א׳
ל״טוְטַפְּכֶם֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר אֲמַרְתֶּ֜ם לָבַ֣ז יִהְיֶ֗ה וּ֠בְנֵיכֶ֠ם אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹא־יָדְע֤וּ הַיּוֹם֙ ט֣וֹב וָרָ֔ע הֵ֖מָּה יָבֹ֣אוּ שָׁ֑מָּה וְלָהֶ֣ם אֶתְּנֶ֔נָּה וְהֵ֖ם יִירָשֽׁוּהָ׃
39Moreover, your little ones who you said would be carried off, your children who do not yet know good from bad, they shall enter it; to them will I give it and they shall possess it.
מ׳וְאַתֶּ֖ם פְּנ֣וּ לָכֶ֑ם וּסְע֥וּ הַמִּדְבָּ֖רָה דֶּ֥רֶךְ יַם־סֽוּף׃
40As for you, turn about and march into the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds.
פנו לכם. אָמַרְתִּי לְהַעֲבִיר אֶתְכֶם דֶּרֶךְ רֹחַב אֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם לְצַד צָפוֹן לִכָּנֵס לָאָרֶץ, קִלְקַלְתֶּם וּגְרַמְתֶּם לָכֶם עִכּוּב:
פנו לכם TURN YE — I thought to let you pass across the breadth of the land of Edom in a northerly direction and thus enter the Land (cf. Rashi on Numbers 34:3); you, however, became degenerate and caused this delay for yourselves.
פנו לכם. לַאֲחוֹרֵיכֶם וְתֵלְכוּ בַּמִּדְבָּר לְצַד יַם סוּף – שֶׁהַמִּדְבָּר שֶׁהָיוּ מְהַלְּכִים בּוֹ לִדְרוֹמוֹ שֶׁל הַר שֵׂעִיר הָיָה מַפְסִיק בֵּין יַם סוּף לְהַר שֵׂעִיר – עַתָּה הִמָּשְׁכוּ לְצַד הַיָּם וּתְסַבְּבוּ אֶת הַר שֵׂעִיר כָּל דְּרוֹמוֹ מִן הַמַּעֲרָב לַמִּזְרָח:
פנו לכם TURN YE backwards, and proceed through the wilderness towards the Red Sea; — for the wilderness through which they were travelling was to the south of Mount Seir separating the Red Sea from Mount Seir. — Now proceed in the direction of the Sea and travel round Mount Seir along the whole of its south side from the west to the east.
מ״אוַֽתַּעֲנ֣וּ ׀ וַתֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלַ֗י חָטָ֘אנוּ֮ לַיהֹוָה֒ אֲנַ֤חְנוּ נַעֲלֶה֙ וְנִלְחַ֔מְנוּ כְּכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֖נוּ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ וַֽתַּחְגְּר֗וּ אִ֚ישׁ אֶת־כְּלֵ֣י מִלְחַמְתּ֔וֹ וַתָּהִ֖ינוּ לַעֲלֹ֥ת הָהָֽרָה׃
41You replied to me, saying, “We stand guilty before GOD. We will go up now and fight, just as the ETERNAL our God commanded us.” And you each girded yourselves with war gear and recklesslyjrecklessly Meaning of Heb. wattahinu uncertain. started for the hill country.
ותהינו. לְשׁוֹן "הִנֶּנּוּ וְעָלִינוּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם" (במדבר י"ד), זֶה הַלָּשׁוֹן שֶׁאֲמַרְתֶּם לְשׁוֹן "הֵן", כְּלוֹמַר נִזְדַּמַּנְתֶּם:
ותהינו — This is an expression derived from the word הננו in (Numbers 14:40) "Here we are (הננו) and we will go up to the place”. This is the expression which you uttered — the expression הן, "yes”. The word, therefore, means as much as: you expressed your readiness to go up into the mountain.
מ״בוַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י אֱמֹ֤ר לָהֶם֙ לֹ֤א תַֽעֲלוּ֙ וְלֹא־תִלָּ֣חֲמ֔וּ כִּ֥י אֵינֶ֖נִּי בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם וְלֹא֙ תִּנָּ֣גְפ֔וּ לִפְנֵ֖י אֹיְבֵיכֶֽם׃
42But GOD said to me, “Warn them: Do not go up and do not fight, since I am not in your midst; else you will be routed by your enemies.”
לא תעלו. לֹא עֲלִיָּה תְהֵא לָכֶם אֶלָּא יְרִידָה:
לא תעלו “GO NOT UP” — There will be no “ascent” for you, but only a descent (defeat) (cf. Rashi on Numbers 16:12 and Numbers Rabbah 17:3).
מ״גוָאֲדַבֵּ֥ר אֲלֵיכֶ֖ם וְלֹ֣א שְׁמַעְתֶּ֑ם וַתַּמְרוּ֙ אֶת־פִּ֣י יְהֹוָ֔ה וַתָּזִ֖דוּ וַתַּעֲל֥וּ הָהָֽרָה׃
43I spoke to you, but you would not listen; you flouted GOD’s command and willfully marched into the hill country.
