9The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s chariot horses, his horsemen, and his army—pursued them, overtaking them while they were encamped at the sea next to Pi HaChirot, before Ba’al Tzefon. |
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טוַיִּרְדְּפ֨וּ מִצְרַ֜יִם אַֽחֲרֵיהֶ֗ם וַיַּשִּׂ֤יגוּ אוֹתָם֙ חֹנִ֣ים עַל־הַיָּ֔ם כָּל־סוּס֙ רֶ֣כֶב פַּרְעֹ֔ה וּפָֽרָשָׁ֖יו וְחֵיל֑וֹ עַל־פִּי֙ הַֽחִירֹ֔ת לִפְנֵ֖י בַּ֥עַל צְפֹֽן: |
10Pharaoh drew himself nearer. The Israelites looked up and caught sight of the Egyptians advancing at their rear. They became very frightened. The Israelites cried out to God. |
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יוּפַרְעֹ֖ה הִקְרִ֑יב וַיִּשְׂאוּ֩ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֨ל אֶת־עֵֽינֵיהֶ֜ם וְהִנֵּ֥ה מִצְרַ֣יִם | נֹסֵ֣עַ אַֽחֲרֵיהֶ֗ם וַיִּֽירְאוּ֙ מְאֹ֔ד וַיִּצְעֲק֥וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה: |
וּפַרְעֹה הִקְרִיב - (lit.) Pharaoh brought forward. It seems that Scripture ought to have written: וּפַרְעֹה קָרַב “Pharaoh came forward.” What then is the meaning here of הִקְרִיב “he brought forward”? He brought himself forward by boldly going ahead of them as he had stipulated with them. |
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וּפַרְעֹה הִקְרִיב.
הָיָה לוֹ לִכְתֹּב וּפַרְעֹה קָרַב, מַהוּ הִקְרִיב? הִקְרִיב עַצְמוֹ וְנִתְאַמֵּץ לְקַדֵּם לִפְנֵיהֶם כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִתְנָה עִמָּהֶם:
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נֹסֵעַ אַֽחֲרֵיהֶם - the word נֹסֵעַ (advancing) is in the singular form, signifying that the Egyptians were with one heart, i.e., they were all equal in their hatred of the Jews, which caused their action to also appear like that of one man. Another explanation of וְהִנֵּה מִצְרַיִם נֹסֵעַ אַחֲרֵיהֶם: they saw the guardian angel of Egypt coming to the Egyptians’ aid from heaven. |
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נֹסֵעַ אַֽחֲרֵיהֶם.
בְּלֵב אֶחָד כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד. דָּבָר אַחֵר – וְהִנֵּה מִצְרַיִם נֹסֵעַ אַחֲרֵיהֶם, רָאוּ שַׂר שֶׁל מִצְרַיִם נוֹסֵעַ מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם לַעֲזֹר לַמִּצְרִים; – תנחומא:
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וַיִּצְעֲקוּ - They cried out. They took to hand the habitual “craft” of their forefathers. About Abraham it says: “to the place where he had stood in prayer”; about Isaac it says: “to pray in the field”; and about Jacob it says: “he prayed (וַיִּפְגַע) at the place.” |
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וַיִּצְעֲקוּ.
תָּפְשׂוּ אֻמָּנוּת אֲבוֹתָם – בְּאַבְרָהָם הוּא אוֹמֵר "אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר עָמַד שָׁם" (בראשית י"ט), בְּיִצְחָק "לָשׂוּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶה", (שם כ"ד), בְּיַעֲקֹב "וַיִּפְגַע בַּמָּקוֹם" (שם כ"ח):
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11They said to Moses, “Was it for want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the desert? What is this that you have done to us by taking us out of Egypt? |
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יאוַיֹּֽאמְרוּ֘ אֶל־משֶׁה֒ הֲמִבְּלִ֤י אֵֽין־קְבָרִים֙ בְּמִצְרַ֔יִם לְקַחְתָּ֖נוּ לָמ֣וּת בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר מַה־זֹּאת֙ עָשִׂ֣יתָ לָּ֔נוּ לְהֽוֹצִיאָ֖נוּ מִמִּצְרָֽיִם: |
הֲמִבְּלִי אֵֽין־קְבָרִים - means: was it because there is a lack of graves, that there are no graves in Egypt to be buried there – that you took us out from there; “si pour faillance de non fosses” in Old French. |
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הֲמִבְּלִי אֵֽין־קְבָרִים.
