Chumashחומש

בארבה. בִּשְׁבִיל מַכַּת הָאַרְבֶּה:

בארבה means on account of the plague of locusts (the prefix ב signifies “on account of”).

ורוח הקדים. רוּחַ מִזְרָחִית נָשָׂא אֶת הָאַרְבֶּה, לְפִי שֶׁבָּא כְּנֶגְדוֹ, שֶׁמִּצְרַיִם בִּדְרוֹמִית מַעֲרָבִית הָיְתָה, כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּפֹרָשׁ בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר:

ורוח הקדים THE EAST WIND — It was an east wind that brought the locusts because that came (blew) from the direction opposite to it (to Egypt), since Egypt was in the south-west, relative to Palestine, as it is explained in another place (Numbers 34:3).

ואחריו לא יהיה כן. וְאוֹתוֹ שֶׁהָיָה בִימֵי יוֹאֵל שֶׁנֶּ' "כָּמוֹהוּ לֹא נִהְיָה מִן הָעוֹלָם" (יואל ב'), לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁהָיָה כָּבֵד מִשֶּׁל מֹשֶׁה. (אוֹתוֹ שֶׁל יוֹאֵל הָיָה) עַ"יְ מִינִין הַרְבֵּה, שֶׁהָיוּ יַחַד אַרְבֶּה, יֶלֶק, חָסִיל, גָּזָם, אֲבָל שֶׁל מֹשֶׁה לֹא הָיָה אֶלָּא מִין אֶחָד, וְכָמוֹהוּ לֹא הָיָה וְלֹא יִהְיֶה:

ואחריו לא יהיה כן NEITHER AFTER THEM SHALL BE SUCH — That plague of locusts which happened during the days of Joel of which it is said, (Joel 2:2) “there hath not been ever the like” — which statement teaches us that it was more grievous than that in the days of Moses — was, however, caused by many species of locusts, together, those called ארבה and ילק and חסיל and גזם; but that which happened in the days of Moses consisted of only one species (the ארבה) and any ארבה like that there never was and never will be.

כל ירק. עָלֶה יָרֹק, וירדו"רא בְּלַעַז:

כל ירק means any green leaf (not “any herb”, since it speaks of the ירק of the trees); old French verdure.

רוח ים. רוּחַ מַעֲרָבִי:

רוח ים is A WEST WIND.

ימה סוף. אוֹמֵר אֲנִי שֶׁיַּם סוּף הָיָה מִקְצָתוֹ בַּמַּעֲרָב, כְּנֶגֶד כָּל רוּחַ דְּרוֹמִית, וְגַם בְּמִזְרָחָה שֶׁל אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְפִיכָךְ רוּחַ יָם תְּקָעוֹ לָאַרְבֶּה בְּיָמָּה סוּף כְּנֶגְדּוֹ. וְכֵן מָצִינוּ לְעִנְיַן תְּחוּמִין שֶׁהוּא פּוֹנֶה לְצַד מִזְרָח, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "מִיַּם סוּף וְעַד יָם פְּלִשְׁתִּים" (לקמן כג לא) מִמִּזְרָח לְמַעֲרָב, שֶׁיָּם פְּלִשְׁתִּים בַּמַּעֲרָב הָיָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בַּפְּלִשְׁתִּים "יוֹשְׁבֵי חֶבֶל הַיָּם גּוֹי כְּרֵתִים" (צפניה ב'):

ימה סוף INTO THE RED SEA — I say that the Red Sea was, as to part of it, in the west opposite the whole southern side of Palestine, and was also eastward of the Land of Israel; therefore a west wind blew the locusts into the Red Sea which was in the opposite direction to the west of Egypt. Thus do we find mentioned regarding the boundaries of Palestine that it (the Red Sea) faces the east of Palestine, since it states, (Exodus 23:31) “[And I will set thy boundaries] from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines”, which means from east to west since the sea of the Philistines was in the west, as it is said of the Philistines, (Zephaniah 2:5) “the inhabitants of the sea-coast, the nation of the Cherethites (the Philistines)”.

לא נשאר ארבה אחד. אַף הַמְּלוּחִים שֶׁמָּלְחוּ מֵהֶם:

לא נשאר ארבה אחד THERE REMAINED NOT ONE LOCUST — not even those which they had salted — for they had salted some of them (Exodus Rabbah 13:7).

וימש חשך. וְיַחֲשִׁיךְ עֲלֵיהֶם חֹשֶׁךְ יוֹתֵר מֵחֶשְׁכּוֹ שֶׁל לַיְלָה, חֹשֶׁךְ שֶׁל לַיְלָה יַאֲמִישׁ וְיַחֲשִׁיךְ עוֹד:

וימש חשך signifies and it (the darkness mentioned in the preceding phrase, ויהי חשך) shall darken for them the natural darkness to a higher degree than the darkness of night: i. e. the darkness of night shall become even more black and dark.

