וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־כִּלָּה֙ לֶֽאֱכוֹל֙ אֶת־עֵ֣שֶׂב הָאָ֔רֶץ וָאֹמַ֗ר אֲדֹנָ֤י יְהוִה֙ סְֽלַֽח־נָ֔א מִ֥י יָק֖וּם יַֽעֲקֹ֑ב כִּ֥י קָטֹ֖ן הֽוּא׃
At nangyari, nang matapos na nitong kainin ang mga halaman ng lupain, ay sinabi ko: “Panginoong Walang-Hanggan, patawarin Mo po, ipinakikiusap ko! Paano makatatayo si Jacob? Sapagkat siya ay maliit.”
Kli Yakar
And in these two times, Israel lost both at once, and if so, to whom shall they flee for help? For on the 17th of Tammuz when they made the [Golden] Calf, on that very day they turned backwards and turned their backs, not their faces, to God, in the month whose zodiac sign is Cancer, whose manner is to walk backwards — so too did they turn backwards, and thus they lost the salvation that comes from Divine providence. And on the 9th of Av was the incident of the spies; on that very day was born the trait of baseless hatred among Israel, as it is written And you said: Out of the Lord’s hatred for us, He brought us out [of Egypt]… (Deuteronomy 1:27). Rashi interprets, “What is in your heart about your friend, you assume is in his heart about you” (Yalkut Shimoni, Deuteronomy 805). For they reasoned that since each of them hates his fellow, so presumably the Holy One, blessed be He, also hates them. And furthermore, since they erred in saying that the Holy One, blessed be He, hates them without cause, then certainly the nature of the matter compels each one to hate his fellow. And this trouble conceived and gave birth to this evil trait which destroyed the First and Second Temples. For in the First Temple, there was baseless hatred among the leaders of Israel, and in the Second Temple, the affliction spread among all of Israel, as stated in Yoma (9b). And this was in the month of Av, whose zodiac sign is Leo, for each one’s likeness is as a lion longing to tear apart his fellow. And thus they lost also the natural salvation, for if there is no love between them and there is no one supporting and helping his fellow, who will stand up for Jacob, for he is small and poor (Amos 7:2). Thus, between these boundaries, the bundle came completely apart, for they turned quickly away from God, and they also turned away from each other. And so it was that the 17th of Tammuz and the 9th of Av are a fence on this side and a fence on that side, and there is no way to turn right or left; therefore, all her pursuers overtook her between the straits (Lamentations 1:3). All implies that even a weak pursuer of any kind could prevail over them, because at one time they spurned the Holy One of Israel, they profaned the holiness of Israel which depends on the unity of the nation, and at another time they turned backwards from the Divine Presence, and to whom shall they flee for help?
Ramban
‘KATONTI’ OF ALL THE MERCIES, AND OF ALL THE TRUTH. “My merits have diminished as a consequence of all the kindness and truth which You have already shown me. For this reason I am afraid lest I have become depraved by sin since the time You made these promises to me, and this may cause me to be delivered into the hand of Esau.” This is Rashi’s language. But it is not a correct interpretation because it does not fit into the language of the verse, [for katan refers to size, not quantity]. Furthermore, Jacob said afterwards, And Thou saidst: I will surely do thee good and make thy seed as the sand of the sea,25Verse 13 here. but of what efficacy would this promise be if subsequent sin caused him to be deprived of it? Moreover, Jacob mentioned two promises which the Holy One, blessed be He, had made him — one in Beth-el,26Above, 28:14. and one in Haran27Ibid., 31:3. — and he first stated the promise given to him in Haran, O Eternal, who saidst unto me: Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will do to thee good,28Verse 10 here. this being what was said to him when he was about to leave the house of Laban: Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee.27Ibid., 31:3. Now following this promise, G-d did not bestow good upon Jacob to account for all these mercies and truths of which Jacob mentioned that his merits should be diminished on account of them.
