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(Deut. 33:1:) “And this is the blessing.” This text is related (to Prov. 31:29), “Many daughters have done valiantly, but you surpass them all.” This is the blessing of Moses,¹PRK 31:11. in respect to which you should note that in the case of the earlier generations each and every one blessed his generation, but there was none was like the blessing of Moses. Noah blessed his children, but it contained a divergence, as he blessed one and cursed another, as stated (Gen. 9:27,) “May God enlarge (ypt) Japheth (ypt) [...]; and let Canaan be a slave to them.” Isaac blessed Jacob, but there was strife in it. It is so stated (in Gen. 28:4), “May He give you the blessing of Abraham, but he said to Esau (in Gen. 27:35), “Your brother came with deceit”; and it is stated (in vs. 41), “Then Esau hated Jacob […, and Esau said in his heart, ‘Let the days of mourning for my father come, and I will kill my brother Jacob’].” Jacob blessed the tribes, but there was strife among them, in that he rebuked Reuben, as stated (in Gen. 49:4), “Unstable as water”; and similarly (in vs. 5), “Simeon and Levi [are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords].” And from where did each and every one of the patriarchs learn to bless his generation? [They learned it] from the Holy One, blessed be He. When he created Adam, He blessed him, as stated (in Gen. 1:27-28), “male and female. Then [God] blessed them.” And the world was maintained by that blessing, until the generation of the flood came, and they cancelled it out, as stated (in Gen. 6:7), “And the Lord said, “I will blot out the humanity which I created.” When Noah left the ark, the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that this blessing had passed from them. He blessed Noah and his children anew, as stated (in Gen. 9:1), “Then God blessed Noah and his children.” The world was maintained by this blessing, until Abraham came into the world, and He added blessing, as stated (in Gen. 12:2), “For I will make you into a great nation.” Once Abraham came, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “It is not honorable for Me, that I should be obliged to bless My creatures. Rather take note! I am handing over the blessings to Abraham and to his seed, so that for all who they issue a blessing, I am placing my seal upon [those blessings], as stated (in vs. 2, cont.), ‘[I will bless you and magnify your name] and so become a blessing.’” (Vs. 3:) “I will bless those who bless you….” What is the meaning of “I will bless?” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Take note. I am handing over the blessings to all whom you bless, and I am sealing [them] through you.” But if from then on the blessings were [handed over] to Abraham, why did he not bless Isaac? It was because Abraham saw that Esau would issue from him. He said, “If I bless Isaac, then Esau will be blessed, and Isaac will be found lacking.” A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To the head of a household that had a vineyard,²See Gen. R. 61:6; Numb. R. 11:2; M. Pss. 1:5. [and] gave it to a tenant. And in that vineyard was a tree of life, but it had overgrown a tree having a deadly poison. Now he did not know what to do. He said, “If I cultivate that vineyard, then the tree having a deadly poison will flourish; but if I do not cultivate that vineyard, then the tree of life will die. So what shall I do? I will bear with that vineyard until the owner of the vineyard comes. Then he may do what he wants with his vineyard.” And so also did Abraham say, “If I bless Isaac, Esau will end up being blessed and Jacob will lose out. Rather look here. I will leave him alone until the Holy One, blessed be He, comes, when He will deal with what belongs to Him.” Jacob came and received five blessings: two from his father, one from Abraham, one from the angel, and one from the Holy One, blessed be He.³Cf. Gen. R. 94:5. From his father, as stated (in Gen. 27:33), “Then Isaac trembled (when he realized he had blessed Jacob instead of Esau). Why “trembled?” R. Eliezer ben Pedat said, “[He did so] because he saw Gehinnom open in front of him. He wanted to say, ‘Cursed will be [Jacob.’ Instead,] he went back [on it], and added blessing [to it], when he said (ibid., end), ‘he also shall be blessed.’” Here is one [blessing]. A second (is in Gen. 28:1), “So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him.” The blessing of the Holy One, blessed be He, (is in Gen. 35:9), “Now God appeared unto Jacob [… and blessed him].” The blessing of Abraham (is in Gen. 28:4), “And may He grant you the blessing of Abraham.” And the blessing of an angel is (in Gen. 32:30), “and he (the angel) blessed him there.” When Jacob came to bless the tribes, he blessed them with the five blessings that he had in hand and added one blessing to them, as stated (in Gen. 49:28), “All these are the tribes of Israel, [twelve in number, and this is what their father spoke to them when he blessed them, each one with his own blessing is how he blessed them].”⁴The midrash notes that the words, HE BLESSED THEM, occur twice and interprets the verse to mean that one blessing, the fivefold blessing he had received, was for the tribes as a group while the other blessing was a specific blessing for each tribe. When Moses came to bless Israel, he added a seventh blessing to them. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 33:1), “And this is the blessing.” [According to another interpretation, Moses made] an addition to the blessings with which Balaam had blessed Israel,⁵Cf. PRK 31(suppl. 1):4. since it was fitting for him to bless them with seven blessings corresponding to the seven altars [he had built];⁶On these altars, see Numb. 23:1, 14, 29. but [Balaam] only blessed them with three, as stated (in Numb. 24:10), “but here you have even blessed them these three times.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “O wicked one, your eye is too jaundiced for you to bless them. Moreover, I am not putting the power in your hand to finish your blessing over Israel. Moses will come, whose eye is fair; then he will bless Israel.” And it is about him that Solomon has said (in Prov. 22:9), “He that has a benevolent eye shall be blessed (ybrk).” Do not read “ybrk [with vowels meaning] shall be blessed,” but [with vowels meaning] “shall bless.” This refers to Moses our master whose eyes were fair when he blessed Israel, such that he blessed them with [the other] four blessings: The first is (in Exod. 39:43), “When Moses saw all the work […] he blessed them.” The second is (in Lev. 9:23), “Then Moses and Aaron came unto the tent of meeting; and when they came out, they blessed the people….” The third is (in Deut. 1:11), “May the Lord God of your ancestors add [to your numbers a thousand times more than you are and bless you].” The fourth is (here in Deut. 33:1), “And this is the blessing.” It is therefore stated (in Prov. 31:29), “Many daughters have done valiantly, but you surpass them all.”(Deut. 33:1:) And this is the blessing.” It was fitting for Moses to bless Israel because he had constantly risked his life for them.⁷PRK 31(suppl. 1):12. For this reason, it is stated (in Deut. 33:1), “And this is the blessing [that Moses blessed... the Children of Israel].” (Deut. 33:1:) “The man of God (the Power).” If it says, “man,” why does it say, “God,” and if it says, “God,” why does it say, “man?” It is simply that at the time he fled from in front of Pharaoh, he was a man, but at the time he trounced [the Egyptians], he was a power. Another interpretation: At the time that he went up to the firmament, he was a man; in front of the angels that were all fire, he was a man. But at the time he came down, he was a power. Before he went up to the firmament, he was a man, as he would eat and drink. But all the time that he was there, he was a power, as stated (in Exod. 34:20), “and they were afraid to approach him.”

(Deut. 33:1:) AND THIS IS THE BLESSING. This text is related (to Prov. 31:29): MANY DAUGHTERS HAVE DONE VALIANTLY, BUT YOU SURPASS THEM ALL. This is the blessing of Moses,¹Tanh., Deut. 11:1; PRK 31:11. in respect to which you should note that in the case of the earlier generations each and every one blessed his generation, but compared to all of them none was like the blessing of Moses. Noah blessed his children, but it contained a divergence. He blessed one and cursed another. (Gen. 9:27:) MAY GOD ENLARGE (YPT) JAPHETH (YPT); but he said (vs. 25:) CURSED BE CANAAN. Isaac blessed Jacob. There was strife in it, in that he said to Esau (in Gen. 27:35): YOUR BROTHER CAME WITH DECEIT; and it is stated (in vs. 41): THEN ESAU HATED JACOB <…, AND ESAU SAID IN HIS HEART: LET THE DAYS OF MORNING FOR MY FATHER COME, AND I WILL KILL MY BROTHER JACOB>. Jacob blessed the tribes, but there was strife among them, in that he said to Reuben (in Gen. 49:4): UNSTABLE AS WATER; and similarly (in vs. 5): SIMEON AND LEVI <ARE BROTHERS; WEAPONS OF VIOLENCE ARE THEIR SWORDS>. And from where did each and every