האזינו, שלישי

ירכבהו על במתי ארץ. כָּל הַמִּקְרָא כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ:

He shall transport them [lit. cause them to ride] over the summit of the earth. The entire passage should be understood as Targum [Onkelos] translates.

ירכבהו וגו'. עַל שֵׁם שֶׁאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל גָּבוֹהַּ מִכָּל הָאֲרָצוֹת:

He shall transport them, etc. So called because Eretz Yisroel is the highest of all lands.

ויאכל תנובת שדי. אֵלּוּ פֵרוֹת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁקַּלִּים לָנוּב וּלְהִתְבַּשֵּׁל מִכָּל פֵּרוֹת הָאֲרָצוֹת:

Where they will consume the produce of the fields. This refers to the fruits of Eretz Yisroel, which are quicker to develop and ripen than any fruit of the lands.

וינקהו דבש מסלע. מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאֶחָד שֶׁאָמַר לִבְנוֹ בְּסִיכְנִי הָבֵא לִי קְצִיעוֹת מִן הֶחָבִית, הָלַךְ וּמָצָא הַדְּבַשׁ צָף עַל פִּיהָ, אָמַר לוֹ זוֹ שֶׁל דְּבַשׁ הִיא אָמַר לוֹ הַשְׁקַע יָדְךָ לְתוֹכָהּ וְאַתָּה מַעֲלֶה קְצִיעוֹת מִתּוֹכָהּ (ספרי):

He shall nurture them with honey of bedrock. There was was an incident when someone said to his son in Sichoni, ‘Bring me dried fig preserves from the barrel.’ He went, and found honey floating at the top. He said to him, ‘This is [a barrel] of honey’! He told him, ‘Dip your hand into it, and you’ll come up with dried figs from within.’

במתי ארץ. לְשׁוֹן גֹּבַהּ:

The summit of the earth. This denotes height.

שדי. לְשׁוֹן שָׂדֶה:

The fields. The word denotes “field.”

מחלמיש צור. תָּקְפּוֹ וְחָזְקוֹ שֶׁל סֶלַע, כְּשֶׁאֵינוֹ דָּבוּק לַתֵּיבָה שֶׁלְּאַחֲרָיו נָקוּד חַלָּמִישׁ וּכְשֶׁהוּא דָבוּק נָקוּד חַלְמִישׁ:

Of staunchest rock mass. The power and strength of bedrock. When non-adjunctive to the following word, the vocalization is חַלָּמִיש, when adjunctive, the vocalization is חַלְמִישׁ .

ושמן מחלמיש צור. אֵלּוּ זֵיתִים שֶׁל גּוּשׁ חָלָב (ספרי):

And oil of staunchest rock mass. This refers to the olives of Gush Chalav.

חמאת בקר וחלב צאן. זֶה הָיָה בִּימֵי שְׁלֹמֹה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלכים א ד') "עֲשָׂרָה בָקָר בְּרִאִים וְעֶשְׂרִים בָּקָר רְעִי וּמֵאָה צֹאן":

Butter-fat of cattle and milk of sheep. This took place in Shlomo’s days, as it said, “Ten fleshy cattle, twenty cattle at pasture, and one hundred sheep.”

עם חלב כרים. זֶה הָיָה בִּימֵי עֲשֶׂרֶת הַשְּׁבָטִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (עמוס ו') "וְאֹכְלִים כָּרִים מִצֹּאן":

With the fat of lambs. This took place in the days of the Ten Tribes, as it is said, “And they eat the lambs of sheep.”

חלב כליות חטה. זֶה הָיָה בִּימֵי שְׁלֹמֹה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלכים א ה') "וַיְהִי לֶחֶם שְׁלֹמֹה וְגוֹ'":

The fat of wheat kidneys. This took place in Shlomo’s days, as it is said, “Shlomo’s food was, etc.”

ודם ענב תשתה חמר. בִּימֵי עֲשֶׂרֶת הַשְּׁבָטִים "הַשֹּׁתִים בְּמִזְרְקֵי יַיִן" (עמוס ו'):

And the wine-flavored blood of grapes will you drink. During the days of the Ten Tribes, “Who drink from wine bowls.”

חמאת בקר. הוּא שֻׁמָּן הַנִּקְלָט מֵעַל גַּבֵּי הֶחָלָב:

Butter-fat of cattle. This refers to the fat which is skimmed from the top of milk.

וחלב צאן. חָלָב שֶׁל צֹאן, וּכְשֶׁהוּא דָבוּק נָקוּד חֲלֵב, כְּמוֹ "בַּחֲלֵב אִמּוֹ" (שמות כ"ג):

And milk of sheep. Milk of sheep. When used adjunctively, the vocalization is חֲלֵב, as in, “In the milk of its mother.”

כרים. כְּבָשִׂים:

Lambs. Sheep.

ואילים. כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ:

Rams. According to its plain meaning.

בני בשן. שְׁמֵנִים הָיוּ:

Native to Bashan. They were fat.

כליות חטה. חִטִּים שְׁמֵנִים כְּחֵלֶב כְּלָיוֹת וְגַסִּין כְּכוּלְיָא:

Wheat kidneys. Fat wheat, like the fat of the kidney, and with kidney-like bulk.

ודם ענב. תִּהְיֶה שׁוֹתֶה יַיִן טוֹב וְטוֹעֵם יַיִן חָשׁוּב:

Blood of the grape. You shall drink excellent [wine], with the taste of distinguished wine.

חמר. יַיִן בִּלְשׁוֹן אֲרַמִּי "חֲמַר", אֵין זֶה שֵׁם דָּבָר אֶלָּא לְשׁוֹן מְשֻׁבָּח בְּטַעַם, ווי"נוש בְּלַעַז. וְעוֹד יֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ שְׁנֵי מִקְרָאוֹת הַלָּלוּ אַחַר תַּרְגּוּם שֶׁל אֻנְקְלוֹס "אַשְׁרִינוּן עַל תָּקְפֵּי אַרְעָא וְגוֹ'":

Grapes. “Wine” in Aramaic. Grapes. This is not a noun, but rather a term meaning “of superb taste,” winos in Old French. One may also interpret these two passages in accordance with Onkelos’ rendition, “He shall place them over the powerful of the earth, etc.”

עבית. לְשׁוֹן עֹבִי:

Have become thick. The word denotes thickness.

כשית. כְּמוֹ כָּסִיתָ, לְשׁוֹן "כִּי כִסָּה פָנָיו בְּחֶלְבּוֹ" (איוב ט"ו), כְּאָדָם שֶׁשָּׁמֵן מִבִּפְנִים וּכְסָלָיו נִכְפָּלִים מִבַּחוּץ, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (שם) "וַיַּעַשׂ פִּימָה עֲלֵי כָסֶל":

[You] are covered with fat. Like “Are covered,” denoting the same as, “For he covered his face with his fat,” like a man with inner fat, whose innards form outward folds. Similarly, it says, “He formed a lip of his innards.”

כשית. יֵשׁ לָשׁוֹן קַל בִּלְשׁוֹן כִּסּוּי, כְּמוֹ "וְכֹסֶה קָלוֹן עָרוּם" (משלי י"ב), וְאִם כָּתַב כִּשִּׂיתָ, דָּגוּשׁ, הָיָה נִשְׁמָע כִּסִּיתָ אֶת אֲחֵרִים, כְּמוֹ "כִּי כִסָּה פָנָיו" (איוב ט"ו):

[You] are covered. There is a “light” grammatical usage of the term “ כִּסוּי,” as in, “He who covers an insult is clever.” If כִּשִּׂיתָ had been written with a punctuation dot, it would have meant “You covered others,” as in “For he covered his face.”

וינבל צור ישעתו. גִּנָּהוּ וּבִזָּהוּ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יחזקאל ח') "אֲחוֹרֵיהֶם אֶל הֵיכַל ה' וְגוֹ'", אֵין לְךָ נִבּוּל גָּדוֹל מִזֶּה (ספרי):

He insulted the Rock of his salvation. He affronted and insulted Him, as it is said, “Their backsides towards the Sanctuary of Adonoy, etc.” Nothing is more contemptuous than this.

יקנאהו. הִבְעִירוּ חֲמָתוֹ וְקִנְאָתוֹ:

They incited His vengeance. They inflamed His fury and vengeance.

בתועבת. בְּמַעֲשִׂים תְּעוּבִים, כְּגוֹן מִשְׁכַּב זְכוּר וּכְשָׁפִים שֶׁנֶאֱמַר בָּהֶם תּוֹעֵבָה:

With loathsomeness. With loathsome behavior. For example, homosexuality and sorcery, which are depicted as “loathsome.”

לא אלה. כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ "דְּלֵית בְּהוֹן צְרוֹךְ", אִלּוּ הָיָה בָהֶם צְרוֹךְ לֹא הָיְתָה קִנְאָה כְפוּלָה כְּמוֹ עַכְשָׁו (ספרי):

Ineffectual. As Targum [Onkelos] renders, ”Who fulfill no need.” If they had fulfilled some need, the vengeance would not have been as doubly harsh as now.

חדשים מקרב באו. אֲפִלּוּ הָאֻמּוֹת לֹא הָיוּ רְגִילִים בָּהֶם — גּוֹי שֶׁהָיָה רוֹאֶה אוֹתָם, הָיָה אוֹמֵר זֶה צֶלֶם יְהוּדִי:

Novelties, lately arrived. Even the Gentiles were unaccustomed to them. A Gentile who saw them would say, ‘This is a Jewish idol.’

לא שערום אבתיכם. לֹא יָרְאוּ מֵהֶם — לֹא עָמְדָה שַׂעֲרָתָם מִפְּנֵיהֶם, דֶּרֶךְ שַׂעֲרוֹת הָאָדָם לַעֲמֹד מֵחֲמַת יִרְאָה, כָּךְ נִדְרַשׁ בְּסִפְרֵי. וְיֵשׁ לְפָרֵשׁ עוֹד שערום לְשׁוֹן (ישעיה יג, כא) "וּשְׂעִירִים יְרַקְּדוּ שָׁם", שְׂעִירִים הֵם שֵׁדִים, לֹא עָשׂוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם שְׂעִירִים הַלָּלוּ:

Your forefathers were not awed by them. They did not fear them, their hair did not stiffen before them — a man’s hair customarily stiffens from dread. This is the way it is expounded by Sifrei. In addition, one may explain the word שְׂעָרוּם as having the same meaning as “Demons cavort there,” שְׂעִירִים referring to demons. Your forefathers did not regard those demons.

תשי. תִּשְׁכַּח. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ דָרְשׁוּ כְּשֶׁבָּא לְהֵיטִיב לָכֶם אַתֶּם מַכְעִיסִין לְפָנָיו וּמַתִּישִׁים כֹּחוֹ מִלְּהֵיטִיב לָכֶם (ספרי):

You disregarded. You forgot. The Rabbis expound: When He intends to treat you benevolently, you behave heinously before him, thus weakening His capacity for benevolence towards you.

אל מחללך. מוֹצִיאֲךָ מֵרֶחֶם, לְשׁוֹן (תהלים כט) "יְחוֹלֵל אַיָּלוֹת", (תהלים מ"ח) "חִיל כַּיּוֹלֵדָה":

The Almighty Who delivered you. Who delivered you from the womb, having the same meaning as “Who causes trembling in the mighty,” “Trembling like a woman at birthing.”