Tanach
Shemot 17:8-13 שמות י״ז:ח׳-י״ג
Reading: Hebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlyHebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlySimple English onlyFaithful translation onlySide by sideRashi
וַיָּבֹא עֲמָלֵק וַיִּלָּחֶם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּרְפִידִֽם׃
Amaleik came and fought with [B’nei] Yisrael in Rephidim.
Amaleik came and fought with [B’nei] Yisrael in Rephidim.
Rashi
וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בְּחַר־לָנוּ אֲנָשִׁים וְצֵא הִלָּחֵם בַּעֲמָלֵק מָחָר אָנֹכִי נִצָּב עַל־רֹאשׁ הַגִּבְעָה וּמַטֵּה הָאֱלֹהִים בְּיָדִֽי׃
Moshe said to Yehoshua, “Choose men for us and go out to battle Amaleik. Tomorrow, I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
Moshe said to Yehoshua, “Choose men for us and go out to battle Amaleik. Tomorrow, I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
Rashi
בחר לנו. לי ולך, השוהו לו, מכאן אמרו, יהי כבוד תלמידך חביב עליך כשלך, וכבוד חברך כמורא רבך מנין, שנאמר וַיֹּאמֶר אַהֲרֹן אֶל משֶׁה בִּי אֲדֹנִי (במדבר יב, יא), והלא אהרן גדול מאחיו היה, ועושה את חברו כרבו. ומורא רבך כמורא שמים מנין, שנאמר אֲדֹנִי משֶׁה כְּלָאֵם (שם יא, כח), כלם מן העולם, חייבין הם כלייה, המורדים בך כאילו מרדו בהקב"ה:
Choose for us — “for me and for you.” He (Moshe) equated him (Yehoshua) to himself. From this they [the Sages] said: “The honor of your disciple should be as dear to you as your own.” And [the statement of the Sages that follows:]” the honor of your colleague [should be] equal to the reverence of your teacher” — from where is that derived? For it is said: “Aharon said to Moshe, ‘I beg you, my master.’” Was not Aharon older than his brother? Yet he related to his colleague as his teacher. [The following statement:] “and reverence of your teacher should be equal to the reverence for God” — from where is that derived? For it is said [Yehoshua said to Moshe:] “Moshe, my master, כְּלָאֵם,” meaning: destroy them from this world. Those that rebel against you deserve to be destroyed as if they had rebelled against God.
וצא הלחם. צא מן הענן והלחם בו (מכילתא עמלק פ"א):
Go out to battle. Go out of the cloud and battle him.
מחר. בעת המלחמה, אנכי נצב:
“Tomorrow — at the time of battle, I will stand.”
בחר לנו אנשים. גבורים ויראי חטא, שתהא זכותן מסייעתן. דבר אחר בחר לנו אנשים, שיודעין לבטל כשפים, לפי שבני עמלק מכשפים היו:
Choose men for us — who are strong and sin-fearing (righteous) so that they may be helped by their merit. An alternate explanation: “Choose men for us — who know how to negate witchcraft,” since the Amaleikites were witchcraft practitioners.
וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ כַּאֲשֶׁר אָֽמַר־לוֹ מֹשֶׁה לְהִלָּחֵם בַּעֲמָלֵק וּמֹשֶׁה אַהֲרֹן וְחוּר עָלוּ רֹאשׁ הַגִּבְעָֽה׃
Yehoshua did as Moshe told him—to battle Amaleik. Moshe, Aharon and Chur went up to the top of the hill.
Yehoshua did as Moshe told him—to battle Amaleik. Moshe, Aharon and Chur went up to the top of the hill.
Rashi
ומשה אהרן וחור. מכאן לתענית שצריכים שלשה לעבור לפני התיבה, שבתענית היו שרוים:
Moshe, Aharon, and Chur. From here we derive that during a fast three people are required to go before the reader’s stand for they (the B’nei Yisrael) were then engaged in fasting.
חור. בנה של מרים היה, וכלב בעלה:
Chur. He was Miriam’s son and Koleiv was her husband.
וְהָיָה כַּאֲשֶׁר יָרִים מֹשֶׁה יָדוֹ וְגָבַר יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכַאֲשֶׁר יָנִיחַ יָדוֹ וְגָבַר עֲמָלֵֽק׃
When Moshe raised his hand, [B’nei] Yisrael prevailed; but when he let his hand down [to rest] Amaleik prevailed.
When Moshe raised his hand, [B’nei] Yisrael prevailed; but when he let his hand down [to rest] Amaleik prevailed.
