Deuteronomy Chapter 10

1At that time, the Lord said to me, "Hew for yourself two stone tablets like the first ones and come up to Me onto the mountain, and make for yourself a wooden ark,   אבָּעֵ֨ת הַהִ֜וא אָמַ֧ר יְהֹוָ֣ה אֵלַ֗י פְּסָל־לְךָ֞ שְׁנֵֽי־לוּחֹ֤ת אֲבָנִים֙ כָּרִ֣אשֹׁנִ֔ים וַֽעֲלֵ֥ה אֵלַ֖י הָהָ֑רָה וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ לְּךָ֖ אֲ֥רוֹן עֵֽץ:
At that time: At the end of forty days [which was the first of Elul], God was reconciled with me and said to me, “Hew for yourself [two tablets],” and afterwards, “make for yourself a [wooden] ark.” I, however (see verse 3), made the ark first (Tanchuma 10), because [I considered that] when I would come with the tablets in my hand, where would I put them? This was not the ark that Bezalel made, because the Israelites did not occupy themselves with the Mishkan until after Yom Kippur [which was forty days later], for when Moses descended the mountain, he commanded them regarding the construction of the Mishkan . [Then] Bezalel made the Mishkan first, and only afterwards the ark and the [other] furnishings (Ber. 55a). It follows, therefore, that this was another ark, and that was the one that went out with them to battle, but the one Bezalel made did not go out to battle except in the days of Eli, and they were punished for it, and it [the ark] was captured [by the Philistines]. — [Yerushalmi Shekalim 6:1]   בעת ההוא: לסוף ארבעים יום נתרצה לי ואמר לי פסל לך, ואחר כך ועשית ארון, ואני עשיתי ארון תחלה, שכשאבוא והלוחות בידי היכן אתנם. ולא זה הוא הארון שעשה בצלאל, שהרי משכן לא נתעסקו בו עד לאחר יום הכפורים, כי ברדתו מן ההר צוה להם על מלאכת המשכן, ובצלאל עשה משכן תחלה ואחר כך ארון וכלים, נמצא זה ארון אחר היה. וזהו שהיה יוצא עמהם למלחמה. ואותו שעשה בצלאל לא יצא למלחמה אלא בימי עלי, ונענשו עליו ונשבה:
2And I shall inscribe on the tablets the words that were upon the first tablets which you shattered and you shall place them into the ark.   בוְאֶכְתֹּב֙ עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֔ת אֶ֨ת־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָי֛וּ עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֥ת הָרִֽאשֹׁנִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר שִׁבַּ֑רְתָּ וְשַׂמְתָּ֖ם בָּֽאָרֽוֹן:
3So I made an ark of acacia wood, and I hewed two stone tablets like the first ones, and I ascended the mountain, with the two tablets in my hand."   גוָאַ֤עַשׂ אֲרוֹן֙ עֲצֵ֣י שִׁטִּ֔ים וָֽאֶפְסֹ֛ל שְׁנֵֽי־לֻחֹ֥ת אֲבָנִ֖ים כָּרִֽאשֹׁנִ֑ים וָאַ֣עַל הָהָ֔רָה וּשְׁנֵ֥י הַלֻּחֹ֖ת בְּיָדִֽי:
4And He inscribed on the tablets, like the first writing, the Ten Commandments, which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain, from the midst of the fire, on the day of the assembly, and the Lord gave them to me.   דוַיִּכְתֹּ֨ב עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֜ת כַּמִּכְתָּ֣ב הָֽרִאשׁ֗וֹן אֵ֚ת עֲשֶׂ֣רֶת הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֲלֵיכֶ֥ם בָּהָ֛ר מִתּ֥וֹךְ הָאֵ֖שׁ בְּי֣וֹם הַקָּהָ֑ל וַיִּתְּנֵ֥ם יְהֹוָ֖ה אֵלָֽי:
5And I turned and came down from the mountain, and placed the tablets in the ark which I had made, and there they were, as the Lord had commanded me.   הוָאֵ֗פֶן וָֽאֵרֵד֙ מִן־הָהָ֔ר וָֽאָשִׂם֙ אֶת־הַלֻּחֹ֔ת בָּֽאָר֖וֹן אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֑יתִי וַיִּ֣הְיוּ שָׁ֔ם כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוַּ֖נִי יְהֹוָֽה:
6The children of Israel journeyed from the wells of B'nei Ya'akan to Moserah; there Aaron died, and there he was buried; and Eleazar his son served as kohen in his stead.   ווּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל נָֽסְע֛וּ מִבְּאֵרֹ֥ת בְּנֵי־יַֽעֲקָ֖ן מֽוֹסֵרָ֑ה שָׁ֣ם מֵ֤ת אַֽהֲרֹן֙ וַיִּקָּבֵ֣ר שָׁ֔ם וַיְכַהֵ֛ן אֶלְעָזָ֥ר בְּנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו:
And the children of Israel journeyed from the wells of B’nei Ya’akan to Moserah: What is the relevance of this here? Furthermore, did they really journey from the wells of B’nei Ya’akan to Moserah? Was it not from Moserah that they came to the wells of B’nei Ya’akan, as it is said, “And they journeyed from Moseroth [and encamped in B’nei Ya’akan]” (Num. 33:31) ? Moreover, [why does it say:] “there Aaron died”? Did he not die at Mount Hor? If you calculate it, you will find eight stations from Moseroth to Mount Hor! However, [the answer is that] this is also part of the reproof [introduced in Deut. 1:1 and continued through here]: [In effect Moses said,] This, also, you did. When Aaron died on Mount Hor at the end of the forty years and [consequently] the clouds of the Divine Glory departed, you were afraid of the [impending] war with the king of Arad. So you appointed a leader to return to Egypt, and you went back eight stations until B’nei Ya’akan, and from there to Moserah. There, the sons of Levi battled with you. They slew some of you, and you some of them, until they forced you to return by the way you had retreated. From there, you returned to Gudgodah, which is Hor Hagidgad (Num. 33:32).   ובני ישראל נסעו מבארות בני יעקן מוסרה: מה ענין זה לכאן. ועוד, וכי מבארות בני יעקן נסעו למוסרה, והלא ממוסרות באו לבני יעקן, שנאמר (במדבר לג, לא) ויסעו ממוסרות וגו'. ועוד, שם מת אהרן, והלא בהר ההר מת, צא וחשוב ותמצא שמונה מסעות ממוסרות להר ההר, אלא אף זו מן התוכחה, ועוד עשיתם זאת, כשמת אהרן בהר ההר לסוף ארבעים שנה ונסתלקו ענני כבוד, יראתם לכם ממלחמת מלך ערד, ונתתם ראש לחזור למצרים, וחזרתם לאחוריכם שמונה מסעות עד בני יעקן ומשם למוסרה, שם נלחמו בכם בני לוי והרגו מכם ואתם מהם, עד שהחזירו אתכם בדרך חזרתכם, ומשם חזרתם הגדגדה הוא חור הגדגד:
7From there, they journeyed to Gudgodah, and from Gudgodah to Yotvath, a land with streams of water.   זמִשָּׁ֥ם נָֽסְע֖וּ הַגֻּדְגֹּ֑דָה וּמִן־הַגֻּדְגֹּ֣דָה יָטְבָ֔תָה אֶ֖רֶץ נַֽחֲלֵי־מָֽיִם:
And from Gudgodah [to Yotvath…]: And at Moserah, you made a great mourning for the death of Aaron, which was the cause of this [your retreat], and it seemed to you as though he had died there (Yerushalmi Sotah 1:10, Tanchuma, Chukath 18). Moses juxtaposed this reproof with the breaking of the tablets to indicate that the death of the righteous is as grievous to the Holy One, blessed is He, as the day the tablets were broken (Lev. Rabbah 2)], and to inform you that when they said, “Let us appoint a leader [and return to Egypt]” (Num. 14:4)-and divorce ourselves from him [Moses], was as grievous for him as was the day on which they made the golden calf.   ומן הגדגדה וגו': ובמוסרה עשיתם אבל כבד על מיתתו של אהרן שגרמה לכם זאת, ונדמה [וגרמה] לכם כאלו מת שם. וסמך משה תוכחה זו לשבירת הלוחות, לומר שקשה מיתתן של צדיקים לפני הקב"ה, כיום שנשתברו בו הלוחות. ולהודיעך שהוקשה לו מה שאמרו (במדבר יד, ד) נתנה ראש לפרוש ממנו, כיום שעשו בו את העגל:
8At that time, the Lord separated the tribe of Levi to bear the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to serve Him, and to bless in His Name, to this day.   חבָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֗וא הִבְדִּ֤יל יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־שֵׁ֣בֶט הַלֵּוִ֔י לָשֵׂ֖את אֶת־אֲר֣וֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָ֑ה לַֽעֲמֹד֩ לִפְנֵ֨י יְהֹוָ֤ה לְשָֽׁרְתוֹ֙ וּלְבָרֵ֣ךְ בִּשְׁמ֔וֹ עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה:
At that time, the Lord separated [the tribe of Levi]: This is connected to the previous context -   בעת ההוא הבדיל ה' וגו': מוסב לענין הראשון:
At that time: During the first year of your departure from Egypt, when you erred [by making] the calf, and the sons of Levi did not thus err, the Omnipresent separated them from you. This verse is juxtaposed to the retreat to B’nei Ya’akan, to tell you that also in this matter, the sons of Levi did not err, but rather remained steadfast in their faith.   בעת ההוא: בשנה הראשונה לצאתכם ממצרים וטעיתם בעגל ובני לוי לא טעו, הבדילם המקום מכם. וסמך מקרא זה לחזרת בני יעקן לומר שאף בזה לא טעו בה בני לוי, אלא עמדו באמונתם:
to bear the ark [of the covenant]: [Referring to] the Levites.   לשאת את ארון: הלוים:
to stand before the Lord, to serve Him, and to bless in His Name: [Referring to] the kohanim , and this is the “raising of the hands” [when they bless the people]. — [Arachin 11a]   לעמוד לפני ה' לשרתו ולברך בשמו: הכהנים, והוא נשיאת כפים:
9Therefore, Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers; the Lord is his inheritance, as the Lord, your God spoke to him.   טעַל־כֵּ֞ן לֹֽא־הָיָ֧ה לְלֵוִ֛י חֵ֥לֶק וְנַֽחֲלָ֖ה עִם־אֶחָ֑יו יְהֹוָה֙ ה֣וּא נַֽחֲלָת֔וֹ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר דִּבֶּ֛ר יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לֽוֹ:
Therefore, Levi has no portion: since they were separated for the service of the altar, and therefore were not free to plow and sow.   על כן לא היה ללוי חלק: לפי שהובדלו לעבודת מזבח ואינן פנויין לחרוש ולזרוע:
The Lord is his inheritance: Levi receives his daily fare, designated for him, from the King’s house [i.e., with the gifts due the kohanim , granted them by God].   ה' הוא נחלתו: נוטל פרס מזומן מבית המלך:
10And I remained on the mountain like the first days forty days and forty nights, and the Lord hearkened to me also at that time; the Lord did not wish to destroy you.   יוְאָֽנֹכִ֞י עָמַ֣דְתִּי בָהָ֗ר כַּיָּמִים֙ הָרִ֣אשֹׁנִ֔ים אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים לָ֑יְלָה וַיִּשְׁמַ֨ע יְהֹוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י גַּ֚ם בַּפַּ֣עַם הַהִ֔וא לֹֽא־אָבָ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה הַשְׁחִיתֶֽךָ:
And I remained on the mountain: to receive the latter tablets. Since Moses does not state above how long he remained on the mountain at this last ascent, he again begins with it.   ואנכי עמדתי בהר: לקבל הלוחות האחרונות. ולפי שלא פירש למעלה כמה עמד בהר בעליה אחרונה זו, חזר והתחיל בה:
as the first days: I.e., those of the first tablets. Just as those days were with [God’s] good will, so were these with good will. But the intermediate [forty days], when I remained to pray for you, were in anger.   כימים הראשונים: של לוחות הראשונות, מה הם ברצון אף אלו ברצון. אבל האמצעיים שעמדתי שם להתפלל עליכם היו בכעס:
11And the Lord said to me, "Arise, go to lead the travels before the people, so that they may come and possess the land I promised their forefathers to give them.   יאוַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֵלַ֔י ק֛וּם לֵ֥ךְ לְמַסַּ֖ע לִפְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וְיָבֹ֨אוּ֙ וְיִֽירְשׁ֣וּ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥עְתִּי לַֽאֲבֹתָ֖ם לָתֵ֥ת לָהֶֽם:
And the Lord said to me, [Arise, go, lead before the people]: Although you [Israel] had turned away from following Him, and you had erred with the [golden] calf, He [nonetheless] said to me, “Go, lead the people” (Exod. 32:34).   ויאמר ה' אלי וגו': אף על פי שסרתם מאחריו וטעיתם בעגל, אמר לי (שמות לב, וגו'(שמות לב, לד) לך נחה את העם :