meta: {"file": "/data/tomer/Sefaria-Export/txt/Tanakh/Commentary/Rashi/Prophets/Rashi on Judges/English/Sefaria Community Translation.txt"}
text: Rashi on Judges
  רש"י על שופטים
  Sefaria Community Translation
  
  
  Rashi on Judges
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  Who shall go up for us [first] against the Canaanites- [To fight] against the places that fell in our portions, but we still have not conquered [them].
  
  Verse 2
  
  Judah shall go up- The tribe of Judah shall arise first to conquer [the remaining parts of] its portion.
  
  Verse 3
  
  To Simeon, his brother- To the tribe of Simeon.
  Go up with me- And help me conquer what fell in my portion, and there are those who solve it as: "Judah will go up", this refers to Othniel, being Yabetz, like it says in Tractate Temura, 16a, "What is his [Othniel's] name? Judah the brother of Simeon was his name." And to Simeon his brother, he asked to go with him.
  
  Verse 4
  
  Against Bezek- [Bezek is a] place-name.
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  Seventy kings etc. [with their thumbs and big toes cut off, gathered food under my table]- From here, we learn how great and wealthy the kings of Caanan were, for Adoni-Bezek wasn't great enough to be counted (in the census of thirty-one kings, cf. Joshua 12) as a king, yet it says about him here [how greatly powerful he was].
  And they brought him to Jerusalem- They went from there to fight against Jerusalem (Judges 1:8).
  
  Verse 8
  
  They sent into the fire- they sent a fire throughout all of [the city].
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  The brother of Caleb- Maternally.
  
  Verse 14
  
  She moved him- (According to Onkelos, in Aramaic:) 'Va'amlachteha', which comes from 'Nimlach', [which when translated means] when you advise a person, and lure his heart to different matter, it seems to me.
  She dismounted- (According to Onkelos, in Aramaic:) 'Va'atarkinit', [which when translated means] to fall at the feet of her father.
  
  Verse 15
  
  Dry (Negeb) land- [This term refers to a person] whose house is dry of all good things, and has nothing except for Torah.
  Springs of water- [Achsah wanted springs of water because she was given] a field without a spring of water,  [as it says] in the Targum Onkelos, "[Achsah asked for] a field with a spring of water."
  
  Verse 16
  
  From the city of dates- It is Jericho, whose date-honey was given to them to eat until the Temple was built, and whomever would build the Chosen House (the Temple), in his property they would put it, so that there would be for all of Israel a share in the Chosen House. And they gave it to the children of Yitro for 440 years [prior to the Temple], and the students among them left it and went beside Othniel the son of Kenaz, (who is[the same person as] Yabetz), in the Judean Desert which is in the southern area of Arad, to learn Torah.
  And they settled with the nation- With the students sitting in front of [Othniel]. He asked from the Holy One, Blessed be He, that He bring to him sensible students, as it says, "And Yabetz called out to G-d, etc. (I Chronicles, 4:10)," and He brought him these pious ones.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  And an angel of the Lord went up- We taught, "(Seder Olam 19), This was Pinchas."
  To Bochim- This is a place-name.
  I took you out- This was my understanding originally, for taking you out of Egypt, and so I did [take you out] on the condition of destroying my enemies.
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  And I gave also said- And now I said, in my wrath.
  As thorns- as prickles in your sides, raiders and troops to loot and take spoil.
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  And Joshua sent etc.- This action happened earlier (in the book of Joshua), and the only reason it came is because we will say, "And they did evil (Verse 11)," and so they started to tell [the story] like this. Joshua- When he died (meaning, when he was about to die), they accepted before him the worship of G-d, and he sent each man to his allotment. They worshipped G-d all of his [remaining] days, and all the days of the elders, and afterwards: "And the children of Israel did evil (Judges 2:11)."
  
