Tanach
Shemot 15:22-26 שמות ט״ו:כ״ב-כ״ו
Reading: Hebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlyHebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlySimple English onlyFaithful translation onlySide by sideRashi
וַיַּסַּע מֹשֶׁה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיַּם־סוּף וַיֵּצְאוּ אֶל־מִדְבַּר־שׁוּר וַיֵּלְכוּ שְׁלֹֽשֶׁת־יָמִים בַּמִּדְבָּר וְלֹא־מָצְאוּ מָֽיִם׃
Moshe led [B’nei] Yisrael away from the Reed Sea, and they went out into the desert of Shur, they traveled for three days in the desert and they did not find any water.
Moshe led [B’nei] Yisrael away from the Reed Sea, and they went out into the desert of Shur, they traveled for three days in the desert and they did not find any water.
Rashi
וַיָּבֹאוּ מָרָתָה וְלֹא יָֽכְלוּ לִשְׁתֹּת מַיִם מִמָּרָה כִּי מָרִים הֵם עַל־כֵּן קָרָֽא־שְׁמָהּ מָרָֽה׃
They came to Marah but they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. The place was therefore called Marah [bitter].
They came to Marah but they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. The place was therefore called Marah [bitter].
Rashi
ויבאו מרתה. כמו למרה. ה"א בסוף תיבה במקום למ"ד בתחלתה, והתי"ו היא במקום ה"א הנשרשת בתיבת מרה, ובסמיכתה כשהיא נדבקת לה"א שהוא מוסיף במקום הלמ"ד, תהפך הה"א של שרש לתי"ו, וכן כל ה"א שהיא שרש בתיבה תתהפך לתי"ו בסמיכתה. כמו חֵמָה אֵין לִי (ישעיה כז, ד), וַחֲמָתֹו בָּעֲרָה בֹו (אסתר א, יב), הרי ה"א של שורש נהפכת לתי"ו מפני שנסמכת אל הוא"ו הנוספת. וכן עבד ואמה, הִנֵּה אֲמָתִי בִלְהָה (בראשית ל, ג). לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה (שם ב, ז), וְזִהֲמַתֹּו חַיָּתֹו לָחֶם (איוב לג, כ). בֵּין הָרָמָה (שופטים ד, ה), וּתְשֻׁבָתֹו הָרָמָתָה (שמואל־א ז, יז):
They came to Marah. [מָרָתָה is] the same as לְמָרָה — to Marah. The letter ה' at the end of the word is in place of the letter ל' at its beginning. The letter ת' is in place of the ה' which is part of the root-word מָרָה, and when it in the construct state when it is joined to a ה' which is added in place of the ל', then the root-letter ה' is changed to a ת' . Similarly any ה' that is part of the root-word changes to a ת' in the construct state, as in: “I have no חֵמָה (anger),” “וַחֲמָתוֹ (And his anger) burned within him.” There you have a ה' of a root-word changing to a ת' because it is joined to the added ו': Similarly: “A slave and an אָמָה (servant-maiden),” [which changes to] “Here is אֲמָתִי (my hand-maiden) Bilhah” [or:] “to a creature חַיָּה (of life)” [becomes] “חַיָּתוֹ (his life) makes bread repulsive to him” [or:] “Between רָמָה (Ramah and Bethel)” [which changes to] “His return was הָרָמָתָה (to Ramah).
וַיִּלֹּנוּ הָעָם עַל־מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר מַה־נִּשְׁתֶּֽה׃
The people complained to Moshe saying, “What shall we drink?”
The people complained to Moshe saying, “What shall we drink?”
Rashi
וילנו. לשון נפעל הוא, וכן התרגום לשון נפעל הוא, וְאִתְרָעָמוּ, וכן דרך לשון תלונה להסב הדבור אל האדם, מתלונן, מתרועם, ולא אמר לונן, רועם, וכן יאמר הלועז דקומפ"ל ישנ"ק שי"י מוסב הדבור אליו באמרו שי"י:
They complained. [וַיִּלֹּנוּ] is in the nifal form: Onkelos, too, translates it in the nifal form: וְאִתְרָעָמוּ . (In Aramaic the אִתְפְּעֵל represents the Hebrew נִפְעַל .) This is the way of expressions of complaint to revert the statement to the person [complaining], [e.g.] מִתְלוֹנֵן (complain), מִתְרוֹעֵם (resent) and it is not said in the form of לוֹנֵן, רוֹעֵם . The French man also expresses it this way: “decomplaisant se.” The action reverts to himself by the use of the expression “se.”
וַיִּצְעַק אֶל־יְהֹוָה וַיּוֹרֵהוּ יְהֹוָה עֵץ וַיַּשְׁלֵךְ אֶל־הַמַּיִם וַֽיִּמְתְּקוּ הַמָּיִם שָׁם שָׂם לוֹ חֹק וּמִשְׁפָּט וְשָׁם נִסָּֽהוּ׃
He [Moshe] cried out to Adonoy, Adonoy showed him a tree and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There He set before them statutes and ordinances, and there He tested them.
