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Rashi on Psalms Chapter 144

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הָרוֹדֵד עַמִּי תַחְתָּי. הָרוֹקֵעַ וְשׁוֹטֵחַ אֶת עַמִּי לִרְבֹּץ בִּמְקוֹמוֹ, כְּמוֹ ״שׁוֹטֵחַ לַגּוֹיִם״ (איוב יב:כג) מַגְדִּיל אוֹתָם. רוֹדֵד תַּרְגּוּם שֶׁל רוֹקֵעַ, כְּדִמְתַרְגֵּם ״וַיְרַקְּעוּ״ (שמות לט:ג): ״וְרַדִּידוּ״. וְיֵשׁ פּוֹתְרִים: הָרוֹדֵד עַמִּים תַּחְתִּי, הַמַּחֲלִישׁ עַמִּים תַּחְתִּי. אַךְ בְּסֵפֶר מְדֻיָּק מֻגֶּה עַמִּי, וּמְסוֹרָה עָלָיו: שְׁלֹשָׁה סְבִירִין עַמִּים וְקוֹרִין עַמִּי. וְעַל תַּחְתִּי יֵשׁ מְסוֹרָה עָלָיו: תַּחְתָּיו קְרִי:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

Who flattens peoples beneath me Who flattens and spreads out my people to rest in its place, as (Job 12:23): He spreads out (שוטח) the nations.” He makes them great. רוֹדֵד is the Aramaic translation of רוֹקַע, as the Targum renders (Exod. 39:3): וַיְרַקְעוּ, and they spread out; וְרַדִּידוּ. Others interpret הרודד, Who weakens peoples under me. But in an accurate revised version, [the reading is]: עמי, upon which the Masorah states: In three cases, the meaning is עמים, peoples, but the reading is עמי, and on תחתי, it says: the reading is תחתיו, under Him.

מָה אָדָם. מַה פָּרַס וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל לְפָנֶיךָ, כִּי יְדַעְתָּם לְהַרְבּוֹת לָהֶם גְּדֻלָּה?

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

what is man What are Persia [Esau, acc. to mss.] and Ishmael before You that You know them to lavish greatness upon them?

יָמָיו כְּצֵל עוֹבֵר. שְׁלֹמֹה אָמַר ״וַיַּעֲשֵׂם כַּצֵּל״ (קהלת ו:יב), וְלֹא פֵּרַשׁ אִם צֵל דֶּקֶל אוֹ צֵל כּוֹתֶל שֶׁהֵם קְבוּעִים. כְּבָר פֵּרַשׁ אָבִיו: כְּצֵל עוֹבֵר. צִלּוֹ שֶׁל עוֹף הַפּוֹרֵחַ (קהלת רבה א:ב):

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

his days are as a fleeting shadow Solomon said (Ecc. 6:12): “that he do them like a shadow,” but he did not explain whether [this refers to] the shadow of a palm or the shadow of a wall, which are permanent. His father already explained, “as a fleeting shadow,” the shadow of a flying bird.

פְּצֵנִי. הוֹצִיאֵנִי, וּלְשׁוֹן הַצָּלָה הוּא, וְכֵן ״הַפּוֹצֶה אֶת דָּוִד עַבְדּוֹ״ (תהלים קמד:י) (מצאתי):

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

deliver me פצני, take me out. That is an expression of saving, and so is (verse 10): “Who delivers (הפוצה) David His servant.” (I found.)

פִּיהֶם דִּבֶּר שָׁוְא וְגוֹ׳. תָּלָה הַכָּתוּב שָׁוְא בַּפֶּה וְשֶׁקֶר בַּיָּמִין, בָּאוּ לְסַפֵּר בַּפֶּה בּוֹדִים גּוּזְמָא עַל שָׁוְא אַף לְשַׁנּוֹת אֶת הַיָּדוּעַ, בָּאוּ לִפְשֹׁט יְמִינָם לִשְׁבוּעָה חָדְלוּ מִשָּׁוְא שֶׁנִּתְפַּס עָלָיו כְּגַנָּב אֲבָל בְּשֶׁקֶר נִשְׁבָּעִין שֶׁכָּךְ גּוֹרָלָם:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

Whose mouth speaks vanity, etc. Scripture connects vanity with the mouth and falsehood with the right hand. When they come to tell with their mouth, they invent exaggerations of vanity, even to misrepresent what is known. If they come to stretch forth their right hand to swear, they refrain from vanity, lest they be caught as thieves, but they do swear falsely, for so is their lot.

