Commento su Deuteronomio 33:15

ומראש הררי קדם AND BY THE FIRST THINGS OF THE HILLS OF קדם (taken in the sense of: the hills priority) — the meaning is: and it is blessed through the earliest ripening of the fruits, because its hills are earliest (קדם, "prior") to bring their fruits to maturity. – Another explanation: this tells us that their creation (the creation of the hills in the territory of Joseph) was prior (קדם) to that of all other hills (Sifrei Devarim 353:4).

ומראש הררי קדם, “and from the tops of ancient mountains.” Seeing that fruit growing in the mountains are perceived as superior to those growing in the valley, Moses blesses the fruit of the mountainous regions in the territory of Joseph. [According to the Talmud, the best fruit came from Ginosaur on the shores of Lake Kineret, certainly not a mountainous region but 200 meters below sea-level. Ed.]

Blessed, also, with the first-ripening fruits, etc. Rashi adds the word blessed to indicate that the phrase with the first, etc. is connected with blessed at the beginning of the verses. You might ask what prompted Rashi here to explain that the phrase with the first is connected with blessed at the beginning of the verses, more than the verse With the delight of the sun’s harvest, etc. which is also connected to the beginning of the verses? The answer is that if Rashi did not explain this I might have thought that this verse, With the first of the early mountains, etc. is a separate matter, and means that he should be blessed with the blessing of the Patriarchs who are called mountains and with the blessing of the Matriarchs who are called hills. Therefore he explains that with the first of the early mountains refers to the beginning of the verses that deals with the blessing of his Land. His proof that it refers to the beginning of the verses is because it is written afterwards, And from the sweetness of earth and its fullness, etc. that deals with the blessing of his Land; [this indicates that] all the verses are connected to the beginning of the verses.

ומראש הררי קדם; “and from the top of the ancient mountains.” This is an expression of praise, as for instance in Jeremiah 2,3: ראשית תבואתה, “the first fruit of its harvest, orAmos 6,6: וראשית שמנים, “with the choicest oils.” Moses refers to the choicest mountains that were created during the first six days of creation.

גבעות עולם [AND THROUGH THE PRECIOUS THINGS OF] THE EVERLASTING HILLS — i.e., of hills which everlastingly (עולם) produce fruit, and do not cease to do so through restraint of rain.

Another interpretation: This teaches that their creation preceded that of the other mountains. The importance and praise of this is that the Holy One’s supervision over His Land is more than that over the other lands. Since it had precedence at Creation, the Holy One’s supervision also has precedence there. Rashi gives another interpretation because according to the first interpretation you might ask why the verse writes early, being that everything is already included in the word first. Therefore he gives another interpretation. And according to the other interpretation on its own you might ask why this is a blessing. Even though it indicates the land’s importance and praise, as we explained, it is nevertheless not a blessing. Therefore he needs the first interpretation.

הררי קדם, the mountains of Ephrayim; the land allocated to the tribe of Joseph’s descendant Ephrayim, son of Joseph was especially mountainous. Compare Samuel I 1,1, צופים מהר אפרים, “from the district of Tzofim in the mountains of Ephrayim.

Hills which are always productive, etc. Meaning, they never fail from producing fruit, even with a lack of rain. It is as if the verse said, With the sweetness of the hills that is constant without pause,” otherwise, what is the relevance of hills to this verse?

ורצון שוכני סנה, “and the goodwill of Him that dwells in the bush. May it enjoy the good will of Him (G-d) that dwells in the (burning) bush.”

נזיר אחיו, (according to Rashi) ‘the one who had been separated from his brothers.” According to other commentators this ought to be translated as: “the prince among his brothers.” Use of the expression נזיר as meaning “prince” is found in Lamentations 4,7: זכו נזירה משלג, “her princes were purer than snow.” Joseph had clearly been at least a prince among his brothers.