  Verse 7
  
  Who led for days etc.- They led for days, but they didn't lead for years, for they were lax in eulogizing [Joshua], which follows what it says: "Mount Ga'ash (meaning, the mountain of quaking) (Judges 2:9)," for the mountain shook over them to kill them.
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  In Timnat Cheres- [It is called such] because they put an image of the sun (Heb. Tmunat Cheres) on [Joshua's] grave, as if to say, 'It is misfortune upon a man who held up the sun (Joshua 10:12-13) and is [now] found in the grave.
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  Whenever they would go out, the hand of the Lord was against them, for bad- "This is said about Avimelech, Machlon, and Kilion (the villains of Megillat Rut)," it says in Seder Olam 12.
  
  Verse 16
  
  And G-d raised up judges- Always, from generation to generation, just like it goes and lists them in this book; judge after judge [continually].
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  To test with them Israel- The other generation, who did know the miracles of the battles of Caanan, and did not see the great doing, and [so] they annulled [the commandments] and revolted against the Omnipresent.
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  In Haroshet HaGoiim- A name of a city, for the reason that it was strong and ruled.
  
  Verse 3
  
  Pressure the Children of Israel with strength- Rabbi Tanchumah expounded [in Midrash Tanchumah] 96:2, "In curse-mocking, and so it says: "They strengthened upon me their words (Malachi 3:13)."
  
  Verse 4
  
  The wife of Lappidot (lit. a woman of torches)- [She is so called] for she would make wicks for the temple.
  
  Verse 5
  
  Under the date tree- She had date trees in Jericho.
  Between Ramah and Beit El in the Mountains of Ephraim- According to the translation of Yonatan, there is to learn that this section is not like it's simple meaning, and these are not symbols of the places where she lived, but rather we learn that she was a rich woman and from these places were her livelihood, while she settled in her city, whose name was Atarot.
  Under the date tree- She had date trees in Jericho, and vineyards in Ramah, and olives in the valley of Beit El, for it is the place of oil, and white dirt in the Mountains of Ephraim, which Targum [Onkelos renders] "Batur Malka". I say that they would sell it (the ashes) to potters. And there are those who solve: "White ashes" [is a reference to] fields of crops, similar to, "A white field (Shevi'it 2:1)."
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  Will vaunt- Vantir in old French.
  
  Verse 3
  
  And shall depart early- in the morning, from the  Aramaic word Tzafra (morning).
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  All who lap up with their tongue, etc., and all who kneel on their knee to drink- Place him (the kneeler) alone, outside your band, for they will not come with you, for they have been taught to kneel in front of worship of idols.
  
  Verse 6
  
  Who lap up with their hands- This is not in the way of kneeling, like someone who laps up with his tongue.
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  Lay in the valley- [They] were residing in the valley.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Verse 1
  
  
  
  Verse 2
  
  
  
  Verse 3
  
  
  
  Verse 4
  
  
  
  Verse 5
  
  
  
  Verse 6
  
  
  
  Verse 7
  
  
  
  Verse 8
  
  
  
  Verse 9
  
  
  
  Verse 10
  
  
  
  Verse 11
  
  
  
  Verse 12
  
  
  
  Verse 13
  
  
  
  Verse 14
  
  
  
  Verse 15
  
  
  
  Verse 16
  
  
  
  Verse 17
  
  
  
  Verse 18
  
  
  
  Verse 19
  
  
  
  Verse 20
  
  
  
  Verse 21
  
  
  
  Verse 22
  
  
  
  Verse 23
  
  
  
  Verse 24
  
  
  
  Verse 25
  
  
  
  Verse 26
  
  
  
  Verse 27
  
  
  
  Verse 28
  
  
  
  Verse 29
  
  
  
  Verse 30
  
  the son of Menasseh: Out of respect for Moses (משֶׁה) a “nun” was inserted thereby changing the name (מְנַשֶּׁה). This letter was written suspended to indicate that it was not Menasseh but actually Moses.