Commento su Deuteronomio 2:25

תחת כל השמים [THIS DAY I BEGIN TO PUT THE DREAD OF THEE … UPON THE NATIONS THAT ARE] UNDER THE WHOLE HEAVEN — This (the statement that the nations under the entire heaven will dread the Israelites) teaches that the sun stood still for Moses on the day of the battle with Og, and the matter was consequently known under the whole heaven (Avodah Zarah 25a).

THIS DAY WILL I BEGIN TO PUT THE DREAD OF THEE. This refers to Israel, meaning that all the peoples should fear them, and that the men of Canaan should go out [in battle] against them with melted hearts. G-d hardened their spirits, however, and they said, “Our death through their sword is preferable to being slaves to them.” For what sense is there to say of Moses, This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the peoples that are under the whole heaven, [meaning that the nations would fear Moses personally] when Moses would fight only with these two kings [Sihon and Og]? Rather, this is a promise to Israel and Joshua, as he said to Joshua, Thine eyes have seen.²⁵⁵Further, 3:21. This then is the purport of the expression ‘Begin’ to possess his land²⁵⁶Verse 31. [meaning that Moses was to make the beginning of the conquest — but the task is to be finished by Joshua and Israel].

היום הזה אחל תת פחדך ויראתך על כל העמים, “From this day on I shall begin to place the fear and dread of you upon all the nations, etc.” Nachmanides understands these words as G’d making the nations of the earth afraid of the people of Israel so that when the Canaanites would come out to fight them they would do so with no confidence in themselves. If these words had been words of reassurance to Moses, what was the point, seeing that he would participate only in the two campaigns against Sichon and Og? Clearly G’d’s assurance is aimed at Joshua and the Jewish people as a whole.

This teaches that the sun stood still, etc. For it is written here, “I begin to place,” and it says regarding Yehoshua (Yehoshua 10:12), “On the day that Adonoy placed, etc.” Just as the sun stood still over there, so too here, the sun stood still.

V. 25. ורגזו (siehe Bereschit S. 189). וחלו (siehe zu Schmot 15, 14).

היום הזה אחל תת פחדך, “this day I will begin to give the dread of you, etc;” prior to this, when the seven Canaanite nations noted that the Israelites, instead of invading the land of the Edomites or Moabites detoured around their countries, they reasoned that if the Israelites were afraid to face these nations individually, they would be even more afraid to face a combination of Canaanite nations. When they observed that the Israelites had vanquished both Sichon and Og in short order, they had to revise their attitude and began to tremble at the thought of facing them. This is what G-d meant when he told Moses that as of that day the Canaanites dreaded the military might of the Israelites.