Tafsiran yang Mengutip untuk Kejadian 31:52

on shushan eduth, a michtam of David, to teach (Addendum: Michtam is an expression of (Song 5: 11), “as finest gold (כתם פז),” a coveted thing. Our Sages, however, expounded this as referring to David, who behaved as a humble (מך) and innocent man, even when he occupied the throne. Another Aggadah explains that his wound (מכתו) was perfect (תמה), i.e., he was born circumcised (Sotah 10b). Michtam of David concerning the testimony of the Sanhedrin, who were compared to a rose (שושן), as it is stated (Song 7:3): “Your navel is like a round basin, etc., fenced in with roses,” when he required that they teach him what to do. When he fought with Aram Naharaim and sent Joab against them, they said to Joab, “Aren’t you of the sons of Jacob? Where is the oath that he swore to Laban, ‘this pile is a witness’” (Gen. 31:52)? And he did not know what to answer. He came to David and said to David, “This is what the Arameans said to me.” They went and asked the Sanhedrin, [who] replied to them, “Did they not transgress the oath first, as it is stated (Num. 23:7): ‘From Aram has Balak king of Moab brought me’? Moreover, Cushan-Rishathaim was an Aramean.”

THIS IS THE SIGN OF THE COVENANT WHICH I MAKE. It would appear from this sign that the rainbow in the cloud was not part of creation and that now G-d created a new thing by making a rainbow in the heavens on a cloudy day. Now commentators have said²¹³I have found this opinion in Chizkuni. concerning the meaning of this sign that He has not made the rainbow with its feet bent upward because it might have appeared that arrows were being shot from heaven, as in the verse, And He sent out his arrows and scattered them²¹⁴Psalms 18:15. on the earth. Instead He made it the opposite of this — [with the feet bent downward] — in order to show that they are not shooting at the earth from the heavens. It is indeed the way of warriors to invert the instruments of war which they hold in their hands when calling for peace from their opponents. Moreover, [with the feet of the bow being turned downward towards the earth, it can be seen] that the bow has no rope upon which to bend the arrows.
We must perforce believe the words of the Greek [philosophers who maintain] that the rainbow is a natural result of the heat of the sun falling upon damp air for even in a vessel containing water which stands in the sun there is the appearance of the rainbow. When contemplating the language of Scripture we will understand that it is so, for He said, I have set My bow in the cloud,²¹⁵Verse 13 here. [the use of the past tense indicating that He had already set it so from the beginning and it is not a new creation]. He did not say, “I set in the cloud,” even as He said, This is the sign of the covenant which I make. Moreover, the word kashti (My bow) — [in the possessive form] — indicates that He possessed the bow previously. Therefore, we shall explain the verse thus: “The rainbow which I have set in the clouds from the day of creation will be from this day on a sign of covenant between Me and you; whenever I will see it I will remember that there is a covenant of peace between Me and you.”
And should you want to know how the rainbow can be a sign, the answer is that it has the same meaning as the verse, This stone-heap be witness, and this pillar be witness;²¹⁶Genesis 31:52. likewise, For these seven ewe-lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that it may be a witness unto me.²¹⁷Ibid., 21:30. Every visible object that is set before two parties to remind them of a matter that they have vowed between them is called a “sign,” and every agreement is called a “covenant.” Similarly, in the case of circumcision, He said, And it shall be a token of a covenant between Me and you,²¹⁸Ibid., 17:11. because of the agreement that all seed of Abraham be circumcised to serve Him with one consent.²¹⁹Zephaniah 3:9. Moreover, when the above-mentioned rainbow is seen in its inverted form, [namely, with the feet of the bow turned downward], it is a reminder of peace, as we have written. Thus, whether the bow was a newly established phenomenon or one that always existed in nature, the significance thereof as a sign is the same.
Our Rabbis however have a profound secret in this section. They have said in Bereshith Rabbah:²²⁰35:3. “I have set ‘kashti’ (My bow) in the cloud.²¹⁵Verse 13 here. This means, ‘My likeness, that which resembles Me.’ But is that possible? It is possible only as the straw resembles the fruit.
And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth.²²¹Verse 14 here. Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Yehudah the son of Rabbi Shimon, ‘This is like one who had in his hand some heated flour which he wanted to cast upon his son, but [because of his compassion for him] he cast it upon his servant.’”²²²In the same way, when the generation is wicked and deserves destruction, G-d instead punishes the fruit of the earth. There in Bereshith Rabbah it also says:²²³35:4. “And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between G-d²²⁴Verse 16 here. — this alludes to the attribute of Justice on high. And every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth²²⁴Verse 16 here. — this alludes to the attribute of justice on earth. The heavenly attribute of justice is stern; the earthly one is sparing.” And you already know the saying of the Rabbis concerning one who gazes at the rainbow:²²⁵Chagigah 16a. “Whosoever takes no thought for the honor of his Maker would have been better off had he not come into the world.” And if you will be worthy to understand the words of the Rabbis, you will know that the explanation of the verses is as follows: My bow — [kashti shares a common root with the word kasheh (hard, stern)] — which is symbolic of the attribute of justice, set in the cloud, shall be at the time of judgment for a token of the covenant.²¹⁵Verse 13 here.

