Comentario sobre Deuteronómio 32:41

אם שנותי ברק חרבי means, IF I SHALL WHET THE BLADE OF MY SWORD, so that it shall have a flash (ברק); splendeur in old French

אם שנותי, even though I had sharpened the blade of My sword against the Jewish people during the time of their exile, את ברק חרבי, this was only the flashing appearance, not the פי החרב, the lethal part of the sword.

אם שנותי, from the root שנן, to sharpen. The same root is used in connection with sharpening a sword in Psalms 64,4 אשר שננו כחרב לשונם, “who have sharpened their tongue as if it were a sword.” The double consonant in the root שנן is similar to such roots as סבב and בלל. Just as these roots sometimes drop the last consonant, compare Samuel I 22,22 סבותי בכל נפש בית אביך or in Psalms 92,11 בלותי בשמן רענן, so in our verse instead of שננתי the Torah writes שנותי.

If I whet the blade of My saber. Rashi wants answer the question: How is it possible to sharpen lightning, which has no substance? Lightning is the appearance of a flash! Therefore he explains “the gleam, etc.” i.e. if I sharpen the iron of My saber. The word שינון always means “sharpening” and the blade of the sabre is [made of] iron, as in “the blade of his spear” (1 Shmuel 17:7). It is called להב (flash) because the sword as it flashes is similar to a flame. The word ברק (lightning) is like “לברק (to flash)” (Yechezkeil 21:20) which means [that He will whet it] to a gleam.

VV. 41 u. 42. אם שנתי וגו׳. Wenn es die Völker dahin kommen ließen, dass ich erst mein Schwert geschärft habe, um Gericht zu üben, sie nicht zeitig einen anderen Weg einschlagen, wenn sie צרי ומשנאי, wenn sie die Gegner und Hasser meiner Herrschaft und meines Sittengesetzes bleiben wollten, so dass ich rächend Vergeltung üben müsste, wenn ich so ihnen tun sollte, wie sie an Israel und an anderen Wehrlosen getan: dann müsste meine Rache blutig wild und grausam werden. — מדם חלל ושביה gehört zu מראש פרעות אויב ,אשכיר חצי מדם zu וחרבי תאכל בשר. Sie haben nicht nur חלל in der Schlacht, sondern auch שביה, wehrlose Gefangene getötet und haben die abgeschlagenen Köpfe triumphierend auf ihren Schwertern getragen — darum

ותאחז ידי, and My hand will hold on to judgment;” holding on to the sword with one’s hand, in order to administer justice.

ותאחז במשפט ידי AND MY HAND TAKE HOLD ON JUDGMENT — i.e., on strict justice, relinquishing (i.e. withdrawing) My attribute of mercy from My enemies who have done so much evil unto you, — “I was angry only a little, but they helped to do harm” (Zechariah 1:15). — but My hand shall grasp the attribute of justice to hold fast to it in order to take vengeance.

ותאחז במשפט ידי, and even though I was compelled to deal with them according to the rule of law, for כי ידין ה' עמו, “G’d does judge His people,” this does not mean that their adversaries will go free, rather

Discarding the attribute of compassion for My enemies. I.e. and My hand will grasp the attribute of judgment, to hold on to it in order to wreak vengeance, and to discard the [attribute of] compassion, and not use it for My enemies who were destructive to you. The phrase “and hold judgment in My grasp” is connected to the phrase “My enemies who were destructive to you,” not with “discarding the attribute of compassion.” The meaning of the verse is: “I raised My hand heavenward and swore by My life, that I will sharpen My sword until it gleams like lightning, as is the custom of those who go out to war. And hold judgment in My hand, to wreak vengeance on My enemies, to avenge them for their destructiveness to you. [As the verse states,] “Where I was a little angry, and they abetted destructiveness, etc.” (Zecharyah 1:15).

אשיב נקם וגו׳ I WILL RENDER VENGEANCE [TO MY ADVERSARIES]. — Our Rabbis derived in the Agada from the wording of the text which states, “And My hand shall hold the משפט fast”, that the nature of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like the nature of human beings: The nature of a human being is that when he shoots an arrow he cannot bring it back (i.e., cannot check its flight); the Holy One, blessed be He, however, shoots His arrows and it is in His power to bring them back as though He is still holding them in hand, for, you see, lightning is His arrow, for it states here ברק חרבי, “Lightning is my weapon, and my hand holds fast to משפט" (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 15:3). This משפט (i.e., משפט according to this explanation) has the meaning of punishment, in old French justicia, the execution of justice (the third definition given by Rashi on Exodus 28:15 of this word)

אשיב נקם לצרי, I will wreak vengeance on My foes, reprisals for what they have done to Israel. Compare Ezekiel 25,12 and 25,14 on this subject in detail.

Where I was a little angry, etc. Do not ask how is it that the nations sinned in this matter, since you were delivered into their hands [by Hashem] in order that you should suffer at their hands.

ולמשנאי אשלם, and I will pay back those who hate Me measure for measure, as spelled out in Ovadiah 15.

[Another interpretation.] I hold judgment in My grasp. According to the first explanation it is difficult, where is the attribute of compassion mentioned here? And according to the second explanation it is difficult because it should have written “My hand will grasp judgment.” Therefore Rashi gives the first explanation. And from my teacher, Maharal, I heard that the phrase, “another interpretation” is a copyist error, and it is all one explanation.

“Judgment” here denotes retribution. And so the word “He grasps” is connected with “My saber to a gleam,” for lightning is Hashem’s arrow, as it states, “And His arrow will go forth like lightning” (Zecharyah 9:14) referring to retribution. But according to its plain meaning we would not learn anything. For even when a mortal king sits in judgment is able to tip the verdict to whichever side he wishes. But now that Rashi explains it to mean “retribution” we certainly learn-–that “unlike the practice of mortals, etc.” According to the aggada, the order of the words in the verse is imprecise and it means, “And My hand grasp the lightning of My sword in judgment.”