Kommentar zu Dewarim 32:36

כי ידין ה' עמו — This means, when He will sentence them to all these sufferings that are mentioned concerning them. The phrase has the same meaning as (Job 36:31) “For by them ידין nations”, i.e. He will chastise the nations. — This word כי has not the meaning of “because”, giving the reason for the preceding statements, but it is an expression (a particle) beginning a new a statement, as (Leviticus 25:2) “When (וכי) ye will come into the land” (cf. Rashi on that passage). The meaning is: When these judgment will come upon them, and the Lord will bethink Himself concerning His servants to have mercy on them again.

כי קרוב יום אידם וחש עתידות למו כי ידין ה' עמו, for the day when the nations will experience their judgment is near as soon as G’d will judge His own nation. We know this from Ezekiel 20,38 וברותי מכם המורדים והפושעים, “I will remove from amongst you the ones who rebel and are professional sinners.” Soon thereafter, the gentile nations will experience their own judgment.

כי ידין ה׳ עמו, "When the Lord will judge His people, etc." After having concluded the subject of the people who have caused G'd to become angry, the Torah now turns to Israel as a whole, assuring the people that He will not quarrel with them forever. The words כי ידין השם mean that G'd will take a look at what many righteous have endured, some of whom have been murdered, others burned, etc. G'd will comfort Himself, i.e. relent, when He observes all this. This is why Moses says ועל עבדיו יתנחם, "and on account of His servants (what happened to them) He will relent." He relents on account of those of His children who remained His loyal servants. Furthermore, when G'd sees that the Israelites do not have the strength to save themselves from exile, and their righteous do not enjoy enough authority to discipline the sinners, He relents. He is aware that there are no longer any prophets amongst the Israelites, nor the outstanding men of former years whose influence on the people had beeen considerable. Compare Michah 7,1 אין אשכול לאכול, "there is not a cluster to eat." This is an example of Moses saying: כי אזלת יד, "G'd sees their might is gone." The words אפס עצור, mean that neither what was guarded nor preserved is still left." We find a similar statement in Samuel I 9,17: זה יעצור בעמי, "He will deliver My people," [King Saul. Ed.] The literal meaning is more like "he will stop the rut of My people," or "he will stop everybody from doing what he feels like, and introduce discipline into the lives of the nation." At any rate, it is a reference to the people being in a state of disarray. ועזוב, "and it is abandoned." This is a reference to the disarray the people find themselves in and which makes them feel abandoned. At that point,

כי ידין ה' עמו, that is the time when the nations will be made to pay by G’d for what they have done to His people. We find this vision spelled out clearly also in Psalms 110,6 ידין בגוים מלא גויות, “when He works judgment on the nations, heaping up bodies;”

כי ידין ה' עמו, “for the Lord will judge His people.” He will exact retribution from the wicked when Israel will observe that all their (own) power had waned and that they are either prisoners, עצורים, or forsaken in captivity, when they are almost completely lost, i.e. ואפס עצור ועזוב, “their power has shrunk to zero.”

When He punishes them with the afflictions, etc. But it cannot be explained according to its plain meaning, when He judges them whether for innocence or guilt. For if so, how does the next phrase, “And He will reconsider about His servants” fit in? For it implies that He will be “merciful towards his servants.” But perhaps they are found to be innocent in their judgment, and they would not require mercy!

