מלאכי א׳:י״ד-ב׳:ט׳

נוֹכֵל. מִתְנַכֵּל בְּמִרְמָה, בְּדִבְרֵי שֶׁקֶר לְפָנַי, לֵאמֹר: ״אֵין לִי טוֹבָה מִזּוֹ״.

he who deals craftily Plots deceitfully, with guile, before Me, saying, “I have none better than this.”

וְיֵשׁ בְּעֶדְרוֹ זָכָר. אַיִל הֶהָגוּן לְעוֹלָה, וְהוּא נוֹדֵר זֶבַח.

a ram a ram fit for a burnt offering;

מָשְׁחָת. בַּעַל מוּם, כְּמוֹ (ויקרא כב:כה) ״מָשְׁחָתָם בָּהֶם״.

and he vows and sacrifices a blemished one as in (Lev. 22:25), “their corruption is in them; a blemish is in them.”

אֲלֵיכֶם. הַכֹּהֲנִים, אֲנִי מְצַוֶּה הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת, שֶׁלֹּא תַּקְרִיבוּ אֵלֶּה עַל מִזְבְּחִי.

to you, etc., O priests I charge you with this commandment, that you shall not sacrifice these on My altar.

וְאָרוֹתִי. וְקִלַּלְתִּי אֶת בִּרְכוֹתֵיכֶם – מַה שֶּׁצָּרִיךְ לְבָרֵךְ לָכֶם: הַדָּגָן, וְהַתִּירוֹשׁ, וְהַיִּצְהָר.

and I will curse And I will curse your blessings; how I should bless the grain, the wine, and the oil for you.

וְגַם אָרוֹתִיהָ. וּבֶאֱמֶת אֵין לִתְלוֹת הַדָּבָר עַל תְּנַאי שֶׁתָּלִיתִי בְּ״אִם לֹא יִשְׁמַע״, כִּי יָדַעְתִּי שֶׁלֹּא תִשְׁמְעוּ. לְפִיכָךְ אֲנִי מֵעַתָּה אָרוֹתִיהָ.

Indeed I have [already] cursed it Indeed, it is unnecessary to have the matter depend on the condition upon which I made it depend: if they do not obey. For I know that you will not obey. Therefore, I have already cursed it - from now.

וְזֵרִיתִי פֶרֶשׁ. שֶׁל בְּהֵמוֹת חַגֵּיכֶם עַל פְּנֵיכֶם. כְּלוֹמַר, לֹא תְקַבְּלוּ שָׂכָר מֵאִתִּי כִּי אִם לְרָעָה, לְבֹשֶׁת, וְאֶגְעַר לָכֶם אֶת זֶרַע הַשָּׂדֶה.

and I will scatter dung of the animals of your festive sacrifices; that is to say, you will not receive reward from Me, but [you will receive a curse] for harm and shame. And I will rebuke the seed of the field because of you.

וְנָשָׂא אֶתְכֶם אֵלָיו. פֶּרֶשׁ בְּהֵמוֹת קָרְבְּנוֹתֵיכֶם יִשָּׂא אֶתְכֶם אֵלָיו, לִהְיוֹת זוֹלְלִים וְנִבְזִים כָּמוֹהוּ.

and it shall take you to itself The dung of your sacrificial animals will take you to itself to [make you] cheap and despised, as it is.

לִהְיוֹת בְּרִיתִי אֶת לֵוִי. שֶׁאֲנִי חָפֵץ שֶׁתִּתְקַיְּמוּ (אִתִּי) בַּבְּרִית שֶׁכָּרַתִּי לְשֵׁבֶט לֵוִי.

that My covenant be with Levi for I wish that you will exist with Me with the covenant that I formed for the tribe of Levi.

הַחַיִּים וְהַשָּׁלוֹם. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לְפִינְחָס ״אֶת בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם״ (במדבר כה:יב), וְהֻבְטַח לוֹ וּלְזַרְעוֹ אַחֲרָיו. הֲרֵי שֶׁיְּהֵא זַרְעוֹ בַּחַיִּים.

life and peace As it was said to Phinehas (Num. 25:12): “My covenant of peace”; and it was promised to him and to his seed after him, thus indicating that his seed will be alive.

וָאֶתְּנֵם לוֹ. שֶׁיְּקַבְּלֵם בְּמוֹרָא, וְכֵן עָשָׂה וַיִּירָאֵנִי.

and I gave them to him that he accept them with fear, and so he did, and he feared Me.

נִחַת. לְשׁוֹן ׳חִתַּת׳ – נִתְיָרֵא.

he was over-awed an expression of חִתַּת, fear; he was afraid.

בְּשָׁלוֹם וּבְמִישׁוֹר הָלַךְ אִתִּי. אַהֲרֹן וְאֶלְעָזָר וּפִינְחָס. וְכֵן בְּמַעֲשֵׂה הָעֵגֶל, הֵשִׁיבוּ כָּל שִׁבְטֵיהֶם מֵעָוֹן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיֵּאָסְפוּ אֵלָיו כָּל בְּנֵי לֵוִי״ (שמות לב:כו).

In peace and equity he went with Me Aaron, Eleazar, and Phinehas and so in the episode of the calf, they brought back all their tribe from iniquity, as it is said (Ex. 32:26), “all the children of Levi gathered to him.”

כִּי שִׂפְתֵי כֹהֵן. עֲלֵיהֶם מוּטָל לִשְׁמֹר דַּעַת. לָמָּה? שֶׁהֲרֵי תוֹרָה יְבַקְשׁוּ מִפִּיהוּ, שֶׁכְּבָר דָּבָר זֶה מָסוּר לָהֶם: ״יוֹרוּ מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לְיַעֲקֹב״ (דברים לג:י).

For a priest’s lips It is incumbent upon them to guard knowledge. Why? Because... teaching should be sought from his mouth This matter has already (Deut. 33:10) been delivered to them. “They shall teach Your judgments to Jacob.”

כִּי מַלְאַךְ. שְׁלוּחוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא כְּמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, לְשָׁרֵת לְפָנָיו וְלִכָּנֵס לִפְנִים בִּמְחִיצָתוֹ.

for he is a messenger the agent of the Holy One, blessed be He; like the ministering angels, to serve Him and to enter into His compartment. [I.e., into the place where God’s presence is manifest.]