The word katonti rather means that he is too small to have been worthy of all the mercies which He had done for him. Likewise, How shall Jacob stand? for he is small,29Amos 7:2. that is, too small to be able to bear all that was decreed against him. And so the Rabbis said in Bereshith Rabbah,3076:4. “Katonti. Rabbi Abba said that it means ‘I am not worthy.’” Now hachasadim (the mercies) are the kindnesses which G-d did for him without having vowed to do them, and ha’emeth (the truth) is the kindness which He promised him and fulfilled. Jacob thus said that he was unworthy of G-d’s promising him and performing those kindnesses which He promised him, nor was he worthy of those other many kindnesses which He did for him without having promised to do them.
But I have not understood the opinion of Onkelos who translated, “from all the mercies and all the good,” when he is accustomed to translate chesed ve’emeth as “mercy and truth.” Perhaps Onkelos is rendering chasadim here as referring to Jacob’s rescue, that is, the many times He had saved him from his troubles. Onkelos rendered emeth as referring to all this good which Jacob possessed, for G-d had given him sons and daughters, wealth and belongings, and honor.
The correct interpretation appears to me to be that long-lasting kindnesses such as children and wealth are called emeth, which is from the root of emunah (faith), just as: ‘Vene’eman’ (and confirmed shall be) thy house and thy kingdom forever,31II Samuel 7:16. This was said to David, whose kingdom was assured of existence. which connotes assured existence; His bread shall be given, his waters ‘ne’emanim’ (shall be sure),32Isaiah 33:16. just as the prophet said, Wilt thou indeed be unto me as a deceitful brook as waters that are not ‘ne’emanu’ (sure)?33Jeremiah 15:18.
The word katonti rather means that he is too small to have been worthy of all the mercies which He had done for him. Likewise, How shall Jacob stand? for he is small,29Amos 7:2. that is, too small to be able to bear all that was decreed against him. And so the Rabbis said in Bereshith Rabbah,3076:4. “Katonti. Rabbi Abba said that it means ‘I am not worthy.’” Now hachasadim (the mercies) are the kindnesses which G-d did for him without having vowed to do them, and ha’emeth (the truth) is the kindness which He promised him and fulfilled. Jacob thus said that he was unworthy of G-d’s promising him and performing those kindnesses which He promised him, nor was he worthy of those other many kindnesses which He did for him without having promised to do them.
But I have not understood the opinion of Onkelos who translated, “from all the mercies and all the good,” when he is accustomed to translate chesed ve’emeth as “mercy and truth.” Perhaps Onkelos is rendering chasadim here as referring to Jacob’s rescue, that is, the many times He had saved him from his troubles. Onkelos rendered emeth as referring to all this good which Jacob possessed, for G-d had given him sons and daughters, wealth and belongings, and honor.
The correct interpretation appears to me to be that long-lasting kindnesses such as children and wealth are called emeth, which is from the root of emunah (faith), just as: ‘Vene’eman’ (and confirmed shall be) thy house and thy kingdom forever,31II Samuel 7:16. This was said to David, whose kingdom was assured of existence. which connotes assured existence; His bread shall be given, his waters ‘ne’emanim’ (shall be sure),32Isaiah 33:16. just as the prophet said, Wilt thou indeed be unto me as a deceitful brook as waters that are not ‘ne’emanu’ (sure)?33Jeremiah 15:18.
Rabbeinu Bahya
A Midrashic approach: The words חטאת לה' refers to the kind of sin unknown to anyone except Hashem. This is the way the Talmud in Shevuot 9 understands the expression. Another explanation offered by Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish there is that G’d offered to atone for having diminished the size of the moon by means of this offering. [The important thing to remember is that nowhere else does the sin offering in a mussaf sacrifice conclude with the words לה', a peculiar expression seeing all sacrifices are לה' for Hashem and no other deity or even attribute of G’d. Ed].
