Devarim
Book 5: Deuteronomy
NITZOVIM - RASHI COMMENTARY
Chapter 29 - Rashi
Verse 9: You stand, this day.
This teaches
that Moshe gathered them1
before the Holy One, may He be blessed,
on the day that he died,2
to introduce them into the covenant.
Your tribal chieftains
[lit. your chieftains, your tribes].
Your chieftains of your tribes.3
Your elders and your law officers.
In order of prominence,
followed by "every man of Yisroel."
Verse 10: From your wood cutters.
This4 teaches
that Canaanites came to convert
during the days of Moshe,
the way the Givonites came during the days of Yehoshua.5
This is why it is said,
concerning the Givonites,
6"They, 'too,'7 acted cunningly."
Moshe assigned them
to serve as wood cutters and water drawers.8
For your passage.
So that you pass into the covenant.9
But it would be improper to interpret this
as "to cause you to pass,"
but, rather, as
"for your performance of them."10
For your passage into the covenant.
Through a rite of passage.
This is what those entering a covenant would do:
a wall on either side,
and they would pass between,
as it is said,
"the calf which they cut in two,
then passing between its parts."11
Verse 12: In order to sustain you today as His people.
He has committed Himself
with such great effort,
in order to sustain you12
before Him as a people.
And He will be for you a G-d.
Because he spoke to you,
and swore to your forefathers
not to exchange their posterity
for some other nation;
He thus binds you
with these oaths,
so that you won't incite Him,
as He and you are inseparable.
Until this point,
my interpretation has followed
the plain meaning of the text.
According to Midrash Agadah:
Why is the chapter of "You stand" adjacent
to the imprecations?13
Because, when the Israelites heard
nearly one hundred imprecations,
besides the forty nine in Toras Kohanim,14
their faces blanched,
and they said,
'Who can survive these?"
Moshe began soothing them.
You stand, this day.
You have greatly angered
the Omnipresent,
yet He has not destroyed you,
you have endured before Him.15
This day.
Like the day which endures,
turning dark,
but then brightening.
So has He given you light,
and so shall He give you light in the future;
while the imprecations and the suffering
sustain you,16
and stand you before Him.
The chapter above this, as well,
is conciliatory,
"You have seen everything, etc."17
Another interpretation:
You stand.
Because the Israelites were passing
from one leader to the next---
from Moshe to Yehoshua---
therefore, he arranged, for them,
a standing assembly,
in order to exhort them.
Yehoshua did the same,18
and so did Shmuel---
"Stand, and I shall censure you"19---
when they passed from his tutelage,
and entered into the tutelage of Shaul.
Verse 14: And with those who are not here.
Even with the generations20
destined for the future.21 22
Verse 15: For you are aware, etc.
Since23 you have observed
the idolatrous Gentile nations,
perhaps someone among you has been tempted
to follow them---
"Perhaps there is, among you, etc."24---
therefore,
I am compelled to adjure you.
Verse 16: Where you observed
their abominations [lit. insects].
So called because they are loathsome,
like insects.
Their loathsomeness [lit. excrement].
As they are putrid and disgusting,
like excrement.
Wood and stone.
Those of wood and stone,
you saw in the open,25
as the Gentile was not apprehensive
of its being stolen.
However, those of silver and gold,
are "with them,"
in thickly panelled rooms,
since they are apprehensive
that they may be stolen.26
Verse 17: Perhaps there is among you.
In case there is, among you.27
Whose thoughts stray today.
From accepting the covenant.
A root producing gall and bitter fruit.
A root nurturing bitter herbs,
like the bitter gidin herb,
as if to say,
producing growing evil
within you.
Verse 18: He will imagine self-blessings.
The word denotes blessing.
He will imagine28
blessings of tranquility
for himself, saying,
'those imprecations will never be visited on me,
undivided tranquility29
will be mine.'
Self-blessings [lit. "he will bless himself].
Bendira sei, "he will bless himself,"
in Old French,
like "he shall shave himself,"30
"and involve himself in prayer."31
I shall follow what my thoughts envision.
What my thoughts see,
like, "I see it, but it is not nearby."
As if to say,
whatever I envision as desirable activity.
So that the unintentional may be added.
Because I shall punish him32 additionally
for his unintentional acts until now,
which, I have overlooked;
Now, however, he has provoked me
into combining them with the intentionally sinful,
and punishing him for everything.
This, too, is Onkelos' rendition:
"In order to add, against him,
the unintentional transgressions
to the sinful ones"---
so that I may add, against him,
the unintentional to the intentionally sinful.
The unintentional [lit. besotted].
The unintentional transgression,
like a drunken deed,
enacted in a stupefied state.
The sinful [lit. thirsty].
Enacted with full knowledge and appetite.
Verse 19: Ad-noy's nostrils will fume.
As a result of rage,
body temperature rises,
and the nostrils fume.
Similarly, "Fumes arise from His nostrils."33
Although this does not apply to the Omnipresent,
Scripture addresses the listener's ear
in the way it is accustomed,
and thus capable of grasping,
in accordance with worldly conditions.
And His vengeful fury.
This denotes fury, enprenment,
adherence to the vengeance mode,
without quarter.