את קשתי נתתי בענן, “I have placed My bow in the cloud, etc.” The plain meaning of these words is that the rainbow is to serve as a sign just as when Yaakov and Lavan erected a mound (pile of stones) as a monument, i.e. a symbol of their treaty in Genesis 31,52. Another example of such a symbol is found when Avraham and Avimelech concluded a treaty in Genesis 21,30 and Avraham set aside seven sheep to serve as a visible symbol of their treaty, (as testimony that he had dug the well). Any symbol which is displayed in front to two partners to a treaty or agreement is called אות, “sign.” This is particularly evident when the removal of the foreskin is referred to as the “sign,” אות, of the covenant between G-d and the Jewish people Genesis 17,11. Just as circumcision is the symbol of a special relationship between Avraham and his descendants and G-d, so the rainbow was a symbol of a new relationship between G-d and mankind which would preclude the recurrence of a deluge. The word נתתי, “I gave or I have given,” may either mean that G-d placed the rainbow in the sky now or that He had done so much previously, in fact before the deluge, at the time of creation; but at that time there had not been a covenantal significance to that phenomenon.
There can be no doubt that the phenomenon of the rainbow as a symbol of the new relationship between man and G-d was meant to reassure man that there would not again be a deluge on earth. The word נתתי may be translated as “I have sworn.” When G-d bestows a gift upon people it is sufficient for Him to say so; there is no need for G-d to confirm this by an oath. We have proof of this when G-d promised the land of Canaan to Avraham and his descendants as an inheritance. He did not do so by swearing an oath; He simply said לזרעך נתתי את הארץ הזאת, “to your descendants I have given this land (Genesis 15,18).” When G-d refers to this gift on future occasions He refers to an oath (Numbers 14,23, Deut. 34,4 etc.) although we never find that He accompanied the promise with an oath. We may therefore understand the word נתתי, “I have given,” as “I have sworn. “This is also the reason why Isaiah 54, 9 could say כי מי נח זאת לי אשר נשבעתי, ”for this is for Me just like the waters of the time of Noach, concerning which I have sworn, etc.”
While it is true that some of our sages (Shevuot 36) have used this passage to prove that when the Torah quotes G-d as saying “no” twice in the same verse this is equivalent to an oath as the Torah writes in verse 11 ולא יכרת כל בשר עוד ממי המבול ולא יהיה עוד מבול לשחת הארץ “and all flesh will not again be destroyed by the waters of a deluge, nor will there be another deluge to destroy the earth,” the words of the Torah are like fire and may be divided into yielding many different meanings. You will observe that Onkelos translates the words (Genesis 15,18) “לזרעך נתתי as יהבית “I have given,” whereas in our verse he translates נתתי as “יהבית also. as “I have given.” Whereas in Genesis 15,18 G-d had only promised that He would give something to Avram’s descendants, we would have expected Him to say “I will give,” especially since, at the time, Avram did not yet have any descendants.” However, the point the Torah and Onkelos wanted to make was that when G-d promises someone a gift in the future the Torah describes it as if it had been given already as when G-d promises He will surely keep His promise.
We have a similar situation when Avraham purchased the cave of Machpelah from Efron in Genesis 23,13 where Avraham speaks of the money for that cave in these words: נתתי כסף השדה קח ממני, “I have given the money for the field, take it from me!” (actually Avraham had not yet “given: the money as yet). Onkelos therefore correctly translates the word נתתי when spoken by Avraham (a mortal human being) as אתן, “I am going to give.” This is so in spite of the fact that Avraham was already holding the money in his hands, and he had no intention of changing his mind.. However, there is a difference between a promise by a human being even someone of the calibre of Avraham and that of a promise by G-d. G-d does not go back on a promise; hence it may be described as if it had already been fulfilled. The lesson is that when the Torah speaks of something G-d will do in the past tense this merely confirms that the promise was unconditional.