Sifrei Devarim Reader

(Devarim 32:50) "And die on the mountain which you are ascending": Moses said before Him: Why should I die? Is it not better that they should say "Moses is good" by sight than "Moses is good" by hearsay? Is it not better that they say: This Moses, who took us out of Egypt and split the sea for us and brought the Torah down for us and "flew in" the quail for us and performed miracles and feats of might for us, than "This and this is what he did"? and "This and this is what he said"? — whereupon He said to him: Leave off, Moses, this (i.e., death) is a decree for all men, viz. (Bamidbar 19:14) "This is the law: A man if he die in the tent."

The ministering angels said before the Holy One Blessed be He: L-rd of the universe, Why did Adam die? He: Because he did not keep My commandments. They: But Moses kept Your commandments! He: It is a decree before Me for all men, viz. "This is the law: A man if he die."

"and be gathered to your people": with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, your fathers; with Kehoth and Amram, your fathers; with Aaron and Miriam, your brother and sister.

"as Aaron your brother died": the kind of death that you desired. Whence did Moses desire the death of Aaron? When the L-rd said to him (Bamidbar 20:25-26) "Take Aaron and Elazar his son … and strip Aaron of his garments," they stripped him of the priestly vestments and put them on Elazar … He said to him: "Enter the cave"; he entered. "Lie down upon the bed"; he did so. "Stretch out your arms"; he did so. "Stretch out your legs"; he did so. "Close your mouth"; he did so. "Close your eyes"; he did so. At that time Moses said: Happy is he who dies such a death. Thus, (here) "as Aaron your brother died" — the kind of death that you desired.

(Devarim 32:51) ("And die") "because of your having trespassed against Me": i.e., you led to a trespass against Me." "because of your not having sanctified Me": i.e., you led to a transgression of My word:

The Holy One Blessed be He said to him: Moses, did I not tell you (Shemoth 4:17) "And you shall take this rod in your hand, wherewith you shall do the signs"? And you did so, and did not hold back, viz. (Ibid. 30) "And he did the signs in the sight of the people" — then speaking (to the rock), which is (relatively) a light matter, you should not have held back. And he did not depart from there until He "bound him in His wings" (i.e., until he died), viz. (Bamidbar 20:12) "Therefore, you shall not bring this congregation into the land, etc."

(Devarim, Ibid. 52) "For from afar you shall see the land, but there you shall not come." It is written here "but there you shall not come," and elsewhere, (Ibid. 34:4) "but there you shall not pass through." The latter is not needed, for it is already written "for there you shall not come." And the former is not needed, for it is already written "but there you shall not pass through." What, then, is the intent of the repetition? Moses said before the Holy One Blessed be He: If I cannot come there as a king, let me come as a commoner; and if I cannot come there alive, let me come there dead. The Holy One Blessed be He responded: "but there you shall not come," "but there you shall not pass through": neither as king nor as commoner; neither alive nor dead.

(Devarim 33:1) "And this is the blessing wherewith Moses, the man of G-d, blessed the children of Israel before his death:" (Devarim 33:1) "And this is the blessing": Because Moses had first spoken to Israel hard words — (Ibid. 32:24-25) (They will be) "hairy with hunger and embattled by demons… On the outside (of the city) the sword (of legions) shall devour (them), and in the chambers (of their hearts, when they flee), fright" (will pound, eventually killing them), (Ibid. 9:8) "And in Chorev you angered the L-rd," (Ibid. 7) "You have been rebellious…" — he reverted to words of consolation, viz.:

"And this is the blessing wherewith Moses blessed, etc." And from him all of the prophets learned: They first spoke hard words to Israel, and then they reverted to words of consolation. There were none among all of the prophets whose words were as hard as those of Hoshea. In the beginning he said to them (Hoshea 9:14) "Give them, O L-rd, what You will give. Give them a bereaving womb and shriveled breasts."

And then he reverted to words of consolation — (Ibid. 14:7-8) "His tender branches will go forth, and his glory will be like the olive tree… Those who dwell in His shade will return. They will revive like grain and blossom like the vine… (Ibid. 5-6) I will heal their backsliding; I will love them freely… I will be like the dew to Israel; it will blossom like the rose…" And thus with Joel. (In the beginning) he said (Joel 1:2-4) "Tell your children about it, and your children to their children, and their children to another generation: What remained from the maggot, the locust has devoured, and what remained from the locust, the cankerworm has devoured, and what remained from the cankerworm, the cricket has devoured."

