Commento su Esodo 23:33

כי תעבד וגו׳ FOR IF THOU SERVE etc. — Both particles כי in this verse have the meaning of אשר “that”. It has this meaning in several passages. This is really the sense of the Aramaic word אי (Hebrew אם) which itself is one of the four meanings in which כי is used (cf. Gittin 90a. where the four usages of כי are given). In fact we find אם (‎אי) used in many passages in the sense of אשר, e. g., (Leviticus 2:14) ואם תקריב where it certainly should not be translated “if” — but ”when thou offer an offering of thy first-fruits”, for this offering is not optional but is obligatory (cf. Rashi on that verse).

KI’ (FOR) THOU WILT SERVE THEIR GODS, ‘KI’ (FOR) THEY WILL BE A SNARE UNTO THEE. “Both words ki here have the meaning of asher (that),⁴⁶¹Rashi’s interpretation of the verse is thus as follows: “The idolators shall not dwell in your land lest they make you sin against Me ‘that’ you serve their gods ‘that’ it be a snare against you.” Ramban will explain the word ki as meaning “for,” as explained further on. — The J.P.S. translation using the words “for” follows thus Ramban’s interpretation. and we find this in many places. This is the meaning of the [Aramaic word] ie which is one of the four usages of the word ki as we find in many places,⁴⁶²See Rosh Hashanah 3 a, Rashi, and Gittin 90a. and this [Aramaic word ie is the Hebrew] im which in many verses has the meaning of asher (that), etc.” Thus far is Rashi’s language. But it is not so.⁴⁶³For according to Rashi the first ki would mean “when that,” and the second ki would mean only “that” — thus: “lest they make you sin against Me when that you serve their gods that will be a snare against you” (Mizrachi). The two identical Hebrew words thus have different meanings in the same verse. Instead, the meaning of the verse is: “They shall not dwell in thy land for they will be a snare unto thee lest they make thee sin against Me, for you will serve their gods.” Similarly He said, Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest they be a snare in the midst of thee.⁴⁶⁴Further, 34:12. The meaning of this verse is that their dwelling in your land will be a snare unto you and a source of stumbling, lest they make you sin against Me through their evil ways and their corrupt doings, for you will serve their gods when they will persuade and beguile you to do so.

לא ישבו בארצך. In the area which you have conquered and take up residence in. Unfortunately, the Israelites ignored this warning of the Torah as we know from Judges 1,29 וישב הכנעני בקרבו בגזר, as well as Judges 1,33 וישב בקרב הכנעני יושבי הארץ, [the Israelites lived in mixed communities, in some they were the majority, in others even only the minority. Ed.]

פן יחטיאו אתך לי, "lest they make you sin against Me." The Torah reveals here that imperfection by the Jewish people impacts on the Creator. The logic is as follows: Seeing that the Israelites represent a certain amount of sanctity, they diminish that level of sanctity if they worship idols. Diminishing the amount of sanctity weakens the Israelites' ties with their holy roots, i.e. it impacts on the root of sanctity, i.e. G'd Himself.

This (the usage here) is actually אי . . . Rashi is answering the question: The word כי can convey only one of four meanings: אי (if), דלמא (perhaps), אלא (but), and דהא (because). But it does not convey אשר (that). [So why here does it convey אשר ?] Rashi answers that this כי conveys the meaning of אי , which is the same as אם . And we often find that אם conveys אשר , for example אם תקריב , “That you will offer. . .” (Vayikra 2:14).

V. 33. כי יהיה לך למוקש, es, ihr Verbleiben im Lande ohne Lossagung vom Götzentume, wird dir zum Fallstricke werden. Traue dir nicht bereits die lautere Höhe zu, dass du die Nähe des Unlautern und Unwahren nicht zu scheuen habest, dass im Zusammensein mit wahnumfangenen Völkern du sie zu deiner Wahrheit emporgewinnen könnest, und nicht sie vielmehr dich in ihren Wahn mit hineinreißen werden. Nur in der Isolierung kannst du für deine einstige geistige Besiegung der Völker erstarken. Bis dahin יהיה לך למוקש, wird dir das Zusammensein zur Falle werden.

כי יהיה לך למוקש, their very presence as inhabitants in that land will become a snare for you, i.e. you will begin to worship their deities.

כי יהיה לך למוקש, "for it will become a snare for you." The Torah explains why there is a suspicion that the Israelites could ever agree to trade their honour for such useless forms of religion as these Canaanite deities. G'd explains that it is in the nature of idols to mislead those who worship them into being trapped by them. Our sages in Avodah Zarah 55 explain that there are religions (oracles) which reveal the future to their adherents and which inform them about hidden treasures. G'd was afraid that Jews too would fall victim to such enticements as obtaining knowledge of the future by means of worshiping such oracles.