And this is the blessing that Moshe, the man of God, blessed Bnei Yisroel before his death.

VEZOT HABBERAKHA And this is the blessing, with which Moshe the man of God blessed the children of Yisra᾽el before his death.

And this is the blessing wherewith Moses the man of G-d blessed the children of Israel [immediately] before his death ["If not now, when!"]

He said: ‘‘Adonoy came from Sinai, radiated forth to them from Seir, appeared from Mount Paran He came with part of the sacred myriads; from His right [hand]— the flaming Torah law.

And he said, The Lord came from Sinay, and rose up from Se῾ir to them; he shone forth from mount Paran, and he came from holy multitudes: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

And he said [(Moses opens with praise of the L-rd and then with the requirements of Israel, Israel's merits inhering in the L-rd's praise)]: The L-rd came from Sinai [(He went out towards them when they came to stand at the foot of the mountain, as a groom goes out towards his bride)], and He shone forth from Seir to them, [after having first offered the Torah to the sons of Esav, (the inhabitants of Seir), who refused it]. He appeared from Mount Paran [after offering it to the children of Yishmael, who refused it]. And He came [to Israel, and with Him] some of the ten thousands of His holy [angels — and not even the greater part (as opposed to the ways of men of flesh and blood, who parade all of their wealth and glory on their nuptial day)]; from His right hand [i.e., In the tablets written by His right hand, He gave] them the law of fire [i.e., the Law which was written of yore before Him in black fire on white fire].

He also cherished the nations—all of their sacred ones are in Your keeping; for they were gathered in at Your feet and accepted the burden of Your word.

Truly he loves the peoples; all his holy ones are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.

He also fondly loved the peoples [i.e., the tribes]; all of his holy ones are in Your hand [i.e., the souls of his righteous ones are secreted with You.], and [they are worthy of this, for at Mount Sinai] they placed themselves in the midst, at Your feet. They took upon themselves Your commandments.

The Torah which Moshe commanded us, is the heritage of the congregation of Yaakov.

Moshe commanded us a Tora, the inheritance of the congregation of Ya῾aqov.

The Torah which Moses commanded unto us is the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob [(We have possessed it and will not abandon it.)]

There was a king in Yeshurun, at the gathering of the counting. the tribes of Yisroel together.

And he was king in Yeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of Yisra᾽el were gathered together.

And He was a king in Yeshurun [i.e., the yoke of His kingdom was upon them] whenever their complement was assembled, the tribes of Israel together, [i.e., when there is peace (and not discord) among them].

May Reuvein live and let him not die, and may his constituency be counted.

Let Re᾽uven live, and not die; and let not his men be few.

Reuven shall live [in this world] and he shall not die [in the world to come (The episode of Bilhah (Genesis 352) will not be "brought up" to him)], and his men will be counted [among those of his brothers].

Now this for Yehudah and he said, ‘‘Adonoy, hear the voice of Yehudah, and bring him to his people; May his hands fight his battles and may You provide assistance against his enemies.’’

And this is the blessing of Yehuda: and he said, Hear, Lord, the voice of Yehuda, and bring him to his people: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou a help to him from his enemies.

And this, [i.e., the same,] for Yehudah, [both Reuven and Yehudah having confessed for their misdeed (see Genesis 38:26)]. And he said: Hear, O L-rd, the voice of Yehudah [i.e., the prayers of Yehudah's descendants: those of David, Solomon, and Assa vis-à-vis the Kushites, those of Yehoshafat vis-à-vis the Ammonites, and those of Chizkiah vis-à-vis Sancheriv.], and to his people shall You bring him [in peace from battle]. His hands will fight [his battle and take vengeance] for him, and You shall be a help against his foes [(this, in respect to Yehoshafat in the war of Ramoth Gilead)].

And regarding Levi he said, ‘‘Your tumim and Your urim to Your pious man; whom You tried with tests, You brought him strife at the waters of Merivah.

