Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 29/אבן עזרא על דברים כ״ט

אויקרא משה אל כל ישראל. לכרות הברית על כן אחריה אתם נצבים היום:

1AND MOSES CALLED UNTO ALL ISRAEL. To establish a covenant. Scripture therefore reads afterwards, Ye are standing this day (v. 9).¹ (v. 11).

בוטעם אתם ראיתם. ואחר כך ואולך אתכם ואחר כן ויצא עוג כי יש מהם שראו האותות שעשה השם במצרים והם והבאים אחריהם ראו מופת המן שלא אכלו לחם זולתו ואלה הבנים ראו כי השם עזרם והכו שני המלכים:

2The reason Scripture reads Ye have seen and then And I have led (v. 4) and then And Og…came out (v. 6) is that some of the Israelites saw the signs that God showed in Egypt,²was directed to this group. and they and those who came after them³ saw the miracle of the manna,⁴…was directed to this group. for they ate no food aside from the manna. And these sons⁵ saw that God helped them and they smote two kings (v. 6).

אוטעם לב לדעת. בעבור שנסו השם עשר פעמים ולא הזכירו האותות שראו:

1[BUT THE LORD HATH NOT GIVEN YOU A HEART TO KNOW.] Scripture reads a heart to know because they tested God ten times⁶ and did not make mention of the signs which they witnessed.

בוטעם נתן. כי מאתו העלילה הראשונה ועוד כי ראו שלא הוצרכו ללחם ויין:

2Scripture reads given because God is the first cause.⁷. Hence I.E. points out that Scripture ascribes man’s achievements to God because God is the first cause and in that sense can be said to give man a heart to know. Furthermore,⁸ they saw that they had no need for bread or wine.⁹

אוטעם לא בלו. פירשתיו. ומכת סיחון ועוג שהיה קרוב על כן אתם חייבים לשמור הברית:

1[ARE NOT WAXEN OLD.] I have previously explained this.¹⁰ Sihon and Og were recently¹¹ defeated.¹² You are therefore¹³ obligated to keep the covenant.

אלמען תשכילו. כמו תצליחו והוא פעל יוצא לב' פעולים והעד תעשון כמו ויהי דוד לכל דרכיו משכיל:

1THAT YE MAY…PROSPER. Taskilu means prosper. It is a hifil¹⁴ as the word ta’asun¹⁵ is the object of taskilu. Hence the meaning of le-ma’an taskilu et kol asher ta’asun is that ye may make to prosper all that ye do. (all that ye do) proves. Compare, maskil (great success) in And David had great success in all his ways (I Sam. 18:14).¹⁶ means to prosper. The root of maskil (sin, kaf, lamed) means intelligence. Hence I.E.’s comments.

אאתם נצבים לפני ה' אלהיכם. סביבו' הארון:

1YE ARE STANDING THIS DAY. Around the ark.

בראשיכם. כמו האלה' שרה אמו והנבוא' עודד הנביא וכן הוא ראשיכ' שהם ראשי שבטיכ' כמו ונירם. והטעם כי הנשיאי' סמוכים ואחריה' הזקני' ואחריה' השוטרים ואחריה' כל איש ישראל הזכרי' ואחריה' הטף בזכרי' ואחריה' הנשים ואחריה' הגרים:

2YOUR HEADS. Roshekhem (your heads) is similar to haohelah (the tent) in into the tent Sarah his mother (Gen. 24:67)¹⁷ is short for into the tent, the tent of Sarah his mother. Similarly, your heads is short for your heads the heads of. See I.E. on Gen. 24:67 (Vol. 1, p. 243). and even the prophecy, Odad the prophet¹⁸ (II Chron. 15:8).¹⁹ is short for even the prophecy, the prophecy of Odad the prophet. See I.E. on Gen. 24:67 (Vol. 1, p. 243). Roshekhem shivtekhem (your heads, your tribes) is to be interpreted as your heads, who are the heads of your tribes.²⁰ is short for roshekhem roshe shivtekhem. Roshekhem (your heads) is like the word va-niram (we have shot at them) (Num. 21:30).²¹ (we have shot at them, Heshbon is destroyed). According to I.E. this is to be interpreted as And their king, the king of Heshbon was destroyed. See I.E. on Num. 21:30 (Vol. 4, p. 175). The word is to be so interpreted for the princes²² were closest to the ark.²³ After them came the elders, followed by the officers, after whom came all the men of Israel, that is, the males, followed by the male little ones, after whom came the women, followed by the strangers.

