Rashi on Judges Chapter 4
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בַּחֲרֹשֶׁת הַגּוֹיִם. שֵׁם עִיר, עַל שֵׁם שֶׁהָיְתָה חֲזָקָה וְשׁוֹלֶטֶת:
Charoshes Hogoyim. The name of a city, so entitled because it was a stronghold, and the seat of authority.¹
footnotes: ¹ This is based on Targum Yonasan, who translates חֲרֹשֶׁת הַגּוֹיׅם as “the stronghold, metropolis of nations”.
לָחַץ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּחָזְקָה. דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא (צו ב): בְּגִדּוּפִין, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (מלאכי ג:יג): חָזְקוּ עָלַי דִּבְרֵיכֶם:
Oppressed the Bnei Yisroel intensely. R' Tanchuma expounded, through ridicule. Similarly, it is said, "Your remarks offend me intensely."²
footnotes: ² Malachi, 3:13. Vs. 14, 15 there define the offensive remarks as ridicule of the worship of Adonoy.
אֵשֶׁת לַפִּידוֹת. שֶׁהָיְתָה עוֹשָׂה פְּתִילוֹת לַמִּקְדָּשׁ:
The wife of Lapidos. She fashioned wicks for the sanctuary.³
footnotes: ³ Megilah, 14:a. לַפּׅיד is translated as “torch”.
תַּחַת תֹּמֶר. תְּמָרִים הָיוּ לָהּ בִּירִיחוֹ:
Under [Devorah's] date tree. She owned date trees in Yericho.
בֵּין הָרָמָה וּבֵין בֵּית אֵל בְּהַר אֶפְרָיִם. לְפִי תַּרְגּוּמוֹ שֶׁל יוֹנָתָן יֵשׁ לִלְמֹד שֶׁאֵין מִקְרָא זֶה כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ, וְאֵין אֵלּוּ סִימָנֵי מְקוֹם יְשִׁיבָתָהּ, אֶלָּא לָמַדְנוּ שֶׁאִשָּׁה עֲשִׁירָה הָיְתָה וּמִן הַמְּקוֹמוֹת הָאֵלּוּ הָיְתָה פַּרְנָסָתָהּ, וְהִיא יוֹשֶׁבֶת בְּעִירָהּ, עֲטָרוֹת שְׁמָהּ:
Between Ramah and Beis El, on Mount Ephrayim. From Yonasan's translation⁴ we infer that this passage is not meant literally—that these are not intended to identify her dwelling place. Rather, we learn that she was an affluent woman, with financial interests in these places. She lived in a city named Ataros.
footnotes: ⁴ Targum Yonasan renders, “She lived in the city of Ataros. Devorah was financially independent. She owned date trees in Yericho, orchards in Ramah, oil producing olive trees in the wetlands of the Beis Eil plateau, white soil in Tur Malka.”
תַּחַת תֹּמֶר. תְּמָרִים הָיוּ לָהּ בִּירִיחוֹ, וּכְרָמִים בָּרָמָה, וְזֵיתִים בְּבִקְעַת בֵּית אֵל, שֶׁהוּא מְקוֹם שָׁמֵן, וְעָפָר חִוָּר בְּהַר אֶפְרַיִם, (תרגום:) ׳בְּטוּר מַלְכָּא׳, אוֹמֵר אֲנִי שֶׁמּוֹכְרִין אוֹתָהּ לְיוֹצְרֵי חֶרֶשׂ. וְיֵשׁ פּוֹתְרִין: ׳עָפָר חִוָּר׳, שְׂדֵה זֶרַע, כְּמוֹ (משנה שביעית ב:א): שְׂדֵה הַלָּבָן:
Under [Devorah's] date tree. She owned date trees in Yericho, vineyards in Rama, olive trees in the Bethel plateau, a fertile area, and white soil in Mount Ephrayim, at Tur Malka. In my opinion, this was sold for ceramic use. Some interpret "white soil" as grain fields, as in "the grain [lit. "white"] field."⁵
footnotes: ⁵ The Talmud [Moed Katan, 6:b, etc.] refers to the grain field as שֽׂדֵה לׇכׇן, literally “white field.” Rashi [Pe’ah, 3:1] explains that this is because grain whitens when ripe for harvesting. Or, to distinguish between the grain field, which is subject to the sun’s white glare, and the orchard, which is darkened by the shade of the trees.
הֲלֹא צִוָּה. בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה (דברים כ:יז): כִּי הַחֲרֵם תַּחֲרִימֵם, כָּךְ שְׁנוּיָה בִּמְכִילְתָא (בא יב):
Has not….commanded? Through Moshe, "For you shall totally annihilate them."⁶ Mechilta teaches this.⁷
footnotes: ⁶ Devarim, 20:17 ⁷ Yalkut, 4:43.
