## Chizkuni, Deuteronomy

###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:1:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:1:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:1:1)

**לא יהיה לכהנים**אחר שהזכיר משפטי המלך שהוא שופט הזכיר גם משפט הכהנים שהם מורי התורה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
לא יהיה לכהנים, “the priests (and Levites) shall not have (own);” after the Torah had spelled out details pertaining to Jewish Kings, it proceeds to do the same for the hereditary positions of priests and Levites. They are charged with teaching the people Torah, [i.e. worrying about their spiritual welfare, whereas the King is charged with looking after their material well being. Ibn Ezra].


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:1:2
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:1:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:1:2)

**לא יהיה לכהנים הלוים**וגו׳‎ שאם יהיה להם לא יוכלו לעבדה ולשמרה לפי שהם זקוקים להיות קבועים תמיד אצל המקדש.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
The reason why the priests and Levites will not own ancestral land in the Holy Land is that if they did they would neglect its upkeep, as they are required to constantly be present in the Temple.


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:2:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:2:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:2:1)

**ונחלה לא יהיה לו בקרב אחיו**בספרי דרשו ונחלה לא יהיה לו זו נחלת שאר. פי׳‎ אותם שלא היו ללוי אחים אלא מצד אביו כגון יוסף דן ונפתלי גד ואשר ובנימין בקרב אחיו זו נחלת חמשה אותן שהיו אחיו מצד אביו ומצד אמו כגון ראובן שמעון יהודה יששכר זבולון וצריכי תרי הני מעוטי דאי לא כתיב אלא חד מיעוטא מוקמינן ליה בנחלת שאר אחיו שהיו אחיו מצד אביו ולא מצד אמו אבל בנחלת אחיו מצד אביו ומצד אמו אימא דינחיל עמהם קמ״‎ל תרי מעוטי. פי׳‎ אחר נחלת שאר הוא שאר שבטים שלא הנחילום משה ויהושע. נחלת חמשה הם חמשה שבטים שהנחילום משה ויהושע. שהרי כך היה המעשה משה הנחיל לראובני ולגדי ולחצי שבט המנשה. ויהושע הנחיל ליהודה ואפרים ולחצי שבט המנשה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ונחלה לא יהיה לו בקרב אחיו, “they shall have no inheritance among their brethren.” In the Sifri (according to the version at the disposal of Rashi) the word נחלה is understood to refer to inherited land i.e. through being brothers only through the father’s side, whereas the words בקרב אחיו, would refer to brothers both from the same father and the same mother. [in other words the sons of Leah, Ed.] The Torah was forced to list these two categories separately; as if it had not included each category separately we might have thought that when their claim was based on being full brothers by sharing the same father and mother they would qualify for such an inheritance. [In order for this to make sense, we would have to distinguish between ancestral land allocations made by Moses during his lifetime, and that made by Joshua. Once the land had been distributed and settled no questions could arise, as Levites had been born to Levites and priests to priests, and neither had a father who had left him his ancestral share of the land. The versions of this Sifri are confusing and who are we to determine the correct version? Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:3:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:3:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:3:1)

**וזה יהיה משפט הכהנים**אחר שכתב שאין להם נחלה כתב שיקחו מן הזבח הזרוע בשכר השחיטה והלחיים בשכר הברכה והקיבה בשכר הבדיקה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
וזה יהיה משפט הכהנים “and this will be the priests’ due;” after denying the priests ancestral land, the Torah proceeds to tell us how the priests were compensated. They receive the foreleg as payment for performing the slaughter;they receive the cheekbones as payment for blessing the people, and they receive the stomach as reward for performing the examinations required to make sure that the animal was not blemished internally. (Talmud, tractate Chulin folio 136)


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:3:2
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:3:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:3:2)

**[וזה יהיה משפט הכהנים**ישא ויזכיר מה שהכהנים צריכים].


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:4:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:4:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:4:1)

**ראשית דגנך**פרש״‎י בינונית אחד מחמשים וקרא כתיב אחד אחוז מן החמישים תרומה ראשונה נקראת תרומה גדולה על שם שהיא גדולה במדתה על מדות של מעשר ראשון ושל תרומת מעשר, כיצד לאחר שהורמה היא שהיא אחד מן החמישים צריך לנכות את הארבעים ותשע חלקים הנשארים ולעשות מהם חמישים חלקים כדי ליטול מהם חמשה החלקים למעשר ראשון.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ראשית דגנך, “the first fruit of your grain harvest;” According to Rashi, the average amount donated to the priests from this harvest was 2%. This is based on a verse describing how the loot from the campaign against Midian was shared out. (Numbers 31,47) Why was this repeated once more, when it had already been repeated? The donation called תרומה גדולה, to describe the first donation,” was called such called by this adjective was because it is the largest of the gifts the farmer has to make or to allow to remain in the field, uncut. How do we arrive at such a statement, when on the face of it the tithe of a tenth of the harvest appears to be much more? After deducting the 2% set aside from the harvest before any other deductions, the remaining 49 parcels of 2% each have to be divided into 50 equal amounts in order to set aside 5 parts of each as the tithe to be given to the Levite.


