Tanach
Shemot 13:17-22 שמות י״ג:י״ז-כ״ב
Reading: Hebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlyHebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlySimple English onlyFaithful translation onlySide by sideRashi
וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה אֶת־הָעָם וְלֹא־נָחָם אֱלֹהִים דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא כִּי ׀ אָמַר אֱלֹהִים פֶּֽן־יִנָּחֵם הָעָם בִּרְאֹתָם מִלְחָמָה וְשָׁבוּ מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃
When Pharaoh sent away the people Elohim did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines because it was the shortest route; for Elohim said, “The people might change their minds should they encounter war, and return to Egypt.
When Pharaoh sent away the people Elohim did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines because it was the shortest route; for Elohim said, “The people might change their minds should they encounter war, and return to Egypt.
Rashi
כי קרוב הוא. ונוח לשוב באותו הדרך למצרים. ומדרש אגדה יש הרבה:
Because it was the shortest route And it was, therefore, easy to return by that route to Egypt. There are many midrashic explanations.
בראותם מלחמה. כגון מלחמת וַיֵּרֶד הָעֲמָלֵקִי וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי וגו' (במדבר יד, מב), אם הלכו דרך ישר היו חוזרים, ומה אם כשהקיפם דרך מעוקם אמרו נִתְּנָה רֹאשׁ וְנָשׁוּבָה מִצְרָיְמָה, אם הוליכם בפשוטה על אחת כמה וכמה (מכילתא פסחא פי"ח). (לפי סדר הכתוב נראה הרשימות מהופכים, ועיין ברא"ם ובג"א ובמ"י ישוב נכון ע"ז):
Should they encounter war. For example the war of: “And the Amaleikites and Canaanites came down, etc.” Had they travelled a straight route they would [then] have returned [to Egypt]. If, when He led them on a round-about route, they said, “Let us appoint a leader and let us return to Egypt,” then had He led them on a straight [route] how much more so [would they have said so].
פן ינחם. יחשבו מחשבה על שיצאו, ויתנו לב לשוב:
[The people] might change their minds. They might have second thoughts about going out, and set their hearts to return [to Egypt].
וַיַּסֵּב אֱלֹהִים ׀ אֶת־הָעָם דֶּרֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּר יַם־סוּף וַחֲמֻשִׁים עָלוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
And so Elohim led the people round-about by way of the Reed Sea Desert, and the B’nei Yisrael went up armed from the land of Egypt.
And so Elohim led the people round-about by way of the Reed Sea Desert, and the B’nei Yisrael went up armed from the land of Egypt.
Rashi
ויסב. הסיבם מן הדרך הפשוטה לדרך העקומה:
He led [the people] round-about. [Meaning:] He led them round-about from the direct route to the round-about route.
ים סוף. כמו לים סוף. וסוף הוא לשון אגם שֶׁגְּדֵלִים בו קנים, כמו וַתָּשֶׂם בַּסּוּף (שמות ב, ג), קָנֶה וָסוּף קָמֵלוּ (ישעיה יט, ו):
Reed Sea. As if it were written לְיַם סוּף — to the Reed Sea. סוּף is a term meaning a marsh in which reeds grow, as in “she put him (בַּסּוּף) in the reeds.” [or:] “The flags (וָסוּף) and reeds will wither.”
וחמשים. אין חמושים אלא מזויינים, (לפי שהסיבתן במדבר גרם להם שעלו חמושים, שאילו היה דרך ישוב לא היו מחומשים להם כל מה שצריכין, אלא כאדם שעובר ממקום למקום ובדעתו לקנות שם מה שיצטרך, אבל כשהוא פורש למדבר צריך לזמן כל הצורך. וכתוב זה לא נכתב כי אם לשבר את האוזן, שלא תאמר, במלחמת עמלק ובמלחמת סיחון ועוג ומדין מהיכן היו להם כלי זיין שהכו ישראל בחרב. ברש"י ישן) וכן הוא אומר, וְאַתֶּם תַּעַבְרוּ חֲמֻשִׁים (יהושע א, יד), וכן תרגם אונקלוס מְזָרְזִין, כמו וַיֶָּרק אֶת חֲנִיכָיו (בראשית יד, יד) וזריז. דבר אחר חמושים מחומשים, אחד מחמשה יצאו, וארבעה חלקים מתו בשלשת ימי אפילה:
Armed. The word חֲמוּשִים means armed. (Because He took them on a round-about route in the desert, He caused them to go up armed. For had He taken them by way of settled areas they would not have armed themselves with all their needs, but, rather, as one traveling from place to place, whose intention it is to obtain what he needs there. But when he sets out into the wilderness he must prepare for himself all his needs. This verse was written only to make it understandable to the ear — so that you not say: during the war against Amaleik and the wars against Sichon and Og, and Midian, — from where did they have weapons that enabled Israel to defeat them by the sword? — From an old Rashi manuscript.) Likewise, it is written: “You shall pass by with arms.” Similarly, Onkelos translates [חֲמֻשִים] מְזָרְזִין — armed, as [he translates] “And he armed his servants” by “וְזָרֵיז .” An alternate explanation of וַחֲמֻשִׁים one of every five went out [of Egypt] and four-fifths died during the three days of darkness.
וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת־עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף עִמּוֹ כִּי הַשְׁבֵּעַ הִשְׁבִּיעַ אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶתְכֶם וְהַעֲלִיתֶם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַי מִזֶּה אִתְּכֶֽם׃
Moshe took the bones of Yoseif with him, for [Yoseif] had bound the B’nei Yisrael by oath saying, “Elohim will surely remember you, and [then] you must carry up my bones out of here with you.
Moshe took the bones of Yoseif with him, for [Yoseif] had bound the B’nei Yisrael by oath saying, “Elohim will surely remember you, and [then] you must carry up my bones out of here with you.
Rashi
השבע השביע. השביעם שישביעו לבניהם, למה לא השביע בניו שישאוהו לארץ כנען מיד, כמו שהשביע יעקב, אמר יוסף, אני שליט הייתי במצרים והיה ספוק בידי לעשות, אבל בָּנַי לא יניחום מצרים לעשות, לכך השביעם לכשיגאלו ויצאו משם, שישאוהו (מכילתא פי"ח):
He had bound by oath. He (Yoseif) made them swear that they will make their children swear. Why did he not bind his sons by oath that they immediately carry him to the land of Canaan, as Yaakov bound [them] by oath? Yoseif said: “I was a ruler in Egypt, and I had sufficient power to do [so], but the Egyptians will not permit my sons to do [so].” He therefore bound them by oath that when they will be redeemed and go out of there, that they carry him [with them].
והעליתם את עצמותי מזה אתכם. לאחיו השביע כן, למדנו שאף עצמות כל השבטים העלו עמהם, שנאמר אתכם:
And then you must carry up my bones out of here with you. It was his brothers that he bound by this oath. Consequently we learn from this that also the bones of all the brothers [lit. tribes] did they carry up with them as it says: אִתְּכֶם — with you
וַיִּסְעוּ מִסֻּכֹּת וַיַּחֲנוּ בְאֵתָם בִּקְצֵה הַמִּדְבָּֽר׃
They journeyed from Sukkos and camped at Eisom at the edge of the desert.
They journeyed from Sukkos and camped at Eisom at the edge of the desert.
Rashi
ויסעו מסכות. ביום השני, שהרי בראשון באו מרעמסס לסכות:
They journeyed from Sukkos. On the second day, for on the first day they had come from Raamses to Sukkos.
וַֽיהֹוָה הֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם יוֹמָם בְּעַמּוּד עָנָן לַנְחֹתָם הַדֶּרֶךְ וְלַיְלָה בְּעַמּוּד אֵשׁ לְהָאִיר לָהֶם לָלֶכֶת יוֹמָם וָלָֽיְלָה׃
Adonoy went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way, and at night in a pillar of fire to provide them with light, so that they could travel by day and by night.
Adonoy went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way, and at night in a pillar of fire to provide them with light, so that they could travel by day and by night.
Rashi
לנחתם הדרך. נקוד פתח, שהוא כמו להנחותם, כמו לַרְאֹתְכֶם בַּדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכוּ בָהּ (דברים א, לג), שהוא כמו להראותכם, אף כאן להנחותם ע"י שליח, ומי הוא השליח, עמוד הענן, והקב"ה בכבודו מוליכו לפניהם, ומכל מקום את עמוד הענן הכין להנחותם על ידו, שהרי על ידי עמוד הענן הם הולכים. עמוד הענן אינו לאורה אלא להורותם הדרך:
To lead them on the way [The letter ל' of לַנְחֹתָם is] vocalized with a patach which is the same as לְהַנְחוֹתָם, similar to: “לַרְאֹתְכֶם the way in which to go” לַרְאוֹתְכֶם being the same as לְהַרְאוֹתְכֶם — to show. Here, too, [it means] to lead them by means of an agent. And who is this agent? The pillar of cloud. [Though] God Himself, in His glory, led it (the cloud) before them, nevertheless, He provided the pillar of cloud to lead them by its means for they travelled by means of the pillar of cloud. The pillar of cloud was not for providing light, but, rather, to show them the way.
לֹֽא־יָמִישׁ עַמּוּד הֶֽעָנָן יוֹמָם וְעַמּוּד הָאֵשׁ לָיְלָה לִפְנֵי הָעָֽם׃ {פ}
He did not remove the pillar of cloud by day, or the pillar of fire at night, from before the people.
He did not remove the pillar of cloud by day, or the pillar of fire at night, from before the people.
Rashi
לא ימיש. הקב"ה את עמוד הענן יומם ועמוד האש לילה, מגיד שעמוד הענן משלים לעמוד האש ועמוד האש משלים לעמוד הענן, שעד שלא ישקע זה עולה זה (שבת כג:):
He did not remove. [I.e.,] God [did not remove] the pillar of cloud by day [nor] the pillar of fire at night. This tells us that the pillar of cloud gave way to the pillar of fire and the pillar of fire gave way to the pillar of cloud, that before one would depart the other would arrive.
ויהי בשלח פרעה וגו' ולא נחם. ולא נהגם, כמו לֵךְ נְחֵה אֶת הָעָם (שמות לב, לד), בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ תַּנְחֶה אֹתָךְ (משלי ו, כב):
When Pharaoh sent away, etc. Elohim did not lead them. [וְלֹא נָחָם means] He did not lead them, as in: “Go, (נְחֵה) lead the nation!” [or] “When you go, (תַּנְחֶה) it will lead you.”