Citazione Commento su Giosuè 4:2

שמור את כל המצוה, “Observe the whole command ment, etc.” The Torah refers to the impending command to erect stones on Mount Eyval (verse 4) after they have been inscribed, stones taken from the river Jordan at the time the people would cross that river. These stones are intended to commemorate the miracles which occurred enabling the Israelites to cross the river without becoming wet at a time of year when it was swollen with melting snow from Mount Hermon. There were a total of 12 such stones as we know from Joshua 4,2 that one stone per tribe was to be erected. Joshua commanded the twelve men to whom he had assigned the task of taking these stones from the river after the people had completed crossing. These stones were carried on the shoulders of the twelve men, each of whom represented his tribe (Joshua 4,1-8). These stones were deposited next to the place at Gilgal where the Israeites spent the first night in the Holy Land, close to the river. The stones which were erected on Mount Eyval had the entire text of the Torah inscribed on them. Another twelve stones (Joshua 4,9) were erected in the river bed of the Jordan at the site of the miracle where the priests with the Holy Ark had crossed and G’d had arrested the flow of the river so as not to swamp the Holy Ark (Joshua 4,7). The reason the stones are described as having to be “large,” is to enable the engravers to inscribe the whole text of the Torah on their surface. The latter stones are reported as still being in existence at the time the Book of Joshua had been written. [What is written in Joshua 4,3-4 is an elaboration of what was mentioned in summary in the preceding verse 2.] (compare Daat Mikra). There were a total of 36 stones, three groups of 12. Twelve were erected in the river bed of the Jordan, before the Jordan had resumed flowing south. 12 were erected at Gilgal. The final twelve were taken all the way to Mount Eyval. These latter stones were made into the altar on Mount Eyval as mentioned by Rashi in his commentary on verse two of our chapter. [According to a view also mentioned by Rashi in conjunction with the Baraitha in Sotah 35, the stones which were made into a (temporary) altar on Mount Eyval were brought back to Gilgal and erected there.]
Our author feels that the plain meaning of our verses allows for only a total of 24 stones, 12 of which were erected in the river bed, whereas the other 12 were taken from the river. The stones erected in the river bed remain to this day and their purpose had been to enable the feet of the priests carrying the Holy Ark not to get wet in the slime while crossing the river. [The actual flow of the water had been arrested in deference to the presence of the Holy Ark. Ed.]
We find the expression באר used in Deut. 1,5 when Moses is reported as “explaining” the Torah. We find it used again in verse 5 of our chapter here. This gives rise to the exegesis by means of a גזרה שוה that just as Moses explained the Torah in 70 languages, the inscribing of the stones with the Torah also was in 70 languages.
The words והקמות לך אבנים גדולות (verse 3) may be understood as a כלל, a general summary of the subject under discussion, whereas the words (verse 4) והיה בעברכם את הירדן תקימו את האבנים האלה may be viewed as the details elaborating on the summary mentioned before. It is as if the Torah wanted to say that the twelve stones mentioned earlier were to be treated in a certain manner. Verse four refers to the aforementioned stones and instructs for them to be erected on Mount Eival. They are to be covered with plaster and then inscribed after the altar on Mount Eival has been erected. [the building of the altar is to precede the erecting of these stones, not as the wording appears at first glance (Rabbi Chavell) Ed.] Following all this, the stones are to be inscribed with the text of the entire Torah, well clarified (verse 8). If we do not explain the verse in this fashion i.e. on the basis of A) summary (כלל) followed by B) detailed instructions (פרט), the entire passage will sound confusing. What would be the point of writing in verse 8 that the entire Torah, well clarified, is to be inscribed on these stones, seeing that G’d had already instructed the Torah to be inscribed on the stones in verse 3? Furthermore, how could the Torah first write: “you are to write upon them” (verse 3), and subsequently “you shall build an altar there?” (verse 5). The Talmud in Sotah 32 also appears to understand our paragraph as an example of the exegetical principle of כלל ופרט.

