Tafsiran yang Mengutip untuk Ulangan 3:5

מימות יהושע בן נון קורין בט"ו – as it is written (Esther 9:19): “That is why village Jews, who live in unwalled towns observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar…” And when those in unwalled towns [read the Megillah] on the fourteenth [of Adar], we infer from it that those are in walled cities read on the fifteenth [of Adar]. And this is from the time of Joshua [son of Nun], which we derive by analogy from [the usage of the words] פרזי פרזי . It is written here (Esther 9:19): “village Jews” and it is written there (Deuteronomy 3:5): “…apart from a great number of unwalled towns.” Just as there, [it is] from the time of Joshua, so here too, [it is] from the time of Joshua. And they established that cities surrounded by a wall from the days of Joshua, even though they now lack a wall , should read [the Megillah] on the fifteenth [of Adar] like Shushan/Susa, in order to distribute honor to the Land of Israel that was destroyed during the days of Mordecai and Esther, in order that they [residents in the Land of Israel] would read [the Megillah] like those who live in Shushan and would be considered as if they are walled cities, even though right now they are destroyed. And there would be a reminder to the Land of Israel through this miracle, and since Joshua began to fight with the Amalekites first, as it is written (Exodus 17:14): “[Then the LORD said to Moses,] ‘Inscribe this in a document as a reminder to the, and read it aloud to Joshua: [I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven]!’” Therefore, they mention it [Amalek – the ancestors of Haman] from the days of Joshua.

AND MOSES SENT THEM, A THOUSAND OF EVERY TRIBE. He did not send all the members of the army there, although the Midianites were a large people, and their cities were fortified, and very large.⁶⁴Ibid., 13:28. The reason for this is that those who had sinned with the Moabite women were many, and they were not fit to execute the vengeance of the Eternal;⁶⁵Verse 3. therefore they chose those men who were known amongst their tribes as righteous men.⁶⁶See Deuteronomy 1:13. Now Moses did not command them what to do, but merely told them to execute the vengeance of the Eternal on Midian,⁶⁵Verse 3. and he thought that they would let none of them remain or escape,⁶⁷Joshua 8:22. but [would execute the vengeance of the Eternal] like the vengeance [they were commanded] in connection with Amalek or the vengeance [they were commanded] in connection with the seven nations [of the land of Canaan]. And therefore when Moses saw that they had spared the women and children and the cattle, he was angry about [the fact that they had left alive] the women who had had sexual intercourse, because the officers of the army should have killed them as the very first thing, both as execution of the vengeance [which they were now commanded to do], and in performance of the general law of the Torah [that a living thing which causes a man to sin must be killed, as it is said], and ye shall slay the beast.⁶⁸Leviticus 20:15. And when he saw that the people wanted [to keep] the spoil, he remitted [and allowed them to keep] the female children⁶⁹Further, Verse 18. and the spoil.⁷⁰Ibid., Verse 20.
It is also possible to explain that Moses was [only] commanded to Harass the Midianites, and Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites,⁷¹Above, 25:17, and Verse 2 of this Chapter. [but was not commanded to destroy them all like Amalek and the seven nations]. Therefore he sent only a small contingent [twelve thousand men] to strike at the unwalled towns⁷²Deuteronomy 3:5. and fell every good tree, and stop all fountains of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones⁷³II Kings 3:19. as spoilers usually do, and he did not give them any specific commands except that they should execute whatever vengeance they were able to do — and G-d, blessed be He, Who controls [the course of all] battles, gave the Midianites and their [five] kings and cities into their hands. Therefore Moses was only angry about [their sparing] the women who had had sexual intercourse, and [he was] not angry about anything else,⁷⁴Thus, according to this second explanation, Moses originally did not command them to destroy everything, but only to harass the Midianites as a form of vengeance. Hence we understand why he was not angry about their sparing the children and spoil, but only about their sparing the grown-up women who had caused the sin. and his command [to kill] the male children⁷⁵Verse 17. was an [additional measure of] retributive punishment.
Now Moses was wroth with the officers of the host⁷⁶Verse 14. but showed honor to Phinehas [by not criticizing him, too], because G-d had given unto him His covenant of peace.⁷⁷Above, 25:12. And in the Sifre we are taught:⁷⁸Sifre, Matoth 157. “Phinehas said to Moses: As you have commanded us, so have we done.” But I do not know what this statement means, since according to the Scriptural verses [here] Moses did not command them anything specific, for had he commanded them something which [as Phinehas said] they fulfilled, how could he [Moses] have been angry with them? [We cannot say that he was angry because they did not do everything that he told them to,] because had he commanded them, Heaven forbid that [we say that] Phinehas would transgress his command! Saul lost his kingdom on account of such disobedience!⁷⁹I Samuel 13:14. But the [explanation of the matter] is as I have said, that Moses [merely] commanded them to execute the vengeance of the Eternal on Midian,⁶⁵Verse 3. and Phinehas told him: “We have executed great vengeance on them.” It is also possible to explain that Phinehas told Moses: “Just as you charged us with the law of the Torah given at Mount Sinai, namely, When thou shalt besiege a city etc.⁸⁰Deuteronomy 20:19. In the context of Ramban’s remarks here, it would seem that the reference is to Verses 10-14 ibid: When thou drawest nigh unto a city to fight against it … but the women, and the little ones, and the cattle … thou shalt take. It was this law which was Phinehas’ defense. so have we done to them.” And Moses was angry about [their sparing] the adult women, because, Behold, these caused the children of Israel etc.,⁸¹Verse 16. and he added [the command to kill] every male among the little ones⁷⁵Verse 17. in order to complete the retribution.

פְּרָזוֹת is like (Deut. 3:5): “in addition to the very many open cities (עָרֵי הַפְרָזִי),” without a wall.

the heads of his villages The heads of his towns and his castles, as in (Deut. 3:5) “The open towns” and (Zech. 2:8) “Jerusalem shall be inhabited without walls.”