Tanach
Shmuel I 6:3-14 שמואל א ו׳:ג׳-י״ד
Part of: Chapter 6
Reading: Hebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlyHebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlySimple English onlyFaithful translation onlySide by sideRashi
וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִֽם־מְשַׁלְּחִים אֶת־אֲרוֹן אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אַל־תְּשַׁלְּחוּ אֹתוֹ רֵיקָם כִּי־הָשֵׁב תָּשִׁיבוּ לוֹ אָשָׁם אָז תֵּרָֽפְאוּ וְנוֹדַע לָכֶם לָמָּה לֹא־תָסוּר יָדוֹ מִכֶּֽם׃
They replied, "If you are sending [back] the Ark of the God of Yisroel, do not send it empty-handed; rather you must return a guilt-offering to Him. Then you will be healed, and you will realize why His hand would not turn away from [afflicting] you."
They replied, "If you are sending [back] the Ark of the God of Yisroel, do not send it empty-handed; rather you must return a guilt-offering to Him. Then you will be healed, and you will realize why His hand would not turn away from [afflicting] you."
Rashi
אז. תרפאו ונודע לכם שהוא עשה, כי למה לא תסור ידו אז מכם:
Then you will be healed, and you will realize. That He did this, for why wouldn't His hand turn away from you then?
וַיֹּאמְרוּ מָה הָאָשָׁם אֲשֶׁר נָשִׁיב לוֹ וַיֹּאמְרוּ מִסְפַּר סַרְנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים חֲמִשָּׁה (עפלי) [טְחֹרֵי] זָהָב וַחֲמִשָּׁה עַכְבְּרֵי זָהָב כִּֽי־מַגֵּפָה אַחַת לְכֻלָּם וּלְסַרְנֵיכֶֽם׃
They said, "What is the guilt-offering that we should return to Him?" They answered, "According to the number of Philistine rulers, five golden [images of] hemorrhoids and five golden [images of] mice; for the same plague is on all of you and upon your rulers.
They said, "What is the guilt-offering that we should return to Him?" They answered, "According to the number of Philistine rulers, five golden [images of] hemorrhoids and five golden [images of] mice; for the same plague is on all of you and upon your rulers.
Rashi
סרני פלשתים. חמשה הם, כמה שנאמר (ביהושע יג ג): העזתי והאשדודי האשקלוני הגתי והעקרוני:
Philistine rulers. They were five, as it is stated, "The Azites, the Ashdodites, the Ashkelonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites."1 Yehoshua 13:3.
וַעֲשִׂיתֶם צַלְמֵי (עפליכם) [טְחֹרֵיכֶם] וְצַלְמֵי עַכְבְּרֵיכֶם הַמַּשְׁחִיתִם אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וּנְתַתֶּם לֵאלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּבוֹד אוּלַי יָקֵל אֶת־יָדוֹ מֵֽעֲלֵיכֶם וּמֵעַל אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וּמֵעַל אַרְצְכֶֽם׃
Make images of your hemorrhoids and images of your mice, which are destroying the land, and give [them] to honor the God of Yisroel, perhaps He will ease His hand from upon you and your gods, and from your land.
Make images of your hemorrhoids and images of your mice, which are destroying the land, and give [them] to honor the God of Yisroel, perhaps He will ease His hand from upon you and your gods, and from your land.
וְלָמָּה תְכַבְּדוּ אֶת־לְבַבְכֶם כַּאֲשֶׁר כִּבְּדוּ מִצְרַיִם וּפַרְעֹה אֶת־לִבָּם הֲלוֹא כַּאֲשֶׁר הִתְעַלֵּל בָּהֶם וַֽיְשַׁלְּחוּם וַיֵּלֵֽכוּ׃
Why should you harden your hearts as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After He mocked them did they not send them off, and they left?
Why should you harden your hearts as Egypt and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After He mocked them did they not send them off, and they left?
וְעַתָּה קְחוּ וַעֲשׂוּ עֲגָלָה חֲדָשָׁה אֶחָת וּשְׁתֵּי פָרוֹת עָלוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא־עָלָה עֲלֵיהֶם עֹל וַאֲסַרְתֶּם אֶת־הַפָּרוֹת בָּעֲגָלָה וַהֲשֵׁיבֹתֶם בְּנֵיהֶם מֵאַחֲרֵיהֶם הַבָּֽיְתָה׃
Now, make one new wagon, and take two nursing cows which have not borne a yoke; tie the cows to the wagon, and turn their calves homeward from behind them.
Now, make one new wagon, and take two nursing cows which have not borne a yoke; tie the cows to the wagon, and turn their calves homeward from behind them.
Rashi
עלות. מניקות:
Nursing cows. Nursing.
אשר לא עלה עליהם עול. כל זה לנסיון, שאין אלו ראויות למשוך, ועוד שגועות אחר בניהם, ואם יהא כח בארון שיוליכו אותו מאליהם, נדע שהוא עשה לנו:
Which have not borne a yoke. All this is for the test. Since these cows are not capable of pulling [a load], and furthermore, they will yearn for their young. If the Ark will have the power to enable them to pull it by themselves, we shall know that He brought this upon us.
וּלְקַחְתֶּם אֶת־אֲרוֹן יְהֹוָה וּנְתַתֶּם אֹתוֹ אֶל־הָעֲגָלָה וְאֵת ׀ כְּלֵי הַזָּהָב אֲשֶׁר הֲשֵׁבֹתֶם לוֹ אָשָׁם תָּשִׂימוּ בָאַרְגַּז מִצִּדּוֹ וְשִׁלַּחְתֶּם אֹתוֹ וְהָלָֽךְ׃
Take the Ark of Adonoy and put it on the wagon, and the golden objects that you are returning to Him as a guilt-offering put in the box beside it. Send it off and it will go.
Take the Ark of Adonoy and put it on the wagon, and the golden objects that you are returning to Him as a guilt-offering put in the box beside it. Send it off and it will go.
Rashi
בארגז. שקריניי"ו בלע"ז:
In the box. Escrin in O. F.
וּרְאִיתֶם אִם־דֶּרֶךְ גְּבוּלוֹ יַֽעֲלֶה בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ הוּא עָשָׂה לָנוּ אֶת־הָרָעָה הַגְּדוֹלָה הַזֹּאת וְאִם־לֹא וְיָדַעְנוּ כִּי לֹא יָדוֹ נָגְעָה בָּנוּ מִקְרֶה הוּא הָיָה לָֽנוּ׃
Then you will see: If it goes up by the path to its own border, towards Beis Shemesh, then it was He Who caused us this great evil; but if not, we will know that it was not His hand that afflicted us, but what happened to us was all by chance."
Then you will see: If it goes up by the path to its own border, towards Beis Shemesh, then it was He Who caused us this great evil; but if not, we will know that it was not His hand that afflicted us, but what happened to us was all by chance."
וַיַּעֲשׂוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים כֵּן וַיִּקְחוּ שְׁתֵּי פָרוֹת עָלוֹת וַיַּאַסְרוּם בָּעֲגָלָה וְאֶת־בְּנֵיהֶם כָּלוּ בַבָּֽיִת׃
The men did so, they took two nursing cows and tied them to the wagon, and confined their calves in the house.
The men did so, they took two nursing cows and tied them to the wagon, and confined their calves in the house.
Rashi
כלו בבית. לשון כלא:
Confined in the house. 'כָּלוּ' is an expression of 'כֶּלֶא' [imprisonment].
וַיָּשִׂמוּ אֶת־אֲרוֹן יְהֹוָה אֶל־הָעֲגָלָה וְאֵת הָאַרְגַּז וְאֵת עַכְבְּרֵי הַזָּהָב וְאֵת צַלְמֵי טְחֹרֵיהֶֽם׃
They put the Ark of Adonoy on the wagon, together with the box and the golden mice and the images of their hemorrhoids.
They put the Ark of Adonoy on the wagon, together with the box and the golden mice and the images of their hemorrhoids.