And he reverted to words of consolation — (Ibid. 2:25) "And I shall requite for you the years which were devoured by the locust, the cankerworm, the cricket, and the maggot." And thus with Amos. (In the beginning) he said (Amos 4:1) "Hear this thing, you cows of Bashan on the mountain of Shomron, who oppress the poor, who crush the destitute, who say to their lords, 'Bring, so we may drink!'" etc. And he reverted to words of consolation — (Ibid. 9:11) "On that day I will raise up the succah of David that is fallen, etc." And thus with Michah. (In the beginning) he said (Michah 1:9) "Her wound is grievous, etc." And he reverted to words of consolation — (Ibid. 7:18-20) "Who is a G-d like You, who pardons iniquity and overlooks transgression for the remnant of His heritage?

He does not maintain His wrath forever, for He desires lovingkindness. He will return and grant us mercy; He will suppress our iniquities. You will cast into the depths of the sea all of their sins. Grant truth to Jacob, lovingkindness to Abraham, as You swore to our forefathers in days of old."

And thus with Jeremiah. (In the beginning) he said (Jeremiah 7:34) "I will cut off from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of groom and the sound of bride; for the land will become a wasteland." And he reverted to words of consolation — (Ibid. 31:12) "Then the maiden shall rejoice with dance, and young men and old men together."

But, of the Babylonians, he who spoke of them words of consolation (in the beginning) — (Jeremiah 27:6) "I have given all these lands into the hand of Nevuchadnezzar, king of Bavel, My servant; even the beasts of the field have I given him to serve him" — He reverted to words of retribution — (Ibid. 51:64) "And you shall say: 'Thus shall Bavel sink and it shall not rise because of the evil I am bringing upon her, and she shall grow faint.' Until here the words of Jeremiah." He who (in the beginning) spoke of the Babylonians words of consolation, (in the end) reverted to words of retribution.

Variantly: "And this is the blessing": This is what he (Moses) added to the first blessing, whereby they were blessed by Jacob his father, viz. (Bereshith 49:28) "And this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them." We find, then, that from the place where our father Jacob concluded blessing his sons — from that place, Moses began to bless them, viz. "And this is the blessing." Variantly: "And this is the blessing": This adds to a previous (blessing). And which is that? (Psalms 90:1) "A prayer of Moses, the man of G-d." And we still do not know whether the prayer preceded the blessing or the blessing preceded the prayer. "And this is the blessing" indicates that the prayer preceded the blessing and not that the blessing preceded the prayer.

"wherewith Moses the man of G-d blessed the children of Israel": (Even) if others had blessed Israel their blessing would be of avail, but Moses came and blessed them — whence we learn that Moses was fit to bless Israel and that Israel was fit to be blessed by Moses.

"the man of G-d": There are ten who were called "the man of G-d": Moses — "This is the blessing wherewith Moses, the man of G-d, blessed"; Elkanah — (I Samuel 2:27) "And the man of G-d came to Eli"; Samuel — (Ibid. 9:6) "Behold, there is a man of G-d in this city"; David — (Nechemiah 12:24) "by the command of David, the man of G-d"; Shemayah — (I Kings 12:2) "The word of the L-rd came to Shemayah, the man of G-d; Iddo — (Ibid. 13:1) "And a man of G-d came from Judah by the word of the L-rd"; Eliyahu — (II Kings 1:13) "Man of G-d, may my soul be worthy in your eyes"; Elisha — (Ibid. 4:9) "He is a holy man of G-d"; Michah — (I Kings 20:28) "And the man of G-d came and spoke to the king of Israel"; Amotz — (II Chronicles 25:7) "And a man of G-d came to him."

"before his death"; Would it enter your mind that Moses blessed Israel after his death? What, then, is the intent of "before his death"? Close to his death. Similarly, (Malachi 3:23-24) "Behold, I send you Eliyah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome day of the L-rd, and he will return the heart of fathers to sons." Would it enter your mind that Eliyahu would prophesy to Israel after the coming (of that day)? What, then, is the intent of "before the coming of the day of the L-rd"? Close to its coming.

