Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 32

7Recall the olden days. Contemplate the years of the generation of Enosh and the generation of Noah. Ask your father—i.e., a prophet—and he will tell you about the future; ask your elders and they will recount to you the events of the past.   זזְכֹר֙ יְמ֣וֹת עוֹלָ֔ם בִּ֖ינוּ שְׁנ֣וֹת דֹּֽר וָדֹ֑ר שְׁאַ֤ל אָבִ֨יךָ֙ וְיַגֵּ֔דְךָ זְקֵנֶ֖יךָ וְיֹֽאמְרוּ־לָֽךְ:
זְכֹר יְמוֹת עוֹלָם - Recall the olden days - i.e., what He did to former generations who provoked Him to anger.   זְכֹר יְמוֹת עוֹלָם.  מֶה עָשָׂה בָרִאשׁוֹנִים שֶׁהִכְעִיסוּ לְפָנָיו:
בִּינוּ שְׁנוֹת דֹּֽר וָדֹר - Contemplate the years of (lit.) one generation and another - i.e., the generation of Enosh, whom He engulfed with the water of the ocean; and the generation of the Flood, whom He washed away. Another explanation: You did not pay attention to the past; now, be sure to בִּינוּ שְׁנוֹת דֹּר וָדֹר – pay attention to the future, i.e., that He has the power to reward you by letting you inherit the messianic era and the World to Come.   בִּינוּ שְׁנוֹת דֹּֽר וָדֹר.  דּוֹר אֱנוֹשׁ שֶׁהֵצִיף עֲלֵיהֶם מֵי אוֹקְיָנוּס וְדוֹר הַמַּבּוּל שֶׁשְּׁטָפָם. דָּבָר אַחֵר — לֹא נְתַתֶּם לְבַבְכֶם עַל שֶׁעָבַר, בינו שנות דר ודר — לְהַכִּיר לְהַבָּא, שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּיָדוֹ לְהֵיטִיב לָכֶם וּלְהַנְחִיל לָכֶם יְמוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ וְהָעוֹלָם הַבָּא (עי' ספרי):
שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ - Ask your father. This refers to the prophets, who are called “fathers,” as it says regarding Elijah: “My father, my father, chariot of Israel.” 1   שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ.  אֵלּוּ הַנְּבִיאִים שֶׁנִּקְרָאִים אָבוֹת, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלכים ב ב') בְּאֵלִיָּהוּ "אָבִי אָבִי רֶכֶב יִשְׂרָאֵל" (ספרי):
זְקֵנֶיךָ - Your elders. This refers to the sages.   זְקֵנֶיךָ.  אֵלּוּ הַחֲכָמִים:
וְיֹֽאמְרוּ־לָֽךְ - And they recount to you - the past events:   וְיֹֽאמְרוּ־לָֽךְ.  הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת:
8When God, the supreme One, gave the nations their inheritance after the Flood, and when He divided the descendants of Adam after the Tower of Babel, He firmly established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the descendants of Israel.   חבְּהַנְחֵ֤ל עֶלְיוֹן֙ גּוֹיִ֔ם בְּהַפְרִיד֖וֹ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָ֑ם יַצֵּב֙ גְּבֻלֹ֣ת עַמִּ֔ים לְמִסְפַּ֖ר בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל:
בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם - When the Supreme One gave the nations their inheritance. This means: when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave those who angered Him the portion they deserved. He flooded them and swept them away.   בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם.  כְּשֶׁהִנְחִיל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמַכְעִיסָיו אֶת חֵלֶק נַחֲלָתָן הֱצִיפָן וּשְׁטָפָם:
