V'Zot HaBerachah, Aliyah 2 וזאת הברכה, שני

וללוי אמר. וְעַל לֵוִי אָמַר:

Regarding [lit. to] Levi he said. Regarding Levi he said.

תמיך ואוריך. כְּלַפֵּי שְׁכִינָה הוּא מְדַבֵּר:

Your tumim and urim. He speaks directly to the Shechinah.

אשר נסיתו במסה. שֶׁלֹּא נִתְלוֹנְנוּ עִם שְׁאָר הַמַּלִּינִים:

Whom You tried with tests. They did not complain with the rest of those who voiced complaints.

תריבהו וגו'. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ. דָּ"אַ — תריבהו על מי מריבה, נִסְתַּקַּפְתָּ לוֹ לָבֹא בַעֲלִילָה, אִם מֹשֶׁה אָמַר שִׁמְעוּ נָא הַמֹּרִים, אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם מֶה עָשׂוּ? (ספרי):

You brought him strife, etc. As Targum [Onkelos] renders. Another interpretation. “You contended with him at the waters of Merivah.” You set upon him with a spurious charge. If Moshe exclaimed, “Now listen, rebels”!, what did Aharon and Miriam do?

האמר לאביו ולאמו לא ראיתיו. 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":

Who said of his father and mother, ‘I did not see them.’ When they sinned with the golden calf, and I proclaimed, “Whoever is for Adonoy, join me”! all the sons of Levi gathered around me. I commanded them to execute a maternal grandfather, if he was an Israelite, or a maternal half-brother, or a son of a daughter, and they did so. But this cannot be interpreted literally as a father, or paternal brother, likewise not literally as a son, since they were Levites, and of the tribe of Levi. no one sinned, as it is said, “All the sons of Levi.”

כי שמרו אמרתך. "לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אַחֵרִים" (שמות כ, ב):

For they observed your command. ”You must not have other Gods.”

ובריתך ינצרו. בְּרִית מִילָה, שֶׁאוֹתָם שֶׁנּוֹלְדוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא מָלוּ אֶת בְּנֵיהֶם, וְהֵם הָיוּ מוּלִין וּמָלִין אֶת בְּנֵיהֶם:

And kept Your covenant. The covenant of circumcision. For, of those born in the wilderness, the Israelites did not circumcise their children, but they [the Levites] were circumcised, and they circumcised their children. [An alternate Rashi text: Those born in the wilderness, as the Israelites did not circumcise their children, but they were circumcised.]

יורו משפטיך. רְאוּיִין אֵלּוּ לְכָךְ:

They shall teach your law. They are worthy of this.

וכליל. עוֹלָה (יומא כ"ו):

And totally consumed offerings. The olah.

מחץ מתנים קמיו. מְחַץ קָמָיו מַכַּת מָתְנַיִם, כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהילים ס"ט) "וּמָתְנֵיהֶם תָּמִיד הַמְעַד", וְעַל הַמְּעוֹרְרִין עַל הַכְּהֻנָּה אָמַר כֵּן. דָּ"אַ — 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):

Shatter his adversaries at the loins. Shatter his adversaries with a blow at the loins, as it is written, “Cause their loins to stumble always.” It was concerning those who challenged the priesthood that he said this. Another interpretation: He foresaw that Chashmonai and his sons were destined to wage war with the Yevanim, so he prayed for them, as they were so few — the twelve sons of Chashmonai and Elazar against many myriads. This is why it is said, “Adonoy, bless his wealth and accept his handiwork.”

ומשנאיו מן יקומון. מְחַץ קָמָיו וּמְשַׂנְאָיו מִהְיוֹת לָהֶם תְּקוּמָה:

And his enemies, so that they may not arise. Shatter his adversaries and enemies, so that they may not gain ascendancy.

לבנימן אמר. 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:

Regarding Binyomin he said. Because Levi’s blessing was concerned with the sacrificial services, and that of Binyomin with the construction of the Beis Hamikdosh in his territory, he placed them next to one another. And he placed Yoseif after him [Binyomin] since, he, too, had the Tabernacle at Shiloh constructed in his territory, as it is said, “He was repulsed by the tent of Yoseif, etc.” And because the Eternal Sanctuary is more cherished than Shiloh, he therefore gave preference to Binyomin over Yoseif.

חפף עליו. מְכַסֶּה אוֹתוֹ וּמֵגֵן עָלָיו:

He hovers protectively over him. He covers and shields him.

כל היום. לְעוֹלָם, מִשֶּׁנִּבְחֲרָה יְרוּשָׁלַיִם לֹא שָׁרְתָה שְׁכִינָה בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר:

Throughout the day. Eternally — once Jerusalem was chosen, the Divine Presence did not rest anywhere else.

ובין כתפיו שכן. 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 נִתְתֵי בֵיהּ פּוּרְתָּא, מִשּׁוּם דִּכְתִיב "וּבֵין כְּתֵפָיו שָׁכֵן" — אֵין לְךָ נָאֶה בַּשּׁוֹר יוֹתֵר מִכְּתֵפָיו:

And He resides between his shoulders. At the pinnacle of his territory, the Beis Hamikdosh was constructed, except that it was twenty-three amohs below Eitam spring. It was there that David had intended to construct it, as stated in Shechitas Kodashim, [but] they remarked, ‘Let us descend a little, for it is written, “He resides between his shoulders” — nothing is pleasing, about the ox, more than his shoulders.’