דברים, שישי

החלתי תת לפניך. כָּפָה שַׂר שֶׁל אֱמוֹרִיִּים שֶׁל מַעְלָה תַּחַת רַגְלָיו שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה וְהִדְרִיכוֹ עַל צַוָּארוֹ:

[See] I have begun defeating before you. He forced the protecting angel of the Amorites, who was in the upper spheres, [to fall] beneath the feet of Moshe, and caused [Moshe] to stamp on his neck.

ויצא סיחן. לֹא שָׁלַח בִּשְׁבִיל עוֹג לַעֲזֹר לוֹ, לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ צְרִיכִים זֶה לָזֶה:

And Sichon went out. He did not send for Og to help him; this teaches you that they did not require each others help.

ואת בניו. בנו כְתִיב, שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ בֵן גִּבּוֹר כְּמוֹתוֹ (תנחומא חקת):

And his sons. It (בְּנוֹ) is written [like a singular-possessive] [which would be translated: his son]; for he (Sichon) had a son who was as mighty as himself.

מתם. אֲנָשִׁים, בְּבִזַּת סִיחוֹן נֶאֱמַר בָּזַזְנוּ לָנוּ, לְשׁוֹן בִּזָּה, שֶׁהָיְתָה חֲבִיבָה עֲלֵיהֶם וּבוֹזְזִים אִישׁ לוֹ, וּכְשֶׁבָּאוּ לְבִזַּת עוֹג, כְּבָר הָיוּ שְׂבֵעִים וּמְלֵאִים, וְהָיְתָה בְּזוּיָה בְּעֵינֵיהֶם, וּמְקָרְעִין וּמַשְׁלִיכִין בְּהֵמָה וּבְגָדִים, וְלֹא נָטְלוּ כִּי אִם כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר בַּזּוֹנוּ לָנוּ, לְשׁוֹן בִּזָּיוֹן, כָּךְ נִדְרָשׁ בְּסִפְרֵי בְּפַ' וַיֵּשֶׁב יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּשִּׁטִּים:

מְתִם . means men. Regarding the booty of Sichon it is said, “We plundered for ourselves,” which is an expression of plunder, because it was appealing to them and each man took booty for himself. However when they came to the plundering of Og, they were already satisfied and full, and it was cheap in their eyes; so they ripped up and threw away cattle and clothing and took nothing but silver and gold. Therefore it is said, בַּזּוֹנוּ לָנוּ, indicating that it was despicable to them. This is how it is expounded in Sifrei, in the chapter, “And Bnei Yisroel dwelt in Shittim.”

כל יד נחל יבק. כָּל אֵצֶל נַחַל יַבֹּק:

כָּל יַד נַחַל יַבֹּק . All along Wadi Yabok.

וכל אשר צוה ה' אלהינו. שֶׁלֹּא לִכְבֹּשׁ, הִנַּחְנוּ:

Everything Adonoy our God [commanded us] — not to capture, we left [uncaptured].

ונפן ונעל. כָּל צַד צָפוֹן הוּא עֲלִיָּה:

We turned and went up. The entire [journey] northward was uphill.

אל תירא אתו. וּבְסִיחוֹן לֹא הֻצְרַךְ לוֹמַר אַל תִּירָא אֹתוֹ אֶלָּא מִתְיָרֵא הָיָה מֹשֶׁה שֶׁלֹּא תַעֲמֹד לוֹ זְכוּת שֶׁשִּׁמֵּשׁ לְאַבְרָהָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית י"ד) "וַיָּבֹא הַפָּלִיט", וְהוּא עוֹג:

Do not fear him. Concerning Sichon, it was not necessary to say, “Do not fear him,” [But concerning Og] Moshe was troubled that he not benefit from the merit of having been of service to Avrohom, as it is said, “the one who escaped came,” and that was Og.

חבל ארגב. מְתַרְגְּמִינַן בֵּית פֶּלֶךְ טְרָכוֹנָא, וְרָאִיתִי תַּרְגּוּם יְרוּשַׁלְמִי בִּמְגִלַּת אֶסְתֵּר קוֹרֵא פָּלָטִין טְרָכוֹנִין, לָמַדְתִּי חֶבֶל אַרְגּוֹב הִפַּרְכִיָּא – הֵיכַל מֶלֶךְ, כְּלוֹמַר שֶׁהַמַּלְכוּת נִקְרֵאת עַל שְׁמָהּ; וְכֵן אֶת הָאַרְגּוֹב דִּמְלָכִים (מלכים ב ט״ו:כ״ה), אֵצֶל הֵיכַל מֶלֶךְ הֲרָגוֹ פֶּקַח בֶּן רְמַלְיָהוּ לִפְקַחְיָה בֶן מְנַחֵם, לָמַדְתִּי שֶׁכָּךְ נִקְרָא שֵׁם הִפַּרְכִיָּא:

