Commento su Deuteronomio 33:25

ברזל ונחשת מנעלך THY LOCKS SHALL BE IRON AND COPPER — He is now addressing all Israel: This prophecy was fulfilled because their mighty men used to dwell in the border cities and, as it were, locked it (the country) so that the enemy should not be able to invade it, as though it were closely shut by locks and bars of iron and copper. Another explanation of ברזל ונחשת מנעלך: your land is locked in (surrounded) by mountains from which iron and copper is hewn, and the country of Asher was the “lock” of the Land of Israel (Sifrei Devarim 355:25).

IRON AND BRASS SHALL BE THY BARS. Asher was at the end of the Land of Israel, as it is written with reference to his inheritance, and it reached to Carmel westward,²⁶⁷Joshua 19:26. and it is further stated, and its goings out were at the sea.²⁶⁸Ibid., Verse 29. And again it is said, Asher drove not out the inhabitants of Acco,²⁶⁹Judges 1:31. which is located on the Great Sea [i.e., the Mediterranean], as the Rabbis have said:²⁷⁰Yerushalmi Shekalim VI, 2. See also Bereshith Rabbah 23:11. “At first [the ocean] advanced till Acco, and the second time till Japho.” And if so, Asher’s land was like the bars of the Land of Israel. Therefore, Moses said, Iron and brass shall be thy bars, that he will have [so to speak] doors of brass²⁷¹Isaiah 45:2. and iron bars, and the entire Land will be locked with them. This is an intimation that G-d will protect the whole Land from the enemy and the avenger.²⁷²Psalms 8:3. Or perhaps the verse states that strangers will not come to plunder the oil, for it will be transported from his land to the whole world in merchant ships.

ברזל ונחושת מנעלך וכימיך דבאך, may your door bolts be iron and copper, and your security last all your days.אין כאל ישורון, after Moses had completed his prayer concerning the tribes, he began blessing Israel as a whole.You, who are also known as Yeshurun, wear this title due to the nature of your power, אל, being different from all the other nations in two vital aspects. 1) other nations will not covet your land or try to invade it as they are afraid, something that proved true during the entire reign of Joshua and while any of the elders who were his advisers remained alive. (compare Joshua 24,31). Moses describes the land during that period as if bolted securely with heavy metal bolts, i.e. ברזל ונחושת מנעלך. 2) Your kingdom will not experience constant ups and downs such as the kingdoms of other nations whose position in the world constantly changes. כימיך דבאך, your position among the nations will be constant. The reason why I am certain that my blessing will materialise is that אין כא-ל רוכב שמים וארץ, no one else has a G’d that rides the heavens and the earth. Moses develops a theological/philosophical concept that contradicts that of the nations of the world, even those who recognise a supreme G’d who has created the universe. In their estimation, such a G’d would not bother to constantly stoop down to earth to see what goes on there, i.e. “ride both the heavens and the earth.” These nations believe that such matters must be left to delegates, such as the constellations of the stars, horoscopes, etc.

ברזל ונחושת מנעליך, “your borders (those of all the tribes having borders other that the sea) be sealed tightly by iron and copper fences.” May Hashem always protect your borders from attack.

Another interpretation: Your locks are iron and copper, etc. Because according to the first interpretation you might ask what is the relevance of copper to locks, since people generally make locks only from iron. Also, the verse does not mention bolts. Therefore he gives another interpretation. And according to the other interpretation you might ask why it says this specifically about Asher, since other tribes also settled at the border and mountains surrounded their territory. Therefore the first interpretation is also needed. This is easy to understand.

