Rashi on Job Chapter 26
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וְנִשְׁמַת מִי יָצְאָה מִמֶּךָּ. מִי שָׂם בְּךָ הָרוּחַ הַזֶּה שֶׁיָּצָא מִפִּיךָ? מִי לֹא יָדַע זֹאת?
Job’s Reply and whose breath emerged from you? Who put into you this breath that emerged from your mouth? Who does not know this?
הָרְפָאִים. גֵּיהִנֹּם הַמְּרַפֶּה אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת:
Gehinnom Gehinnom, which weakens the creatures.
יְחוֹלָלוּ. שִׁבְעָה חֲלָלִים שֶׁלּוֹ:
is hollow Its seven hollows.
מִתַּחַת מַיִם וְשֹׁכְנֵיהֶם: בְּעִמְקֵי עֲמָקִים, וְגַם הוּא:
beneath the water and its denizens in the deepest of the depths, but that too...
עָרוֹם שְׁאוֹל נֶגְדּוֹ. לָדַעַת וְלִרְאוֹת אֶת כָּל מַה שֶּׁבְּתוֹכוֹ:
Sheol is naked before Him to know and to see all that is within it.
עַל בְּלִימָה. אֵין כְּלוּם בַּיְּסוֹד, כִּי הֵם עוֹמְדִים בָּאֲוִיר עַל חֹזֶק זְרוֹעוֹתָיו שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. וְדוּנַשׁ פֵּרֵשׁ בְּלִימָה – מִישׁוֹר; כְּמוֹ ״בְּמֶתֶג וָרֶסֶן עֶדְיוֹ לִבְלוֹם״ (תהלים לב:ט). (כָּךְ רָאִיתִי סא״א.)
וְלֹא נִבְקַע עָנָן. מֵעוֹלָם, שֶׁיִּפְּלוּ מֵימָיו בְּיַחַד:
and the cloud does not split It never [split] so that its water [i.e., rain] should fall together.
תַּחְתָּם. תַּחַת הַמַּיִם:
beneath it Beneath the water.
מְאַחֵז. בִּמְחִיצוֹת פְּנֵי כִסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד כֻּלּוֹ, כְּגוֹן ״יָשֶׁת חֹשֶׁךְ סִתְרוֹ״ (תהלים יח:יב):
He closes in with walls the face of His throne of glory, like (Ps. 18:12), “He made darkness His secret place.”
וּפַרְשֵׁז. עַל הַכִּסֵּא עֲנָנוֹ, כְּמוֹ וּדְמוּת עַל רָאשֵׁי הַחַיּוֹת רָקִיעַ (יחזקאל א:כב):
He spreads over the throne His cloud (Ezek. 1:22), “And there was a likeness over the heads of the living creatures, of an expanse.”
חוֹק חָג. קוֹמְפָּ״שׁ בְּלַעַ״ז, לְשׁוֹן ״וּבַמְּחוּגָה יְתָאֲרֵהוּ״ (ישעיהו מד:יג). סִבְּבוֹ בְּחוֹל, לִהְיוֹת לוֹ (הַחוֹל) חֹק – גְּבוּל עוֹלָם. וְלֹא יַעֲבֹר הַיָּם אוֹתוֹ חוּג, עַד שֶׁיִּכְלֶה אוֹר וְחֹשֶׁךְ:
He encircled a boundary (compas in French), an expression of (Isa. 44: 13), “and with a compass (ובמחוגה) he rounds it.” [He surrounded it with sand for the sand to be a circle for it. Does not appear in all editions.] The word חֹק denotes a perpetual boundary. The sea will not cross that circle until light and dark come to an end.
יְרוֹפָפוּ. כְּשֶׁבְּרָאָם וְהִקְרִישָׁם הָיוּ רוֹפְפִים, וְגָעַר בָּהֶם וְעָמְדוּ בְּיֹבֶשׁ וּבְחֹזֶק:
trembled when He created them, and He caused them to congeal. They were trembling, and He rebuked them, and they stood dry and strong.
וְיִתְמְהוּ. תּוֹהֶה וְעוֹלֶה (ס״א: כְּאָדָם תּוֹהֶה וְעוֹמֵד) בְּמָקוֹם אֶחָד:
astonished (wondering and ascending. Other editions: wondering and standing) in one place.
רָגַע הַיָּם. כְּמוֹ ״עוֹרִי רָגַע״ (איוב ז:ה), נִקְמַט; קְמָטִים קְמָטִים נַעֲשׂוּ, (כָּךְ כְּשֶׁאָמַר ״יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם״ נֶאֶסְפוּ מִפְּשִׁיטָתָן וְנִקְמְטוּ קְמָטִים קְמָטִים) עַד שֶׁנִּקְווּ לְמָקוֹם אֶחָד הַמּוּכָן לָהֶם (בראשית א:ט):
the sea wrinkled Like (above 7:5), “my skin wrinkled.” Many wrinkles were formed. (So, when He said (Gen. 1:9), “Let the waters...gather,” they were gathered from their straightness and were wrinkled into many wrinkles) until they gathered into one place, which was prepared for them.
מָחַץ רָהַב. מִצְרַיִם קְרוּיִין רְהָבִים (ישעיהו ל:ז):
He smote Rahab The Egyptians, who are called רהב, haughty.
בְּרוּחוֹ שָׁמַיִם שִׁפְרָה. בִּדְבָרָיו וּבְרוּחַ פִּיו אִיהֵל, כְּמוֹ ״וְנָטָה אֹהֶל שַׁפְרִירוֹ״ (ירמיה מג:י):
By His breath He made the heavens a tent Heb. שפרה. With His words and with the breath of His mouth, He made a tent, like (Jer. 43:10), “and he shall spread his royal pavilion (שפרירו).”
חוֹלְלָה יָדוֹ. אֶת פַּרְעֹה הַנִּקְרָא ״נָחָשׁ בָּרִיחַ״ (ישעיהו כז:א). לְשׁוֹן חִיל וְצָרָה. וְכֵן בְּמָקוֹם אַחֵר ״הֲלֹא זֹאת הִיא הַמַּחְצֶבֶת רַהַב מְחוֹלֶלֶת תַּנִּין״ (ישעיהו נא:ט). לָשׁוֹן אַחֵר: יִסְּדָה יָדוֹ אֶת לִוְיָתָן, כְּמוֹ ״גְּבָעוֹת חוֹלָלְתִּי״ (משלי ח:כה):
His hand caused pain to Pharaoh, who was called the barlike serpent (Isa. 26:1). חללה is an expression of pain and trouble. Likewise, elsewhere (ibid. 51:9): “are you not the one that hewed Rahab and slew (מחוללת), the sea monster?” Another explanation: His hand founded the leviathan, as in (Prov. 8: 25), “before the hills I was created (חוללתי).”
קְצוֹת דְּרָכָיו. קַלּוֹת וּמוּעָטוֹת, לְפִי שְׁאָר גְּדוֹלוֹת שֶׁבּוֹ:
the outskirts of His ways The easiest and the smallest in comparison to His other qualities.
וּמַה שֵּׁמֶץ דָּבָר נִשְׁמַע בּוֹ. מָה רֶמֶז דָּבָר אָדָם יָכוֹל לְהָבִין מִפְּעֻלּוֹתָיו. דָּבָר אַחֵר: שֵׁמֶץ כְּמוֹ ״לְשִׁמְצָה״ (שמות לב:כה), לִגְנוּת:
and what implications of any matter can be understood What hint of anything can a man understand from His deeds? Another explanation: שֶמֶץ is like (Exod. 32:25), “to the scandal (לשמצה),” uncomplimentary.