שופטים א׳:כ״ב-כ״ו

בית אל. שנפל בגורלם (יהושע טז א), ואף על פי שפסל מיכה עמהם, שהרי מיכה משבט אפרים (שופטים יז א), נאמר כאן 'וה' עמם', הוא שאמר דניאל (דניאל ט ז): לך ה' הצדקה ולנו בושת הפנים:

Beis El which was part of their ancestral allotment. Although Michah's idol²⁹Chapter 17, v.4 [below] relates that Michah of Mount Ephraim made a graven image and kept it at his home, where it was worshiped. Although the incident is not mentioned earlier in the text, Rashi asserts that the idol was already in existence during the conquest of Eretz Yisroel. See Rasi to 17:1. was in their possession—for Michah was from the tribe of Ephraim—it is said here, "and Adonoy was with them." Concerning this, Daniel said, "Yours, O Adonoy, is benevolence—ours is the face of humiliation."³⁰Daniel, 9:7.

ויתירו. על ידי אחרים, (תרגום:) ושלחו מאללין, ויתורו את ארץ (במדבר יג ב) נאמר במרגלים עצמן, ואלו ששלחו מרגלים נאמר בהם ויתירו:

Sent spies. Through others, they sent spies.³¹This is Targum Yonasan’s translation. "They spied the land"³² Bamidbar, 13:21. This refers to the spies sent by Moshe in the wilderness. is said concerning the spies themselves. However, concerning these who sent spies it is said, "they sent spies."

את מבוא העיר. שהיו נכנסים לה דרך המערה, ולוז אחד עומד על פי המערה ונכנסים דרך הלוז למערה:

The entrance to the city. It was entered through a cave. A hazelnut tree stood at the mouth of the cave, and they passed through the tree³³The tree was hollow. They passed through the hollow section into the cave, then through the cave into the city. (Bereishis Rabah, 69:8) into the cave.

ויראם. באצבעו:

He showed them with his finger.³⁴If this heathen, by the mere flick of a finger, saved himself and his progeny, then certainly one who actively escorts others. (Sotah, 46:b)

לוז. שגדלו בו אגוזים דקים, קולדר"א בלע"ז:

Luz. Small nuts grow on this. "Coudre" in old French.

הוא שמה עד היום. לא בלבלה סנחריב, ולא החריבה נבוכדנצר:

It is so entitled to this day. Sancheriv did not "jumble" it,³⁵Sancheriv “jumbled” all the nations of the world by transporting the inhabitants of one country to another. (Yadayim, 4:3, Yeshaya, 10:13). He did the same to the inhabitants of Eretz Yisroel (Melachim 2, 17:6, 23, 24) but not to the inhabitants of Luz. and Nevuchadnetzar did not devastate it.³⁶Sotah, 46:b.