Komentarz do Powtórzonego Prawa 32:4

הצור תמים פעלו THE ROCK, HIS WORK IS PERFECT — Although He is strong (הצור!) yet when He brings punishment upon those who transgress His will, He does not bring it in a flood of anger, but in deliberate judgment, because תמים פעלו HIS WORK IS PERFECT.

THE ROCK, HIS WORK IS PERFECT. This is an allusion to the attribute of justice. He states His work is perfect for whatever act emanates from Him is perfect and complete, eternally immovable and unchangeable. For all His ways are justice. They are [indeed] the merciful⁹Kesef Mezukak suggests that the word “merciful” is incongruous with “the attribute of justice.” Therefore, he deletes “merciful” and substitutes “perfect.” ways, and there is no deficiency in [His] work; [rather, His work is performed] but in a just measure.¹⁰Jeremiah 10:24. For justice belongs to the G-d of faithfulness and there is no injustice¹¹In Verse 4 before us. in the Rock. Thus the justice [dispensed] is righteous and the Rock is upright.

Do not relate to Him differently on account of what you hear in my song about Israel’s future. Do not come to the mistaken conclusion that G’d will ever change and that the experiences that will befall the Jewish people during the course of history, and which I am about to foreshadow, are evidence of His changing and possibly becoming the Jewish people’s enemy. You are very well aware through the variety of miracles He has performed on your behalf that הצור, He remains the Rock and His actions are always motivated by pure motives. This being so, if at times He does not appear to help you, save you, this is not due to a weakening on His part, neither is He hard of hearing so that He did not hear your pleas; never ascribe any injustice to Him;

הצור תמים פעלו, "The Rock, His work is perfect." Moses had stated in the last verse that the cause of rainfall and dew is Torah study. Moses now adds that if someone who does study Torah nonetheless experiences extreme poverty, or if one sees a person who had suffered deprivations until he shook off the yoke of Torah and suddenly became very wealthy, the reason is not due to this person shaking off the yoke of Torah. The onlooker should not make such phenomena an excuse to become an heretic, but should acknowledge G'd as a fair Judge. This is reason Moses describes G'd as הצור, as someone Who is strong and steadfast even if He appears to discipline man. Our response has to be that תמים פעלו, "that whatever He does is perfect." This is the correct reaction to when we observe that G'd apparently compensates very sparingly people who have been very generous doing good works and who have studied Torah. The words כי כל דרכיו משפט, "for all His ways are justice," refer to the reverse phenomenon, i.e. people who have apparently done hardly anything to deserve the way in which G'd appears to lavish His bounty on them. We have to remember that G'd does not afflict the righteous until he has become guilty to suffer afflictions, and He does not lavish His goodness on the wicked unless they had done something to deserve it.

הצור תמים פעלו, this poem envisages the entire future; this is why it deals primarily with the holocaust the Israelites will experience as retribution for their sinfulness. Moses’ point is that no matter what terrible times the Jewish people experience, none of it is a reflection on the perfection of its G’d, the Rock of the universe; He remains perfect throughout in whatever He does.

הצור תמים פעו, “The Rock, perfect is His work;” Ibn Ezra writes that the reason Moses commences with this praise of Hashem, is to make plain to the Israelites to begin with, that if they will experience disasters of whatever kind in the future, the cause must not be attributed to the Creator but they must search for it in their own shortcomings, seeing that there are no shortcomings in anything G’d has created.

Although He is almighty. Rashi is answering the question: Why does Moshe Rabbeinu call the Holy One, Blessed Is He [by the Name] “Rock”? Furthermore, what is the meaning of “flawless” that is mentioned here? Are there any actions of the Holy One, Blessed Is He, that are not flawless? Therefore Rashi explains, “Although, etc.”

V. 4. הצור וגו׳. Mit diesem Worte beginnt die eigentliche צור .שירה als bildliche Bezeichnung Gottes kehrt wiederholt in dieser שירה wieder und erscheint als charakteristischer Begriff derselben. Der erste Gedanke, man kann sagen, der Grundgedanke der hier beginnenden קריאת שם ד׳ ist: צור (nach einigen hier auch mit großem צ). Nach der Auffassung der Weisen im ספרי liegt in צור der Doppelgedanke: התקיף, der Starke, und: הצייר, der Bildner. In der Tat, wenn צור in der gewöhnlichen Bedeutung als Fels das natürliche Bild des Festen, Starken, Unveränderlichen und Unüberwindlichen und so den Ausdruck für den stärksten und zuverlässigsten Halt und Schutz bietet, so liegt doch schon in der Verbalbedeutung der Wurzel צור eine zwiefache Betätigung der im Substantiv צור vergegenwärtigten Stärke. צור heißt als Verbum meistens: belagern, einengen, somit die Stärke in einer festen Umschränkung, Einschließung äußern. כי תצור אל עיר (Dewarim 20, 19) מצור, Belagerung und Belagerungswerkzeug (daselbst 19, 20), auch in schützendem Sinne: ערי מצורות (Chron. II, 11. 21) feste Städte, ähnlich wie מצודה, von צוד fangen, sowohl den festen Platz bedeutet, in welchen man jemanden zur Gefangennehmung, als auch in welchen jemand sich selbst zur Vekteidigung einschließt. צור heißt aber auch bilden, formen. ויצר אותו בחרט (Schmot 32. 4), צורתו ,צורותו ,צורת הבית (Ezechiel 43, 11). Ist doch auch ein jedes Formen, Bilden, die feste, bleibende Beschränkung des Stoffes in zweckentsprechende begrenzende Umrisse. צור als Substantiv kommt daher auch außer der Bedeutung Fels als Ausdruck dieses zwiefachen Begriffes der unveränderlichen Festigkeit und der alle anderen Stoffe bewältigenden Härte vor. Ps. 49, 15 bedeutet צור das dem Menschen inwohnende der Verwesung nicht erliegende unsterbliche Teil: וצורם לבלות שאול מזבול לו, und ihr unsterbliches Wesen ist bestimmt, selbst die Gruft zu überdauern, dass dieses ihm keine Stätte sei. Psalm 89, 44 bezeichnet es die harte Schärfe des Schwertes: אף תשיב צור חרבו. Du lässest die Schärfe seines Schwertes zurückprallen, d. i. du nimmst ihm die schneidende Kraft. Auf Gott übertragen ist צור bildlicher Ausdruck für das Unveränderliche und das absolut Bewältigende. Er ist der absolute Urgrund alles Seins und aller Art des Seins. Was er zum Sein bestimmt, findet in Ihm seinen ewigen Halt, und jede von Ihm beabsichtigte Gestaltung gelangt mit absoluter Gewissheit zur Verwirklichung. Daher Jesaias 26, 4 der Satz: בטחו בד׳ עדי עד כי ביה ד׳ צור עולמים. Der zweibuchstabige Gottesname drückt, wie wir dies zu Schmot 15, 2 bemerkt, die sich in siegreicher Bewältigung alles Entgegenstehenden zeigende Gotteskraft aus. Wäre dies die einzige Weise der Gotteswaltung, es würden alle Gestaltungen auf Erden dem Ideale des göttlichen Willens sofort und unwandelbar entsprechen. Sie wären eben das Produkt der unwiderstehlichen göttlichen Willensmacht. Allein, es hat Gott mit der dem Menschen verliehenen Willensfreiheit die Gestaltung Seiner Ziele einer erst in freier Entwicklung, aber darum nicht minder mit absoluter Gewissheit sich verwirklichenden Zukunft — wie dies der vierbuchstabige Name bezeichnet — überwiesen. Daher: "vertrauet auf Gott bis zum endlichen Ziele; denn in יה ד׳ liegt der ewige Halt beider Welten", der jetzigen mit allen ihr noch anhaftenden Unvollkommenheiten, und der einstigen des verwirklichten Gottesideales auf Erden. In Beziehung zu Israel spricht daher die Bezeichnung Gottes als צור die doppelte Gewissheit aus. Israel hat in Gott den ewigen Halt seines geschichtlichen Daseins. Gott will, dass es sei, darum geht es nimmer verloren. Allein Gott will auch eine bestimmte Art seines Seins, die Er ihm in seinem Gesetze offenbart. Diesen Anforderungen kann sich Israel nimmer entziehen. Sie sind ebenso unwandelbar wie Gottes Sein und Wollen. Und welche Geschickeswandlungen Israel auch durchzumachen hat, sie haben alle die endliche Verwirklichung dieser Gottesbestimmungen an Israel und durch Israel zum Ziele, sie sind eben nichts als die gestaltenden Hammerschläge der unwiderstehlichen Gestaltungskraft der göttlichen Waltung, כי ביה ד׳ צור עולמים (vergl. zu Bamidbar 8, 4). — Daher der Name צור das Charakteristikon der שירת האזינו, in ihm liegt der Schlüssel dieses Gottes Waltungen an Israel, mit Israel und durch Israel schauend offenbarenden Gesanges. —

