of Deuteronomy.]

את התורה הזאת, a reference to the final commandment in the Torah, Hakhel, for the king to read the Torah once in seven years before the entire Jewish people, minors and babies in arms included.

ויכתוב משה את התורה הזאת, “Moses wrote down this whole Torah, etc.” The whole Torah from Genesis to the last word in vezot hab’rachah. This is so, in spite of the fact that when the Torah reports that he read it all out באזניהם, as G’d had commanded him, “before their ears,” this suggests that they heard him report about his death and about his funeral, etc. [I do not know what verse the author refers to. I have not found a verse which states that Moses read out the entire Torah before the people. Verses 11-12, refer to hakhel, and about a location that G’d has chosen for that event, certainly not to the wilderness of Moav. According to verse 24 the priests placed this Torah scroll into the Holy Ark as soon as Moses had completed writing it. Ed.]

ויכתוב משה את התורה הזאת, “Moses wrote down this Torah.” This means that he wrote down the entire Torah commencing with Genesis up to the last words in Deut. 34,12: “before the eyes of all of Israel.” When we read in verse 11 of our chapter: “you will read this Torah,” this refers only to the Book of Deuteronomy (Sotah 41).

When it was completely finished, etc. Rashi's intention is to explain that the Torah that is mentioned here means the entire Torah from Bereishis until in view of all of Yisroel (Devarim 34:12). It is not referring to the Torah which he wrote after this, which means only Mishne Torah [Devarim]. For why would he give only Mishne Torah to the Kohanim, and not the entire Torah?

V. 9. ויכתב משה וגו׳. Schon Schmot 24, 7 u. 34, 27 hören wir, dass Mosche Teile des göttlichen Gesetzes niedergeschrieben hatte. Jetzt aber, nachdem er auch alles seitdem Erfolgte niedergeschrieben hatte und die Schrift der תורה für beendet hielt, übergab er sie den Priestern mit dem sich daran knüpfenden Gebote der siebenjährlichen Vorlesung daraus vor dem zum Feste versammelten Volke. Der Auftrag zur שירה, und diese noch der Toraschrift anzufügen und damit die Tora zu schließen, ward ihm erst später V. 14 f. — הכהנים בני לוי הנשאים. Die Bundeslade war sonst von den Leviten des Stammes Kehat zu tragen (Bamidbar 3, 31), und so heißen auch V. 25 die Leviten, הלוים נשאי ארון וגו׳. Allein ausnahmsweise bei besonders hervorragender Gelegenheit wurde sie von Priestern getragen. So beim Durchzug durch den Jordan (Josua 3, 3 f.), bei der Umschreitung Jericho׳s (daselbst 6, 6) und bei der endlichen Einbringung derselben in das Allerheiligste des von Salomo erbauten Tempels (Kön, I. 8, 3; siehe Sota 33 b). Auch scheint der Moment der ersten Übergabe der Schrift der Tora an die Priester und Ältesten ein solcher gewesen zu sein, für welchen die כהנים mit dem ארון ברית ד׳ zu erscheinen hatten, und dies um so mehr, da sich daran eine Aufgabe knüpft, deren Ausführung einer Zeit angehörte, in welcher die Bundeslade und mit ihr auch diese von Mosche gefertigte Schrift (V. 26) bereits eine von Gott erwählte Stätte hatte, wo sie unter Obhut der Priester und nicht mehr in Händen der Leviten war. Dies erklärt auch den Wechsel der Ausdrücke. Hier heißt es: אל הכהנים בני לוי הנשאים וגו׳, sie trugen nur in dem Augenblick die Lade. V. 25 heißen aber die Leviten נשאי ארון וגו׳, sie waren die ständigen Träger derselben. Dass dieser Moment Sota 33 b nicht mit aufgeführt ist, dürfte sich daraus erklären, dass dieses Erscheinen mit der Lade nur für den Augenblick und kein Tragen von Ort zu Ort war, das eigentlich zu dem Beruf der Leviten gehörte.

'אל הכהנים בני לוי הנושאים את הארון וגו, “to the priests the members of the tribe of Levi, who were charged with carrying the Holy Ark, etc.” Even though it was the Levites who carried the Holy Ark, and not the priests, (Numbers 7,8) as soon as Moses had died, the priests carried the Holy Ark when the Israelites were in the process of crossing the river Jordan. (Compare Talmud, tractate Sotah folio 33). They did so again when the people marched around Jericho and when they returned the Ark to its place in the days of King Solomon, when it was transferred from the Tabernacle. (Kings I 8,6) An alternate interpretation: seeing that it was the priests who assigned the transportation of the Ark to the Levites, as spelled out in Numbers 4,5, they could have been described as the prime movers. They were referred to there as נושאי הארון, “the carriers of the Ark.”

ויתנה אל הכהנים בני לוי, from whose hands the King who would read it in public would receive it. The Talmud Sotah 41 describes that the Torah scroll passed from the deputy High Priest’s hands to those of the High Priest himself, who in turn handed it to the King.

הנושאים את ארון, one of the three occasions when the priests rather than the ordinary Levites carried the Ark; at the time when the miracle of the waters being split would occur once more, the priests carrying the Ark were the catalyst.

ואל כל זקני ישראל, from whom the priests had received the Torah scroll on that occasion. On the folio in Sotah 41 mentioned earlier, the details of this whole procedure are described.

מקץ שבע שנים AT THE END OF EVERY SEVEN YEARS [AT THE APPOINTED SEASON OF THE SHEMITTAH YEAR] — This means in the first year of the new Shemittah-period — in the eighth year (Sotah 41a). But why does Scripture call it the “Shemittah-year”, which name usually implies the seventh year? Because the law of the “seventh year” still applies to it, viz., in connection with the harvest of the seventh year’s produce that actually goes forth into (takes place in) the year following the seventh year (the eighth year) (Rosh Hashanah 12b; cf. Rashi on Exodus 34:21).

Because there are still seventh-year restrictions which apply, etc. This means if he plants in a prohibited manner during the seventh year, it remains prohibited after the seventh year as it was during the seventh year. Alternatively it refers to produce that grew by itself during the seventh year.

V. 10. מקץ שבע שנים .ויצו וגו׳ wird durch שנת שמטה näher bestimmt, sowie במועד durch בחג הסכת. Nach Ablauf von je sieben Jahren, und zwar nicht etwa von jetzt an gerechnet, sondern nach Ablauf jeder שמטה-Periode, in einer Moedzeit, und zwar nicht an dem das achte, d. i. das erste Jahr der neuen שמטה-Periode beginnenden ר׳׳ה-Moed, sondern בחג הסוכת, und zwar בבוא כל ישראל usw. באתחלתא דמועד, bei der Ankunft des Volkes, d. h. im Anfang des Festes. Zusammen also: מוצאי י׳׳ט הראשון של חג בשמינית במוצאי שביעית, am Ausgang des ersten Tages des Hüttenfestes des achten auf den Schluss des siebten folgenden Jahres (Sota 41 a). Diese einzelnen hervorgehobenen Zeitbestimmungen dürften aber sagen: מקץ שבע שנים במועד, je nach Ablauf von sieben Jahren und zu einer bestimmten Zeit. Nicht soll die hier vorgeschriebene Vorlesung aus der Tora die Gesetzeskenntnis im Volke vermitteln, diese soll ja täglich von jedem im gewöhnlichen häuslichen Kreise gepflegt werden, dafür heißt es ja ודברת בם בשבתך בביתך ובלכתך כדרך וגו׳ (Kap. 6,7) ולמדתם אתם את בניכם לדבר בם וגו׳ (Kap. 11. 19), es ist dies vielmehr etwas Außerordentliches, von sieben zu sieben Jahren Wiederkehrendes, einen ganz besonderen Zweck Anstrebendes, und zwar: במועד, zu einer Zeit, die jede jüdische Seele zur Vereinigung mit Gott ladet; שנת השמטה: bei jedem Wiederantritt einer durchs Erlaßjahr unterbrochen gewesenen Acker- und Verkehrsperiode; בחג הסכות: wenn das Hüttenfest den nationalen Kreis in der Erinnerung an jene Zeit vereint, wo nicht Acker und Verkehr, wo die Wundergnade Gottes alle mit Weib und Kind unter Wolkenschutz und Leitung mitten in der Wüste erhielt und für das nunmehrige Acker- und Verkehrsleben mit seinem Gesetze vorbereitend und übend durchdrang; בבוא כל ישראל וגו׳: und nun das ganze Gottesvolk dem Gottesrufe dorthin gefolgt, wo — nicht Gott, dem überall zu Findenden, — wo dem Unterpfande seiner Allgegenwart im Volke, wo dem Zeugnis seines Gesetzes das Heiligtum steht, und bereits jeder mit עולת ראיה mit dem Emporopfer seines vor Gott Erscheinens sich vor dem Angesichte Gottes an der Stätte seines Gesetzesheiligtums eingefunden, תקרא soll, sofort am Ausgang dieses ersten Tages des Vor-Gott-Erscheinens, die Nation durch ihren höchsten Repräsentanten dem ganzen versammelten Volk aus diesem Gesetze vorlesen, auf dass mit jedem Antritt einer Acker- und Gewerbsperiode das Bewusstsein sich immer aufs neue proklamiere, wie der Weg zu Gott nur auf dem Wege zu seinem Gesetze führe, der Bund mit Gott den Bund mit seinem Gesetze bedeute, das Gesetz die Einigung und den Gottesschutz der Nation bedinge, und die Nation, unter deren Obhut das Gesetzeszeugnis ruht, die Authentizität und die Göttlichkeit des Gesetzes vertrete und verbürge.

מקץ שבע שנים, “at the end of (every) seven years;” at the beginning of the eight’s year. [The sh’mittah year. Ed.] This was in order to enable the idle farmers to devote the whole year to the study of the Torah. בבא כל ישראל, “when the whole Jewish nation would come” (on the pilgrimage for Sukkot)

את התורה הזאת wahrscheinlich: eben aus diesem den Priestern und Ältesten übergebenen, von Mosche eigener Hand geschriebenen Exemplar. Siehe B. B. 14 b, Raschi ר׳׳ה ספר עזרה. Danach trug dieses ס׳׳ת den Namen ספר עזרה, weil man nach Raschi daraus בעזרה פרשת המלך בהקהל וכהן גדול ביה׳׳כ vorlas. Nach dem dortigen Zusammenhange war dies ספר עזרה zugleich das im ארון den Gesetzestafeln zur Seite niedergelegte (V. 26), und müsste man dann annehmen, dass, obgleich ein Betreten des Allerheiligsten שלא לצורך עבודה untersagt war (Wajikra 16, 2; siehe daselbst), dieses Vorlesen aus der תורה am siebenjährlichen הקהל-Tage als צורך עבודה zu betrachten und zu diesem Zwecke ein Betreten des Allerheiligsten gestattet gewesen wäre. Eine solche Ausnahme, scheint uns, muss man ohnehin nach דברים רבה z. St. voraussetzen. Es heißt dort nämlich: אמר ר׳ ינאי כתב י׳׳ג תורות י׳׳ב לי׳׳ב שבטים ואחת הניח בארון שאם יבקש לזייף דבר שיהו מוציאים אותה שבארון dreizehn תורות schrieb Mosche, zwölf für jeden der zwölf Stämme und eine legte er in die Bundeslade nieder, damit, wenn jemand eine Fälschung versuchen wollte, man das in der Lade bewahrte Exemplar zum Beweise hervorbringen könne. Es muss somit der Zutritt zur Bundeslade zu solchem Zwecke gestattet gewesen sein. Auf ein solches event. gestattetes Herausnehmen der ס׳׳ת weist ja auch zunächst das שלא יהא ס׳׳ת נכנס ויוצא כשהוא דחוק (B. B. 14 a) hin. Dürfte doch auch schon der V. 26 bei dem Gebot der Niederlegung der von Mosche geschriebenen ס׳׳ת zum ארון ausgesprochene Zweck: והיה שם בך לעד die Gestattung einer solchen Herausnahme voraussetzen. ׳תוספו daselbst ד׳׳ה שלא יהא geht aber davon aus, dass das Betreten des ק׳׳ק zu solchem Zwecke nicht gestattet war. Möglich wäre es dann auch, dass die V. 9 den כהנים בני לוי übergebene ס׳׳ת, aus welcher, wie wir glauben, vorgelesen wurde, nicht die nach V. 25 neben die Bundeslade niederzulegende, sondern eben die nach der zitierten Überlieferung dem Stamme Levi bestimmte gewesen, wobei dann die erwähnte Schwierigkeit entfiele. Es könnte sodann das B. B. 14 b erwähnte ספר עזרה eben dieses in der עזרה zu den dort stattfindenden Vorlesungen aufbewahrte von Mosche eigenhändig geschriebene Exemplar des Stammes Levi sein und von dessen Beschaffenheit לתחלתו הוא נגלל auf das im ארון befindliche gleichartige geschlossen werden.

במועד שנת השנה, “on the feast of Sukkot;” seeing that this year is the first year in the new sh’mittah cycle which comprises seven years, why does the Torah refer to that year in the singular mode, i.e. שנת השמטה, the year of the sh’mittah? The reason is that many of the restrictions that applied during the previous year were still in force, such as the residue of the “harvest” of the previous year. (Compare Talmud, tractate Rosh Hashanah folio 12.) It is stated there that any crop which had completed one third of its growth before the end of the sh’mittah year was still considered as subject to the regulations applicable during that year.

Auch Moed katan 18 b wird nach der Lesart des Jeruschalmi in der Mischna ein ספר העזרה genannt und erläutert Raschi: ספר מוגה היה בעזרה שממנו היו מגיהים כל ספרי גולה. Eine andere Lesart liest dort ספר עזרא. Jedenfalls dürfte während des ersten Tempels das in der עזרה aufbewahrte eigenhändige Exemplar Mosches dieselbe Bestimmung gehabt haben. So auch Jeruschalmi Sanhedrin 11, 4. ומגיהין אותו מספר עזרה על פי ב׳׳ד של ע׳׳א. Siehe zu Kap. 17, 18.

Es war der höchste Repräsentant der Nation, zur Zeit von Königen der König, welcher der Volksversammlung vorlas, und wurde nach Sota 41 a aus dem Dewarim vorgelesen: מתחלת אלה הדברים עד שמע (Kap. 1, 1-6, 3), שמע (Kap. 6, 4-9), והיה ;Kap. 14, 22-29) כי תכלה לעשר und עשר תעשר ,(Kap. 11, 13-21) אם שמע Kap. 26, 12-15; beides wohl mit Hinblick auf die nun wieder beginnende -מעשרPeriode), פרשת המלך (Kap. 17, 14- 20) ברכות וקללות עד שגומר כל הפרשה wahrscheinlich Kap. 27, 1-26; Kap. 28, 1-69).

תקרא את התורה הזאת [WHEN ALL ISRAEL IS COME TO APPEAR BEFORE THE LORD …] THOU SHALT READ THIS LAW [BEFORE ALL ISRAEL] — The king read from the beginning of the section “These are the words” (Deuteronomy 1:1), — as is set forth in Treatise Sotah 41a — upon a wooden platform that was erected in the forecourt.

תקרא את התורה הזאת, “you shall read out publicly this Torah;” this commandment was addressed to Joshua. This is why he is also referred to as the king.

האנשים [ASSEMBLE THE PEOPLE,] MEN [WOMEN, AND LITTLE ONES] — the men, in order to learn,

THAT THEY MAY HEAR, AND THAT THEY MAY LEARN — that is, the men and the women [mentioned in the first part of the verse], for the women, too, heard and learned to fear the Eternal.

למען ישמעו, in order that the wise men in the congregation would understand.

