English translation — דברים

Devarim

(5750)

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1.

"The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today like the stars of the heavens in multitude"<sup>1</sup>,

And Rashi cites the words "and behold, you are today like the stars of the heavens" and explains: "Were they like the stars of the heavens on that day? Were they not only six hundred thousand?

What is 'and behold, you are today'?

You are comparable to today,

enduring forever<sup>2</sup>

like the sun, the moon, and the stars"<sup>3</sup>

[That is,

that the interpretation of "and behold, you are today" is "as if<sup>4</sup>

it said 'you are like today'"].

And behold, regarding this explanation in the word "today"

("they are compared to a day that endures forever")

we find in Rashi later on the verse "You are standing today"⁵

— "Behold you exist before Him today⁶,

like this day which endures etc.'",

except that there Rashi prefaces that it is "an Aggadic midrash"⁷,

whereas here Rashi is silent, meaning that in Rashi's view this is the plain meaning of the verse.

And the reason for the matter is explained in Rashi's own words,

that he prefaces the question "Were they like the stars of the heavens on that day? Were they not only six hundred thousand?" — even though it is not his way in his commentary to detail the difficulty that he comes to resolve,

but rather he writes the explanation itself in a manner that the question is automatically nullified — because here it is necessary,

that it is impossible to explain "and you are today" simply

(since on that day they were not like the stars of the heavens⁸),

and it follows that the plain meaning of this verse<pg>2</pg>

forces to explain the word "today" — "likened to a day".

2.

And one must examine the reason that Rashi in our parshah concludes "like the sun and like the moon and like the stars",

even though in the verse only stars are mentioned.

In the commentaries⁹

they explained that "like the sun and the moon" is the explanation of "like the day",

because "the cause of the day is the sun and the moon"¹⁰,

for a complete day is when its night is with it,

as it is said¹¹

"And there was evening and there was morning, one day"

(and in particular according to Rashi's commentary on the verse in Genesis¹²

"

(Let there be luminaries etc.)

and for days — the service of the sun half the day and the service of the moon half of it, behold a complete day").

And it is not understood, for Rashi explains in his question that "the day" of this verse means "that same day"^*12,

and what does this have to do with "the cause of the day"?

Thus it is puzzling: The source of Rashi is from the Sifri here,

and the language of the Sifri is "you are existing today,"

and Rashi changes from the language of the Sifri and explains "are likened

(not "existing")

today existing forever like the sun and like the moon"&lt;sup&gt;13&lt;/sup&gt;.

Simply, one can say,

that Rashi's explanation is in accordance with the language of the verse "and you are today like the stars of the heavens,"

that according to Rashi the meaning of the verse is as if it were stated&lt;sup&gt;14&lt;/sup&gt;

"and you are like the day and like the stars of the heavens"

(like Rashi's language "are likened to the day..

like the sun

(in the part of the day that is daytime)

and like the moon and like the stars

(in the part of the day that is evening)

"),

and from the combination of the two matters

("day" and "stars")

it is understood&lt;sup&gt;15&lt;/sup&gt;,

that the intention in likening the children of Israel to "day" is to the luminaries that rule in all parts of the day

(like the sun, the moon, and the stars,

that illuminate the earth).

And it requires explanation: what is the reason for the change,

that in Parshat Nitzavim the comparison to "day" suffices,

and here the verse adds "as the stars of the heavens"¹⁶?

Is it not that for the matter of "enduring forever" it is sufficient to compare the Children of Israel to "day",

"as this day which endures."

3.

Further, there is a precision in Rashi here:

It has been explained many times that Rashi's language is exactly not only in the body of his commentary,

but also in the words that he copies in the opening phrase.

And in our case there is a striking precision — that he copied from the verse only the words "And you are today like the stars of the heavens",

and omitted the last word "to the &lt;pg&gt;3&lt;/pg&gt;

the majority&lt;sup&gt;17&lt;/sup&gt;,

and moreover,

but that it did not even hint at it with "etc.".

And one must say,

that this is the foundation of the Ra'am,

who wrote that according to Rashi,

the explanation of "larov" is — "that a time will come when you will be like them

[like the stars of the heavens]

also in multitude,

but now you exist like a day, that is like the sun and like the moon and like the stars of the heavens,

but not in multitude".

And it is puzzling

(at least somewhat)

— why did the Ra'am strain to explain that "larov" here means abundance in quantity,

and consequently he was forced to say that the intention is "that a time will come when you will be..

in multitude" — and he did not explain that "larov" here is an expression of greatness and importance¹⁸,

as we find in several verses¹⁹,

and as Rashi explained²⁰

the beginning of our verse,

"The Lord your God has multiplied you" — "He has magnified and exalted you"

(as below section 4)?

And the Ra'am proved thus from the precision of Rashi,

that he did not quote the word "larov" in the heading,

from this it is understood,

that Rashi holds that "larov" is a separate matter.

But it requires examination:

(a)

The explanation of the Ra'am that "larov" means "that a time will come" that it will be so,

at first glance it is difficult to reconcile it with the simple meaning of the verses.

