פירוש על בראשית 49:10
Rashi on Genesis
לא יסור שבט מיהודה THE SCEPTRE SHALL NOT DEPART FROM JUDAH — Even after the house of David ceases to reign. For this refers to the Chiefs of the Exile in Babylon who ruled over the people with the rod (שבט) having been appointed by the government (Sanhedrin 5a; Horayot 11b).
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Ramban on Genesis
THE SCEPTRE SHALL NOT DEPART FROM JUDAH. Its purport is not that the sceptre of royalty shall never depart from Judah, for it is written, The Eternal will bring thee, and thy king whom thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation that thou hast not known, thou nor thy fathers,122Deuteronomy 28:36. with the result that the people and their king will be in exile, devoid of royalty and nobility, and for a long time there has not been a king in Israel! The prophet Jacob did not assure Israel that they would not enter captivity under any circumstances because Judah would rule over them. Instead, the purport of the verse before us is that the sceptre shall not depart from Judah to any of his brothers, for the king of Israel, who will rule over them, will be from the tribe of Judah, and none of his brothers will rule over him. The same meaning applies to the expression, there shall not depart a lawgiver from between his feet, which means that every lawgiver in Israel who carries the king’s signet shall be from Judah. It is he who will rule and command in all Israel, and he will have the seal of royalty until the coming of his son, who [will have] the obedience of all people, to do with all as he pleases, this being a reference to the Messiah. “The sceptre” is thus an allusion to David, who was the first king to have the sceptre of royalty, and “Shiloh”123Ad ki yavo Shiloh, “until Shiloh come, and his be the obedience of peoples.” is his son, who will have the obedience of the peoples.
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra’s assertion that “Shiloh” is a reference to David is impossible for Judah never possessed a royal sceptre prior to David. And even though the tribe of Judah was honored and marched first in the desert,124See Numbers 2:9. the word sheivet (sceptre) applies only to a king or prince, as it is written: A sceptre (‘sheivet’) of equity is the sceptre of thy kingdom;125Psalms 45:7. the sceptre of the rulers;126Isaiah 14:5. a sceptre to rule.127Ezekiel 19:14.
Now this verse before us alludes to the fact that Jacob made the tribe of Judah king over his brothers and bequeathed to Judah sovereignty over Israel. This is what David said: And the Eternal, the G-d of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever; for He has chosen Judah to be prince, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.128I Chronicles 28:4.
Jacob said, It shall not depart, in order to allude to the fact that another tribe129Benjamin, for Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. will rule over Israel, but once the sceptre of royalty comes to Judah it will not depart from him to another tribe. This is the intent of the verse, For the Eternal, the G-d of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, to him and to his sons.130II Chronicles 13:5. The reason for Saul [being appointed the first king over Israel] was that the request for royalty at that time was distasteful to the Holy One, blessed be He.131See I Samuel 8:5-9. Ramban will explain why the people’s request for a king was unpleasing to G-d “at that time.” He did not wish to appoint a king over them from the tribe to whom royalty belonged and from whom it was never to depart. He therefore granted them a temporary royalty. It is this which Scripture alludes to when it says, I give thee a king in Mine anger, and take him away in My wrath.132Hosea 13:11. Having given him unwillingly, He therefore removed him in His wrath, as he and his children were killed133I Samuel 31:6. and his royal line was interrupted. The reason for all this was that at this time Samuel was judge and prophet who was fighting their battles according to the word of G-d, saving them in times of trouble, and it was improper for them to request a king during his lifetime, even as Samuel said to them, And the Eternal your G-d is your king,134Ibid., 12:12. and Scripture further states, They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not be king over them.135Ibid., 8:7. It was for this reason that He did not grant them permanent royalty. The verse stating, Thou hast done foolishly; thou hast not kept the commandment of the Eternal thy G-d, which He commanded thee; for now would the Eternal have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever,136Ibid., 13:13. This verse clearly indicates that had Saul not sinned, his kingdom would have endured forever, which seems contrary to Ramban’s above thesis. Ramban’s answer is stated in the text. means that had not Saul sinned, his descendants would have had sovereignty over some part of Israel, but not over all. This is the meaning of [the expression], upon Israel, [rather than “upon all Israel].” Perhaps Saul would have reigned over the tribes that were descended from his mother,137Rachel. Joseph and Benjamin were her sons, and the tribes of Benjamin, Ephraim and Menasheh were her descendants. namely, Benjamin, Ephraim and Menasheh, as Judah and Ephraim were considered as two nations in Israel.138There would then have been no contradiction between the permanent sovereignty of both Saul and David, as Judah and Ephraim are separate nations. Or again, Saul might have been king, subject to the king of Judah.
