Rashi on II Samuel Chapter 14
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
וַיִּשְׁלַח יוֹאָב תְּקוֹעָה. אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (מנחות פה ב): כִּי שֶׁמֶן זַיִת מָצוּי שָׁם, לְכָךְ חָכְמָה מְצוּיָה שָׁם:
Yoav sent to Tekuah. Our Rabbis said Because olive oil is found there, therefore wisdom is found there.¹
footnotes: ¹ Menochos 85a.
אֲבָל אִשָּׁה אַלְמָנָה אָנִי. אֲבָל, ״בְּקוּשְׁטָא״:
**In truth, I am a widowed woman.**אֲבָל means "In truth."
עָלַי אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ הֶעָוֹן. כִּנּוּי הוּא לִכְבוֹדוֹ, כְּלוֹמַר אַתָּה מַדְחֶה אוֹתִי לֵאמֹר אֲנִי מְצַוֶּה עָלֶיךָ וַאֲנִי אֵלֵךְ לְדַרְכִּי, וְאַתָּה לֹא תְצַוֶּה עָלַי, וּבְנִי יֵהָרֵג, עַל מִי הֶעָוֹן הַזֶּה:
My master the king, the sin is upon me. This is euphemistic for [the sake of] his honour in other words, "You are rebutting me [by] saying, 'I will command [someone] concerning you,' I will [then] go on my way and you will not command [anyone] concerning me, and my son will get murdered. Upon who is this sin?"
יִזְכָּר נָא הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת ה׳. שֶׁהִקְפִּיד עַל אֹרֶךְ הַדֶּרֶךְ לְהַצִּיל נְפָשׁוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יט:ו): ״וְהִשִּׂיגוֹ כִּי יִרְבֶּה הַדֶּרֶךְ״, וְזֶהוּ מֵהַרְבּוֹת גֹּאֵל הַדָּם לְשַׁחֵת, וְאַתָּה דוֹחֶה אוֹתִי:
Please remember Adonoy. God was stringent concerning the distance [necessary] to save lives² as it is said, "He will overtake him because the way was long".³ This is [her reference with], "To avoid giving more [time] for the avenger to destroy," and you are pushing me [away].
footnotes: ² When a person kills accidently, he must go to a city of refuge. These cities should never be too distant from any potential fugitive who may need to go there. ³ Devorim 19:5.
וְלָמָּה חָשַׁבְתָּה כָזֹאת. שֶׁחָשַׁדְתָּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁיָּבֹאוּ לַהֲרוֹג אֶת הַשֵּׁנִי בְּלֹא עֵדִים וְהַתְרָאָה:
Why did you think this. You suspected that a Jew could come to kill another [Jew] without witnesses and a warning.
וּמִדַּבֵּר הַמֶּלֶךְ הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה כְּאָשֵׁם. וְהַדָּבָר הַזֶּה שֶׁחָרַצְתָּ לַאֲחֵרִים, שֶׁאָמַרְתָּ לִי לֹא יִפּוֹל מִשַּׂעֲרַת בְּנֵךְ אַרְצָה, עַכְשָׁיו שֶׁאֲגַלֶּה לְךָ שֶׁאֵין הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה אֶלָּא עַל שְׁנֵי בָּנֶיךָ, אַל תִּתְחָרֵט לֵאמֹר דִּבַּרְתִּי זֶה כְּאָשֵׁם, וְהִנְנִי חוֹזֵר בִּי, לְבִלְתִּי הָשִׁיב הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת אַבְשָׁלוֹם בְּנוֹ שֶׁנִּדְחָה מִמֶּנּוּ וּבָרַח לוֹ:
That which the king said he himself is guilty of. This thing that you have decided for others, that you said to me "hair from your son shall not fall to the ground." Now that I have revealed to you that this thing never happened, but it was only [a parable] to your two sons, do not reverse yourself saying, "I said this mistakingly and I have reconsidered" in order that the king not bring back his son, Avsholom that his been exiled from him and has fled.
וּמִדַּבֵּר הַמֶּלֶךְ. אוקינו״ן פרלטי״ש בלע״ז:
The king will say. Aucenon parleter in O.F.
כִּי מוֹת נָמוּת. וְדַיֵּינוּ בְּאוֹתוֹ עֹנֶשׁ:
We are [all] going to die. And that punishment is sufficent.⁴
footnotes: ⁴ For Avsholom.