In Chulin 60 we find a lengthy description of what is meant here. Rabbi Shimon ben Pazzi raised the point that the Torah appears to contradict itself when it wrote in Genesis 1,16: “G’d made the two large luminaries, the great luminary and the small luminary.” If they both were first described as “large,” how could the verse continue in the same breath describing one as “small” and one as “great?” In answer to this question a dialogue between the moon and G’d is cited. The moon said to G’d: ”how can two kings both wear the same crown?” G’d replied: “reduce yourself in size.” Thereupon the moon countered: “why should I have to reduce myself in size (importance) merely because I asked a legitimate question?” Thereupon G’d said: “O.K. so you shine by day as well as by night.” To this the moon replied: “what good is my light during the day when there is no one to appreciate it?” To this argument G’d replied: “the Jewish people are going to count their days and years according to your orbits.” The moon was not satisfied with this, saying: “they will have to count days in accordance with the seasons, i.e. by relying on solar orbits.” G’d appreciated this argument and reassured the moon by saying: “the righteous will bear names referring to you.” Thus we find Yaakov referred to as יעקב הקטן in Amos 7,2, and Samuel referred to as שמואל הקטן; David is referred to as דוד הקטן in Samuel I 17,14. In spite of all this G’d did not succeed in satisfying the moon. As a last resort, G’d told the Jewish people to offer a male goat as sin-offering on His behalf seeing He had reduced the size of the moon.
In order to understand this strange-sounding dialogue between G’d and the moon we must appreciate that the word הגדולים in Genesis 1,16 means that originally sun and moon were equal in size and power. The moon was reduced in size and this is why the Torah refers to it as the small luminary in the second half of the verse we quoted. The reason that it was reduced was that it had complained. However, we must not view the moon as displaying egotistical motives, [otherwise why would G’d feel guilty? Ed.]. When the moon referred to the inability of two kings wearing the same crown it meant that anything which appeared like power-sharing would reflect negatively on G’d. If two luminaries were to wear the same crown it would appear as if G’d were unable to create two servants each of whom had the ability to generate its own light without relying on an outside force, a companion to assist Him. The nations of the world would be encouraged to say that G’d was unable to supply original light to each of the luminaries as they had to trade “crowns” with one another. The moon’s error was the suggestion that G’d did not know what He had been doing when He created the universe as the moon had found it. One does not second-guess G’d the Creator.
As a result, the moon had to be “punished.” After the moon had been reduced in size and had felt suitably ashamed for its behavior, G’d said to it: “go and govern both by day and by night.” He added that the Jewish people would count their months according to its orbit, and that the righteous would bear names associated with the moon. G’d did all this in order to put the moon’s mind at rest, so much so that He accorded the moon honor in assigning an additional male goat to the mussaf offering commemorating this dialogue for all times. This is the real meaning of the enigmatic words by Rabbi Shimon ben Pazzi who portrayed G’d as saying: “bring an atonement on My behalf.” G’d’s major concern in all this was that none of His creatures should have complaints about the way in which He had seen fit to create the universe and to assure its proper functioning. No creature should feel disadvantaged by its creator vis-a-vis any other part of the creation.
It is also possible that the entire episode and the manner it is alluded to in the Torah serves as an encouragement to would be repentant sinners to come forward and change their life styles. They would learn from this episode in the celestial regions that once the guilty party had recognized the error of its ways G’d would go out of His way to compensate such repentant sinners for their having accepted instruction from Him. This also explains why the righteous are actually compared to the sun in Judges 5,31: “and the ones who love Him will emerge like the sun in its might,” seeing that they had to suffer various insults just as the sun had to be the victim of the moon’s complaints.
Rav Yitzchak Alfassi writes in his halachic work at the end of the first chapter of tractate Shevuot that the word עלי in Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish’s parable הביאו כפרה עלי, “bring an atonement on My behalf,” should really be understood as אלי, “to Me,” not “on My behalf.” Most commentators agree with him.