Another interpretation: "And he said: The LORD came from Sinai" (Deuteronomy 33:2). When the Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed to give the Torah to Israel, it was not to Israel alone that He revealed Himself, but to all the nations. First He went to the children of Esau and said to them: Do you accept the Torah? They said to Him: What is written in it? He said to them: "You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13). They said: The very nature of those people and of their father is to murder, as it is said: "And the hands are the hands of Esau" (Genesis 27:22), and: "By your sword you shall live" (Genesis 27:40). He went to the children of Ammon and Moab and said to them: Do you accept the Torah? They said to Him: What is written in it? He said to them: "You shall not commit adultery" (Exodus 20:13). They said to Him: Our very nature is sexual immorality, as it is said: "Thus were both the daughters of Lot with child by their father" (Genesis 19:36). He went to the children of Ishmael and said to them: Do you accept the Torah? They said to Him: What is written in it? He said to them: "You shall not steal" (Exodus 20:13). They said to Him: The very nature of our father was to be a brigand, as it is said: "And he shall be a wild man" (Genesis 16:12). And so He asked each and every nation whether they would accept the Torah, as it is said: "All the kings of the earth shall give You thanks, O LORD, for they have heard the words of Your mouth" (Psalms 138:4). Might one think they heard and accepted? The verse states: "And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the nations that have not hearkened" (Micah 5:14). Not only did they not hearken, but even the seven commandments that the children of Noah accepted upon themselves they could not uphold, until they cast them off. When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw this, He gave them to Israel. So too Israel accepted the Torah with its interpretations and its fine details. Therefore it is said: "And he said: The LORD came from Sinai, and rose from Seir unto them" (Deuteronomy 33:2).

(Devarim 33:2) "And he (Moses) said: The L-rd came from Sinai, and He shone forth from Seir to them": Scripture (hereby) relates that Moses did not open with the needs of Israel until he opened with the praise of the L-rd. To what may this be compared? To an advocate's standing upon the podium, having been hired by a man to speak in his behalf, and not opening with the needs of that man until opening with the king's praise first — "How exalted is our king!

How exalted is our master! The sun has shone upon us! The moon has shone upon us!", all praising with him — after which he opens with the needs of that man, after which he concludes with the praise of the king. Moses, our teacher, likewise, did not open with the needs of Israel until he had opened with praise of the L-rd, viz.: "The L-rd came from Sinai and He shone forth from Seir," after which he opened with the needs of Israel, viz.: (Ibid. 5) "And He was a King in Yeshurun (Israel)," after which he concluded with praise of the L-rd, viz. (Ibid. 26) "There is none like the Almighty, Yeshurun."

David, king of Israel, likewise, did not open with the needs of Israel, until he had opened with the praise of the L-rd, viz. (Psalms 149:1) "Hallelukah! Sing to the L-rd a new song," after which he opened with the needs of Israel, viz. (Ibid. 4) "For the L-rd desires His people," after which he concluded with praise of the L-rd, viz. (Ibid. 6) "The exaltations of the Almighty are in their throats."

And Solomon, likewise, did not open with the needs of Israel, until he had opened with the praise of the L-rd, viz. (II Chronicles 6:14) "There is none like You, O G-d, in the heavens or in the earth, preserving the covenant and the lovingkindness for Your servants, who walk before You with all their heart," after which he opened with the needs of Israel, viz. (Ibid. 28) "A famine if there be in the land…", after which he concluded with the praise of the L-rd, viz. (Ibid. 41) "Rise, O L-rd, to Your resting place."

And, likewise, the Amidah, instituted by the early sages for Israel to pray — they did not open with the needs of Israel until they had opened with the praise of the L-rd, viz. (Nechemiah 9:32) "the great, mighty, awesome G-d," "releasing the bound," "You are holy and awesome is Your name," followed by "Heal us," and concluded with "We thank You."

Variantly: "And he said: The L-rd came from Sinai": When the Holy One Blessed be He appeared to give Torah to Israel, He did so not with one language but with four languages, viz.: "And he said: "The L-rd came from Sinai" — Hebrew. "and he shone forth from Seir to them" — Romish; "He appeared from Mount Paran" — Arabic; "And He came from the myriads of the holy ones" — Aramaic.