וְלֹא יִשָּׂא אֱלֹהִים נֶפֶשׁ. אִישׁ מִן הַמִּיתָה, לְפִיכָךְ וְחָשַׁב הַמֶּלֶךְ מַחֲשָׁבוֹת לְבִלְתִּי יִדַּח מִמֶּנּוּ נִדָּח:
God will not countenance anyone. a man from [avoiding] death. Therefore the king should devise means to avoid having his exiled one remain an outcast.
וְעַתָּה אֲשֶׁר בָּאתִי לְדַבֵּר אֶל הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲדֹנִי אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה. בְּכִנּוּי עָלַי וְעַל בְּנִי:
And now I came to speak to my master, the king these words. As a parable about myself and my son
כִּי יֵרְאוּנִי הָעָם. הִפְחִידוּנִי מִלְּבַקֵּשׁ אֶת אֲדֹנִי עַל בְּנוֹ, פֶּן יִכְעוֹס עָלַי:
Because the people frightened me. They frightened me [away] from imploring my master concerning [the plight of] his son lest he become angry with me.
וַתֹּאמֶר שִׁפְחָתְךָ אֲדַבְּרָה נָּא. כְּעִנְיָן זֶה, אוּלַי יַעֲשֶׂה וְגוֹ׳:
Your handmaiden said, "I will speak." In this way [with a parable], perhaps he will take action etc.
כִּי יִשְׁמַע הַמֶּלֶךְ לְהַצִּיל אֶת אֲמָתוֹ מִכַּף הָאִישׁ. הַבָּא לַהֲרוֹג אֶת בְּנִי, וּלְהַשְׁמִידֵנוּ יַחַד מִנַּחֲלַת אֱלֹהִים:
When the king hears [and agrees] to save his handmaiden from the [avenger] man's hand. who is coming to kill my son and to remove us both from the inheritance [given by] God.⁵
footnotes: ⁵ All this is what the woman was conveying in her parable. This was all designed to be tolerable for the king to hear.
וַתֹּאמֶר שִׁפְחָתְךָ. מֵאַחַר שֶׁיְּצַוֶּה הַמֶּלֶךְ עָלַי, יִהְיֶה דְּבָרוֹ לִמְנוּחָה לִבְנִי, כִּי לֹא יָשׁוּב מִדְּבָרוֹ הַטּוֹב, כִּי כְּמַלְאַךְ ה׳ אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ, וְלֹא יַחֲזִירֶנּוּ כַּעַס וְשִׂנְאָה מִדְּבָרוֹ הַטּוֹב:
Your handmaiden says. Now that the king has ordered [remedial action] concerning me, his word should provide relief for my son because he will not back away from his kind decision⁶ because my master, the king is like an angel of God and anger and hatred will not change his kind decision.
footnotes: ⁶ You came to the kind decision to provide relief to my make believe son in the parable. Please don’t change that decision when deliberating about Avsholom who in real-life needs relief.
אִם אִשׁ. כְּמוֹ אִם יֵשׁ, כְּמוֹ הֲיֵשׁ, וְכֵן (מיכה ו:י): ״עוֹד הָאִשׁ בֵּית רָשָׁע״, כְּמוֹ הֲיֵשׁ:
It is impossible. [This is] like "if it is possible" or like "is it possible" So too [we find] "Is there in the house of a wicked person"⁷ meaning "is there".⁸
footnotes: ⁷ Micha 6:10. ⁸ הָאִש is standing in for הֲיֵשׁ which means “is there”.
לְבַעֲבוּר סַבֵּב. לְגַלְגֵּל, עַד שֶׁיֵּצֵא דְּבַר בְּנוֹ שֶׁל הַמֶּלֶךְ לָאוֹר:
In order to skirt around. To skirt around [the issue] until the matter concerning the king's son comes to light.
וַאדֹנִי חָכָם. וְהֵבַנְתָּ כִּי מֵאֵת יוֹאָב יָצָאתָ:
[But] my master is wise. and you understood that this is coming from Yoav.
אֶל יָדִי. סָמוּךְ לִרְשׁוּתִי, בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁאֲנִי יָכוֹל לְהַזִּיק:
Which is near me. Near my domain in a place where I can inflict damage.
אֶל יָדִי. אינמי״ש אוש״ט בלע״ז:
Which is near me. En mains aussi in O.F.
וֶהֱמִתָנִי. וְיַהֲרֹג אוֹתִי הַמֶּלֶךְ:
[Then] kill me. The king should kill me.