| 1This is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the Israelites before his death. |
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אוְזֹ֣את הַבְּרָכָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר בֵּרַ֥ךְ משֶׁ֛ה אִ֥ישׁ הָֽאֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לִפְנֵ֖י מוֹתֽוֹ: |
| וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה … לִפְנֵי מוֹתֽוֹ - This is the blessing…before his death. i.e., close to his death, for if not now, when? |
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וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה … לִפְנֵי מוֹתֽוֹ.
סָמוּךְ לְמִיתָתוֹ, שֶׁאִם לֹא עַכְשָׁו אֵימָתַי (שם):
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| 2He said: “God’s presence came from Mount Sinai to meet them. He shone forth to them after coming from Mount Se’ir. He appeared after coming from Mount Paran. He came with some of the holy myriads of angels. From His right hand, He gave them His law while speaking out of the fire. |
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בוַיֹּאמַ֗ר יְהֹוָ֞ה מִסִּינַ֥י בָּא֙ וְזָרַ֤ח מִשֵּׂעִיר֙ לָ֔מוֹ הוֹפִ֨יעַ֙ מֵהַ֣ר פָּארָ֔ן וְאָתָ֖ה מֵרִֽבְבֹ֣ת קֹ֑דֶשׁ מִֽימִינ֕וֹ אֵ֥שׁ דָּ֖ת (כתיב אשדת) לָֽמוֹ: |
| וַיֹּאמַר ה' מִסִּינַי בָּא - He said, “God came from Sinai.”. He first began with the praise of the Omnipresent, and then proceeded to speak of Israel’s needs. And the praise with which he began also called to mind Israel’s merit. All this was done as a manner of achieving favor, as if to say: These people are worthy of blessing resting upon them. |
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וַיֹּאמַר ה' מִסִּינַי בָּא.
פָּתַח תְּחִלָּה בְּשִׁבְחוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם וְאֲחַר כַּךְ פָּתַח בְּצָרְכֵיהֶם שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבַשֶּׁבַח שֶׁפָּתַח בּוֹ יֵשׁ בּוֹ הַזְכָּרַת זְכוּת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְכָל זֶה דֶּרֶךְ רִצּוּי הוּא, כְּלוֹמַר כְּדַאי הֵם אֵלּוּ שֶׁתָּחוּל עֲלֵיהֶם בְּרָכָה (ספרי):
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| מִסִּינַי בָּא - Came from Sinai - i.e., He came forth to meet them when they came to stand at the foot of the mountain, just as a groom goes forth to greet his bride, as it says: “toward God,” from which we learn that God came forth to meet them. |
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מִסִּינַי בָּא.
יָצָא לִקְרָאתָם כְּשֶׁבָּאוּ לְהִתְיַצֵּב בְּתַחְתִּית הָהָר כְּחָתָן הַיּוֹצֵא לְהַקְבִּיל פְּנֵי כַלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "לִקְרַאת הָאֱלֹהִים" (שמות י"ט), לִמְּדָנוּ שֶׁיָּצָא כְנֶגְדָם:
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| וְזָרַח מִשֵּׂעִיר לָמוֹ - He shone forth to them from Se’ir - where He had proposed to the descendants of Esau that they accept the Torah, but they did not want it. |
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וְזָרַח מִשֵּׂעִיר לָמוֹ.
שֶׁפָּתַח לִבְנֵי עֵשָׂו שֶׁיְּקַבְּלוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה וְלֹא רָצוּ:
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| הוֹפִיעַ - He appeared - to them. |
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הוֹפִיעַ .
להם:
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| מֵהַר פָּארָן - From Mount Paran - for He had gone there and proposed to the Ishmaelites that they accept it, but they did not want it. |
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מֵהַר פָּארָן.
שֶׁהָלַךְ שָׁם וּפָתַח לִבְנֵי יִשְׁמָעֵאל שֶׁיְּקַבְּלוּהָ וְלֹא רָצוּ (ספרי):
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| וְאָתָה - He came - to Israel. |
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וְאָתָה.
לְיִשְׂרָאֵל:
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| מֵרִֽבְבֹת קֹדֶשׁ - With some of the holy myriads - i.e., with Him were only part of the myriads of holy angels, but neither all of them nor most of them – unlike a human being, who displays all his glorious riches and splendor on his wedding day. |
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מֵרִֽבְבֹת קֹדֶשׁ.
— וְעִמּוֹ מִקְצָת רִבְבוֹת מַלְאֲכֵי קֹדֶשׁ וְלֹא כֻלָּם וְלֹא רֻבָּם, וְלֹא כְדֶרֶךְ בָּשָׂר וָדָם שֶׁמַּרְאֶה כָּל כְּבוֹד עָשְׁרוֹ וְתִפְאַרְתּוֹ בְּיוֹם חֻפָּתוֹ (שם):
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| אש דת - (lit.) A fiery law. which already preexisted creation, written before Him in black fire upon white fire, He gave to them on the Tablets inscribed with His right hand. Another explanation: אֵשׁ דָּת is to be understood as Onkelos translates it, i.e., that He gave it to them while speaking out of the fire. |
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אש דת.
שֶׁהָיְתָה כְתוּבָה מֵאָז לְפָנָיו בְּאֵשׁ שְׁחֹרָה עַל גַּב אֵשׁ לְבָנָה, נָתַן לָהֶם בַּלּוּחוֹת כְּתָב יַד יְמִינוֹ (עי' תנחומא בראשית א'); דָּבָר אַחֵר — אש דת כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ, שֶׁנִּתְּנָה לָהֶם מִתּוֹךְ הָאֵשׁ:
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| 3Indeed, He showed love for the nations (the tribes). All Your holy ones are in Your hand, for they crowded at Your feet to bear the responsibility of fulfilling Your utterances. |
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גאַ֚ף חֹבֵ֣ב עַמִּ֔ים כָּל־קְדשָׁ֖יו בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ וְהֵם֙ תֻּכּ֣וּ לְרַגְלֶ֔ךָ יִשָּׂ֖א מִדַּבְּרֹתֶֽיךָ: |
| אַף חֹבֵב עַמִּים - Indeed, He showed love for the nations - means: He also holds the tribes most dear. Each tribe individually is called a nation, as evidenced by the fact that when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob: “a nation and a community of nations will come forth from you,” only Benjamin was destined to be born afterward. |
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אַף חֹבֵב עַמִּים.
גַּם חִבָּה יְתֵרָה חָבַב אֶת הַשְּׁבָטִים; כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד קָרוּי עַם, שֶׁהֲרֵי בִנְיָמִין לְבַדּוֹ הָיָה עָתִיד לְהִוָּלֵד כְּשֶׁאָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיַעֲקֹב (בראשית ל"ה), "גּוֹי וּקְהַל גּוֹיִם יִהְיֶה מִמֶּךָּ":
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| כָּל־קְדשָׁיו בְּיָדֶךָ - All Your holy ones are in Your hand - i.e., the souls of the righteous are stored with Him, similar to that which it says: “May my master’s soul be bound in the bond of life with God, your God.” |
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כָּל־קְדשָׁיו בְּיָדֶךָ.
נַפְשׁוֹת הַצַּדִּיקִים גְּנוּזוֹת אִתּוֹ, כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל א כ"ה) "וְהָיְתָה נֶפֶשׁ אֲדֹנִי צְרוּרָה בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים אֵת ה' אֱלֹהֵיךָ" (ספרי):
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| וְהֵם תֻּכּוּ לְרַגְלֶךָ - They crowded at Your feet - i.e., they are worthy of this blessing, for at Sinai they converged into the area beneath the mountain at Your feet. תֻּכּוּ is a pu’al (passive) form, i.e., they were gathered within the area of Your footstool, i.e., the mountain. |
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וְהֵם תֻּכּוּ לְרַגְלֶךָ.
וְהֵם רְאוּיִם לְכָךְ, שֶׁהֲרֵי תִּוְּכוּ עַצְמָן לְתוֹךְ תַּחְתִּית הָהָר לְרַגְלֶךָ בְּסִינַי: תֻּכּוּ לְשׁוֹן פֻּעֲלוּ, הֻתַּוְּכוּ לְתוֹךְ מַרְגְּלוֹתֶיךָ:
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| יִשָּׂא מִדַּבְּרֹתֶֽיךָ - To bear Your utterances - i.e., they took upon themselves the yoke of Your Torah. |
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יִשָּׂא מִדַּבְּרֹתֶֽיךָ.
נָשְׂאוּ עֲלֵיהֶם עֹל תּוֹרָתְךָ (ספרי):
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| מִדַּבְּרֹתֶֽיךָ - The מ is similar to a root letter, as in: “He would hear the voice speaking to itself (מִדַּבֵּר)”; “and I heard One speaking to Himself for me to hear (מִדַּבֵּר אֵלָי),” which is equivalent to מִתְדַבֵּר אֵלַי. Here, too, מִדַּבְּרוֹתֶיךָ means: “what You would speak to Yourself to let me hear what to tell them”; “tes porparledurs” in Old French. But Onkelos translates it as: “They would travel in accordance with Your word.” In this interpretation, the מ is a preposition, used in the sense of “from.” Another explanation of אַף חֹבֵב עַמִּים: even when the nations of the world are shown favor – when You showed them a smiling countenance and delivered Israel into their hands – |
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מִדַּבְּרֹתֶֽיךָ.
הַמֵּ"ם בּוֹ קָרוֹב לִיסוֹד, כְּמוֹ (במדבר ז'), "וַיִּשְׁמַע אֶל הַקּוֹל מִדַּבֵּר אֵלָיו", "וָאֶשְׁמַע אֵת מִדַּבֵּר אֵלָי" (יחזקאל ב') כְּמוֹ מִתְדַּבֵּר אֵלַי, אַף זֶה מדברתיך — מַה שֶּׁהָיִיתָ מְדַבֵּר לְהַשְׁמִיעֵנִי לֵאמֹר לָהֶם, טי"ש פורפרלירש בְּלַעַז. וְאֻנְקְלוֹס תִּרְגֵּם שֶׁהָיוּ נוֹסְעִים עַל פִּי דְּבָרֶיךָ, וְהַמֵּ"ם בּוֹ שִׁמּוּשׁ, מְשַׁמֶּשֶׁת לְשׁוֹן מִן. דָּבָר אַחֵר — אף חבב עמים, אַף בִּשְׁעַת חִבָּתָן שֶׁל אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶרְאֵיתָ לָאֻמּוֹת פָּנִים שׂוֹחֲקוֹת וּמָסַרְתָּ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּיָדָם:
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| כָּל קְדוֹשָׁיו בְּיָדֶךּ - All Your holy ones are in Your hand - i.e., all Israel’s righteous and worthy people remained loyal to You and did not stop following You, and You therefore protect them. |
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כָּל קְדוֹשָׁיו בְּיָדֶךּ.
כָּל צַדִּיקֵיהֶם וְטוֹבֵיהֶם דָּבְקוּ בְּךָ וְלֹא מָשׁוּ מֵאַחֲרֶיךָ וְאַתָּה שׁוֹמְרָם:
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| וְהֵם תֻּכּוּ לְרַגְלֶךָ - They crowded at Your feet - i.e., they gather and enter under Your shadow. |
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וְהֵם תֻּכּוּ לְרַגְלֶךָ.
וְהֵם מִתְמַצְּעִים וּמִתְכַּנְּסִים לְתַחַת צִלְּךָ.
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| יִשָּׂא מִדַּבְּרֹתֶֽיךָ - To bear Your utterances - i.e., they joyfully accept Your decrees and laws. And these are their words: |
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יִשָּׂא מִדַּבְּרֹתֶֽיךָ.
מְקַבְּלִים גְּזֵרוֹתֶיךָ וְדָתוֹתֶיךָ בְּשִׂמְחָה, וְאֵלֶּה דִבְרֵיהֶם:
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| 4The Torah that Moses commanded us is the legacy of the assembly of Jacob. |
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דתּוֹרָ֥ה צִוָּה־לָ֖נוּ משֶׁ֑ה מֽוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת יַֽעֲקֹֽב: |
| תּוֹרָה - The Torah - that Moses commanded us, is an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. We have taken possession of it, and we will never let go of it. |
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תּוֹרָה.
אֲשֶׁר צוה לנו משה מורשה הִיא לִקְהִלַּת יַעֲקֹב, אֲחַזְנוּהָ וְלֹא נַעַזְבֶנָּה:
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| 5He is King over Yeshurun, and blesses them when the totality of the people are gathered and the tribes of Israel are together in harmony. |
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הוַיְהִ֥י בִֽישֻׁר֖וּן מֶ֑לֶךְ בְּהִתְאַסֵּף֙ רָ֣אשֵׁי עָ֔ם יַ֖חַד שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל: |
| וַיְהִי - He is - i.e., the Holy One, blessed be He. |
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וַיְהִי.
הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא:
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| בִֽישֻׁרוּן מֶלֶךְ - king in Yeshurun. i.e., the yoke of His kingdom is always upon them. |
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בִֽישֻׁרוּן מֶלֶךְ.
תָּמִיד עֹל מַלְכוּתוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם:
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| בְּהִתְאַסֵּף - When…are gathered - i.e., at every gathering of the total number of their assembly. רָאשֵׁי – has a similar meaning here as in: כִּי תִשָּׂא אֶת רֹאשׁ “when you take a census” – these people are worthy that I bless them. Another explanation of בְּהִתְאַסֵּף: When they are gathered together as one group and there is peace among them, He is their King, but not when there is dissension among them. |
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בְּהִתְאַסֵּף.
רָאשֵׁי בְּכָל הִתְאַסֵּף רָאשֵׁי חֶשְׁבּוֹן אֲסִיפָתָם: רָאשֵׁי כְּמוֹ (שמות ל') "כִּי תִשָּׂא אֶת רֹאשׁ", רְאוּיִין אֵלּוּ שֶׁאֲבָרְכֵם. דָּבָר אַחֵר — בהתאסף. בְּהִתְאַסְּפָם יַחַד בַּאֲגֻדָּה אַחַת וְשָׁלוֹם בֵּינֵיהֶם, הוּא מַלְכָּם, וְלֹא כְּשֶׁיֵּשׁ מַחֲלֹקֶת בֵּינֵיהֶם (ספרי):
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| 6May Reuben both live in this world and not ‘die’ in the afterlife. And may his people be counted among the number of the tribes.” |
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ויְחִ֥י רְאוּבֵ֖ן וְאַל־יָמֹ֑ת וִיהִ֥י מְתָ֖יו מִסְפָּֽר: |
| יְחִי רְאוּבֵן - May Reuben live - in this world. |
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יְחִי רְאוּבֵן.
בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה:
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| וְאַל־ימות - And not die - in the World to Come, i.e., may the incident with Bilhah not be mentioned to his discredit. |
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וְאַל־ימות.
לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, שֶׁלֹּא יִזָּכֵר לוֹ מַעֲשֵׂה בִלְהָה (עי' שם):
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| וִיהִי מְתָיו מִסְפָּֽר - And may his people be (lit.) a number - i.e., may they be counted among the number of the rest of his brothers. This is similar to the idea stated in the verse: “Reuben had relations with Bilhah…the sons of Jacob were 12,” i.e., Reuben was not excluded from their number. |
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וִיהִי מְתָיו מִסְפָּֽר.
נִמְנִין בְּמִנְיַן שְׁאָר אֶחָיו, דֻּגְמָא הִיא זוֹ, כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ל"ה) "וַיִּשְׁכַּב אֶת בִּלְהָה, וַיִּהְיוּ בְנֵי יַעֲקֹב שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר", שֶׁלֹּא יָצָא מִן הַמִּנְיָן:
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| 7He said, “May this blessing be granted to Judah: God, hearken to the voice of Judah. Bring him safely to his people; may his hands do battle successfully for him, and may You be a help against his adversaries.” |
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זוְזֹ֣את לִֽיהוּדָה֘ וַיֹּאמַר֒ שְׁמַ֤ע יְהֹוָה֙ ק֣וֹל יְהוּדָ֔ה וְאֶל־עַמּ֖וֹ תְּבִיאֶ֑נּוּ יָדָיו֙ רָ֣ב ל֔וֹ וְעֵ֥זֶר מִצָּרָ֖יו תִּֽהְיֶֽה: |
| וְזֹאת לִֽיהוּדָה - May this [blessing] be granted to Judah. Moses blessed Judah following Reuben because both of them confessed the misdeed that they committed, as it says: “For the wise acknowledge…. To them alone the land was given, and no stranger passed between them.” Our rabbis further explained that throughout the 40 years that the Israelites were in the desert, Judah’s bones were rolling around in his coffin on account of the ban that he imposed upon himself, as it says: “I will have sinned against my father for all time.” Moses said: Who caused Reuben to confess? It was Judah – so if Reuben has been granted entry into the afterlife, all the more so should this same privilege be granted to Judah. |
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וְזֹאת לִֽיהוּדָה.
סָמַךְ יְהוּדָה לִרְאוּבֵן מִפְּנֵי שֶׁשְּׁנֵיהֶם הוֹדוּ עַל קִלְקוּל שֶׁבְּיָדָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "אֲשֶׁר חֲכָמִים יַגִּידוּ וְגוֹ' לָהֶם לְבַדָּם וְגוֹ' וְלֹא עָבַר זָר בְּתוֹכָם" (איוב ט"ו); וְעוֹד פֵּרְשׁוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ שֶׁכָּל אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּמִּדְבָּר הָיוּ עַצְמוֹת יְהוּדָה מִתְגַּלְגְּלִין בָּאָרוֹן מִפְּנֵי נִדּוּי שֶׁקִּבֵּל עָלָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וְחָטָאתִי לְאָבִי כָּל הַיָּמִים" (בראשית מ"ד), אָמַר מֹשֶׁה מִי גָּרַם לִרְאוּבֵן שֶׁיּוֹדֶה? יְהוּדָה וְכוּ' (סוטה ז'):
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| שְׁמַע ה' קוֹל יְהוּדָה - God, hearken to the voice of Judah - i.e., to the prayers of Judah’s descendants: to David and Solomon; to Asa, on account of the Cushites; to Yehoshafat, on account of the Ammonites; and to Chizkiyah, on account of Sennacherib. |
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שְׁמַע ה' קוֹל יְהוּדָה.
תְּפִלַּת דָּוִד וּשְׁלֹמֹה וְאָסָא מִפְּנֵי הַכּוּשִׁים, וִיהוֹשָׁפָט מִפְּנֵי הָעַמּוֹנִים, וְחִזְקִיָּה מִפְּנֵי סַנְחֵרִיב:
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| וְאֶל־עַמּוֹ תְּבִיאֶנּוּ - Bring him to his people - in peace from battle. |
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וְאֶל־עַמּוֹ תְּבִיאֶנּוּ.
לְשָׁלוֹם מִפְּנֵי הַמִּלְחָמָה:
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| יָדָיו רָב לוֹ - May his hands do battle for him - means: may they take up his cause (רִיבוֹ) and carry out his vengeance. |
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יָדָיו רָב לוֹ.
יָרִיבוּ רִיבוֹ וְיִנְקְמוּ נִקְמָתוֹ:
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| וְעֵזֶר מִצָּרָיו תִּֽהְיֶֽה - And may You be a help against his adversaries. Moses prayed here for Yehoshafat regarding the battle of Ramot Gilead, where it says: “Yehoshafat cried out, and God assisted him.” Another explanation of שְׁמַע ה׳ קוֹל יְהוּדָה: He here alluded to a blessing for Simeon within the blessings given to Judah. Similarly, when the Land of Israel was divided up, the tribe of Simeon received their territory within the portion of Judah, as it says: “within the portion of the tribe of Judah was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon.” And why did Moses not assign the tribe of Simeon their own separate blessing? For he felt them unworthy because of what they had done at Shitim. So is written in the aggadah of Midrash Tehilim. |
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וְעֵזֶר מִצָּרָיו תִּֽהְיֶֽה.
עַל יְהוֹשָׁפָט הִתְפַּלֵּל עַל מִלְחֶמֶת רָאמוֹת גִּלְעָד, "וַיִּזְעַק יְהוֹשָׁפָט וַה' עֲזָרוֹ" (דברי הימים ב' י"ח); דָּבָר אַחֵר — שמע ה' קול יהודה, כָּאן רָמַז לְשִׁמְעוֹן מִתּוֹךְ בִּרְכוֹתָיו שֶׁל יְהוּדָה, וְאַף כְּשֶׁחָלְקוּ אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל נָטַל שִׁמְעוֹן מִתּוֹךְ גּוֹרָלוֹ שֶׁל יְהוּדָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יהושע י"ט) "מֵחֵבֶל בְּנֵי יְהוּדָה נַחֲלַת בְּנֵי שִׁמְעוֹן" (וּמִפְּנֵי מָה לֹא יִחֵד לוֹ בְרָכָה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ? שֶׁהָיָה בְּלִבּוֹ עָלָיו עַל מַה שֶּׁעָשָׂה בַּשִּׁטִּים, כֵּן כָּתוּב בְּאַגָּדַת תְּהִלִּים:)
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