הקהל את העם,..למען ישמעו ולמען ילמדו, "assemble the people…in order that they hearken and in order that they learn, etc." Why did Moses have to write the word למען, "in order that," twice? Would it not have been simpler to write למען ישמעו וילמדו?

To bring merit to those who brought them: The verse, In order for them to hear refers back to the women. And In order for them to learn refers to the men. The children are not included in either hearing or learning, but [rather come] to bring merit to those who brought them.

V. 12. הקהל ist eine der מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא, zu deren Erfüllung auch Frauen verpflichtet sind (siehe Wajikra 23, 43). וגרך אשר בשעריך (siehe Schmot 20, 10). למען ישמעו, sie hören hier in allgemeinster Nationalversammlung die Göttlichkeit ל des Gesetzes und die Verpflichtung zu ihm durch die Nation selbst und deren höchsten Repräsentanten immer wiederkehrend aufs neue proklamiert und gewährleistet, des Gesetzes, das ein jeder zu Hause in vereinzeltster Heimat in Händen hat, auf dass dieses im Gesamtverein erneute Bewusstsein sie dazu bringe, dass ילמדו, dass das immer fortschreitende Erlernen des Gesetzes ihnen ein erhöhtes Anliegen werde, ׳ויראו וגו und beides dieses הקהל hier und dieses וילמדו zu Hause, ihre Gottesfurcht durch die in größter Volksgemeinsamkeit erneute Beherzigung Gottes, als des gemeinsamen einen Geschickeslenkers und Tatenleiters in die Richtung hin stärke und steigere, ושמרו לעשות usw., das ganze Gesetz treu und gewissenhaft zu erfüllen. Diese שמירה לעשות, das gewissenhafte Erfüllen des göttlichen Gesetzes ist das Höheziel, in welchem alle Veranstaltungen der תורה gipfeln. Über das Verhältnis der Frauen zu למוד התורה siehe zu Kap. 11, 19.

הקהל את העם, “assemble the nation;” they are all available not having chores to attend to, seeing that they are not at home but in Jerusalem (or wherever the Tabernacle stood prior to Jerusalem having been captured by David about 400 years later).

והנשים THE WOMEN, in order to listen to the words of the Law,

And it appears that the whole essence of this hakhel (assembly) is on account of repentance. As our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Vayikra Rabba 30:7) that the first day of the Holiday (Sukkot) is called the first [day] of the calculation of iniquities. Therefore they must immediate make preparation towards repentance; and that preparation is is this assembly, in which the king assembles the people and reads from Deuteronomy. For most of the book is words of chastisement for sins and words of submission. And it is already known that the assembly is very necessary for repentance. As by their being assembled, they would be one group and they would turn together to do repent to God in order that the penitents be [considered] a public. As it is specifically during the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur that the Holy One, blessed be He, accepts the repentance of an individual. However during all [the rest] of the days of the year, the Holy One, blessed be He, only accepts the repentance of the community (Rosh Hashanah 18a). And this is the meaning of that which our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, [in Vayikra Rabba], "'And you shall take for yourselves on the first day' (Leviticus 23:40) - and is it the first; is it not the fifteenth [of the month]? Rather it is the first [day] in the calculation of iniquities, etc." But whey did Scripture mention this matter specifically in the verse that is speaking about the four species; and why did it not mention this in the verse that is speaking about sitting in the sukkah? Rather it is because in the taking of the four species, it hints to all of the four clusters of Jews becoming one group, as explained above in Parashat Emor (Kli Yakar on Leviticus 23:40). And the verse needs to give a good explanation and understanding for why it is specifically on this day that they were commanded to do this commandment that instructs that all of Israel be one group to atone for one another. Rather it is because from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, the Holy One, blessed be He accepts even the repentance of the individual. Hence they do not yet need to be one group, so that the penitents be [considered] a public. And from Yom Kippur to the holiday of Sukkot, they do not do iniquities, since everyone is occupied with the commandments of the sukkah and the lulav. And 'a commandment drags along [another] commandment.' Hence, generally 'no harm befalls the righteous' until the first day of Sukkot, which is the first [day] of the calculation of iniquities. Hence they need to make a preparation for repentance; and that preparation is that they should all be one, like these four species. And that is why it is stated, "And you shall take for yourselves on the first day" -- to give an enriching reason, why I commanded you about the taking of these four species in a group specifically on this day: Because it is the first day of of the calculation of iniquities. Hence you need to make a preparation towards repentance for all of the days of the year. And this preparation is when you become one group, like these four species. Then God will accept your repentance, since 'Behold, God does not despise the mighty' (see Berachot 8a).

ולמען ילמדו, and in order that the less intelligent members of the people would learn it from them.

Perhaps the answer is contained in the very instructions to Moses having been to "assemble the people, the men, the women and the children" in order to read the Torah before them, something women are not obligated to hear. In Deut 11,19 the Torah's instructions to teach it had been reserved for בניכם, your male children, as opposed to your daughters (compare Kidushin 29). This may have been the reason the Torah separated the "hearing" from the "learning" in our verse and wrote the word למען twice. The males, including the male children, were to study the Torah; the women and their daughters were to listen to the Torah.

והטף AND THE LITTLE ONES — Why did they come? For no other purpose than that a reward should be given to those who bring them (Chagigah 3a).

And this is also a reason for this hakhel (assembly). As in addition to the taking of these four species on the first day of the festival, God commanded to make another impression similar to [the impression made by] it, at the end of seven years. Since the seventh year also causes assembly and peace by way of one not planting and growing upon it. And the destitute of His people eat on it, since the [landowners] are not permitted to hold on to their produce on the seventh year as [would usually be the way of] an owner. And without a doubt, this is is a cause of peace, since all disagreements are from the trait of "what's mine is mine" [and] "this one says, 'it is all mine.'" And this is not so [prevalent] on the seventh year, since [even if] in the positive acts, not all are equal, in the negative acts, all are equal, and this is truly the way of peace. And so [too] with the festival of Sukkot, when everyone goes out from a permanent dwelling to a temporary dwelling and sits under the 'Sukkah (hut) of His peace.' Behold, [accordingly] on the first of the intermediate days, the king was commanded to make an impression about peace and this is the matter of hakhel. As all of this is a preparation to repentance, and [so] he reads from Deuteronomy words of exhortation and rebuke. And this is [the meaning of] what they said, "'the men' to learn, etc, 'the youngsters' - why are they coming, to bring reward to those that bring them." Since in the time when Israel repents, they offer supplications in front of Him, may He be blessed, for the forgiving of sin and say, "If not for our sake, then do it for the sake of those weaned from their mothers, who have not sinned." [This is] as it is found in the text of 'Avinu Malkenu' - Have mercy on our sucklings and on our youngsters. And we [also] say, "Do it for those weaned from their mothers, etc." And this is the reward that is given to those that bring them, from the youngsters - that they will say in front of Him, may He be blessed, "Do it for the sake of these youngsters that are brought to the House of God," in the same way as it stated in Joel 2:16, "Collect the people, sanctify the assembly, gather the elders, collect the sucklings, and those that suck the breasts, etc.

ויראו את ה' אלוקיכם, once they have understood the greatness of Torah they will automatically revere and be in awe of its author, G’d, whose supreme intelligence they will admire.

The Torah first speaks about למען ישמעו, "in order that they hearken" as it refers to the negative commandments which apply equally to men and women.

The words למען ילמדו, "in order that they learn," refer to the positive commandments many of which women are not obligated to perform if they must be performed only at certain times. Had the Torah lumped both statements together we would have concluded that negative and positive commandments both carry the same penalties.

I have seen a statement by our sages in Chagigah 3 "the women were to come to listen whereas the men were to attend in order to study."

ובניהם אשר לא ידעו, seeing that due to their tender age they are unable to formulate their questions if they have any.

ובניהם אשר לא ידעו, "and their children, who do not know, etc." This division is in line with mention of "and the children" in verse 12 as part of the מצוה of הקהל. Moses says that although he is aware that the children are too young to understand what they would hear at that assembly, they are not too young to learn to fear G'd, i.e. one must train them in יראת השם from an early age.

ובניהם אשר לא ידעו ישמעו ולמדו ליראה, “and their children who do not know of this will learn and be in awe, etc.;” when they will hear about it and ask their parents who will instruct them in all aspects of Judaism and Jewish history. The word טף, frequently used to describes babies, in this case speaks of children that are already older and that can be taught. In the previous verse the Torah wrote:ילמדו ויראו, ”they will learn and be in awe,” instead of “they will learn to be in awe.” Our sages do not understand the word טף here as referring to children of school-going age, but to infants, and they explain that the reasons that the mothers were to bring them along was to receive a reward for their efforts.

AND THAT THEIR CHILDREN, WHO HAVE NOT KNOWN, MAY HEAR, AND LEARN TO FEAR. This refers to the little children [mentioned in the preceding verse], for they will hear and inquire, and the fathers will accustom them [to the words of the Law] and educate them. For the little children [mentioned here] are not those who suckle at the breasts, but rather the young in years who are nearly old enough to be educated, this being the sense of the expression and learn to fear — in the future [when they are grown up]. But above [when speaking of the men and the women] he stated, that they may learn, and fear¹³Verse 12. [now, since they are adults]. However, our Rabbis have said,¹⁴Chagigah 3a. “The men came to learn, and the women to listen. And the little children — why did they come? In order to reward those who bring them.”¹⁵From this text it appears that the Rabbis understood the term little children as applying to the very young who are not yet old enough to ask questions.

V. 13. ובניהם וגו׳ die Kinder, die noch kein Verständnis haben, durch das, was sie dort aus dem Gesetze hören, zum Studium und zur Erfüllung des Gesetzes zu gelangen, werden doch durch das gemeinsame Anhören des Gesetzes mit den Eltern in der großen allgemeinen Versammlung, schon durch den Eindruck, den die ehrfurchtsvoll aufhorchende Menge auf das Kindesgemüt macht, zur Gottesfurcht gebracht. Bei ihnen sind nicht שמיעה למוד ויראה drei getrennte Momente, sondern ישמעו ולמדו ליראה, durch das Anhören selbst lernen sie Gottesfurcht, שמירה ועשיה liegt ihnen jedoch noch ferne.

ישמעו, either simply that their ears will hear sounds, or, if they are a little older, that they will hear words.

This is the reason why Moses changed the sequence in which he described this process. Whereas in verse 12 he had said ילמדו ויראו they would "learn and (as a result) fear," in this verse he says "they will learn to fear." Being present at such an experience as הקהל is inspirational even for young children and inspires fear of G'd. Moses adds the comment כל הימים, "all the days," to remind us that when fear of G'd is instilled in children at an early age it will last them all their lives.

Nach ח׳׳א ,מהרש׳׳א zu Chagiga 3 a wären בניהם אשר לא ידעו hier קטנים שהגיעו לחינוך Kinder in dem Alter, dem bereits ein Verständnis der תורה, doch noch nicht die Reife der Erfüllungspflicht zugetraut werden könne, weshalb hier wohl von למוד und יראה, aber noch nicht von שמירה לעשות gesprochen wird. Der Begriff טף im vorigen Verse umfasse aber selbst Kinder in noch früherer Altersstufe, weshalb dort in Chagiga die Frage sein konnte: טף למה באין, und die Antwort lautet: ליתן שכר למביאיהן. Bei so kleinen Kindern liegt das Verdienst zunächst in den Großen, die sie mitbringen, und sich damit vor Gott mit ihren teuersten Pfändern um sein Gesetz sammeln, für welches sie einst ihre Kinder gewinnen und damit die Unvergänglichkeit des Gesetzes im jüdischen Kreise sichern sollen und wollen. In 18מס׳ סופרים b ist dem כדי ליתן שכר למביאיהן noch beigefügt: והן לקבל שכר, dass auch für die Kleinen selbst das Mitgehen in die große תורה-Versammlung nicht ohne wohltätigen Eindruck für ihr späteres Leben bliebe. Siehe den Kommentar נחלת יעקב daselbst.

ולמדו, they will ask adults and learn by listening intently to the answers they receive from people who do understand.

Our sages (Chagigah 3) ask why the women had to drag their children along for this assembly, and they answer "in order to receive credit for complying with the instruction." Presumably they referred to those children who could not even appreciate that their elders were listening to the Torah, i.e. the babies in arms. They must have understood that Moses' reason for bringing them applied only to children who were already somewhat older.

ואצונו means, THAT I MAY EXHORT HIM.

THAT I MAY GIVE HIM [Joshua] A CHARGE. “This means that I may exhort him.” This is Rashi’s language. But there is no need for this, because G-d’s statement [to Joshua] for thou shalt bring [the children of Israel into the Land]¹⁶Further, Verse 23. is a command, and, if he were to be indolent and not do so, he would be liable to the death-penalty. It is possible that the meaning of that I may give him a charge is that I will appoint him a prince and commander¹⁷Isaiah 55:4. over Israel, and thou shalt give him a charge in their sight.¹⁸Numbers 27:19.

הן קרבו ימיך למות, "Behold, your days are drawing near to die, etc." The reason for the word הן here is to justify Moses' having said that he had reached his 120th birthday on that day. Our sages in Rosh Hashanah 11 mention that by the word היום in verse 2 Moses meant that he reached the age allotted to him. As a result, G'd's word came to him saying: הן, "you are correct," the time has come for you to die. The reason G'd said קרבו ימיך (pl.) instead of saying קרב יומך, "your day has arrived (sing.)" may be understood in the same vein as Genesis 47,29 where we have explained this wording.

Look! Your time is approaching to die. Just as the moon only shines when the sun is about to set, similarly, Yehoshua was unable able to shine while Moshe’s light was still shining strongly… Once Moshe’s light began to set, Yehoshua’s light began to shine. This is what the verse means, “Your time is approaching to die,” and therefore it is the right time for you to place your spirit onto Yehoshua.

ואצונו, “and I shall instruct him.” Rashi under-stands the word as “I will urge him to act promptly.” Nachmanides writes that there is no need to change the meaning of the word from what it means ordinarily, seeing that when G’d told Joshua ”you will bring,“ this is by itself a commandment. (Numbers 27,19) If Joshua had been deliberately slow in carrying out that command he would have been guilty of a capital offence. It is possible that the word ואצונו means: “I will inaugurate him as the leader of the Jewish nation.”