one of the patriarchs learn to bless his generation? [They learned] from the Holy One. When he created Adam, he blessed him, as stated (in Gen. 1:28): THEN GOD BLESSED THEM; [and²The other part of this bracket is several lines below. the world was maintained by that blessing, until the generation of the flood came, and they cancelled it out, as stated (in Gen. 6:7): AND THE LORD SAID: I WILL BLOT OUT THE HUMANITY WHICH I CREATED. When Noah left the ark, the Holy One saw that this blessing had passed from them. He blessed Noah and his children anew, as stated (in Gen. 9:1): THEN GOD BLESSED NOAH AND HIS CHILDREN. The world was maintained by this blessing, until Abraham came into the world. Then the Holy One added one blessing for him, as stated (in Gen. 12:2): FOR I WILL MAKE YOU INTO A GREAT NATION…. When Abraham came, the Holy One said: It is not a practice worthy of me, that I should be obliged to bless my creatures. Rather take note! I am handing over the blessings to Abraham and to his seed, so that for all who issue a blessing through him, I am placing my seal upon <those blessings>, as stated (in vs. 2, cont.): <I WILL BLESS YOU AND MAGNIFY YOUR NAME> AND SO BECOME A BLESSING. (vs. 3:) I WILL BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS YOU…. What is the meaning of I WILL BLESS THOSE WHO BLESS YOU. The Holy One said: Take note. I am handing over the blessings to ALL WHOM YOU BLESS, and I am sealing <them> through you. But if from then on the blessings were {spoken} [handed over] to Abraham, why did he not bless Isaac? It was because Abraham saw that Esau would issue from him. He said: If I bless Isaac, then Esau will be blessed, and Isaac will be found lacking. A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To the head of a household that had a vineyard.³See Gen. R. 61:6; Numb. R. 11:2; M. Pss. 1:5; also Matthew 13:24–30.: He gave it to a tenant. And in that vineyard was a tree of life, but it had overgrown a tree having a deadly poison. Now he did not know what to do. He said: If I cultivate that vineyard, then the tree having a deadly poison will flourish; but if I do not cultivate that vineyard, then the tree of life will die. So what shall I do? I will bear with that vineyard until the owner of the vineyard comes. Then he may do what he wants with his vineyard.⁴Cf. Matthew 13:24–30. And so also did Abraham say: If I bless Isaac, Esau will end up being blessed and Jacob will lose out. Look here. It is simply that he is leaving him alone until the Holy One comes, when he will deal with what belongs to him.] Jacob came and received five blessing: two from his father, one from Abraham, one from the angel, and one from the Holy One.⁵Cf. Gen. R. 94:5.: Two from his father, according to what is stated (in Gen. 27:33): THEN ISAAC TREMBLED (when he realized he had blessed Jacob instead of Esau). Why TREMBLED? R. Eleazar ben Padat said: <He did so> because he saw Gehinnom open for Esau. He wanted to say: Cursed. He repented and added a blessing when he said (ibid., end): HE ALSO SHALL BE BLESSED. Here is one blessing. A second (is in Gen. 28:1): SO ISAAC CALLED JACOB AND BLESSED HIM. [The blessing of Abraham (is in Gen. 28:4): AND MAY HE GRANT YOU THE BLESSING OF ABRAHAM…; the blessing of an angel is (in Gen. 32:30 [29]): AND HE (the angel) BLESSED HIM THERE; and the blessings of the Holy One (in Gen. 35:9): NOW GOD APPEARED UNTO JACOB AGAIN…, AND BLESSED HIM.] When Jacob came to bless the tribes, he blessed them with the five blessing that he had in hand and added one blessing to them, as stated (in Gen. 49:28): ALL THESE ARE THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL, <TWELVE IN NUMBER, AND THIS IS WHAT THEIR FATHER SPOKE TO THEM> WHEN HE BLESSED THEM, EACH ONE WITH HIS OWN BLESSING IS HOW HE BLESSED THEM.⁶The midrash notes that the words, HE BLESSED THEM, occur twice and interprets the verse to mean that one blessing, the fivefold blessing he had received, was for the tribes as a group while the other blessing was a specific blessing for each tribe. When Moses came to bless Israel, he added a seventh blessing to them. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 33:1): AND THIS IS THE BLESSING. < According to another interpretation, Moses made> an addition to the blessings with which Balaam had blessed Israel,⁷Cf. PRK 31(suppl. 1):4 since it was fitting for him to bless with seven blessings corresponding to the seven altars <he had built>;⁸On these altars, see Numb. 23:1, 14, 29. but <Balaam> only blessed them with three, as stated (in Numb. 24:10): BUT HERE YOU HAVE EVEN BLESSED THEM THESE THREE [TIMES]. The Holy One said to him: You are wicked. Your eye is too jaundiced for you to bless them. Moreover, I am not putting the power in your hand to finish your blessing over Israel. Moses will come, whose eye is fair. Then he will bless Israel, and it is about him that Solomon has said (in Prov. 22:9): HE THAT HAS A BENEVOLENT EYE SHALL BE BLESSED (YBRK). Do not read YBRK <with vowels meaning> SHALL BE BLESSED, but <with vowels meaning> SHALL BLESS. This refers to Moses our Master whose eyes were fair when he blessed Israel. He also blessed them with <the other> four blessings:

