והיה עקב תשמעון את המשפטים האלה ושׁמרתם ועשיתם אתם ושמר ה’ א-להיך את הברית ואת החסד אשר נשבע לאבתיךָ וכו Therefore it shall come to pass that if you give heed to these rules, and keep and perform them, your Eternal God will keep the covenant and the kindness that he promised on oath to…

אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה   These are the words which Moses spoke Deuteronomy 1:1 The Midrash (Devarim Rabbah 1:1) teaches: Before Moses was privileged to receive the Torah, the Scripture writes about him (Exodus 4:10): “לא איש דברים אנכי” (I am not a man of words), a reference to his speech impediment. But upon…

והיה אשר תותירו מהם לשכים בעיניכם ולצנינם בצדיכם וצררו אתכם That those whom you allow to remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your sides, and shall harass you in the land where you live  Numbers 33:55 In the Midrash (Numbers Rabbah 23:9) it is written: This refers to what…

וידבר מֹשה אל ראשי המטות וכו’ איש כי ידר נדר וכו’ לא יחל דברו And Moses spoke to the heads of the tribes. . . . If a man makes a vow to the Eternal . . . he shall not break his word  Numbers 30:2-3 The Ramban explains that this chapter was specifically transmitted…

פינחס בן אלעזר בן אהרן הכהן Pinhas the son of Elazar the son of Aaron the Priest Numbers 25:11 Rashi comments: because the tribes spoke disparagingly of Pinhas, saying: “Have you seen this grandson of Puti, whose mother’s father used to fatten calves for idolatrous sacrifices? And he has dared to slay a prince of…

זאת חקת התורה This is the statute of the law Numbers 19:2 Rashi comments: Because Satan and the nations of the world taunt Israel, saying, “What is this command and what reason is there for it?” the Scripture therefore refers to it as “חקת” (statute), as if to say: “it is an enactment from Me,…

ויקח קרח Now Korah betook himself Numbers 16:1 In the Midrash it is written: What did Korah see that caused him to challenge Moses? He saw the chapter of the red heifer. This Midrash requires interpretation. Our master explains that Korah argued that, insasmuch as the whole congregation is holy and is close to the…

וראיתם את הארץ מה הוא And see the land, what it is  Numbers 13:18 Rashi comments: There are countries that raise strong people and there are countries that raise weak people. According to Rashi’s comment, the end of the verse clarifies the beginning. Whether the people dwelling on the land are strong or weak indicates…