V. 36. דון .כי ידין ד׳ עמו וגו׳ heißt überhaupt, das Recht in einem gegebenen Falle zur Geltung bringen, daher auch ganz eigentlich die Sache des Rechtsgekränkten vertreten (siehe zu Bereschit 30, 6 u. 49, 16. — יתנחם siehe zu Bereschit 6, 6). Der Kausalsatz כי usw. schließt sich dem unmittelbar Vorhergehenden an und blickt auf die mit V. 26 abgebrochene Schilderung des über Israel kommenden Leidensverhängnisses zurück. Die Völker werden erinnert, des Tages des Gerichtes und der Vergeltung zu gedenken, die auch für sie kommen werden. Denn, heißt es hier, wenn Israel, seiner Verirrungen wegen seines staatlichen Glückes verlustig, ins Exil wandern musste und — zu seiner und der Völker Belehrung — in ihre Mitte zerstreut und ihrer Willkür hilflos preisgegeben ward, so war es doch, wie immer auch von seiner idealen Bestimmung abgefallen, den Völkern gegenüber עמו ועבדיו, das Gottesvolk und die Seinem Gesetzeswillen und Seinen Waltungszwecken sich dienend Unterordnenden geblieben. Zum vollendeten Bundesbruch mit Gott und seinem Gesetze und zur gänzlichen Verleugnung desselben war es ja nie gekommen. Das dieser שירה zu Grunde liegende כי לא תשכח מפי זרעו (Kap. 31, 21) hat sich doch ebenso wie die verheißenen Leiden und eben in ihnen bewährt. Waren sie daher durch die Entziehung des Gottesschutzes den Ausschreitungen der Völker hilflos preisgegeben, so war damit doch nicht eine jede Misshandlung, die sie zu erdulden hatten, gerechtfertigt. Vielmehr war diese Zerstreuung der Machtlosen unter die Mächtigen zugleich eine ernste Probe für diese, wie weit die Menschlichkeit und das Rechtsgefühl in ihrer Brust zur Geltung kam. Denn nicht in der Behandlung des Mächtigen, allenfalls zur Vergeltung Gerüsteten, zeigt sich die Menschlichkeit und das Recht. Wie viel Teilnahme und Rechtsachtung der Schwache unter Starken, der Mensch unter Menschen findet, das ist der Gradmesser des sittlichen Werts der Starken. Darum ידין ד׳ עמן, wird Gott über die Behandlung, die "sein Volk" inmitten der Völker gefunden, zu Gericht gehen, ועל עבדיו יתנחם und zeigt sich in geändertem Ratschluss über "seine Diener", ׳כי יראה וגו, sobald er sieht, dass sein Volk und seine Diener alles eingebüßt und nichts Beachtungswertes und nichts Geringes mehr haben, woraus ihnen eine Stütze und eine Zukunft erwachsen könnte. Mit den Verse 23, 24 und 25 geschilderten Leiden hat das über Israel sich vollziehende Verhängnis seinen vernichtendsten Grad erreicht. Mit dem כי יראה כי אזלת יד usw. war der Ausspruch (V. 20) אראה מה אחריתם verwirklicht, und mit der statt des אפאיהם (V. 26) eingetretenen Zerstreuung ein Anfang zur Rettung und Heilung betreten. Vergl. die Aussprüche der Weisen: צדקה עשה הב׳׳ה עם ישראל שפזרן בין האומות (Pesachim 87 b) und תנא דבי אליהו ששת אלפים שנה הוי עלמא שני אלפים תוהו שני אלפים תורה שני אלפים ימות המשיח ובעונותינו שרבו יצאו מהם מה שיצאו (Sanhedrin 98 a). — (Zu der chronologischen Zusammenstellung Raschis der שני אלפים תורה dürfte hinzuzufügen sein, dass die Abfassung der משנה, dieser große Akt der Erhaltung der תורה vor dem fortschreitenden Auseinandergehen der jüdischen Gesamtheit in die Zerstreuung, um 3978 a. m. 150 J. nach dem חורבן, somit in die letzte Zeit der שני אלפים תורה fällt. Um das Jahr 3978 a. m. ging, nach ר׳ שרירא גאון, zu רבי׳s Lebzeiten רב nach Babylon und stirbt dort um das Jahr 4003.)

כי ידין ה' עמו, “when the Lord will judge His people;” when G–d has reason to judge His people, He will deal with the (guilty) gentile nations at the same time.

כי ידין, “for He will judge, etc.” this kind of judgment involves the sinner having to endure painful experiences on his body. An example of this is found in Job 36,31: בם ידין עמים, “by means of these things He controls people” (judges people), giving or denying them their food supply.

יתנחם HE WILL REPENT — This is an expression for changing one’s mind whether for good or for evil.

ועל עבדיו יתנחם, He will reconsider the evil times for which His people are due on account of His servants, the righteous among them, as we know from Isaiah 65,8 כן אעשה למען עבדי, לבלתי השחית הכל, “so will I do for the sake of My servants and not destroy everything.”

כי יראה כי אזלת יד, when He sees that

The Holy One, Blessed Is He will reconsider concerning His servants, etc. [Rashi] needed to reverse the order [of the words], because after the suffering comes the consolation and afterwards, “to make known that it is on His servants.” Since the verse repeated and said, “About His servants” and “His people” [alone] which precedes it did not suffice. It requires that Hashem’s Name also be repeated, as if it said, “When Hashem administers justice against His people, and Hashem will reconsider about His servants.”

אזלת, seltene Form für אולה wie ונשכחת צור (Jes.23, 15). אפס עצור ועזוב, עצור ist das, was der Mensch sich zu erhalten bemüht ist, עזוב das für ihn Wertlose, um dessen Erhaltung er sich nicht kümmert. Der Ausdruck der höchsten Machtlosigkeit ist es, wenn das, was man sich zu erhalten wünscht, ebenso verloren ist wie das, was man sich selbst überlässt. So auch Kön. II. 14, 10.