"These are the words" - Halakhah: Is a Jewish person permitted to write a Torah scroll in any language? This is what the Sages taught: The only difference between scrolls and Tefillin or Mezuzot is that scrolls may be written in any language. Rabban Gamliel says: One is not even permitted for scrolls unless they are written in Greek. What is Rabban Gamliel's reasoning that one it is permissible to write a Torah scroll in Greek? This is how our Rabbis taught: Bar Kappara said: It is written, "May God extend Yephet, may he dwell in the tents of Shem," (Gen. 9:27) that the words of Shem may be spoken in the language of Yephet - therefore it is permitted that they be written in the Greek language. The Holy Blessed One said: See how the language of the Torah is so dear that it heals the tongue! From where do we know this? Since it is written, "A healing tongue is a tree of life," (Pro. 15:4) and the "tree of life" only refers to the Torah, as it is said, "it is a tree of life to those who grasp onto her," (Pro. 3:18). The language of the Torah makes the tongue fluent.

(Fol. 9) R. Juda said: "Even though our sages permitted the use of Greek they referred merely to the translation of the Pentateuch, but not to anything else. And this was also allowed only because of what occurred to Ptolemy, the king." What was it? We are taught: It happened that Ptolemy the king took seventy-two elders from Jerusalem, and placed them in seventy-two separate chambers, and did not inform them for what purpose he had brought them there. He afterward visited each chamber, and said to them: "Translate me the Torah of Moses, your teacher, [by heart.]" The Holy One, praised be He! sent into the heart of each of them a counsel which caused them to think as one mind, and [instead of, In the beginning God created the world] they wrote God created the world in the beginning; [instead of, Let us make a man, they wrote] I will make a man in an image; [instead of, And it was finished, they write] And God finished on the sixth day, and rested on the seventh day; [instead of. He created them, they wrote] Created him; [instead of. Let us go down, they wrote] Let Me go down; [instead of Sarah laughed within herself (Ib. 18, 12) they wrote] And Sarah laughed among her relatives; [instead of (49, 6) For in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they honged an ox, and in their self-will hanged a fattened ox; [instead of (Ex. 4, 20) Set them on a donkey, they wrote] Set them on a porter (man-carrier); [instead of (Ib. 12, 40) Dwelt in Egypt, they wrote] Dwelt in Egypt and in other lands was four hundred and thirty wears; [instead of (24, 5) And he then sent the youth, they wrote] The respectable men of Israel; [instead of (Num. 16, 15) I have not taken one ass of them, they wrote] Not one precious thing I took away; [instead of (Deut. 4, 19) Which the Lord thy God hath assigned unto all nations under the whole heaven, they wrote] Assigned to light for all nations; [instead of (Ib. 17, 3) Which I have not commanded, they wrote] Which I have not commanded to worship; [and instead of (Lev. 11, 6) The Arnebeth (the hare) they wrote], The slender footed, because Ptolemy's wife was named Arnebeth, and they were afraid lest he say that the Judaeans laughed at him by inserting his wife's name in the Torah. MISHNAH: Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel says, etc., R. Abahu, in the name of R. Jochanan, said: "The Halacha prevails according to Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel." And R. Abahu said again: "What reason does Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel advance? Because it is written (Gen. 9, 27) May God enlarge the boundaries of Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; i.e., the most beautiful thing which Japheth has — (the Greek language) shall dwell in the tents of Shem."