הן קרבו ימיך למות, “here your days to die are drawing near.” According to the plain meaning of the text this verse teaches that the period man has to live has been predetermined, every single human being having a time allocated to him at birth. G’d sees to it that every person lives out the time thus allocated to him at birth. This would correspond to Exodus 23,26: “I will ensure that you complete the number of your days (years).” The expression קריבה, “approach,” mentioned here is one which is specifically reserved for the approach of death of righteous people as we know already from Genesis 47,29 when the Torah speaks about the approaching death of Israel our patriarch. Similarly, Kings I 2,1: “the time for David to die approached.” These verses prove that such times had been determined by G’d already at birth, and that G’d’s השגחה, “benevolent supervision of history,” ensures that the individuals in question get to live out their allotted time, that their lives are not cut short by acts of violence or natural disasters. Alternatively, G’d lengthens the allotted life span of these people as a reward for merits which they have accumulated during their lives. At the same time, their allotted life span may be reduced due to demerits they have become guilty of. The important thing is that no one dies unless G’d has so determined.
According to our information that G’d has empowered planetary forces, stars and their constellations, to exercise their influence on the lives of people on terrestrial earth, and the orbits of these forces are of constructive or destructive influence on these lives so that their lives appear to depend on mazal,” i.e. such influences (Targum Kohelet 9,2), we find that our sages did not deny the impact of such mazal; we therefore seem to be faced with a dilemma here. Our sages said specifically that phenomena such as economic success, (duration of) life on earth itself, as well as the ability to have children, do not depend on one’s merit but on one’s mazal (Moed Katan 28). If that is so, where is there room for G’d’s השגחה in the matter? Further details of our sages’ view is found in their statement that though both Rabbah and Rav Chisdah were righteous individuals (seeing that when they prayed for rain it materialised), one lived only to the age of 40 whereas the other lived to the age of 92. Rabbah’s 40 years on earth were filled with painful experiences. Rav Chisdah was blessed to marry off 60 children, whereas Rabbah buried 60 family members. The latter could not always afford to eat even bread made from barley, whereas the former fed his dogs with white bread. These statements are proof positive that the sages acknowledged the influence of mazal in our lives, i.e. that there is substance to the discipline we call astrology.
It is true that these planetary phenomena have been equipped with initial power to influence our fates. However, they are not supreme. Their influence need not be final. They are subservient to the Lord Almighty, to the attribute Hashem. If people born under adverse mazal turn to the supreme G’d, to Hashem, and appeal to Him to neutralize their apparently negative mazal, G’d will respond to such prayer if it is warranted. In fact, we may go further and posit that G’d instituted mazal partly in order to encourage us to pray to Him to change adverse mazal in His benevolent way. We know that G’d can lengthen our lives from the very verse in Exodus 23,26: “I will make full the number of your days,” i.e. “I will add to them if the situation warrants.”
King Chizkiyah had 15 years added to his life expectancy although the prophet Isaiah had been sent to him to prepare his last will and testament as he was not going to recover from his sickness. G’d responded to his prayer and revoked the decree he had been subject to (Isaiah 38,5). We also know that when the occasion warrants it G’d reduces the number of years allocated to a person at birth, from Achazyah King of Israel son of Achav. The reason he had his life span shortened was that when he fell ill, instead of turning to G’d or to an accredited prophet, he turned to idols to inquire about his chances of a recovery (compare Kings II 1,16). He was told clearly that he would die now because he had turned to Baal Zevuv, the god of Akron, ignoring the presence of accredited prophets in Israel. The verse we just quoted makes it plain that Achazya’s death at that time was due to his having turned to idols at that time. Had death already have been decreed upon him previously, what point was there in the prophet telling him about it now? The above examples teach us that G’d reserves the right to lengthen or shorten the life span decreed for man at birth. G’d remains a free agent; this is why He is known as שדי. The word, derived from שדד, means that He is in charge of the laws of nature, changing them at will if He so desires. (Compare author’s comments on Genesis 17,1) These adjustments in life span, etc., occur with a view to reward and punishment. It follows that the statement that “life (expectancy), children (ability to have them), and economic success, do not depend on merit but on mazal,” which we quoted from Moed Katan, means that the power of prayer is so great that it can override predetermined fates set according to mazal. The astrologers themselves admit that the general rules are set by G’d, whereas the planetary systems only supplement details pertaining to the lives of the subjects under their influence. Clearly, He who sets the general rules is able to set aside mere details, i.e. the subordinate powers assigned to the horoscopes. It follows that it is within man’s power to create the conditions for setting aside such details if his actions merit it and he appeals to the Lord to use His powers on his behalf. On occasion, G’d fulfills man’s desire without waiting for man to appeal to Him. What the statement in Moed Katan, regarding the three cardinal parts of man’s fate does mean is that in these matters G’d does not interfere with the predetermined fates of these individuals unless asked, unless appealed to. This is the meaning of Psalms 145,19 ואת שועתם ישמע ויושיעים, “and their cry He hears and He delivers them.” On the other hand, the same psalmist says in the first half of this verse: “He does the will of those who fear Him;” this refers to the unspoken requests by these people. We have proof positive from the Torah and the Books of Prophets that the three critical values of man, 1) children, 2) life, and 3) economic success, פרנסה, are all subject to prayer. Rachel, who had been unable to conceive and had prayed was granted children (Genesis 30,22): “G’d listened to her and opened her womb.” King Chizkiyah provided proof for the fact that G’d changes even decrees of death announced by one of His prophets at His command. Elijah and Elisha both experienced that the supply of food was dramatically increased through their prayerful intervention in the fates of starving individuals (Kings I 17,13-15 and Kings II 5,42-44). These individuals were saved from famine, although clearly that had been their assigned fate.
This is the reason why our sages singled out these three aspects of life which are normally dependent on mazal to inform us that even these matters are subject to change by means of prayer by the intended victims.

I shall enthuse them. For one cannot say it means literally a command, as there is no command written afterwards.

V. 14. ויאמר וגו׳. Während Mosche seine Wirksamkeit als geschlossen betrachtet und bereits Abschiedsworte an das Volk und an Josua als seinen von Gott bereits (Bamidbar 27, 18) delegierten Nachfolger gerichtet und auch die Toraschrift bereits den Priestern und Ältesten überliefert hatte, sollte Josuas von Gott ausgegangene Einsetzung zur Nachfolge Mosche noch erst in einer dem ganzen Volke sichtbaren Weise beglaubigt, und Mosche zugleich noch die Sendung werden, bei seinem Scheiden dem Volke eine שירה, ein "die Geschichtsereignisse aus Gott und Gott in den Ereignissen der Geschichte schauendes Lied" zu hinterlassen, das, der Gesetzesschrift angefügt und dem Munde des Volkes überliefert, Israel das es immer wieder zu Gott und zu seinem Berufe zurückführende Bewusstsein von seiner Stellung und Sendung im menschengeschichtlichen Kreise und seiner dadurch bedingten Geschickeseigentümlichkeit unverlierbar sichern sollte.

הן קרבו ימיך למות, “the time is approaching when you must die;” Moses had said to G–d that he had employed the word הן when praising Him, as is recorded in Deut. 10,14: הן לה' אלוקיך השמים ושמי השמים הארץ וכל אשר בם, “Mark, the heavens to their uppermost reaches belong to the Lord your G–d, the earth and all that is in it.” Why do You decree death upon me by using the same introductory word? G–d reminded Moses that he had used the same word also when challenging G–d’s judgment in Exodus 6,12 when he complained that since had commenced his mission the suffering of his people had become more severe. He felt that he was not being dealt with fairly. G–d explained to him that he erred and that what He had decreed was for his own good. How so? We read in Proverbs 11,31: הן בארץ ישלם אף כי רשע וחוטא, ‘”if the righteous will be recompensed on earth, how much more so the wicked and the sinner!” G–d assured Moses that in the world to come he would occupy a throne made of precious stones and would be seated on a loftier platform than 550000 righteous people. An alternate interpretation of the word הן, there is no other word in the Hebrew language which is a match for the word הן. What is meant by this? The word אחד 1 when matched with the word תשעה, 9 makes ten. The word שנים 2 when matched with the word שמונה, 8, makes ten. The word (number) 5, as well as the word 50 have no partners. Moses, i.e. his name, has no partners, as the Torah testifies that no other human being emerged who could match Moses. (Midrash Devarim Rabbah 9,6 as well as 11,9) Therefore, Moses being unique had to be matched with G–d Who is unique.

A Midrashic approach (based on Devarim Rabbah 9,4). The words: “here the days of your death are approaching,” reflect a conversation between Moses and G’d. Moses had said to G’d: ”I have praised You using the word הן (Deut. 10,14), and You are using the same word introducing the decree that I am to die.”
We may understand this by means of a parable. A king had an outstanding minister, one of whom he was exceedingly fond. One day this minister came across a sword, which was exceptionally beautiful, the like of which he had never seen. He immediately determined that this sword was appropriate for his employer, the king. What did he do? He bought it and presented it to the king as a gift. The king said: “may they cut off his head with it.” This is what Moses had in mind when he said to G’d: “are You going to use my gift to turn it against me?”
Another thought which is contained in the words הן קרבו ימיך למות, is that G’d meant: “the time has come for your sun to set and for the moon to shine.” This was a reference to the statement of our sages we have already quoted in which the face of Moses was compared to that of the sun whereas that of Joshua, his successor, was compared to that of the moon. When G’d said to Moses: “here you are going to lie with your ancestors, and this nation will arise and serve idols, etc.,” (verse 16 in our chapter), He meant that “your power, that of the exceptional level of prophecy granted to you, will continue to illuminate the moon (inspire Joshua) although you are already in your grave, just as the sun even after it has set shines upon the surface of the moon to enable it to reflect its light.” The word וקם may be read together with the words הנך שוכב עם אבותיך וקם, “although you are lying with your fathers it will rise.” Just as the sun supplies light to the moon even after it has set, you Moses will inspire Joshua even after you have joined your fathers. This is also the meaning of the word ואצונו, i.e. “I will impress My power on the moon.”

Another intention of the Torah for using the expression הן קרבו, may be as follows: "The days which are yours have approached; these days are the ones on which parts of your soul are approaching." This is the mystical dimension of Psalms 104,29: תוסף רוחם יגועון, "when You take away their breath they will perish." In my commentary of the Ari Zal on this verse on page 391 of my commentary on Jacob's impending death, I have explained all this in detail. The approach of the different parts of the soul making up the composite of one's soul, spell the imminence of physical death. The verse in Psalms then has to be translated as: "when all the parts of their spirit come together their bodies will die."

הן: Du hast in ganz richtigem Gefühle gehandelt, deine Zeit zu scheiden ist da; jedoch rufe noch erst Josua, והתיצבו: stellt euch beide meiner gewärtig. Vergl. Schmot 33, 21 u. 34, 2; Bamidbar 11, 16; Schmot 2, 4 und sonst. ואצונו, diese Bestellung erfolgt erst im V. 23. Alles Vorangehende ist eine in Josuas Gegenwart an Mosche gerichtete Gottesrede. Vergl. diesen ganzen Vorgang mit der ähnlichen Einsetzung der Ältesten zu Gehilfen Mosche. Bamidbar 11, 16 u. 17 insbesondere: וירדתי ודברתי עמך שם ואצלתי מן הרוח אשר עליך ושמתי עליהם (siehe daselbst). — באהל מועד: dort, wo das Gesetz und unsere Hingebung an das Gesetz und die durch beides bedingte schützende und segnende Gottesgegenwart in unserem Kreise, somit alles das seinen Ausdruck hatte, dem bis jetzt Mosche Sendung geweiht war und das nun der Weiterfürsorge seines Nachfolgers übergeben werden sollte.

וילך משה ויהושע, “Moses and Joshua went; from the camp of Israel to the camp of the Shechinah.

והתיצבו באהל מועד, "and stand both of you in the Tent of Meeting, etc." This is the first instance where G'd commands Joshua to display a symbol of his new authority in Moses' presence. G'd did this by giving both Moses and Joshua simultaneous instructions using the plural התיצבו. We have explained this word as meaning "being appointed" in connection with Deut. 29,12. The word has a similar meaning in Samuel I 13,14 where Samuel tells King Saul ויצוהו ה׳ לנגיד על עמו, that in His heart G'd had already appointed someone else as leader of His people. This was some time before G'd ordered Samuel to anoint one of Yishai's sons as king. G'd's words to Joshua "for you will bring the children of Israel to the land, etc." (verse 22) are interpreted in Sanhedrin 8 as another such appointment of Joshua to a position of authority.

AND THE ETERNAL APPEARED IN THE TENT IN A PILLAR OF CLOUD. The purport thereof is that the pillar of cloud was over the entrance [of the Tent] and G-d appeared in the Tent — this being the Glory, according to Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. In my opinion, this verse is like And the Eternal came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent;¹⁹Ibid., 12:5. and, behold, the Glory of the Eternal appeared in the cloud.²⁰Exodus 16:10. And the meaning [of the verse here] is that He wanted to speak with Moses so that Joshua would hear, and He would also charge Joshua there. Now, to Moses it was said, And there I will meet with thee, and I will speak with thee from above the ark-cover²¹Ibid., 25:22. but Joshua was not of that exalted status [in prophecy] and he was forbidden to enter the Tent altogether. Thus the phrase, and the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the Tent²²In Verse 15 before us. reverts to explain that the cloud, in which was the Glory, was above the door of the Tent covering it, and accordingly He was in the Tent [as the verse states, And the Eternal appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud].

ויעמוד עמוד הענן על פתח האהל, “the pillar of cloud stood by the entrance to the Tent.” Nachmanides writes that the reason for this was that G’d wanted to speak to Moses in such a way that Joshua would be able to hear the voice of G’d. G’d wanted Joshua to hear, but He also wanted him to know that he had not attained the stature of Moses. Only Moses had ever been told (Exodus 25,22) ונועדתי לך שם ואדבר אתך מעל הכפורת, “I will set My meetings with you there, and I will speak with you from above the lid of the Holy Ark.” Joshua did not have permission to enter the Tabernacle. This is why the Torah writes that on this occasion, in order for Joshua to hear G’d’s voice, the pillar of cloud, signifying the cover within which G’d’s glory was situated, moved from the inner Sanctum where the Holy Ark was located, to the eastern entrance of the Tabernacle.

וירא ה' באהל בעמוד הענן, “The Lord appeared in the Tent within the pillar of cloud.” The attribute כבוד was contained within the pillar of cloud, containing within it the essence of the attribute of Mercy.

V. 15. וירא ד׳, sonst nur כבוד ד׳, bezeichnet wohl die hohe Bedeutsamkeit des Momentes. על פתח האהל, man kann zweifelhaft sein, ob dies nicht über dem Eingang heißen solle, da am Eingang gewöhnlich ohne Präposition ausgedrückt wird. ועל פתחינו כל מגדים (Hohel. 7, 14), לשקוד על דלתותי (Prov. 8, 35) sind jedoch auch Beispiele, welche die Auffassung: am Eingang rechtfertigen würden. ויעמד הענן על פתח האהל, dadurch ward dem ganzen Volke sichtbar, dass im Tempelzelte Mosche und Josua eine Anrede von Gott empfingen. Vergl. Schmot 33, 9 u. 10.

נכר הארץ [THIS PEOPLE WILL … GO ASTRAY AFTER THE GODS OF] נכר הארץ — i.e., [after the gods of] the peoples of the land (Onkelos).

That is that He commanded us to assemble the people on the second day of Sukkot at the end of the sabbatical year, and to read some sections of Deuteronomy so they can hear it. And that is His saying, "Assemble the people, the men, etc." - and that is the commandment of assembly. And they said in Kiddushin (Kiddushin 33b-34a), "Women are exempt from all positive, time-bound commandments." And they asked, "But behold, assembly is a positive, time-bound commandment, and women are obligated!" However they explained at the end of the matter, "We do not learn [all cases] from general statements (i.e. 'all positive time-bound commandments')." And the regulations of this commandment and everything regarding who is to read, how he is to read and what things he is to read are already explained in the seventh chapter of Sotah. (See Parashat Nitzavim.)

THE GODS OF ‘NEICHAR’ OF THE LAND — “the gods of the [foreign] peoples of the Land.” This is Rashi’s language. But it is not correct.²³Ramban understood Rashi’s words to mean that the term neichar (foreign) applies to the peoples — “the gods of the foreign peoples.” Ramban contends that the term “foreign” applies to the gods, as will be explained. Rather, it means “the gods that are foreign to this Land,” for the Glorious Name²⁴Above, 28:58. is called the G-d of the Land, similar to what is stated, because they know not the manner of the G-d of the Land.²⁵II Kings 17:26. Similarly, And they spoke of the G-d of Jerusalem, as concerning the gods of the peoples of the earth²⁶II Chronicles 32:19. and it is further written, They shall not dwell in the Eternal’s Land.²⁷Hosea 9:3. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra mentioned this [here], and I have already explained it.²⁸See Genesis 24:3 (Vol. I, p. 294); Leviticus 18:25. (Vol. III, pp. 268-275).

