Commento su Deuteronomio 33:18

ולזבולן אמר AND OF ZEBULUN HE SAID — These five tribes whom he blessed last, Zebulun, Gad, Dan, Naphtali and Asher, it repeats their names in order to instil them with strength and power, because they were the weakest of all the tribes. They are the very same whom Joseph took to Pharaoh, as it is said, (Genesis 47:2, cf. Rashi thereon) “And of the least of his brothers he took five men [and placed them before Pharaoh]” — because these looked weak, so that he (Pharaoh) should not appoint them his war officers (Bava Kamma 92a).

REJOICE, ZEBULUN, IN THY GOING OUT — that is, when you journey in merchant-ships. He alludes to [what Jacob said of Zebulun that] he shall dwell at the shore of the sea.²³⁷Genesis 49:13. And you Issachar [rejoice] in thy tents, thus intimating that Issachar saw a resting-place that it was good, and his land that it was pleasant,²³⁸Ibid., Verse 15. in accord with Jacob’s blessing.

שמח זבלון בצאתך, "Rejoice, O Zevulun, on your journeys;" Although as a general rule we are not supposed to rejoice as per Kohelet 2,2 ולשמחה םה זה עושה, "and of joy, what does it accomplish?" Moses says here that Zevulun goes to sea joyfully even though he leaves the halls of Torah study in order to engage in commerce. The reason he is entitled to do this is that the proceeds of his commerce are intended to enable Issachar to devote himself to uninterrupted Torah study.

שמח זבולון בצאתך, to the sea to engage in trade.

With the following five tribes whom he blessed last, etc. Rashi is explaining why Zevulun’s name is repeated, unlike any other tribe previously mentioned.

VV. 18 u. 19. ולזבולן וגו׳. Schon Jaakow (Bereschit 49, 13 u. 14.) sieht Sebulun an Meeresgestaden den Schifffahrtsverkehr vermittelnd und Jissachar in heimischer ländlicher Muße der Geistespflege obliegend (siehe daselbst). Hier werden sie beide in einem Segen zusammengefasst, wie denn auch ihr Gebiet sich nachbarlich berührte. Die Gemeinsamkeit des Segens beruht aber auf einem brüdernachbarlichen Zusammenwirken und dem durch beide vermittelten geistig sittlichen Einfluss auf die im Weltverkehr mit ihnen in Berührung kommenden fremden Völker. Sebulun zieht in den durch das Meer vermittelten Handelsverkehr hinaus und fördert mit seinem Erworbenen den an seinem heimischen Herde der geistigen Erkenntnis pflegenden Bruderstamm, der wiederum ihm seine geistigen Errungenschaften zugute kommen lässt. Jissachar hat Anteil an dem Geist der Rechtschaffenheit und Geradheit, den Sebulun in seinem Handelsverkehre entfaltet und Sebulun an der behaglichen Wohlhabenheit, die in Jissachars Wohnungen dessen geistige Arbeiten umgibt (Bereschit 49, 14 u. 15). Beide zusammen aber vermitteln die erste Bekanntschaft der Völker mit dem jüdischen Geiste, dem jüdischen Leben, und der Quelle von beidem, dem Heiligtum des jüdischen Gesetzes. Sie sind die Veranlassung, dass die Fremden, welche im Verkehre mit ihnen jüdischen Geist und jüdisches Leben kennen und achten lernen, zum Berge des Gesetzesheiligtums hinauf gehen und dort in der Hingebung an den Einzig-Einen die Weihe eines Pflichtlebens in Gerechtigkeit empfangen (siehe ספרי z. St.). Und zwar זבחים ,זבחי צדק: vorzugsweise ja שלמים, die lebensfrohe Weihe eines Pflichtlebens vor Gott, die charakteristische jüdische Errungenschaft (siehe Wajikra 3, 1).

שמח זבולון בצאתך, ”Rejoice Zevulun when you are going out!” Zevulun would travel to Tzidon and Tzur in Lebanon as well as to more distant destinations. This is why Moses blessed them, wishing them success in their endeavours

שמח זבולון, “rejoice Zevulun;” he had complained about the portions of ancestral land he had drawn in the Talmud tractate Megillah, folio 6 as having received mountainous territory and sandy territory alongside the ocean, compared to Naftaly who had been given apparently fruitful earth in the mountainous regions, as had most other tribes. Deborah praised this tribe in her victory song in Judges 5,18 as literally having mocked death in the constant danger as a seafaring tribe. When Zevulun had seen Naftaly completely exposed, as the other tribes simply failed to respond to Deborah’s call to arms, he responded without hesitation. Foreseeing all this in a prophetic vision, Moses is trying to calm Zevulun for having received his share near the beaches of the ocean where they would be far less exposed than Naftaly; would he have preferred to have been exposed to the dangers Naftaly faced? It will be explained soon how Zevulun in fact benefited by his territory facing the ocean.