Variantly: "And he said: The L-rd came from Sinai": When the L-rd appeared to give Torah to Israel, He did so not from one direction, but from four, viz.: "And the L-rd came from Sinai." Which (direction) is this? The fourth, as it is written (Habakkuk 3:3) "G-d came from the south."

Variantly: "And He said: The L-rd came from Sinai": When the L-rd appeared to give Torah to Israel, it is not to Israel alone that He appeared, but to all of the nations. First He went to the children of Esav, and He asked them: Will you accept the Torah? They asked: What is written in it? He answered: "You shall not kill" (Shemoth 20:13). They answered: The entire essence of our father is murder, as it is written (Bereshith 27:22) "And the hands are the hands of Esav." And it is with this that his father assured him (Ibid. 27:40) "And by your sword shall you live." He then went to the children of Ammon and Moav and asked them: Will you accept the Torah? They asked: What is written in it? He answered "You shall not commit adultery." They answered: L-rd of the Universe, ervah (illicit relations) is our entire essence, as it is written (Ibid. 19:36) "And the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father." He then went and found the children of Yishmael and asked them: Will you accept the Torah? They asked: What is written in it? He answered: "You shall not steal" (Shemoth, Ibid.) They answered: L-rd of the Universe, our father's entire essence is stealing, viz. (Bereshith 16:12) "And he (Yishmael) shall be a wild man, his hand against all." There was none among all of the nations to whom He did not go and speak and knock at their door, asking if they would accept the Torah, viz. (Psalms 138:4) "All the kings of the earth will acknowledge You, O L-rd, for they heard the words of Your mouth." I might think they heard and accepted; it is, therefore, written (Ezekiel 33:31) "And they did not do them (the mitzvoth)." And (Michah 5:14) "And with anger and wrath will I take revenge of the nations because they did not accept (the mitzvoth)." And even the seven mitzvoth that the sons of Noach took upon themselves they could not abide by, until they divested themselves of them and ceded them to Israel. An analogy: One sent his ass and his dog to the threshing floor, loading his ass with a lethech (a dry measure) and his dog with three sa’ah. The ass went and the dog buckled, whereupon he took a sa'ah from it and put it on the ass; and so with the second (sa’ah) and so with the third. Here, too, Israel accepted the Torah with all of its explanations and inferences; but the sons of Noach could not even abide by the seven mitzvoth that they did take upon themselves, until they divested themselves of them and ceded them to Israel, wherefore it is written "And he said: The L-rd came from Sinai, etc."

Another interpretation: "And He shone forth from Seir upon them" (Deuteronomy 33:2). When the Holy One, blessed be He, stands to exact punishment from Seir, He will in the future shake the whole world over its inhabitants in the same way that He shook it at the giving of the Torah, as it is said (Judges 5:4): "O LORD, when You went forth from Seir, when You marched from the field of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens also dropped, the clouds also dropped water." And it says (Genesis 25:26): "And afterward his brother came out, and his hand was grasping the heel of Esau, and his name was called Jacob." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: No nation or tongue shall enter in between you.

Variantly: "And he said: The L-rd came from Sinai.": When the L-rd is destined to exact payment of Seir, He is destined to "thunder" all of the world on its inhabitants, as He did at the giving of the Torah, viz. (Judges 5:14) "O L-rd, when You went out of Seir, when You strode from the field of Edom, the earth thundered; the heavens, too, trickled; the heights, too, dripped water."

Variantly: To what may this be compared? To one who desired to give a gift to one of his sons, but feared his brothers, his lovers, and his kinsmen. What did that son do? He arose and exposed himself and shore his hair, whereupon the king said to him: To you shall I give the gift. Similarly, when our father Abraham came to the world, a blemish issued from him — Yishmael and the sons of Keturah reverted to wickedness, more than their predecessors. When Isaac came, a blemish issued from him — Esav and all the chiefs of Edom. But in Jacob no blemish was found, as it is written (Bereshith 25:27) "And Jacob was an upright man, a dweller of tents" — whereupon the L-rd said to him: To you shall I give the Torah — wherefore it is written "And he said: The L-rd came from Sinai, etc."

(Devarim 33:2) "He appeared from Mount Paran": There are four "appearances." The first, in Egypt, viz. (Psalms 80:2) "Shepherd of Israel, hear, who leads Joseph as a flock; Dweller among the cherubs — appear." The second, at the giving of the Torah, viz. "He appeared from Mount Paran." The third, in the days of Gog and Magog, viz. (Psalms 94:1) "A G-d of vengeance is the L-rd — G-d of vengeance, appear!" The fourth, in the days of the Messiah, viz. (Ibid. 50:2) "From Zion, the quintessence of beauty, G-d appeared."

(Devarim 33:2) "And He came from the myriads of His holy ones": Not as the "measure" of the Holy One Blessed be He is the measure of flesh and blood. The measure of flesh and blood: When one makes a (wedding) feast for his son, he rejoices at his chuppah (his marriage canopy). He shows him all of his treasures and all that he possesses. Not so, He who spoke and brought the world into being. He came "from (i.e., with some of) the myriads of His holy ones," and not (with) all of them.

Variantly: "And He came from the myriads of His holy ones": A king of flesh and blood sits in the midst of his entourage. There are men comelier than he, men taller than he, and men stronger than he. With Him who spoke and brought the world into being it is not so, but "He came (ve'atha) from the myriads of His holy ones." He is an oth ([like "ve'atha"] i.e., distinctive) in the midst of the myriads of His holy ones. And when He appeared at the red Sea, He was immediately recognized, viz. (Shemoth 15:2) "This is My G-d and I will extol Him; the G-d of my father, and I will exalt Him." And thus did the nations of the world query Israel (Song of Songs 5:9) "How does your Beloved (differ) from all others," that you so (readily) die for Him, that you give up your lives for Him? As it is written (Ibid. 1:3) "Therefore "alamoth (midrashically "al maveth," "above death") have they loved You" And (Psalms 44:23) "For because of You we are killed all of the day." (The gentiles say:) "You are all comely; you are all strong — come and intermarry with us." And Israel responds: We will tell you part of His praise and you will recognize Him (Song of Songs 5:10-16) "My Beloved is pure and ruddy, distinctive among a myriad. His head is fine gold … His eyes are like doves … His legs are pillars of marble … His palate is sweet …" Upon hearing (of) the beauty and the praise of the Holy One Blessed be He, they said to Israel: Let us come with you, viz. (Ibid. 6:1) "Whither has your Beloved gone, you loveliest among the women?" And Israel responds: You have no portion in Him, (Ibid. 3) "I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine."

(Devarim 33:2) "From His right hand (He gave) them the law of fire": When the word left the mouth of the Omnipotent, it left by way of the right hand of the Holy One and the left of Israel and encircled the encampment of Israel, twelve mil by twelve mil, and returned by way of the right of Israel to the left of the L-rd. And the Holy One Blessed be He received it with His left hand and engraved it into the tablet. And His voice traveled from one end of the world to the other, viz. (Psalms 29:7) "The voice of the L-rd cleaves (the tablets with) shafts of fire."

(Ibid. 33:3) "the Law of fire to them": Scripture (hereby) tells us that words of Torah are compared to fire. Just as fire descends from heaven, so words of Torah were given from heaven, viz. (Shemoth 6:22) "You have seen that from the heavens I spoke to you." Just as fire "lives" forever, so words of Torah live forever. Just as fire — one who is close to it is burnt; one who is distant from it is cold and it does not afford heat, so words of Torah — if one "handles" them (for profane purposes) he goes lost; if he separates himself from them, he dies; if he toils in them, they give him life.

And just as fire is utilized in this world and in the world to come, so, words of Torah. And just as fire leaves an "impression" on one's body, so Torah scholars, who toil in words of Torah are "recognized" by men in their walking, in their speaking, and in their deportment in the marketplace.

"the law of fire to them": If a law (for immunity from Torah's "flames") had not been given along with it, no man could toil in it (without being consumed by it).

(Devarim 33:3) "He also loved the peoples": We are hereby taught that the L-rd loved Israel more than He had ever loved any nation or kingdom.

