Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Numbers 27/אבן עזרא על במדבר כ״ז

אוהוא לא היה. חשבו הבנות כי לא יירשו בני הנועדים על ה':

1AND HE WAS NOT AMONG THE COMPANY. The daughters¹ thought that the children of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord² would not inherit.³

בכי בחטאו מת. אמר ר' יהודה הלוי הספרדי כי פי' כי בחטאו מת דבק עם ובנים לא היו לו כאשר יאמר היום בעונותיו אירע לפלוני כך וכך ואיננו רחוק:

2BUT HE DIED IN HIS OWN SIN. Rabbi Judah Ha-Levi the Spaniard says but he died in his own sin is to be understood as connected to and he had no sons.⁴ It is as we say today, such and such occurred to so and so because of his sins. This interpretation is not far off.

אכי אין לו בן. בעבור שאין לו בן:

1BECAUSE HE HAD NO SON. Ki en lo ben is to be rendered, because he had no son.⁵ in our verse is because. Ki has a number of meanings. Hence I.E.’s comments.

אכן. אמת או הדבר כן:

1RIGHT. Ken means true.⁶). Or, the thing is so.⁷) as the daughters of Zelophehad speak.

בוהעברת. מה שהיה ראוי שיקח הוא תקחנה הן:

2AND THOU SHALT CAUSE THE INHERITANCE. What he should have received, they shall receive.

אובן אין לו. הנה אות כי הבן יירש את אביו:

1AND HAVE NO SON. This is proof that a son inherits his father’s property.

אלאחיו. מאב או מאם:

1UNTO HIS BRETHREN. From his father or mother.

אלשארו הקרוב אליו. מכל המשפחה:

1UNTO HIS KINSMAN THAT IS NEXT TO HIM. From all of his family.⁸

בוירש אותה. הנחלה וכבר פירשתי דרך חז"ל בפסוק לעם נכרי. ולדעת הנחלו' אם יירש האב או האם את הבן ומה שתירש אשתו צריכים אנחנו לקבלה:

2AND HE SHALL POSSESS IT. The inheritance. I have already explained the approach of the rabbis in my comments on unto a foreign people (Ex. 21:8).⁹. The rabbis render this, and he (the husband) shall inherit her (otah). According to the rabbis our verse teaches that a man inherits his wife’s property but a woman does not inherit her husband’s property. See Baba Batra 111b and I.E.’s short commentary on Ex. 21:8. We need rabbinic tradition to know the laws of inheritance with regard to whether a father or a mother inherits a son’s property or what a woman inherits.

אאמרו חז"ל כי נסמכה פרשת עלה אל הר העברים לדעת הנחלות כי בקש משה לדעת מי ינחל מעלתו:

1The rabbis of blessed memory said that the chapter that opens with the words, Get thee up into this mountain (v. 12), follows the laws of inheritance because Moses wanted to know who would inherit his position.

אלהקדישני. דבק עם מריתם והטעם כי מריתם להקדישני וזה הוא על אשר לא קדשתם כאשר פירש:

1TO SANCTIFY ME. The word le-hakdesheni (to sanctify me) is connected to meritem (ye rebelled).¹⁰ Its meaning is, ye rebelled with regard to sanctifying me.¹¹ This, I have explained,¹² is the meaning of because ye sanctified Me not in the midst of the children of Israel (Deut. 32:51).

אה' אלהי הרוחות. שהוא יודע הרוחות איזה רוח ראוי:

1THE GOD OF THE SPIRITS. He knows the spirits. He knows which spirit is fit.¹³

בוטעם יפקד. מגזרת פקיד:

2[SET.] The word yifkod (set) is related to the word pakid (official).¹⁴ means let Him appoint a leader.

אאשר יצא לפניהם. במלחמה:

1WHO MAY GO OUT BEFORE THEM. In war.

בואשר יוציאם. ע"י אחר:

2WHO MAY LEAD THEM OUT. Va-asher yotzi’em (who may lead them out) means who will direct someone else to lead them out.¹⁵ is a hifil. It literally means shall cause them to go out. Hence I.E.’s comment.

אאשר רוח בו. וכל איש חי יש בו רוח רק הטעם כמו וחזקת והיית לאיש:

1IN WHOM IS SPIRIT. Now all living persons have spirit in them.¹⁶? Its meaning can only be similar to that of be thou strong therefore, and show thyself a man (I Kings 2:2).¹⁷

בוסמכת את ידך. להראות את ישראל שהוא במקומו ועליו סמך:

2AND LAY THY HAND UPON HIM. To show Israel that he was in Moses’ place and that he¹⁸ was the one on whom Moses had placed his hands.

אונתתה מהודך. לחלוק לו כבוד לפני ישראל:

1AND THOU SHALT PUT OF THY HONOR UPON HIM. You will honor Joshua in front of all of Israel.

בלמען ישמעו כי הם כבר האמינו בך וכאשר יראו שאתה כבדתו כן יכבדוהו כי ילכו אחרי מעשיך:

2THAT…MAY HEARKEN. For Israel already believes in you. When they see that you honored Joshua they will respect him, for they will follow your ways.

אעל פיו יצאו. על פי אלעזר במשפט האורים וי"א על פי משפט האורים והראשון ישר בעיני:

1AT HIS WORD SHALL THEY GO OUT. Upon the word of Eleazar by the judgment of the Urim.¹⁹ (at his word) refers to Eleazar’s word. Others say, in accordance to the judgment of the Urim.²⁰ (at his word) refers to the Urim. For the Urim see Ex. 28:30 and I.E.’s comment on Ex. 28:5 (Vol. 2, pp. 591-598). The first interpretation appears correct to me.

בהוא וכל בני ישראל. בדבר שהיה כלל לכל:

2BOTH HE, AND ALL THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. In regard to that which pertains to all.

גוכל העדה. בדבר שהיה פדט לעדה הם הנועדים באהל מועד:

3EVEN ALL THE CONGREGATION. They gathered in the tent of meeting concerning a matter that pertained to the congregation.