Le Deutéronome 23:8 Commentaire : Rashi, Chizkuni, Da'at Zekenim & Rabbeinu Bahya

לא תתעב אדמי THOU SHALT NOT ABHOR AN EDOMITE utterly, although it would be proper for you to abhor him because he came out against thee with the sword (Numbers 20:18—20).

לא תתעב אדומי ומצרי, “do not abhor an Edomite for he is your brother, nor an Egyptian for you were a stranger in his land” [in the days of Joseph when no other country was able to provide food and for many years thereafter until they became slaves. Ed.] This verse is written here as the members of these nations could not marry a Jew or Jewess until the third generation after their conversion.

לא תתעב אדומי, “do not abhor an Edomite.” Some commentators see in this command a warning that although the Edomites had acted towards the Israelites in an extremely hostile manner when the latter came out of Egypt and they denied them the right of passage, they had, however, let them buy food or drink from them, as distinct from Sichon who had not. This is why the Torah in Deuteronomy 2,29 refers to this. Moav, though their founding father Lot had been the recipient of acts of kindness by Avraham his uncle, had denied any assistance to the Jewish people at that time. (Judges 11,17). An alternate interpretation is that although Edom had not allowed the Israelites to pass through its territory, the fact that they were cousins, Israel having been a brother of their founding father Esau, was reason enough not to abhor them.

לא תתעב מצרי THOU SHALT NOT ABHOR AN EGYPTIAN all in all (utterly), although they cast your male children into the river. And what is the reason that you should not abhor him utterly? Because they were your hosts in time of need (during Joseph’s reign when the neighbouring countries suffered from famine); therefore although they sinned against you do not utterly abhor him, but —