בְּהַפְרִידוֹ בְּנֵי אָדָם - When He divided the descendants of Adam – i.e., when He scattered the generation of the Dispersion, He could have justifiably removed them from the world, but He did not do so; instead “He firmly established the boundaries of the peoples” - i.e., He let them live and did not destroy them –   בְּהַפְרִידוֹ בְּנֵי אָדָם.  כְּשֶׁהֵפִיץ דּוֹר הַפַּלָּגָה הָיָה בְיָדוֹ לְהַעֲבִירָם מִן הָעוֹלָם, לֹא עָשָׂה כֵן אֶלָּא יצב גבלת עמים, קִיְּמָם וְלֹא אִבְּדָם:
לְמִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵֽל - According to the number of the descendants of Israel - i.e., for the sake of the number of the descendants of Israel destined to come from the descendants of Shem, and according to the number of 70 souls of the descendants of Israel who descended to Egypt, He set the boundaries of the nations as 70 languages.   לְמִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵֽל.  בִּשְׁבִיל מִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁעֲתִידִין לָצֵאת מִבְּנֵי שֵׁם, וּלְמִסְפַּר שִׁבְעִים נֶפֶשׁ שֶׁל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁיָּרְדוּ לְמִצְרַיִם הִצִּיב גבלת עמים — שִׁבְעִים לָשׁוֹן:
9He did this because God’s portion is His people, the descendants of Jacob, who is the ‘rope’ of His inheritance.   טכִּ֛י חֵ֥לֶק יְהֹוָ֖ה עַמּ֑וֹ יַֽעֲקֹ֖ב חֶ֥בֶל נַֽחֲלָתֽוֹ:
כִּי חֵלֶק ה' עַמּוֹ - Because God’s portion is His people. Why did He do all this? Because His portion was latent within them and destined to emerge. And who is His portion? “His people.” And who is His people? יַעֲקֹב חֶבֶל נַחֲלָתוֹ – “Jacob, the rope of His inheritance” i.e., the third of the patriarchs, who possesses a threefold merit: the merit of his grandfather, the merit of his father, and his own merit, making three, just as a rope is made up of three intertwining cords. For this reason, only he and his sons became His portion, and neither Ishmael son of Abraham nor Esau son of Isaac.   כִּי חֵלֶק ה' עַמּוֹ.  לָמָּה כָּל זֹאת? לְפִי שֶׁהָיָה חֶלְקוֹ כָּבוּשׁ בֵּינֵיהֶם וְעָתִיד לָצֵאת, וּמִי הוּא חֶלְקוֹ? עמו. וּמִי הוּא עַמּוֹ? יַֽעֲקֹב חֶבֶל נַֽחֲלָתֽוֹ וְהוּא הַשְּׁלִישִׁי בָּאָבוֹת, הַמְשֻׁלָּשׁ בְּשָׁלוֹשׁ זְכֻיּוֹת, זְכוּת אֲבִי אָבִיו וּזְכוּת אָבִיו וּזְכוּתוֹ, הֲרֵי ג', כַּחֶבֶל הַזֶּה שֶׁהוּא עָשׂוּי בְּג' גְּדִילִים, וְהוּא וּבָנָיו הָיוּ לוֹ לְנַחֲלָה, וְלֹא יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן אַבְרָהָם, וְלֹא עֵשָׂו בְּנוֹ שֶׁל יִצְחָק (עי' ספרי):
10He found them faithful in a desert land, in a desolate wasteland filled with howling creatures. He surrounded them; He instructed them; He protected them like the pupil of His eye.   ייִמְצָאֵ֨הוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִדְבָּ֔ר וּבְתֹ֖הוּ יְלֵ֣ל יְשִׁמֹ֑ן יְסֹֽבְבֶ֨נְהוּ֙ יְב֣וֹנְנֵ֔הוּ יִצְּרֶ֖נְהוּ כְּאִישׁ֥וֹן עֵינֽוֹ:
יִמְצָאֵהוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִדְבָּר - He found them in a desert land - i.e., He found them faithful to Him in a desert land, for there they accepted His Torah, His kingship, and His yoke, which the descendants of Ishmael and Esau did not do, as it says: “He shone forth to them after coming from Se’ir; He appeared after coming from Mount Paran,2 where He had offered the Torah to Esau’s and Ishmael’s descendants, respectively.   יִמְצָאֵהוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִדְבָּר.  אוֹתָם מָצָא לוֹ נֶאֱמָנִים בְּאֶרֶץ הַמִּדְבָּר, שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ עֲלֵיהֶם תּוֹרָתוֹ וּמַלְכוּתוֹ וְעֻלּוֹ, מַה שֶּׁלֹּא עָשׂוּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל וְעֵשָׂו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ל"ג) "וְזָרַח מִשֵּׂעִיר לָמוֹ הוֹפִיעַ מֵהַר פָּארָן":
וּבְתֹהוּ יְלֵל יְשִׁמֹן - In a howling, desolate wasteland - i.e., a parched and desolate land, a place where wild animals and birds wail. Even there, they were drawn after their faith in God and did not say to Moses: “How can we go out to the desert, to a parched and desolate place?” This is indicated by what it says: “you followed Me into the desert.” 3   וּבְתֹהוּ יְלֵל יְשִׁמֹן.  אֶרֶץ צִיָּה וּשְׁמָמָה, מְקוֹם יִלְלַת תַּנִּינִים וּבְנוֹת יַעֲנָה, אַף שָׁם נִמְשְׁכוּ אַחַר הָאֱמוּנָה, וְלֹא אָמְרוּ לְמֹשֶׁה הֵיאַךְ נֵצֵא לַמִּדְבָּרוֹת מְקוֹם צִיָּה וְשִׁמָּמוֹן? כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיהו ב'), "לֶכְתֵּךְ אַחֲרַי בַּמִּדְבָּר":
יְסֹֽבְבֶנְהוּ - He surrounded them. There, He surrounded and encircled them with the Clouds of Glory, He surrounded them with the tribal banners in the four directions, and He surrounded them underneath the mountain at the Giving of the Torah, by suspending it over them like an overturned barrel.   יְסֹֽבְבֶנְהוּ.  שָׁם סִבְּבָם וְהִקִּיפָם בַּעֲנָנִים וְסִבְּבָם בִּדְגָלִים לְאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת וְסִבְּבָן בְּתַחְתִּית הָהָר שֶׁכָּפָהוּ עֲלֵיהֶם כְּגִיגִית (עי' ספרי):
יְבוֹנְנֵהוּ - He instructed them - there in the Torah and in understanding.   יְבוֹנְנֵהוּ.  שָׁם בְּתוֹרָה וּבִינָה:
יִצְּרֶנְהוּ - He protected them - from snakes, vipers, scorpions, and from the nations.   יִצְּרֶנְהוּ.  מִנָּחָשׁ שָׂרָף וְעַקְרָב וּמִן הָאֻמּוֹת:
כְּאִישׁוֹן עֵינֽוֹ - Like the pupil of His eye. This is the dark part of the eye, source of the power of sight.   כְּאִישׁוֹן עֵינֽוֹ.  הוּא הַשָּׁחֹר שֶׁבָּעַיִן שֶׁהַמָּאוֹר יוֹצֵא הֵימֶנּוּ. וְאֻנְקְלוֹס תִּרְגֵּם יִמְצָאֵהוּ — "יַסְפִּיקֵהוּ כָּל צָרְכּוֹ בַמִּדְבָּר", כְּמוֹ (במדבר י"א) "מָצָא לָהֶם", (יהושע י"ז) "לֹא יִמָּצֵא לָנוּ הָהָר":
יְסֹֽבְבֶנְהוּ - סַפֵּיק צָרְכֵיהוֹן בַּאֲרַע מַדְבְּרָא “He provided all their needs in the desert,” taking יִמְצָאֵהוּ as meaning the same as וּמָצָא לָהֶם “would it suffice for them,” 4 and לֹא יִמָּצֵא לָנוּ הָהָר “the hill country will not suffice for us.” 5 יְסֹבְבֶנְהוּאַשְׁרִנּוּן סְחוֹר סְחוֹר לִשְׁכִינְתֵּהּ “He encamped them around His Divine Presence”; i.e., the Tent of Meeting in the middle and the four divisions on the four sides.   יְסֹֽבְבֶנְהוּ.  "אַשְׁרִינוּן סְחוֹר סְחוֹר לִשְׁכִנְתֵּיהּ", אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד בָּאֶמְצָע וְאַרְבָּעָה דְגָלִים לְאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת:
