Devarim (Deuteronomy) Chapter 33

8Referring to Levi, he said: “Your tumim and urim befit Aaron, Your pious man, whom You tested at Masah and whom You tried with ‘the water of contention.’   חוּלְלֵוִ֣י אָמַ֔ר תֻּמֶּ֥יךָ וְאוּרֶ֖יךָ לְאִ֣ישׁ חֲסִידֶ֑ךָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נִסִּיתוֹ֙ בְּמַסָּ֔ה תְּרִיבֵ֖הוּ עַל־מֵ֥י מְרִיבָֽה:
וּלְלֵוִי אָמַר - (lit.) To Levi he said - means: regarding Levi he said.   וּלְלֵוִי אָמַר.  וְעַל לֵוִי אָמַר:
תֻּמֶּיךָ וְאוּרֶיךָ - Your tumim and urim. Moses was here addressing the Divine Presence.   תֻּמֶּיךָ וְאוּרֶיךָ.  כְּלַפֵּי שְׁכִינָה הוּא מְדַבֵּר:
אֲשֶׁר נִסִּיתוֹ בְּמַסָּה - Whom You tested at Masah - and they withstood the test in that they did not complain along with the others who complained.   אֲשֶׁר נִסִּיתוֹ בְּמַסָּה.  שֶׁלֹּא נִתְלוֹנְנוּ עִם שְׁאָר הַמַּלִּינִים:
תְּרִיבֵהוּ וגו' - (lit.) With whom You contended [at the water of contention]. Its meaning is as Onkelos translates it: “whom You tried at the ‘water of contention’ and was found faithful.” Another explanation: תְּרִיבֵהוּ עַל מֵי מְרִיבָה means: You implicated him by employing a pretext; If Moses said: “Now listen, you rebels,” 1 what did Aaron and Miriam do wrong?   תְּרִיבֵהוּ וגו'.  כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ. דָּבָר אַחֵר — תריבהו על מי מריבה, נִסְתַּקַּפְתָּ לוֹ לָבֹא בַעֲלִילָה, אִם מֹשֶׁה אָמַר שִׁמְעוּ נָא הַמֹּרִים, אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם מֶה עָשׂוּ? (ספרי):
9Each Levite said of his maternal grandfather, ‘I do not see him as my relative’; neither did he recognize his maternal half-brothers, nor did he know his grandchildren. They are also worthy of blessing because they observed Your word and they kept Your covenant.   טהָֽאֹמֵ֞ר לְאָבִ֤יו וּלְאִמּוֹ֙ לֹ֣א רְאִיתִ֔יו וְאֶת־אֶחָיו֙ לֹ֣א הִכִּ֔יר וְאֶת־בָּנָ֖ו לֹ֣א יָדָ֑ע כִּ֤י שָֽׁמְרוּ֙ אִמְרָתֶ֔ךָ וּבְרִֽיתְךָ֖ יִנְצֹֽרוּ:
הָֽאֹמֵר לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמּוֹ לֹא רְאִיתִיו - (lit.) Who said of his father and his mother, “I do not see him.”. When the Israelites sinned with the Golden Calf and I said: “Whoever is for God, join me,” 2 all the Levites rallied around me, and I commanded them to kill the guilty – even if it meant that a Levite had to kill his mother’s father who was a lay Israelite, his maternal brother, or his daughter’s son – and they did so. It is impossible to explain these words as referring to their own father, their paternal brothers, or their own sons, for these were also Levites, and not one member of the tribe of Levi sinned, as it says: “all the Levites.”   הָֽאֹמֵר לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמּוֹ לֹא רְאִיתִיו.  כְּשֶׁחָטְאוּ בָעֵגֶל וְאָמַרְתִּי "מִי לַה' אֵלָי" (שמות ל"ב), נֶאֶסְפוּ אֵלַי כָּל בְּנֵי לֵוִי וְצִוִּיתִים לַהֲרֹג אֶת אֲבִי אִמּוֹ וְהוּא מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל אוֹ אֶת אָחִיו מֵאִמּוֹ אוֹ בֶן בִּתּוֹ, וְכֵן עָשׂוּ. וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְפָרֵשׁ אָבִיו מַמָּשׁ וְאָחִיו מֵאָבִיו וְכֵן בָּנָיו מַמָּשׁ, שֶׁהֲרֵי לְוִיִּים הֵם, וּמִשֵּׁבֶט לֵוִי לֹא חָטָא אֶחָד מֵהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם) "כָּל בְּנֵי לֵוִי":