V. 25. ברזל וגו׳. Alle bisherigen Segnungen sprechen von dem Gesegneten in der dritten Person. Die folgenden Segensaussprüche bis zum Schlusse sind offenbar von allgemeinem, die Gesamtheit Israels betreffendem Inhalt und sind an diese in der Anrede der zweiten Person gerichtet. Da nun diese Anrede bereits mit diesem V. 25 beginnt, so dürften überhaupt die Segnungen der einzelnen Stämme bereits mit V. 24 schließen und ein rascher Übergang zum allgemeinen mit diesem V. 25 eintreten. Wir haben oben zu V. 6 gesehen, wie auch der Übergang vom allgemeinen zu dem besonderen der Einzelstämme ohne Parschaabsatz geschieht. Ebenso geht hier das Segenswort Mosche ohne Absatz wieder von dem Besonderen zum Allgemeinen zurück. Durch diese äußere Form ist das alle betreffende Allgemeine (Verse 2-5 und 25-29), als der eigentliche, alle und alles gemeinsam umfassende Segen gekennzeichnet, innerhalb dessen nur einzelne, diesen allgemeinen Segen an hervorleuchtenden Eigentümlichkeiten einzelner Stämme bekundende Züge sich einreihen. Diese Besonderheiten, welche von V. 13 an sich vorzüglich auf die gesegnete Bodenbeschaffenheit beziehen, erhalten, wie wir glauben, noch in diesem V. 25 einige allgemein ergänzende Züge, mit welchen dann die Rede sich wieder rasch der Beendigung des Gesamtsegens zuwendet. Nachdem nämlich mit Juda, Levi und Benjamin der vornehmlichen Träger der Nationalmacht, der Nationalehre und des Nationalheiligtums gedacht war, sprechen die Segnungen der übrigen sieben Stämme den von Eigentümlichkeiten der Einzelgebiete getragenen Nationalwohlstand aus. Diesem gesegneten Bilde vom jüdischen Lande fügt der V. 25 noch ergänzend ein paar Worte vom Mineralreichtum und Klima bei und steigt die Rede dann mit V. 26 zu dem alles in einen Gesamtsegen wieder zusammenfassenden Schluss.

ברזל ונחושת, “iron and copper;” this is a metaphor for what are the sinews and bones for the body. They are for the body what the lock is on the door of the house.

דבאך, “your old age.” The expression is one of דאבה, “old age;” it is one of the words in which the sequence of two letters have been reversed, such as in כשבים and כשבים sheep, or שמלה and שלמה, both meaning: dress, or garment. Moses refers to the days of old age which often are days of anxiety and depression, i.e. דאבה. Moses blesses Asher in that even in his old age he would be full of vigour and enjoy the golden age. Compare a statement to this effect in the Talmud, tractate Chulin, folio 24.

וכימיך דבאך AND AS THY DAYS SO SHALL BE דבאך — i.e. and as the days that are thy best, — that is, the days of thy beginning, the days of thy youth, so shall be the days of thy old age, which דואבים, i.e. which flow away and decline (דבאך therefore means: the period of thy decline). Another explanation of וכימיך דבאך: as the number of thy days — all the days when thou didst perform the will of the Omnipresent, — shall be דבאך, thy flowing, i.e., referring to the fact that all countries will make gold and silver flow into the land of Israel, because it will be blessed with fruits, and all countries will take their supply of fruit from it and will, in payment, pour into it their silver and gold; askorant in old French: thus their silver and gold will come to an end, because they will pour it into your land (Sifrei Devarim 355:26).

וכימיך דבאיך, “may your old age be similar to your prime.” Nachmanides understands the word דבאך as being similar in meaning to זובאך, claiming that the letter ד and ז are very often used interchangeably, quoting one or two examples. The meaning of the line would be: “may the oil flowing from your olive presses be so bountiful that you can dip your feet in it, כימיך, as long as you live.” It is true that what commentators have pointed out in connection with Deut. 28,65, that the word דאבון, which means “mental depression,” is the opposite of the optimism that one possesses in one’s prime. i.e. ימיך. Moses’ prayer is that the Jewish nation, when its members experience old age, should not feel depressed by it, but should enjoy it no less than their prime.