11As an eagle awakens its nest, hovering over its young, spreading its wings when picking them up, and carrying them on its pinions,   יאכְּנֶ֨שֶׁר֙ יָעִ֣יר קִנּ֔וֹ עַל־גּֽוֹזָלָ֖יו יְרַחֵ֑ף יִפְרֹ֤שׂ כְּנָפָיו֙ יִקָּחֵ֔הוּ יִשָּׂאֵ֖הוּ עַל־אֶבְרָתֽוֹ:
כְּנֶשֶׁר יָעִיר קִנּוֹ - As an eagle awakens its nest. God led them with mercy and compassion, like the eagle, who is merciful toward its young and does not enter the nest suddenly, but first flaps and beats its wings above them between one tree and the next and between one branch and the next, so that its young can wake and have the strength to receive it.   כְּנֶשֶׁר יָעִיר קִנּוֹ.  נִהֲגָם בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְחֶמְלָה, כַּנֶּשֶׁר הַזֶּה רַחְמָנִי עַל בָּנָיו, וְאֵינוֹ נִכְנָס לְקִנּוֹ פִּתְאֹם עַד שֶׁהוּא מְקַשְׁקֵשׁ וּמְטָרֵף עַל בָּנָיו בִּכְנָפָיו בֵּין אִילָן לְאִילָן, בֵּין שׂוֹכָה לַחֲבֶרְתָּהּ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיֵּעוֹרוּ בָּנָיו וִיהֵא בָהֶם כֹּחַ לְקַבְּלוֹ (ספרי):
יָעִיר קִנּוֹ - means: it wakens its children.   יָעִיר קִנּוֹ.  יְעוֹרֵר בָּנָיו:
עַל־גּֽוֹזָלָיו יְרַחֵף - Hovering over its young. It does not bear its weight upon them but hovers over them, not quite touching them. So, too, the Holy One, blessed be He, acted in this way, as it says: “We do not find the Almighty exercising excessive power.” 6 When He came to give the Torah to the Israelites, He did not manifest Himself to them from only one direction, but from all four directions, as it says: “God came from Sinai; He shone forth to them from Se’ir; He appeared from Mount Paran; He came from these three directions with some of the holy myriads of angels,” 7 and “God came from the south” 8 is the fourth direction.   עַל־גּֽוֹזָלָיו יְרַחֵף.  אֵינוֹ מַכְבִּיד עַצְמוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם אֶלָּא מְחוֹפֵף — נוֹגֵעַ וְאֵינוֹ נוֹגֵעַ (תלמוד ירושלמי חגיגה ב') — אַף הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּאּ, "שַׁדַּי לֹא מְצָאנֻהוּ שַׂגִּיא כֹחַ" (איוב ל"ז) כְּשֶׁבָּא לִתֵּן תּוֹרָה לֹא נִגְלָה עֲלֵיהֶם מֵרוּחַ אַחַת אֶלָּא מֵאַרְבַּע רוּחוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "ה' מִסִּינַי בָּא וְזָרַח מִשֵּׂעִיר לָמוֹ הוֹפִיעַ מֵהַר פָּארָן" (דברים ל"ג), "אֱלוֹהַּ מִתֵּימָן יָבוֹא" (חבקוק ג') — זוֹ רוּחַ רְבִיעִית (ספרי):
יִפְרֹשׂ כְּנָפָיו יִקָּחֵהוּ - Spreading its wings when picking them up. When it comes to take them from place to place, it does not take them with its feet as other birds do, for other birds are afraid of the eagle, which flies high above them, and therefore carry them with their feet to protect them from the eagle. But the eagle is only afraid of an arrow shot from below. It therefore carries its young on its wings, saying: “Better that the arrow enter me than enter my young.” So, too, the Holy One, blessed be He, acted this way: “I carried you on the wings of eagles.” 