In Chulin 60 we find a lengthy description of what is meant here. Rabbi Shimon ben Pazzi raised the point that the Torah appears to contradict itself when it wrote in Genesis 1,16: “G’d made the two large luminaries, the great luminary and the small luminary.” If they both were first described as “large,” how could the verse continue in the same breath describing one as “small” and one as “great?” In answer to this question a dialogue between the moon and G’d is cited. The moon said to G’d: ”how can two kings both wear the same crown?” G’d replied: “reduce yourself in size.” Thereupon the moon countered: “why should I have to reduce myself in size (importance) merely because I asked a legitimate question?” Thereupon G’d said: “O.K. so you shine by day as well as by night.” To this the moon replied: “what good is my light during the day when there is no one to appreciate it?” To this argument G’d replied: “the Jewish people are going to count their days and years according to your orbits.” The moon was not satisfied with this, saying: “they will have to count days in accordance with the seasons, i.e. by relying on solar orbits.” G’d appreciated this argument and reassured the moon by saying: “the righteous will bear names referring to you.” Thus we find Yaakov referred to as יעקב הקטן in Amos 7,2, and Samuel referred to as שמואל הקטן; David is referred to as דוד הקטן in Samuel I 17,14. In spite of all this G’d did not succeed in satisfying the moon. As a last resort, G’d told the Jewish people to offer a male goat as sin-offering on His behalf seeing He had reduced the size of the moon.
In order to understand this strange-sounding dialogue between G’d and the moon we must appreciate that the word הגדולים in Genesis 1,16 means that originally sun and moon were equal in size and power. The moon was reduced in size and this is why the Torah refers to it as the small luminary in the second half of the verse we quoted. The reason that it was reduced was that it had complained. However, we must not view the moon as displaying egotistical motives, [otherwise why would G’d feel guilty? Ed.]. When the moon referred to the inability of two kings wearing the same crown it meant that anything which appeared like power-sharing would reflect negatively on G’d. If two luminaries were to wear the same crown it would appear as if G’d were unable to create two servants each of whom had the ability to generate its own light without relying on an outside force, a companion to assist Him. The nations of the world would be encouraged to say that G’d was unable to supply original light to each of the luminaries as they had to trade “crowns” with one another. The moon’s error was the suggestion that G’d did not know what He had been doing when He created the universe as the moon had found it. One does not second-guess G’d the Creator.
As a result, the moon had to be “punished.” After the moon had been reduced in size and had felt suitably ashamed for its behavior, G’d said to it: “go and govern both by day and by night.” He added that the Jewish people would count their months according to its orbit, and that the righteous would bear names associated with the moon. G’d did all this in order to put the moon’s mind at rest, so much so that He accorded the moon honor in assigning an additional male goat to the mussaf offering commemorating this dialogue for all times. This is the real meaning of the enigmatic words by Rabbi Shimon ben Pazzi who portrayed G’d as saying: “bring an atonement on My behalf.” G’d’s major concern in all this was that none of His creatures should have complaints about the way in which He had seen fit to create the universe and to assure its proper functioning. No creature should feel disadvantaged by its creator vis-a-vis any other part of the creation.
It is also possible that the entire episode and the manner it is alluded to in the Torah serves as an encouragement to would be repentant sinners to come forward and change their life styles. They would learn from this episode in the celestial regions that once the guilty party had recognized the error of its ways G’d would go out of His way to compensate such repentant sinners for their having accepted instruction from Him. This also explains why the righteous are actually compared to the sun in Judges 5,31: “and the ones who love Him will emerge like the sun in its might,” seeing that they had to suffer various insults just as the sun had to be the victim of the moon’s complaints.
Rav Yitzchak Alfassi writes in his halachic work at the end of the first chapter of tractate Shevuot that the word עלי in Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish’s parable הביאו כפרה עלי, “bring an atonement on My behalf,” should really be understood as אלי, “to Me,” not “on My behalf.” Most commentators agree with him.