The province of Argov. Targum Onkelos translates this: בֵּית פָּלָך טְרָכוֹנָא, and I saw that Targum Yerushalmi to Megillas Esther calls a palace טְרָכוֹנִין . I learned from this that חֶבֶל אַרְגֹּב refers to the province of the Royal Palace. In other words the empire is called after its name. Similarly the word אַרְגּוֹב is found in [Seifer] Melachim, [in this context:] it was near the Royal Palace that Pekach, son of Remalyahu killed Pekachya, son of Menachem. I learned from this that this was the name of the province.

מערי הפרזי. פְּרוּזוֹת וּפְתוּחוֹת בְּלֹא חוֹמָה, וְכֵן (זכריה ב') "פְּרָזוֹת תֵּשֵׁב יְרוּשָׁלַיִם":

Unwalled cities. Unconfined and open, without a wall. Similarly, “Jerusalem shall be inhabited like unwalled cities.”

החרם. לְשׁוֹן הֹוֶה – הָלוֹךְ וְכַלּוֹת:

Annihilating. In the present tense, [as] going and destroying.

מיד. מֵרְשׁוּת:

From the possession of. From under the control of.

צידנים יקראו לחרמון וגו'. וּבְמָקוֹם אַחֵר הוּא אוֹמֵר (דברים ד') "וְעַד הַר שִׂיאֹן הוּא חֶרְמוֹן", הֲרֵי לוֹ אַרְבָּעָה שֵׁמוֹת, לָמָּה הֻצְרְכוּ לִכָּתֵב? לְהַגִּיד שֶׁבַח אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל – שֶׁהָיוּ אַרְבַּע מַלְכֻיּוֹת מִתְפָּאֲרוֹת בְּכָךְ, זוֹ אוֹמֶרֶת עַל שְׁמִי יִקָּרֵא, וְזוֹ אוֹמֶרֶת עַל שְׁמִי יִקָּרֵא:

The Tzidonites call Chermon. But elsewhere it says “up to Mount Si’on which is Chermon.” Hence, it has four names. Why must they [all] be mentioned? To tell the praise of the Land of Yisroel. Four kings prided themselves in it; One said, “it shall be called in my name,” and another said, “it shall be called in my name.”

שניר. הוּא שֶׁלֶג בִּלְשׁוֹן אַשְׁכְּנַז וּבִלְשׁוֹן כְּנַעַן:

Sneer. This is snow in German, and in the Canaanite language.

מיתר הרפאים. שֶׁהָרְגוּ אַמְרָפֶל וַחֲבֵרָיו בְּעַשְׁתְּרוֹת קַרְנַיִם, וְהוּא פָּלַט מִן הַמִּלְחָמָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית י"ד) "וַיָּבֹא הַפָּלִיט" – זֶהוּ עוֹג:

From the remainder of the giants — that were killed by Amrafel and his allies at Ashteros Karnayim, and he (Og) escaped from the battle, as it is said, “And the one who escaped came,” and that referred to Og.

באמת איש. בְּאַמַּת עוֹג:

In a man’s amoh. — the amoh of Og.

ואת הארץ הזאת. הָאֲמוּרָה לְמַעְלָה, מִנַּחַל אַרְנוֹן וְעַד הַר חֶרְמוֹן, ירשנו בעת ההיא:

And this land. “This land” refers to the land mentioned above, “From Wadi Arnon to Mount Chermon.”

מערער אשר על נחל ארנן. אֵינוֹ מְחֻבָּר לְרֹאשׁוֹ שֶׁל מִקְרָא אֶלָּא לְסוֹפוֹ – עַל נָתַתִּי לָראוּבֵנִי וְלַגָּדִי, אֲבָל לְעִנְיַן יְרֻשָּׁה עַד הַר חֶרְמוֹן הָיָה:

We inherited at that time, from Aroer which is on Wadi Arnon. This is not to be connected with the first part of the verse but with its conclusion — with “I gave to the Reuvenites and the Gaddites.” However regarding inheritance (possession) that was from [Wadi Arnon] to Mount Chermon.

ההוא יקרא ארץ רפאים. הִיא אוֹתָהּ שֶׁנָּתַתִּי לְאַבְרָהָם:

That is called the land of Rephaim. That is the land which I gave to Avrohom.