(Ibid.) "All of his holy ones are in Your hand": These are the leaders of Israel, who stand over Israel and (are ready to) give up their lives for them. Of Moses it is written (Shemoth 32:32) "And now if You will bear their sin, (good), but if not, erase me, I pray You, from Your book that You have written." Of David it is written (II Samuel 24:17) "I have sinned and I have transgressed, but these sheep, what have they done?"

(Devarim Ibid.) "and they planted themselves at Your feet": Though under constraint, though under the lash, though in captivity — (Devarim, Ibid.) "they bore Your words": They bore the yoke of Torah upon themselves, viz. (Shemoth 24:7): "All that the L-rd had spoken, we shall do and we shall hear."

Variantly: "He also loved the peoples": We are hereby taught that the Holy One Blessed be He did not apportion love to the nations of the world in the manner that He did to Israel. Know this to be so for they said that the theft of a gentile is permitted, and, of a Jew, forbidden. And it, indeed, transpired that the monarchy once sent two commissioners, instructing them: Go and make yourselves converts and see what the Torah of Israel is like. (They did so) and they went to R. Gamliel to Usha, and studied Scripture, Mishnah, Medrash, halachoth, and aggadoth. Before dying they said: All of your Torah is beautiful and praiseworthy, except for one thing — the theft of a gentile is permitted, and that of a Jew, forbidden — but we will not reveal this to the monarchy.

(Devarim, Ibid.) "And all of his holy ones are in Your hand": These are the great ones of Israel, who make themselves hostages for Israel, as is written of Ezekiel, viz. (Ezekiel 4:4-6) "Lie upon your left side and place the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it … and I have given you the years of their iniquity … And when you complete these, then you shall lie upon your right side a second time."

"and they planted themselves at your feet": Even though they bear the brunt of the (gentiles') anger, "they bear Your words": They take upon themselves the yoke of Your fear — (Shemoth 24:7) "All that the L-rd has spoken, we shall do and we shall hear."

Variantly: "He also loved the peoples": We are hereby taught that the L-rd loved Israel more than He had ever loved any nation or kingdom. "All of his holy ones are in Your hand": These are the souls of the righteous which are reposited with Him in the "treasure-trove," as it is written (I Samuel 25:29) "May my lord's soul be bound up in the bond of life, with the L-rd your G-d." "And they planted themselves at Your feet": Even though (at the giving of the Torah) they recoiled twelve mil and returned twelve mil," they bore (the yoke of) Your words — "All that the L-rd has spoken, we shall do and we shall hear."

(Devarim 33:4) "Torah was commanded lanu by Moses": This command is only "lanu," only for our sake. Similarly, (I Kings 8:20) "And I have built the house for the name of the L-rd, the G-d of Israel" — What is the purpose of this house? (Ibid. 21) "And I have built there a place for the ark" — This command is only lanu, only for our sake.

Variantly: "Torah was commanded to us by Moses": It is not from Moses alone that we hold the Torah; for our fathers, too, acquired it, viz. (Devarim, Ibid.) "the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob." This tells me (only) of an inheritance for the sons of kings. Whence do I derive the same for the sons of non-kings? From (Devarim. 29:9) "You are standing this day, all of you, etc." Variantly: Do not read it "morashah" ("inheritance"), but me'orasah" ("betrothed"), the Torah being betrothed to Israel, and (it is forbidden) to the gentiiles as (is) a married woman.

Similarly, (Mishlei 6:27-29) "Will a man draw forth fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned? Will a man walk on coals and his feet not be scorched? So, he who comes to his friend's wife. No one who touches her shall go clean." Thus "the betrothed of the congregation of Jacob."

(Devarim 33:5) "And He was a King in Yeshurun": When Israel are of one counsel below, His great name is exalted above, viz. "And He was a King in Yeshurun" — When? "when the heads of the people gathered." And there is no "gathering" but that of the elders, as it is written (Bamidbar 11:16) "Gather unto Me seventy men from the elders of Israel."

(Devarim, Ibid.) "together, the tribes of Israel" — when they constitute one unit, and not when they are divided into many factions, as it is written (Amos 9:6) "Who builds His heights in the heavens and His bond on earth endures." — R. Shimon b. Yochai says: This is analogous to one's bringing two ships, connecting them with braces and bars, and building stately edifices upon them. So long as the ships are bound, the edifices endure; once the ships separate, the edifices no longer endure.

So, with Israel: When they do the will of the L-rd, their heights are in the heavens and His bond on earth endures. Similarly, (Shemoth 15:20) "This is my G-d and I will extol Him ("ve'anvehu"): When I acknowledge Him, He is "beautiful" ("naveh, as in ve'anvehu"), and (even) when I do not acknowledge Him," He is "beautiful." Similarly, (Isaiah 43:12) "And you are My witnesses, says the L-rd, and I am G-d ("Kel")": When you are My witnesses, I am G-d, and if you are not My witnesses I am not G-d" (i.e., I do not manifest Myself as "Kel").

Similarly, (Psalms 23:1) "To You I have raised my eyes, Who dwells in Heaven." If not, I would not dwell in heaven. Here, too, "together, the tribes of Israel" — when they are one bond (agudah), and not when they are of many agudoth (factions). Thus, "together the tribes of Israel."

(Devarim 33:6) "Reuven shall live and he shall not die": How is this related to what precedes [("together, the tribes of Israel")]? This is analogous to (the situation of) a king, who visits his sons on occasion. When he takes leave of them, they and his kinsmen come to escort him. He says to them: "My sons, is there anything that you need? Is there anything on your mind?" They answer: "Father, there is nothing that we need and nothing that we desire of you but that you forgive our big brother." If not for the tribes' (intercession), the L-rd would not have forgiven Reuven (for the episode of Bilhah [viz. Bereshith 35:22]) — wherefore it is written (at this point) "together, the tribes of Israel."

(Devarim, Ibid.) "Reuven shall live and he shall not die." — But did he not die? What, then, is the intent of "he shall not die"? In the world to come.

Variantly: "Reuven shall live for his act with Joseph (viz. Bereshith 37:21), and he shall (therefore,) not die for his act with Bilhah. R. Chanina b. Gamliel says: Merit is not exchanged for liability, nor liability for merit — except for the instance of Reuven (above) and that of David (viz. II Samuel 16:13) … And the sages say: Neither merit for liability nor liability for merit, but mitzvoth are rewarded and transgressions are punished. And what is the import of "Reuven shall live and he shall not die"? That he repented of his deed. R. Shimon b. Gamliel says: Reuven was far removed from that sin (of cohabitation with Bilhah) and he did not descend to that act. Is it possible that he would stand at the head of the tribes on Mount Eival and say (Devarim 27:20) "Cursed be he who lives with father's wife," having descended to such an act! What, then, is the intent of (Bereshith 49:4) "For you went up on your father's bed?" He was solicitous of his mother's honor (viz. Shabbath 55b).

(Devarim, Ibid.) "And his men will be counted": "heroic" in strength; "heroic" in Torah. "heroic in strength": viz. (Isaiah 3:25): "Your men will fall by the sword, and your strong ones in the war." "heroic" in Torah: viz. (Psalms 103:20) "heroic" in strength, doing His word (Torah)." And (I Chronicles 5:6) "Be'erah was his son, who was exiled by Tiglath-Pilneser, king of Asher. He was the leader of the Reuvenites." Thus, Reuven shall live and he shall not die."

(Devarim 33:7) "And this ("heroism" of Reuven [ in confessing his sin]) was due to Judah, who confessed (his sin [viz. Bereshith 38:26]). Of them Scripture writes (Iyyov 15:18-19) "Wise men have told (their sin); they did not conceal it from their fathers. To them alone the land was given; no stranger passed among them."

(Devarim, Ibid.) "Hear, O L-rd, the voice of Judah": We are hereby taught that Moses prayed for the tribe of Judah, saying: "L-rd of the world, whenever the tribe of Judah is in distress and prays before You, rescue him from it."

(Ibid.) "And to his people shall You bring him.": He (Judah) was buried with the forefathers in the land. R. Yehudah says: Was it the bones of Judah alone that the children of Israel brought up from Egypt? The bones of all the brothers were brought up by its tribe from Egypt! What, then, is the intent of "And to his people shall You bring him"? He was buried together with the forefathers. R. Meir says: (But) it is written (Bereshith 50:5) "In my grave which I (Jacob) dug for myself in the land of Canaan" — I myself am buried in it, and no other. What is the intent, then, of "And to his people shall you bring him"? That he be buried in the land (of Canaan) as the forefathers were.

"His hands will fight for him": in killing Esav. "And You shall be a help against his foes": as in his standing up against Joseph (Bereshith 44:18).

Variantly: "And this, for Judah. And he said: Hear, O L-rd, the voice of Judah": We are hereby taught that Moses prayed for the tribe of Shimon [(Shimon not being explicitly mentioned here)], saying: "L-rd of the world, whenever the tribe of Shimon is in distress, rescue him from it.

"And to his people shall You bring him": For he (Judah) had drawn him (Shimon) near to himself for inheritance (of the land), as it is written (Judges 1:3) "and Judah said to Shimon his brother: "Go up with me (in battle) for my portion." And sections fell (for inheritance) from the inheritance of the children of Judah to that of the children of Shimon (viz. Joshua 19:9).

"His (Shimon's) hands did battle for him," as it is written (Bereshith 34:25) "And there took, two sons of Jacob, Shimon and Levi, etc." "And You shall be a help against his foes": as in (Ibid. 35:5) "And they journeyed, and the terror of G-d was on the cities around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob."

Variantly: "And this for Judah": Moses prayed for David, saying before Him, "L-rd of the world, whenever the kings of the house of David (descendents of Judah) are in distress and pray before You, rescue them from it."

"And to his people shall You bring him": This refers to Isaiah, of whom it is written (II Kings 22:20) "Behold, I will gather you in to your forefathers." "His hands will be 'profuse' (rav) for him": This refers to Menasheh, of whom it is written (Ibid. 21:16) "Menasheh also shed very much innocent blood, until he filled Jerusalem from end to end, aside from his sin of causing Judah to sin, to do what was evil in the eyes of the L-rd." In the end, what is written of him? (II Chronicles 33:13) "And he prayed to Him, and He was entreated of him." (Devarim, Ibid.) "And You shall be a help against his foes": This refers to Yehoshafat, viz. (II Chronicles 18:31) "And Yehoshafat cried out, and the L-rd helped him, and G-d turned them from him."

(Devarim 33:8) "And of Levi he said": Why was this (blessing) said of him (and not of Shimon)? Shimon and Levi drank of one cup, viz. (Bereshith 49:7) "Cursed be their wrath, for it is fierce, and their anger, for it is sore. I shall divide them in Jacob, and I shall scatter them in Israel." This is analogous to (the situation of) two, who borrowed from the king.

One paid him back, and borrowed from him again, and the other — not only did he not pay him back, but he borrowed again. Thus, Shimon and Levi: Both "borrowed" in Shechem, viz. (Bereshith 34:25) "And there took, two sons of Jacob, Shimon and Levi, each man his sword, and came upon the city (Shechem) secure, (in that the men were ailing from the circumcision), and they killed every male." Levi paid back what he borrowed in the desert, (in the incident of the golden calf) viz. (Shemoth 32:26) "And Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and he said 'Whoever is for the L-rd, (let him come) to me!'

And there gathered unto him all the sons of Levi, etc." And he returned and "borrowed" from the L-rd in Shittim, viz. (Bamidbar 25:11) "Pinchas the son of Elazar the son of Aaron the Cohein turned My wrath away from the children of Israel when he raged My rage in their midst, and I did not consume the children of Israel in My wrath" — whereas Shimon, not only did he not repay the loan, but he went and "borrowed" again, viz. (Ibid. 14) "And the name of the man of Israel who was smitten, who was smitten together with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father's house in the house of Shimon."

Variantly (Devarim, Ibid.): "And of Levi, he said: "Your tumim and your urim (are destined) for (Aaron) the man of Your lovingkindness

(i.e., the man who practiced lovingkindness with Your children.

"whom You proved in Massah": You proved him with many trials, and he was found "complete" in all of them.

"You 'embattled' him at the waters of contention" (viz. Bamidbar 20:10-13): You caught him in the toils of libel. (If) Moses said (Ibid. 10) "Hear, now, you fractious ones," what did Aaron and Miriam do? (i.e., what sin did they commit which kept them from entering Eretz Yisrael?)