וקם העם הזה וזנו אחרי אלוהי נכר, "and this nation will arise and stray after idols, etc." How can Moses describe such a deviation as a קימה, "a rising," instead of as a ירידה, "a descent, a degradation?" Perhaps we may relate the description וקמו to 32,15 where Moses described the Israelites as first waxing fat and as a result "kicking." Up until that point Israel had been referred to as "Yeshurun." At this point Moses pointedly speaks about העם, the common people rising. The coarsening of the Jewish people was due to their material blessing which G'd had showered upon the nation deserving of the distinctive appellation "Yeshurun."

אלוהי נכר הארץ, “after the gods of the strangers of the land.” According to Rashi these words are a reference to the local deities. Nachmanides writes, that of course, the Torah does not suggest that these gods have any legitimacy in any other country either, but the Torah stresses that in that land they have even less claim to legitimacy, seeing that only the G’d of Israel has any claim to that, especially in the Israelites’ land. These so-called gods are not even familiar with the customs and mores that govern human conduct in that land. (Compare Kings II 7,26)

The [non-Jewish] nations of the land: [Rashi writes this] so that you should not explain [erroneously] that the word neichar [foreign] refers to their gods. Rather It is as if it said the gods of the foreigners of the land. For if you say that it means foreign gods, it should have said to foreign gods. For we never find the word gods [elohei] modified [i.e., connected] by the word which follows it. The proof-text for this is God of Avraham [Elohei Avraham], etc. (Bereishis 31:42) which means God of Avraham, and the word god is not connected to the word which follows it. Furthermore, if the word gods' was modified by the word foreign it would not have used the phrase of the land. [I found this in the name of Maharitz]. If you ask, what is the reason that the nations of the land are called the strangers of the land,” one can answer that they are considered foreigners in that land, because the land was not theirs, for it had already been decreed that they would be expelled from there.

V. 16. וקם .ויאמר וגו׳: es wird dies nicht heimlich, als etwas zu Scheuendes tun. Es wird darin etwas ganz Berechtigtes finden, das man mit vollem Selbstgefühl in aufgerichteter Haltung üben mag. נכר .אחרי אלהי נכר הארץ (siehe zu Bereschit 35, 2). Sie betrachten die von der palästinensischen Bevölkerung verehrten Gottheiten als zu dem Lande gehörig, als solche, deren Verehrung kein im Lande Wohnender vernachlässigen dürfe, wenn er darin Schutz und Gedeihen finden wolle. In Wahrheit ist es aber ein Unwesen, das dem Lande als jüdisches Land, als Land des Gottesgesetzes fremd bleiben sollte. בקרבו, da ארץ in der Regel weiblich ist, kann sich בקרבו nur auf נכר beziehen. Es meint, in dem Lande, wohin es gekommen, befinde es sich in der Mitte eines lokalen Götterregimes. Daher neigt es sich, zuerst ohne förmlich den Bund mit Gott zu brechen, diesem Götterunwesen zu und bringt Gott seine Opfer im Heiligtum, erfüllt auch noch wohl Vorschriften seines Gesetzes, dient aber zugleich den Landesgöttern auf den Höhen. In Wahrheit aber ועזבני, verlässt es damit Gott, והפר את בריתי und bricht endlich den Bund mit dem Gesetze, zu welchem es sein Bund mit Gott verpflichtet, und von dessen Erfüllung Gott vor seinem Eintritt in das Land seinen Beistand und seinen Segen im Lande abhängig gemacht (Kap. 28, 69 und 29, 8).

אשר הוא בא שמה בקרבו, “to which it (the nation of Israel) goes to be among them.” The words: בקרב הארץ, are treated as in the masculine mode, just as in Genesis 13,6: ולא נשא אותם הארץ, “and the land could not support (both) of them;” or as in Isaiah 9,18: נעתם ארץ, “the earth was shaken.” [The word ארץ, ארצות, “land, lands,” is treated as a feminine noun in the vast majority of instances when it occurs. Ed.]

Another meaning of the verse is that not only the generation Moses describes in our verse will worship idols but also the following generation. We find in Judges 2,11 that after the death of Joshua and his generation, the Israelites began to worship the Baal. This is what G'd had predicted in our verse when He said to Moses that after he would die this people would rise and stray after alien gods.

WHITHER HE GOETH TO BE ‘B’KIRBO’ (AMONG THEM). This means “whither he [the foreign god] goes to be among His people and His servants.” Or b’kirbo may mean “in the midst of the Land,” as in the expressions: and the land was not able to bear them;²⁹Genesis 13:6. This verse shows that, although the word aretz (land) is feminine, Scripture sometimes uses it as the subject of a masculine verb, as in this verse, where the verb nasa (able to bear) is used in connection with ha’aretz instead of the feminine verb nasah. Here, too, b’kirbo [literally: “in the midst of him”] is used with reference to “the Land” instead of the feminine b’kirboh. the land burnt up,³⁰Isaiah 9:18. Here, too, the verb is the masculine ne’tam (burnt up) instead of the feminine ne’tmah. in accordance with the words of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra.

אלהי נכר הארץ, “after the gods of the foreigners of the land.” The Torah tells us that such gods as had been permitted to the Gentile nations were nonetheless “strangers” in the Holy Land as that land was always under the direct supervision of the Lord, and He had never assigned what goes on there to the supervision of any celestial/planetary forces. This land is G’d’s own “inheritance.” This is also what the sages meant when they said אין מזל לישראל, “the Jewish people are not subject to the horoscopic influences we know as mazal.” They meant that the Jewish people, when in the land of Israel and observing the laws of the Torah, are not subject to such influences. This must be so, as we have a clear statement by these same sages that מזלו גורם, that “his mazal was a causative factor in his fate.” (Yevamot 64, et al) Seeing that the planets, stars, and all other celestial phenomena have been created for the sake of the righteous, how could it possibly be that these same righteous people are suddenly subject to these horoscopic constellations? Each of these horoscopic constellations has been assigned to certain nations, such as the constellation known as scorpion which was assigned to the people of Ishmael, the constellation Sagittarius, the archer, to the people of Persia, etc., etc. This was what the Torah referred to in Deut. 4,19-20 “which He assigned to them, whereas He (personally) took you out of the iron crucible, etc.” Clearly, the supervision of the fates of the other nations by celestial forces has been entrusted to agents of the Lord, i.e. the horoscopic forces, whereas that of the Jewish people is not determined by means of intermediaries. It is noteworthy that nowhere in the Torah does G’d accuse the Gentile nations of idolatry or describe them as being punished for relating to these forces as gods. Only the Jewish people have been warned again and again not to turn to any form of intermediary, and they are being held responsible for observing this commandment in the strictest possible sense. The only time Gentile nations are described as being punished for the practice of idolatry is if they did so in the Holy Land, the land which G’d claimed as His share and inheritance. The best proof of this is found in Kings II 17,26 where the prophet tells us about the Kushites who practiced the cults of their fathers after they had been forcibly transplanted to the areas previously inhabited by the Ten Tribes who had been exiled by King Shalmanesser of Assyria.
The reason that the Torah speaks here of אלוהי נכר הארץ, is that these deities are totally alien to the land of Israel, fulfilling neither a function for the local inhabitants nor for the Israelites. All kinds of idolatry is alien to that country, no intermediary force having been assigned to function in that land. Anyone practicing idolatry in that land is seen as if he were trying to expel the king of that country from his palace. This is one of the ways in which the land of Israel is superior to all other countries. This fact is alluded to in the verse in Job 5,10: הנותן מטר על פני ארץ ושולח מים על פני חוצות, “Who gives rain to the earth, and sends water over the fields.” This verse teaches that G’d’s benevolent supervision of what goes on earth concentrates on the land of Israel and spreads from there to other parts of the globe. These parts are referred to in the verse in Job as חוצות, “outlying areas.” The manner in which this proliferation has been described is שולח, “dispatches,” whereas the rain which falls in the Holy Land is described in this verses as the result of נתינה, “something given directly.” David refers to the areas described as חוצות in Job as אהלי רשע, “the tents of the wicked.” (Psalms 84,11) The whole verse there reads: “Better one day in Your courts than a thousand anywhere else; I would rather stand on the threshold of G’d’s House than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” When compared to Jerusalem, the city of righteousness, other locations do not qualify for a better description than “tents of wickedness.” Our paragraph refers to the period of the first Temple when idolatry was rampant.

אשר הוא בא שמה בקרבו, “in whose midst it is coming.” the reference is not to the people but to the land. This is not the first time that the word ארץ appears as masculine; we have a similar masculine description of the land of Israel in Genesis 13,6.
It is also possible that the word בקרבו is an allusion to the Sanctuary in the land, which is viewed as being in its center. This would be analogous to a statement by our sages in Petichta Rabbah to Lamentations 22: “How long (did they relentlessly introduce more and more idolatry)? Until they introduced idolatry into the Sanctuary itself.” [The Midrash refers to a verse in Jeremiah 11,6 in which the proliferation of idolatry in the towns of Yehudah is described and the word חוצות describes the innermost part of Jerusalem. It adds a verse from Ezekiel 8,5 describing penetration by idolatry of the Sanctuary itself as the ultimate act of rebellion against the Lord. Ed.]

והסתרתי פני AND I WILL HIDE MY FACE FROM THEM, as though I do not see their distress.

AND THEY WILL SAY IN THAT DAY: ARE NOT THESE EVILS COME UPON US BECAUSE OUR G-D IS NOT AMONG US? This is not a total confession like [the confession in the verse] And they shall confess their iniquity,³¹Leviticus 26:40. but it is a reflection and a regret. They will feel sorry for their iniquity and recognize that they are guilty.

ועזבתים, to the various nations who will overpower them.

ועזבתים והסתרתי פני מהם, "and I will abandon them and hide My face from them, etc." The meaning is that if G'd were to allow Himself to dwell on the troubles which will befall His people, His mercy would be stirred and He would banish His anger. This is why He informs the people in advance that if they were to turn to idols, He, G'd, would turn His face away from them so as not to be tempted to show them compassion.

ואמר ביום ההוא הלא על כי אין אלוקי בקרבי, “the nation will say on that day: ‘is it not because my G’d is not in my midst, etc.?’” Nachmanides writes that this is an incomplete confession, as compared to Leviticus However, it is a partial awareness of remorse being called for. They have finally become aware that they must somehow be at fault.

והסתרתי פני מהם והיה לאכול, “and I will hide My face from them and they will become prey.” Our sages in Chagigah 5 have said: “anyone who does not experience an eclipse of G’d’s face does not belong to them (the Jewish people), whereas anyone who is not subject to becoming prey is also not one of the Jews.” [This confirms the special relationship between G’d and His people Israel. Ed.] When hearing this statement, the other Rabbis said to Rava (the Rabbi quoting it) “you yourself have experienced neither a hiding of the Lord’s face nor have you become prey !” Rava answered: “do you have any idea how much I pay in bribes to King Shevor, (the local authority) in order not to become a victim of this verse in the Torah?” [he meant that the need to pay these bribes proves that he was subject to the curse, hence a Jew.] Even after this reply, the Rabbis looked at Rava suspiciously. In the interval, the king sent emissaries and incarcerated Rava. This proves that Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel was correct when he said that whenever the sages look at someone suspiciously or worse, the “someone” will either die or become poor.

As if I do not notice their suffering. This means that hiding His face is removing His Providence, for one who does not see something does not watch over it.

VV. 17 u. 18. ועזבתים .וחרה וגו׳: ich überlasse sie sich selber, ׳והסתרתי וגו entziehe ihnen meine besondere Fürsorge, והיה לאכל, so fällt es von selbst den andern Völkern zur Beute. Israels staatlicher Untergang ist ein natürlicher Erfolg seiner sich selbst überlassenen Schwäche. Israels geschichtliches Dasein und Gedeihen ist das Werk der Wundermacht Gottes.

והסתרתי פנח מהם, “I will hide My face from them.” This is an expression of G–d’s fondness for the Jewish people, it expresses His grief at what befalls them, just as that of a father who instructs a servant to administer punishment to his wayward son. He cannot bear to do it himself, or to have to watch it being administered.

והסתרתי פני מהם, “I will hide My face from them.” This is evidence of G-d’s fondness of the Jewish people, His acting like a father who while forced to discipline his son cannot bring himself to watch the pain he is inflicting upon him.

והסתרתי פני מהם, after they will have fallen under the control of the gentile nations who will abuse them and oppress them I will ignore my natural sense of pity, and make believe as if I were unaware of their plight.

... And it means to say that the "evils" are many and also troubling for one another. And it appears that it is good for [Rav in the Talmud] to expound like this and not to leave it, such that "troubles" is a noun, like "evils." For if so, it should have been written, "raot vetsarot rabot." But that it interrupted in the middle with the word, rabot, implied to him that just like the word, "many," describes the word, "evils," so too does the word, "troubling."

ואמר ביום ההוא, "and the people of Israel will say on that day, etc." They will be intelligent enough to conclude that all the troubles which suddenly overtook them must be due to G'd having deliberately left their midst. Had G'd not abandoned them it would be impossible that He would tolerate such treatment of His people. Compare what the prophet said in Judges 10,11. We gain the impression from there that G'd Himself had become fed up with the sufferings His people had to endure.

אין אלדי בקרבי .ואמר ביום ההוא וגו׳ vergl. Kap. 7, 21. לא תערץ מפניהם כי ד׳ אלקיך בקרבך אל גדול ונורא. Es sagt nicht: הלא על אשר עזבתי אלרי ועל אשר את הרע בעיניו עשיתי, sondern: על כי אין אין אלקי בקרבי מצאוני הרעות האלה. Nicht in seiner Wandlung, in Gottes Wandlung sucht es die Ursache seines Unglücks. Gott, den es trotz seiner Verirrungen noch glaubt, "seinen" Gott nennen zu dürfen, und der ihm seinen Schutz und Beistand gegen die Völker zugesagt, erfüllt seine Zusage nicht mehr, sonst würden es solche Leiden nicht treffen. Es glaubt Gott, anklagen zu dürfen, und vergisst, sich anzuklagen, vergisst, auf die Ursachen zurückzugehen, weshalb Gott sich ihm nicht mehr als "seinen" Gott bewährt, vergisst, dass

רעות רבות וצרות, “many evils and troubles.” These are evils, which in turn will cause them many troubles. The Talmud in tractate Avodah Zarah folio 28, gives examples of this when describing changes in climate resulting in an abundance of harmful insects which in turn will sting people, etc. People who suffer these stings do not know how to counteract and neutralise the pain resulting from them. This is a metaphor for hostility encountered by Jewish people when in exile. When the gentiles hit them they are afraid even to cry out so that the gentiles will not hate them even more. If they fail to cry out they have to learn to live with the pain.

על כי אין אלוקי בקרבי מצאוני הרעות, all of this has befallen me because G’d has abandoned me. Seeing that they feel abandoned, they will not bother to pray to Me, nor will they do teshuvah, considering such prayer futile, wasted.

ואנכי הסתר אסתיר פני וגו׳, vergisst, dass Gott nur darum in dieser Zeit ihm seine besondere Fürsorge entzieht, weil es seinen Wandel in so hohem Grade verschlechtert, על כל הרעה אשר עשה, weil es sich dem Heidentume zugewendet, כי פנה אל אלהים אהרים! Es hat Gott verlassen, darum wird es von Gott verlassen. Gott ist nur so lange sein Gott, als es Gottes Volk ist, als es sich mit seinem ganzen Sein und Wollen ausschließlich Gott in Erfüllung seines Willens unterstellt, und dieses besondere Verhältnis Gottes zu ihm bedingt — mehr als bei irgend einem Menschenkreise auf Erden — seine besondere völlige Hingebung an Gott in Gehorsam und Treue (vergl. das zu Schmot 33, 5 Bemerkte. Das dortige Zitat Kap. 31, 34 muss heißen: Kap. 32, 34). Die ganze Klage ist ein Irrtum. Gott ist בקרבו, hebt seine besondere Beziehung zu Israel nie mehr auf. Allein eben weil Er בקרבו ist, geht ihm keine Verirrung zum Schlechten hin, treffen es Leiden für Verirrungen, mit welchen es nur zu dem, nicht aber unter das sittliche Niveau der übrigen Völker hinabsinkt, רק אתכם ידעתי מכל משפחות האדמה על כן אפקד עליכם את כל עונתיכם (Amos 3, 2).