שמח זבולן בצאתך ויששכר באהליך REJOICE, ZEBULUN. IN THY GOING OUT, AND, ISSACHAR, IN THY TENTS — Zebulun and Issachar entered into a partnership: Zebulun dwelt at the harbour of ships and went out in ships to trade; he made profit and used to provide food for Issachar who sat at home and occupied themselves with the Torah. Consequently he mentioned Zebulun before Issachar (although the latter was the elder) because Issachar’s knowledge of Torah was due to Zebulun (Genesis Rabbah 99:9).

Zevulun and Yissachar entered into a partnership, etc. Rashi is explaining why Zevulun appears in the text before [the older] Yissachar.

Another meaning of these words is that when a man sets out on an undertaking he does not know if he will be successful. Moses is giving Zevulun an assurance that he will be successful; this is why he emphasizes that he may rejoice even at the outset of his journey. He may consider himself as a שליח מצוה, someone to whom the performance of a מצוה has been entrusted.

כי שפע ימים וגו׳ ist der Umstand, der ihre Berührung mit den Völkern begründet. שפע .שפע ימים יינקו, verwandt mit שבע usw. bezeichnet eine Fülle, Reichtum, Wohlstand. Es kommt ihnen die Fülle zugute, welche ihre Lage am Meere durch den Handelsverkehr bietet, oder sie werden zum Stapelplatz, zu welchem von allen Meeren die verschiedensten Güter zum Handelsaustausch zusammen strömen. ושפני טמוני חול, und sie haben auch auf ihrem Gestade eigentümliche Güter, die man nur bei ihnen findet und die daher bei ihnen aufgesucht werden. Als solche werden Megilla 6 a חלזון, טרית und זכוכית לבנה, die Purpurschnecke, eine besondere Art Tunfische und weißes Glas genannt, zu dessen Fabrizierung der dortige Ufersand ganz besonders geeignet war.

ויששכר באהליך, “(also wishing success) to Yissachar in your tents.” Yissachar’s ancestral land was suited for the pursuit of agriculture, and its members would sit in tents in their fields to protect their crops from thieves. Moses therefore prayed that they would also enjoy the fruits of their labour. Yaakov, in Genesis 49,14, had wished Reuven similar success and protection from people claiming their land as belonging to them.

בצאתך, “when you are setting out;” Moses blesses each tribe according to what he foresees will be its special needs. Zevulun as a seafarer, who derives his livelihood from maritime trade, will require a special blessing to keep his ships safe when they are on the high seas, so that his merchandise will not be lost at sea. Compare Yaakov’s blessing for him in Genesis 49,13, where reference is made to the beaches of the sea in connection with him. Moses blesses him in wishing him that instead of being fearful when setting out on each voyage, he should be joyful, confident of G-d’s help.

שמח זבולן בצאתך REJOICE, ZEBULUN, IN THY GOING FORTH — Be successful when thou goest out to trade,

באהליך, "in your tents." This is a simile for Issachar. The reason Moses uses this simile is twofold. 1) It denotes the fact that any dwelling in this world is to be considered only a temporary dwelling; our whole terrestrial existence is transient. 2) It describes that the Shechinah forms a "tent" over Zevulun and Issachar. Even though Zevulun is preoccupied with commerce and does not spend his time in the אהל של תורה, the tent of Torah, he qualifies for the presence of the Shechinah no less than Issachar his partner. David alludes to this when he said in Psalms 85,14: "Justice goes before him as he sets out on his way."

שפן auch ספן, verwandt mit צפן, heißt bedecken, bergen. טמן: verstecken, verbergen, daher מטמון ein geheimer Schatz. שפוני טמוני חול: was in den geheimen Schätzen des Sandes geborgen liegt.

ויששכר באהליך, whereas he blesses Yissochor by wishing him similar confidence seeing that his fertile soil may become the envy of his neighbours, so that he is forced to stand guard watching against potential robbers. Moses wishes him success in this. Yaakov had already hinted at this in his blessing for this son when he said in Genesis 49,14: רובץ בין המשפתים, “crouching among the sheepfolds.”

ויששכר AND ISSACHAR, be successful when you sit in your tents (באהליך) to study the Torah — to sit in the Sanhedrin and to intercalate the years and to fix the day of New Moon, as it is said, (I Chronicles 12:33) “And of the children of Issachar, men that had understanding of the times, … the heads of them were two hundred”: as the heads of the Sanhedrin they used to busy themselves with this (Genesis Rabbah 72:5), and in accordance with their fixing of the seasons and their calculation of intercalary years,