Tanach
Devarim 11:10-12 דברים י״א:י׳-י״ב
Part of: EikevEikev, Aliyah 6Chapter 11
Reading: Hebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlyHebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlySimple English onlyFaithful translation onlySide by sideRashi
כִּי הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בָא־שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ לֹא כְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם הִוא אֲשֶׁר יְצָאתֶם מִשָּׁם אֲשֶׁר תִּזְרַע אֶֽת־זַרְעֲךָ וְהִשְׁקִיתָ בְרַגְלְךָ כְּגַן הַיָּרָֽק׃
For the land where you are arriving to inherit is not like the land of Egypt from which you departed, where you planted your seed and watered [it] on foot like a vegetable garden.
For the land where you are arriving to inherit is not like the land of Egypt from which you departed, where you planted your seed and watered [it] on foot like a vegetable garden.
Rashi
אשר יצאתם משם. אֲפִלּוּ אֶרֶץ רַעְמְסֵס אֲשֶׁר יְשַׁבְתֶּם בָּהּ וְהִיא בְּמֵיטַב אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "בְּמֵיטַב הָאָרֶץ וְגוֹ'" (בראשית מ"ז), אַף הִיא אֵינָהּ כְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל:
From which you departed. Even the land of Raamses [and Goshen], where you dwelt, which is the best of the land of Mitzrayim, as it is said, “in the best of the land, etc.” — even that cannot compare with Eretz Yisroel.
והשקית ברגלך. אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם הָיְתָה צְרִיכָה לְהָבִיא מַיִם מִנִּילוּס, בְּרַגְלְךָ, וּלְהַשְׁקוֹתָהּ – צָרִיךְ אַתָּה לִנְדֹּד מִשְּׁנָתְךָ וְלַעֲמֹל, וְהַנָּמוּךְ שׁוֹתֶה וְלֹא הַגָּבוֹהַּ, וְאַתָּה מַעֲלֶה הַמַּיִם מִן הַנָּמוּךְ לַגָּבוֹהַּ, אֲבָל זוֹ למטר השמים תשתה מים – אַתָּה יָשֵׁן עַל מִטָּתְךָ וְהַקָּבָּ"ה מַשְׁקֶה נָמוּךְ וְגָבוֹהּ גָּלוּי וְשֶׁאֵינוֹ גָלוּי כְּאֶחָת (ספרי):
And watered it on foot. In the land of Egypt, you had to bring water from the Nile on foot in order to irrigate it; you had to lose sleep, to toil. The lowlands were irrigable, but not the highlands, and you had to bring the water up from the low areas to the high ones. But with this, “by the rain of the skies you will drink water.” You can sleep in your bed while the Holy One, may He be blessed, irrigates lowland and highland, open and enclosed areas alike.
כגן הירק. שֶׁאֵין דַּי לוֹ בִגְשָׁמִים וּמַשְׁקִין אוֹתוֹ בָּרֶגֶל וּבַכָּתֵף:
Like a vegetable garden. For which rainfall is insufficient. It must be irrigated on foot, with [the water carried on] the shoulders.
וְהָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם עֹבְרִים שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ אֶרֶץ הָרִים וּבְקָעֹת לִמְטַר הַשָּׁמַיִם תִּשְׁתֶּה־מָּֽיִם׃
Rather, the land where you are crossing to inherit is a land of mountains and plains—by the rain of the skies will you drink water.
Rather, the land where you are crossing to inherit is a land of mountains and plains—by the rain of the skies will you drink water.
Rashi
ארץ הרים ובקעת. מְשֻׁבָּח הָהָר מִן הַמִּישׁוֹר, שֶׁהַמִּישׁוֹר בְּבֵית כֹּר אַתָּה זוֹרֵעַ כֹּר, אֲבָל הָהָר בֵּית כֹּר מִמֶּנּוּ חֲמֵשֶׁת כֹּרִין – אַרְבָּעָה מֵאַרְבָּעָה שִׁפּוּעָיו וְאֶחָד בְּרֹאשׁוֹ:
Is a land of mountains and plains. The mountain is more valuable than the plain, for in the plain, on a kor-sized parcel you may plant a kor, but on the mountain, a kor-sized parcel yields five kors — four on its four slopes, and one at its peak.
ובקעת. הֵן מִישׁוֹר:
And plains. This refers to level areas.
אֶרֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ דֹּרֵשׁ אֹתָהּ תָּמִיד עֵינֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ בָּהּ מֵֽרֵשִׁית הַשָּׁנָה וְעַד אַחֲרִית שָׁנָֽה׃ {ס}
A land that Adonoy, your God, looks after; the eyes of Adonoy, your God, are always upon it, from the year’s beginning until the year’s end.
A land that Adonoy, your God, looks after; the eyes of Adonoy, your God, are always upon it, from the year’s beginning until the year’s end.