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:4:2
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:4:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:4:2)

**וראשית גז צאנך**אינו נוהג אלא בארץ כדרבי אלעאי בפרק ראשית הגז.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
וראשית גז צאנך, “and the first of the fleece of your sheep.” According to the view of Rabbi Ilai this had to be done only in respect of sheep raised in the land of Israel. (Chulin 136).


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:4:3
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:4:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:4:3)

**צאנך**פרט לטריפה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
צאנך, “your sheep or goats;” this excludes animals which prove inedible due to faulty slaughter or diseased part discovered afterwards which would have led to the death of this animal within less than 12 months, in other words: an animal that was treif.


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:4:4
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:4:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:4:4)

**תתן לו**שיהא בו כדי מתנה מכאן אמרו נותן לו ביהודה משקל ה׳‎ סלעים שהם עשר בגליל.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
תתן לו, “you are to give to him” (one or more of the priests who is on duty during that roster (usually a week, except during the pilgrimage festivals when all the priests we equally entitled to share in this). The expression תתן, i.e. something valuable enough to qualify for the term מתנה, “gift,” led to the peculiar system where if you lived in the territory of Yehudah, you were required to give a minimum of 5 shekel worth, as opposed to the Galil (northern section of Israel) where you had to give the priest twice as much. (as only then would people in that part of the country consider that amount as a “gift.”


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:6:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:6:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:6:1)

**וכי יבא הלוי**הזכיר הלויים אחר הכהנים כי גם הם יורו את התורה כמו שמפורש בדברי הימים, זהו לפי הפשט דברים ככתבן.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
וכי יבא הלוי, “and if a Levite comes, etc.” the Levites are mentioned after the priests as they too have been charged with teaching the people the Torah, [and the fact that they do not have to work the land makes them free to do so. Ed.] Their task has been spelled out clearly in Chronicles II 17,79; in fact, we see there that they were travelling teachers, leaving the towns set aside for the Levites and visiting small communities in order to teach there. This is the plain meaning of the words as written.


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:8:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:8:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:8:1)

**חלק כחלק יאכלו**ומה שכתב בבני עלי ספחני נא אל אחת הכהונות לאכול לחם, דמשמע שלא היו לוקחין חלק היינו על ידי שתלה הכתוב החלוקה בשירות דכתיב ושרת את אחיו בשם ה׳‎ מי שעובד חולק וזרעו של עלי לא הגיעו לכלל שנים להיות ראויין לעבודה הם שלשים שנה כדכתיב בבני עלי כל מרבית ביתך ימותו אנשים פירוש בחורים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
חלק כחלק יאכלו, “they shall eat (receive) equal shares, etc.” when we were told in Samuel I 2,36 that the sons of the High Priest Eli would have to go begging to get a morsel to eat, from which we see that even as priests they did not get their allotted shares, and from which we also know that allocations were based only on service actually performed in the Temple, we must remember that these offspring of Eli described there had not yet attained the age at which they were fit to perform such service, i.e. they were below thirty years of age. This is clear from what is written in Samuel I 2,33. [There they were destined not to die until they had attained full maturity, i.e. the age at which, but for the curse, they could have performed Temple service. Ed.].


