출애굽기 5:14의 주석

ויכו שטרי בני ישראל AND THE BAILIFFS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL … WERE SMITTEN — These bailiffs were Israelites and they spared their fellow-Israelites, not urging them on to their work. When they handed over the bricks to the taskmasters who were Egyptians and something was deficient in the total they used to beat them because they had not urged on the Israelitish workmen. On this account these bailiffs were privileged to become members of the Sanhedrin later on, and there was taken some of the prophetical spirit that was upon Moses and it was placed upon them, as it is said, (Numbers 11:16) “Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel [whom thou knowest]” — of those about whom thou knowest the kindly acts which they did in Egypt, “for they are the real elders of the people having been their bailiffs” (Exodus Rabbah 5:20).

גם תמול גם היום, “as (much as) yesterday also today?” According to Ibn Ezra the day referred to here as “yesterday,” was the day on which Moses had performed the miracles before the people, and “today” was the day on which Moses and Aaron had their first audience with Pharaoh. On both of these days the Israelites did not deliver their quota of bricks.

Those officers that Pharaoh’s taskmasters appointed. Rashi is answering the question: אשר שמו עליהם נוגשי פרעה seems to imply that the officers of B’nei Yisrael appointed Pharaoh’s taskmasters over themselves. Therefore Rashi explains: “Those officers that Pharaoh’s taskmasters appointed.”

גם תמול, “also yesterday;” on the day when Moses performed the miracles, and the people on account of that did not perform their daily routine,

ויכו שטרי בני ישראל אשר שמו נגשי פרעה THEN WERE SMITTEN THE BAILIFFS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WHOM PHARAOH’S TASKMASTERS HAD PUT as bailiffs עליהם OVER THEM (i. e. over the Israelites) לאמר מדוע וגו׳ SAYING, WHEREFORE etc. — Why were they beaten? because they (the taskmasters) said to them (the bailiffs) WHEREFORE DID YE NOT FINISH (גם תמול גם היום) BOTH YESTERDAY AND TO-DAY THE TASK SET FOR YOU (חקכם) IN MAKING BRICKS as ye did yesterday-in-the-third-degree (כתמול שלשם) — which means the day before yesterday — which was the time when straw was given to them.

Because they would say to them . . . Usually, לאמר (to say) or אמירה (saying), when following a term of דיבור (speaking), comes to specify what was spoken in general, . But here, לאמר cannot mean this, [since וידבר is not written]. And here, לאמר also cannot mean “say to others,” [as it sometimes does]. Therefore Rashi was forced to explain: “Why were they beaten? Because they would say to them . . .”

גם היום, as well as to day, when Moses and Aaron had gone to speak to Pharaoh, (and they were awaiting the results of that conversation.).

Heb. וַיֻכּוּ They were the object of an action. [The word is in the “hoph’al” conjugation, the recipient of the “hiph’il.”] They were beaten by others; the taskmasters beat them.

The taskmasters beat them. Rashi explains ויוכו (they were beaten by others) only after he provides the reason why they were beaten. [Although logically, Rashi should first explain that they were beaten, and then provide the reason why]. This is because the reason provided, “Why have you not completed . . . the quota,” is in fact not the reason [said by] the beaten party, rather it is the reason [said by] the beaters, i.e., the taskmasters. [This is problematic because the taskmasters are not actually the subject of the verse.] Therefore, Rashi needed to explain that למה ויוכו implies that they were recipients of an act, and thus it is the same as saying למה הכום (why did they [the taskmasters] beat them). [In this way the taskmasters become the subject of the verse, and the reason of “Why have you not completed. . . the quota” follows logically.]