ועל עבדיו יתנחם, ”and He will relent in His attitude to His servants.” G–d will reconsider any decree which He issued as a result of the Israelites causing Him anger.

ועל עבדיו יתנחם, “and He will repent Himself for His servants.” When His erstwhile servants who had become disloyal but had subsequently done penitence, He will repent His harsh decrees. We find confirmation of this in Jeremiah18,8.

כי יראה כי אזלת יד WHEN HE SEETH THAT THEIR POWER IS GOING ON — i.e. when He sees that the power of the enemies is constantly becoming exceedingly stronger over them,ואפס AND THERE IS NOT among them עצור ועזוב.

כי יראה כי אזלת יד, the reason why G’d does something for the people on account of His servants the righteous that He had not done during all the many years of the exile, is that He sees that this time they really had come to the end of heir rope; they had reached the kind of low that makes living on a hopeless undertaking. This is what had happened in Egypt immediately before the redemption, the Exodus. The Torah spells this out even in the recital by the farmer in Deut. 26,7 “He saw our plight, our misery and our oppression.” As a result, “He brought us to this place.” (the Land of Israel)

Israel

When he sees that the power [lit. hand] surging, etc. By this, Rashi corrects several matters. He explains “that He will see” as “when He sees” because the word כי (when) here is like “When (כי) you come to the land, etc.” (Vayikra 25:2) which means “when.” And the word אזלת means “surging.” The word “power” refers back to the enemy, even though it is not mentioned here. He also added the word “against them” to inform who the power is going against. “None (אפס)” means “no more” as in the verse, “for there is no (אפס) money” (Bereishis 47:15). “Structured (עצוב)” means collected under the authority of the ruler. “Fortified” (עזוב) means “strengthened” and he added the term “among them” after “and that there is no one” because “no more” applies only applies to them, i.e. it is finished their being gathered and strengthened. Rashi also adds “The Holy One, Blessed Is He” after “He shall say” to inform that the one who says “Where is their god” is The Holy One, Blessed Is He. He adds “concerning them” to show the subject of “their gods” refers to “about His servants” mentioned above. The conjunctive vav of ואמר “And He shall say” is like the vav of “And the Lord your God will guard (ושמר) for you” (Devarim 7:12) which means “He will guard” [in the future tense]. The meaning of the verses are as follows: When Hashem will inflict suffering on His people with all these afflictions, and He will reconsider and console them when He sees that the power of the enemy becoming greater and greater against them, and they cease to be guarded and held strongly, to be without a protector or a ruler, Hashem will say of them, “Where are your idols in whom you trusted? Let them come and save you.” Therefore it is appropriate for you to understand from all the evils that I have brought on you, and there is no savior from all the idols in whom you trusted. They have no power to stay My hand, because it is I Who has the power to lower or to raise, and “no one can rescue you from My grasp.” Afterwards Scripture mentions the vengeance which He will wreak on the enemies.

ואפס עצור ועזוב, “and there is none remaining, shut up or left at large.” This is due to the fact that they have no one ready or able to come to their aid. The root עזב, occurs in this sense of assisting in Exodus 23,5: עזוב תעזו, “be sure to assist!”

כי יראה כי אזלת יד, “when He sees that its strength is spent;” compare Isaiah 51,21: ושכורת ולא מיין, “and drunk but not from wine.”

עצור is one who is saved by a עוצר (a “restrainer”) and ruler who would restrain them,

on its own is powerless and forsaken. The verb עזב is used both transitively and intransitively, the former in Exodus 23,5 where intentional refusal to assist is considered as a sinful act of commission, whereas the assistance rendered to the owner of the animal is considered fulfilling a positive commandment. In Nechemyah 3,8 it also occurs as something transitive, i.e. restoring the wall around Jerusalem.

ואפס עצור ועזוב, and none remains either imprisoned or roaming free. A reference to the people having no secret stash of cash hidden in their homes or buried in the field.

עזוב means one saved by an עוזב. Now an עוצר is a ruler who keeps the people in check that they should not march in scattered groups when they go into war against the enemy, maintenue in old French, (Engl = maintainer). Consequently עצור (the passive) is one who is saved through the restraint of the ruler. עזוב is one who is strengthened, as (Nehemiah 3:8) “and they fortified (ויעזבו) Jerusalem unto the broad wall”; (Jer. 49:25) “How is this city of praise not helped (עזובה)!”. In old French anforcede, (English = fortified).