Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah
Or HaChaim on Deuteronomy 31:19/אור החיים על דברים ל״א:י״ט
אוְעַתָּה כִּתְבוּ וְגוֹ׳. אָמְרוֹ ״וְעַתָּה״, הֲגַם שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה מֹשֶׁה מִתְעַכֵּב לַעֲשׂוֹת מַאֲמַר ה׳ תֵּכֶף וּמִיָּד, נִתְכַּוֵּן לְזָרְזוֹ לִכְתֹּב תֵּכֶף וּמִיָּד קֹדֶם צַוּוֹתוֹ אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת הָאָמוּר בְּסָמוּךְ דִּכְתִיב (דברים לא:יד) ״קְרָא אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ״, שֶׁהֲגַם שֶׁהַוַּעַד הָיָה לְצַוּוֹת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ דִּכְתִיב ״קְרָא אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְגוֹ׳ וַאֲצַוֶּנּוּ״, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן חָפֵץ ה׳ לְהַקְדִּים הַכְּתִיבָה שֶׁל הַשִּׁירָה וְלִמּוּדָהּ.
1 ועתה כתבו, "And now write, etc." G'd says to Moses: "and now," although Moses could not delay by a single day seeing he was going to die on this day. G'd meant for Moses to write this down before he would command Joshua what is written in verse 23. Although the instruction to call Joshua and to give him certain instructions had preceded the command to record this song, G'd wanted the song to be recorded first.
בוְכֵן תִּמְצָא שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב (דברים לא:כב) ״וַיִּכְתֹּב מֹשֶׁה אֶת הַשִּׁירָה וְגוֹ׳ וַיְלַמְּדָהּ״ וְגוֹ׳, וְאַחַר כָּךְ אָמַר ״וַיְצַו אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ״ וְגוֹ׳, שֶׁהוּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא צִוָּה אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְחִזְּקוֹ לְהָבִיא אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּמִן הָרָאוּי הָיָה לוֹ לִגְמֹר כָּל מַאֲמַר יִתְבָּרַךְ אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה, וְאַחַר כָּךְ יְקַיְּמוּ מִצְווֹתָיו לִכְתֹּב הַשִּׁירָה וּלְלַמְּדָהּ, אֶלָּא הַטַּעַם הוּא לְפִי שֶׁה׳ צִוָּה לִכְתֹּב וּלְלַמֵּד תֵּכֶף, וּזְרִיזוּת זוֹ לֹא בָּא אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹּא לְעַכֵּב עַד שֶׁיְּצַוֶּה אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ.
2You will find that Moses complied with these instructions as we find in verse 22 that he wrote down the song and taught it to the Israelites. Only in the verse following did G'd give His instructions to Joshua to bring the Israelites across the Jordan, to be strong, etc. Normally, we would have expected G'd to complete all His various instructions and only then to write down this song (Haazinu) and to teach it to the people. Seeing that G'd did not want the normal procedure to be followed, He wrote the word ועתה, "and now."
גוְלַמְּדָהּ וְגוֹ׳ שִׂימָהּ בְּפִיהֶם וְגוֹ׳. שָׁלֹשׁ מִצְווֹת צִוָּה ה׳: אַחַת, לִכְתֹּב. שְׁנִיָּה, לְלַמְּדָהּ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיֵּדְעוּ כַּוָּנַת דִּבְרֵי הַשִּׁירָה. שְׁלִישִׁית, לְשִׂימָהּ בְּפִיהֶם לֵידַע קְרִיאָתָהּ.
3ולמדה, שימה בפיהם, "and teach it and place it in their mouths." G'd commanded three separate commandments here. 1) To write down the song; 2) to teach it to the children of Israel so that they would understand it. [as one has to teach any poem. Ed.] 3) To "place it in their mouths," i.e. to teach them how to read it correctly.
דוּשְׁלָשְׁתָּן עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה, דִּכְתִיב ״וַיִּכְתֹּב מֹשֶׁה אֶת הַשִּׁירָה״ (דברים לא:כב). ב׳, ״וַיְלַמְּדָהּ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל״. ג׳, ״וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה בְּאָזְנֵי כָל קְהַל יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת״ (דברים לא:ל), פֵּרוּשׁ, קָרָא אוֹתָהּ בְּגִירְסָא לָהֶם בְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁיֵּדְעוּ לְאָמְרָהּ כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁאֲמָרָהּ לָהֶם, וְהוּא אָמְרוֹ ״שִׂימָהּ בְּפִיהֶם״.
4Moses carried out all three instructions as the Torah recorded (verse 23) "Moses wrote the song. 2) He taught it to the children of Israel. 3) Moses said in the hearing of the entire congregation the words of the song (verse 30)." He read it to them in such a way that they would know how to read it properly in the future. This is the meaning of the words שימה בפיהם.