כִּי שָֽׁמְרוּ אִמְרָתֶךָ - Because they observed Your word - “You must not possess other peoples’ deities.” 3   כִּי שָֽׁמְרוּ אִמְרָתֶךָ.  "לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אַחֵרִים" (שמות כ, ב):
וּבְרִֽיתְךָ יִנְצֹֽרוּ - And they kept Your covenant - i.e., the covenant of circumcision, for the lay Israelites did not circumcise their sons who were born in the desert, but the Levites were circumcised and circumcised their sons.   וּבְרִֽיתְךָ יִנְצֹֽרוּ.  בְּרִית מִילָה, שֶׁאוֹתָם שֶׁנּוֹלְדוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא מָלוּ אֶת בְּנֵיהֶם, וְהֵם הָיוּ מוּלִין וּמָלִין אֶת בְּנֵיהֶם:
10They will teach Your ordinances to Jacob and Your Torah to Israel. They will set incense before You and place ascent-offerings upon Your Altar.   ייוֹר֤וּ מִשְׁפָּטֶ֨יךָ֙ לְיַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וְתוֹרָֽתְךָ֖ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יָשִׂ֤ימוּ קְטוֹרָה֙ בְּאַפֶּ֔ךָ וְכָלִ֖יל עַל־מִזְבְּחֶֽךָ:
יוֹרוּ מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ - They will teach Your ordinances - i.e., they are worthy of doing this.   יוֹרוּ מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ.  רְאוּיִין אֵלּוּ לְכָךְ:
וְכָלִיל - (lit.) And a totally consumed offering - i.e., an ascent-offering.   וְכָלִיל.  עוֹלָה (יומא כ"ו):
11God, bless their army and favorably accept the work of their hands. Strike the loins both of those who rise up against them and of their enemies, so they be prevented from rising up against them again.”   יאבָּרֵ֤ךְ יְהֹוָה֙ חֵיל֔וֹ וּפֹ֥עַל יָדָ֖יו תִּרְצֶ֑ה מְחַ֨ץ מָתְנַ֧יִם קָמָ֛יו וּמְשַׂנְאָ֖יו מִן־יְקוּמֽוּן:
מְחַץ מָתְנַיִם קָמָיו - means: strike those who rise up against them with a blow to the loins. This is a similar sense to that which it says: “and make their loins constantly stumble.” 4 He said this in reference to those who challenge the priesthood. Another explanation: He foresaw that Yochanan the Hasmonean and his sons would battle the Greeks, and he prayed for them since they were few in number – the 12 sons of the Hasmonean and Elazar against an army of many myriads. For this reason, he said: בָּרֵךְ ה׳ חֵילוֹ, וּפֹעַל יָדָיו תִּרְצֶה “God, bless their army and favorably accept the work of their hands.”   מְחַץ מָתְנַיִם קָמָיו.  מְחַץ קָמָיו מַכַּת מָתְנַיִם, כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים ס"ט) "וּמָתְנֵיהֶם תָּמִיד הַמְעַד", וְעַל הַמְּעוֹרְרִין עַל הַכְּהֻנָּה אָמַר כֵּן. דָּבָר אַחֵר — רָאָה שֶׁעֲתִידִין חַשְׁמוֹנַאי וּבָנָיו לְהִלָּחֵם עִם הַיְּוָנִים וְהִתְפַּלֵּל עֲלֵיהֶם, לְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ מוּעָטִים — י"ב בְּנֵי חַשְׁמוֹנַאי וְאֶלְעָזָר — כְּנֶגֶד כַּמָּה רְבָבוֹת, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר ברך ה' חילו ופעל ידיו תרצה (בראשית רבה צ"ט):
וּמְשַׂנְאָיו מִן־יְקוּמֽוּן - The phrase is to be understood as follows: Strike those who rise up against them and their enemies so that they cannot stand, i.e., recover.   וּמְשַׂנְאָיו מִן־יְקוּמֽוּן.  מְחַץ קָמָיו וּמְשַׂנְאָיו מִהְיוֹת לָהֶם תְּקוּמָה:
12He said of Benjamin, “God’s beloved one will dwell securely beside Him; He hovers above him all day long. He dwells between his shoulders.”   יבלְבִנְיָמִ֣ן אָמַ֔ר יְדִ֣יד יְהֹוָ֔ה יִשְׁכֹּ֥ן לָבֶ֖טַח עָלָ֑יו חֹפֵ֤ף עָלָיו֙ כָּל־הַיּ֔וֹם וּבֵ֥ין כְּתֵפָ֖יו שָׁכֵֽן:
לְבִנְיָמִן אָמַר - He said of Benjamin. Since Levi’s blessing entailed the sacrificial service and that of Benjamin was that the Holy Temple be built in his territory, Moses placed one following the other. He placed Joseph immediately afterward, for Joseph, too, had the Tabernacle of Shiloh built in his territory, as it says: “He despised the Tent of Joseph….” 5 And because the permanent Temple is more distinguished than Shiloh, he placed Benjamin before Joseph, although Joseph was older.   לְבִנְיָמִן אָמַר.  לְפִי שֶׁבִּרְכַּת לֵוִי בַּעֲבוֹדַת הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת וְשֶׁל בִּנְיָמִין בְּבִנְיַן בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ, בְּחֶלְקוֹ, סְמָכָן זֶה לָזֶה, וְסָמַךְ יוֹסֵף אַחֲרָיו, שֶׁאַף הוּא מִשְׁכַּן שִׁילֹה הָיָה בָנוּי בְחֶלְקוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים ע"ח) "וַיִּמְאַס בְּאֹהֶל יוֹסֵף וְגוֹ'", וּלְפִי שֶׁבֵּית עוֹלָמִים חָבִיב מִשִּׁילֹה לְכָךְ הִקְדִּים בִּנְיָמִין לְיוֹסֵף:
חֹפֵף עָלָיו - means: He covers him and protects him.   חֹפֵף עָלָיו.  מְכַסֶּה אוֹתוֹ וּמֵגֵן עָלָיו:
כָּל־הַיּוֹם - (lit.) The entire day - means forever, for from the time that Jerusalem was chosen as the Temple site, the Divine Presence never rested anywhere else.   כָּל־הַיּוֹם.  לְעוֹלָם, מִשֶּׁנִּבְחֲרָה יְרוּשָׁלַיִם לֹא שָׁרְתָה שְׁכִינָה בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר:
וּבֵין כְּתֵפָיו שָׁכֵֽן - He dwells between his shoulders. The Holy Temple was built at the highest point of his land, except that it was 23 cubits lower than the nearby Ein Eitam. Indeed, King David intended to build it there, as stated in Tractate Shechitat Kodashim, 6 but they said to him: Let us have it a little lower, for it is written: “He dwells between his shoulders,” and there is no nicer part of a bull than its shoulders.   וּבֵין כְּתֵפָיו שָׁכֵֽן.  בְּגֹבַהּ אַרְצוֹ הָיָה בֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ בָּנוּי, אֶלָּא שֶׁנָּמוּךְ עֶשְׂרִים וְשָׁלוֹשׁ אַמָּה מֵעֵין עֵיטָם, וְשָׁם הָיָה דַעְתּוֹ שֶׁל דָּוִד לִבְנוֹתוֹ, כִּדְאִיתָא בִשְׁחִיטַת קָדָשִׁים (זבחים נ"ד) אָמְרֵי נֶחְתֵּי בֵיהּ פּוּרְתָּא, מִשּׁוּם דִּכְתִיב "וּבֵין כְּתֵפָיו שָׁכֵן" — אֵין לְךָ נָאֶה בַּשּׁוֹר יוֹתֵר מִכְּתֵפָיו: