Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 31

20When I bring them to the land that I swore to their forefathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and date- and fig-honey, they will eat, be satiated, and grow fat, and turn to other peoples’ deities and serve them, provoking Me and violating My covenant.   כ כִּֽי־אֲבִיאֶ֜נּוּ אֶל־הָֽאֲדָמָ֣ה | אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתִּי לַֽאֲבֹתָ֗יו זָבַ֤ת חָלָב֙ וּדְבַ֔שׁ וְאָכַ֥ל וְשָׂבַ֖ע וְדָשֵׁ֑ן וּפָנָ֞ה אֶל־אֱלֹהִ֤ים אֲחֵרִים֙ וַֽעֲבָד֔וּם וְנִ֣אֲצ֔וּנִי וְהֵפֵ֖ר אֶת־בְּרִיתִֽי:
וְנִאֲצוּנִי - means: and anger Me. Similarly, every instance of the verb נאץ denotes provocation to anger.   וְנִאֲצוּנִי.  וְהִכְעִיסוּנִי, וְכֵן כָּל נִאוּץ לְשׁוֹן כַּעַס:
21When many evils and troubles befall them, this poem will bear witness against them, because I promise that it will not be forgotten from the mouths of their offspring. This poem is necessary because I know their evil inclination, including what they are planning to do today, even before I bring them into the land that I have sworn to give them.”   כאוְהָיָ֠ה כִּֽי־תִמְצֶ֨אןָ אֹת֜וֹ רָע֣וֹת רַבּוֹת֘ וְצָרוֹת֒ וְ֠עָֽנְתָ֠ה הַשִּׁירָ֨ה הַזֹּ֤את לְפָנָיו֙ לְעֵ֔ד כִּ֛י לֹ֥א תִשָּׁכַ֖ח מִפִּ֣י זַרְע֑וֹ כִּ֧י יָדַ֣עְתִּי אֶת־יִצְר֗וֹ אֲשֶׁ֨ר ה֤וּא עֹשֶׂה֙ הַיּ֔וֹם בְּטֶ֣רֶם אֲבִיאֶ֔נּוּ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבָּֽעְתִּי:
וְעָֽנְתָה הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לְפָנָיו לְעֵד - This poem will bear witness against them - that I warned them there about all that has befallen them.   וְעָֽנְתָה הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לְפָנָיו לְעֵד.  שֶׁהִתְרֵיתִי בוֹ בְתוֹכָהּ עַל כָּל הַמּוֹצְאוֹת אוֹתוֹ:
כִּֽי־לֹא תִשָּׁכַח מִפִּי זַרְעוֹ - Because it will not be forgotten from the mouths of their offspring. This is a promise to Israel that the Torah will never be completely forgotten by their descendants.   כִּֽי־לֹא תִשָּׁכַח מִפִּי זַרְעוֹ.  הֲרֵי זוֹ הַבְטָחָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁאֵין תּוֹרָה מִשְׁתַּכַּחַת מִזַּרְעָם לְגַמְרֵי:
22So Moses wrote down this poem on that day and taught it to the Israelites.   כבוַיִּכְתֹּ֥ב משֶׁ֛ה אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וַיְלַמְּדָ֖הּ אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
23God encouraged Joshua son of Nun and said: “Be strong and courageous! For you will bring the Israelites into the land that I have sworn to give to them, and I will be with you.”   כגוַיְצַ֞ו אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ בִּן־נ֗וּן וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֘ חֲזַ֣ק וֶֽאֱמָץ֒ כִּ֣י אַתָּ֗ה תָּבִיא֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֣עְתִּי לָהֶ֑ם וְאָֽנֹכִ֖י אֶֽהְיֶ֥ה עִמָּֽךְ:
וַיְצַו אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן־נוּן - He encouraged Joshua son of Nun. This statement is referring back to above, and the subject is the Divine Presence, as is clear from the later phrase: “to the land that I have sworn to them.”   וַיְצַו אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן־נוּן.  מוּסָב לְמַעְלָה כְּלַפֵּי שְׁכִינָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּפֹרָשׁ "אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לָהֶם":
24When Moses completely finished writing down the words of this Torah in a scroll,   כדוַיְהִ֣י | כְּכַלּ֣וֹת משֶׁ֗ה לִכְתֹּ֛ב אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י הַתּוֹרָֽה־הַזֹּ֖את עַל־סֵ֑פֶר עַ֖ד תֻּמָּֽם:
25Moses commanded the Levites, who carried the Ark of the Covenant of God, saying:   כהוַיְצַ֤ו משֶׁה֙ אֶת־הַֽלְוִיִּ֔ם נֹֽשְׂאֵ֛י אֲר֥וֹן בְּרִֽית־יְהֹוָ֖ה לֵאמֹֽר:
26“Take this Torah scroll and place it alongside the Ark of the Covenant of God, your God, so that it remain there as a witness to you.   כולָקֹ֗חַ אֵ֣ת סֵ֤פֶר הַתּוֹרָה֙ הַזֶּ֔ה וְשַׂמְתֶּ֣ם אֹת֔וֹ מִצַּ֛ד אֲר֥וֹן בְּרִֽית־יְהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָֽיָה־שָׁ֥ם בְּךָ֖ לְעֵֽד:
לָקֹחַ - Take. Although the Hebrew word is the infinitive, it has an ongoing imperative sense, just as: זָכוֹר “remember”; 1 שָׁמוֹר “observe”; 2 הָלוֹךְ “go.” 3   לָקֹחַ.  כְּמוֹ זָכוֹר (שמות כ') שָׁמוֹר (דברים ה'), הָלוֹךְ (ירמיהו ב'):
מִצַּד אֲרוֹן בְּרִֽית־ה' - Alongside the Ark of the Covenant of God. The sages of Israel differ regarding this in Bava Batra. 4 Some say that a shelf protruded from the Ark on which the scroll was placed. Others say that it was next to the Tablets, inside the Ark.   מִצַּד אֲרוֹן בְּרִֽית־ה'.  נֶחְלְקוּ בוֹ חַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּבָבָא בָּתְרָא (דף י"ד), יֵשׁ מֵהֶם אוֹמְרִים דַּף הָיָה בוֹלֵט מִן הָאָרוֹן מִבַּחוּץ וְשָׁם הָיָה מֻנָּח, וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים מִצַּד הַלּוּחוֹת הָיָה מֻנָּח בְּתוֹךְ הָאָרוֹן:
27For I know your rebellious spirit and your stubbornness. Even while I am still alive with you today, you are rebelling against God, so you will surely rebel after my death!   כזכִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֤י יָדַ֨עְתִּי֙ אֶת־מֶרְיְךָ֔ וְאֶת־עָרְפְּךָ֖ הַקָּשֶׁ֑ה הֵ֣ן בְּעוֹדֶ֩נִּי֩ חַ֨י עִמָּכֶ֜ם הַיּ֗וֹם מַמְרִ֤ים הֱיִתֶם֙ עִם־יְהֹוָ֔ה וְאַ֖ף כִּי־אַֽחֲרֵ֥י מוֹתִֽי:
28Assemble before me all the elders of your tribes and your sheriffs, and I will speak these words, i.e., the words of the following poem, into their ears, and I will call upon heaven and earth as witnesses to the covenant, to testify against them if they deny it.   כחהַקְהִ֧ילוּ אֵלַ֛י אֶת־כָּל־זִקְנֵ֥י שִׁבְטֵיכֶ֖ם וְשֹֽׁטְרֵיכֶ֑ם וַֽאֲדַבְּרָ֣ה בְאָזְנֵיהֶ֗ם אֵ֚ת הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה וְאָעִ֣ידָה בָּ֔ם אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ:
הַקְהִילוּ אֵלַי - Assemble before me. On that day they did not blow the trumpets in order to assemble the congregation, since it says: “make for yourself,” 5 and God did not give Joshua full authority during Moses’ lifetime by having him use them. Even during Moses’ lifetime, before the day of his death, they had been stored away, to fulfill that which it says: “and there is no sovereignty on the day of death.” 6   הַקְהִילוּ אֵלַי.  וְלֹא תָקְעוּ אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם בַּחֲצוֹצְרוֹת לְהַקְהִיל אֶת הַקָּהָל, לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר י') "עֲשֵׂה לְךָ", וְלֹא הִשְׁלִיט יְהוֹשֻׁעַ עֲלֵיהֶם, וְאַף בְּחַיָּיו נִגְנְזוּ — בְּיוֹם מוֹתוֹ — לְקַיֵּם מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר (קהלת ח') "וְאֵין שִׁלְטוֹן בְּיוֹם הַמָּוֶת" (תנחומא ויחי ובהעלותך):
וְאָעִידָה בָּם אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ - And I will call upon heaven and earth as witnesses against them. If you ask: Had he not already named them witnesses above: “I invoke heaven and earth today as witnesses for you” ?7 The answer is that there, he was telling the Israelites that they would be reminders, but he had not yet spoken to heaven and earth themselves, but now he came to say: “Listen, heaven….” 8   וְאָעִידָה בָּם אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ.  וְאִם תֹּאמַר הֲרֵי כְּבָר הֵעִיד לְמַעְלָה — "הַעִדֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם וְגוֹ'"? הָתָם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אָמַר, אֲבָל לַשָּׁמַיִם וְלָאָרֶץ לֹא אָמַר, וְעַכְשָׁו בָּא לוֹמַר "הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְגוֹ'"(דברים ל"ב):
29For I know that after my death, you will surely become corrupt and deviate from the way that I had commanded you. Consequently, the evil will befall you at the end of days, because you did evil in the eyes of God, to provoke Him to anger through your idols, the work of your hands.”   כטכִּ֣י יָדַ֗עְתִּי אַֽחֲרֵ֤י מוֹתִי֙ כִּֽי־הַשְׁחֵ֣ת תַּשְׁחִת֔וּן וְסַרְתֶּ֣ם מִן־הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּ֖יתִי אֶתְכֶ֑ם וְקָרָ֨את אֶתְכֶ֤ם הָֽרָעָה֙ בְּאַֽחֲרִ֣ית הַיָּמִ֔ים כִּי־תַֽעֲשׂ֤וּ אֶת־הָרַע֙ בְּעֵינֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה לְהַכְעִיס֖וֹ בְּמַֽעֲשֵׂ֥ה יְדֵיכֶֽם:
אַֽחֲרֵי מוֹתִי כִּי הַשְׁחֵת תשחיתון - That after my death you will surely become corrupt. But surely throughout the lifetime of Joshua they did not become corrupt, as it says: “Israel served God throughout the lifetime of Joshua” ?9 From here we learn that a person’s student is as dear to him as his own self. Thus, as long as Joshua was alive, it seemed to Moses as if he himself was still alive.   אַֽחֲרֵי מוֹתִי כִּי הַשְׁחֵת תשחיתון.  וַהֲרֵי כָּל יְמוֹת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא הִשְׁחִיתוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וַיַּעַבְדוּ הָעָם אֶת ה' כֹּל יְמֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ" (שופטים ב')? מִכָּאן שֶׁתַּלְמִידוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם חָבִיב עָלָיו כְּגוּפוֹ, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁיְּהוֹשֻׁעַ חַי הָיָה נִרְאֶה לְמֹשֶׁה כְּאִלּוּ הוּא חַי:
30Then, Moses recited the words of the following poem to their very end into the ears of the entire assembly of Israel.   לוַיְדַבֵּ֣ר משֶׁ֗ה בְּאָזְנֵי֙ כָּל־קְהַ֣ל יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַשִּׁירָ֣ה הַזֹּ֑את עַ֖ד תֻּמָּֽם: