עקב, ראשון

והיה עקב תשמעון. אִם הַמִּצְווֹת קַלּוֹת שֶׁאָדָם דָּשׁ בַּעֲקֵבָיו תשמעון.

In the future, as a consequence of your heeding. If, even the lesser commandments which a person [sometimes] treads on with his heels, you will heed, [then] —

ושמר ה' וגו'. יִשְׁמֹר לְךָ הַבְטָחָתוֹ (עי' תנחומא):

Adonoy, your God will preserve. . . He will keep his promise to you.

שגר אלפיך. וַלְדֵי בְקָרְךָ שֶׁהַנְּקֵבָה מְשַׁגֶּרֶת מִמֵּעֶיהָ:

The offspring of your cattle. The young of your cattle which the female casts out from her womb.

ועשתרת צאנך. מְנַחֵם פֵּרֵשׁ "אַבִּירֵי בָשָׁן" (תהילים כ"ב) – מִבְחַר הַצֹּאן, כְּמוֹ "בְּעַשְׁתְּרֹת קַרְנַיִם" (בראשית י"ד), לְשׁוֹן חֹזֶק, וְאֻנְקְלוֹס תִּרְגֵּם "וְעֶדְרֵי עָנָךְ". וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ לָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמָם עַשְׁתָּרוֹת? שֶׁמַּעֲשִׁירוֹת אֶת בַּעֲלֵיהֶן (חולין פ"ד):

And the herds of your sheep. Menachem (ben Seruk) explains that אַבִּירֵי בָּשָׁן (the strong bulls of Bashan) means the choicest of the flock, similar to עַשְׁתְּרֹת קַרְנַיִם, which expresses strength. Onkelos translates it as herds of your sheep. Our Sages said: “Why are they called עַשְׁתָּרֹת ? “Because they enrich their owners.”

עקר. שֶׁאֵינוֹ מוֹלִיד:

A sterile male — who cannot beget children.

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.

כל המצוה. כִּפְשׁוּטוֹ; וּמִדְרַשׁ אַגָּדָה אִם הִתְחַלְתָּ בְּמִצְוָה גְּמֹר אוֹתָהּ, שֶׁאֵינָהּ נִקְרֵאת אֶלָּא עַל שֵׁם הַגּוֹמְרָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וְאֶת עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִמִּצְרַיִם קָבְרוּ בִשְׁכֶם" (יהושע כ"ד), וַהֲלֹא מֹשֶׁה לְבַדּוֹ נִתְעַסֵּק בָּהֶם לְהַעֲלוֹתָם? אֶלָּא לְפִי שֶׁלֹּא הִסְפִּיק לְגָמְרָהּ וּגְמָרוּהָ יִשְׂרָאֵל נִקְרֵאת עַל שְׁמָם (תנחומא):

The entire mitzvah. This can be understood in its plain sense. There is also a Midrashic explanation: If you began to fulfill a mitzvah, complete it; for the mitzvah carries the name only [it is only accredited] of the one who completes it, as it is said, “And the bones of Yoseif which Bnei Yisroel brought up from Egypt they buried in Shechem.” Now, didn’t Moshe himself attend to them [the bones] to bring them [up from Egypt]? However, since he had no opportunity to complete it, and Bnei Yisroel did complete it, it is called by their name.

התשמר מצותו. שֶׁלֹּא תְנַסֵּהוּ וְלֹא תְהַרְהֵר אַחֲרָיו:

Will you guard His mitzvos — not to test Him and not to be critical of Him.

שמלתך לא בלתה. עַנְנֵי כָבוֹד הָיוּ שָׁפִים בִּכְסוּתָם וּמְגַהֲצִים אוֹתָם כְּמִין כֵּלִים מְגֹהָצִים, וְאַף קְטַנֵּיהֶם כְּמוֹ שֶׁהָיוּ גְדֵלִים הָיָה גָּדֵל לְבוּשָׁן עִמָּהֶם, כַּלְּבוּשׁ הַזֶּה שֶׁל חֹמֶט שֶׁגָּדֵל עִמּוֹ (עי' ילקוט שמעוני תת"ן):

Your garment did not wear out on you. The clouds of Divine Glory rubbed the grime off their clothes and pressed them like pressed garments; and their children too, as they grew, their clothes grew with them, similar to the covering (shell) of a snail which grows with it.

לא בצקה. לֹא נָפְחָה כְּבָצֵק, כְּדֶרֶךְ הוֹלְכֵי יָחֵף שֶׁרַגְלֵיהֶם נְפוּחוֹת:

Nor did . . . swell. It did not blow up like dough (בָּצֵק). This usually happens to those who walk barefoot, that their feet become swollen.

זית שמן. זֵיתִים הָעוֹשִׂים שֶׁמֶן:

זֵית שֶׁמֶן — (literally, the olive of oil). Its meaning is, olives that produce oil.