And of Levi he said, Let thy Tummim and thy Urim be with thy pious one, whom thou didst prove at Massa, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meriva;

And of Levi he said: Your Thumim and Your Urim to Your (acknowledged) pious one, whom You proved in Massah, [Levi not caviling like the others], whom You tested at the waters of Merivah,

He who said of his father and his mother, ‘I did not see them,‘ and his brothers he did not recognize and his sons he did not know; for they observed Your command and kept Your covenant.

who said of his father and of his mother, I have not seen him; nor did he acknowledge his brothers, nor knew his own children: for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant.

who says [(in the episode of the golden calf, when Levi was commanded to kill those who had served it)] of his father [i.e., his mother's father (the tribe of Levi not having sinned)] and of his mother: I have not seen them; and his brothers [i.e., his maternal brothers (by an Israelite)] he did not recognize, and his sons [i.e., his daughter's sons (by an Israelite)] he did not know. For they kept Your commandment ["You shall have no other gods"], and Your covenant [of circumcision] they kept [(the Levites, unlike the other tribes, having circumcised their sons in the desert)].

They shall teach Your law to Yaakov and Your Torah to Yisroel; let them place incense before You and totally consumed offerings on Your altar;

They shall teach Ya῾aqov thy judgments, and Yisra᾽el thy Tora: they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thy altar.

They shall teach Your judgments to Jacob [(they are worthy of doing so)], and Your Torah to Israel. They shall place incense before You and a burnt-offering upon Your altar.

Adonoy, bless his wealth and accept his handiwork; shatter his adversaries at the loins and his enemies, so that they may not arise.’’

Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins those who rise against him, and those who hate him, that they rise not again.

Bless, O L-rd, his substance, and desire the work of his hands. Break the thighs of those who rise up against him, and of his foes, that they rise not.

Regarding Binyomin he said, ‘‘Adonoy’s friend, let him live secure with Him; He hovers protectively over him throughout the day, and He resides between his shoulders.’’

And of Binyamin he said, The beloved of the Lord; he shall dwell in safety by him; he shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.

[The rationale of the juxtaposition: The blessing of Levi is the sacrificial service and that of Binyamin, the building of the Temple in his portion. Joseph follows (13) in that the sanctuary of Shiloh was built in his portion (but Binyamin takes precedence in that the Temple was more beloved than the sanctuary.)] Of Binyamin he said: Beloved of the L-rd; he shall rest securely upon Him. He hovers over it [the Temple, protecting it] the entire day [i.e., forever (Once Jerusalem was selected, the Shechinah did not repose itself in a different place)]; and between his shoulders [(in a slight depression on the highest part of Binyamin's land)] does it (the Temple) rest.

And regarding Yoseif he said, ‘‘Blessed by Adonoy is his land; with the delight of heaven, from dew, and the deep waters that lie below.

And of Yosef he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that couches beneath,

And of Joseph he said: Blessed of the L-rd is his land, [his being the choicest of the land of all the tribes]: of the sweet things of the heaven, of the dew, and of the deep, lying below, [the deep rising and watering it from below (see Genesis 49:25). With all of the tribes, the blessing of Moses was reminiscent of that of Jacob].

With the delight of the sun’s harvest; and with the delight of the moon’s ripening.

and for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,

And of the sweet things brought forth by the sun, [Joseph's land being "open" to the sun, which sweetened the fruits], and of the sweet things [like melons] quickened by the moon,

With the first fruits of the early mountains and from the sweetness of the perennial hills.

and for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the primordial hills,

And of the first [-ripened fruits] of the mountains of "yore" [(the mountains being earliest to ripen the fruits)], and of the sweet things of the eternal hills [i.e., hills which are "eternally" fruitful, never lacking rain],

And from the sweetness of earth and its fullness, and the favor of the One who resides in the thornbush; let this be visited upon Yoseif’s head, and upon the head of the one set apart from his brothers.

and for the precious things of the earth and its fulness, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush: let the blessing come upon the head of Yosef, and upon the top of the head of him who was separated from his brothers.