Asher locked-in Eretz Yisroel. Rashi is answering the question: Why this is mentioned in the blessing of Asher more so than [in the blessings of] the other tribes, since it is a blessing that could [otherwise] apply to all the tribes?

AND AS THY DAYS ‘DAVECHA.’ Concerning this word [davecha] it seems to me that it is like zavecha [meaning: “so shall ‘thy flowing’ oil be” — as explained further on], for these letters [daleth and zayin] are regularly used interchangeably [in our language]. Thus it says, ‘madheivah’ (the exactress of gold) ceased²⁷³Isaiah 14:4. [written with a daleth] in place of mazheivah [written with a zayin, from the word zahav — gold]. The entire Aramaic language follows that rule [of daleth — zayin interchangeability] in every usage of [the Hebrew words] zevichah (slaughtering),²⁷⁴Thus the Hebrew word miz beiach (altar), written with the zayin, is translated in Aramaic as madbach, with a daleth (Exodus 20:21). and also in every usage of zechirah (remembrance),²⁷⁵The Hebrew vayizkor (and He remembered), is translated in Aramaic as udechir, (Genesis 8:1). and similarly, zahav (gold),²⁷⁶In Aramaic it is rendered dahava (Genesis 2:11). zakan (beard),²⁷⁷In Aramaic it is dikna (Leviticus 13:30). zanav (tail),²⁷⁸In Aramaic it is danba (Judges 14:4). ‘zrei’ (scatter) away,²⁷⁹Numbers 17:2. This is rendered in Targum Yonathan as badrei. and many others, [in each of which, Aramaic substitutes a daleth for the Hebrew zayin]. So also for [the Hebrew words] zavah (a woman suffering a flux), the female flow, or the male flux [all are rendered in Aramaic] davah. Their entire language constantly interchanges the zayin with the daleth in this way. Thus [the Hebrew] my days are ‘nizachu’ (extinct)²⁸⁰Job 17:1. is in place of [the Aramaic] nidachu. So also ‘zachalti’ (I feared) and was afraid²⁸¹Ibid., 32:6. is like dachalti. Scripture thus states here: “and as your days so shall zavecha be,” meaning “that your land will ‘flow’ with the aforementioned oil, and you will dip your foot in it all your days forever.”
What they²⁸²R’dak in the “Sefer Hasharashim,” under the word daba, in the name of his father the grammarian Joseph Kimchi. have interpreted is also possible — and it is correct — that the word davecha [spelled: daleth, beth aleph, kaph] is a reversed [and hence synonymous] form of da’avon (languishing) of soul²⁸³Above, 28:65. [spelled: daleth, aleph, beth, nun]. Scripture calls the days of old age da’avon (languishing) for they are the days of evil²⁸⁴Ecclesiastes 12:1. and pain; and it calls the days of youth his days²⁸⁵As stated in the verse before us: and as thy days etc. since they are his to rejoice in them and cheer his heart.²⁸⁶See Ecclesiastes 11:9. Thus the meaning of the verse is as follows: “and as the days of your youth so shall be the days of your old age,” this being an allusion to Asher’s security and honor while the earth remaineth.²⁸⁷Genesis 8:22. Now, I have seen in [the rendering of] the Targum Yerushalmi:²⁸⁸See Vol. I, p. 371, Note 128. “as the days of their youth, so shall their old age be.” This is as I have explained.