There were three kinds of stones, etc. Nothing can be proved from the verses here. Rather, everything is proved from the verses in Yehoshua. It is written there (4:2) that they erected twelve stones in the Jordan at the place where the kohanim's feet stood, and they erected twelve stones in Gilgal, the first place they sojourned in the Land of Israel. And on those stones [of Gilgal] Yehoshua had previously written the whole Torah at Mount Eival. Because sefer Yehoshua mentions these two types of stones, i.e. those of the Jordan and those of the Gilgal, Rashi therefore mentions them first, even though they [i.e. the ones of Gilgal] were first erected at Mount Eival. But because they removed them, and took and erected them in Gilgal, Rashi mentions them [those of the Jordan and the Gilgal] together. Regarding this Rashi writes “As stated in Tractate Sotah,” because that is where the verses of sefer Yehoshua are cited. And when Rashi writes “three kinds of stones,” he means [two kinds at] three different sites. This answers the questions raised by Re”m against Rashi from Tractate Sotah Chapter Eilu Ne'emarin.

V. 2. והיה ביום וגו׳. Das Aufrichten der Steine, das Bekalken derselben und das Schreiben des Gesetzes darauf wird vollständig nochmals (Verse 4-8), nur örtlich präzisiert und mit dem Altarbauen und den Opfern erweitert, angeordnet. Verse 2 u. 3 sagen daher: nicht erst בעברכם wie Vers 4, wenn ihr hinüber seid, sondern sofort: ביום אשר תעברו, in dem Momente, in welchem ihr im Begriff sein werdet, den Jordan zu überschreiten, sollt ihr euch mit der Errichtung von mit Kalk zu überwerfenden Steinen beschäftigen, um auf sie בעברך, wenn ihr den Jordan überschritten haben werdet (vergl. בעברכם V. 12), das ganze Gesetz zu schreiben. Die Errichtung dieser Steine für das Gesetz, mit welcher ihr euch sofort, wenn ihr den Jordan überschreiten wollt, beschäftigen, die ihr schon vor vollbrachtem Überschreiten beginnen sollt, sie wird es bewirken, daß ihr überhaupt den Jordan überschreitet und in das verheißene Land kommet. Nur der תורה verdankt ihr das Land, für das Gesetz, für die Erhaltung und Erfüllung des Gesetzes erhaltet ihr das Land. Das soll sofort bei eurem Überschreiten des Grenzflusses bekundet werden. In der Tat wurden auch – wie Josua 4, 2-8 berichtet und Sota 32a u. 35a erläutert wird – die Steine aus dem Jordan, von der Stelle, wo und während die Priester mit Gesetzesbundeslade standen, vor welcher der Jordan zurückgewichen war, ausgehoben, und nachdem davon auf dem Ebal der Altar gebaut und das Gesetz darauf geschrieben worden war, zum bleibenden Gedächtnis in Gilgal, der ersten Raststätte auf heimischem Boden, aufgerichtet, damit diese Steine noch den späten Enkeln erzählen mögen, daß נכרתו מימי הירדן מפני אדון ברית ד׳, daß vor der Gesetzeslade des Gottesbundes die Fluten des Jordans zurückgewichen waren, nicht vor Israel, בעברו בירדן, weil das Gesetz seiner Bestimmung entgegenzog, נכרתו מי הירדן. Und schon vor dem Hineinschreiten in den Jordan hatte Josua (daselbst 3, 12) das Volk zwölf Männer, je einen Mann aus jedem Stamm, zum Ausheben und Mitnehmen dieser Steine bestimmen lassen. Sehen wir den Numeruswechsel vom Plural zum Singular und vom Singular zum Plural in diesen Versen 1-8, so dürfte sich ja eben darin der Gedanke aussprechen, wie die Aufgabe der שמירת חתורה, für deren Lösung das verheißene Land gewährt wird, nicht die Sache einzelner, auch nicht nur der Gesamtheit in ihrer durch die Staatsrepräsentanz verkörperten Einheit, sondern der Gesamtheit in ihrer Vielheit sei, somit dafür das ganze Volk in seinem einheitlichen Zusammenwirken einzustehen habe, ein Gedanke, der durch die vom Volke selbst aus jedem Stamme auszuwählenden Zwölfmänner für die Steine des Gesetzesdenkmals den sprechendsten Ausdruck gefunden hat.