פירוש על דברים 33:3

אף חבב עמים YEA, HE LOVED THE PEOPLES — Also He loved the tribes with exceeding love. — Each individual tribe may be termed עם (or גוי), “a people”, for, you see, Benjamin alone was yet to be born when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob, (Genesis 25:11, see Rashi thereon) “A nation and a congregation of nations shall be of you."

APH CHOVEIV AMIM.’ Commentators have explained³⁵It is so explained by Rashi and Ibn Ezra. that the word choveiv is of the Aramaic language [as Onkelos rendered and ye shall be Mine ‘segulah’]:³⁶Exodus 19:5. “and you shall be chavivin (beloved) before Me.” The verse [here] is thus stating: “Yea, He loves Israel which consists of many peoples” [i.e., tribes], similar to what is stated, after thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples.³⁷Judges 5:14. And all His holy ones³⁸In Verse 3 before us. of Israel, namely, the Levites, are in Thy hand,³⁸In Verse 3 before us. for You have brought them near You to encamp around the ark.³⁹Numbers 3:23, and 29, 35, 38.
It appears to me that the word choveiv is from the same root as by hiding ‘b’chubi’ (in my bosom) mine iniquity,⁴⁰Job 31:33. related to the expressions: into an inner chamber ‘l’heichavei’ (to hide thyself);⁴¹II Chronicles 18:24. and there is ‘chevyon’ (the hiding of) His power.⁴²Habakkuk 3:4. He is thus stating [here]: “You are also hiding and protecting with Your hand the peoples — all the holy ones of Israel.” The above-mentioned [phrase] suggests that all the congregation are holy, every one of them,⁴³Numbers 16:3. and G-d protects them with His hand, similar in meaning to the verse, And I have put My words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of My hand,⁴⁴Isaiah 51:16. and like the expression, Thou art my hiding place and my shield.⁴⁵Psalms 119:114. Similarly, and they take counsel against Thy hidden ones.⁴⁶Ibid., 83:4. This alludes to what he said, inasmuch as Thou Eternal art seen face to face, and Thy cloud standeth over them.⁴⁷Numbers 14:14. And similarly he said in the Song [of Ha’azinu], He compassed him about, He cared for him, He kept him as the apple of His eye.⁴⁸Above, 32:10.

אף חובב עמים, he says to G’d that: “I am aware that You are fond of other peoples also, as when You said that the Jewish people are the most precious מכל העמים, from among all the nations, You meant that the species of mankind is something precious to G’d, as our sages said in Avot 3,18 חביב אדם שנברא בצלם, the species of man is especially dear to G’d among all of His creatures, seeing that only man has been created in the image of G’d.” [i.e. there are other nations to which Your relate with fondness. Ed.] כל קדושיו בידיך, You have said that You are holding all Your holy possessions (the Torah) in Your hand [people hold their most precious possessions in their hand, do not entrust them to a briefcase, for instance, which they may deposit somewhere and forget to pick up. Ed.] When You told us in Exodus 19,5 that we are to You an especially precious nation, a kingdom of Priests, You also singled us out as being Your children, (same paragraph in Avot), as well as in Deuteronomy 14,1 “You are children to the Lord your G’d.”