Commento su Deuteronomio 1:4

אחרי הכתו AFTER HE HAD SMITTEN [SIHON] — Moses said: If I reprove them before they enter at least a part of the land, they will say, “What claim has this man upon us? What good has he ever conferred upon us? He only comes (his purpose is only) to vex us and to discover some pretext for leaving us in the wilderness, for he really has not the power to bring us into the land” On this account he waited until he had defeated Sihon and Og before them and had given them possession of their land — and only after that did he reprove them (Sifrei Devarim 3:2).

AFTER HE HAD SMITTEN SIHON, THE KING OF THE AMORITES, WHO ‘DWELT’ IN HESHBON — for Heshbon was not his, but he conquered it from the king of Moab and he built it to be his royal capital. Similarly, and Og the king of Bashan, who ‘dwelt’ in Ashtaroth, at Edrei³⁹In Verse 4 before us. means that it was previously the land of Rephaim⁴⁰Further, 3:13. [and then it was occupied by the king of the Amorites] as I will explain⁴¹Ibid., 2:10; 3:11. with the help of G-d. And because Scripture states, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Edrei,³⁹In Verse 4 before us. it indicates that Ashtaroth is the name of a place in which Edrei is located [as will be explained further]. The text of the Sifre is as follows:⁴²Sifre, Devarim 3. “‘B’ashtaroth’ — it was as hard as ashtaroth. ‘B’edrei’ — this was the seat of the government [i.e., the royal city].” Rashi wrote: “Ashtaroth — is an expression denoting rocks and hardness. Ashtaroth is Ashteroth-karnaim⁴³Genesis 14:5. This is an expression for “strength” [“the hard rocks of Kamayim”]. where the Rephaim were, as it is said, and they smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim.⁴³Genesis 14:5. This is an expression for “strength” [“the hard rocks of Kamayim”]. ‘B’edrei’ — this was the name of the kingdom [indicating that the kingdom of Edrei was located in Ashteroth-karnaim]. And⁴⁴The text from this point on, until the end of the quotation is not found in our texts of Rashi. Part of it is found in Rashi further, 7:13. so it is written, ‘ashteroth’ of thy sheep,⁴⁵Further, 7:13. meaning, as Targum [Onkelos] rendered it [‘the flocks of thy sheep’]. And our Rabbis have said:⁴⁶Chullin 84b. Why is the name ashtaroth given to them [i.e., flocks of sheep]? It is because they ‘enrich’ [from the Hebrew word ashir — rich] their owners and strengthen them like these ashtaroth which are strong rocks.” [This is Rashi’s language].
Now the Rabbi [Rashi] incorporated into the word [ashtaroth] two meanings [strength and riches], but we do not know from what source the Rabbi inferred that ashtaroth is a name for rocks and stones. But it is possible for us to say that ashtaroth is a term for flocks of sheep, from the word ashir (rich) as in the words of the Sages [quoted above: “Why is their name ashtaroth? It is because they enrich their owners”]. Ashteroth-karnaim⁴³Genesis 14:5. This is an expression for “strength” [“the hard rocks of Kamayim”]. was a place of high mountains upon which there were strongholds of stone, these being likened by Scripture to “the horns of cattle,” just as Scripture likens them to “teeth,” as it says upon ‘the crag’ [literally: “the tooth”] of the rock, and the stronghold.⁴⁷Job 39:28. Similarly, upon ‘the horns’ of the altar.⁴⁸Exodus 29:12. So also, ‘b’keren’ ben shamen⁴⁹Isaiah 5:1. These verses illustrate the Scriptural tendency of likening topographical characteristics to parts of animals such as horns and teeth. [literally: “in a fruitful ‘horn'”] which the Targum [Yonathan ben Uziel] renders: “On a high hill, in a fruitful land.” There, [upon these high hills,] the flocks of sheep ascend, the he-goats, the she-goats, and the wild-goats⁵⁰Psalms 104:18: The high mountains are for the wild-goats. and their like; and therefore the place is called Ashteroth-karnaim⁵¹Judges 2:13. [because the flocks which “enrich” their owners (ashtaroth) ascend to the “horns” of the mountain (karnaim)]. So also, and they served Baal and the Ashtaroth⁵¹Judges 2:13. — ‘Ashtaroth’ because the idol was made in the form of a sheep in order to protect them [the flocks of sheep], in accordance with their foolish belief. [This is in line with our explanation of the word ashtaroth as a synonym for sheep.] Now at the foot of the mountain they built a city whose name was Edrei, this being intimated in the verse which states, and Og the king of Bashan came out against us, he and all his people, unto battle at Edrei,⁵²Further, 3:1. This verse clearly indicates that Edrei is the name of a particular locality rather than the name of the entire country, hence it can be said that Og gathered his army there. This proves Ramban’s explanation “that Ashtaroth is the name of a region wherein Edrei is located.” However, it could not be as Rashi explained that Edrei is the name of the kingdom, for if it were the name of an entire country, how could it be said that Og, gathered his army “at Edrei” when it is not the name of a specific, particular place? (Aboab). denoting that he gathered his entire army to the city where the palace of the king and the throne of the kingdom were. And this is the purport of the [following] Midrashic text [which seems to agree with Rashi’s interpretation], wherein the Rabbis, of blessed memory, have stated: “Who dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Edrei. Even if Og himself had not been difficult to defeat but had resided in Ashtaroth, he would have been difficult to defeat, because the city was a difficult one to capture etc.”⁵³“And even if the city had not been difficult to capture, but Og resided in it, it would have been difficult to capture because its king was difficult to defeat. How much more so when the king was difficult to defeat and the city difficult to capture” (Sifre). Therefore they interpreted, Ashtaroth to mean that it was “as hard as Ashtaroth,”⁵⁴In other words, the word Ashtaroth here does not indicate something hard. But because Og’s royal city Edrei was well fortified, the Sifre compares it to Ashteroth-karnaim where the Rephaim lived and from where Og originated. [the phrase from which Rashi, quoted above, deduced that the word ashtaroth is defined as “hard”], as if to say that his residence was like the fortified city of Ashteroth-karnaim⁴³Genesis 14:5. This is an expression for “strength” [“the hard rocks of Kamayim”]. from which he and his family originated; for at that time he was not residing in Ashtaroth, but was residing in the land of the Amorites. And “the place of the government” [mentioned in the Sifre above] means that the city where he lived was Edrei⁵⁵Thus, unlike Rashi who wrote that Edrei was the name of the kingdom, Ramban holds that Edrei was the name of the royal city, and the name of the kingdom was “The Bashan.” but Bashan was the name of the land of his kingdom.