Resh Lakish was bathing himself in the Jordan, when Rabba b. b. Ghana came to him and shook hands with him. "God detests you Babylonians," said Resh Lakish to him, for it is written (Song. 8, 9) If she be a wall, we will build upon her a palace of silver; and if she be a door, we will enclose her with boards of cedar. This means: If you were all strong as a wall, and went with Ezra, you would have been like silver, which can never rot; but since you did not, you were like an Erez (a cedar) which is subject to decay. What kind of cedar is it over which decay has power? Ulla said: Sasmagur [a sawing worm to which a cedar is subject to decay]. And why do we liken the period of the second Temple into a Sasmagur? R. Abba said, this refers to a Bath Kol, as we are taught in the following Baraitha: With the death of the last prophets, Hagi, Zecharia and Malachi, the prophetic spirit was withdrawn from Israel, but they partook of [acted under] the holy inspiration (Bath Kol). (Is it possible that Resh Lakish spoke with Rabba b. b. Chana? If Resh Lakish would not speak with R. Elazar, who was the principal man in Palestine, because it was a rule that to whomsoever Resh Lakish spoke in the street, any business could be entrusted without witnesses, should Resh Lakish, then, have spoken with Rabba b. b. Chana [an inferior man]? R. Papa said: "Substitute another person. Either it was Resh Lakish and Ze'ri, or Rabba b. b. Ghana and R. Elazar.") When Resh Lakish came to R. Jochanan and related to him how he had explained the passage, R. Jochanan said to him: "This is not the reason [explanation]. If all had come with Ezra, even then the Shechina would not have abided in the second Temple, since it is written (Gen. 9, 27) May God enlarge the boundaries of Japheth, and may He dwell in the tents of Shem (Fol. 10); signifying, that although God enlarges the boundaries of Japheth, his Shechina can only dwell in the tents of Shem. And how is it known that the Persians are descendants of Japheth? Because it is written (Gen. 10, 2) The sons of Japheth: Gomer and Magog and Madai and Jaban and Tubal and Meshekh and Thirass; and R. Joseph has been taught that Thirass is Persia.

(Gen. 9:27:) MAY GOD ENLARGE (YPT) JAPHETH (YPT); but, nevertheless, (ibid., cont.): LET HIM DWELL IN THE TENTS OF SHEM.⁸⁶Gen. R. 36:8. Now all these things happened because of the wine. Thus, wherever you find wine, you find a downfall. And so with Noah < it was > on account of wine. And likewise with the tribes. When they sat down to eat, they sold their brother Joseph. So also in Shittim (according to Numb. 25:2): AND < THE DAUGHTERS OF MOAB > INVITED THE PEOPLE TO SACRIFICE TO THEIR GODS. So also in the making of the golden calf, < that too > was on account of wine (according to Exod. 32:6): AND THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK. Moreover, the tribes only went into exile because of wine, as stated (in Is. 5:11): WOE TO THOSE WHO RISE EARLY IN THE MORNING TO PURSUE STRONG DRINK. (Amos 6:6:) THOSE WHO DRINK < STRAIGHT > FROM THE WINE BOWLS. And the tribes of Judah and Benjamin also only went into exile because of wine, as stated (in Is. 28:7): AND THESE ALSO ARE MUDDLED BY WINE. The Holy One said: In this world it has turned into a stumbling block, but in the world to come I am turning the wine into fresh grape juice, as stated (in Joel 4:18 [3:18]): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS ON THAT DAY THE MOUNTAINS SHALL FLOW WITH FRESH GRAPE JUICE.⁸⁷See Lev. R. 12:5.