על כי אין אלוקי בקרבי, “on account of my G–d no longer being in my midst.” The Israelites are aware that they have driven G–d’s presence out of their midst, as a result of which they have become the victims of all these phenomena. [but they have not drawn the right conclusions from that, i.e. to repent. Ed.

ואנכי הסתר אסתיר פני מהם, not as they thought that I was no longer in their midst; wherever they are My presence is with them, as our sages said in Megillah 29 “wherever the Jewish people have been exiled G’d’s presence accompanies them. However, it does not manifest itself by saving them from their oppressor.”

ואנכי הסתר אסתיר פני ביום ההוא, "But I will surely hide My face on that day, etc." The difficulty in this verse is that G'd is portrayed as hiding His face after the Israelites have already confessed their sins, and have acknowledged that their troubles were due to G'd having turned His back on them. If all our verse wanted to do was to provide us with the reason why what happened so far had occurred, there is no need for this. We already know that G'd turned His face away as a result of the Israelites flirting with local deities! Moreover, why did Moses repeat the mention of G'd hiding His face, i.e. הסתר אסתיר? Another thing which is puzzling is why Moses used such a long-winded expression as על כל הרעה, followed by כי פנה אל אלוהים אחרים.

ואנכי הסתר אסתיר פני, “but I will increasingly hide My presence, etc.” G’d will hide His face once more, as He had done in verse 17. This is remarkable, as we would have thought that now that the people had attributed their misfortunes to G’d withdrawing from them, G’d should respond by showering them with His loving kindness seeing that they had at least acknowledged the impotence of any other deities. The Torah explains why this is not the next scenario by writing:

ואנכי הסתר אסתיר פני ביום ההוא, “as for Me, I will most certainly hide My face on that day.” G’d had already mentioned earlier (verse 17) that He would hide His face. On that occasion it referred to the exile in Babylon. Now, when He describes this “hiding” of His face in even stronger terms, it refers to the present exile under the Romans. The repetition of the word “hiding” is a warning that this second exile will be much longer than the first. On the other hand, what the Torah writes also contains a message of consolation in Leviticus 26,44 that G’d will not forsake us even when we are in exile, i.e. “the land of their enemies.”
This verse reveals to us something about the length of this exile we find ourselves in. The combined numerical value of the words הסתר אסתיר is 1336. This appears to correspond to a vision in Daniel 12,12 according to which the redemption would come after 1335 years. [According to this, an opportune time for the final redemption was the year 1405 or 1406, which could have happened during the period the author wrote this, but we ultimately did not merit it then. Ed.]

AND I WILL SURELY HIDE MY FACE IN THAT DAY. The meaning thereof is that [He will hide His face] on a different occasion [for it was already stated in Verse 17, and I will hide My face from them]. Since the Israelites already reflected in their hearts that they sinned against G-d, and that these evils came upon them because their G-d was not among them, it would have been fitting — according to the exceeding mercies of G-d — that He help them and rescue them because they had already denied the idols. This is similar to what is stated, Behold, I will enter into judgment with thee, because thou sayest: ‘I have not sinned,’³²Jeremiah 2:35. [indicating that the very denial of wrongdoing is a grievous sin, but here the admission of sin should have caused G-d to help them]. Therefore he [Moses] states that, because of the great evil that they did in trusting idols, He will again hide His face from them — not like the first hiding of His face when He hid the face of His mercies and many evils and troubles came upon them³³Verse 17. — but that only the face of redemption will be hidden and they will abide by the promise of the face of His mercies. [This is the promise of] And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, neither will I abhor them etc.³⁴Leviticus 26:44. [They will not be shown the face of redemption] until they add to the aforementioned regret real confession and perfect repentance, as is stated above, and thou shalt return unto the Eternal thy G-d etc.³⁵Above, 30:2.

That is that He commanded us that every man among us should write a Torah scroll for himself. And if he writes it with his hand, Scripture accounts it to him as if he received it at Mount Sinai. But if it is impossible for him to write it, he should buy it or hire someone to write it for him. And this is His saying, "write for yourselves this song " (Deuteronomy 31:19). And it is not permitted to write [only] sections. For when He said, "this song," He intended the whole Torah, which includes this song (of Haazinu). And the language of the Gemara (Sanhedrin 21b) is, "Rabbah said, 'Even if his ancestors left him a Torah scroll, it is a commandment to write a scroll of his own, as it is stated, "write for yourselves."' Abaye raised an objection to him (from a baraita concerning the king’s Torah scroll), '"And he writes himself a Torah scroll for himself, so that he does not become proud from the Torah scroll of his ancestors." A king, yes, but an ordinary person, no!'" And the answer was, "No, [the ruling of that baraita] was only necessary [to teach that the king is commanded to write] two Torahs; as it is taught in a baraita, 'And he must write two Torahs for himself.'" This means to say that the difference between a king and an ordinary person is that every man is obligated to write a Torah scroll, whereas a king, two - as it is explained in the second chapter of Sanhedrin. And the regulations of this commandment - meaning to say, the writing of a Torah scroll and its stipulations - have already been explained in the third chapter of Menachot and in Shabbat, Chapter 16. (See Parashat Nitzavim; Mishneh Torah, Tefillin, Mezuzah and the Torah Scroll.)

ואנכי הסתר אסתיר, “and I will hide Myself even further;” our sages derive from this line that the Purim story i.e. the scroll of Esther and Mordechai are of Biblical authority [Esther’s real name having been Hadass, Ed.] i.e. that even during periods of exile when we do not feel the presence of G–d around us, He nonetheless watches over us and intervenes in our fates decisively when we are under attack. [Although His name does not even appear in that scroll, Haman did not succeed in killing a single Jew. Ed.]

על כל הרעה אשר עשה, Israel had done harm to itself, not G’d.

על כל הרעה אשר עשה, ”on account of all the evil this people have committed.” By having put their faith in idols, G’d had withdrawn His face from them in the first place, as a result of which many misfortunes had befallen them. Now, He must still withdraw His face from them, but not as absolutely as He had done the first, time; this time the withdrawal is only to the extent that the redeemer does not yet come and they will return to their homeland. However, in the meantime, until they confess their guilt completely and show remorse, they will still continue their existence in the Diaspora, without, however, being hounded from one place to another and being exposed to all manner of demeaning insults and degradations. The redemption will not come until the repentance described in 30,2 has become reality.

The fact is that our verse does want to provide a reason for G'd's turning away His face. Someone might say that G'd had not judged the Israelites fairly, G'd forbid, for the prophet Isaiah said in Isaiah 27,8: "assailing them with unchained fury." Sanhedrin 100 states that "man will be measured by the yardstick he himself applied in measuring others."

כי פנה אל אלוהים אחרים, while being beset by all of their problems, instead of turning to Me in prayer, supplication and remorse, they chose to pray to idols instead.

G'd will certainly apply fair yardsticks when judging the Israelites. At first glance it might appear as if turning His face away from the Israelites results in their being punished over and above what they deserve, as the Judge deliberately ignores what happens to them. Perhaps this is what our verse means when writing "is it not (only) because my G'd is not in my midst that all these troubles have found me?"

To ward off such an interpretation of the previous verse, the Torah writes: ואנכי הסתר אסתיר פנים, "and I am surely going to turn away My face;" I am legally entitled to turn away My face from them. This is why G'd had to repeat the word. ביום ההוא, "on that day." On the day they stray after alien gods. The reason the Torah wrote על כל הרעה אשר עשה, is "on account of all the evil it (Israel) has done." This is best understood in light of Chulin 5 that "anyone who admits that idols are independent powers has in fact denied the entire Torah." G'd explains that as soon as the people turned to idols they had in effect turned away from the whole of the Torah, i.e. from G'd. As a result, even if as a result of G'd's turning His face away from them the Israelites would be afflicted with all the curses of the world this would be no different than measuring them with the yardstick by which they themselves had measured others..

Remember that just as the blessings and rewards G'd has promised are meant for the performance of a string of commandments, etc., so curses and punishments are administered in respect of a string of violations of G'd's commandments. As a result, if someone either transgressed all the commandments bar idolatry, or only committed idolatry, he is deserving of all the punishments as commission of idolatry is considered as equal to committing all other violations. No wonder then that G'd hid His face from His people.

את השירה הזאת [NOW THEREFORE WRITE YE] THIS SONG — i.e. the text “Give ear, O ye heavens”, till “and make expiation for his ground, and his people” (Deuteronomy 32:1—43).

AND NOW WRITE YE THIS SONG. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, He commands both Moses and Joshua to write it for He wanted to make Joshua His prophet during Moses’ lifetime. Now, Moses wrote it while Joshua stood by him, read it, and saw [it completed], this being the sense of the verse, So Moses wrote this Song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel.³⁶Further, Verse 22. It refers to Moses who was the principal [in the writing of the Song] for it was from him that they would hear it and learn it, although Joshua, too, taught it with him, as it is stated at the conclusion [of the chapter] he [i.e., Moses], and Hoshea, the son of Nun.³⁷Further, 32:44.
Now, the meaning of the expression this Song is “the Song that I will now tell you,” this being ‘Ha’azinu’ (Give ear).³⁸Ibid., Verses 1-43. It is called Song because Israel would recite it with song and psalm.³⁹At the Divine Service in the Sanctuary, a section of the Song of Ha’azinu was chanted each Sabbath during the Service of the Additional Offering. The cycle of the Song was completed every six weeks. Therefore, the six divisions (Aliyoth) in the reading of this Song in the Synagogue on the Sabbath of Ha’azinu, follow the same divisions as sung in the Sanctuary (Rosh Hashanah 31a). It was also written [in the Torah] in the style of a song, since songs are written with interruptions [empty spaces] indicating the places of chanting.

ועתה כתבו, "And now write, etc." G'd says to Moses: "and now," although Moses could not delay by a single day seeing he was going to die on this day. G'd meant for Moses to write this down before he would command Joshua what is written in verse 23. Although the instruction to call Joshua and to give him certain instructions had preceded the command to record this song, G'd wanted the song to be recorded first.

השירה, the entire book of Deuteronomy is called שירה, “Song, Poem.”

ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת, “and now write down for yourselves this song;” Nachmanides writes that the plain meaning is that G’d commanded this to Moses while Joshua heard G’d’s instructions, and read what Moses wrote down. This is the meaning of verse 22 where Moses is reported as writing all this down and teaching the people the contents of that ”song.” Joshua joined in teaching the people, as we know from The “song” that is referred to is the first section of Parshat Haazinu. The reason that this portion is called שירה, song, or poem, is that since time immemorial the Jewish people recite it as such.

V. 19. ועתה וגו׳. Damit ihm nun stets die Antwort auf eine solche Klage zur Hand sei, damit, wenn je die Leiden, von denen es betroffen wird, es die besondere schützende Gottesführung vermissen lassen und ihm die Klage in den Mund legen: הלא על כי אין אלקי בקרבי מצאוני הרעות האלה, ihm die Gottesantwort nicht fehle, die es auf die wahre Ursache seines Unglücks zurückführe, dazu כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת, damit diese שירה einer jeden solchen Klage gegenüber als Zeuge für Gott mit Gottes Gegenklage entgegentrete, למען תהיה לי השירה הזאת לעד בבני ישראל. Diese ganze שירה ist nichts als eine Antwort auf die aus einer Leidenszeit aufsteigende Klage הלא על כי אין אלקי בקרבי וגו׳.

ולמדה את בני ישראל, “and teach it to the Children of Israel!” G-d is speaking in this way to Joshua. [Seeing that Moses will no longer be around, as he is dying on this day, it is clear that these words must have been addressed to his successor. Ed.

הזאת, the portion Haazinu, which testifies concerning the impending disasters if the people were to abandon the path of Torah. If and when this would come to pass, they would know exactly to what to ascribe their misfortune.

You will find that Moses complied with these instructions as we find in verse 22 that he wrote down the song and taught it to the Israelites. Only in the verse following did G'd give His instructions to Joshua to bring the Israelites across the Jordan, to be strong, etc. Normally, we would have expected G'd to complete all His various instructions and only then to write down this song (Haazinu) and to teach it to the people. Seeing that G'd did not want the normal procedure to be followed, He wrote the word ועתה, "and now."

Nedarim 38 a wird in der Zweckbeifügung unseres Satzes: למען תהיה לי השירה הזאת לעד בבני ישראל nachgewiesen, dass das Gebot כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת sich über die שירה hinaus auf die ganze תורה, deren abschließendes Nachwort die שירה bildet, erstrecke; denn, erläutert ר׳׳ן daselbst, אי שירה לבדה קאמר מאי סהדותא איכא, wenn das Gebot nur die שירה zum Gegenstand hätte, was wäre damit für ein Zeugnis gegeben! Die שירה sichert doch nur das Bewusstsein im allgemeinen, dass unser Wohl und Wehe durch Erfüllung der uns von Gott erteilten Aufgabe bedingt sei, diese Aufgabe selbst ist aber nur aus der Kenntnis des ganzen Gesetzes zu schöpfen. Wird doch auch das, was hier zunächst von der שירה ausgesagt ist, V. 26 von der ganzen תורהSchrift ausgesprochen. לקח את ספר התורה הזה וגו׳ והיה שם בך לעד. In der Tat wird auch Sanhedrin 21 b an dem Gebote: ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה die allgemeine מצוה für jeden gelehrt, eine korrekte Abschrift der ganzen תורה zu veranstalten — אעיפי שהניחו לו אבותיו לאדם ס׳׳ת מצוה לכתוב משלו שנאמר ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה. הל׳ ס"ת( רמ׳׳ב׳׳ם VII. 1) motiviert diese Zusammenfassung der ganzen תורה unter das dem Wortlaute nach nur für die שירה ausgesprochene Gebot: לפי שאין כותבין התורה פרשיות פרשיות, weil ein bruchstückweises Schreiben der תורה nicht zulässig wäre (siehe zu V. 26. — Über diese Motivierung siehe jedoch: ׳שאגת ארי׳ סי׳ לד und תשובה מאהבה zu י׳׳ד und 1. Bd. 67, 126 und 128).

ולמדה, שימה בפיהם, "and teach it and place it in their mouths." G'd commanded three separate commandments here. 1) To write down the song; 2) to teach it to the children of Israel so that they would understand it. [as one has to teach any poem. Ed.] 3) To "place it in their mouths," i.e. to teach them how to read it correctly.

Die wesentlichsten Vorschriften über כתיבת ס׳׳ת haben wir bereits im Zusammenhange mit תפלין und מזוזה zu Kap. 6, 9 betrachtet (siehe daselbst).

Moses carried out all three instructions as the Torah recorded (verse 23) "Moses wrote the song. 2) He taught it to the children of Israel. 3) Moses said in the hearing of the entire congregation the words of the song (verse 30)." He read it to them in such a way that they would know how to read it properly in the future. This is the meaning of the words שימה בפיהם.

ונאצוני means AND THEY WILL PROVOKE ME TO ANGER. So, too, every form of the root נאץ denotes anger.

