דברים ב׳:ח׳-ט״ז

ונפן ונעבר. לְצַד צָפוֹן הָפַכְנוּ פָנִים לַהֲלֹךְ רוּחַ מִזְרָחִית:

We turned and passed over. Northward. We turned our faces to travel along the eastern side.

ואל תתגר בם וגו'. לֹא אָסַר לָהֶם עַל מוֹאָב אֶלָּא מִלְחָמָה, אֲבָל מְיָרְאִים הָיוּ אוֹתָם, וְנִרְאִים לָהֶם כְּשֵׁהֶם מְזֻיָּנִים, לְפִיכָךְ כְּתִיב (במדבר כ"ב) "וַיָּגָר מוֹאָב מִפְּנֵי הָעָם", שֶׁהָיוּ שׁוֹלְלִים וּבוֹזְזִים אוֹתָם; אֲבָל בִּבְנֵי עַמּוֹן נֶאֱמַר (פסוק י"ט) "וְאַל תִּתְגָּר בָּם" – שׁוּם גֵּרוּי, בִּשְׂכַר צְנִיעוּת אִמָּם, שֶׁלֹּא פִרְסְמָה עַל אָבִיהָ כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָשְׂתָה הַבְּכִירָה שֶׁקָּרְאָה שֵׁם בְּנָהּ מוֹאָב (בבא קמא ל"ח):

Do not intimidate them [with war]. The only thing He forbid them regarding Moav was to engage them in war, but they were permitted to terrify them by appearing before them armed for war. That is why it is written: “And Moav was afraid of the people” because they [Yisroel] plundered and ransacked them. However regarding the people of Ammon, it is said, ”Do not intimidate them” in any way. They [Ammon] were rewarded for the modesty shown by their ancestress [Lot’s younger daughter] who did not publicize her father’s act as did his older daughter who named her son, Moav [from my father].

ער. שֵׁם הַמְּדִינָה:

Or. The name of the country.

האמים לפנים וגו'. אַתָּה סָבוּר שֶׁזּוֹ אֶרֶץ רְפָאִים שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לוֹ לְאַבְרָהָם, לְפִי שֶׁהָאֵמִים שֶׁהֵם רְפָאִים יָשְׁבוּ בָהּ לְפָנִים, אֲבָל לֹא זוֹ הִיא, כִּי אוֹתָן רְפָאִים הוֹרַשְׁתִּי מִפְּנֵי בְנֵי לוֹט וְהוֹשַׁבְתִּים תַּחְתָּם:

The Eimim originally [lived there]. You might think this is the land of Rephaim that I gave to Avrohom because the Eimim who are [actually] Rephaim lived there originally, but this is not that [land] because those Rephaim I drove out in favor of Lot’s descendants, and settled them in their place.

רפאים יחשבו וגו'. רְפָאִים הָיוּ נֶחֱשָׁבִין אוֹתָם אֵמִים, כָּעֲנָקִים הַנִּקְרָאִים רְפָאִים, עַל שֵׁם שֶׁכָּל הָרוֹאֶה אוֹתָם יָדָיו מִתְרַפּוֹת (בראשית רבה כ"ו):

They, too, were considered Rephaim. Those Eimin were considered Rephaim like the Anokim who were called Rephaim. They were called [Rephaim] because everyone who saw them — their hands became weak (רָפָה) [from fright].

אמים. עַל שֵׁם שֶׁאֵימָתָם מֻטֶּלֶת עַל הַבְּרִיּוֹת (שם), וְכֵן בְּשֵׂעִיר יָשְׁבוּ הַחֹרִים וּנְתַתִּים לִבְנֵי עֵשָׂו:

Eimim. They were so called because the fear of them (אֵימָה) was inflicted upon the people. So too: “And in Seir lived the Chorim,” and I gave them into [the hands] of Eisov’s descendants.

יירשום. לָשׁוֹן הוֹוֶה, כְּלוֹמַר נָתַתִּי בָהֶם כֹּחַ שֶׁהָיוּ מוֹרִישִׁים אוֹתָם וְהוֹלְכִים:

Drove them out. This denotes constancy as if to say: I gave them the power to enable them to drive them out continuously.

היתה בם. לְמַהֵר וּלְהֻמָּם בְּתוֹךְ אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה, שֶׁלֹּא יִגְרְמוּ לִבְנֵיהֶם עוֹד לְהִתְעַכֵּב בַּמִּדְבָּר:

Attacked them. In order to rout them quickly within forty years time so as not to cause their children to be further delayed in the wilderness.

ויהי כאשר תמו וגו' וידבר ה' אלי וגו'. אֲבָל מִשִּׁלּוּחַ הַמְרַגְּלִים עַד כָּאן לֹא נֶאֱמַר בְּפָרָשָׁה זוֹ וַיְדַבֵּר אֶלָּא וַיֹּאמֶר, לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁכָּל ל"ח שָׁנָה שֶׁהָיוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל נְזוּפִים, לֹא נִתְיַחֵד עִמּוֹ הַדִּבּוּר בִּלְשׁוֹן חִבָּה, פָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים וְיִשּׁוּב הַדַּעַת – לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאֵין הַשְּׁכִינָה שׁוֹרָה עַל הַנְּבִיאִים אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל יִשְׂרָאֵל (מכילתא שמות י"ב):

When they had finished. Adonoy addressed me. However, from the time the spies were sent until now, the word וַיְדַבֵּר was not mentioned, only וַיֹּאמֶר, this was to teach that during the entire thirty-eight years that the Israelites were condemned, the דִּבּוּר [Divine] word was not uniquely with him as an expression of affection — face to face and with philosophic composure. This teaches that the Shechinah, the Divine Presence, rests on the prophets only for the sake of Yisroel.

אנשי המלחמה. מִבֶּן עֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה הַיּוֹצְאִים בַּצָּבָא:

The men of war. Those over twenty years old who were eligible to go to the Army.