Rashi
אשר ה' אלהיך דרש אתה. וַהֲלֹא כָּל הָאֲרָצוֹת דוֹרֵשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "לְהַמְטִיר עַל אֶרֶץ לֹא אִישׁ" (איוב ל"ח)? אֶלָּא כִּבְיָכוֹל אֵינוֹ דוֹרֵשׁ אֶלָּא אוֹתָהּ, וְעַל יְדֵי אוֹתָהּ דְּרִישָׁה שֶׁדּוֹרְשָׁהּ, דּוֹרֵשׁ אֶת כָּל הָאֲרָצוֹת עִמָּהּ:
That Adonoy, your God, looks after. But does He not look after all the lands, as it is said, “Bringing rain to no-man’s land”? But, rather, it is as if He seeks after no other land but this, and as a result of seeking after this, He incidentally seeks after all the other lands.
תמיד עיני ה' אלהיך בה. לִרְאוֹת מַה הִיא צְרִיכָה, וּלְחַדֵּשׁ בָּהּ גְּזֵרוֹת, עִתִּים לְטוֹבָה עִתִּים לְרָעָה כוּ', כִּדְאִיתָא בְּרֹ"הַ (דף י"ז):
The eyes of Adonoy, your God, are always upon it. To see what its needs are, and to initiate decrees concerning it, sometimes beneficial, and sometimes damaging, etc., as stated in tractate Rosh Hashanah.
מרשית השנה. מֵרֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה נִדּוֹן מַה יְּהֵא בְּסוֹפָהּ (שם ח'):
From the year’s beginning. From the beginning of the year judgement is passed determining what is to occur at its end.
לא כארץ מצרים הוא. אֶלָּא טוֹבָה הֵימֶנָּה, וְנֶאֶמְרָה הַבְטָחָה זוֹ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בִּיצִיאָתָם מִמִּצְרַיִם, שֶׁהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים שֶׁמָּא לֹא נָבֹא אֶל אֶרֶץ טוֹבָה וְיָפָה כָּזוֹ. יָכוֹל בִּגְנוּתָהּ הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר, וְכָךְ אָמַר לָהֶם לֹא כְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם הִיא אֶלָּא רָעָה הֵימֶנָּה? תַּ"לֹ "וְחֶבְרוֹן שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים נִבְנְתָה לִפְנֵי וְגוֹ'" (במדבר י"ג), אָדָם אֶחָד בְּנָאָן, חָם בָּנָה צֹעַן לְמִצְרַיִם בְּנוֹ, וְחֶבְרוֹן לִכְנַעַן, דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ אָדָם בּוֹנֶה אֶת הַנָּאֶה וְאַחַר כָּךְ בּוֹנֶה אֶת הַגָּרוּעַ, שֶׁפְּסָלְתּוֹ שֶׁל רִאשׁוֹן הוּא נוֹתֵן בַּשֵּׁנִי, וּבְכָל מָקוֹם הֶחָבִיב קוֹדֵם, הָא לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁחֶבְרוֹן יָפָה מִצֹּעַן; וּמִצְרַיִם מְשֻׁבַּחַת מִכָּל הָאֲרָצוֹת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית י"ג) "כְּגַן ה' כְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם", וְצֹעַן שֶׁבַח מִצְרַיִם הִיא שֶׁהִיא מְקוֹם מַלְכוּת, שֶׁכֵּן הוּא אוֹמֵר (ישעיהו ל') "כִּי הָיוּ בְצֹעַן שָׂרָיו", וְחֶבְרוֹן פְּסָלְתָּהּ שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְכָךְ הִקְצוּהָ לְקְבוּרַת מֵתִים, וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן הִיא יָפָה מִצֹּעַן. וּבִכְתֻבּוֹת (דף קי"ב) דָּרְשׁוּ בְּעִנְיָן אַחֵר, אֶפְשָׁר אָדָם בּוֹנֶה בַיִת לִבְנוֹ הַקָּטָן וְאַחַר כָּךְ לִבְנוֹ הַגָּדוֹל? אֶלָּא שֶׁמְּבֻנָּה עַל אֶחָד מִשִּׁבְעָה בְּצֹעַן:
Is not like the land of Egypt. But better than it. This assurance was made to the Israelites when they departed from Egypt, when they said, ‘Perhaps we shall never come to a land as good and as beautiful as this.’ But perhaps Scripture speaks derogatorily and this is what he told them: ‘It is not like the land of Egypt, but inferior to it.’ The Torah therefore teaches, “Chevron was built seven years before, etc.” One man built them, Cham built Tzoan for his son Mitzrayim, and Chevron for Canaan. it is customary for a man to build the superior one and afterward build the inferior one, so that what is discarded by the first is relegated to the second. Everywhere, what is cherished takes precedence. Thus you learn that Chevron is superior to Tzoan. Now Mitzrayim is the most praiseworthy of all lands, as it is said, “Like Adonoy’s garden, like the land of Mitzrayim.” And Tzoan was the most praiseworthy in Mitzrayim, for it was the seat of royalty, as it is said, “for his ministers were in Tzoan.” Chevron was most inferior in Eretz Yisroel — that is why it was set aside as a cemetery. Yet, despite this, it was superior to Tzoan. In Kesubos, this is expounded differently. Is it possible that a man would build a home for his younger son, and then for his older son? Rather, it was built up seven times more than Tzoan.