Rashi
כאשר ירים משה ידו. וכי ידיו של משה נוצחות היו המלחמה וכו', כדאיתא בר"ה (כט.):
When Moshe raised his hand. “But was it the hands of Moshe that caused victory in battle, etc.” as is cited in (Maseches) Rosh Hashanah (29a).
וִידֵי מֹשֶׁה כְּבֵדִים וַיִּקְחוּ־אֶבֶן וַיָּשִׂימוּ תַחְתָּיו וַיֵּשֶׁב עָלֶיהָ וְאַהֲרֹן וְחוּר תָּֽמְכוּ בְיָדָיו מִזֶּה אֶחָד וּמִזֶּה אֶחָד וַיְהִי יָדָיו אֱמוּנָה עַד־בֹּא הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃
Moshe’s hands became heavy. They took a stone and placed it under him and he sat upon it. Aharon and Chur supported his hands, one of them on one side and one on the other side. His hands remained an expression of faith [as he prayed] until sunset.
Moshe’s hands became heavy. They took a stone and placed it under him and he sat upon it. Aharon and Chur supported his hands, one of them on one side and one on the other side. His hands remained an expression of faith [as he prayed] until sunset.
Rashi
וידי משה כבדים. בשביל שנתעצל במצוה ומנה אחר תחתיו, נתייקרו ידיו:
Moshe’s hands became heavy. Because he was lax in the performance of a mitzvah, by appointing another in his stead, his hands became heavy.
ויקחו. אהרן וחור:
They took. Aharon and Chur [took] —
אבן וישימו תחתיו. ולא ישב לו על כר וכסת, אמר, ישראל שרויין בצער, אף אני אהיה עמהם בצער:
a stone, and placed it under him. He did not seat himself on a pillow or cushion, for he said: “Yisrael is in a state of suffering. I, too, will be with them in suffering.”
ויהי ידיו אמונה. ויהי משה ידיו באמונה, פרושות השמים בתפלה נאמנה ונכונה:
His hands remained an expression of faith. I.e., Moshe was [in a state] [wherein his] hands were with faithfulness [meaning:] spread towards the heavens with faithful and well-intended prayer.
עד בא השמש. שהיו עמלקים מחשבין את השעות באיצטרו"לוגיאה, באיזו שעה הם נוצחים, והעמיד להם משה חמה וערבב את השעות:
Until sunset. For the Amaleikites calculated the hours according to astrology as to what hour is best for them to triumph. Moshe held the sun back against them thereby confusing the hours.
וַיַּחֲלֹשׁ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת־עֲמָלֵק וְאֶת־עַמּוֹ לְפִי־חָֽרֶב׃ {פ}
Yehoshua weakened Amaleik and his people with the edge of the sword.
Yehoshua weakened Amaleik and his people with the edge of the sword.
Rashi
ויחלש יהושע. חתך ראשי גבוריו (תנחומא בשלח כ"ח) ולא השאיר אלא חלשים שבהם, ולא הרגם כולם, מכאן אנו למדים, שעשו על פי הדבור של שכינה:
Yehoshua weakened. He cut off the heads of his [Amaleik’s] mighty warriors and left only the weak among them and did not kill them all. From this we may conclude that they acted according to a specific command of the shechinah.
ויבא עמלק וגו'. סמך פרשה זו למקרא זה לומר, תמיד אני ביניכם ומזומן לכל צרכיכם, ואתם אומרים היש ה' בקרבנו אם אין, חייכם שהכלב בא ונושך אתכם, ואתם צועקים לי ותדעו היכן אני. משל לאדם שהרכיב בנו על כתפו ויצא לדרך, היה אותו הבן רואה חפץ ואומר, אבא טול חפץ זה ותן לי, והוא נותן לו, וכן שנייה, וכן שלישית, פגעו באדם אחד, אמר לו אותו הבן ראית את אבא, אמר לו אביו, אינך יודע היכן אני, השליכו מעליו ובא הכלב ונשכו:
Amaleik came, etc., [The Torah] places this section adjacent to the [previous] verse in order to convey: “I (God) am always amongst you and ready to fulfill all your needs, and yet you say: “Is Adonoy among us or not?” [I swear] by your lives that the dog (Amaleik) will come and bite you, and you will cry out to Me and then you will know where I am.” A parable: [this may be compared] to a man who placed his son on his shoulders and went out on a journey. Whenever the son saw a desirable object he would say: “Father, take that object and give it to me.” And he (the father) would give it to him. This happened a second and third time. They met a certain person whereupon the son said to him (that person), “Have you seen my father?” His father said to him, “Do you not know where I am?!” Whereupon he threw him off himself and the dog came and bit him.