ואכל ושבע ודשן ופנה אל אלוהים אחרים, “and will eat, be sated, and grow fat, and turn to strange gods.” This demonstrates that this paragraph speaks about conditions during the first Temple. During that era the Israelites ate, and grew fat and also practiced idolatry. They primarily served idols known as Baalim. This is the meaning of ועבדום ונאצוני והפר את בריתי, “and they will serve them and provoke Me and breach My covenant.”

VV. 20 u. 21. כי אביאנו וגו׳ והיה וגו׳. Die beiden Verse bilden ein Satzgefüge. Dass der Abfall mit seinen Folgen bevorstehe, ist VV. 16 — 18 ausgesprochen. Hier wird nun gesagt, welche Wirkung die שירה für die zu erwartende Zukunft haben werde. Wenn nun die eben vorausgesehene Zukunft, der Abfall und die Leiden, eingetroffen sein wird, dann וענתה וגו׳. Mit ואכל ושבע ודשן, wird aber noch der Umstand entüllt, aus welchem der Abfall — trotz der תורה und שירה — hervorgehen wird, so dass תורה und שירה den Abfall wohl heilen, nicht aber verhindern werden, und dieser Umstand ist: die aus dem Überfluss sich erzeugende sinnliche Üppigkeit. Das geistig sittliche Regime, mit welchem die תורה auch die sinnliche Leiblichkeit des Menschen heiligend umschränkt, behagt einer überwuchernden üppigen Sinnlichkeit nicht. Ihr sagt das Heidnische, die Ungebundenheit eines die Sinnlichkeit vergötternden Götterkults viel mehr zu, dem gegenüber das im Gottesbunde zu findende sittliche Lebensglück seinen Wert verliert ( ונאצוניsiehe Bamidbar 14, 11), und so bricht es den Gottesbund. Mit diesem ואכל ושבע ודשן ופנה ist die Klippe bezeichnet, an welcher wiederholt Israels Treue und damit Israels Glück gescheitert; hier, in der Gott und seinem Gesetze in Glück und Überfluss zu bewahrenden Treue, liegt die Aufgabe, deren endliche, wirkliche Lösung auch heute noch erst einer Zukunft angehört, die dann für die endliche unverlierbare Erlösung gereift sein wird. Dann erst wird das Glück bei uns einkehren, ohne unsere Pflichttreue gegen Gott und sein Gesetz zu gefährden, dann wird aus dem Schoße eines reichgesegneten Zustandes nur eine um so vollere, durch keine Beschränkung gehinderte oder verkürzte Verwirklichung der von Gottes Gesetze gestellten Aufgaben hervorgehen. Daher wird oben Kap. 30, 8 — 10 in der Verheißung dieser endlichen Zukunft nach der durch Rückkehr zur Gesetzestreue (V. 8) zu erzielenden Rückkehr eines reich gesegneten Glücks (V. 9) die Rückkehr zur Gesetzestreue in noch erhöhtem vollerem Maße (V. 10) wiederholt, als eine Errungenschaft, die dann durch das wiedergekehrte Glück nicht gefährdet, vielmehr zu ewiger vollendeter Entfaltung gelangen wird.

והיה כי תמצאן אתו dann, im Leid, wenn infolge seines Abfalls es viele und "den ausschweifenden Sinn durch Beschränkung auf sich zurückführende" Leiden (das sind ja buchstäblich צרות, nach den Akzenten ist וצרות in diesem Verse Adjektiv) treffen, dann wird die von der שירה getragene תורה ihre Wirksamkeit am Volke üben, dann unter Einfluss dieser שירה, wird es nicht "seinen Gott" wegen seines Geschickes anklagen, dann wird der Inhalt dieser שירה im Namen Gottes immer und wieder als sein Ankläger vor es hintreten und es zur gerechten Würdigung seines Geschickes und infolge dessen zu Gott und seiner Pflicht im Laufe der Zeiten zurückführen.

כי לא תשכח מפי זרעו, wenn uns das ואכל ושבע ודשן ופנה אל אלהים אחרים die Schattenseite in Israels geschichtlicher Erscheinung und die Klippe seines Volkesglücks entüllt, so enthüllen uns diese Worte: כי לא תשכח מפי זרעו das Geheimnis seiner ewigen völkergeschichtlichen Existenz und endlichen Erfüllung seiner Sendung. Wie tief auch sein Fall und wie weitab seine Verirrung, eins wird unter allen Wechselfällen ihm bleiben, eins es durch die dunkelsten Gänge seiner Leiden begleiten, und das ist: die תורה. Und selbst, wenn es einmal der ganzen תורה den Rücken gewendet, wird die שירה von der תורה, das seine Bestimmung und Aufgabe ihm bezeugende und sein Geschick von diesen aus ihm deutende Gotteswort ihm bleiben, und dieser unverlierbare geistige Gottesfunke wird genügen, um den Geist immer wieder der תורה zuzuwenden und die Gemüter wieder für ihre Lehren und Aufgaben zu erwärmen und damit die Lebensseele wach zu halten, die dieses Volk nicht sterben lässt, die es stark macht allem äußeren Druck gegenüber und ihm unter allem äußeren Missgeschick den klaren Blick und den heiteren Sinn und das warme Herz und die offene Hand erhält, welche es bis zur endlichen vollen Lösung seiner volksgeschichtlichen Aufgabe in so eigenartiger Sendung alle Zeiten durchdauern lassen — "כי לא תשכח מפי זרעו", diese Verheißung sichert, dass Israel nie zum völligen Verluste seiner Bestimmung, nie zum völligen Vergessen seiner Sendung gelangen, dass es bis ans Ende der Zeiten "das Volk der Bibel", und in ihm ein gottgeschütztes geistiges Prinzipium bleiben werde, von dem aus sich seine geistige Auferstehung immer wieder vollzieht.

Sanhedrin 90b wird in V. 16 — das וקם auch hinaufgelesen: הנך שכב עם אבתיך וקם eine Andeutung der einstigen Auferstehung der Toten, תחית המתים, gefunden. Nach Joma 52 b wäre dies eine der fünf Stellen, die hinsichtlich eines Wortes (von den Akzenten abgesehen, ריטב׳׳א daselbst) es unentschieden ließen, ob es hinauf oder hinunter zu lesen wäre, חמש מקראות בתורה שאין להן הכרע, nämlich: שאת ארור מחר משוקדים וקם (Bereschit 4, 7; daselbst 49, 7; Schmot 17. 9; daselbst 25, 34; Dewarim 31, 16), und zwar wäre nach ׳תוספו daselbst damit die Frage gestellt, die betreffenden Worte entweder nur hinauf oder hinunter zu lesen, nicht aber, wie z. B. Wajikra 25, 37, siehe daselbst, die Worte auch als zu dem Vorhergehenden und Nachfolgenden gehörig zu interpretieren. Diese von ׳תוספו wiederholt gegebene Auffassung bietet erhebliche Schwierigkeiten, da auch, von den Akzenten abgesehen, nur die beiden Stellen Schmot 17. 9 u. 25, 34 ein solches Entweder-Oder zulassen, Bereschit 4, 7 aber die Konstruktion ein Lostrennen des Wortes von dem Vorhergehenden ebenso wenig gestattet, wie daselbst 49, 7 oder in unserer Stelle ein Lostrennen des Wortes von dem Nachfolgenden. וקם in unserer Stelle nur hinaufgelesen, bliebe ja העם הזה völlig ohne Prädikat. Man wäre daher versucht, das אין להן הכרע dahin zu verstehen, dass die Frage wäre, ob das betreffende Wort nur zu einem der Sätze oder nicht vielleicht als zu beiden gehörig zu interpretieren, unsere Stelle daher entweder nur וקם העם הזה oder auch הנך שכב עם אבתיך וקם וקם העם הזה zu lesen wäre. In der Tat scheinen auch ר׳ יהושע und ר׳ שמעון בן יוחאי Sanhedrin 90 b das וקם als zu הנך שוכב und zu העם הזה gehörig zu interpretieren: מנין שהב׳׳ה מחיה מתים ויודע und תורת חיים .מה שעתיד להיות שנא׳ הנך שוכב עם אבותיך וקם העם הזה וזנה מהר׳׳שא ח׳׳א erklären diese Stelle Sanhedrin 90 b abweichend von תוספו׳ in diesem Sinne. (Ohnehin gestatten wir uns zu bemerken, dass ר׳ יהושע ebenso wie ר׳ אלעזר המודעי auch hinsichtlich der Stelle Schmot 17, 9 nicht איסי בן יהודה׳s Ansicht ist. Siehe מכילתא daselbst, weshalb auch eine Nichtübereinstimmung hinsichtlich der anderen Stellen möglich, und sich auch dadurch die von תוספו׳ ישנים Joma 52 b ד׳׳ה וקם bemerkte Schwierigkeit lösen dürfte.)

Vergegenwärtigen wir uns den ganzen Inhalt der mit V. 16 eingeleiteten Enthüllung von Israels nächster und fernster Zukunft, so dürfte eine diesen einleitenden Worten eingeschlossene Hindeutung auf die Auferstehung der Toten einen tiefinnigen Zusammenhang mit diesem Inhalt bieten. Wie das leibliche Sterben eines Menschenindividuums kein ewiger Tod ist, vielmehr dem scheinbar für immer erstorbenen Leibe ein nicht in die Verwesung mit eingehendes Etwas bleibt, von dem aus der einstige Gottesruf die Auferstehung gestaltet: so führen alle Grabesgänge des jüdischen Volkes nur scheinbar zu dessen ewigem Völkertode. אני ישנה ולבי ער. Es scheint einen Todesschlaf zu schlafen, aber sein Herz bleibt wach. Wenn auch zu Atomen durch alle Enden zerstiebt, wenn auch zeitlich seinem hohen Berufe absterbend, ein geistiges Element אשר לא תשכח מפי זרעו bleibt unverlierbar sein eigen, das "Buch der Bücher" bleibt sein ewiges Ureigentum, und der Geist, der zu ihm daraus spricht, er wird sein Wanderlied in seinen Wanderrasten durch die Zeiten זמירות היו לי חקיך בבית מגורי, er wird sein Nachtgesang in den Nächten seiner Exilesleiden וכלילה שירה עמי, bis er einst mit weckender Sangesmacht alle schlummernden Geister, alle ersterbenden Gemüter der alten Wahrheit mit frischem Lebensmut zuführt, und aus dem Grabe der Vergangenheit das "Volk der Bibel", zu neuverjüngtem Leben ersteht. וענתה השירה הזאת לפניו לעד כי לא תשכח מפי זרעו.

כי ידעתי את יצרו וגו׳. — Das, was das Menscheninnere an Gedanken, Vorstellungen, Wünschen, frei gestaltet, die dann die Leiter seiner Handlungen werden. Siehe Bereschit 8, 21. Welche Richtung von seinem Innern zu erwarten ist, das hat es bereits in seiner vierzigjährigen Wanderung in Gutem und Schlechten gezeigt. Es ist schwer für das Gute dauernd zu gewinnen und behält selbst im tiefsten Verfall einen Zusammenhang mit dem Guten, von dem aus seine Wiedererhebung zu erwarten ist. Sowohl das ופנה אל אלהים אחרים als das לא תשכח מפי זרעו liegt bereits in seiner Gegenwart klar. Daher die Bestimmung der שירה.

וענתה השירה הזאת לפניו לעד [AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS …] THAT THIS SONG SHALL TESTIFY that in it I had warned them concerning all the things that had befallen them.

FOR I KNOW THEIR INCLINATION WHICH THEY HAVE SHOWN THIS DAY. The meaning thereof is like the expression, for now I know that thou art a G-d-fearing man,⁴⁰Genesis 22:12. which is knowledge become actualized, for knowledge of the future is knowledge in potential.⁴¹See Ramban ibid., (Vol. I, p. 279). Now, if Israel had not sinned in the wilderness and the recognition of his temperament had not been actualized, it would have been inappropriate for him to testify against them in the Song, saying that it is known to Him that you will sin and therefore I call [heaven and earth] to witness that many evils and troubles³³Verse 17. like such and such will come upon you. Instead it would have been proper that He give them the Torah with unspecified foreknowledge: If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the Land; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword.⁴²Isaiah 1:19-20. But now, that their bad temperament and their straying heart⁴³Ezekiel 6:9. had become known to them as well, He told them all that would occur to them. This is similar to what is said, Because I knew that thou art obstinate, and thy neck is an iron sinew etc., therefore I have declared to thee from of old; before it came to pass I announced it to thee.⁴⁴Isaiah 48:4-5.

כי ידעתי את יצרו אשר הוא עושה היום, for I, G’d, know its nature, its character; they do not look forward to taking over the land of the Canaanites in order to serve Me, as I wanted them to and hoped they would do. (compare Psalms 105,44-45 “He gave them the lands of nations; they inherited the wealth of peoples; in order to observe His statutes and His teachings, and observe His laws.”) Instead they look forward to gratify their own cravings as a result of which their excess wealth will be the cause of their decline and corruption, as per 32,15 “Yeshurun waxed fate and kicked, etc.”

כי ידעתי את יצרו, “for I am familiar with its basic inclination;” even if I did not possess knowledge of future events, I could draw valid conclusions of how they would behave, based on the past performance of this people.

והיה כי תמצאן אתו רעות רבות וצרות וענתה השירה הזאת לפניו לעד; “it will be when many evils and distresses come upon it, then this song shall speak up before it as a witness.” This is a reference to the song at the beginning of Parshat Haazinu. There the Torah speaks in detail about the ones who have been cast out.

That I have warned them, in it, etc. And you have no excuse to say that if we had known of all these bad punishments we would not have transgressed Hashem’s commandments. For then they will read this song which has written in it explicitly the warning that He warned them of all these bad things [if they transgress Hashem’s commandments].

וענתה השירה הזאת, “and this song shall testify before them as a witness;” we must imagine this as if the “song” will reply to those who say “why have all these disasters befallen us?”

כי לא תשכח מפי זרעו FOR IT SHALL NOT BE FORGOTTEN OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF THEIR SEED — This is an assurance to Israel that the Torah in which this song is contained will never be entirely forgotten by their descendants (Shabbat 138b).

This is a guarantee to Yisroel, etc. He means to say that our eyes see that the hearts are diminishing [from Torah knowledge], so why is it written, For it shall never be forgotten, etc.?

לפניו, “in response to this;”

כי לא תשכח מפי זרעו, “it shall not be forgotten from the mouth of their offspring;” although there are many chastisements, eventually this will end in words of comfort.

V. 22. ויכתב וגו׳ wahrscheinlich unter Assistenz, jedenfalls im Beisein Josuas. Nach der Stellung des Satzes bildet dieses Schreiben und Lehren in Gegenwart oder Mitwirken Josuas einen integrierenden Teil des Aktes seiner Bestellung. Wir haben bereits darauf hingewiesen, wie auch die Einsetzung der זקנים durch eine in ihrer Gegenwart an Mosche gerichtete Anrede sich vollzog Bamidbar 11, 16 u. 17. Die hier Verse 16 — 21 an Mosche gerichtete Rede entält aber die von seinem Nachfolger zu berherzigenden bedeutendsten Momente.

For it shall never be forgotten. Tell the Jewish people that they will ultimately be refined with the final exile, for then Torah will increase amongst the Jews, and that will protect then, as explained in Raya Mehemna.

Sie zeigte ihm die sittlichen Gefahren, denen sein Volk entgegenging, denen nach Kräften entgegenzuwirken ihm ein noch ernsteres Anliegen als die Eroberung und Verteilung des Landes werde sein müssen, da Eroberung und Land illusorisch werden, wenn Israel in der Treue gegen Gott und sein Gesetz schwankend wird.