(b)

And the main point: what compelled Rashi to separate the word "larov" from "and you are today like the stars of the heavens"?

4.

And one must say the explanation in all this:

The intention of Rashi in his commentary is

(not only to explain the words that he quoted in his commentary,

but)

to explain and settle the content of the entirety of these verses:

In the previous verse²¹,

"I cannot carry you alone",

Rashi explains: "Is it possible that Moses was not able to judge Israel,

the man who brought them out of Egypt etc.²²,

Rather, he said to them,

Hashem your God has multiplied you,

He has made you great and elevated you above your judges,

He removed the punishment from you and placed it upon the judges..

If I unjustly obligated monetary [payment], I am sued for lives, as it is said²³

And He who strikes their strikers [takes] life" — from this it is understood,

that according to Rashi,

the increase in the number of Bnei Yisrael does not cause difficulty in judging them,

rather the difficulty is because "He made you great and elevated you above your judges"

["multiplied" — greatness and importance]

;

And according to this, it must be said,

that also the continuation of the verse,

"And behold you are today like the stars of the heavens in multitude",

comes to describe their greatness and importance of Israel.

But on the other hand,

In the verse after this²⁴

it is explicit: "The Lord God of your fathers add to you a thousand times as many as you are, etc."

This expression cannot be interpreted

(like "multiply you")

in terms of greatness and importance,

but rather it is a matter of quantitative increase.

And it must be said that even though the main point of Moses' claim "I am not able to bear you alone" is based on the greatness and importance of Israel,

nevertheless, here also the matter of quantitative increase is relevant.

<pg>4</pg>

And this is what Rashi mediates and divides the verse into two:

The essence of the verse — "And you are today like the stars of the heavens" — is a continuation of "Hashem your God has multiplied you — He has made you great and elevated you"²⁵,

And its explanation is "you are likened to the day,

enduring forever like the sun and the moon and the stars",

which indicates the great importance of Israel,

and increases even more the difficulty of judging them,

for when the judge obligates a Jewish person unjustly, it is not merely a temporary harm,

but rather a harm to one who endures forever

(and as will be explained below in section 5),

[And only to further compel that "and you are today" means "likened to the day",

Rashi introduces another question²⁶

— "And were they like the stars of the heavens on that day etc.'",

from which there is absolute proof that the explanation of "and you are today like the stars of the heavens" is "and you are likened to the day etc.'",

as above in section 1]

;

And the conclusion of the verse — the word "larov" — is an introduction to the next verse,

which speaks about the multitude in number of Bnei Yisrael,

"Hashem, God of your fathers, add to you a thousand times as many as you etc."

And the meaning of the verse is thus: "I cannot alone bear you" because of the greatness of the importance of Israel: "Hashem your God has multiplied you" — "He has magnified and exalted you etc.",

"And you are..

established forever like the sun and like the moon and like the stars" — that the difficulty to judge them is even if they were only a few in number,

and all the more so and how much more so that you are "larov",

that there is a multitude in number of "important people"

(and furthermore they are destined to multiply several times thus — "Hashem, God of your fathers, add to you a thousand times as many as you and bless you²⁷

etc.")

— how difficult it is "to bear them".

[And based on this, the word "larov" comes according to its simple meaning,

that it refers to the time of Moses when there were "larov",

and nevertheless it is not difficult "And were they like the stars of the heavens on that day",

because the word "larov" is not a continuation of "the stars of the heavens" as above,

and the Children of Israel were then "larov",

but not "like the stars of the heavens"&lt;sup&gt;28&lt;/sup&gt;].

5.

Based on the above,

that the intention in likening the Children of Israel to "day" in this verse is to explain and strengthen the claim that it is difficult for him to judge Israel

("I cannot carry you alone")

— from this aspect that they "exist forever" — will also be understood the reason that the verse here adds also "and like the stars of the heavens"

(unlike in Parshat Nitzavim where Israel is likened only to "day"),

and with an introduction:

The main point of "they endure forever" according to the simple meaning of the verse²⁹,

refers to the entirety of the people of<pg>5</pg>

Israel,

that the people of Israel endure forever³⁰

[that is, for the entire duration of the world's existence,

according to Rashi's wording³¹

"that they endure forever" in relation to heaven and earth]

— but not so regarding each individual of Israel in particular,

who does not endure forever in physical life in this world

(and only regarding the World to Come can one say this³²).

And based on this,

the importance of Israel that they "endure forever" is not a matter,

seemingly,

to the difficulty of judging Israel in the time of Moses,

for seemingly,

the judgment of an individual person does not pertain to and does not harm the endurance of the entirety of the people of Israel.

And therefore the verse adds "like the stars of the heavens": the comparison of Israel to the stars of the heavens was already brought in Rashi above

(at the beginning of Parshat Shemot)

— "to make known their endearment that they were compared to stars, which He takes out and brings in by number and by their names",

and it is found,

that the comparison to the stars of the heavens emphasizes the importance of the individual,

that despite the vast multitude of the stars of the heavens,

nevertheless there is attention to each one of them individually,

"by number and by their names".

