Comentario citado sobre Deuteronómio 33:22

ומקצה אחיו SOME OF HIS BRETHREN — Some of the inferior ones amongst them as to strength — of those who did not look robust. For should Pharaoh find them to be robust men he might press them for military service. The weaker brethren were as follows: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Issachar and Benjamin, and it was they whose names Moses did not repeat when he blessed them. But the names of the strong ones he mentioned twice: (Deuteronomy 33:7) “And this is for Judah ... hear, Eternal, the voice of Judah”; (Deuteronomy 33:20) “And of Gad he said, Blessed he lie that extendeth Gad”; (Deuteronomy 33:25) “And of Naphtali he said, Naphtali ...” (Deuteronomy 33:22). “And of Dan he said Dan . . .”, and in like manner he repeated the names of Zebulun (Deuteronomy 33:18) and of Asher (Deuteronomy 33:24). This is the version of Genesis Rabbah 95:4 which is a Palestinian Agada. But in our Babylonian Talmud we find that those whose names Moses mentioned twice were the weaker of the brethren and it was these whom he (Joseph) brought before Pharaoh. But six are enumerated above as having their names mentioned twice and he brought only five before Pharaoh. The explanation is that it is true that Judah’s name is mentioned twice, but it is mentioned twice not because he was one of the weaker brethren, but there is another reason for this, as is stated in Bava Kamma 92a. In the Baraitha of Siphre on וזאת הברכה we have the same version as in our Babylonian Talmud.

“Therefore she called his name Dan.” Everyone about whom “therefore” [al ken] is mentioned had a large population, except for the tribe of Levi because the Ark would diminish them. Know that the phrase “therefore” is only mentioned regarding Levi, Judah, and Dan, for in the multitude of people is the king’s glory. Judah is a lion cub, from him comes the majesty of kingship, and Dan shall judge his people — he will take vengeance for his people as one of the tribes of Israel, like King David, the chosen among the tribes. One who takes vengeance for his people also needs a large population. For this reason it says Dan is a lion cub (Deuteronomy 33:22), comparing him to David who was also likened to a lion cub. The tribe of Levi possessed both the crown of Torah and the crown of priesthood, as Moses received the Torah and Aaron the priesthood. All the more so it would have been fitting for the tribe of Levi to be numerous since from them came the servants of our God, and in the multitude of people is their glory, but the Ark diminished them. Some say that because they were close to the Ark, they separated from their wives and therefore did not multiply as much. Others question this, since they were few even before they were given the task of carrying the Ark. Therefore, some explain that this refers to Jacob’s coffin, but this explanation is unnecessary. For it was actually the Holy Ark that was the cause, because Levi was destined to carry the Holy Ark. Therefore Jacob said Levi should not carry his coffin because in the future he would carry the Holy Ark. Consequently, the Egyptians showed respect to the tribe of Levi because they saw that Jacob honored them, and therefore the Egyptians did not enslave them and they were not included in the lest they multiply decree, and thus were also not included in the so did they multiply blessing. The reason being that all who were included in the lest they multiply decree, whom the Egyptians sought to diminish through oppression and affliction, the Holy One needed to show them that all their wisdom could not stand against God’s will, and He made them multiply supernaturally. But the tribe of Levi, who were not subjected to Egyptian oppression and whom they did not seek to diminish, God did not need to multiply them against nature, therefore they were not as numerous. It appears that for this reason also the tribe of Levi were poor and had no inheritance in the land, for all who paid the debt of your descendants will be strangers… and they will oppress them were included in afterwards they will leave with great wealth — this is easy to understand.

wenn [das Blut] herausgespritzt. זינק = den Atem hervorstossen, wobei das Blut herausspritzt vgl. Deut. 33, 22. Subject ist המסכנת.