וימש. כְּמוֹ וְיַאֲמֵשׁ; יֵשׁ לָנוּ תֵבוֹת הַרְבֵּה חֲסֵרוֹת אָלֶ"ף, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין הֲבָרַת הָאָלֶ"ף נִכֶּרֶת כָּל כָּךְ, אֵין הַכָּתוּב מַקְפִּיד עַל חֶסְרוֹנָהּ, כְּגוֹן "וְלֹא יַהֵל שָׁם עֲרָבִי" (ישעיהו י"ג), כְּמוֹ לֹא יַאֲהֵל – לֹא יַטֶּה אָהֳלוֹ, וְכֵן "וַתַּזְרֵנִי חַיִל" (שמואל ב' כ"ב), כְּמוֹ וַתְּאַזְּרֵנִי; וְאֻנְקְלוֹס תִּרְגֵּם לְשׁוֹן הֲסָרָה, כְּמוֹ לֹא יָמוּשׁ; "בָּתַר דְּיֶעְדֵּי קְבַל לֵילְיָא" – כְּשֶׁיַּגִּיעַ סָמוּךְ לְאוֹר הַיּוֹם; אֲבָל אֵין הַדִּבּוּר מְיֻשָּׁב עַל הַוָּי"ו שֶׁל וְיָמֵשׁ, לְפִי שֶׁהוּא כָתוּב אַחַר וִיהִי חֹשֶׁךְ. וּמִ"אַ פּוֹתְרוֹ לְשׁוֹן "מְמַשֵּׁשׁ בַּצָּהֳרַיִם" (דברים כ"ח), שֶׁהָיָה כָפוּל וּמְכֻפָּל וְעָב עַד שֶׁהָיָה בוֹ מַמָּשׁ:

וימש means as much as (is a contraction of) ויאמש (a Hiphil form of אמש, evening darkness). We have many words in which an א is omitted; since the sound of the א is not very marked, Scripture is not particular about omitting it. An example is: (Isaiah 13:20) “the Arabian לֹא יַהֵל there”, which is the same as לא יַאֲהֵל, shall not pitch his tent. Similar is, (II Samuel 22:40) “וַתַּזְרֵנִי with strength”, which is the same as וַתְּאַזְרֵנִי “And thou hast girded me” (cf. Psalms 30:12). Onkelos translated it in the sense of removing, from the same root as, (Joshua 1:8) “it shall not depart (ימוש)”, his rendering being, “[and there shall be darkness..] after the darkness of night has departed”, i. e. when the time approaches near to the light of day. But the statement does not then fit with the ו of וימש, because this word is written after ויהי חשך. A Midrashic statement explains it in the sense of (Deuteronomy 28:29) “groping (ממשש feeling) at noon-day”, so that the meaning would be that it was of such a double character and so thick that there was something tangible in it (Exodus Rabbah 14:1-3).

שלשת ימים. שִׁלּוּשׁ שֶׁל יָמִים, טרציינ"א בְּלַעַז, וְכֵן שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בְּכָל מָקוֹם שטיי"נא שֶׁל יָמִים:

שלשת ימים denotes a triad of days. old French terziane; so, too, שבעת ימים everywhere it occurs denotes in old French a septaine of days (a period of seven days).

ויהי חשך אפלה: שלשת ימים. חֹשֶׁךְ שֶׁל אֹפֶל, שֶׁלֹּא רָאוּ אִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו אוֹתָן ג' יָמִים. וְעוֹד שְׁלוֹשֶׁת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים חֹשֶׁךְ מֻכְפָּל עַל זֶה, שֶׁלֹּא קָמוּ אִישׁ מִתַּחְתָּיו – יוֹשֵׁב אֵין יָכוֹל לַעֲמֹד, וְעוֹמֵד אֵין יָכוֹל לֵישֵׁב; וְלָמָּה הֵבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם חֹשֶׁךְ? שֶׁהָיוּ בְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאוֹתוֹ הַדּוֹר רְשָׁעִים וְלֹא הָיוּ רוֹצִים לָצֵאת, וּמֵתוּ בִשְׁלוֹשֶׁת יְמֵי אֲפֵלָה, כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יִרְאוּ מִצְרִיִּים בְּמַפַּלְתָּם וְיֹאמְרוּ, אַף הֵם לוֹקִים כָּמוֹנוּ. וְעוֹד, שֶׁחִפְּשׂוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְרָאוּ אֶת כְּלֵיהֶם, וּכְשֶׁיָּצְאוּ וְהָיוּ שׁוֹאֲלִים מֵהֶן וְהָיוּ אוֹמְרִים אֵין בְּיָדֵנוּ כְלוּם, אוֹמֵר לוֹ, אֲנִי רְאִיתִיו בְּבֵיתְךָ, וּבְמָקוֹם פְּלוֹנִי הוּא (שמות רבה):

ויהי חשך אפלה … שלשת ימים — there was darkness of gloom when no man saw another during those three days, and there was moreover another period of three days’ darkness twice as thick as this when no man rose from his place: one who happened to be sitting when this second period of darkness began was unable to rise, and one who was then standing was unable to sit down. And why did He bring darkness upon them? Because there were wicked people amongst the Israelites of that generation who had no desire to leave Egypt, and these died during the three days of darkness so that the Egyptians might not see their destruction and say, “These, (the Israelites) too have been stricken as we have”. And a further reason is that the Israelites searched (the darkness came just in order that they might do this) and saw their (the Egyptians’) jewels, and when they were leaving Egypt and asked them for their jewels, and they replied, “We have none at all in our possession”, they answered them, “I have seen it in your house and it is in such and such a place” (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Bo 1; Exodus Rabbah 14:3).