...Another explanation. “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion… And many nations shall join the Lord…” (Zechariah 2:14-15) R’ Chanina bar Papa said: this verse is only speaking of that hour when the Holy One judges the nations of the world in the time to come. In that hour the Holy One will bring all of the converts who converted in this world and judge the nations before them. He will say to them: why did you abandon Me and worship idols that have no substance. They will say before Him: Master of the World! If we had come to Your door You would not have accepted us. He will reply to them” let the converts who converted from amongst you and testify upon you. Immediately the Holy One will bring all the converts and they will judge them, saying before them: why did you abandon Him and worship idols that have no substance? Wasn’t Yitro an idolatrous priest? Since he came to the door of the Holy One, He received him. And were we not idol worshippers? Since we came to the door of the Holy One, He received us. Immediately all of the wicked will be ashamed due to the repentance of the converts. Judgement will be passed and they will pass from the world, as it says “But with one thing they are brutish and foolish, the vanities for which they will be punished are but wood.” (Jeremiah 10:8) Therefore it says ‘Sing and rejoice.’

"And he said, “Blessed be Hashem, the God of Shem; let Canaan be a slave to them (Genesis 9:26)": Reish Lakish said: "Yet from Japheth they stood in the tents of Shem". "And he said, “Blessed be Hashem, the God of Shem; Let Canaan be ", "May God enlarge Japheth (Genesis 9:27)": this is Cyrus who decreed the rebuilding of the Temple. " And let him dwell [veyishkon] in the tents of Shem": the shekhinah does not rest except "in the tents of Shem". Bar Kappara said: "Let the words of the Torah be spoken in the [Greek] language of Japheth in the midst of the "tents of Shem". Rabbi Yudan said: "This applies to a translation of the Torah. See! It is written: "They read from the scroll of the Teaching of God" (Nehemiah 8:8)": this is the Torah reading. "Translating it": this is the translation. "And giving the sense": these are the accents. "So they understood the reading": these are the beginnings of the verses". Rabbi Huna son of Lollianus says: "These are the grammatical constructions and pieces of evidence". The Rabbis of Caesarea said: "A reference to the vocalic tradition". Rabbi Zeira and Rabbi Chananel in the name of Rabbi: "Even if a man is knowledgeable in the Torah like Ezra, if there was no scroll of Esther there, he does not read it or write it". There they say: "He wrote two scrolls: he hid the first and published the second".

His tabernacle was in Shalem, and His dwelling place in Zion. R’ Brachia said: from the beginning of the creation of the world the Holy One made a tabernacle (sukkah) in Jerusalem. He, so to speak, would pray in it: ‘may it be willed that My children will do My will in order that I not destroy My house and sanctuary, [and once sin had caused it what was written? “And He stripped His Tabernacle like a garden, and laid in ruins His meeting place…” (Eicha 2:6) The place where he would make Himself known in prayer]. Since it was destroyed He prays ‘may it be willed from before Me that my children repent that I bring nearer the building of My house and sanctuary, this is ‘His tabernacle was in Shalem.’ You find that the Temple is called Shalem as it says, “Malchitzedek king of Shalem” (Bereshit 14:18) and he is Shem the son of Noach as it says “and he was a priest to the Most High Gd” (ibid.) It is written, “May God expand Japheth, and may He dwell in the tents of Shem…” (Bereshit 9:27) that he dwelled in His tent implies that he served Him as they translate into Aramaic ‘and he was a priest to the Most High Gd’ as ‘and he served before the High Gd,’ this was Shem. Avraham called the Temple yireh as it says “And Abraham called that place, The Lord will see (yireh)…” (Bereshit 22:14) HaMakom (Gd) said – if I call it Shalem as Shem did, I will nullify the words of Avraham who loves me who called it yireh. And if I call it yireh I will nullify the words of Shem the righteous who called it Shalem. What did the Holy One do? He combined what the two of them called it: Avraham called it yireh, Shem called it Shalem and the Holy One called it Yerushalayim, this is ‘His tabernacle was in Shalem’ what is it? Jerusalem, yireh and Shalem. Another thing: when will Gd be known in Yehudah? (Tehillim 76:2) When that tabernacle is erected of which you said , “On that day, I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David…” (Amos 9:11), this is ‘His tabernacle was in Shalem.’