Rashi on Job Chapter 33
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רוּחַ אֵל עָשָׂתְנִי. וְאֵינִי חָזָק יוֹתֵר מִמְּךָ:
The spirit of God made me and I am no stronger than you.
הֵן אֲנִי כְפִיךָ לָאֵל. כְּמוֹ שֶׁשָּׁאַל פִּיךָ לְהִתְוַכֵּחַ לְמִי שֶׁלֹּא יְבַעֲתֶךָ (איוב יג:כא), הֵן אֲנִי בִּמְקוֹמוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּבִשְׁבִילוֹ, לְדַבֵּר דְּבָרָיו:
Behold I am like your mouth to God As your mouth asked to debate with one who would not terrify you, behold I am instead of the Holy One, blessed be He, and on His behalf, to speak His words.
וְאַכְפִּי. כְּפִיָּתִי, כְּמוֹ ״אָכַף עָלָיו פִּיהוּ״ (משלי טז:כו):
and my coercion Heb. אכפי, my coercion, like (Prov. 16:26), “his mouth forces (אכף).”
חָף. טָהוֹר וּמְשֻׁפְשָׁף, כְּמוֹ (ביצה לה:) ״נָזִיר לֹא יָחוֹף רֹאשׁוֹ״, וּכְמוֹ (שבת נ.) ״בַּכֹּל חָפִין אֶת הַכֵּלִים״:
I am clean Heb. חף, pure and cleansed, like (Bezah 35b), “A nazirite may not cleanse (יחף) his head...” and like (Shabbath 50a),” we may cleanse (חפין) vessels with anything.”
תְּנוּאוֹת. עֲלִילוֹת, לְשׁוֹן ״תּוֹאֲנָה״ (שופטים יד:ד) – לָשׁוּב מִן הַמָּקוֹם:
pretenses Heb. תאונות, pretenses to turn away from the Omnipresent, an expression of (Jud. 14: 4), “that he sought a pretense (תאנה).”
כִּי יִרְבֶּה אֱלוֹהַּ מֵאֱנוֹשׁ. אֵין הַמָּקוֹם צָרִיךְ כָּל כָּךְ לְדַקְדֵּק אַחַר הָאָדָם, כִּי הַרְבֵּה יֵשׁ לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא צְדָקוֹת יוֹתֵר מֵאֱנוֹשׁ:
for God exceeds man God does not have to be so exact with man because the Holy One, blessed be He, has more virtues than man.
אָז יִגְלֶה אֹזֶן אֲנָשִׁים. כְּמוֹ שֶׁעָשָׂה לַאֲבִימֶלֶךְ בַּחֲלוֹם הַלַּיְלָה (בראשית כ:ג):
Then He opens the ear of men as He did to Abimelech in the dream of the night.
וּבְמוֹסָרָם יַחְתֹּם. חוֹתְמָן וְאוֹסְרָן בְּיִסּוּרִין עַל עֲוֹנָם:
and with their chastisement He seals [them] He seals them and binds them with suffering because of their iniquity.
לְהָסִיר אָדָם. בְּחָלְיוֹ:
To restrain man in his illness.
מַעֲשֶׂה. שֶׁהָיָה בְדַעְתּוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת:
a deed that he had intended to do.
וְגֵוָה מִגֶּבֶר יְכַסֶּה. בְּיִסּוּרָיו, לְמַעַן הַכְנִיעוֹ וּלְהַשְׁפִּילוֹ לָשׁוּב, כְּדֵי שֶׁיֶּחְשַׂךְ נַפְשׁוֹ מִמִּיתָה גְּמוּרָה:
and He covers haughtiness from man with his suffering, in order to vanquish him and humble him to repent, so that he withhold his soul from utter death.
גֵּוָה. כְּמוֹ גַּאֲוָה:
haughtiness Heb. וְגֵוָה, like גַאֲוָה.
וְחַיָּתוֹ מֵעֲבֹר בַּשָּׁלַח. בְּשִׁלְחוֹ וְחַרְבּוֹ שֶׁל מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת, כְּלוֹמַר: לְטוֹבָתְךָ הֵבִיא עָלֶיךָ יִסּוּרִין:
and his life from perishing by the sword by the weapon and the sword of the Angel of Death; that is to say, He brought suffering upon you for your good.
שֶׁלַח. כְּלִי זַיִן, וְכֵן ״יָדוֹ אַחַת מַחֲזֶקֶת הַשֶּׁלַח״ (נחמיה ד:יא):
by the sword Heb. בשלח, a weapon, and so in Ezra (Neh. 4:11): “and one was holding the weapon (השלח).”
וְהוּכַח. לְשׁוֹן תּוֹכָחָה, שֶׁיָּשׁוּב מֵעֲוֹנוֹ:
And he is chastised an expression of reproof that he repent of his iniquity,
וְרוֹב עֲצָמָיו. שֶׁהוּא אֵיתָן, מוֹכִיחָן בְּמַכְאוֹב:
and most of his bones, which are strong, He chastises with pain.
וְזִהֲמַתּוּ חַיָּתוֹ לָחֶם. מְמַאֶסֶת נַפְשׁוֹ וְחַיָּתוֹ שֶׁל חוֹלֶה כָּל מַאֲכָל:
And his living spirit causes him to abhor food The soul and the life of the sick person cause him to abhor all food.
וְנַפְשׁוֹ. מְזַהֶמֶת כָּל מַאֲכַל תַּאֲוָה:
and his soul abhors all tasty food.
יִכֶל בְּשָׂרוֹ מֵרֹאִי. יֶחְשַׁךְ בְּשָׂרוֹ מִמַּרְאֶה, כְּמוֹ ״כָּלוּ בַדְּמָעוֹת עֵינַי״ (איכה ב:יא), ״מְכַלּוֹת עֵינַיִם״ (ויקרא כו:טז):
His flesh is consumed from sight Heb. יכל בשרו מראי, His flesh is withdrawn from sight, like (Lam 2:11): “My eyes are spent (כלו) with tears”; (Lev. 26:16), “that cause the eyes to pine way (מכלות).
וְשֻׁפּוּ עַצְמוֹתָיו. מִתְנַתְּקִין מִמְּקוֹמוֹ, וְשֻׁפּוּ כְּמוֹ דְּשָׁף מִדּוּכְתֵּיהּ (חולין מב:):
and his bones are dislocated Heb. ושפו. They are dislocated from their place. [The word] שֻׁפּוּ is like (Hullin 42b), “that sprung (שף) from its place.”
לֹא רֻאּוּ. אֵין לָהֶם מַרְאֶה וְתֹאַר:
to unsightliness They have neither appearance nor form.
אֶחָד מִנִּי אָלֶף. בְּמַגִּידֵי פִּשְׁעוֹ, וְהוּא יָלִיץ יָשְׁרוֹ:
one out of a thousand of those who testify to his guilt, and he intercedes with his uprightness.
וַיְחֻנֶּנּוּ. הַמָּקוֹם:
He is gracious to him i.e., the Omnipresent.
פְּדָעֵהוּ. כְּמוֹ פְּדָאֵהוּ, אָלֶ״ף מִתְחַלֶּפֶת בְּעַיִ״ן. וְהָעִנְיָן מוֹכִיחַ: מָצָאתִי כֹפֶר, וְהוּא ״פִּדְיוֹן״ (שמות כא:ל):
Redeem him Heb. פדעהו, like פְדָאֵהוּ. The “alef” is replaced by an “ayin.” The context proves it. “I found ransom,” which is redemption.
רֻטֲפַשׁ בְּשָׂרוֹ. רוֹטְפַשׁ אֶשְׁקוֹשָׁ״א בְּלַעַ״ז:
His flesh is agitated from shaking Heb. רֻטֲפַש means escos in French, shaken.
מִנֹּעַר. נִתְעוֹרֵר בְּשָׂרוֹ מִן הַנּוֹעַר, שֶׁהוּא מְנוֹעָר וּמְשֻׁנָּק בְּיִסּוּרֵי חָלְיוֹ. וְאֵין לַתֵּיבָה זוֹ דִּמְיוֹן בַּמִּקְרָא, וּלְפִי הָעִנְיָנִים הֻצְרַכְנוּ לְפָרְשׁוֹ כְּמַשְׁמָעוּת הָעִנְיָן. וְהַפּוֹתְרוֹ בִּלְשׁוֹן ׳רֶפֶשׁ׳, וְאוֹמֵר הַטֵּי״ת נִתּוֹסְפָה בּוֹ, כְּמוֹ ״נִצְטַדָּק״ (בראשית מד:טז) – טוֹעֶה הוּא מְאֹד. כִּי אֵין טֵי״ת מִתּוֹסֶפֶת בַּתֵּיבָה, כִּי אִם בִּלְשׁוֹן ׳מִתְפַּעֵל׳ אוֹ ׳נִתְפַּעֵל׳, וּבַתֵּיבָה שֶׁיְּסוֹדָהּ צַדִּ״י; וְלֹא בִּשְׁאָר תֵּיבוֹת. כְּמוֹ ״צֶדֶק״ (איוב ח:ג) וְ״נִצְטַדָּק״ (בראשית מד:טז); וּכְמוֹ ״צָרוּעַ״ (ויקרא יג:מד) – ׳נִצְטָרַע׳; ״צִיר נֶאֱמָן״ (משלי כה:יג) – ״וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיִּצְטַיָּרוּ״ (יהושע ט:ד); ״צֵדָה״ – ״הִצְטַיַּדְנוּ״ (יהושע ט:יב):
from shaking His flesh was agitated from the shaking, that it was shaken [by the suffering of] his illness. This word [רֻטֲפַש] has no similarity in Scripture, and according to the context, we found it necessary to explain according to the meaning of the topic. But the one who interprets it as an expression of mire (רפש) and claims that the “teth” is added to it, as in (Gen. 44:16), “How can we clear ourselves (נצטדק)?” is in great error, because the “teth” is added to a word only in the reflexive voice, and to a word in which there is a radical “zaddi,” but nor in other words. for example, צדק and נצטדק, and like (Lev. 13:44) צרוּע, stricken with “zaraath,” and נצטרע, was stricken with “zaraath.” (Prov. 25: 13), “an emissary (ציר) faithful,” and (Josh. 9:4), “and they went and disguised as ambassadors (ויצטירו)”; (Gen. 45:21) “צֵדָה, provision,” and (Josh. 9:12) “הִצְטַיַדְנוּ, we took... for our provision.”
יָשׁוּב. בְּכֹחוֹ וּבִרְפוּאָה לִימֵי בַּחֲרוּתוֹ:
he will be restored with his strength and with healing to the days of his youth.
בִּתְרוּעָה. בִּתְפִלָּה:
יָשׁוּר עַל אֲנָשִׁים. יַעֲשֶׂה שׁוּרוֹת שֶׁל אֲנָשִׁים כְּשֶׁנִּצּוֹל מֵחָלְיוֹ, וְיִתְוַדֶּה לְיוֹצְרוֹ:
He makes a row of men He makes a row of men when he is saved from his illness and confesses [before them] to his Creator.
וְלֹא שָׁוָה לִי. לֹא נִהְיָה לִי שָׂכָר בִּדְבָרָיו:
but I did not profit I had no profit in its matters.
פַּעֲמַיִם שָׁלוֹשׁ. מְיַסְּרוֹ עַל עֲוֹנוֹתָיו בְּחָלְיוֹ, שֶׁלֹּא לְהַשְׁחִיתוֹ; וְאִם יוֹתֵר יַכְעִיס לְפָנָיו, יִדְאַג מִן גֵּיהִנֹּם וּמִן הַמִּיתָה; שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וְעַל אַרְבָּעָה לֹא אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ״ (עמוס א:ג):
twice or thrice He chastises him for his iniquities with his illness in order not to destroy him, but if he provokes Him further, he should be concerned with Gehinnom or death, as it is written, “Yea for four, I will not return them” (Amos 1:3).