אלעברך. שם הפועל. כטעם ויעברו בין בתריו. והנה מלת עבר בחסרון בי״‎ת להפך:

1THAT THOU SHOULDEST ENTER INTO THE COVENANT. Le-ovrekha (that thou shouldest enter) is an infinitive.²⁴ It is like va-ya’avru (and passed) in and passed between the parts thereof (Jer. 34:18).²⁵ (that thou shouldest enter) means that you should pass, i.e., that you should enter the covenant, for they used to cut an animal in half when making a covenant and walk between the halves. Observe, the word avar (passed) minus the bet²⁶ has the opposite meaning.²⁷ preceding brit means to violate the covenant. Hence our verse reads, le-ovrekha bi-verit. Had our verse read, le-ovrekha berit, it would have meant that you should violate the covenant.

אולא אתכם לבדכם. רק עמכם ועם הבאים אחריכם שהם בניכם ובני בניכם:

1NEITHER WITH YOU ONLY. But with you and with those who come after you, namely, your sons and your sons’ sons.

אנו״‎ן ישנו. נוסף:

1[BUT WITH HIM THAT STANDETH HERE WITH US THIS DAY.] The nun of yeshno (that standth here) is superfluous.²⁸ is the word yesh plus the third person pronominal suffix. That suffix is a vav. Thus we would expect yesho rather than yeshno. Hence I.E.’s comment (Krinsky).

בואת אשר איננו. עם אשר איננו רק יבא אחרינו ואינו כטעם האומרים כי רוחות הבאים היו שם:

2AND ALSO WITH HIM THAT IS NOT HERE WITH US. Ve’et asher ennnu (and also with him that is not) means with him that is not here with us²⁹ means and with. This is not the usual meaning of et. Hence I.E.’s comment. See I.E. on Gen. 1:1 (Vol. 1, p. 27): “Et means the very thing…However, sometimes…et is used in place of with.” but will come after us. It is not to be interpreted as those who say that the spirits of the coming generations were there.³⁰. See Tanchuma, Nitzavim: The souls were there, but the bodies [these souls were to enter] had not yet been created.

אכי אתם ידעתם. יש מכם שרא' תועבת מצרים והטעם אלהיהם וכלכם ראיתם תועבו' הגוים:

1FOR YE KNOW. There are among you some who witnessed the abominations of Egypt, namely, their gods. Additionally, all of you have seen the abominations of the nations.

באשר עברתם אליהם באדום ועמון ומואב ומדין:

2WHICH YE PASSED. Among them, namely, the Edomites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the Midianites.

אוטעם פרה ראש ולענה. כי הראש מזיק השלמים והוא מהחליי' המדביקים:

1[A ROOT THAT BEARETH GALL AND WORMWOOD.] For gall injures the healthy.³¹ It is a disease that is infectious.³²

אוטעם את האלה הזאת. ארור האיש אשר יעשה פסל ומסכה:

1THIS CURSE. This curse refers to Cursed be the man that maketh a graven or molten image (Deut. 27:15).

בוהתברך בלבבו. אמר רבי יהודה הלוי ז״‎ל כי והתברך הוא כמשמעו כאשר ישמע הקלל' יתברך בלבבו והוא אומר שלום יהיה לי. כאומר בשמעו החרם חוץ ממני:

2THAT HE BLESS HIMSELF IN HIS HEART. Rabbi Judah Ha-Levi, of blessed memory, says that he bless himself is to be taken according to its plain meaning. When he hears the curse he will bless himself in his heart and say I shall have peace. In other words, when he hears the ban³³ he will say it will not fall on me but upon someone else.

גלמען ספות. אמר רבי יהודה הלוי נ״‎ע ל' כריתה כמו האף תספ'. כלומר שיחשוב המתברך לבטל דברי הצדיק שהוא כנוי במלת רוה עם דבר הצמא' והנה כנה הצדיק ברוה. כמו כעץ שתול על מים. והרשע בצמאה כמו כערער בערבה. ויחשוב כי גם ברכתו בלבו תפסיק הקללה ויפה פיר' לולא שמלת רוה תואר השם והיה ראוי להיות רווי את הצמא. ויאמר רבי יונה המדקדק כי טעמו בעבור שיראה שיכלה התם עם הרשע על כן יחשוב בלבו רע ואין זה נכון בעבור שלום יהיה לי. ולפי דעתי שמלת ספות לשון תוספת כמו ספות חטאת. והטעם שלום יהיה לי אע״‎פ שאלך בשרירות לבי כי בצדקת הצדיקים אחיה. כי הם רבים ואני יחיד חוטא. על כן כתוב אחריו לא יאבה ה' סלוח לו כי אז והטעם מיד יכרת גם זה הפסוק לעד על פירושי במלת ונסלח לו. והנה ספות כי הרוה תוסיף על הצמאה ומשל הצדיק ברוה כטעם כעץ שתול על פלגי מים והרשע בצמאה כטעם כערער בערבה והעד שכתוב בתחלה שרש פורה ראש ולענה והוא במקום צמא:

