Tanach
Shoftim 6:11-19 שופטים ו׳:י״א-י״ט
Part of: Chapter 6
Reading: Hebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlyHebrew · Simple EnglishHebrew · Faithful translationHebrew onlySimple English onlyFaithful translation onlySide by sideRashi
וַיָּבֹא מַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה וַיֵּשֶׁב תַּחַת הָֽאֵלָה אֲשֶׁר בְּעׇפְרָה אֲשֶׁר לְיוֹאָשׁ אֲבִי הָעֶזְרִי וְגִדְעוֹן בְּנוֹ חֹבֵט חִטִּים בַּגַּת לְהָנִיס מִפְּנֵי מִדְיָֽן׃
An angel of Adonoy came, and stationed himself under the terebinth in Ophrah, which belonged to Yoash, the Aviezrite. His son Gidon was threshing wheat in the winepress to conceal it from Midyon.
An angel of Adonoy came, and stationed himself under the terebinth in Ophrah, which belonged to Yoash, the Aviezrite. His son Gidon was threshing wheat in the winepress to conceal it from Midyon.
Rashi
וגדעון בנו. אביו היה חובטן והוא כוברן, אמר לו: אבא, זקן אתה ואם יבאו המדינים לא תוכל לנוס, לך אתה ואני אחבט:
His son Gidon. His father had been threshing, while he sifted. He told him, "Father, you are elderly. If the enemies come, you will never be able to escape. You leave, and I will thresh."
בגת. בקורות בית הבד:
In the wine press. With beams of an olive press.
וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו מַלְאַךְ יְהֹוָה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו יְהֹוָה עִמְּךָ גִּבּוֹר הֶחָֽיִל׃
An angel of Adonoy appeared to him, and said to him, "Adonoy is with you, mighty man of valour."
An angel of Adonoy appeared to him, and said to him, "Adonoy is with you, mighty man of valour."
Rashi
ה' עמך גבור החיל. שנתן לך כח כזה:
Adonoy is with you, man of supreme power. Since He infused you with such power.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו גִּדְעוֹן בִּי אֲדֹנִי וְיֵשׁ יְהֹוָה עִמָּנוּ וְלָמָּה מְצָאַתְנוּ כׇּל־זֹאת וְאַיֵּה כׇֽל־נִפְלְאֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר סִפְּרוּ־לָנוּ אֲבוֹתֵינוּ לֵאמֹר הֲלֹא מִמִּצְרַיִם הֶעֱלָנוּ יְהֹוָה וְעַתָּה נְטָשָׁנוּ יְהֹוָה וַֽיִּתְּנֵנוּ בְּכַף־מִדְיָֽן׃
Gidon said to him, "Please my master, if Adonoy is with us, why has all this occurred to us? Where are all his marvels which our forefathers recounted to us, saying, 'Did not Adonoy raise us up from Egypt?' But Adonoy has now abandoned us, and handed us into the palm of Midyon."
Gidon said to him, "Please my master, if Adonoy is with us, why has all this occurred to us? Where are all his marvels which our forefathers recounted to us, saying, 'Did not Adonoy raise us up from Egypt?' But Adonoy has now abandoned us, and handed us into the palm of Midyon."
Rashi
ויש ה' עמנו. ואם יש ה' עמנו, למה מצאתנו וגו':
If [lit. and] Adonoy is with us.6Not “And Adonoy is with us,” as the literal reading would indicate, but “If Adonoy is with us,” as demonstrated by the following phrase cited by Rashi, “why has [all this] occurred, etc.”. If Adonoy is with us, why has [all this] occurred, etc.
אשר ספרו לנו אבותינו. פסח היה, אמר לו: אמש הקרני אבא את ההלל, ושמעתיו שהיה אומר (תהלים קיד א): בצאת ישראל ממצרים, 'ועתה נטשנו', אם צדיקים היו אבותינו, יעשה לנו בזכותם, ואם רשעים היו, כשם שעשה להם נפלאותיו חנם כן יעשה לנו, ואיה כל נפלאותיו:
Which our forefathers recounted to us. It was Pesach, and he told him, "Last night father recited the Hallel for me, and I heard him read, "When Yisroel departed from Egypt"7 “…the sea observed and fled, the Yardein turned back, etc.” (Tehilim, 114)—but now He has abandoned us. If our forefathers were saintly, let Him act in our behalf in their merit; and if they were wicked, then, just as He worked His wonders for them gratuitously, so, let Him act in our behalf. Where are all His marvels?"8Yalkut, 62.
וַיִּפֶן אֵלָיו יְהֹוָה וַיֹּאמֶר לֵךְ בְּכֹחֲךָ זֶה וְהוֹשַׁעְתָּ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִכַּף מִדְיָן הֲלֹא שְׁלַחְתִּֽיךָ׃
Adonoy turned to him, and said, "Go in this might of yours. You shall rescue Yisroel from the palm of Midyon. Have I not sent you?"
Adonoy turned to him, and said, "Go in this might of yours. You shall rescue Yisroel from the palm of Midyon. Have I not sent you?"
Rashi
ויפן אליו. הקדוש ברוך הוא בעצמו:
Turned to him. The Holy One, blessed is He, Himself.9Gidon was visited by Adonoy himself in the merit of his advocacy of Yisroel. (Yalkut, ibid)
בכחך זה. בכח הזכות הזה שלמדת סניגוריא על בני, כך דרש רבי תנחומא (מדרש תנחומא שופטים ד):
By this power of yours. By the power of the merit of your advocacy of my children.10Ibid. This is R' Tanchuma's explanation.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו בִּי אֲדֹנָי בַּמָּה אוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנֵּה אַלְפִּי הַדַּל בִּמְנַשֶּׁה וְאָנֹכִי הַצָּעִיר בְּבֵית אָבִֽי׃
He said to him, "Please, my master, how can I rescue Yisroel? Behold, my unit is the most inadequate in Menasheh, and I am the most immature in my father's house."
He said to him, "Please, my master, how can I rescue Yisroel? Behold, my unit is the most inadequate in Menasheh, and I am the most immature in my father's house."
Rashi
הנה אלפי. האלף שאני נמנה בו להיות תחת שר האלף, הוא האלף הדל בכל אלפי מנשה:
Behold, my unit [lit. thousand]. The thousand member unit of which I am a constituent, under the command of its captain, is the most inadequate unit among all the units in Menasheh.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו יְהֹוָה כִּי אֶהְיֶה עִמָּךְ וְהִכִּיתָ אֶת־מִדְיָן כְּאִישׁ אֶחָֽד׃
Adonoy said to him, "For I shall be with you. You shall strike down the Midyonites as if they were one man."
Adonoy said to him, "For I shall be with you. You shall strike down the Midyonites as if they were one man."
וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אִם־נָא מָצָאתִי חֵן בְּעֵינֶיךָ וְעָשִׂיתָ לִּי אוֹת שָׁאַתָּה מְדַבֵּר עִמִּֽי׃
He said to him, "Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that you are speaking to me.
He said to him, "Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that you are speaking to me.
Rashi
שאתה. כמו שאתה:
That you. The same as שֶׁאַתׇּה, with the segol vocalization.11 שֶׁאַתׇּה, with the “kamatz” vocalization, which appears in the text, is the same as שֶׁאַתׇּה “that you.”
אַל־נָא תָמֻשׁ מִזֶּה עַד־בֹּאִי אֵלֶיךָ וְהֹֽצֵאתִי אֶת־מִנְחָתִי וְהִנַּחְתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ וַיֹּאמַר אָנֹכִי אֵשֵׁב עַד שׁוּבֶֽךָ׃
Please do not depart from here until I return to you, and bring out my gift and place it before you." He replied, "I shall wait until your return."
Please do not depart from here until I return to you, and bring out my gift and place it before you." He replied, "I shall wait until your return."
וְגִדְעוֹן בָּא וַיַּעַשׂ גְּדִֽי־עִזִּים וְאֵיפַת־קֶמַח מַצּוֹת הַבָּשָׂר שָׂם בַּסַּל וְהַמָּרַק שָׂם בַּפָּרוּר וַיּוֹצֵא אֵלָיו אֶל־תַּחַת הָאֵלָה וַיַּגַּֽשׁ׃ {פ}
Gidon came, and prepared a kid, and matzohs containing an eiphah of flour. He placed the meat in a basket, and put soup in a pot. He brought them out to him under the terebinth, and presented them.
Gidon came, and prepared a kid, and matzohs containing an eiphah of flour. He placed the meat in a basket, and put soup in a pot. He brought them out to him under the terebinth, and presented them.
Rashi
קמח מצות. למדנו שפסח היה, יום תנופת העומר, לכך נאמר (לקמן ז יג) והנה צליל לחם שעורים מתהפך וגו':
Matzos containing flour. We learn that it was Pesach, the day the Omer offering was waved.12On the second day of Pesach. (Vayikra, 23:11) This is why it is said,13Below, 7:13. "Behold, a toasted barley bread was careening,14 “… into the camp of Midyon. It reached the tent and struck it down.” This was in the merit of the Omer offering (Rashi, there, Yalkut, 62), which was made of barley. etc."
והמרק. והרוטב:
Soup. Broth.
אבי העזרי. מבני אביעזר בן גלעד בן מנשה:
The Aviezrite. One of the sons of Aviezer ben Gilod ben Menasheh.