שמואל א י״א:א׳-י׳

כל עין ימין. כמשמעו ומדרש אגדה (ילקוט שמעוני רמז קיא): הביאו לי ספר תורתכם שנתנה מימין, ואשרפה, על שכתוב בו (דברים כג ד): לא יבא עמוני ומואבי וגו':

Each right eye. Explain it literally.¹As a symbol of everlasting defeat. But the Midrash Aggadah [explains it figuratively, that he said,] "Bring me your Torah scroll which was given by the right hand [of God],²See Devarim 33:2. and I will burn it, because He wrote in it, "Neither an Ammonite nor a Moavite may enter [into Adonoy's community]."³Devarim 23:4. Therefore, Nochosh said that he cannot accept any form of peace treaty with the Bnei Yisroel when the Torah specifically forbids to seek peace with Ammon. In Devarim 23:7 the Torah stated with regard to Ammon and Moav, “You shall not seek their peace or welfare, all your days, forever.” Nochosh therefore wanted to burn the Torah.

חרפה. גדוף:

A sign of shame. An insult.

אחרי הבקר. אחר זמן מועד ביאת הבקר מן השדה:

Behind the cattle. After the appointed time that the cattle come in from the field.

לבקרו. לבהמותיו:

To his cattle. To his animals.

ויפקדם בבזק. רבותינו אמרו (יומא כב ב): בשברי חרסים (ס"א, אינו). לשון אחר: בבזק, באבנים, שנטל מכל אחד אבן ומנאם, כמו (לקמן טו ד): ויפקדם בטלאים, שנטל מכל אחד טלה ומנאם בהם, כמו שהיו מונים אותם בחצאי שקלים, ותרגם (משלי כו ח): כצרור אבן במרגמה, היך בזקא דכיפא בקלעא. ובילמדנו: ויפקדם בטלאים, כד אינון מסכנין, באלין בזקייא, כד אינון עתירים, באלין אימריא. לשון אחר: 'בבזק', שם מקום הנזכר בספר שופטים (א ה) וימצאו את אדוני בזק בבזק:

He counted them in Bezek. Our Rabbis said that he counted them using earthenware shards.⁴ See Maseches Yoma 22b. According to this rendering, Bezek is not a name of a place, but rather a description of the means used by which to count the people. Another explanation is that בְּבָזֶק means 'with pebbles,' i.e., he took a pebble from each one, and counted them, similar to, "And he counted them with lambs,"⁵Below 15:4. i.e., he took a lamb from each one, and counted them with the lambs, just as they would count them with half shekels.⁶ See Rashi Ibid. Targum reders, in the verse, "as one who loads a pebble [אֶבֶן] for throwing in a slingshot,"⁷ Mishlei 26:8. as one who loads a בִּזְקָא into a slingshot. And in [Midrash] Yelam'denu, "And he counted them with lambs," [is explained as,] "when they were poor, [they were counted] with pebbles and when they became rich, [they were counted] with lambs. Another explanation is that בָזֶק is the name of a place, mentioned in Shoftim, "they found Adoni Bezek in Bezek."⁸Shoftim 1:5.