פירוש על שמות 9:17

עודך מסתולל בעמי Understand this as the Targum does: THOU TREADEST DOWN MY PEOPLE. The word מסתולל is of the same derivation as מְסִלַּה which we render in the Targum by “a trodden path”: old French caucher. I have already explained at the end of Sedrah ויהי מקץ (see Rashi on Genesis 44:16) that in the case of every word (verb) whose first root letter is ס (or ש), when it is intended to express the idea of acting upon itself (our Hithpael conjugation) one puts the ת of the prefix (הִתְ or מִת or יִתְ etc.) between the root letters, just as in this case, and as in, (Ecclesiastes 12:5) ‘‘and the grasshopper shall drag itself along heavily (ויסתבל)” which is derived from סבל “to carry a load”; (Numbers 16:13) “that thou wouldst make thyself altogether a prince (השתרר תשתרר) over us”, of the same derivation as the word שר in (II Chronicles 32:21) “a prince (שר) and noble”; (Daniel 7:8) ‘‘I was considering (מסתכל)” from the root סכל, “to reflect on.”

מסתולל, the reflexive mode of the verb סלל as in סולו סולו דרך הרימו מכשול, “pave, pave a way and remove every obstacle, etc.,” (Isaiah 62,10). Just as the stones are pressed together to remove them as obstacles, so Pharaoh squeezed the Israelites so that they could not offer any resistance. Compare also Jeremiah 34,11 ויכבשום לעבדים ולשפחות, they “compressed” them into becoming male and female slaves. Concerning the grammatical principles underlying the use of the reflexive conjugation mitpael, every time this conjugation appears it has the letter ת preceding the first root letter, except the ones that have that letter at the end instead of at the beginning. Examples of the former are Psalms 94,4 יתאמרו כל פעלי און Words such as יתברך, יתגדל or in Ezekiel 38,23 והתגדלתי והתקדשתי, or Jeremiah 9,23 יתהלל המתהלל, or מתפלל in Exodus 10,2. The author lists a few more examples, showing that all of the letters of the aleph bet except the 7 letters ד'זט ס'ץ ש'ת, follow this pattern. When the first root letter is either a ש or a ת, the letter ת is appended at the end instead of at the beginning. The exception is a word whose root begins with the letter ס. One such example is our verse, the root being סל. The basic meaning is parallel to Numbers 16,13 תסתרר עלינו, where the word תסתורר is derived from the root שר. In examples such as ישתבח, ישתמר or משתכר, all of which have roots beginning with the letter ש, the letter ת signaling the conjugation התפעל is deferred until after the first root letter. In roots commencing with the letter ז or צ, no such letter ת signaling the reflexive conjugation appears at all. Instead, after the letter צ the letter ט is added to show us that we deal with the reflexive conjugation. Well known examples of these constructions are found in Genesis 44,16 נצטדק from the root צדק, and Joshua 9,12 הצטיידנו from the root ציד, provisions. Concerning the words with the first root letter ז, the letter signaling the reflexive conjugation is a ד, as in Daniel 2,9 הזדמנתון. The letters ד-ט-ת, by themselves when they appear at the beginning of the word, do not get an additional letter to indicate that the construction in which they appear is a reflexive conjugation. A prominent example of this is Numbers 7,89 וישמע את הקול מדבר, where the Torah did not write מתדבר. Another such example is Leviticus 21,4 לא יטמא בעל בעמיו, where because the root טמא begins with the letter ט the Torah did not write יתטמא, although the verb is in the reflexive mode, of course. The same is true in Samuel II 22,27 where the word תתפל in the line ועם עקש תתפל, does not have another letter ת at the beginning in order to signal that the verb is in the reflexive mode. [The author illustrated his point with still more examples, but I think he made his point adequately with the examples I have cited. Ed.]

עודך מסתולל בעמי, “seeing that you still continue to act as an obstacle against My people. etc.” According to Ibn Ezra the word מסתולל has its origin in סלסלה, a word describing something exalted, superior, etc. Pharaoh is accused as still considering himself and his people as superior to the Israelites. The root letters are repeated as originally it would have sufficed to write the word as in סולו לרוכב בערבות, “exalt the One Who rides the highest celestial regions.” (Psalms 68,5) Some commentators understand the word as describing reinforcement as inנשמו מסילות , “the paved (reinforced) highways have become desolate.”(Isaiah 33, 8)

V. 17. סלל .מסתולל, verwandt mit זלל ,צלל ,שלל, Grundbedeutung: dem Niveau des Menschenbereiches entziehen; in der Ebene: שלל, rauben; in die Tiefe: צלל, versinken räumlich, und זלל, begrifflich: an Wert oder Charakter; in die Höhe: סלל, hoch erheben ( — vergl. גנב und כנף —) davon סלם: Leiter, und סל: Korb. הסתולל, sich ungeheuer hoch über dem andern dünken. "Du dünkst dich so wunderhoch über meinem Volk, Ich komme aus der Höhe über dich!"

. עודך מסתולל, “seeing that you still brag about being able to thwart My people,” boasting that you can prevent them from leaving;” The word סולל reminds us of Psalms 68,5, where G-d is extolled as riding the clouds.

למן היום הוסדה, “from the day it was founded;” the letter ה at the end is “weak,” i.e. does not have a dot. [which would have made it a pronoun. Ed.]