שופטים ב׳

ויעל מלאך ה'. שנינו ב'סדר עולם' (פרק יט): זה היה פנחס:

Adonoy's emissary went up. We learn in Seder Olam that this was Pinchos.¹ Son of Elazar, grandson of Aharon Hakohen. (Bemidbar, 25:11.)² Why is Pinchas entitled מַלְאַךְ ה׳, lit. “an angel of Adonoy”? Because, when visited by the sacred spirit, he was enflamed with radiance. (Vayikra Rabah, A. See Rashi to Yehoshua, 2:4).

אל הבוכים. שם המקום:

To Bochim. The name of a place.³Not literally “weeping”. See vs.4,5.

אעלה אתכם. כך היה דעתי מתחילה להעלותכם ממצרים, וכן עשיתי על מנת להוריש את אויבי:

I took you up. This was My original intent,⁴The future tense, אַעֲלֶה, literally “I shall take”, indicates the intent which preceded the actual taking. See Rashi to Shemos, 15:1. to take you up from Mitzrayim—and I did so—with the stipulation that My enemies be ousted.⁵ As indicated by the warning against covenants [v.2].

וגם אמרתי. עתה אמרתי באפי:

Now I have also declared. At present I have declared, in My fury.⁶This is not part of the original intent stated in vs.1,2, but is a new declaration, made now because they sinned.

לצדים. למצדדים בצדכם בגדודים וגייסות לשלול ולבוז:

At your flanks. They will harass your flanks with bandits and troops, pillaging and plundering.

וישלח יהושע וגו'. זה המעשה היה מוקדם, אלא לפי שבא לומר (פסוק יא): ויעשו הרע, התחיל לומר כן: יהושע. כשמת וקבלו לפניו לעבוד ה', שלחם איש לנחלתו, והם עבדו את ה' כל ימיו וכל ימי הזקנים, ואחר כך: ויעשו בני ישראל הרע:

Yehoshua dismissed, etc. This incident had taken place previously, but, as Scripture intends to relate that they acted wickedly [v.11], it begins with the following statement: at Yehoshua's death, when they resolved, in his presence, to serve Adonoy, he dismissed them, each man to his ancestral property. They served Adonoy throughout his days and the days of the elders. Afterward, "The Bnei Yisroel acted wickedly."

אשר האריכו ימים וגו'. ימים האריכו, שנים לא האריכו, לפי שנתעצלו בהספדו, הוא שנאמר (פסוק ט): הר געש, שרעש עליהם ההר להורגן:

Whose days extended. Their 'days' extended⁷In contentment. However, their lives were short. (Shabbos, 105:b.-See Rashi there). but not their 'years', as they neglected to eulogize him.⁸Scripture omits any mention of a mourning period for Yehoshua, as with Aharon (Bemidbar 20:29) and Moshe (Devarim 34:8). This indicates that they were remiss in eulogizing him and mourning for him. (Tosafos to Shabbos, 105:b). Thus it is said, "…of Mount Ga'ash"—⁹“They buried him (Yehoshua)…at Mount Ephraim, north of Ga’ash.” [v.9] Mount Ephraim was better known than G’ash. Why, then, does Scripture identify the famous Mountain by its proximity to the obscure Ga’ash? Evidently, “Ga’ash” is not an identifying landmark, but is intended as a homiletical allusion to “ra’ash”, “storm”, teaching that the mountain stormed against them. (Maharsha to Shabbos, ibid.). the mountain stormed at them¹⁰Shabbos, ibid. to slaughter them.

בתמנת חרס. על שם שהעמידו תמונת חרס על קברו, כלומר חבל על אדם שהעמיד החמה ומוטל בקבר:

At Timnas Cheres. So entitled because a likeness of the sun¹¹‘Timnas Serach’ is literally translated as ‘The likeness of the sun’. was placed over his grave, as if to say, "Alas, that a man who halted the sun¹²Yehoshua ordered the sun to stand still, and the sun obeyed. (Yehoshua, 10:12,13.) lies in the grave."

בכל אשר יצאו יד ה' היתה בם לרעה. על אבימלך ומחלון וכליון נאמר ב'סדר עולם' (פרק יב):

Wherever they went, the hand of Adonoy was destructive to them. This refers to Elimelech, Machlon, and Chilyon—¹³Naomi’s husband and two sons, mentioned in the opening passages of the Book of Rus. They were punished with poverty and then death. See Rashi to Megilas Rus, ch.1. Seder Olam.

ויקם ה' שפטים. תמיד מדור אל דור, כמו שהוא מונה והולך בספר הזה, שופט אחר שופט:

Adonoy established judges. Continuously, in successive generations, as enumerated in this book, judge succeeding judge.

וכי הקים. לשון הווה, וכאשר היה מקים להם שופטים, והיה ה' עם השופט וגו':

When He would establish—This describes an ongoing process—'When He would establish judges for them, and Adonoy would visit with the judge, etc.'

כי ינחם. שהיה מתנחם להם על הרעה, כן תרגם יונתן:

For He would recant. He would recant, concerning them, from the destruction.¹⁴Which He had intended to rain upon them. Accordingly, יְנַחֵם is not understood as ‘would find comfort,’ but as ‘would recant.’ See Rashi to Bereishis, 6:6, second interpretation. This is Yonasan's rendition.

מנאקתם. מפני נאקתם, העולה לפניו מפני אויביהם:

From the outcry—As a result of their cry that went up to Him because of their tormentors

לא הפילו. לא הניחו דבר להיות נוכחים על כל הבא עליהם:

They fell nothing short. They omitted nothing deserving of the reproach inherent in everything that befell them.

השומרים הם. ה"א חטף פתח הוא נקוד, לפי שהוא לשון שאלה ונסיון:

Whether they observe. The letter ה is vocalized with the abridged pasach,¹⁵This vocalization is used to express inquiry. as it expresses the inquiry involved in testing.