וַיַּעַל בְּרַגְלָיו. עִמּוֹ:
At his heels. With him.
אֵלוֹן בְּצַעֲנַנִּים. (תרגום:) מֵישַׁר אַגְנַיָּא, מְקוֹם מֵישַׁר שֶׁל בְּצָעִים, מריש״ק בְּלַעַ״ז וְהוּא אַגְנַיָּא גֵּבִים, כְּמִין גּוּמוֹת שֶׁהַמַּיִם נִקְבָּצִים שָׁם, ׳אַגְנֵי דְּאַרְעָא מִקְרוֹן׳ (קידושין סא א):
Elon Betza'anayim. The marshland plain.⁸ A plateau area with marshes, "mariscum", "morass" in old French. This is called אַגָנַיָא—pools, similar to ditches where water settles, "entitled 'the earth's flasks.'"⁹
footnotes: ⁸ This is Targum Yonasan’s rendition. ⁹ Kiddushin, 61:a, notes that water filed ditches are entitled אַגׇּנֵי דּֽאַרְעָא, “the earth’s flasks.” Thus, אַגָנַיׇא, “flasks,” refer to the marshland pools.
מֵחֲרֹשֶׁת הַגּוֹיִם אֶל נַחַל קִישׁוֹן. הִזְעִיקָם שֶׁיֵּלְכוּ אֶל נַחַל קִישׁוֹן מֵחֲרֹשֶׁת הַגּוֹיִם שֶׁהוּא יוֹשֵׁב שָׁם:
From Charoshes Hagoyim to Kishon stream. He mobilized them to proceed to the stream of Kishon from Charoshes Hagoyim where he was stationed.
בַּשְּׂמִיכָה. תִּרְגֵּם יוֹנָתָן: בְּגוֹנְכָא, וּפֵרַשׁ רַב הַאי (שבת נא א): גּוֹנְכָא - גְּלוּפְקְרִין, קוט״א בְּלַעַ״ז:
With a cloak. Yonasan renders גוֹנְכׇא. R' Hai translates גוֹנְכׇא as cloak, "Coate" in old French.
נֹאד הֶחָלָב. שֶׁהֶחָלָב מַכְבִּיד אֶת הַגּוּף לִהְיוֹת נִרְדָּם:
The milk pouch. Since milk induces drowsiness, then slumber.¹⁰
footnotes: ¹⁰ He requested water. Why did she give him milk? To make him drowsy.
עֲמֹד פֶּתַח הָאֹהֶל. זָרְזִי עַצְמֵךְ כְּזָכָר. וְיֵשׁ פּוֹתְרִים: ׳עֲמֹד׳, כְּמוֹ לַעֲמֹד:
Stand at the entrance to the tent. Be zealous about it. Some interpret עֲמֹד [lit. "stand"] as לַעֲמוֹד, "to stand".¹¹
footnotes: ¹¹ This interpretation adds the ל, which does not actually appear in the text, so that the reading is “He told her to stand at the entrance.” According to the literal textual interpretation, the reading is, “He told her, stand at the entrance.” This is problematic, as the masculine עֲמוֹד, rather than עִמֽדִי, is inappropriate in addressing a woman. The additional ל solves this difficulty by transforming the command, עֲמוֹד, “stand”, into the infinitive לַעֲמוֹד, “to stand.”
יְתַד הָאֹהֶל. קבילי״ל בְּלַעַ״ז, שֶׁתּוֹקְעִין בָּאָרֶץ עִם שִׁפּוּלֵי הָאֹהֶל לְפוֹשְׁטוֹ:
A tent peg. "Chevilles" in old French. This is embedded in the ground with the lower flap of the tent in order to extend it fully.
הַמַּקֶּבֶת. (תרגום:) אַרְזַפְתָּא, מרטי״ל בְּלַעַ״ז:
A hammer. Hammer, "martel" in old French.
בַּלָּאט. (תרגום:) בְּרָז, חֶרֶשׁ:
Furtively. Stealthily, in secret.
וַתִּצְנַח בָּאָרֶץ. (תרגום:) וּנְעָצַת בְּאַרְעָא:
**And impaled it into the ground.**וּנְעַצַתְּ בְּאַרְעָא,¹² and impaled it into the ground.
footnotes: ¹² This is Targum Yonasan’s rendition.
בְּרַקָּתוֹ. (תרגום:) בְּצִידְעֵיהּ, ניל״ה טימפי״ה בְּלַעַ״ז, וּתְחָבָהּ בְּרַקָּתוֹ וּבָאָרֶץ:
**In his forehead.**בְּצִידֽעֵיה, "tenplia" in old French. She had penetrated his forehead and the ground.