הצור תמים פעלו, “the Rock, His work is perfect;” it is only fair that you will acknowledge His greatness seeing that he is unshakably strong and therefore whatever He has created is perfect; moreover He does not display anger when facing those who are bent to make Him display His anger.

הצור תמים פעליו, “The Rock, all of whose works are perfect;” this is again a reference to the “heaven and earth,” and the four directions on earth, north south, east and west.

אל אמונה A GOD OF FAITHFULNESS — faithful to recompense the righteous their righteousness in the world to come; and even though He defers their recompense, in the end He will prove faithful (אמן) to His promise.

כל דרכיו משפט, all of His paths are justice;

צדיק וישר הוא, as he will explain forthwith when he lists how G’d has dealt Israel by heaping acts of loving kindness upon them. However, they responded with וישמן ישורון ויבעט, becoming fat and instead of showing gratitude they “kicked” i.e. resented having to obey His commandments. (verse 15)

פעלו, “His work;” Ibn Ezra writes that whatever work or masterpiece is performed on earth by any of G’d’s creatures, is by definition deficient, as it was dependent on input by the Creator, whether direct or indirect, and it requires at least the passive tolerance of the Creator in order to function and not to collapse. This is the basic difference between His work and our work, even the most perfect.

Although He delays rewarding them, etc. Rashi is answering the question: Why does Moshe use an expression of “faithfulness”? [Rashi] explains that it refers to the reward given to the righteous, which is for an endless time in the World to Come. Therefore it is appropriate to use the term “faithful.”

Moses continues with אל אמונה ואין עול, "A G'd of faith without iniquity, etc." Our sages in the Sifri understand the word אמונה, to mean "faithful to repay the righteous in the hereafter," and the words אין עול, "without iniquity," they understand as His repaying the wicked for the good they have done in this life. The sages' thinking may be understood when one reads how they interpret Psalms 4,8: "You put joy in my heart when their grain and wine show increase." Midrash Tehillim on this verse explains that when David observed all this he said to himself: "if people who constantly violate many of G'd's commandments fare like this, I, who strive to carry out G'd's will, will most certainly fare at least as well. This is why my heart is filled with joy when I behold the success of the nations." The meaning of אל אמונה then is that the righteous draws additional faith from the way G'd deals with those who are merely Gentiles. The words ואין עול refer to G'd's need to pay the Gentiles their reward in this life as it is the only life they have.

תמים פעלו. Die nach vorstehendem von den Weisen gelehrte Auffassung des Begriffes צור in aktiver Bedeutung einer gestaltenden Tätigkeit findet ihre Bestätigung in der vom צור prädizierten Aussage: תמים פעלו, womit ja eben eine Eigenschaft von seiner Tätigkeit ausgesagt wird. פועל ist nicht nur das Objekt, das Produkt einer schaffenden Tätigkeit: das Werk, sondern auch die schaffende Tätigkeit selbst: das Tun, das Wirken. So Prov. 20, 11 u. 21, 8; Job, 34, 11 und Ruth 2, 12. תמים ist seiner Grundbedeutung nach wesentlich: das Abgeschlossene, Fertige, an dem nichts fehlt (siehe zu Bereschit 17. 1). Es wird hier vom צור עולמים ausgesagt, dass, wenngleich im Verhältnis zu dem zu erreichenden Endziel eine noch in Gestaltung begriffene Gegenwart unvollendet, unvollkommen erscheint, das gestaltende Wirken Gottes doch in jedem Stadium des Schaffens ein abgeschlossenes, höchst vollendetes ist. Das Wirken Gottes ist nicht wie das menschliche Tun ein aus lauter Unvollkommenheiten sich Zusammensetzendes, mühsam sich ergänzend und korrigierend einer Vollendung Zustrebendes. In welchem Momente man das Walten Gottes erfassen möchte, in jedem ist ein Vollendetes, Abgeschlossenes, dem Momente vollkommen Entsprechendes. Während das menschliche Tun in lauter Unvollkommenheiten sich fortbewegt, schreitet Gottes Walten in lauter Unvollkommenheiten fort.

צדיק וישר הוא, “He is righteous and just.” This refers to those human beings that act in accordance with His will. He does not withhold their reward. Seeing that Moses was bent on explaining how G–d takes revenge from those Israelites who deliberately cause Him anger, before doing the same to the gentile nations, he mentioned the righteous and his judgment first.

תמים פעליו, all of G-d’s activities are performed in a perfect manner, as opposed to the works performed by man. When a human being constructs a building it will always be found that when he reviews it, that he had omitted something which needs replacing, adding, removing, or changing. Not so with anything G-d has constructed. One of the reasons man cannot complete something perfectly at the first try is that he has not created the raw materials that he uses in the building’s construction.

ואין עול AND WITHOUT INJUSTICE — even to the wicked He pays the reward for their meritorious deeds, but in this world (Sifrei Devarim 307:11; cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 7:10).

א-ל אמונה, a totally reliable and loyal G’d is He; when He swore to the patriarchs that He would perform deeds of love for their children on account of these patriarchs’ merit;

כי כל דרכיו משפט, “for all His ways are justice.” They are not subject to change, i.e. never need to “improve,” as they have always been correct and perfect. Seeing that His creatures experience different needs at different times, as opposed to their Creator, their works must change from time to time in order to meet changing requirements. G’d’s actions always correspond to His wisdom and glory, both of which are constants.

Even the wicked He rewards, etc. I.e. this verse seems repetitive. Since it is written, “God of faithfulness” then certainly He does not commit injustice. [Therefore Rashi explains that the verse means] that even to the wicked [Hashem acts justly]. One might have thought that Hashem does not pay them their reward, but simply He deducts any mitzvos from their sins, and He punishes only the remaining sins. Therefore it teaches that a sin is not offset by a corresponding mitzvah, but He pays reward for mitzvos in this world. As Scripture writes, “And He pays His enemy to his face [to destroy him]” (Devarim 7:10), in order that he receives their full punishment for his sins in the World to Come.

צדיק וישר הוא. "He is righteous and upright." This is a reference to the fact that G'd the Creator created the universe based on justice, as we know from Proverbs 29,4: "a king sustains earth by justice." Our sages in Tanchuma Shoftim say that G'd swore an oath that He would erect the universe based on justice. On the other hand, we find that He has at least 13 attributes (virtues) which are all various forms of mercy rather than justice. If G'd swore that the universe is based on justice, how does the attribute of Mercy fit into the picture?

כי כל דרכיו משפט, denn alle seine Wege, nicht nur das letzte Ziel, sind משפט: die Ausübung des Rechts, die Verwirklichung dessen, was in jedem Momente dem von seinem Walten Betroffenen gemäß ist. ׳דרכי ד sind wesentlich die Weisen der göttlichen Waltung mit seinen Geschöpfen, insbesondere dem Menschen (siehe Schmot 33, 13). Ps.145, 7 heißt es: צדיק ד׳ בכל דרכיו וחסיד בכל מעשיו. Alle Geschöpfe Gottes sind ein Produkt der göttlichen Liebe, keines hat aus sich einen Anspruch auf das, was es ist und anstrebt. Sein ganzes Dasein ist ja eine freie Spende der schaffenden Gottesliebe. Und doch behandelt es Gott, als ob es einen Anspruch auf Dasein und Wohlsein hätte. Die erste Verleihung seiner schaffenden Liebe war eben dieser Anspruch. — אל אמונה, er ist ein Gott, dem man vertrauen kann, der keinen verlässt, der eben als צור in seiner Unveränderlichkeit immer derselbe bleibt und, auch wo er Gericht übt, nicht nur objektiv dem Rechte gerecht wird, sondern nur das Beste dessen bewirkt, der von seinem משפט betroffen wird. — ואין עול, nie übt er seine Macht an einem Geschöpf lediglich um seine Macht zu üben. So verschwindend klein die Machtsumme der ganzen Welt gegen ihren Schöpfer und Meister ist, so wird doch an dem kleinsten Geschöpf von Ihm keine Gewalt geübt.

