Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Bilang 27:8

“Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you.” The Yalkut concludes that since Abram was afraid that perhaps he had already received his reward in this world and would have nothing in the World to Come, the Holy One, Blessed be He said to him, “Do not fear, your reward is prepared for the future to come.” This is what is meant by very much, as it is written How abundant is Your goodness that You have stored away for those who fear You (Psalms 31:20). However, this midrash is difficult to understand — if so, what is meant when Abram said What will You give me, as I go childless, etc.? What is the connection between children and reward in the World to Come? This can be resolved based on what is concluded in the chapter “Yesh Nochlin” (Bava Batra 117a): Rabbi Yochanan said, “Anyone who does not leave a son to inherit from him, the Holy One, Blessed be He is filled with wrath against him.” It is written here You shall transfer his inheritance to his daughter (Numbers 27:8) and it is written there A day of wrath is that day (Zephaniah 1:15). The question arises: Why did he bring proof from the Prophetic writings to the words of Torah? He should have brought proof from the verse And the Lord became angry with me for your sake (Deuteronomy 3:26). Rather, he wanted to bring proof about the concept itself and not just about the language, because Rabbi Yochanan held that anyone who doesn’t leave a son to inherit from him will not be exempted from Gehenna, which is called “a day of wrath.” Rabbi Yochanan follows his own reasoning, as he interpreted the verse Those who have no changes, and do not fear God (Psalms 55:20) as referring to one who does not leave a son, because this certainly stems from not fearing God, as it is said Fortunate is everyone who fears the Lord (Psalms 128:1) and adjacent to it is written Your children will be like olive shoots, etc. Indeed so shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord. Therefore, Abram said: What reward will You give me for the World to Come when I go childless, as my judgment will be in Gehenna as stated? And if You say to give my reward in this world, regarding this it is written And Abram said, ‘Behold, You have given me no offspring, and my steward will inherit me.’ See this entire exposition in the portion Pinchas on the verse Ascend these heights of Avarim (Numbers 27:12), for it is a precious exposition.

שמור את כל המצוה, “Observe the whole command ment, etc.” The Torah refers to the impending command to erect stones on Mount Eyval (verse 4) after they have been inscribed, stones taken from the river Jordan at the time the people would cross that river. These stones are intended to commemorate the miracles which occurred enabling the Israelites to cross the river without becoming wet at a time of year when it was swollen with melting snow from Mount Hermon. There were a total of 12 such stones as we know from Joshua 4,2 that one stone per tribe was to be erected. Joshua commanded the twelve men to whom he had assigned the task of taking these stones from the river after the people had completed crossing. These stones were carried on the shoulders of the twelve men, each of whom represented his tribe (Joshua 4,1-8). These stones were deposited next to the place at Gilgal where the Israeites spent the first night in the Holy Land, close to the river. The stones which were erected on Mount Eyval had the entire text of the Torah inscribed on them. Another twelve stones (Joshua 4,9) were erected in the river bed of the Jordan at the site of the miracle where the priests with the Holy Ark had crossed and G’d had arrested the flow of the river so as not to swamp the Holy Ark (Joshua 4,7). The reason the stones are described as having to be “large,” is to enable the engravers to inscribe the whole text of the Torah on their surface. The latter stones are reported as still being in existence at the time the Book of Joshua had been written. [What is written in Joshua 4,3-4 is an elaboration of what was mentioned in summary in the preceding verse 2.] (compare Daat Mikra). There were a total of 36 stones, three groups of 12. Twelve were erected in the river bed of the Jordan, before the Jordan had resumed flowing south. 12 were erected at Gilgal. The final twelve were taken all the way to Mount Eyval. These latter stones were made into the altar on Mount Eyval as mentioned by Rashi in his commentary on verse two of our chapter. [According to a view also mentioned by Rashi in conjunction with the Baraitha in Sotah 35, the stones which were made into a (temporary) altar on Mount Eyval were brought back to Gilgal and erected there.]
Our author feels that the plain meaning of our verses allows for only a total of 24 stones, 12 of which were erected in the river bed, whereas the other 12 were taken from the river. The stones erected in the river bed remain to this day and their purpose had been to enable the feet of the priests carrying the Holy Ark not to get wet in the slime while crossing the river. [The actual flow of the water had been arrested in deference to the presence of the Holy Ark. Ed.]
We find the expression באר used in Deut. 1,5 when Moses is reported as “explaining” the Torah. We find it used again in verse 5 of our chapter here. This gives rise to the exegesis by means of a גזרה שוה that just as Moses explained the Torah in 70 languages, the inscribing of the stones with the Torah also was in 70 languages.
The words והקמות לך אבנים גדולות (verse 3) may be understood as a כלל, a general summary of the subject under discussion, whereas the words (verse 4) והיה בעברכם את הירדן תקימו את האבנים האלה may be viewed as the details elaborating on the summary mentioned before. It is as if the Torah wanted to say that the twelve stones mentioned earlier were to be treated in a certain manner. Verse four refers to the aforementioned stones and instructs for them to be erected on Mount Eival. They are to be covered with plaster and then inscribed after the altar on Mount Eival has been erected. [the building of the altar is to precede the erecting of these stones, not as the wording appears at first glance (Rabbi Chavell) Ed.] Following all this, the stones are to be inscribed with the text of the entire Torah, well clarified (verse 8). If we do not explain the verse in this fashion i.e. on the basis of A) summary (כלל) followed by B) detailed instructions (פרט), the entire passage will sound confusing. What would be the point of writing in verse 8 that the entire Torah, well clarified, is to be inscribed on these stones, seeing that G’d had already instructed the Torah to be inscribed on the stones in verse 3? Furthermore, how could the Torah first write: “you are to write upon them” (verse 3), and subsequently “you shall build an altar there?” (verse 5). The Talmud in Sotah 32 also appears to understand our paragraph as an example of the exegetical principle of כלל ופרט.

האב את הבנים – as it is written (Numbers 27:8): “If a man dies without leaving a son, you shall transfer his property to his daughter.” In place of a daughter, you transfer the inheritance from the father, but you do not transfer inheritance from the father in place of brothers.