מִ֤י יִתֶּנְךָ֙ כְּאָ֣ח לִ֔י יוֹנֵ֖ק שְׁדֵ֣י אִמִּ֑י אֶֽמְצָאֲךָ֤ בַחוּץ֙ אֶשָׁ֣קְךָ֔ גַּ֖ם לֹא־יָב֥וּזוּ לִֽי׃
¡OH quién te me diese como hermano Que mamó los pechos de mi madre; De modo que te halle yo fuera, y te bese, Y no me menosprecien!
Ramban
THOU SHALT NOT SEEK THEIR PEACE. “Since it is written [with respect to a fugitive slave], He shall dwell with thee, in the midst of thee [where it liketh him best; thou shalt not wrong him],246Further, Verse 17. I might think that the rule also applies to this one [an Ammonite or Moabite fugitive slave]. Scripture, therefore, says, Thou shalt not seek their peace.” This is Rashi’s language. Now, this interpretation in the Sifre247Sifre, Ki Theitzei 251. is deduced from the expression [here] nor their prosperity [Thou shalt not seek their peace ‘nor their prosperity,’ and not as it might appear from the heading in our text of Rashi that it is derived from the expression their peace, for thus is the language of the Sifre]: “Since it is stated there [with respect to the fugitive slave] ‘batov lo’ (where it liketh him best); thou shalt not wrong him246Further, Verse 17. — exclude these [the Ammonite and Moabite fugitive slaves] from this tovah (good).”248Hence the language in the verse before us, Thou shalt not seek their peace ‘v’tovatham’ (nor their ‘good’). But the expression Thou shalt not seek their peace is interpreted in the Sifre as follows: “Since it is stated, When thou drawest nigh unto a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace unto it,249Above, 20:10. I might think that the same rule applies to Ammon and Moab. Scripture therefore says, Thou shalt not seek their peace. ” It is also so stated in Tanchuma.250Tanchuma, Pinchas 3. On “Tanchuma” see Vol. IV, p. 158, Note 1.
It appears to me that Scripture has forever forbidden war against Ammon and Moab, and the verse stating, neither contend with them251Above, 2:9 (Moab); 19 (Ammon). was not only a temporary command, but a negative commandment for the generations. It is for this [reason] that He said, because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.252Ibid., Verse 19. Thus their land belongs to them forever because it is the possession that G-d gave them. If so, the verse here stating, Thou shalt not seek their peace commands that if we wage war against them over a city which they captured from other peoples, that we are not to proclaim peace to them. Similarly, if they invaded our Land we are permitted to pursue them and capture cities from them, to smite the inhabitants of those cities who harmed us, as Jephtah did [of whom it is said], And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities.253Judges 11:33. David also did so to all the cities of the children of Ammon254II Samuel 12:31. because they “breached the fence” first and warred against him. In that event we need not to proclaim peace to them and we may smite those fighting us in every city, the men, and the women, and the little ones255Above, 2:34. if we wish. Thus the Rabbis have said in Midrash Rabbah:256Bamidbar Rabbah 21:7. “And ye shall smite every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water.257II Kings 3:19. These were the words of the prophet Elisha to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and Jehoram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when they battled Moab. They [i.e., Jehoshaphat king of Judah and Jehoram king of Israel] said to him [Elisha]. ‘Scripture states, Thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof,258Above, 20:19. and you say thus [destroy them]!’ He [Elisha] said to them: ‘Scripture commanded this with respect to all peoples, but this one is minor and despised,’ as it is said, And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Eternal, and He will deliver the Moabites into your hand,259II Kings 3:18. for it is said, Thou shalt not seek their peace ‘v’tovatham’ (nor their good), this alluding to the ‘good trees.’” Now, all this is to harm them and to vex them, but the land is to remain that family’s for it is the possession which G-d gave them. This subject is mentioned in Agadoth [homilies],260See at the end of his notes to Rambam’s Sefer Hamitzvoth where Ramban quotes many of these Midrashim. Bereshith Rabbah,261Bereshith Rabbah 74:13. and in Midrash Tehilim.262Midrash Tehilim 60:1.
