Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah
Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 29:18/אבן עזרא על דברים כ״ט:י״ח
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.