Sie zeigte ihm "Lernen", die Pflege der Kenntnis und des Verständnisses der תורה im Volke als das wichtigste, ja einzige Mittel, Israel bei dieser Treue zu erhalten und zu ihr aus jeder Verirrung zurückzuführen, und zwar nicht nur Pflege der Kenntnis und des Verständnisses der מצות, sondern auch der שירה, Pflege des Geistes dieser מצות, Pflege des lebendigen Bewusstseins von der eigenartigen, großartigen Stellung und Sendung Israels inmitten der Menschheit mit diesen מצות, auf dass die Pflege dieses geistigen Mittels, die Gewinnung und Heranbildung aller Schichten des Volkes für Kenntnis und Wissenschaft der תורה, sein allererstes unausgesetztes Augenmerk sein möge.

Sie zeigte ihm aber in allererster Linie das für jeden Führer des jüdischen Volkes unerlässliche Erfordernis, vor keiner Zeit des Treubruchs gegen Gott und der Abirrung von seinem Gesetze zurückzuschrecken. In jeder Zeit ruhig und fest, bewusstvoll und ernst die ihm von Gott anvertraute Standarte des Gesetzes hochzuhalten, wissend, dass es nie seine Aufgabe sein könne, Gottes Gesetz nach der jedesmaligen Verirrungsschwäche des Volkes herabzustimmen, dass über jede Verirrungszeit hinaus das Gesetz eines kommenden Geschlechtes harre, das zu Gott und seinem Gesetz in hingebungsvoller Treue zurückkehren werde, und für welches die Führer aller Zeiten die Wahrheit von dem Gesetze intakt und in wie vielen oder wenigen empfänglichen Gemütern in treuem Bewusstsein für die Zukunft zu erhalten haben, der Verheißung vertrauend, כי לא תשכח מפי זרעו.

ויכתב משה וגו׳ וילמדה וגו׳. Die durch Mosche zu überbringenden Gesetze waren, wie aus Schmot 24, 3 u. 4, sowie 34, 31 u. 32 ersichtlich, zuerst mündlich dem Volke mitgeteilt, bevor sie in schriftlicher Abfassung festgehalten wurden, bei ihnen liegt der Schwerpunkt im Mündlichen, und haben wir bereits zu Schmot 21, 1 das Verhältnis der Schrift zu der mündlichen Überlieferung anzudeuten versucht. שירה aber, der Inhalt des gottschauenden Gesanges, ist vollständig in dem Schriftlichen gegeben. Hier ging die Schrift der mündlichen Belehrung zum richtigen Verständnis voran.

ויצו את יהושע בן נון AND HE COMMANDED JOSHUA THE SON OF NUN — This has to be connected with v. 14 above, and it refers to the Shechinah (to God; “He commanded” means “God commanded”), as it distinctly states here “[for thou shalt bring the children of Israel] into the land which “I” swore unto them, [and “I” will be with thee]”.

AND HE COMMANDED JOSHUA THE SON OF NUN. “This [pronoun ‘He’] refers to the Divine Presence [mentioned] above⁴⁵I.e., Verse 14: And the Eternal said unto Moses … as it is explained [here], into the Land which I swore unto them; and I will be with thee.” This is Rashi’s language. He has explained it well. And in the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra:⁴⁶Found in Ibn Ezra on Verse 15. “And he commanded Joshua — that is, Moses [commanded] by order of G-d, and therefore he said, into the Land which I swore unto them.” Similarly we find that Moses said, And I will give the rain of your Land in its season.⁴⁷Above, 11:14. So also, And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle.⁴⁸Ibid., Verse 15. Likewise, that ye might know that I am the Eternal your G-d.⁴⁹Above, 29:5. And so also, The Eternal will send upon thee the scantiness etc. because of the evil doings, whereby thou hast forsaken Me.⁵⁰Above, 28:20. I have already discussed this.⁵¹See above, 5:12.

ויצו את יהושע, at that time G’d appointed Joshua to be the leader. The expression ויצו used here has been used elsewhere to describe someone’s appointment, such as in Samuel I 25,30 וצוך לנגיד, “He appointed you as leader,” or Samuel II 7,11 צויתי שופטים, “I appointed judges.” There are more such examples in Scripture.

This reverts to the text above, etc. That is, it refers back to above (v. 16), Hashem said to Moshe, ‘You are about to die, etc.' and after He concluded His words with Moshe, He commanded Yehoshua. But it is not connected to [v. 22] Moshe wrote, etc. for if so, that Moshe is the one commanding, it should have said That He swore to them and not That I swore to them. But Rashi was unable to prove this from the words, And I shall be with you which should have been written as And He shall be with you if Moshe was the one giving the commandment, because one could explain that I will be with you means my merit will be with you. Therefore Rashi was forced to prove this point from [the verse] that I swore. But were it not written, that I swore, we would have explained that [the words] For you will bring refers to Moshe, that Moshe is commanding Yehoshua. And the reason that he said above [v. 7] That you will enter, etc. is merely as advice. Therefore Rashi proves that it refers to the Divine Presence from the word That I swore.

V. 23. ויצו וגו׳. Alles vorstehend in Josuas Beisein an Mosche und durch Mosche Vollzogene begründete Josuas Einsetzung und folgte darauf dessen direkte Verpflichtung durch Gott.כי אתה תביא את העם. Mosche hatte, wie Sanhedrin 8 a bemerkt wird, in seiner Anrede an Josua V. 7, כי אתה תבוא את העם gesagt, und hatte damit Josua sich nur in Gemeinsamkeit mit dem Volke und dessen Ältesten denken lassen, אתה והזקנים שבדור; Gottes Anrede betonte aber den Grundsatz, dass die Oberleitung jeder Zeit nur einer haben könne, דַבָר אחד לדור ואין שני דברין לדור, daher: אתה תביא וגו׳.

ויצו את יהושע, “He commanded Joshua;” The Lord commanded him (not Moses) These words refer to verse 14 in our chapter.

אתה תביא כי, “for you are going to bring;” seeing that the people were not present at the time when G-d said these words to Joshua, G-d did not have to pay them a special compliment, as Moses had done in verse 7.

AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN MOSES HAD FINISHED WRITING [THE WORDS OF THIS LAW]. The meaning thereof is that, at first, he wrote the Law and delivered it unto the priests as is stated above,⁵²Above, Verse 9. but he did not tell them where they were to put it. Afterwards he was commanded concerning this Song — he wrote it and taught it the children of Israel⁵³Verse 22. that same day, and thus added it to the Law. And it came to pass, when Moses had finished writing everything in the Book of the Law, then he commanded the priests, Take this Book of the Law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Eternal your G-d,⁵⁴Verse 26. meaning that it should remain in the ark at the side [of the Tablets], for henceforth they would not even touch it to add [thereto] or to diminish [from it]. This is the sense of the verse, And it came to pass, when Moses had finished writing [the words of this Law in a book] until they were completed. Therefore Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that [Seder] V’zoth Habrachah⁵⁵Further, Chapter 33. was [written] earlier, and its proper place is above as it is stated And Moses went and spoke these words unto all Israel.⁵⁶Above, Verse 1. Ibn Ezra holds that at the time when he informed them of his impending death, he also blessed them, as recorded in Seder V’zoth Habrachah.
It is possible that after he wrote the Song and taught it the children of Israel⁵³Verse 22. one by one according to their tribes as he had them brought before him to the House of Learning, he wrote it in the Book of the Law and commanded the priests Take this Book of the Law,⁵⁴Verse 26. meaning that the Song too, should remain in the ark with the Law, for it is part of the Law since it is there as a testimony. Then Moses told them to assemble before him again — all the elders of the tribes and the officers⁵⁷See further, Verse 28. — and that the people should join them, for so it is stated at the end, And Moses came and spoke all the words of this Song in the ears of the people.⁵⁸Further, 32:44. Now the priests did so and they assembled the entire people before him and he called heaven and earth to witness against them in assembly⁵⁹Thus in addition to teaching the Song to the individual tribes, he now taught it again in an assembly of the entire people. in the hearing of the priests and all the people. Then G-d, blessed be He, told him Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim.⁶⁰Ibid., Verse 49. This he was bound to do immediately, and so he stood up and blessed them: ‘V’zoth Habrachah’ (And this is the blessing).⁶¹Ibid., 33:1. He then wrote it at the end of the book which he gave to the priests. Then the priests did as he commanded them — they placed the complete book by the side of the ark of the covenant.⁶²In accordance with Ramban’s interpretation at the beginning of the verse that the Law was placed “in the ark at the side [of the Tablets]” the language here too must mean: “[inside] by the side of the ark of the covenant.” This is the opinion of Rabbi Meir (Baba Bathra 14a). Thus everything took place in the order stated in the Torah.⁶³See a similar approach of Ramban in Leviticus 8:2 (Vol. III, p. 91-93).
Ha’azinu

על ספר עד תומם, together with the portions Haazinu and Vezot ha’brachah.

ויהי ככלות משה לכתוב, “When Moses had finished writing, etc.;” according to Nachmanides, Moses first wrote a Torah scroll which he handed to the priests as mentioned earlier, (verse 9) at which time he had not yet told them where to deposit that scroll. Following that, he had been commanded to commit the “song” to parchment, and he wrote it down and taught it to the Children of Israel on that very same day. He then added that section to the Torah scroll he had written previously. Having completed this, he issued the order to the priests to deposit the whole Torah scroll inside the Holy Ark next two the two Tablets with the Ten Commandments. From that moment on, neither the Tablets nor that Torah scroll were touched again, so as to preserve the text inviolate, no one being able to claim that anything had either been added or erased. This is why Ibn Ezra says that the last portion in our scrolls of the Torah, the portion known as וזאת הברכה, must have been written before the song portion in האזינו, immediately after the verse in our portion in which Moses announces that G’d had told him that the period of his leadership of the people was drawing to an end. When he took his leave from the people he also blessed them after announcing that he was about to die. Alternatively, it is possible that he went around to the people after he had completed writing the song in haazinu and took that opportunity to familiarize the people with it, each tribe separately. In that event, this song too would have been placed inside the Holy Ark, next to the original Torah scroll and the two Tablets. The “song” would serve as the witness that Moses had spoken about in This would correspond to 32,44 where Moses is reported as reading out the song before the assembled people, flanked by Joshua. The priests had assembled the people for that purpose. Immediately after that ceremony G’d told Moses (32,49) to ascend Mount Nebo in preparation for his departure from this world. Moses immediately complied with that order and began to dispense his final blessings to the various tribes. Having done so, he also committed these blessings to writing as an appendix to the Torah that he had already given to the priests in order for them to deposit it as a complete book next to the Tablets in the Holy Ark. If this had indeed been the procedure, it would correspond to the order in which matters are recorded in our version of the Torah.

V. 24. עד תמם durch Hinzufügung auch der שירה

V. 25. ויצו משה וגו׳ siehe zu S. 9.

ויצו משה את הלוים, “Moses ordered the Levites, etc.” these are the Levites who had been mentioned in verse 9 as the “priests, who were the sons of the Levites;” Moses was not addressing the tribe of the Levites here. After all, the Levites at large were not charged with touching the Holy Ark, much less carrying it.

לקח — The grammatical form and its meaning are the same as in (Exodus 20:8) זכור; (Deuteronomy 5:12) שמור; (Jeremiah 2:2) הלוך‎.

והיה שם בך לעד, the written Torah, reposing in the Holy Ark is witness that I have predicted and warned against your abandoning G’d and His Torah. This is why I arranged for this testimony to be preserved in a place accessible even to the High Priest only once a year on the Day of Atonement. This original copy of the written Torah will, if need be, prove that all that is written in all the Torah scrolls later and accessible to all the people all the time was a true copy of the Torah Moses had received from G’d at Mount Sinai. It will serve as proof that the Torah scrolls in circulation among the Torah scholars and the righteous people who commissioned copies for their private libraries, are all true to the original and do not contain additions or omissions.
It would appear, however, that the Torah scroll found by the High Priest Chilkiyah (Kings II 22,8) was the very one which Moses had handed over to the priests who carried the Ark across the river Jordan which we referred to earlier. It contained only the passage dealing with the legislation pertaining to the king. It was this scroll in which Joshua wrote (added) the renewal of G’d’s covenant with the people which took place at Shechem. This was the record of Israel’s renewed undertaking to serve the Lord. Compare Kings II 22,13 where King Yoshiyahu refers to this scroll containing matters not contained in Moses’ original Torah scroll, as Joshua had written part of this scroll after the covenant’s renewal in Shechem. The King had become painfully aware how far the people had strayed from their solemn undertaking.

ושמתם אותו מצד ארון ברית ה' אלוקיכם, “you are to place it on the side of the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord your G’d.” It was to be placed inside the Ark, on the side of the Tablets. The verse refers to the text of the song in Haazinu. It should be deposited there next to the Torah scroll seeing that its text was part of the Torah. It was to remain there permanently.

Like remember, keep, going. Which are forms of the present tense, rather than an imperative. It is as if he said to them [it is your responsibility] to take this Seifer Torah and to place it at the side of the Ark, as an eternal witness.

V. 26. לקח וגו׳. Wir haben bereits zu V. 10 erwähnt, dass nach דברים רבה Mosche vor seinem Ende außer diesem im Allerheiligsten zu bewahrenden jedem Stamme ein von seiner Hand geschriebenes Exemplar der תורה übergab. Wir haben an einem anderen Orte darauf hingewiesen, wie somit das Gesetz dem Volke bereits vierzig Jahre in mündlicher Überlieferung vollständig bekannt gewesen, bevor es ihm in schriftlicher Abfassung übergeben wurde. Die Gittin 60 a im Anschluss an diesen V. 26 לקח את ספר התורה הזה behandelte Frage, ob תורה מגלה מגלה ניתנה oder חתומה ניתנה תורה מגלה , berührt diese von uns hervorgehobene Tatsache in keiner Weise. Nach der ganzen dortigen Verhandlung und der Auffassung der Kommentare ist dort nicht die Frage, wie die Gesetzesschrift dem Volke übergeben, sondern wie dieselbe von Mosche angefertigt worden, ob bruchstückweise, מגלה מגלה, sofort nach jeder ihm gewordenen Offenbarung eines Gesetzes, oder חתומה in einheitlich geschlossenem Zusammenhange, Siehe ׳תוספו und die Superkommentare daselbst. (Nur zu den שמנה פרשיות erwähnt Raschi: נאמרו ונכתבו ונמסרו).

לקח את ספר התורה הזה, “take this book of the Torah!” according to a Midrash, on this date, the seventh day of the month of Adar, Moses personally wrote 13 Torah scrolls one each for the twelve tribes. He read out of each one before each of the tribes passages of warning, exhorting them to observe the Torah meticulously. He read to the men and women separately, warning them to treasure their Torah scroll and protect it from all hazards. Moses took the thirteenth Torah scroll and deposited it in the Holy Ark next to the second set of Tablets. This interpretation is based on the text of this verse, which appears portray him as instructing the priests to do so, [as being “only” a Levite he had no access to the Holy Ark inside the tabernacle. Ed.] Other commentators suggest that the archangel Gavriel descended from the heavenly regions and took the thirteenth Torah scroll back with him to those regions. The reason for this was to acquaint the residents of those regions with the greatness of Moses. This exegesis is based on Deuteronomy 33,21: צדקת ה' עשה ומשפט עם ישראל, “He executed the righteousness of the Lord and His ordinances with Israel.” Not only this, but the righteous in those regions read from this Torah scroll every Monday and Thursday, every Sabbath and on every New Moon and the festivals. In the first chapter of the tractate Baba batra, folio 14 there is reported a dispute between Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehudah, about whether the Torah scroll was deposited inside the Holy Ark or next to it.

מצד ארון ברית ה׳ [TAKE THIS BOOK OF THE LAW AND PUT IT] AT THE SIDE OF THE ARK OF THE COVENANT OF THE LORD — The sages of Israel differ about it (the meaning of the phrase “at the side of the Ark”) in Treatise Bava Batra 14a. Some of them say: A board projected from the Ark outside it and there it (the song) lay, whilst others say that it lay at the side of the Tablets within the Ark.