In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, the purport of the verse Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity is as if to say, “Although they are members of your family, and your father Abraham loved their father as his brother, that sucked the breasts of his mother,263Song of Songs 8:1. yet you should not act towards them like brothers seeking their peace and prosperity, for it is they who have broken the covenant of brotherhood;264See Zechariah 11:14. let it remain broken forever.” Thus G-d guarded for Lot’s children the merit of their father who accompanied His prophet [Abraham] on the path where G-d sent him. Therefore He gave them an inheritance from Abraham’s possession265See Ramban above, 2:10. and He punished his children for their sin that they could not become attached to Israel. Similarly He banned the Egyptians for three generations266Verse 9. I.e., the third generation of an Egyptian [or Edomite] proselyte may marry into the congregation of Israel. See text at the end of this section. because of their wickedness in bringing upon us many evils and troubles,267Further, 31:17. but He did not abhor them forever because we were strangers in their land where we found refuge with them in days of famine through the honor they showed our father [Jacob], and they appointed over themselves a chief and ruler from among us. So also did He do with the Edomites. He preserved the merit of the ancestors for them since they were of holy seed,268See Ramban above, 2:4. but he banned them for three generations266Verse 9. I.e., the third generation of an Egyptian [or Edomite] proselyte may marry into the congregation of Israel. See text at the end of this section. because they came forth against us with the sword and they remembered not the brotherly covenant.269Amos 1:9. Now, the tradition of our Rabbis270Yebamoth 78a. is that the third generation does not mean “the third generation from the days of Moses” but when one of them [Edomites or Egyptians] becomes a proselyte his third generation [i.e., his grandchild] may enter into the assembly of the Eternal.
It appears to me that Scripture has forever forbidden war against Ammon and Moab, and the verse stating, neither contend with them251Above, 2:9 (Moab); 19 (Ammon). was not only a temporary command, but a negative commandment for the generations. It is for this [reason] that He said, because I have given it unto the children of Lot for a possession.252Ibid., Verse 19. Thus their land belongs to them forever because it is the possession that G-d gave them. If so, the verse here stating, Thou shalt not seek their peace commands that if we wage war against them over a city which they captured from other peoples, that we are not to proclaim peace to them. Similarly, if they invaded our Land we are permitted to pursue them and capture cities from them, to smite the inhabitants of those cities who harmed us, as Jephtah did [of whom it is said], And he smote them from Aroer until thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities.253Judges 11:33. David also did so to all the cities of the children of Ammon254II Samuel 12:31. because they “breached the fence” first and warred against him. In that event we need not to proclaim peace to them and we may smite those fighting us in every city, the men, and the women, and the little ones255Above, 2:34. if we wish. Thus the Rabbis have said in Midrash Rabbah:256Bamidbar Rabbah 21:7. “And ye shall smite every fortified city, and every choice city, and shall fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water.257II Kings 3:19. These were the words of the prophet Elisha to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, and Jehoram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, when they battled Moab. They [i.e., Jehoshaphat king of Judah and Jehoram king of Israel] said to him [Elisha]. ‘Scripture states, Thou shalt not destroy the trees thereof,258Above, 20:19. and you say thus [destroy them]!’ He [Elisha] said to them: ‘Scripture commanded this with respect to all peoples, but this one is minor and despised,’ as it is said, And this is but a light thing in the sight of the Eternal, and He will deliver the Moabites into your hand,259II Kings 3:18. for it is said, Thou shalt not seek their peace ‘v’tovatham’ (nor their good), this alluding to the ‘good trees.’” Now, all this is to harm them and to vex them, but the land is to remain that family’s for it is the possession which G-d gave them. This subject is mentioned in Agadoth [homilies],260See at the end of his notes to Rambam’s Sefer Hamitzvoth where Ramban quotes many of these Midrashim. Bereshith Rabbah,261Bereshith Rabbah 74:13. and in Midrash Tehilim.262Midrash Tehilim 60:1.
