במדבר ל״ג

אלה מסעי. לָמָּה נִכְתְּבוּ הַמַּסָּעוֹת הַלָּלוּ? לְהוֹדִיעַ חֲסָדָיו שֶׁל מָקוֹם, שֶׁאַעַ"פִּ שֶׁגָּזַר עֲלֵיהֶם לְטַלְטְלַם וְלַהֲנִיעָם בַּמִּדְבָּר, לֹא תֹאמַר שֶׁהָיוּ נָעִים וּמְטֻלְטָלִים מִמַּסָּע לְמַסָּע כָּל אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה וְלֹא הָיְתָה לָהֶם מְנוּחָה, שֶׁהֲרֵי אֵין כָּאן אֶלָּא אַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁתַּיִם מַסָּעוֹת, צֵא מֵהֶם י"ד שֶׁכֻּלָּם הָיוּ בְּשָׁנָה רִאשׁוֹנָה קֹדֶם גְּזֵרָה, מִשֶּׁנָּסְעוּ מֵרַעְמְסֵס עַד שֶׁבָּאוּ לְרִתְמָה שֶׁמִּשָּׁם נִשְׁתַּלְּחוּ מְרַגְּלִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וְאַחַר נָסְעוּ הָעָם מֵחֲצֵרוֹת" וְגוֹ' (במדבר י"ב), "שְׁלַח לְךָ אֲנָשִׁים" וְגוֹ' (שם י"ג), וְכָאן (פסוק י"ח) הוּא אוֹמֵר "וַיִּסְעוּ מֵחֲצֵרֹת וַיַּחֲנוּ בְּרִתְמָה", לָמַדְתָּ שֶׁהִיא בְמִדְבַּר פָּארָן; וְעוֹד הוֹצֵא מִשָּׁם ח' מַסָּעוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ לְאַחַר מִיתַת אַהֲרֹן — מֵהֹר הָהָר עַד עַרְבוֹת מוֹאָב — בִּשְׁנַת הָאַרְבָּעִים, נִמְצָא שֶׁכָּל שְׁמוֹנֶה וּשְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה לֹא נָסְעוּ אֶלָּא עֶשְׂרִים מַסָּעוֹת, זֶה מִיסוֹדוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי מֹשֶׁה. וְרַבִּי תַנְחוּמָא דָרַשׁ בּוֹ דְּרָשָׁה אַחֶרֶת: מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה בְנוֹ חוֹלֶה וְהוֹלִיכוֹ לְמָקוֹם רָחוֹק לְרַפֹּאתוֹ, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהָיוּ חוֹזְרִין הִתְחִיל אָבִיו מוֹנֶה כָל הַמַּסָּעוֹת, אָמַר לוֹ, כָּאן יָשַׁנְנוּ, כָּאן הוֹקַרְנוּ, כָּאן חָשַׁשְׁתָּ אֶת רֹאשְׁךָ וְכוּ':

These are the journeys. Why were these journeys recorded? To make the Omnipresent’s benevolence known. For, although He decreed to move them about and cause them to wander in the wilderness, do not say that they wandered and were moved about from journey to journey all forty years, and had no rest — for there are only forty two journeys here. Subtract fourteen, all of which took place during the first year, before the decree, from their journey from Ra’meses until they reached Rismah, from where the spies were dispatched, as it is said, “after, the people journeyed from Chatzeros, etc. Send, for yourself, men, etc.,” and here it says, “they journeyed from Chatzeros and camped at Rismah,” you learn that it was in the desert of Paran. Exclude, further, from there, eight journeys which took place after Aharon’s death, from Mount Hor to the plains of Moav, during the fortieth year, it is found that throughout the thirty eight years, they took only twenty journeys. This is from R’ Moshe [Hadarshan]’s commentary. R’ Tanchuma expounds the matter differently: This is compared to a king whose son was ill, and he brought him to a distant place for treatment. When they returned, the father began enumerating all the journeys. He said to him, ”Here, we slept; here, we were chilled; here, your head ached, etc.’

ומצרים מקברים. טְרוּדִים בְּאֶבְלָם:

Egypt was burying. They were preoccupied with their grief.

ויחנו ברתמה. עַל שֵׁם לָשׁוֹן הָרָע שֶׁל מְרַגְּלִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "מַה יִּתֵּן לְךָ וּמַה יֹּסִיף לָךְ לָשׁוֹן רְמִיָּה חִצֵּי גִבּוֹר שְׁנוּנִים עִם גַּחֲלֵי רְתָמִים" (תהלים ק"כ):

And camped in Rismoh. So named after the spies’ slander, as it is said, “what will He (God) give you, and what more will He add for you, O deceitful tongue? Sharpened warrior’s arrows, with smoldering coals.”

על פי ה'. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁמֵּת בִּנְשִׁיקָה:

By the word [lit. mouth] of Adonoy. This teaches that he died by the Divine kiss.

וישמע הכנעני. לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁמִּיתַת אַהֲרֹן הִיא הַשְּׁמוּעָה, שֶׁנִּסְתַּלְּקוּ עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד וּכְסָבוּר שֶׁנִּתְּנָה רְשׁוּת לְהִלָּחֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, לְפִיכָךְ חָזַר וּכְתָבָהּ (ראש השנה ג'):

The Cannanite heard. This teaches you that the death of Aharon was the news he heard that the clouds of glory had departed, and he (the Canaanite) thought that it was permissible to wage war against the Israelites. This is why Scripture repeats it.

בעיי העברים. לְשׁוֹן חֳרָבוֹת וְגַלִּים כְּמוֹ "לְעִי הַשָּׂדֶה" (מיכה א'), "שָׂמוּ אֶת יְרוּשָׁלַיִם לְעִיִּים" (תהלים ע"ט):

At the ruins of Avarim. The word [עִיֵּי] denotes desolation and waste, as in, “. . . into a desolate field,” “they have turned Yerushalayim into desolation.”

מבית הישמת עד אבל השטים. כָּאן לִמֶּדְךָ שִׁעוּר מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל י"ב מִיל, דִּאָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה לְדִידִי חָזֵי לִי הַהוּא אַתְרָא וְכוּ' (עירובין נ"ה):

From Beis Yeshimos until Aveil Hasheetim. Here it teaches you the measure of the Israelite camp [was] twelve mils, for Rava, the son of Bar Chana, said, “I have seen that place, etc.”

אבל השטים. מִישׁוֹר שֶׁל שִׁטִּים אָבֵל שְׁמוֹ:

Aveil Hasheetim. The plain of Sheetim was entitled “Aveil.”

כי אתם עברים את הירדן וגו' והורשתם וגו'. וַהֲלֹא כַמָּה פְעָמִים הֻזְהֲרוּ עַל כָּךְ? אֶלָּא כָּךְ אָמַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה כְּשֶׁאַתֶּם עוֹבְרִים בַּיַּרְדֵּן בַּיַּבָּשָׁה עַל מְנָת כֵּן תַּעַבְרוּ, וְאִם לָאו — מַיִם בָּאִין וְשׁוֹטְפִין אֶתְכֶם, וְכֵן מָצִינוּ שֶׁאָמַר לָהֶם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (יהושע ד') בְּעוֹדָם בַּיַּרְדֵּן (סוטה ל"ד):

When you cross the Yardein, etc. You must drive out, etc. Were they not admonished several times concerning this? But this is what Moshe said to them: “When you cross the Yardein on dry land, you must cross on this condition, and if you do not, the waters will come and inundate you.” We find that Yehoshua spoke to them similarly while they were still in the Yardein.

והורשתם. וְגֵרַשְׁתֶּם:

You must drive out. You shall oust.

משכיתם. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ — "בֵּית סִגְדַּתְהוֹן", עַל שֵׁם שֶׁהָיוּ מְסַכְּכִין אֶת הַקַּרְקַע בְּרִצְפַּת אֲבָנִים שֶׁל שַׁיִשׁ לְהִשְׁתַּחֲווֹת עֲלֵיהֶם בְּפִשּׁוּט יָדַיִם וְרַגְלַיִם, כְּדִכְתִיב "וְאֶבֶן מַשְׂכִּית לֹא תִתְּנוּ בְּאַרְצְכֶם לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֹת עָלֶיהָ" (ויקרא כ"ו):

Their carved stones. As Targum [Onkelos] renders, בֵּית סִגְדַּתְהוֹן, “their houses of worship,” so named because they would overlay the ground with a marblestone floor on which to prostrate themselves with arms and legs extended, as it is written, “overlaid stones you shall not place, in your land, on which to prostrate yourselves.”

מסכתם. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ — "מַתְּכַתְהוֹן":

Their cast. As Targum [Onkelos] renders, מַתְּכַתְהוֹן, “their molten.”

והורשתם את הארץ. וְהוֹרַשְׁתֶּם אוֹתָהּ מִיּוֹשְׁבֶיהָ, וְאָז וישבתם בה — תּוּכְלוּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם בָּהּ, וְאִם לָאו — לֹא תוּכְלוּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם בָּהּ:

Drive out [the inhabitants of] the land. Make it vacant of its inhabitants, and then “you shall dwell in it” — you shall be able to endure there, but if not, you shall be unable to endure there.

אל אשר יצא לו שמה. מִקְרָא קָצָר הוּא זֶה: אֶל מָקום אשר יצא לו שמה הגורל לו יהיה:

To whomever the lottery [system] ordains. This is a shortened passage, [meaning] “whichever ‘plot’ the lot indicates, shall belong to him’.”

למטות אבתיכם. לְפִי חֶשְׁבּוֹן יוֹצְאֵי מִצְרַיִם (בבא בתרא קי"ז); דָּ"אַ — בְּי"ב גְּבוּלִין כְּמִנְיַן הַשְּׁבָטִים:

According to your paternal tribes. Taking into account those who came out of Egypt. Another interpretation: With twelve border demarcations, following the number of tribes.

והיה אשר תותירו מהם. יִהְיוּ לָכֶם לְרָעָה:

Those whom you will leave over. Shall be evil to you.

לשכים בעיניכם. לִיתֵדוֹת הַמְנַקְּרוֹת עֵינֵיכֶם, תַּרְגּוּם שֶׁל יְתֵדוֹת "שִׂיכַיָּא":

As spikes in your eyes. As spikes which will gouge your eyes out. Targum [Onkelos] renders “spikes” שִׂיכַּיָא .

ולצנינם. פּוֹתְרִין בּוֹ הַפּוֹתְרִים לְשׁוֹן מְסוּכַת קוֹצִים הַסּוֹכֶכֶת אֶתְכֶם, לִסְגֹּר וְלִכְלֹא אֶתְכֶם מֵאֵין יוֹצֵא וָבָא:

And thorns. The linguists construe this as denoting a barrier of thorns, which will enclose you, locking and confining you without exit or entrance.

וצררו אתכם. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ:

And they will persecute you. As Targum [Onkelos] renders.