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:8:2
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:8:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:8:2)

**לבד ממכריו**אם מכר ביתו שירש מאבותיו לא יאמרו לו לא תטול חלק שהרי יש לך. ד״‎א **לבד ממכריו על האבות**לשון הכירה כמו איש מאת מכרו, פי׳‎ אם יש לו מכירים וקרובים מאבותיו שיתנו לו קרבנם להקריבם הרשות בידו להקריב אעפ״‎י שאינו מאותה משמרה.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
לבד ממכריו, “beside what is due to them as a result of his having sold the house he had inherited from his parents.” [The fact that therefore he had independent means and did not need to go begging was not taken into consideration by the Torah when it legislated what he was entitled to due to having been born a Levite.]’An alternate interpretation of this phrase: the word ממכריו is derived from מכיר, “knowing someone personally.” The Torah tells us if the Levite in question has friends who are willing to give him handouts from the goodness of their hearts, this does not therefore prevent him from claiming what is due and sharing it with his fellow Levites. This is so even if he does not ask for his share during the week his roster is performing the sacrificial service in the Temple. [This is an important piece of legislation, as the Rabbis stipulated that when someone has independent means, even minimal amounts, he is not entitled to ask for handouts. Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:9:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:9:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:9:1)

**כי אתה בא אל הארץ**אחר שכתב הכהנים והמלך שאתה חייב לשמוע להם כתב לך אותם שאתה מוזהר משמוע להם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
'כי אתה בא אל הארץ וגו, “when you will come to the land, etc.” After the Torah had told you what type of authority the priests and the King possess, and that you must be obedient to them, it now tells you what kind of instructions you must disobey, if such are decreed by them. [You are to record those in writing also.]


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:10:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:10:1)

**לא ימצא בך מעביר**וגו׳‎ אזהרה שמענו עונש מניין תלמוד לומר אשר יתן מזרעו למולך.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
'לא ימצא בך מעביר בנו באש וגו, “there must not be found amongst you any father who makes his son pass through fire, etc.” Where is the penalty for such abuse of parental authority written? It is found in the otherwise superfluous words: אשר מזרעו, “from his offspring,” in Leviticus 20,2, where the same subject has been discussed already.


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:10:2
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:10:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:10:2)

**קסם קסמים**פרש״‎י האוחז את מקלו ואומר אם אלך אם לא אלך. וי״‎מ מודד מקלו באצבעו או בידו פעם אחת אומר אלך ופעם אחת אומר לא אלך ואם בסוף המקל יארע לא אלך אינו הולך וזהו אוחז במקלו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
קוסם קסמים, “someone using divination to learn about future events;” according to Rashi, an example of divination would be if a person takes hold of his walking cane, asking it if it is in his interest to undertake a certain journey. The subject appears also in Hoseah 4,12, although no examples are given how the cane would give its sign. [Some commentators therefore do not understand the word: “walking cane” literally, but see it as a synonym for an idol made of wood. The idol would be asked and give some sign to the questioner. Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:11:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:11:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:11:1)

**ושאל אוב וידעני**וגו׳‎ תנו רבנן בעל אוב זה המדבר מבין הפרקים ומבין אצילי ידיו פרש״‎י מעלה את המת ויושב לו באחד מבין פרקי העצמות של המכשף כגון על פרקי אצבעותיו או פרקי ברכיו. ת״‎ר בעל אוב אחד המעלה בזכורו ואחד המעלה בגולגולת. בזכורו פרש״‎י מעלה את המת על זכרותו בגלגולת המוטלת מן המת לארץ ועונה מה ששואלים אותו ע״‎י מכשפות. הכי מיתנייא והכי פירש״‎י בפרק ארבע מיתות.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ושואל אוב וידעוני, “or consulting a ghost or familiar spirit.” According to the Talmud tractate Sanhedrin, folio 65, the people referred to are those who pretend that they can produce answers by consulting carcasses or skeletons, and producing what sounds like responses to their questions that appear to emanate between the joints of the bones of the dead. Rashi quotes a different version of this kind of trickery. The point is that through appearing to be able to communicate with the dead, these people presumably make a good living by misleading their naive customers. All of this kind of necromancy is punishable by death if performed by a Jewish person in Israel.


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:12:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:12:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:12:1)

**ובגלל התועבת האלה, מוריש אותם מפניך**נמצא שאינן מצילין את דורשיהם ולא יועילו ביום עברה לפיכך תמים תהיה ולא לחזר אחר מעוננים וקוסמים.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ובגלל התועבות האלה מוריש אותם מפניך, “on account of the previous inhabitants of this land having performed all of these abominations the Lord is dispossessing them of this land.” Their expulsion is proof that their protectors were powerless, so why would you even think of turning to such means for knowing the future? As a result of this failure of the idols G-d suggests that you “be wholehearted with the Lord your G-d.”


