Rashi on Jeremiah Chapter 20
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הַמַּהְפֶּכֶת. שֵׁם מְקוֹם הָאֲסוּרִים, וְיוֹנָתָן תִּרְגֵּם: ״לְכִיפְתָּא״, אַרְוְלוֹ״ר בְּלַעַ״ז:
and placed him in the prison the name of a place of a prison, and Jonathan rendered: לכיפתא (arvolud in O.F.), a vault.
מָגוֹר. יִרְאָה:
Magor Terror.
לֹא פַשְׁחוּר קָרָא ה׳ שְׁמֶךָ וגו׳. לֹא נִקְרָא שִׁמְךָ פַּשְׁחוּר אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל דָּבָר זֶה. כְּלוֹמַר פָּשַׁח שָׁחוֹר כְּמוֹ אִילָן שֶׁנִּפְשַׁח (משנה שביעית ד, ו), וְכֵן ״וַיְפַשְּׁחֵנִי״ (איכה ג, יא), וְכֵן אָמַר לוֹ לֹא פַשְׁחוּר קָרָא שְׁמֶךָ שֶׁלְּשׁוֹן פַּשְׁחוּר מַשְׁמַע אָדָם גָּדוֹל וּבֶן חוֹרִין, פָּשׁ חוּר, אֶלָּא לְכָךְ נִקְרָא שִׁמְךָ פַּשְׁחוּר – פָּשַׁח שָׁחוֹר. דָּבָר אַחֵר: פָּשׁ סְחוֹר, רַבִּים סְבִיבוֹתֶיךָ לַהֲרֹג, וְלַלָּשׁוֹן זֶה מָגוֹר הוּא לְשׁוֹן אֲסִיפָה, כְּמוֹ ״מְגוּרֵי אֶל חָרֶב״ (יחזקאל כא:יז):
Not Passhur did the Lord call your name, etc. Your name was not called Pashhur except for this matter, that is to say: פָֹשַח ֹשָחוֹר, cut off and black like “a tree that was cut off (נִפְֹשַח)” (Shevi’ith 4:6, Orlah 1:5). Also (Lam. 3:11), “And He cut me off (וַיִפַֹשְחֵנִי).” And so he said to him, Not Pashhur did He call your name, for the expression of Pashhur means a great man and the son of nobles, Pashhur. ‘Pash’ denotes expansion and ‘hur’ nobility. But for this reason your name was called Pashhur, Pashah shahor. ‘Pashah’ means ‘cut off,’ and ‘shahor’ means ‘black.’ Another explanation. ‘Pashah sehor.’ Many will be around you to slay you. Now according to this explanation, מָגוֹר is an expression of gathering, like (Ezekiel 21:17) “Gathered (מְגוּרֵי) to the sword.”
חֹסֶן. מָמוֹן:
the wealth money.
פִּתִּיתַנִי. לָלֶכֶת בִּשְׁלִיחוּתְךָ:
You enticed me to go on your mission.
חֲזַקְתַּנִי. הִכְבַּדְתָּ עָלַי יָדְךָ הַחֲזָקָה, לָלֶכֶת עַל כָּרְחִי:
You overcame me You made Your strong hand heavy upon me to go against my will.
וַתּוּכָל. וְנִצַּחְתָּ:
and You prevailed And You were victorious.
כֻּלֹּה. כָּל הָעָם לֹעֵג לִי:
everyone All the people mock me.
מִדֵּי אֲדַבֵּר. בְּכָל עֵת שֶׁאֲדַבֵּר אֲלֵיהֶם, אֲנִי צָרִיךְ לִזְעֹק וּלְהָרִים קוֹל; וְאֵינִי קוֹרֵא אֲלֵיהֶם טוֹבָה כִּי אִם נְבוּאוֹת חָמָס וָשֹׁד:
Whenever I speak Every time I speak to them, I must cry out and raise my voice, and I do not proclaim good for them but prophecies of violence and spoil.
כִּי הָיָה דְבַר ה׳ לִי. לְפִיכָךְ דִּבְּרוּ לִי חֶרְפָּה, שֶׁהֵם מְחָרְפִים אוֹתִי:
for the word of the Lord has been...for me Therefore, they spoke to me with scorn, for they scorn me.
וְלִקְלֶס. וּלְדִבּוּר, כְּמוֹ ״וְקַלָּסָה״ (יחזקאל כב:ד):
and mockery for speech. Comp. (Ezekiel 22:4) “and mockery (וְקַלָּסָה).”
וְאָמַרְתִּי לֹא אֶזְכְּרֶנּוּ. וְאִם אָמַר לִי לִבִּי שֶׁלֹּא לֵילֵךְ בִּשְׁלִיחוּתוֹ עוֹד:
Should I say: I will not mention Him If my heart said to me not to go on Your mission anymore.
וְהָיָה בְלִבִּי. הַנְּבוּאָה כְּאֵשׁ בֹּעֶרֶת, וְעַל כָּרְחִי אֲנִי צָרִיךְ לֵילֵךְ:
it would be in my heart i.e., the prophecy, like a burning fire And against my will I must go.
עָצוּר בְּעַצְמוֹתָי. וְכָנוּס בְּעַצְמוֹתַי הָאֵשׁ:
confined in my bones And as if the fire were confined in my bones.
כַּלְכֵּל. לִסְבּוֹל הָאֵשׁ:
to contain To endure the fire.
כִּי שָׁמַעְתִּי. אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי שֶׁלֹּא אֶזְכְּרֶנּוּ לְפִי שֶׁשָּׁמַעְתִּי דִּבַּת רַבִּים, אֵלּוּ שֶׁמִּתְלַחֲשִׁים עָלַי:
For I heard I said that I would not mention Him because I heard the speech of many, those who whisper about me.