In my opinion, the kings from other tribes, who ruled over Israel after David, went against the wish of their father Jacob by diverting the inheritance of Judah to another tribe. Now they relied on the word of Achiyah the Shilonite, the prophet who anointed139We do not find in Scripture that Jeroboam was anointed king. But see Horayoth 11 b, where it is stated that kings of Israel were anointed although not with the Oil of Anointment prepared by Moses. Jeroboam, who said, And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not forever.140I Kings 11:39. But when [the ten tribes of] Israel continued to crown kings one after another of the rest of the tribes, and they did not revert to the kingdom of Judah, they transgressed the testament of the ancestor, and they were accordingly punished, just as Hosea said, They have set up kings, but not from Me.141Hosea 8:4.
This was also the reason for the punishment of the Hasmoneans, who reigned during the Second Temple. They were saints of the Most High, without whom the learning of Torah and the observance of Commandments would have been forgotten in Israel, and despite this, they suffered such great punishment. The four sons142Judah the Maccabee, Elazar, Jonathan and Shimon, were all slain by the sword. of the old Hasmonean Matithyahu, saintly men who ruled one after another, in spite of all their prowess and success, fell by the sword of their enemies. And ultimately the punishment reached the stage where our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said:143Baba Bathra 3b. “He who says, ‘I come from the house of the Hasmoneans,’ is a slave,” as they were all destroyed on account of this sin.144The Hasmoneans were priests of the tribe of Levi. By assuming the crown of royalty, they transgressed the command of Jacob, who said as long as royalty exists in Israel it should not be removed from the tribe of Judah. All this is elucidated by Ramban further in the text. Now although among the children of Shimon, there was cause for punishment on account of the Sadducees,145Reference here is to Yochanan Hyrcanus, son of Shimon, who towards the end of his long reign became a member of the sect of the Sadducees, who, in opposition to the Pharisees, denied the Oral Traditions. See Kiddushin 66a. all the children of the righteous Matithyahu the Hasmonean were deposed for this only: they ruled even though they were not of the seed of Judah and of the house of David, and thus they completely removed “the sceptre” and “the lawgiver” from Judah. And their punishment was measure for measure, as the Holy One, blessed be He, caused their slaves146A reference to King Herod. to rule over them, and it is they who destroyed them.
It is also possible that, [in addition to the Hasmoneans having sinned for assuming royalty when they were not of the tribe of Judah], they sinned in ruling on account of their being priests, who have been commanded: Guard your priesthood in everything that pertaineth to the altar, and to within the veil; and ye shall serve; I give you the priesthood as a service of gift.147Numbers 18:7. Thus it was not for them to rule, but only to perform the Service of G-d.
In Tractate Horayoth of the Jerusalem Talmud1483:2. I have seen the following text: “We do not anoint priests as kings. Rabbi Yehudah Anturya said that this is on account of the verse, The sceptre shall not depart from Judah. Rabbi Chiya the son of Rabbi Abba said [that Scripture states concerning the king], To the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.149Deuteronomy 17:20. Now what is written afterwards? The priests the Levites … shall have no portion.”150Ibid., 18:1. Thus taeching by juxtaposition that the priests are not to act as kings. Thus the Sages have taught here that kings are not to be anointed from among the priests, the sons of Aaron. Now at first the above text explains that this is out of respect for the tribe of Judah since sovereignty is not to depart from that tribe. Therefore, even if Israel, out of temporary necessity, raises a king over itself from the other tribes, he is not to be anointed so that the glory of royalty should not be upon him. Instead, such kings are to be merely as judges or officers. The reason for mentioning “priests” [when the same stricture applies to all tribes other than Judah] is that even though the priests as such are suited for anointment,151For any priest who is designated as the High Priest enters upon his new duties through anointment (Horayoth 11 b). we are not to anoint them as kings, and the moreso the rest of the tribes. It is as the Rabbis said in the Gemara:152Horayoth 11b. The principle is mentioned there, but Ramban’s quote follows the text of Rambam (Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Melachim I, 10). we are to anoint only the kings of the house of David.153See Note 139 above. And Rabbi Chiya the son of Rabbi Abba, [who in the above text from the Jerusalem Talmud based the law upon a verse in the book of Deuteronomy], explained that anointing priests as kings is forbidden by a law of the Torah, which says that the priests the Levites, even all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance154Deuteronomy 18:1. in royalty. This comment is a matter which is fitting and proper.
Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra’s assertion that “Shiloh” is a reference to David is impossible for Judah never possessed a royal sceptre prior to David. And even though the tribe of Judah was honored and marched first in the desert,124See Numbers 2:9. the word sheivet (sceptre) applies only to a king or prince, as it is written: A sceptre (‘sheivet’) of equity is the sceptre of thy kingdom;125Psalms 45:7. the sceptre of the rulers;126Isaiah 14:5. a sceptre to rule.127Ezekiel 19:14.
Now this verse before us alludes to the fact that Jacob made the tribe of Judah king over his brothers and bequeathed to Judah sovereignty over Israel. This is what David said: And the Eternal, the G-d of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever; for He has chosen Judah to be prince, and in the house of Judah, the house of my father, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.128I Chronicles 28:4.
Jacob said, It shall not depart, in order to allude to the fact that another tribe129Benjamin, for Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin. will rule over Israel, but once the sceptre of royalty comes to Judah it will not depart from him to another tribe. This is the intent of the verse, For the Eternal, the G-d of Israel, gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, to him and to his sons.130II Chronicles 13:5. The reason for Saul [being appointed the first king over Israel] was that the request for royalty at that time was distasteful to the Holy One, blessed be He.131See I Samuel 8:5-9. Ramban will explain why the people’s request for a king was unpleasing to G-d “at that time.” He did not wish to appoint a king over them from the tribe to whom royalty belonged and from whom it was never to depart. He therefore granted them a temporary royalty. It is this which Scripture alludes to when it says, I give thee a king in Mine anger, and take him away in My wrath.132Hosea 13:11. Having given him unwillingly, He therefore removed him in His wrath, as he and his children were killed133I Samuel 31:6. and his royal line was interrupted. The reason for all this was that at this time Samuel was judge and prophet who was fighting their battles according to the word of G-d, saving them in times of trouble, and it was improper for them to request a king during his lifetime, even as Samuel said to them, And the Eternal your G-d is your king,134Ibid., 12:12. and Scripture further states, They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not be king over them.135Ibid., 8:7. It was for this reason that He did not grant them permanent royalty. The verse stating, Thou hast done foolishly; thou hast not kept the commandment of the Eternal thy G-d, which He commanded thee; for now would the Eternal have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever,136Ibid., 13:13. This verse clearly indicates that had Saul not sinned, his kingdom would have endured forever, which seems contrary to Ramban’s above thesis. Ramban’s answer is stated in the text. means that had not Saul sinned, his descendants would have had sovereignty over some part of Israel, but not over all. This is the meaning of [the expression], upon Israel, [rather than “upon all Israel].” Perhaps Saul would have reigned over the tribes that were descended from his mother,137Rachel. Joseph and Benjamin were her sons, and the tribes of Benjamin, Ephraim and Menasheh were her descendants. namely, Benjamin, Ephraim and Menasheh, as Judah and Ephraim were considered as two nations in Israel.138There would then have been no contradiction between the permanent sovereignty of both Saul and David, as Judah and Ephraim are separate nations. Or again, Saul might have been king, subject to the king of Judah.
In my opinion, the kings from other tribes, who ruled over Israel after David, went against the wish of their father Jacob by diverting the inheritance of Judah to another tribe. Now they relied on the word of Achiyah the Shilonite, the prophet who anointed139We do not find in Scripture that Jeroboam was anointed king. But see Horayoth 11 b, where it is stated that kings of Israel were anointed although not with the Oil of Anointment prepared by Moses. Jeroboam, who said, And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not forever.140I Kings 11:39. But when [the ten tribes of] Israel continued to crown kings one after another of the rest of the tribes, and they did not revert to the kingdom of Judah, they transgressed the testament of the ancestor, and they were accordingly punished, just as Hosea said, They have set up kings, but not from Me.141Hosea 8:4.
This was also the reason for the punishment of the Hasmoneans, who reigned during the Second Temple. They were saints of the Most High, without whom the learning of Torah and the observance of Commandments would have been forgotten in Israel, and despite this, they suffered such great punishment. The four sons142Judah the Maccabee, Elazar, Jonathan and Shimon, were all slain by the sword. of the old Hasmonean Matithyahu, saintly men who ruled one after another, in spite of all their prowess and success, fell by the sword of their enemies. And ultimately the punishment reached the stage where our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said:143Baba Bathra 3b. “He who says, ‘I come from the house of the Hasmoneans,’ is a slave,” as they were all destroyed on account of this sin.144The Hasmoneans were priests of the tribe of Levi. By assuming the crown of royalty, they transgressed the command of Jacob, who said as long as royalty exists in Israel it should not be removed from the tribe of Judah. All this is elucidated by Ramban further in the text. Now although among the children of Shimon, there was cause for punishment on account of the Sadducees,145Reference here is to Yochanan Hyrcanus, son of Shimon, who towards the end of his long reign became a member of the sect of the Sadducees, who, in opposition to the Pharisees, denied the Oral Traditions. See Kiddushin 66a. all the children of the righteous Matithyahu the Hasmonean were deposed for this only: they ruled even though they were not of the seed of Judah and of the house of David, and thus they completely removed “the sceptre” and “the lawgiver” from Judah. And their punishment was measure for measure, as the Holy One, blessed be He, caused their slaves146A reference to King Herod. to rule over them, and it is they who destroyed them.
It is also possible that, [in addition to the Hasmoneans having sinned for assuming royalty when they were not of the tribe of Judah], they sinned in ruling on account of their being priests, who have been commanded: Guard your priesthood in everything that pertaineth to the altar, and to within the veil; and ye shall serve; I give you the priesthood as a service of gift.147Numbers 18:7. Thus it was not for them to rule, but only to perform the Service of G-d.
In Tractate Horayoth of the Jerusalem Talmud1483:2. I have seen the following text: “We do not anoint priests as kings. Rabbi Yehudah Anturya said that this is on account of the verse, The sceptre shall not depart from Judah. Rabbi Chiya the son of Rabbi Abba said [that Scripture states concerning the king], To the end that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.149Deuteronomy 17:20. Now what is written afterwards? The priests the Levites … shall have no portion.”150Ibid., 18:1. Thus taeching by juxtaposition that the priests are not to act as kings. Thus the Sages have taught here that kings are not to be anointed from among the priests, the sons of Aaron. Now at first the above text explains that this is out of respect for the tribe of Judah since sovereignty is not to depart from that tribe. Therefore, even if Israel, out of temporary necessity, raises a king over itself from the other tribes, he is not to be anointed so that the glory of royalty should not be upon him. Instead, such kings are to be merely as judges or officers. The reason for mentioning “priests” [when the same stricture applies to all tribes other than Judah] is that even though the priests as such are suited for anointment,151For any priest who is designated as the High Priest enters upon his new duties through anointment (Horayoth 11 b). we are not to anoint them as kings, and the moreso the rest of the tribes. It is as the Rabbis said in the Gemara:152Horayoth 11b. The principle is mentioned there, but Ramban’s quote follows the text of Rambam (Mishneh Torah, Hilchoth Melachim I, 10). we are to anoint only the kings of the house of David.153See Note 139 above. And Rabbi Chiya the son of Rabbi Abba, [who in the above text from the Jerusalem Talmud based the law upon a verse in the book of Deuteronomy], explained that anointing priests as kings is forbidden by a law of the Torah, which says that the priests the Levites, even all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion nor inheritance154Deuteronomy 18:1. in royalty. This comment is a matter which is fitting and proper.
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Rashbam on Genesis
לא יסור שבט מיהודה, the position of royalty which all his 12 brothers bestowed on him, i.e. that they all prostrate themselves before him, will not be removed from him until Shiloh. Yehudah, i.e. King Rechavam of Yehudah son of Solomon who wanted to confirm his ascendancy to the throne in Shilo, which is very close to Shechem. (Kings I 12) [In the event, his stupidity in listening to inexperienced irresponsible counselors lost him most of his kingdom so that he ruled only over Yehudah and Binyamin. Ed.]
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