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:13:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:13:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:13:1)

**תמים תהיה עם ה׳‎ אלקיך**לשון שלמות אל תאמר אהיה ירא יראה אחרת עמו כמו שמצינו בגרי אריות שכתוב עליהם את ה׳‎ היו יראים ואת אלהיהם היו עובדים ונמצאת עמו חסר ביראה אלא תהיה ככלי מלא תם ושלם מענין אחד כלומר שלם תהיה עמו בכל מעשיך ובכל מחשבותיך ועל זה אמר שלמה בחכמתו בכל דרכיך דעהו וגו'.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
תמים תהיה עם ה' אלוקיך, “be wholehearted with the Lord your G-d.” The expression תמימות, means “to have an exclusive relationship with either man or G-d.” One does not flirt with any alternatives. The opposite of this occurred with the nations that were made to live in Israel as exchange for the Ten Tribes which the Assyrians had exiled. They professed to worship the Jewish way of life, but without abandoning their own religion. As a result, they became victims of the lions invading their part of the Land of Israel. (Compare Kings II 17,33)


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:14:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:14:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:14:1)

**כי הגוים האלה**אלה הגוים **אשר אתה יורש**על כרחם צריכים הם להיות שומעים **אל מעננים ואל קסמים**לפי שאין הקב״‎ה מדבר עמהם ואינו משרה שכינתו עליהם.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
כי הגוים האלה, “for these nations, etc.” The nations that you are about to dispossess if they do not emigrate, or to kill outright, had a need to turn to all these pseudo prophets or healers seeing that they have no direct line of communication with the Lord G-d, their Creator. [I have provided you with a prophet similar in stature to Moses, G-d has said. He said nothing of the kind to the Canaanites. G-d first listed the King, then the Judges, and finally the Prophets, as means of communicating with Him. Ed.]


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:14:2
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:14:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:14:2)

**ואתה לא כן**אינך צריך כמותם לשמוע אל מעוננים ואל קוסמים שהרי נביא מקרבך כמוני וגו'.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ואתה לא כן “but as for you, the Lord thy God has not permitted you to do so” – because you do not need to listen to soothsayers and diviners because you have a prophet from amongst you, like me (verse 15).


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:15:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:15:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:15:1)

**מאחיך כמני**זה יהושע.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
מאחיך כמוני, “from amongst your brethren, someone like me;” Moses refers to Joshua in this verse.


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:15:2
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:15:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:15:2)

**אליו תשמעון**כדכתיב וישמעו אליו בני ישראל.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
אליו משמעון, “you are to be obedient to him.” Compare what is written in Deuteronomy 34,9, “all the Israelites listened to him” (were obedient).


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:16:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:16:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:16:1)

**לא אסף**הסמ״‎ך בצרי.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
לא אוסף, “I do not wish to continue, etc.” [Moses refers to when, during the revelation at Mount Sinai 39 years earlier, the people who had been listening to G-d’s voice directly, had found that voice so frightening that they asked Moses to be their go between. (Exodus 20,16)] The letter ס in the word אוסף has the vowel tzeyreh;


###### Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:22:1
[Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 18:22:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Chizkuni/s/Deuteronomy/r/18:22:1)

**ולא יהיה הדבר ולא יבא**וגו׳‎ וכגון שאין שם תשובה ומעשים טובים שינחם הקב״‎ה ויעכב הפרענות כגון חזקיה ונינוה וכיוצא בהם. ד״‎א **ולא יהיה הדבר ולא יבא**וגו׳‎ אלמא משמע שלא יבא לעולם ובפרשת ראה כתוב ובא האות והמופת, וי״‎ל דההיא דפרשת ראה דמשמע שבא מיירי בנביא שקר שמתחלתו היה אמת כמו שפי׳‎ להלן והכא מיירי בנביא שקר מתחלתו.

**Chizkuni, translated and annotated by Eliyahu Munk:**
ולא יהיה הדבר ולא יבא, “and that thing will not come to pass; it will not happen;” for instance, if that “prophet” had promised that an impending disaster will be averted, or if he had promised something positive, that something will not occur; Jonah was afraid of being labelled a false prophet when Nineveh was not destroyed as he had predicted. [He had not told the people that penitence was a remedy that would be the reason through which it could be averted. Ed.] An alternate explanation for the apparent repetition in our verse: the prediction would not come true at the time promised nor would it come true sometime later. This could be taken as proof that it would never come true. In Deuteronomy 13,3, when the same subject is discussed, the Torah writes about the “prophet’s” prediction coming true. How are we to account for the difference? Here the Torah speaks about a charlatan, someone who had never been a prophet; there the Torah speaks of someone who had been known as a true prophet in the past but had become a heretic, so that what he had predicted lately had not been something that G-d had told him about.