3THAT…BE SWEPT AWAY. Rabbi Judah Ha-Levi, who rests in paradise, says that the word sefot (swept away) means to extirpate. Compare, tispeh³⁴. [thou (wilt) sweep away] in Wilt Thou indeed sweep away (Gen. 18:23). In other words, the one who blesses himself³⁵ wants to nullify the words of the righteous,³⁶ who are metaphorically called “the watered,” with the words of “the dry.” Look, the righteous are called watered. Compare, For he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water (Jer. 17:8). The wicked are called dry. Compare, For he shall be like a tamarisk in the desert (Ibid., v. 6). The wicked person thinks that the blessing which he utters in his heart will also stop the curse. He explained well were it not that the word ravah (well watered) is an adjective.³⁷ (dry). The point is that Rabbi Judah’s interpretation requires that nouns, not adjectives, be employed in our verse, for according to his interpretation the verse speaks of people. Filwarg argues that Rabbi Judah’s interpretation requires a noun because the dry and the watered are metaphors for curses and blessing, which are nouns. He interprets in this manner because later on I.E. himself interprets the dry and the watered as referring to people. The problem with Filwarg’s interpretation is that I.E. quotes Rabbi Judah as saying, “The righteous are called watered…The wicked are called dry.” Our text should have read, ravi³⁸ et ha-tzama³⁹ (the well watered…with the dry). Rabbi Jonah the grammarian⁴⁰ says that it means⁴¹. because the corrupt sees the righteous⁴² destroyed along with the wicked⁴³ he therefore thinks evil in his heart.⁴⁴. The wicked person says I might as well be wicked, for both the righteous and the wicked suffer one fate. They are both swept away. However, this is incorrect because Scripture reads, I shall have peace.⁴⁵ implies that he says something positive to himself. However, there is nothing positive in saying the righteous and I will be swept away. In my opinion the word sefot (swept) means to add. Compare, sefot chattat (add sin) (Is. 30:1). The added sin is the wicked person’s statement, I shall have peace even though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart. I will live because of the righteousness of the righteous, for the pious are many and I am an individual sinner.⁴⁶. A nation is judged by the majority of its people. The wicked believe that the merit of the majority, who are righteous, will protect the sinners, who are a minority. Scripture therefore afterwards reads, The Lord will not be willing to pardon him⁴⁷. but then… (v. 19). The meaning of the latter is he shall immediately be destroyed. This verse is also proof of my interpretation of and he shall be forgiven⁴⁸. According to I.E. the word salach means to delay punishment. See I.E. on Num. 14:19, “Selach refers to being slow to anger.” (Num. 15:28). The meaning of sefot is that the well watered will add to the dry. Scripture compares the righteous to the well watered, as in And he shall be like a tree planted by streams of water (Ps. 1:3). It compares the wicked to the dry. Compare, For he shall be like a tamarisk in the desert (Jer. 17: 6). The fact that Scripture at first reads, a root that beareth gall and wormwood (v. 17), is proof of this.⁴⁹ It is in a dry place.⁵⁰ grows in parched land. Hence the wicked person is called the dry (Meijler, Krinsky). I.E.’s interpretation presents a problem. He interprets “the watered and the dry” as referring to people. However, earlier I.E. rejects Rabbi Judah Ha-Levi’s interpretation for this very reason. As noted above, Filwarg attempts to justify I.E.’s position. However, his interpretation is forced.