Werfen wir einen Blick auf die Karte von Palästina, so dürfte die Reihenfolge, in welcher die Stämme hier genannt sind, außer dem inneren Zusammenhang auch noch durch die räumliche Lage gegeben gewesen sein, in welcher Mosche von seinem Standpunkt aus bei Nebo das Land und damit die Gebiete der einzelnen Stämme überschaute. Er stand im Gebiete Reuben. Über das tote Meer hinübersehend, traf sein Blick Juda und Benjamin, denen sich im Geiste nach dem vornehmlichen Felde seiner Wirksamkeit Levi einfügte. Unmittelbar daran nahmen die eigentliche Mitte des Landes der Stamm Efrajim und der diesseitige Teil Menasches ein, woran sich wieder unmittelbar nordwärts Jissachar und Sebulun schlossen. Mit dem Übergang zu Juda und dem Fortschritt zu Efrajim und Menasche hatte die Umschau im jenseitigen Osten Gad, und ihm gerade gegenüber im diesseitigen Westen Dan zurückgelassen. Diese nachholend schließt sich durch die Dan׳sche Eroberung Naftali im Nordosten und ihm angrenzend Ascher im Nordwesten an. Ascher bildet die äußerste nordwestliche Spitze des Landes. Darüber hinaus trifft den Blick der Libanon, der noch mit dem Mineralreichtum in seinem Schoße den Segen des Landes schließt. Dies spricht der schauende Blick in ברזל ונחשת מנעלך aus. מנעלך, von נעל schließen, מנעול Verschluss, Türschloss, bezeichnet hier das Libanongebirge als den Verschluss, die natürliche feste Grenzwehr des Landes gen Norden, die zugleich zu dem bereits geschilderten Bodenreichtum der Vegetation auch noch einen Reichtum an Mineralien für den Bergbau bringt, und

וכימיך דבאך, “and as your days so shall be your strength.” Moses blesses Asher to be as agile and physically strong in old age as in its prime. The author quotes Rabbi Chanina saying in the Talmud, tractate Chulin, folio 24, that this Rabbi, at the age of 80, praised the Lord who had given him the strength to still tie his shoe laces while standing on one leg unsupported, (of course). He attributed this to how his mother, during his youth, had massaged oil into his bones and she had regularly bathed him in hot water.

Which [generally] flow downward, droop, and decline. Rashi is answering how days of old age are connected to [the word] דבאך.

כימיך דבאך. Die Wurzel דבא kommt nicht wieder vor. Die Lautverwandtschaft mit דוה: siech sein, דפה, wovon דופי: Makel, weist für דבא auf den Begriff eines Schwächezustandes hin. כימיך דבאך sagte daher, wie wir glauben: deinen Tagen entsprechend ist deine Kraftabnahme, d. h. in deinem Lande altern die Menschen nicht vor der Zeit. Ist diese Auffassung richtig, so würde damit die wohltätigste Beschaffenheit des Klimas bezeichnet sein, das der normalsten Entwicklung des Menschen günstig ist. Indem aber dann dieser letzte Zug im Segensbilde des Landes sich an den Anblick des Libanons knüpft, jenes Gebirges, welches hoch oben im Norden die schützende Nordgrenze, mit seinen südwärts auslaufenden Absenkungen aber ganz eigentlich das Gestaltungsgerippe des Landes bildet (siehe zu Kapitel 3, 25), so dürfte es nicht fern liegen, zu meinen, die klimatische Beschaffenheit des Landes sei in sehr wesentlichem Maße eben durch dies Libanongebirge gegeben, und knüpfte sich die Erwähnung des klimatischen Segens um so mehr an den Anblick des Libanons, der nicht nur ein natürliches Bollwerk mit Mineralreichtum in seinem Schoße bildet, sondern klimatische Gesundheit über das ganze Land hin verbreitet: ברזל ונחשת מנעלך וכימיך דבאך.

Another interpretation: According to your days, shall be your stream, etc. Because according to the first interpretation you might ask that it should have said, As your youth so may be your declining days. Therefore Rashi gives another interpretation. And according to the alternative interpretation alone you might ask that it should have said According to your deeds, shall be your stream. Therefore he also needs the first interpretation.

Which are beneficial to you — according to the number of your days, etc. Meaning, all the time that your days are called days, i.e., all the days you do Hashem’s will, so shall be your stream as all the countries shall stream, etc. But when you do not do Hashem’s will, your days are not called days, as the sages say (Berachos 18b), The wicked are called dead even during their lifetime.