מָגוֹר. לְשׁוֹן אֲסִיפָה, וְכֵן תִּרְגֵּם יוֹנָתָן:
a gathering an expression of gathering, and so did Jonathan render it.
הַגִּידוּ. עָלָיו עֵדוּת שֶׁקֶר:
tell false testimony against him.
וְנַגִּידֶנּוּ. וְנָעִידֶנּוּ. וּמְנַחֵם פֵּירֵשׁ הַגִּידוּ וְנַגִּידֶנּוּ כְּמוֹ ״לֹא תִתְגּוֹדְדוּ״ (דברים יד:א), וְכֵן חִבֵּר ״לְחֵלֶק יַגִּיד רֵעִים״ (איוב יז:ה) לְשׁוֹן הַשְׁחָתָה, כְּמוֹ ״גֹּדּוּ אִילָנָא״ (דניאל ד:יא). וְדוּנָשׁ פָּתַר אוֹתוֹ לְשׁוֹן הַגָּדָה מַמָּשׁ, וְכֹה פִּתְרוֹנוֹ: הַגִּידוּ עָלָיו דִּבְרֵי שֶׁקֶר וְנַגִּידֶנּוּ לַמֶּלֶךְ. וְיֵשׁ לָנוּ כְּמוֹ נַגִּידֶנּוּ דְּבָרִים רַבִּים בַּמִּקְרָא, אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִכּוֹן פִּתְרוֹנוֹ כִּי אִם עַד אֲשֶׁר יְחַלְּקוּן לִשְׁתֵּי תֵיבוֹת אוֹ לְשָׁלֹשׁ, כְּמוֹ ״וְלֹא יָכְלוּ דַּבְּרוֹ לְשָׁלוֹם״ (בראשית לז:ד); ״בָּנַי יְצָאֻנִי״ (ירמיה י:כ):
and let us tell about him and let us testify against him. And Menahem (Machbereth p. 53) explained ונגידֶנוּ like (Deut. 14:1) “You shall not cut yourselves (לא תתגודדוּ).” He also joined (Job 17:5) “For the sake of flattering, he destroys (יגיד) his friends.” This is an expression of destruction. Comp. (Dan. 4:11) “Cut down (גֹדוּ) the trees.” But Dunash (Teshuvoth p. 54) interpreted it as an actual expression of telling, and this is its interpretation: “Tell false things about him and we will tell about him to the king.” And we have like נַגִידֶנוּ, we will tell about him, many words in the Scriptures that cannot be interpreted unless they are divided into two words or three. Comp. (Gen. 37: 4) “And they could not speak with him (דַבְּרוֹ) peacefully.” Also (supra 10:20), “My children have left me (יצאני).”
שׁוֹמְרֵי צַלְעִי. מְצַפִּים שִׁבְרִי:
await my destruction Heb. צַלְעֵי
אוּלַי יְפֻתֶּה. לִשְׁמֹעַ לָנוּ וְלִטְעוֹת אַחֲרֵינוּ:
Perhaps he will be enticed. to listen to us and to stray after us. and we will prevail against him to bring him to commit idolatry.
כִּי לֹא הִשְׂכִּילוּ. לֹא הִצְלִיחוּ בַּעֲצָתָם:
for they did not succeed They did not succeed with their plan.
אָרוּר הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר יֻלַּדְתִּי בּוֹ. פוא״י אינייניר״ט בְּלַעַ״ז, הִיא שְׁעַת הֵרָיוֹן. וְעַל יְדֵי אֹנֶס שִׁמֵּשׁ חִלְקִיָּהוּ אָבִיו מִטָּתוֹ בַּיּוֹם, שֶׁהָיָה בּוֹרֵחַ מִפְּנֵי מְנַשֶּׁה שֶׁהָיָה הוֹרֵג אֶת הַנְּבִיאִים; וְשִׁמֵּשׁ מִטָּתוֹ וּבָרַח (בראשית רבה סד, ה):
Cursed be the day in which I was begotten (engendrer or engenrer in O.F.). That is the time of conception, and through compulsion Hilkiah his father performed the marriage act by day, for he was fleeing from before Manasseh, who was slaying the prophets, and he performed the marriage act and fled.
שַׂמֵּחַ. מ״ם דְּגוּשָׁה, שֶׁהוּא לְשׁוֹן תְּשַׂמַּח אֲחֵרִים; שֶׁשִּׂמַּח אֶת אָבִיו בִּבְשׂוֹרָתוֹ:
making him glad The ‘mem’ is punctuated with a ‘dagesh,’ which is an expression of making others glad, for he made his father glad with his news.
כֶּעָרִים אֲשֶׁר הָפַךְ. סְדוֹם וַעֲמוֹרָה (בראשית יט:כד-כה):
like the cities that...overturned Namely Sodom and Gemorrah.
וְלֹא נִחָם. מִשֶּׁגָּזַר עֲלֵיהֶם חוּרְבָּן, לֹא חָשַׁב מַחֲשָׁבָה אַחֶרֶת לְבַטֵּל גְּזֵרָתוֹ (בראשית יח:כ-לב):
and did not repent Since He decreed destruction upon them, he did not think another thought to rescind His decree.
אֲשֶׁר לֹא מוֹתְתַנִי מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת מֵרָחֶם. וַהֲרֵי זֶה מִן הַמִּקְרָאוֹת קִצְרֵי דִּבּוּר:
That he did not put me to death I.e., that the angel of death did not put me to death from the womb, and this is one of the verses with brief language.
הֲרַת עוֹלָם. הֵרָיוֹן שֶׁל עוֹלָמִית:
a perpetual pregnancy a pregnancy of eternity.
עָמָל וְיָגוֹן. חֻרְבַּן בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ:
toil and grief The destruction of the Temple.