איעשן אף. ישרפנו אש האף עד שיראה העשן והנה אם הוא יחיד ימות מיד ואם היא משפחה ורבצה בו כל האלה והטעם שתרבץ האלה במשפחה עד שימח' שמה ואם הוא שבט והבדילו ה' לרעה וכמוהו והיה לה' והעלתיהו עולה כאשר פירשתיו:

1THE ANGER OF THE LORD…SHALL BE KINDLED.⁵¹ (literally, shall smoke). Our clause literally reads, the anger of the Lord…shall smoke. Hence I.E.’s interpretation. The fire of God’s anger shall bum him to the point where the smoke will be visible. Observe, if the sinner be an individual he will die immediately, and if it is a family all the curse…shall lie upon him. This means that the curse shall lie upon the family until its name is eradicated. If the sinner be a tribe, the Lord shall separate him unto evil (v. 20).⁵² refers to an individual; and all the curse…shall lie upon him refers to a family; and the Lord shall separate him unto evil refers to a tribe. Similarly And I will offer it up for a burnt-offering (Jud. 11:31), as I have explained.⁵³ there has the meaning of or. It appears that I.E. interpreted similarly.

אואמר הדור האחרון. שהם בניכם גם הנכרים הרואים את מכת הארץ:

1AND THE GENERATION TO COME. Your children. Also the foreigners who see the plagues of the land.

אגפרית. תפלה לשם שתהי' כל ארצה שרופה בגפרית ומלח כמהפכת המקומות הנזכרים ויש מפרשים אומרים כי ואמרו כל הגוים שנוי בעבור שארכו הדברים כמשפט הלשון ואמרו הקדמונים:

1BRIMSTONE. A prayer to God that all the land should be burnt in brimstone and salt like the overthrow of the places that are mentioned.⁵⁴ Some explain that even all the nations shall say (v. 23) repeats what was stated earlier⁵⁵ because Scripture went off on a tangent,⁵⁶ as is the style of the language.⁵⁷ [24.] THEN MEN SHALL SAY. The earlier inhabitants.⁵⁸

בוטעם אלהי אבותם שעזבו שידעו הם ואבותם ועבדו אשר לא ידעו:

2[THE GOD OF THEIR FATHERS.] They forsook the God that they and their fathers knew and they served gods whom they did not know.

אולא חלק להם. פירשתיו:

1AND THAT HE HAD NOT ALLOTTED UNTO THEM. I have previously explained this.⁵⁹ (Deut. 4:19).

אויתשם. בחסרון נו״‎ן לנתוש רק הוא מובלע כמשפט:

1AND THE LORD ROOTED THEM OUT. Va-yitteshem (and rooted them out) is missing a nun.⁶⁰. Compare li-netosh (to root out) (Jer. 1:10). The nun is swallowed by the dagesh, as is the rule.⁶¹.

בוטעם כיום הזה. דברי המשיבים:

2[AS IS THIS DAY.] These are the words of the respondents.⁶²

אהנסתרות. הטעם מי שיעבוד עבודת כוכבים בסתר:

1THE SECRET THINGS. The reference is to one who serves idols in secret.

בלה' אלהינו והטעם כי משפטו ביד השם והוא יפרע ממנו ואם היתה בגלוי חיוב לנו ולבנינו לעשות ככתוב בתורה. וי״‎א כי הנסתרות והנגלות הם לה' ואין לנו כי אם לעשות דברי התורה וזה הפי' בלא ראש ורגל ומה טעם יש להזכיר כן במקום הזה ובעבור שאמר וישליכם אל ארץ אחרת אמר כי אם תשוב אל ה' אע״‎פ שאתה חוצה לארץ השם ישיב שבותך ועל דעת רבי יהודה המדקדק הראשון כי הוא יניח. והטעם ימצא מנוח' לנשבים ויתן להם רחמים ואחר כן ישוב ויקבץ:

2BELONG UNTO THE LORD OUR GOD. Its meaning is that his punishment is in the hands of God, and the Lord will exact punishment from him. However, if the sin was committed in public there is an obligation on us and our children to do in accordance with that which is written in the Torah. Others say⁶³ that the secret and the revealed things belong to God. It is incumbent upon us only to observe the words of the Torah. Now this interpretation has no head or foot.⁶⁴ What reason is there to mention this here?⁶⁵ Scripture states that if you return unto the Lord (Deut. 30:2), God will turn thy captivity (Ibid., v. 3) even though you are outside of the land because it stated earlier, and cast them into another land (v. 27). According to Rabbi Judah⁶⁶ the first grammarian, the meaning of ve-shav (then shall turn) (Deut. 30:3) means God will give rest;⁶⁷ (Ibid., v. 3) as God will give rest to your captivity. that is, he will give rest to the captives and be merciful to them, and after this He will return and gather.⁶⁸ in 30:3 as will He give rest, and the second ve-shav as and will He return.