Rashi on II Samuel Chapter 13
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וּלְאַבְשָׁלוֹם אָחוֹת יָפָה. שֶׁהָיְתָה בַּת אִמּוֹ:
Avsholom had a pretty sister. That was the daughter of his mother.
לְהִתְחַלּוֹת. עַד שֶׁנֶּחֱלָה:
To [the point of] sickness. Until he became sick.
כִּי בְתוּלָה הִיא. צְנוּעָה בַּבַּיִת וְאֵינָהּ יוֹצֵאת לַחוּץ, לְפִיכָךְ וַיִּפָּלֵא בְּעֵינֵי אַמְנוֹן וְגוֹ׳, נִכְסֶה וְנֶעְלָם מִמֶּנּוּ מָה תּוֹאֲנָה יָכוֹל לְבַקֵּשׁ וְיִשְׁכַּב עִמָּהּ, כְּמוֹ (דברים יז:ח): ,כִּי יִפָּלֵא מִמְּךָ״, ״אֲרֵי יִתְכַּסֵּי מִמָּךְ״:
Because she was a virgin. She was modest [and stayed] in the house and did not go outside therefore, "It was hidden from the eyes of Amnon… It was covered and hidden from him. What excuse he could seek [in order] to lay with her.¹ Similar to "When it is concealed from you",² [which] Onkelus translates: "When it is hidden from you."
footnotes: ¹ According to Rashi, the words in our verse, “because she was a virgin” do not tell us why Amnon was desirous of her. The reason for his desire was because she was pretty. Rashi consequently explains that these words are telling us why she was inaccessible to Amnon and are connected to the words that follow, “it was hidden in the eyes of Amnon” to find a way to lay with her. ² Devorim 17:8.
אִישׁ חָכָם. לְרִשְׁעָה:
Smart man. For wickedness.
דַּל. כָּחוּשׁ, כְּמוֹ (בראשית מא:יט): ״דַּלּוֹת וְרָעוֹת תֹּאַר״:
Weak. Weak as [we find] "weak and bad [in] appearance".³
footnotes: ³ Bereishis 41:19.
אֶת הַבִּרְיָה. אֶת הַסְּעוּדָה:
The meal. The meal.
וַתְּלַבֵּב. וַתַּחֲלוֹט, סֹלֶת מֻרְבֶּכֶת בְּמַיִם רוֹתְחִין תְּחִלָּה, וְאַחַר כָּךְ בְּשֶׁמֶן:
She made a paste. She made a paste of flour mixed [it] first into boiling water and afterwords in oil.
אֶת הַמַּשְׂרֵת. תַּרְגּוּם שֶׁל מַחֲבַת, מַסְרֵיתָא:
The pan. The [Onkelus'] translation of Machues is "pan".⁴
footnotes: ⁴ Vayikro 6:14.
כִּי לֹא יִמְנָעֵנִי מִמֶּךָּ. שֶׁמֻּתֶּרֶת אֲנִי לְךָ, לְפִי שֶׁנִּתְעַבְּרָה בִּי אִמִּי כְּשֶׁהִיא נָכְרִית יְפַת תֹּאַר, שֶׁלְּקָחָהּ דָּוִד בַּמִּלְחָמָה, וּמִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ בֵּן אוֹ בַּת מִן שִׁפְחָה, אֵינוֹ בְּנוֹ לְכָל דָּבָר:
Because he will not keep me from you. I am permitted to you because my mother became pregnant with me when she was still a gentile, pretty woman⁵ that Dovid took conjugally in war. And someone who has a son or daughter from a gentile handmaid is not considered his child for any legal matter.
footnotes: ⁵ The laws concerning the taking of gentile woman during war is discused in Devorim begginning in 21:10. The Torah calls her a יְפַת תּוֹאַר, “pretty woman.”
וַיִּשְׂנָאֶהָ אַמְנוֹן. אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (סנהדרין כא א): נִימָא נִקְשְׁרָה לוֹ, וַעֲשָׂאַתוּ כְּרוּת שָׁפְכָה:
Amnon hated her. Our Rabbis say she tied a hair for him [in his genital area] and caused him to have a severed organ.⁶
footnotes: ⁶ One who is so injured is prohibited from marrying a Jewish woman as related in Devorim 23:2. This interpretation of our verse is in Sanhedrin 21a.
אַל אוֹדוֹת. אַל תַּעֲשֶׂה אוֹדוֹת הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת שֶׁל שִׁלּוּחַ, הַגְּדוֹלָה מִן הָאַחֶרֶת שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ עִמִּי וְעִנִּיתָנִי, וְעוֹד תּוֹסִיף רָעָה מִמֶּנָּה לְשַׁלְּחֵנִי:
Do not do this thing. Do not do this evil thing of sending [me] away which is worse then the other [evil thing] that you did to me. You raped me and then you added on more evil than that by sending me away.
וַיִּהְיוּ גוֹזְזִים. וְדַרְכָּם הָיָה לַעֲשׂוֹת מִשְׁתֶּה בִּגְזוֹז צֹאנָם:
The were shearing. It was there custom to make a party when they sheared their flocks.
וְלֹא יֵלֶךְ נָא אִתָּנוּ. וְאִם לֹא יָכוֹל אַתָּה לָלֶכֶת, יֵלֶךְ נָא עִמָּנוּ אַמְנוֹן:
Will not come with us. If you can not go, let Amnon go with us.
עַל פִּי אַבְשָׁלוֹם הָיְתָה שׂוּמָה. בְּצִוּוּיוֹ שֶׁל אַבְשָׁלוֹם הָיְתָה שִׂימָה זוֹ נִשֹּׁמֶת עַל עֲבָדָיו, לַהֲרוֹג אֶת אַמְנוֹן:
This has been Avsholom's order. By Avsholom's command was this order bestowed on his servants to kill Amnon.
וַתְּכַל דָּוִד. הֲרֵי זֶה מִקְרָא קָצָר, וַתְּכַל נֶפֶשׁ דָּוִד; וְכֵן תִּרְגֵּם יוֹנָתָן: ״וְחֲמִידַת נַפְשָׁא דְדָוִד״, כְּמוֹ (תהלים פד:ג): ״נִכְסְפָה וְגַם כָּלְתָה״, לְשׁוֹן תַּאֲוָה:
Dovid desired. This is a shortened verse, [it means to say:] "Dovid's soul desired." Yonoson also translates [this way:] "Dovid's soul desired," as [we find:] "[My Soul] yearns, and even pines."⁷ Language [denoting] desire.
footnotes: ⁷ Tehilim 84:3.
כִּי נִחַם עַל אַמְנוֹן. קִבֵּל תַּנְחוּמִין:
Because he was consoled concerning Amnon. He accepted [words of] consolation.