In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, the purport of the verse Thou shalt not seek their peace nor their prosperity is as if to say, “Although they are members of your family, and your father Abraham loved their father as his brother, that sucked the breasts of his mother,263Song of Songs 8:1. yet you should not act towards them like brothers seeking their peace and prosperity, for it is they who have broken the covenant of brotherhood;264See Zechariah 11:14. let it remain broken forever.” Thus G-d guarded for Lot’s children the merit of their father who accompanied His prophet [Abraham] on the path where G-d sent him. Therefore He gave them an inheritance from Abraham’s possession265See Ramban above, 2:10. and He punished his children for their sin that they could not become attached to Israel. Similarly He banned the Egyptians for three generations266Verse 9. I.e., the third generation of an Egyptian [or Edomite] proselyte may marry into the congregation of Israel. See text at the end of this section. because of their wickedness in bringing upon us many evils and troubles,267Further, 31:17. but He did not abhor them forever because we were strangers in their land where we found refuge with them in days of famine through the honor they showed our father [Jacob], and they appointed over themselves a chief and ruler from among us. So also did He do with the Edomites. He preserved the merit of the ancestors for them since they were of holy seed,268See Ramban above, 2:4. but he banned them for three generations266Verse 9. I.e., the third generation of an Egyptian [or Edomite] proselyte may marry into the congregation of Israel. See text at the end of this section. because they came forth against us with the sword and they remembered not the brotherly covenant.269Amos 1:9. Now, the tradition of our Rabbis270Yebamoth 78a. is that the third generation does not mean “the third generation from the days of Moses” but when one of them [Edomites or Egyptians] becomes a proselyte his third generation [i.e., his grandchild] may enter into the assembly of the Eternal.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויפול על צוארי בנימין אחיות, “he fell on the neck of his brother Binyamin.” The verse tells us that Joseph embraced Binyamin and Binyamin embraced his brother Joseph by each one falling on the other’s neck, a customary gesture amongst brothers who wanted to demonstrate their fondness for each other. Solomon refers to such an embrace in Song of Songs 8,1 when he wrote: “if only I could embrace you as I would embrace a brother who has nursed at my mother’s breast.” The intimate relations between brothers of the same mother are also spelled out in the Torah in Deut. 13,7 where the Torah describes a secret seduction to idolatrous practices by someone who is the brother of the second party by the same mother.” Evidently, the Torah considers the bond between two sons of the same mother as stronger than a similar bond by two sons of the same father. The reason our verse refers to צוארי, i.e. “two necks,” is that a person’s “neck” consists of two parts known as עורף and גרון respectively. Jeremiah 2,27 distinguishes between עורף and פנים, the rear of the neck and the part of the neck facing forward. The sides of the neck are also known as צואר.
Rabbeinu Bahya
ויפגשהו בהר האלו-הים וישק לו, “he met him at the Mountain of G’d and he kissed him.” Tanchuma Shemot 27 comments on our verse that it is a perfect illustration of Song of Songs 8,1: “If only it could be as with a brother, as if you had nursed at my mother’s breast; then I could kiss you.” We also have a verse in Psalms 85,11: “love (kindness) and truth meet; justice and well-being kiss.” The word “kindness” is a metaphor describing Aaron of whom the Torah wrote (Deut. 33,8) “Your Tumim and Urim for your devout and loving man.” The word “truth” is a metaphor for Moses of whom G’d said (Numbers 12,6) “he is trusted in My entire house (because he is so truthful).” Moses is also described as the personification of צדק, righteousness, in Deut. 33,21 “he carried out G’d’s righteousness,” whereas Aaron personified שלום, peace, as we know from Malachi 2,6 “in peace (harmony) and equity he walked with Me.”