וְכִי מֵחֲמַת חֶסְרוֹן קְבָרִים – שֶׁאֵין קְבָרִים בְּמִצְרַיִם לִקָּבֵר שָׁם – לְקַחְתָּנוּ מִשָּׁם. ש"י פו"ר פלינ"צא ד"י נו"ן פוש"יש בְלַעַז:
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12Is this not the very thing we spoke to you about in Egypt, saying, ‘Leave us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” |
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יבהֲלֹא־זֶ֣ה הַדָּבָ֗ר אֲשֶׁר֩ דִּבַּ֨רְנוּ אֵלֶ֤יךָ בְמִצְרַ֨יִם֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר חֲדַ֥ל מִמֶּ֖נּוּ וְנַֽעַבְדָ֣ה אֶת־מִצְרָ֑יִם כִּ֣י ט֥וֹב לָ֨נוּ֙ עֲבֹ֣ד אֶת־מִצְרַ֔יִם מִמֻּתֵ֖נוּ בַּמִּדְבָּֽר: |
אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְנוּ אֵלֶיךָ בארץ מִצְרָיִם - We spoke to you about in Egypt. And where did they speak about this? When they said: “May God reveal Himself to you and judge you.” |
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אֲשֶׁר דִּבַּרְנוּ אֵלֶיךָ בְּמִצְרָיִם.
וְהֵיכָן דִּבְּרוּ? "יֵרֶא ה' עֲלֵיכֶם וְיִשְׁפֹּט" (שמות ה') (מכילתא):
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מִמֻּתֵנוּ - means: that we die. If it had been vocalized with a melopum (cholam) (מִמּוֹתֵנוּ), it would have been explained as meaning “than our death,” but now that it is vocalized with a shuruk (מִמֻּתֵנוּ), it is to be explained as meaning “that we die.” Similarly, מִי יִתֵּן מוּתֵנוּ means: “If only we would have died,” and similarly מִי יִתֵּן מוּתִי means: “If only I would die,” in King David’s lament for Avshalom. The usage is similar to that of לְיוֹם קוּמִי לְעַד and עַד שׁוּבִי בְשָׁלוֹם, which mean respectively “when I rise” and “when I return.” |
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מִמֻּתֵנוּ.
מֵאֲשֶׁר נָמוּת, וְאִם הָיָה נָקוּד מְלָאפוּם הָיָה נִבְאָר מִמִּיתָתֵנוּ, עַכְשָׁיו שֶׁנָּקוּד בְּשׁוּרֻק נִבְאָר מֵאֲשֶׁר נָמוּת וְכֵן "מִי יִתֵּן מוּתֵנוּ" (שמות ט"ז) – שֶׁנָּמוּת, וְכֵן "מִי יִתֵּן מוּתִי" דְּאַבְשָׁלוֹם (שמואל ב' י"ט) – שֶׁאָמוּת. כְּמוֹ "לְיוֹם קוּמִי לְעַד" (צפניה ג'), "עַד יוֹם שׁוּבִי בְשָׁלוֹם" (דברי הימים ב' י"ח) – שֶׁאָקוּם, שֶׁאָשׁוּב:
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13But Moses said to the people, “Have no fear. Stand firm and witness the deliverance that God will perform for you today, for the Egyptians whom you have seen today you will never see again. |
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יגוַיֹּ֨אמֶר משֶׁ֣ה אֶל־הָעָם֘ אַל־תִּירָ֒אוּ֒ הִתְיַצְּב֗וּ וּרְאוּ֙ אֶת־יְשׁוּעַ֣ת יְהֹוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה לָכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם כִּ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר רְאִיתֶ֤ם אֶת־מִצְרַ֨יִם֙ הַיּ֔וֹם לֹ֥א תֹסִ֛פוּ לִרְאֹתָ֥ם ע֖וֹד עַד־עוֹלָֽם: |
כִּי אֲשֶׁר־רְאִיתֶם אֶת־מִצְרַיִם וגו' - (lit.) For that you have seen the Egyptians…. means: the fact that you have seen them is only today; today it is that you have seen them, but you will never see them again. |
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כִּי אֲשֶׁר־רְאִיתֶם אֶת־מִצְרַיִם וגו'.
מַה שֶּׁרְאִיתֶם אוֹתָם אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא היום, הַיּוֹם הוּא שֶׁרְאִיתֶם אוֹתָם וְלֹא תוֹסִיפוּ עוֹד:
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14God will do battle for you; you are to remain silent.” |
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ידיְהֹוָ֖ה יִלָּחֵ֣ם לָכֶ֑ם וְאַתֶּ֖ם תַּֽחֲרִשֽׁוּן: |
יִלָּחֵם לָכֶם - means “He will do battle for you”; and similarly: כִּי ה׳ נִלְחָם לָהֶם “for God is fighting for them”; and similarly: אִם לָאֵל תְּרִיבוּן “will you argue on God’s behalf”; and similarly: וַאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לִי “and who spoke concerning me”; and similarly: הַאַתֶּם תְּרִיבוּן לַבַּעַל “will you fight for Ba’al.” |
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יִלָּחֵם לָכֶם.
בִּשְׁבִילְכֶם; וְכֵן "כִּי ה' נִלְחָם לָהֶם", וְכֵן "אִם לָאֵל תְּרִיבוּן" (איוב י"ג), וְכֵן "וַאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לִי" (בראשית כ"ד), וְכֵן "הַאַתֶּם תְּרִיבוּן לַבַּעַל" (שופטים ו'):
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