9 When the Egyptians pursued them and caught up with them at the Sea, they started firing arrows and stone missiles at them. Immediately: “The angel of God…came between the Egyptian camp and the Israelite camp….” 10   יִפְרֹשׂ כְּנָפָיו יִקָּחֵהוּ.  כְּשֶׁבָּא לִטְּלָם מִמָּקוֹם לְמָקוֹם אֵינוֹ נוֹטְלָן בְּרַגְלָיו כִּשְׁאָר עוֹפוֹת, לְפִי שֶׁשְּׁאָר עוֹפוֹת יְרֵאִים מִן הַנֶּשֶׁר שֶׁהוּא מַגְבִּיהַּ לָעוּף וּפוֹרֵחַ עֲלֵיהֶם, לְפִיכָךְ נוֹשְׂאָן בְּרַגְלָיו, מִפְּנֵי הַנֶּשֶׁר, אֲבָל הַנֶּשֶׁר אֵינוֹ יָרֵא אֶלָּא מִן הַחֵץ, לְפִיכָךְ נוֹשְׂאָן עַל כְּנָפָיו, אוֹמֵר מוּטָב שֶׁיִּכָּנֵס הַחֵץ בִּי וְלֹא יִכָּנֵס בְּבָנַי, אַף הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא (שמות י"ט) "וָאֶשָּׂא אֶתְכֶם עַל כַּנְפֵי נְשָׁרִים" — כְּשֶׁנָּסְעוּ מִצְרַיִם אַחֲרֵיהֶם וְהִשִּׂיגוּם עַל הַיָּם הָיוּ זוֹרְקִים בָּהֶם חִצִּים וְאַבְנֵי בָּלִיסְטְרָאוֹת, מִיָּד "וַיִּסַּע מַלְאַךְ הָאֱלֹהִים וְגוֹ' וַיָּבֹא בֵּין מַחֲנֵה מִצְרַיִם וְגוֹ'" (שמות י"ד):
12God, unassisted, guided them, and there was no other deity who could contend with Him.   יביְהֹוָ֖ה בָּדָ֣ד יַנְחֶ֑נּוּ וְאֵ֥ין עִמּ֖וֹ אֵ֥ל נֵכָֽר:
ה' בָּדָד יַנְחֶנּוּ - God, unassisted, guided them - i.e., led them through the desert in secure isolation.   ה' בָּדָד יַנְחֶנּוּ.  נִהֲגָם בַּמִּדְבָּר בָּדָד וּבֶטַח:
וְאֵין עִמּוֹ אֵל נֵכָֽר - And there was no other deity with Him - i.e., not one of the deities of the nations was able to display its power and attack them. Our rabbis 11 expounded this verse as referring to the future, and so Onkelos translates it. I say that these are words of rebuke, in order to call heaven and earth to witness and that this song act as witness against them, for God knew that they would eventually be disloyal, failing both to remember what He had done for them in the past and to consider what He would do for them in the future. It is therefore necessary to have the wording interpreted as referring to both past and future. The entire matter is a continuation of: “Recall the olden days; contemplate the years of one generation and another”: 12 This is what He did for them, and He will do the same again. All this they ought to have remembered.   וְאֵין עִמּוֹ אֵל נֵכָֽר.  לֹא הָיָה כֹחַ בְּאֶחָד מִכָּל אֱלֹהֵי הַגּוֹיִם לְהַרְאוֹת כֹּחוֹ וּלְהִלָּחֵם עִמָּהֶם. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ דְרָשׁוּהוּ עַל הֶעָתִיד וְכֵן תִּרְגֵּם אֻנְקְלוֹס, וַאֲנִי אוֹמֵר דִּבְרֵי תּוֹכֵחָה הֵם לְהָעִיד הַשָּׁמַיִם וְהָאָרֶץ וּתְהֵא הַשִּׁירָה לָהֶם לְעֵד שֶׁסּוֹפָן לִבְגֹּד וְלֹא יִזְכְּרוּ לֹא הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת שֶׁעָשָׂה לָהֶם וְלֹא הַנּוֹלָדוֹת שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לַעֲשׂוֹת לָהֶם, לְפִיכָךְ צָרִיךְ לְיַשֵּׁב הַדָּבָר לְכָאן וּלְכָאן. וְכָל הָעִנְיָן מוּסָב עַל זכר ימות עולם בינו שנות דר ודר, כֵּן עָשָׂה לָהֶם וְכֵן עָתִיד לַעֲשׂוֹת, כָּל זֶה הָיָה לָהֶם לִזְכֹּר: