Cytowanie Komentarza do Psalmów 113:7

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand and seize its tail.’” The tail signifies the utmost lowliness, and God hinted to Moses that He would add to the Israelites’ lowliness. They were already as low as creatures that crawl in the dust, and they would experience even greater degradation, like the tail of the snake which is the lowest part of its body. Their lowliness would increase, as indeed happened when Pharaoh said, Let the work be heavier upon the men, by not giving them straw. And from that lowest level, from the depths of degradation, they would rise and return to their former greatness, becoming like an upright staff. This was hinted to Moses when God told him, Seize its tail, and he stretched out his hand and grasped it, and it became a staff in his hand. This was a very apt symbol for what would eventually happen to them, for He declares the end from the beginning — revealing to Moses that they would become like the snake’s tail, meaning they would experience additional lowliness beyond their already low state, but from there they would rise to become a ruling staff that would dominate Pharaoh and all his people. In this way, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave Moses a sign that it is in His power to bring low and to raise up from the dunghill the needy. And later in Parashat Va’era (7:9), the matter of the snake will be explained, God willing, in a different way — see there.

“And it shall be if they do not believe even these two signs.” Because they will say, “Did not God promise Abraham saying, ‘And also the nation whom they shall serve, I will judge’? And what is the sign that He will judge nations and fill them with corpses?” To this He said, And you shall take from the water of the Nile and pour it onto the dry land, etc., and they shall become blood on the dry land. It is known that the plague of the Nile was a plague against the god of Egypt, as they all believed in it, as our Sages said (Bereishit Rabbah 89:4), “The wicked are sustained over their gods, as it is said, And behold, he stands over the Nile, etc.” And all of Egypt is struck when the Nile is struck, because all their prosperity depends on the Nile. And the plague of the Nile was a great wonder showing that God would send upon them wrath, anger, and trouble against them and their gods. And so the first plague was against the Nile. This was the beginning of their downfall through the Nile turning to blood. Similarly, the final plague was through the waters of the Red Sea. And after they see all these wonders, they will be assured that He raises the poor from the dust by nullifying both the cause and effect, and by fulfilling the promise And also the nation whom they shall serve, I will judge.

אסרי is the same as אוסר (i.e. the yod is redundant). Similar forms are: (Psalms 113:7) “who raiseth (מקימי instead of מקים) the poor out of the dust”, (Psalms 5:1) “that art enthroned” (היושבי instead of היושב) in the heavens”. In the same way is בני אתנו (instead of בן אתנו) to be explained. Onkelos translates v.11 as having reference to King Messiah: גפן “the vine” symbolizes “Israel” (cf. Psalms 80:9): “Thou didst pluck up a vine out of Egypt”); עירה (taken as עיר city with the ה suffix instead of ו, like סותה instead of סותו in thin verse) means Jerusalem; שורקה alludes to Israel as the prophet exclaims (Jeremiah 2:21) “Yet, I had planted thee a noble vine (שורק)".

he hews (חֹצְבִי). The ‘yud’ is superfluous. Comp. (Deut. 33:16): “Who dwells (שׁוֹכְנִי) in the thornbush”; (Psalms 113:7) “He raises up (מְקִימִי) the poor man from the dust.”