Der Ausdruck ניתנה dürfte sich demnach auf das Niederlegen der Gesetzesschrift in oder neben die Lade im Allerheiligsten beziehen. Siehe Jeruschalmi Sota 8, 3 Ende, ד׳׳ה על דעתיה דר׳׳מ den Kommentar, מראה הפנים daselbst. ועוד אפשר וזה נ׳׳לע׳׳ד עיקר שלשון נתינה כאן אינו מיד משה לישראל אלא מה"ב׳׳ה למשה דומיא דלשון מתן תורה ולפי שמשה לא כתב התורה מפי עצמו אלא מפי הב׳׳ה יקרא אליו והוא כותב על ספר בדיו על כן כתיבה בזו נתינה קרו לה כלומר נתנת התורה בכתב, תדע דרק מכתיבה מיירי התם דאי לא כן אלא נתינה דווקא קאמר אדבעי אליבא דמאן דאמר חתומה ניתנה או דלמא כיון דלא אפשר כתבינן דלא הוי אלא היתר דרבנן משום עת לעשות וגו׳ לימא או דלמא כיון דרק ניתנה חתומה והכתיבה היתה מגלה מגלה כתבינן דהוי היתר אפי׳ דאורי׳. וכן היכא מוכח מקרא במגילת ספר כתב עלי דמגלה מגלה ניתנה דלמא משום הכי נקראת תורה מגלה כיון דנכתבה מגלה מגלה .אע׳פי דניתנה חתומה אלא ודאי כל נתינה בסוגיא זו כתיבה היא כנ׳׳ל

מצד ארון וגו׳. Nach ר׳׳מ B. B. 14 a innerhalb der Lade den Tafeln zur Seite, und wäre dann nach der zitierten Stelle Jeruschalmi Sota, die ס׳׳ת mit unter das Schmot 25, 21 erwähnte עדות begriffen, wie denn ja auch hier die Bestimmung der dort niederzulegenden עד :ס׳׳ת zu sein ausgesprochen ist. Nach ר׳׳י, B. B. daselbst hatte jedoch dem Wortlaute gemäßer die ס׳׳ת nicht im ארון, sondern auf einer an der Seite desselben vorspringenden Unterlage ihre Stelle.

הן בעודני חי עמכם, "Behold even while I am still alive amongst you, etc." This again reminds us of what the Talmud stated in Berachot 18 that the righteous are called alive even after their bodies have died. When Moses mentions the words: "here when I am still alive amongst you," he did not imply that he would soon die, but that he would live in a different region of the universe, one which could not be described as עמכם, "amongst you."

V. 27. ממרים הייתם עם ד׳. So auch Kap. 9, 7 u. 24. Wie dort bemerkt, heißt jemandem ungehorsam sein — מרה ב oder — עם ד׳ .את bezeichnet aber nicht den Gegensatz, sondern die Verbindung mit Gott, und drückt ממרים הייתם עם ד׳ eben die oben durch das ופנה וגו׳ und כי לא תשכח וגו׳ ausgesprochene Doppelseite des Charakters aus, den das Volk bereits unter der ganzen Führung Mosche bewährt hatte. Sie waren nie entschieden in der Treue und auch ihr Abfall war nie ein vollendeter. עם ד׳ waren sie immer in irgend einer Beziehung ממרים, und auch als ממרים blieben sie noch in einer Beziehung עם ד׳. Darin, wie bereits oben bemerkt, liegt alles Trübe und alles Tröstliche für Israels Wanderung durch die Zeiten.

The Torah writes היום, "today," i.e. Moses hinting that the "amongst you" he spoke of refers only to the balance of the day on which he was addressing them. The plain meaning of the verse is that the word היום means עד היום, "until today."

The reason that Moses referred to the people's acts of rebellion in the past tense, i.e. הייתם, was in case they had already repented of their sins at that very hour. We have been taught in Kidushin 49 that if someone betrothes a woman on the understanding that he (the groom) is a totally righteous person, and we are aware that until very shortly prior to that moment he was a thoroughly wicked person, the lady in question has to consider herself as betrothed as we assume the groom had resolved to become a perfect בעל תשובה at the time he asked her to accept the token of her betrothal to him.

הקהילו אלי ASSEMBLE UNTO ME [ALL THE ELDERS OF YOUR TRIBE] — They did not, however, blow the trumpets that day to call the congregation together (as is prescribed in Numbers 10:3), because it states (Numbers 10:2) “Make for thee [two trumpets of silver]” (which Rashi explains to mean that no one should use them except himself), and he had not empowered Joshua to use them. Indeed they were hidden away even during his (Moses) lifetime — on the day of his death, thus fulfilling the words of the text, (Ecclesiastes 8:8) “There is no authority on the day of death” (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Vayechi 2 on ויחי and ‎Midrash Tanchuma, Beha'alotcha 10 on בהעלתך).‎

ואדברה באזניהם את הדברים האלה, the words of poetry contained in the portion Haazinu.

הקהילו אלי, “Assemble to me, etc.” According to Tanchuma Vayechi 2, on this day Moses did not blow in the trumpets to assemble the people (elders) as was customary, and as Moses had been commanded to do in Numbers 10,2. The trumpets were for the exclusive use of Moses; they were never used by Joshua, but buried during the lifetime of Moses. This was in order to fulfill the statement of Kohelet 8,5 that on the day of one’s death one does not have authority. Seeing this was the day Moses was to die, he did not employ symbols of his authority. Blowing the shofar or the trumpets was a symbol of the authority wielded by the one who blew them or had them blown.

They did not sound the trumpets on that day, etc. [Rashi] wishes to explain why it is not written, They should sound [the trumpets], as it is written in Parshas Beha'aloscha (Bamidbar 10:2) when he gathered them.

V. 28. ואעידה בם וגו׳. Siehe zu Kap. 30, 19.

ואעידה בם את השמים ואת הארץ, “and I will appoint as witnesses against them Heaven and Earth.” It is a historical fact that during the life time of Joshua and the elders of his time who survived him, the Jewish people remained absolutely loyal to G-d and His Torah. (Joshua 24,31)

ואעידה בם את השמים ואת הארץ I WILL CALL THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AS WITNESSES AGAINST THEM — But if you ask, “Behold he has already above (Deuteronomy 30:19) called heaven and earth as witnesses: “I call [the heaven and the earth] as witnesses this day against you etc.”?! Then I reply: There he said this to the Israelites (he told them that He would do this), but now he intends to say (Deuteronomy 32:1) “Give ear, O ye heavens, [and I will speak; and hear earth] etc.”, thus calling them as witnesses.

ואעידה בם את השמים ואת הארץ, just as we read in the opening words of that poem in 32,1.

ואעידה בכם את השמים ואת הארץ, “so that I may call upon heaven and earth as witness against you.” Concerning this introductory statement, Moses continued with the words: האזינו השמים וגו' in chapter 32, 1. At this point he merely pointed out that heaven and earth would put their seal on his words at the end of the song in Haazinu. He invited heaven and earth to be present so that at the end of Haazinu they would be in a position to “sign” the document, much as witnesses to documents prepared in court are present during the preparation of the document so that they know what they are signatories to. He had made a similar statement earlier in 30,19. All of these passages were written on the same day. We have a halachah (Maimonides Hilchot Sefer Torah 7,3) that the words ואעידה, etc., have to be written at the top of the column in which the chapter commencing with the song האזינו השמים ואדברה commences. This would be the concluding letter (acronym) of the two words ב)י'ה שמ'ו), which are scattered throughout the Torah as letters which have to be written at the top of a column, i.e. the first letter of a verse respectively. Compare Genesis 49,8, Exodus 14,28; Exodus 34,11; Numbers 24,5, and our verse here commencing with the letter ו in the word ואעידה. I have already referred to this in Parshat Beshalach 14,28 in connection with the word הבאים. The letter ו in the word ואעידה is an allusion to the same letter in the tetragram. It is symbolic of the “heaven” which Moses said he is calling as witness.

And even during his lifetime they were concealed before the day he died, etc. This means that if you were to say that Yehoshua had no control over them, nevertheless he should have blown them, for Moshe was still alive! Therefore Rashi explains that even in his lifetime, etc. In other words, it is understandable if Yehoshua would have control over them after Moshe's death, they would have blown them even on the day that Moshe died. However, since Yehoshua did not have control over them after Moshe's death, it is proper that they be concealed on the day that Moshe died, and Moshe would not use his authority over them on the day of his death to fulfill the verse which states, There is no dominion on the day of death (Koheles 8:8). In other words, the authority that a person has had all his life does not remain on the day of his death. One cannot ask Why were they concealed? Even if they had not been concealed, the [people] would not have blown them. One can answer that even this would be a display of authority, that even though they were still there, Yehoshua was not permitted to use them, and therefore they were concealed. Similarly we find regarding King David of blessed memory, in every place he is mentioned he is referred to as King David. Yet on the day he died it is written, And the days of David drew near to die” (I Melochim 2:1), for this same reason, [because] there is no dominion on the day of death, etc.

אחרי מותי כי השחת תשחתון [FOR I KNOW THAT] AFTER MY DEATH YE WILL UTTERLY CORRUPT YOURSELVES — But, you see, as a matter of fact, that all the days of Joshua they did not corrupt themselves, for it states, (Judges 2:7) “And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua”?! (How, then, could Moses say that they would corrupt themselves after his death, by which he evidently meant immediately after his death, cf. v. 16)? But we may derive from here that one’s pupil should be as dear to him as his own self: — it appeared to Moses that so long as Joshua would live it would be as though he himself would be living (he thus alluded by the words “after my death” to a period after Joshua’s death).

כי ידעתי, in the course of that song (poem) I will reveal that I know how you will act so that the evil, if and when it befalls you, will not be perceived as “bad luck,” as coincidence, but can be traced back to my warnings. Once you realise and admit hat you had become guilty of a corrupt way of life, you will repent and turn to G’d in sincere remorse. Compare Isaiah 48,5 ואגיד לך מאז, בטרם תבוא השמעתיך, פן תאמר עצבי אשם, “Therefore I told you long beforehand, announced things to you before they happened, that you might not say: “my idol caused them.”

אחרי מותי כי השחת תשחתון, “after my death, that you will become very corrupt, etc.” History shows that during all of the years when Joshua was in charge of the people they did not become corrupt but remained loyal to the Torah. This fact is specifically attested to near the end of the Book of Joshua (Joshua 24,31) “the people served Hashem all the days of Joshua as well as during all of the days of the elders who lived longer than Joshua.” Our sages (Temurah 28) derive from this verse that a teacher treasures his disciple as much as he treasures his own body,” (loves himself) seeing that as long as Joshua was alive, Moses had the feeling that he himself was still alive. The corruption Moses speaks of here is the practice of idolatry. This is also what he had in mind when he said: “to anger Him with your handiwork.” Moses had a prophetic vision of the idolatry which would be practiced during the period of the first Temple.

For so long as Yehoshua was alive it appeared, etc. Therefore he described the death of Yehoshua as Moshe’s death, and wrote, After my death instead of, After the death of Yehoshua.

V. 29. כי ידעתי וגו׳. Sofort nach meinem Ableben wird das Verderben bei euch beginnen und werdet ihr von dem Wege eurer Pflicht abweichen, und dann in späteren Zeiten, wenn sich euer Geschick vollendet, wird euch Unglück treffen, weil ihr dazu kommt, prinzipiell dem Willen Gottes entgegenzuhandeln.

Nichts dürfte wohl also die Göttlichkeit der Sendung Mosches konstatieren, als das rückblickende und vorausblickende Geständnis und Bewusstsein, das sich in diesen VV. 27 bis 29 ausspricht. Wäre das "mosaische" Gesetz in der Tat nur Mosche Gesetz, keinen größeren Toren hätte doch die Erde gezeugt, als eben "diesen Mann Mosche!". Wo gäbe es — menschlich genommen — eine größere Torheit als Gesetze zu geben, die sich in so vollendetem Gegensatz und Widerspruch zu den Anschauungen und Neigungen des Volkes, für welches sie bestimmt sind, befinden, dass sich der Gesetzgeber vollkommen bewusst ist, noch auf Jahrhunderte hinaus werde das Volk nicht in das Gesetz und das Gesetz nicht in das Volk sich hineingelebt haben! Und für das dennoch endliche Erreichen des beabsichtigten Zweckes keine anderen Garanten bestellen, als — Himmel und Erde, und kein anderes Mittel, als — das Buch des Gesetzes selbst und seine Lehre, die dennoch Kind und Kindeskindern dieses Volkes nicht verloren gehen werden, כי לא !תשכח מפי זרעו

Und wenn wir nun nach Jahrtausenden zurückschauen auf die nun vergangenen Jahrtausende dieses Volkes und dieses "Buches Mosches", wie sich da alles im Laufe der Zeiten verwirklicht, wie sich doch endlich, und eben in Zeiten der schwersten Leiden, dieses Volk sich mit diesem Gesetze so innig vermählt, dass es um dieses Gesetzes willen ein weltgeschichtliches Martyrium sondergleichen bestanden, und dieses Gesetz die Adlerflügel geworden, auf welchen Gottes Waltung es über alle Prüfungen hinaus inmitten einer Feindschaft und Hohn, Verkennung und Verkümmerung ihm bietenden Welt zu immer neu sich verjüngender Geistes- und Lebenskraft getragen, und zugleich der Licht- und Wahrheitsquell geworden, aus welchem die Völker, unter die es Gott um seiner Untreue willen zerstreut, getrunken und — trinken, und noch heute der Lebensbaum ist, dessen Saaten in Erkenntnis und Leben, bewusst und unbewusst, durch seine zerstreuten Söhne in den Zukunftacker der Staaten und Völker getragen, immer mehr für das Gesamtheil aller aufgehen, also, dass das "Jisrael" der Blüte zu einem "Jisreel" des Exils (Hosea 1.4) geworden, und sich das Stichwort der jüdischen Geschichte ויתערבו בגוים וילמדו ממעשיהם doppelsinnig also erfüllt, dass rückblickend der Gedanke wohl nahe liegt, eben um der Doppelseitigkeit seiner Anlagen, des ׳ממרים הייתם עם ד, des זפנה אל אלהים אחרים und לא תשכח מפי זרעו, eben um dieser Doppelseitigkeit willen habe sich das jüdische Volk als das geeignetste Gefäß für Gottes Menschheitszwecke dargeboten, für welche Abfall und Abgefallene durch Funken und Keime, die sie trotzdem mit hinübergetragen in den Schoß der Menschheit, nicht die wirkungslosesten Agentien geworden — welcher denkende Mensch, wenn er diese Schlussbekenntnisse Mosches VV. 27 — 29 liest und dabei die Geschichte dieses Volkes und dieses Buches an seinem Geiste vorüberführt, kann sich der Anerkenntnis verschließen: eben darum ist dieses Gesetz nicht dein Werk, "Mann Mosche", eben darum ist es Gottes Gesetz, dessen Bote du nur warst, und eben darum ist und bleibt das Volk und das Gesetz: אצבע אלקים, der Fingerzeig Gottes an die Menschheit. —

את דברי השירה הזאת עד תומם, including 32,36 כי ידין and כי אשא in 32,40, although those verses are not strictly speaking, part of Moses’ warning and testimony.

את דברי השירה הזאת, “the words of this song;” this is a reference to the next portion, Haazinu, the major part of which consists of Moses’ parting song/poem to his nation. The subject is that G-d had provided for them in the desert as well as in the land of Israel, and how in spite of this they would forsake Him and be exiled, until eventually they would be redeemed from exile.