He [Moshe] cried out to Adonoy, Adonoy showed him a tree and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There He set before them statutes and ordinances, and there He tested them.
Rashi
שם שם לו. במרה נתן להם מקצת פרשיות של תורה שיתעסקו בהם, שבת, ופרה אדומה, ודינין (סנהדרין נו:):
There He set before them. In Marah He gave them some sections of the Torah so that they occupy themselves with [studying] them: [the sections dealing with] Shabbos the Parah Adumah (the red heifer) and the administration of justice.
ושם נסהו. לעם, וראה קשי ערפן, שלא נמלכו במשה בלשון יפה, בקש עלינו רחמים שיהיו לנו מים לשתות, אלא נתלוננו:
And there He tested them. (lit. Him). [Meaning:] the nation, and saw their stubbornness, for they did not consult with Moshe with respectful language, [i.e.] “Pray for compassion for us so that we may have water to drink,” but, rather, they complained.
וַיֹּאמֶר אִם־שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע לְקוֹל ׀ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְהַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו תַּעֲשֶׂה וְהַֽאֲזַנְתָּ לְמִצְוֺתָיו וְשָׁמַרְתָּ כׇּל־חֻקָּיו כׇּֽל־הַמַּחֲלָה אֲשֶׁר־שַׂמְתִּי בְמִצְרַיִם לֹא־אָשִׂים עָלֶיךָ כִּי אֲנִי יְהֹוָה רֹפְאֶֽךָ׃ {ס}
He said [to them,] “If you vigilantly obey the voice of Adonoy, your God, and do what is upright in His eyes, give ear to His commandments, and preserve all His statutes; [then], every sickness that I brought upon Egypt, I will not bring upon you, for I am Adonoy, Who heals you.
He said [to them,] “If you vigilantly obey the voice of Adonoy, your God, and do what is upright in His eyes, give ear to His commandments, and preserve all His statutes; [then], every sickness that I brought upon Egypt, I will not bring upon you, for I am Adonoy, Who heals you.
Rashi
אם שמוע תשמע. זו קבלה שיקבלו עליהם:
If you vigilantly obey. [שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע] implies acceptance — that they accept upon themselves [God’s commands].
תעשה. היא עשייה:
Do. [Meaning:] the actual performing [of the mitzvos].
והאזנת. תטה אזנים לדקדק בהם:
Give ear. Incline the ears in order to be exact in [fulfilling] them.
כל חקיו. דברים שאינן אלא גזירת מלך בלא שום טעם, ויצר הרע מקנטר עליהם, מה איסור באלו, למה נאסרו, כגון לבישת כלאים ואכילת חזיר ופרה אדומה וכיוצא בהם:
All His statutes. Things that are solely a decree of the king with no [given] reason, where the evil inclination finds fault with them: [by saying:] “What is the sense in their prohibition — why were they prohibited?” For example: [the prohibition against:] wearing shatnez and the eating of pork [and the mitzvah of] the Parah Adumah (red heifer), and their like.
לא אשים עליך. ואם אשים, הרי הוא כלא הושמה, כי אני ה' רופאך (מכילתא ויסע פ"א), זהו מדרשו. ולפי פשוטו כי אני ה' רופאך, ומלמדך תורה ומצות למען תנצל מהם, כרופא הזה האומר לאדם אל תאכל דברים שמחזירים אותך לידי חולי, וזהו איזון מצות, וכן הוא אומר רִפְאוּת תְּהִי לְשָׁרֶךָ (משלי ג, ח):
I will not bring upon you. [Meaning:] and if I do bring it it will be as if it were not brought — “for I am Adonoy, Who heals you.” That is its midrashic explanation. But its plain explanation is: “For I am Adonoy, Who heals you, and teaches you Torah and mitzvos so that you may be saved from them (the diseases).” It is like a doctor who tells a person: “Do not eat this particular thing lest it bring you to disease this represents listening to the mitzvos. this is what is meant when it says. “It (obedience to mitzvos) will be healthful to your navel.”
ויסע משה. הסיען בעל כרחם, שעטרו מצרים את סוסיהם בתכשיטי זהב וכסף ואבנים טובות, והיו ישראל מוצאין אותם בים, וגדולה היתה ביזת הים מביזת מצרים, שנאמר תֹּורֵי זָהָב נַעֲשֶׂה לָךְ עִם נְקֻדֹּות הַכָּסֶף (שיר השירים א, יא. — מכילתא פסחא סוף פי"ג), לפיכך הוצרך להסיען בעל כרחם:
Moshe led. He made them travel against their will. For the Egyptians adorned their horses with gold and silver ornaments and precious stones and the Israelites kept finding them in the sea [to the point that] the booty of the sea was greater than the booty [taken out] of Egypt, as it is said: “We will make gold bracelets for you (from the booty of the sea) together with silver studs (from the booty of Egypt).” Therefore he had to make them travel against their will.