And of the sweet things of the earth and its fullness, and (of) the favor of the Dweller [who first appeared to me] in the bush (Exodus 3:2). May it [this blessing] come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the head of him sundered [from] his brothers.

His firstborn ox, glory to him, and re’em’s horns are his horns, with which he will gore together peoples to the ends of the earth; and they are Ephraim’s myriads, and they are Menasheh’s thousands.’’

The firstling of his herd, grandeur is his, and his horns are like the horns of a wild ox: with them he shall push the peoples altogether to the ends of the earth: and they are the ten thousands of Efrayim, and they are the thousands of Menashshe.

The grandeur [and kingdom] of his "ox" [(Joshua, who comes from Joseph and who conquered many kings)] is accorded him [see Numbers 27:20], and the horns of a re'em are his horns [i.e., they are as strong as those of an ox and beautiful as those of a re'em]. With them he shall gore peoples as one, the ends of the earth [i.e., thirty-one kings from the ends of the earth, (Eretz Yisrael being so desirable that there was no king who did not establish a seat in it)]. And they [the "gored ones"] are the ten thousands of Ephraim [i.e., those slain by Joshua, who came from Ephraim], and they are the thousands of Menasheh [i.e., those slain by Gideon in Midian (Judges 8:10)].

And regarding Zevulun he said, ‘‘Rejoice Zevulun at your departure; and Yissachar in your tents.

And of Zevulun he said, Rejoice, Zevulun, in thy going out; and, Yissakhar, in thy tents.

[The names of each of the last five tribes is "doubled" in the blessing in order to "strengthen" them, these being the weakest of all the tribes (which Joseph presented to Pharaoh. See Genesis 47:2)] And of Zevulun he said: Rejoice Zevulun in your going forth [in ships to trade], and Yissachar [learning] in your tents [of Torah, (Zevulun, through their support, enabling Yissachar to do so, for which reason Zevulun is mentioned first)].

Peoples shall assemble at the mountain—there will they slaughter righteous offerings; for by the streaming of the sea they shall be nurtured and the hidden treasures of sand.’’

They shall call the peoples to the mountain; there they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness: for they shall suck of the abundance of the seas, and of treasures hid in the sand.

Peoples [of the tribes of Israel] at the mountain [Mount Moriah] they [Yissachar, by being the "decisors" of the festival times (see I Chronicles 12:33)] will assemble. There they will sacrifice offerings of righteousness. For the abundance of the seas will they [Yissachar and Zevulun] suck, [giving them leisure for Torah study], and the covered things hidden in the sand [(valuable things found in the sea and the sand in the territory of Yissachar and Zevulun)].

And regarding Gad he said, ‘‘Blessed is the One who broadens Gad; He lairs like a lion then rips the arm with the head.

And of Gad he said, Blessed is he that enlarges Gad: he dwells as a lion, and tears the arm with the crown of the head.

And of Gad he said: Blessed is He that broadens Gad, [the territory of Gad broadening out eastward]. As a lion he dwells, [(border dwellers requiring the "strength of a lion" to repel invaders)], and he tore the arm together with the crown [Gad's slain ones were conspicuous — they hacked off head and arm at one blow.]

He saw the foremost for himself, for there the great scribe’s burial plot is concealed; he marched at the head of the people, he acted righteously before Adonoy and His laws with Yisroel.’’

And he provided the first part for himself, because there the portion of a lawgiver was reserved; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the justice of the Lord, and his judgments with Yisra᾽el.

And he saw [fit to take] for himself [a portion in the land of Sichon and Og, which is the] first [of the conquest of Eretz Yisrael]. For [he knew that] there [in his territory] the [burial] plot of the lawgiver [Moses] is hidden [from all men (see 34:6)]. And he [Gad] went out at the head of the people [i.e., the vanguard of the army (in the conquest of the land), their men being warriors (Joshua 1:14)]. He did the righteousness of the L-rd and His judgments with Israel, [keeping their word to cross over the Jordan (and not to return) until their brethren had conquered and apportioned the land.]