And so it is in our matter,

that the comparison of Israel to "the stars of the heavens" emphasizes the greatness of the importance of each one of Israel individually,

and this is the greatness of the warning to the judges of Israel how much they need to be careful in the judgment of each one of Israel.

6.

Based on this, one can also explain the precision in Rashi,

who compared Israel to the sun and the moon

(and not simply to "day" as in Parshat Nitzavim)

— for in this is hinted the connection of each individual to the eternity of the collective of Israel

(therefore,

this that Israel "endure forever" adds severity and caution in their judgment).

And the explanation of this:

The parable of sun, moon, and stars is a full verse in the Chumash before this — in Joseph's dream³³

: "And behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me,"

And the moral — "me and your mother and your brothers"³⁴,

That is: the sun is a parable for a father,

moon — mother,

and stars — children.

And this is what Rashi says here,

that Israel "endure forever like the sun and like the moon and like the stars",

that this is a parable for the continuation of the generations of the people of Israel,

that it has no interruption,

"endure forever".

And in this itself the importance of the individual in the eternity of the people of Israel is emphasized,

that each one is one link in the eternal chain of the people of Israel

("sun moon and stars"),

and therefore harm to an individual is not only harm to him

(in a private person,

and it is temporary harm),

but in the entire continuation of the generations³⁵,

"forever".

[And for this reason it is stated in the verse "today" and it does not specify "sun and moon and stars" — because the precision here is not about each of the luminaries individually,

but about the combination of all of them,

like father and mother and sons and daughters,

that all of them together are the continuation of the generations].

7.

And it is possible to explain the precision of Rashi's language that "today" here means "like the sun and like the moon and like the stars" also according to the inner aspect of the matters:&lt;pg&gt;6&lt;/pg&gt;

On the verse³⁶

"which I command you today" said our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed,³⁷

(and brought in Rashi's commentary on the Torah)

"they shall be in your eyes..

as new",

"each day they shall be in your eyes as new"³⁸,

that this matter indicates two opposite movements³⁹

:

That a person feels always — each and every day — that the words of Torah are as new,

indicates the matter of constancy in his service,

which is above changes; and together with this,

the constancy and eternity in his service is not only in that he serves G‑d always,

but that always is felt by him that the words of Torah are as new — that this is a movement opposite to the matter of constancy,

for according to nature,

an old matter,

and especially a constant matter,

it is impossible to feel in it a matter of renewal.

And it is found,

that the word "today" indicates a connection of two opposites — the matter of constancy and eternity

("exists forever"),

and the matter of renewal.

And they are the matters of "sun and moon and stars"

(which together will be a "complete day")

:

The virtue of the "sun"

(sun)

is,

that the light of the sun has no changes,

unlike the light of the moon which is always in a state of changes

(in the first half of the month it increases,

and in its second half — it decreases)

;

And on the other hand, there is a virtue in the light of the moon,

that specifically because of the changes in it,

there is in it the virtue of the matter of renewal,

and according to the teaching of the Maggid⁴⁰

on "And our eyes shine like the sun and like the moon"⁴¹

[for at first glance it is perplexing,

since they shine "like the sun",

what does this add that they also shine like the "moon" which "is

(only)

receiving the light from the sun"?]

— that "in this

(light of the moon)

there is for it more pleasure,

for the sun has no pleasure because constant pleasure is not pleasure,

but the moon has pleasure when the light reaches it."

And this is that the day is comprised of sun and moon — because in it the two virtues are joined,

the constancy of the sun and the renewal of the moon,

also together.

8.

Based on this, we can also explain in the inner aspect of the matters the reason for the addition "

(like the sun and like the moon)

and like the stars" — it can be said,

that the power to join the two matters of sun and moon,

comes from "stars" which are above both of them⁴².

And the explanation in the soul of man: "star" alludes to the light

(the hidden)

of

(the inwardness)

of the soul

[like stars simply,

that they appear to the eye extremely far from the earth,

and even most stars are not visible to the eye⁴³],

and even to the level of yechidah in the soul⁴⁴,

the essence of the soul;<pg>7</pg>

And from the greatness of the connection of the essence of the soul with the Holy One, blessed be He,

"yechidah to unify You"⁴⁵,

the union of two opposites is made⁴⁶

(alluded to in the sun and moon),

that his service is in constancy without changes,

and together with this — it is out of great and immense joy and extra endearment,

in a manner of renewal,

"each and every day they should be in your eyes as new ones",

and even — truly new⁴⁷.

And this is also the reason that in the simple meaning of the language of the verse, Israel are compared to the stars of the heavens — because this is the main point,

And this matter will shine in revelation for each and every one of Israel in the future,

And as our Rabbis, of blessed memory, said⁴⁸

that Israel are compared specifically to stars,

because "the sun and the moon have shame in the future..

As it is written⁴⁹

And the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed etc. but the stars have no shame ever..

As it is written⁵⁰

And you shall know that in the midst of Israel I am, and I am the Lord your God and there is none else etc."⁵¹.

(From the talk of Shabbat Parshat Devarim 1970)