דברים ז׳:י״ז-כ״ו

כי תאמר בלבבך. עַל כָּרְחֲךָ לְשׁוֹן דִּילְמָא הוּא, שֶׁמָּא תֹאמַר בִּלְבָבְךָ מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵם רַבִּים לֹא אוּכַל לְהוֹרִישָׁם, אַל תֹּאמַר כֵּן, לא תירא מהם, וְלֹא יִתָּכֵן לְפָרְשׁוֹ בְּאַחַת מִשְּׁאָר לְשׁוֹנוֹת שֶׁל כִּי שֶׁיִּפֹּל עָלָיו שׁוּב לֹא תִירָא מֵהֶם:

Perhaps you may think to yourself. You must agree that (כִּי) in this context is an expression of perhaps: Perhaps you may think to yourself “Because they are [so] many, I will be unable to dispossess them.” You should not say [think] so. Do not fear them. And it is impossible to explain [the word כִּי ] according to any of the other meanings of כִּי that would fit in with: Do not fear them.

המסת. נִסְיוֹנוֹת:

Tests. מַסֹת means tests.

והאתת. כְּגוֹן וַיְהִי לְנָחָשׁ (שמות ד'), וְהָיוּ לְדָם בַּיַּבָּשֶׁת (שם):

Signs. For example, “And it became a snake,” and “it became blood on the dry land.”

והמפתים. הַמַּכּוֹת הַמֻּפְלָאוֹת:

And the wonders — the wondrous plagues.

והיד החזקה. זוֹ הַדֶּבֶר:

The mighty hand. This refers to the pestilence.

והזרע הנטויה. זוֹ הַחֶרֶב שֶׁל מַכַּת בְּכוֹרוֹת:

And the extended arm. This is a reference to the sword of the plague of (the Egyptian) first born.

הצרעה. מִין שֶׁרֶץ הָעוֹף שֶׁהָיְתָה זוֹרֶקֶת בָּהֶם מָרָה וּמְסָרַסְתָּן וּמְסַמְּאָה אֶת עֵינֵיהֶם בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁהָיוּ נִסְתָּרִין שָׁם (סוטה ל"ו):

The tzir’oh. This a flying insect which injected a poisonous substance into them, and castrated them and blinded them in every place where they would hide.

פן תרבה עליך חית השדה. וַהֲלֹא אִם עוֹשִׂין רְצוֹנוֹ שֶׁל מָקוֹם אֵין מִתְיָרְאִין מִן הַחַיָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (איוב ה') וְחַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה הָשְׁלְמָה לָּךְ? אֶלָּא גָּלוּי הָיָה לְפָנָיו שֶׁעֲתִידִין לַחֲטֹא:

Lest the wild animals multiply against you. But is it not true that if they do the will of the Omnipresent they would not have to fear the beast, as it is said, “And the wild animals will be at peace with you”? However it was known to Him that they would sin in the future.

והמם. נָקוּד קָמָץ כֻּלּוֹ, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין מ"ם אַחֲרוֹנָה מִן הַיְסוֹד, וַהֲרֵי הוּא כְּמוֹ וְהָם אוֹתָם, אֲבָל "וְהָמַם גִּלְגַּל עֶגְלָתוֹ" (ישעיהו כ"ח) כֻּלּוֹ יְסוֹד, לְפִיכָךְ חֶצְיוֹ קָמָץ וְחֶצְיוֹ פַּתָּח, כִּשְׁאָר פֹּעַל שֶׁל שָׁלוֹשׁ אוֹתִיּוֹת:

And will confuse them. Both syllables of the word הָמָם have a kometz vowel because the last mem is not part of the root. Thus וְהָמָם is the same as וְהָם אוֹתָם [and will confuse them]. However (the word וְהָמַם in the verse,) “And though the roller of his wagon was noisy,” the verb הָמַם consists entirely of root letters; therefore half of it has a kometz (הָ) and half of it has a patach (מַ) like any other verb of three letters.