Verse 20: Inscribed in this Torah scroll.
But above, it says
"In this34 Torah scroll,"
"this" in the feminine gender
modifies "Torah,"35
"this" in the masculine gender
modifies "scroll."36
By means of the cantillation punctuation,
they are demarcated
into two interpretations.
In the chapter of imprecations,37
the tipcha cantillation symbol38
is placed under "in the scroll,"
so that "this" and Torah"
are attached.
Therefore it says "this."39
Here, however, the tipcha cantillation symbol
is placed under "Torah,"
so that "scroll" and "Torah" are attached.
Therefore, the masculine gender follows,
as the modification applies to "the scroll."
Verse 25: Unknown to them.
They had no notion that they possessed
Divine omnipotence.
Which He had not apportioned to them.
He did not allot them
as their portion.40
Onkelos, however, renders,
"and who did not benefit them"---
did not grant them any benefit.
The sense of "Who did not apportion" is,
'The G-d whom they chose
did not allot to them
any inheritance or portion.'
Verse 27: And Ad-noy forced them away.
As Targum [Onkelos] renders,
'[G-d] removed them.'
Similarly,
"Behold, I shall force them away
from their land."41
Verse 28: The hidden [matters] are Ad-noy's our G-d's.
If you should ask,42
'What are we capable of doing?
You punish the community
for an individual's thoughts,
as it is said,
"Perhaps there is, among you, etc.,43"
and after,
"They will see the plagues
of that land."44
Isn't a man ignorant
of his fellow's secrets?'
I will not punish you
for the inscrutable,
which is Ad-noy's our G-d's---
He will punish that individual.
However, what is exposed
is for us and our posterity,
to eradicate evil from our midst.
If we fail to implement justice
against them,
then the community will be punished.
There are dots over
ours and our children's45
to teach
that, even with regard to what is exposed,
the community was not punished
until they had crossed the Yarden,46
when they obligated themselves with the oath
at Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival,47
and became accountable for one another.
Chapter 30 - Rashi
Verse 3: Ad-noy your G-d will bring [lit. come] back
your returnees.
It should have written
'Bring back' your returnees.
The Rabbis derive from here,
that the Divine Presence,
with all due reverene,
resides with Yisroel
in the suffering of their exile,
so that, when they are redeemed,
He ascribes redemption
to Himself---
He shall return with them.48
One may explain additionally:
The day of the ingathering of exiles is as momentous
and difficult
as if He, Himself,
would need to carry, literally in His grasp,
every individual from his place,
as it is said,
"You shall be plucked, one at a time,
Bnei Yisroel."49
And even with regard to the exiles
of other nations
we find this,
"I shall bring [lit. come] back
the returnees of Moav,"50
["I shall bring [lit. come] back
the returnees of Egypt"].51
Verse 11: It is not abstruse to you.
It is not concealed
from you,
as it is said,
{Hebrew Ref} 52---"If... is concealed from
you,"53
{Hebrew Ref} ---54
[meaning] "she has plummeted into concealment,"
concealed,
wrapped in a cover.
Verse 12: It is not in heaven.
For if it were in heaven,
you would be required55
to ascend in quest of it56
so that you could study it.57
Verse 14: For [the matter] is close to you.
The Torah was presented to you
in written and oral form.58
Verse 15: Life and goodness.
One hinges on the other---59
If you act with goodness,
then you have life,
but if you act wickedly,
then you have death.
Scripture proceeds in explaining how.
Verse 16: For which I command you this day, to love.
Here you have goodness.
On it, hinges60
"so that you will live and flourish"---
here you have life.
Verse 17: But if your heart strays.
Here you have wickedness.
Verse 18: That you shall certainly perish.
Here you have death.
Verse 19: I invoke, as witnessess against you,
this day, heaven and earth.
As they endure eternally,
so that,
when evil befalls you,
they will bear witness
that I warned you
concerning all of this.
Another interpretation of
"I invoke as witnesses against you this day, heaven etc."
The Holy One, may He be blessed, said
to Yisroel,
'Gaze at the heavens,
which I created to serve you,
have they, perhaps, altered their prescribed functions?
Perhaps the sun failed to rise in orbit
from the east to illuminate the whole world,
as it is said,
"The sun rises, and then the sun sets"?61
Gaze at the earth,
which I created to serve you,
has it, perhaps, altered its prescribed functions?
Perhaps you planted it,
and it failed to produce,
or perhaps you planted wheat,
and it produced barley?
Now take these,
which were created
neither for gain, nor for loss---
if meritorious, they reap no reward,
and if sinful, they suffer no punishment---
yet they did not alter their prescribed functions;
then you,
who, if meritorious, reap reward,
and if sinful, suffer punishment,
most certainly so.'62
Choose life.
I instruct you
to select the portion of life,
like a man who tells his son,
'Select, for yourself,
an excellent portion in my estate';
then he guides him to the excellent portion,
and says to him,
'Choose this for yourself.'
Concerning this it is said,
"Ad-noy is my apportioned share, my drinking cup;
You have upheld my lot"63---
You have placed my hand
on the excellent lot,
as if to say,
'Take this for yourself.'
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