ואתחנן, שלישי

אז יבדיל. נָתַן לֵב לִהְיוֹת חָרֵד לַדָּבָר שֶׁיַּבְדִּילֵם, וְאַעַ"פִּ שֶׁאֵינָן קוֹלְטוֹת עַד שֶׁיֻּבְדְּלוּ אוֹתָן שֶׁבְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן, אָמַר מֹשֶׁה מִצְוָה שֶׁאֶפְשָׁר לְקַיְּמָהּ אֲקַיְּמֶנָּה (מכות י'):

Then Moshe set aside. [ יַבְדִיל is the future tense.] He gave thought in his heart to be concerned about the matter to set them [the cities] aside. And although they would not offer asylum until those cities of Canaan were set aside, Moshe said, a mitzvah that I can fulfil, I will fulfil.

בעבר הירדן מזרחה שמש. בְּאוֹתוֹ עֵבֶר שֶׁבְּמִזְרָחוֹ שֶׁל יַרְדֵּן:

Across the Yardein where the sun rises. On that side which is on the east of Yardein.

מזרחה שמש. לְפִי שֶׁהוּא דָּבוּק, נְקוּדָה רֵי"שׁ בַּחֲטָף, מִזְרָח שֶׁל שֶׁמֶשׁ – מְקוֹם זְרִיחַת הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ:

Where the sun rises Because מִזְרָחָה is in the construct state, the letter reish is vocalized with a chataf [sheva], [meaning] the rising of the sun — i.e., the place of the sun’s rising.

וזאת התורה. זוֹ שֶׁהוּא עָתִיד לְסַדֵּר אַחַר פָּרָשָׁה זוֹ:

And this is the Torah. This refers to that which he was about to set forth after this chapter.

אלה העדת, אשר דבר. הֵם הֵם אֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר בְּצֵאתָם מִמִּצְרַיִם, חָזַר וּשְׁנָאָהּ לָהֶם בְּעַרְבוֹת מוֹאָב:

These are the testimonies . . . that Moshe addressed. They are the very same [testimonies etc.] that he spoke when they went out of Egypt. He reviewed and taught it to them on the plains of Moav.

אשר בעבר הירדן. שֶׁהוּא בַּמִּזְרָח, שֶׁהָעֵבֶר הַשֵּׁנִי הָיָה בַּמַּעֲרָב:

Who were across the Yardein. That is on the east, because the second side was to the west.