אחרי הכותו, he did this after the Jewish people had achieved a degree of quiet in a land which was inhabited, or fit to be inhabited.

אשר יושב בחשבון, “who dwells in Cheshbon.” Nachmanides comments that the fact that Sichon is mentioned as “dwelling” in Cheshbon confirms that it was not his originally, but that he had captured the city from the Moabites. He had converted it to become his capital.

אחרי הכותו, “after he had defeated, etc.” a reminder of how G’d had been on the side of the Israelites and had defeated the mighty kings Sichon and Og using Moses as His agent. Moses now decided the time had come to rebuke the people for past errors. [Moses reminded them that if anyone had the right to do so he possessed those credentials. Ed.]

If I admonish them, etc. Rashi is answering the question: Why does Scripture need to write, “After he had smitten, etc,” since it is previously written, “In the fortieth year, etc.” Rather, this is what Moshe said, etc. You might ask: If so, perhaps the (only) reason Moshe did not admonish them earlier was because he waited, etc., so they do not say, “What good has he done for us?” The answer is: If so, the verse should have said, “And it was after he had smitten Sichon and Og.” Why does is it written, “In the fortieth year”? Rather, it must be to teach us that one should not admonish until shortly before the admonisher’s death. And since it is written, “After he had smitten, etc.,” we can also learn that Moshe said, etc.

אחרי הכותו את סיחון, “after He had smitten Sichon, etc.;” we have been told in Deut. 2,30 that Sichon was not willing to allow the Israelites to cross his territory on their way to the land of Canaan. Both the campaigns against Sichon and Og took place in the fortieth year of the Israelites’ wanderings. Since we heard about it there we might have thought that these campaigns occurred after the capture of the lands of Sichon and Og.

סיחן … אשר יושב בחשבון [AFTER HE HAD SMITTEN] SIHON … WHO DWELT IN HESHBON — Even if Sihon himself had not been difficult to defeat, but had resided at Heshbon, he would have been difficult to defeat, because the city was a difficult one to capture: and if it had been a matter of some other city, but Sihon had resided in it, it would have been difficult to capture, because its king, at least, would have been difficult to defeat. How much more was this so now when the king was difficult to defeat and the land difficult to capture (Sifrei Devarim 3:3; cf. Rashi on Numbers 21:23).