מ״דוַיֵּצֵ֨א הָאֱמֹרִ֜י הַיֹּשֵׁ֨ב בָּהָ֤ר הַהוּא֙ לִקְרַאתְכֶ֔ם וַיִּרְדְּפ֣וּ אֶתְכֶ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעֲשֶׂ֖ינָה הַדְּבֹרִ֑ים וַֽיַּכְּת֥וּ אֶתְכֶ֛ם בְּשֵׂעִ֖יר עַד־חׇרְמָֽה׃
44Then the Amorites who lived in those hills came out against you like so many bees and chased you, and they crushed you at Hormah in Seir.
כאשר תעשינה הדברים. מַה הַדְּבוֹרָה הַזֹּאת כְּשֶׁהִיא מַכָּה אֶת הָאָדָם מִיָּד מֵתָה, אַף הֵם כְּשֶׁהָיוּ נוֹגְעִים בָּכֶם מִיָּד מֵתִים:
כאשר תעשינה הדברים [AND THEY PURSUED YOU] AS BEES DO — Just as a bee when it stings a person it dies immediately, similarly they (the Amorites): when they attacked you they died immediately (Numbers Rabbah 17:3).
מ״הוַתָּשֻׁ֥בוּ וַתִּבְכּ֖וּ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וְלֹֽא־שָׁמַ֤ע יְהֹוָה֙ בְּקֹ֣לְכֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א הֶאֱזִ֖ין אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃
45Again you wept before GOD; but GOD would not heed your cry or give ear to you.
ולא שמע ה' בקלכם. כִּבְיָכוֹל עֲשִׂיתֶם מִדַּת רַחֲמָיו כְּאִלּוּ אַכְזָרִי:
ולא שמע ה' בקלכם BUT THE LORD WOULD NOT HEAR YOUR VOICE — If it is at all possible to say so of God, you made His attribute of mercy as though it were cruel (Numbers Rabbah 17:3).
מ״ווַתֵּשְׁב֥וּ בְקָדֵ֖שׁ יָמִ֣ים רַבִּ֑ים כַּיָּמִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְשַׁבְתֶּֽם׃
46Thus, after you had remained at Kadesh all that long time,kall that long time Lit. “many days, like the days that you remained.”
ותשבו בקדש ימים רבים. י"ט שָׁנָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר כימים אשר ישבתם בִּשְׁאָר הַמַּסָּעוֹת, וְהֵם הָיוּ ל"ח שָׁנָה, י"ט מֵהֶם עָשׂוּ בְקָדֵשׁ וי"ט שָׁנָה הוֹלְכִים וּמְטֹרָפִים וְחָזְרוּ לְקָדֵשׁ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר ל"ב) "וַיְנִיעֵם בַּמִּדְבָּר"; כָּךְ מָצָאתִי בְּסֵדֶר עוֹלָם:
ותשבו בקדש ימים רבים SO YE ABODE IN KADESH MANY DAYS — viz., nineteen years, as it is said here כימים אשר ישבתם, ACCORDING TO THE DAYS THAT YE ABODE, i.e. abode at all the other stations. They (the total years) were thirtyeight years; nineteen of them they spent at Kadesh, and nineteen years they went moving about aimlessly, and then they returned to Kadesh, as it is said, (Numbers 32:13) “And he made them move about in the wilderness”. — Thus have I found in Seder Olam 8.
ב׳
א׳וַנֵּ֜פֶן וַנִּסַּ֤ע הַמִּדְבָּ֙רָה֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יַם־ס֔וּף כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֵלָ֑י וַנָּ֥סׇב אֶת־הַר־שֵׂעִ֖יר יָמִ֥ים רַבִּֽים׃ {ס}
1we marched back into the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds, as GOD had spoken to me, and skirted the hill country of Seir a long time.
ונפן ונסע המדברה. אִלּוּ לֹא חָטְאוּ הָיוּ עוֹבְרִים דֶּרֶךְ הַר שֵׂעִיר לִכָּנֵס לָאָרֶץ מִן דְּרוֹמוֹ לִצְפוֹנוֹ, וּבִשְׁבִיל שֶׁקִּלְקְלוּ הָפְכוּ לְצַד הַמִּדְבָּר, שֶׁהוּא בֵין יַם סוּף לִדְרוֹמוֹ שֶׁל הַר שֵׂעִיר, וְהָלְכוּ אֵצֶל דְּרוֹמוֹ מִן הַמַּעֲרָב לַמִּזְרָח דרך ים סוף. דֶּרֶךְ יְצִיאָתָן מִמִּצְרַיִם שֶׁהוּא בְּמִקְצוֹעַ דְּרוֹמִית מַעֲרָבִית; מִשָּׁם הָיוּ הוֹלְכִים לְצַד הַמִּזְרָח:
ונפן ונסע המדברה THEN WE TURNED AND JOURNEYED INTO THE WILDERNESS — If they had not sinned, they would have passed by the way of Mount Seir to enter the Land from its south to its north, but because they became degenerate they had to turn towards the wilderness which is between the Red Sea and the south of Mount Seir, and they proceeded along its southern side from the west to the east, דרך ים סוף BY THE ROUTE FROM THE RED SEA — i.e. by the route which they had taken on leaving Egypt which is at the south-west corner. From there (where they were at that moment) they went towards the east.
ונסב את הר שעיר. כָּל דְּרוֹמוֹ עַד אֶרֶץ מוֹאָב:
ונסב את הר שעיר AND WE COMPASSED MOUNT SEIR, the whole of the south side as far as the land of Moab.