כי כל דרכיו משפט, “for all His ways are just;” Moses wants to tell the Jewish people that although in the limited time that man spends on earth he cannot always live long enough; however, all that G-d has planned works out perfectly in the end, the fact is that G-d judges His people first for their wrong doings, (something that results in their repentance and rehabilitation) whereas He deals with the gentile nations later but they will not then have a chance to rehabilitate themselves.) The details of how this works will be spelled out in the verses following.

צדיק וישר הוא — The meaning is: All acknowledge His judgment to be just (צדיק), and this is befitting and right of them (ישר), i.e., He is declared צדיק by the mouth of men, וישר, and it is right for them to declare Him צדיק, as righteous.

ואין עול, never false, even when He visits retribution on you.

א-ל אמונה, “a G’d of Faith,” He alone possesses the virtue of Truth in an absolute degree, able to keep faith, as opposed to His creatures, however well intentioned, as their power was on “loan” from a higher source, and they can be deprived of it at a moment’s notice.

Everyone justifies His judgment, etc. I.e. [Rashi] wishes to explain the term “righteous, etc.” The term “righteous” is said in conjunction with someone who acquires perfection on his own. And Heaven forbid, this term is totally not appropriate to use concerning the Holy One, Blessed Is He (Heaven forbid). Rashi answers that [the term means that] everyone justifies His judgment...” Re”m explains that Rashi needed to explain that “everyone justifies the judgment, etc.” because it is impossible say that the verse is testifying about the righteousness of Hashem, for one would never even consider the opposite to be true. How much more so after [the verse] states pertaining to Hashem, that He is “a God of faithfulness, without injustice.” But since one could might err and say that the words “righteous” and “upright” are descriptions of the Holy One, Blessed Is He, therefore Rashi explained that both of these terms are descriptions that people ascribe to Hashem, etc. In other words, everyone accepts His judgment as being righteous.

We have to understand this on the following basis. When G'd first assumed His seat of justice He placed justice on its appropriate place. When it came to executing justice, G'd allowed Himself to be influenced by considerations of mercy. David described this in Psalms 145,17: "whereas G'd is righteous (just) in all His paths, He is pious (flexible) in His actions." In other words, G'd first established what justice demanded under the given circumstances, but He made allowances before carrying out the demands of strict justice." When man entreats G'd He will show him mercy צדיק וישר הוא. "He is righteous and upright." He is righteous by judging justly. When the Talmud asks in Avodah Zarah 6 whether it it is not impossible that Noach could have been "treifah," seeing he is described in the Torah as "perfect," the Talmud retorts that the word תמים did not necessarily refer to his being unblemished physically (able to live for 12 months) but it could refer to his character being unblemished. Rashi comments on this that Noach was righteous in his דרכיו, "his attitude was guided by justice." All of this was only the original attitude. Afterwards G'd is ישר, more accomodating to man than required by the strict rules of justice as our sages in Baba Metzia 16 explain based on Deut. 6,18.

(אמונה siehe Bereschit 15, 6; עול siehe Wajikra 19, 35). — צדיק וישר הוא, dieser צור עולמים, in der absoluten Festigkeit seines Wollens und der absoluten Festigkeit seines Seins, ist gerecht in seinem Wollen und gerad in seinem Sein. Nicht nur seine Ziele sind die rechten, auch seine Wege zum Ziele sind recht. Er übt das Rechte auf geradem Wege, Geradheit ist sein Wesen.

צדיק, because He is so righteous He will not abandon you even in exile

ואין עול, “without iniquity;” seeing that He is a G’d of perfect loyalty, keeping faith, how could there be any iniquity associated with Him?

And it is befitting to justify Him. I.e. it is befitting for people to do so. The phrase “and upright” refers to the people. But one cannot say that “and upright” refers to the Holy One, Blessed Is He, since the word “righteous” refers to the people and not to the Holy One, Blessed Is He. Similarly the phrase, “and upright” also refers to the people, and not to the Holy One, Blessed Is He. This is simple to understand.

Diese allgemeinen Waltungsweisen des Horts der Welten, sie bewähren sich auch in seinen Waltungsbeziehungen zu Israel.

וישר הוא, not withholding from anyone of His creatures the reward due to it for any good deeds. This is the reason why He often appears as being overly patient before He pays back certain people for their sins. He has to reward, pay, those who hate Him while they are still on earth as they have already forfeited any portion they claimed to life in the hereafter.