אשר יושב בעשתרות באדרעי, “who dwelled in Ashtarots which is in Edre-ee.” This land belonged to the Re-fa-im of old, a race of giants, whereas Og was the King of the Emorites. Seeing that the Torah describes Og as having dwelled in Ashtarot it is clear that this is the name of a place (a region) within which is found the town of Edre-ee. Ashtarot was a valley, and the giants had built a town in that valley. This becomes clearer when we consider that Og has been described as gathering his troops there. (Numbers 21,33).

אשר יושב בעשתרות באדרעי, “who was dwelling in Ashtarot at Edre-i.” We find that the Bible uses the term Ashtarot to describe three totally different phenomena. The term is used to describe 1) mountains, 2) flocks of sheep; 3) a form of idolatry. In this instance the Torah tells us that Og lived in mountainous country. The reason the Torah tells us this is that not only was Og, the giant, personally powerful and awe-inspiring, but the terrain in which he had his capital was easy to defend and most difficult to conquer. The same applied to a place called עשתרות קרנים which the Torah mentioned in Genesis 14,5 when it described Kedorlaomer defeating the giants residing there. The reason that place was called not just עשתרות, but עשתרות קרנים, is that the sheep which have horns קרנים, used to graze in those mountains just as did the mountain goats and gazelles.
The flocks, sheep, are referred to as Ashtarot in Deut. 7,13 where the Torah writes עשתרות צאנך, when referring to flocks of sheep and goats. The word’s root is עשר, “wealth,” i.e. these flocks provide wealth for their owners through their milk, their wool and their young. We have been told in Chulin 84 that one should make a practice of selling land (a field, but not ancestral land in the land of Israel) and buy עתודים, he-goats with the proceeds, based on Proverbs 27,26: ”the he-goats, the price of a field.” We also have a verse making a similar point in verse 27 of the same chapter, i.e. “the goat’s milk will be sufficient for the food of your house, and for the vital needs of your maids.”
The term Ashtarot is used to describe idolatry in Judges 12,6 ויעבדו את הבעלים ואת העשתרות, “they served the Baalim and the Ashtarot.” The reason this term is used is that the image representing the deity was a sheep (and the fertility it represents).

To find an excuse, etc. The term עילה is the same as עלילה (lit. false accusation).

אשר יושב בעשתרת [AND OG] WHO DWELT AT ASHTAROTH — here, too, the king was difficult to defeat and the city difficult to capture (Sifrei Devarim 3:4).

באדרעי, “in Edre'i.” This is the name of a province in which the king’s capital was located. They used to build it at the edge of a mountain in the flat land, and there would be assembled his entire army. This is the meaning of that word in Numbers 21,33, where the Torah describes where the battle took place.

Even if Sichon was not a formidable opponent, etc. Rashi is answering the question: Why is it necessary for Scripture to write, “who was living in Cheshbon”? Why mention where they were?

עשתרת — This is an expression denoting rocks and anything hard, just as (Genesis 14:5) “Ashtaroth Karnaim”, (i.e. the hard rocks of Karnaim) (Sifrei Devarim 3:5)). And indeed this Ashtaroth is identical with Ashtaroth Karnaim where the Rephaim (the giants) were, whom Amraphel smote, as it is said, (Genesis 14:5) “And they smote the Rephaim in Ashtaroth Karnaim". Og, alone, escaped of them, and that is the meaning of what is stated, (Genesis 14:13; cf. Rashi) "And the one who escaped (הפליט) came", for it further states, (Deuteronomy 3:11) "For only Og, king of Bashan, remained of the remnant of the Rephaim",

Similar to Ashteros Karnayim, etc. The word “Karnayim” is from the term קרן (horn), which denotes strength.

באדרעי IN EDREI — the name of the royal city.

And this Ashtoros is indeed the same Ashteros Karnayim, etc. I.e., do not ask: How does Rashi know that the term “Ashtoros” denotes cliffs? Perhaps it is specifically the term “Ashteros Karnayim” that denotes cliffs. Therefore, Rashi explains: And this Ashtoros is indeed the same Ashteros Karnayim, etc. There also it is written, “the one who escaped came, etc” which refers to Og.

This was the name of the empire. Rashi is answering the question: If he was living in Ashtoros, then he is not living in Edrei. Therefore, Rashi explains: The name of the empire was Edrei. Re”m says: (If this is not so, then) the verse should say ובאדרעי (and in Edrei).