And regarding Don he said, ‘‘Don is a lion cub, bounding from Bashan.’’

And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion’s whelp, that leaps from Bashan.

And of Dan he said: Dan is a lion's whelp [(Dan, too, was close to the border)]; he shall leap forth from the Bashan [(The Jordan issued forth from the Bashan in the territory of Dan.)]

And regarding Naftoli he said, ‘‘Naftoli’s desire is satisfied and he is full of blessing Adonoy; occupy the sea and its southern coast!’’

And of Naftali he said, O Naftali, satisfied with favour, and full with the blessing of the Lord: possess thou the west and the south.

And of Naftali he said: [The land of] Naftali sates the desire [of all its inhabitants], and it is full of the blessing of the L-rd — Inherit the sea [of Kinnereth] and the south [(Naftali received a rope-length of fishing coast in its south)].

And regarding Asher he said, ‘‘May Asher be blessed with sons; he shall be favored by his brothers and immerse his foot in oil.’’

And of Asher he said, Be Asher blessed above sons; let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil.

And of Asher he said: Blessed with sons is Asher [more than all of the other tribes]. He shall be ingratiating to his brothers [by supplying them with oil and fine fruits (and they to him, by supplying him with grain)], and he shall steep his foot in oil [(his land drawing oil like a well)].

Your locks are iron and copper; As the days [of your youth], so may be your declining days.

Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.

[And now Moses speaks of all of Israel:] Iron and copper are your locks, [the warriors of Israel being stationed in the border cities and "locking out" invaders]; and as [blessed as] the days [of your youth will be the days of] your old age.

God is incomparable—Yeshurun; He who straddles the firmament in your aid and, in His pride, the high heavens.

There is none like to the God of Yeshurun, who rides upon the heaven to thy help, and in his excellency on the clouds.

[Know,] Yeshurun, [that] there is none like the Almighty [among all the gods of the peoples]. The Rider in the heavens [— He is the G-d who] is your help; and in His pride [He rides] the skies,

As the dwelling of the eternal God, and beneath are the world’s strong-armed; He banished the enemy from your presence and said, ‘Destroy.’

The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.

[which He chose] as an abode for the G-d of yore [i.e., the G-d who preceded all others], and beneath [the skies] (trembling beneath Him) are the [strong] arms of the world, [viz., Sichon and Og, the kings of Canaan, who were the "might" of the world]. And He drove out the foe before you, and He said [to you]: Destroy [them]!

Yisroel lived securely, as individuals like Yaakov in a land of grain and wine; even its skies shall drip dew.

Yisra᾽el then shall dwell in safety alone: the fountain of Ya῾aqov shall dwell upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew.

And Israel dwelt secure, alone, [each one under his vine and under his fig tree, scattered, not needing to dwell together in fear of the enemy], as [in the blessing of] Jacob [(Genesis 48:21), G-d bringing them] to a land of corn and wine. His heavens, too, shall drip dew, [as in the blessing of Isaac (Genesis 27:28)].

You are fortunate, Yisroel, who can compare to you—a people saved by Adonoy, the shield of your aid and who [provides the victory of] the sword of your glory; and your enemies will prevaricate to you, while you tread on their high places.’’

Happy art thou, O Yisra᾽el: who is like to thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and one that is the sword of thy excellency! and thy enemies shall submit themselves to thee; and thou shalt tread upon their high places.

[(Moses now says:) Why need I enumerate details? Everything is yours!] Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you? A people helped by the L-rd, the Shield of your salvation and the Sword of your pride! Your foes will dissimulate to you [in fear of you, viz. the Giveonites (Joshua 9:9)], and you will tread on their high places [viz. Ibid. 10:24)].