וַיִּשַּׁרְנָה הַפָּרוֹת בַּדֶּרֶךְ עַל־דֶּרֶךְ בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ בִּמְסִלָּה אַחַת הָלְכוּ הָלֹךְ וְגָעוֹ וְלֹא־סָרוּ יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאול וְסַרְנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים הֹלְכִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם עַד־גְּבוּל בֵּית שָֽׁמֶשׁ׃
The cows set out on a straight course on the road to Beis Shemesh. They went on a single path, lowing as they walked, neither turning right nor left. The Philistine rulers went behind them until the border of Beis Shemesh.
The cows set out on a straight course on the road to Beis Shemesh. They went on a single path, lowing as they walked, neither turning right nor left. The Philistine rulers went behind them until the border of Beis Shemesh.
Rashi
וישרנה. הרי תיבה זו אנדרוגינוס, מלמד שאף הוולדות היו אומרים שירה: רוני רוני השיטה התנופפי וכו', כדאיתא במסכת עבודה זרה (כד ב). ולפי פשוטו, 'וישרנה', לשון 'ישר דרך', ישר היו הולכות:
Set on a straight course. This word is a grammatical hermaphrodite.2The “י” of וַיִשַּׁרְנָה is the masculine form and the “נה” is indicative of the feminine form. This teaches us that even the young recited a song,3 And, therefore, the combination of the masculine and feminine forms. "Sing aloud, sing aloud, O Ark of acacia wood! Exalt yourself…" as stated in Maseches Avodah Zorah.4 24b. The cows literally sang an intelligible praise to ‘ה. They were given the miraculous power to sing just as Bilam’s donkey was given the power of speech in Bamidbar 22:28-30. According to its simple meaning, 'וַיִשַּׁרְנָה' is an expression meaning 'straight,' i.e. they followed a straight path.
הלך וגעו. לשון צעקת בקר, געייה:
Lowing as they walked. This is an expression of the cry [גְּעִיָה] of cattle.
בית שמש. ישראל היו שם:
Beis Shemesh. Yisroel was there.5Although בֵּית שֶׁמֶשׁ was one of the cities belonging to kohanim [Yehosua 21:16], nonetheless man Bnei Yisroel lived there and in adjacent areas.—Da’as Sofrim
וּבֵית שֶׁמֶשׁ קֹצְרִים קְצִיר־חִטִּים בָּעֵמֶק וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת־עֵינֵיהֶם וַיִּרְאוּ אֶת־הָאָרוֹן וַֽיִּשְׂמְחוּ לִרְאֽוֹת׃
[The people of] Beis Shemesh were reaping the wheat harvest in the valley. They raised their eyes and saw the Ark, and they rejoiced to see it.
[The people of] Beis Shemesh were reaping the wheat harvest in the valley. They raised their eyes and saw the Ark, and they rejoiced to see it.
Rashi
וישמחו לראות. היו מסתכלין היאך הוא בא לבדו, ומשמחתם נהגו בו קלות ראש, שלא היו מסתכלין בו באימה ודרך כבוד:
And they rejoiced to see. They were going to see how it came alone, and out of their joy, they behaved with levity, for they did not gaze at it with awe and respect.6They violated the commandment “and they shall not come in to see when the holy is being covered and [they will not] die,” in Bamidbar 4:20.
וְהָעֲגָלָה בָּאָה אֶל־שְׂדֵה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֵּֽית־הַשִּׁמְשִׁי וַתַּעֲמֹד שָׁם וְשָׁם אֶבֶן גְּדוֹלָה וַֽיְבַקְּעוּ אֶת־עֲצֵי הָעֲגָלָה וְאֶת־הַפָּרוֹת הֶעֱלוּ עֹלָה לַיהֹוָֽה׃ {ס}
The wagon came to the field of Yehoshua of Beis Shemesh, and stopped there, where there was a large rock. They split the boards of the wagon, and offered up the cows as a burnt-offering to Adonoy.
The wagon came to the field of Yehoshua of Beis Shemesh, and stopped there, where there was a large rock. They split the boards of the wagon, and offered up the cows as a burnt-offering to Adonoy.
אשם. היכר דבר שאתם מודים שמעלתם בו:
A guilt-offering. As an indication that you confess that you have betrayed Him.