Comentario sobre Deuteronómio 4:37

ותחת כי אהב AND BECAUSE HE LOVED — i.e., and all this was because He loved thy fathers.

ותחת כי אהב את אבותיך, having done all this because He loved your patriarchs, ויבחר בזרעו, He chose the descendants of only one of them (Yaakov) .

ויוציאך בפניו, as documented in Exodus 12,12 and 23,21.

ותחת כי אהב את אבותיך, “and because He loved your forefathers, etc.” according to Ibn Ezra the reference is to the three patriarchs.

ותחת כי אהב את אבותיך, “and on account of His having loved your patriarchs, etc.,” i.e. He allowed you to hear His voice because He loved your forefathers.

And all this was because He loved [your fathers]. Rashi is answering the question: Why is the word ותחת (and because) written with a letter vov? Rashi answers: Because it is a continuation of the previous verses, “...and all this, etc.”

V. 37. ותחת כי אהב. Diese dir durch יציאת מצרים und מתן תורה gewordene Gotteserkenntnis bildet das Eigenartige deines völkergeschichtlichen Wesens und Berufes, und es setzt sich in dir nur der mit Erwählung deiner Väter gegründete ברית fort, dessen schon V. 31 gedacht war. — ויבחר בזרעו אחריו. Normal kann sich das suff. sing. nur auf Gott beziehen, und זרעו אחריו wäre die Ihm von den Vätern erzeugte und zu Seiner Nachfolge erzogene Nachkommenschaft, wie וימלא אחרי (Bamidbar 14, 24) מוכיח אדם אחרי (Prov. 28, 23). — בפניו: mit seiner unmittelbaren Leitung (vergl. Schmot 33, 14 u. 15).

ויבחר בזרעו אחריו, “and chose their seed after them;” this is a hint to Yaakov; if the Torah had written: בזרעם אחריהם, it could have been interpreted as eight nations. (the six sons of Keturah, Esau and Ishmael) all of whom had emerged from Avraham and Yitzchok) in addition to the Jewish people.

ויוצאך בפניו AND HE BROUGHT THEE OUT BEFORE HIM — like a man who leads his son before him, as it is said, (Exodus 14:19) “And the angel of the Lord that went [before them] moved and went behind them" (see Rashi on that verse). — Another explanation of ויוצאך בפניו AND HE BROUGHT THEE FORTH IN HIS PRESENCE: — i.e. in the presence of his fathers, as it is said, (Psalms 78:12; see Rashi on that verse), “In the presence of their fathers He did wonders". Do not be surprised that it refers to them (the fathers) in the singular number (by בפניו), for you see it has already written about them in the singular number, viz., “And he chose his seed after him" (instead of “their seed after them").

ויוציאך בפניו, by performing a series of miraculous deeds

ויבחר בזרעו אחריו, “and chose his offspring after him;” the singular mode of the word זרעו, “his offspring,” shows that Moses refers here specifically to Yaakov, the last of the patriarchs. Had Moses used the plural mode זרעם, he would have been referring to the eight nations descended from Avraham.

ויבחר בזרעו אחריו, “and He chose “his seed” after him. Clearly the subject is Yaakov, the third of the patriarchs. This is why the Torah says: “his seed” instead of “their seed.” Had the Torah used the plural “their seed,” both Esau and Ishmael would heve been included in the “chosen people.” This is also the reason why the Torah wrote in Parshat Eykev, 10,15: “but the Lord your G’d was fond of your forefathers (pl) to love them, and He chose (of) their seed after them you from amongst all the nations, etc.” Seeing the Torah had written בזרעם “their seed,” which could have been interpreted as “all their seed, i.e. including Esau, etc.,” the Torah had to conclude that verse by saying “בכם” you, meaning “only you of all their seed.”
Instead of using the preposition תחת, the Torah could have written more commonly used prepositions such as בעבור or למען. The reason the Torah chose the word תחת, a word which occurs on only two more occasions, once in connection with the מרכבה, the Divine “carriage,” may be an allusion to the מרכבה which is supposed to be supported on terrestrial earth by the patriarchs and the Jewish people as a whole.

Like a man who leads his son before him, etc. The word בפניו (literally, “in His presence,”) here means לפניו (before Him). Similarly (below 25:9), “And she shall spit before him (בפניו).” Also, according to Rashi’s second explanation, בפניו means “before him.” The only difference is that in the second explanation, “before him,” refers to the forefathers.

ויוציאך בפניו, and Who brought you out from its presence (the Egyptians’) as was spelled out presently, in Exodus 12,41: “יצאו כל צבאות ה' לעיני מצרים, “all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.” This is not the only time in the Bible that Egypt is referred to in the singular mode, i.e. בפניו instead of בפניהם. One example that comes to mind, is Exodus 14,10: והנה מצרים נוסע אחריהם, and behold: Egypt is marching after them, instead of “are marching after them.”

ממצרים, from Egypt; להוריש, G’d intended to take you out of slavery, a state in which you would not have been able to appreciate His intentions.

ויוציאך בפניו, “He took you out before Him.” According to Ibn Ezra, Moses refers to the anger at the Egyptians that prompted G’d to release the Israelites. In Leviticus 26,17 we also find the word פנים as meaning “anger.” Other commentators understand the word בפניו as referring to an angel of G’d. Compare Isaiah 63,9 ומלאך פניו הושיעם, “and the angel signifying His Presence, delivered them.”

Do not be puzzled that it refers to them (the fathers) in the singular, etc. Rashi is answering the question: Why then is it written, “before him”? According to the second explanation above, “before him” refers to their fathers, [so why then is] in the singular form? Rashi explains: “And He chose his descendants after him.” In other words: Consider even the first explanation where, “before him,” poses no difficulty because it refers to Hashem. Nevertheless the phrase, “...your forefathers, He chose his descendants after him,” is difficult to understand. For it must be that, “He chose his etc,” refers to the forefathers, even according to the first explanation. Nevertheless it says, “his descendants after him,” which is in the singular form. If so, even according to the second explanation where, “before him,” also refers to the fathers, it is not difficult to understand, though it is written in the singular form. And both explanations are necessary: The first explanation is problematic, for it should say, “And He took you out and led you before Him.” Therefore Rashi says, “Another explanation, etc.” But the second explanation alone is also problematic — since the forefathers already had died, then what is the meaning of, “in front of him”? Therefore the first explanation is also needed.