הַנּוֹתֵן תְּשׁוּעָה לַמְּלָכִים. מְדַבֵּר עַל ״סֶלַע הַמַּחְלְקוֹת״ (שמואל א כג:כח) שֶׁהָיָה דָּוִד קָרוֹב לִיתָּפֵשׂ בְּיַד שָׁאוּל, וּבָא מַלְאָךְ אֶל שָׁאוּל: ״מַהֲרָה וְלֵכָה וְגוֹ׳״ (שמואל א כג:כז). הִצִּיל אֶת שָׁאוּל מִהְיוֹת שׁוֹפֵךְ דָּם נָקִי, וְאֶת דָּוִד מִהְיוֹת נֶהֱרָג:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

Who gives salvation to kings This speaks about the Rock of the Divisions, when David was close to being seized by Saul (I Sam. 23:27): “A messenger came to Saul, saying, ‘Make haste and go, etc.’” He saved Saul from shedding innocent blood, and David from being killed.

פְּצֵנִי וְהַצִּילֵנִי. כַּאֲשֶׁר פָּצִיתָ אָז, כֵּן פְּצֵנִי עַתָּה:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

Deliver me and rescue me As You delivered me then, so shall You deliver me now.

אֲשֶׁר בָּנֵינוּ וְגוֹ׳. כְּלוֹמַר: גַּם עַתָּה דּוֹר זֶה כָּשֵׁר הוּא:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

For our sons are, etc. That is to say that now too this generation is righteous.

בָּנֵינוּ כִּנְטִעִים. שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם מוּם, כָּל כָּךְ הֵם מְנֻקִּים מֵעֲבֵירָה (מצאתי):

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

our sons are like saplings which have no blemish, so pure are they from sin. (I found.)

מְגֻדָּלִים בִּנְעוּרֵיהֶם. בְּשֵׁם טוֹב זֶה, שֶׁהֵם כִּנְטִיעִים בְּנַעֲרוּתָם, גְּדֵלִים כָּל יְמֵיהֶם. וְאִי אֶפְשָׁר לְקַיֵּם כָּל שֶׁבַח זֶה אֶלָּא בְּדוֹרוֹ שֶׁל חִזְקִיָּהוּ:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

grown up in their youth with this good name, that they are like saplings in their youth, growing all their lives; and this praise cannot be substantiated except in the generation of Hezekiah.

בְּנוֹתֵינוּ. גְּבוֹהוֹת קוֹמָה נָאָה כְזָוִיֹּת שֶׁל בַּיִת אֲבָנִים, שֶׁזָּוִיּוֹת אֶבֶן מְכֻוָּנוֹת כְּנֶגֶד חֲבֶרְתָּהּ וְעוֹלָה לְמַעְלָה עַד שֶׁהַזָּוִיּוֹת מְיֻשָּׁרוֹת:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

our daughters are of tall, beautiful stature like the cornerstones of a stone house, in which the cornerstones are placed exactly one opposite the other, and it ascends upward until the corners are even.

מְחֻטָּבוֹת תַּבְנִית הֵיכָל. מְהֻלָּלוֹת בְּפִי רוֹאֵיהֶן, וּמְדַמִּין אוֹתָם לְתַבְנִית קוֹמַת הַהֵיכָל. וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ פֵּרְשׁוּ (פסחים פז.) בְּנוֹתֵינוּ כְזָוִיֹּת. מִתְמַלְּאוֹת תַּאֲוָה כְּזָוִיּוֹת מִזְבֵּחַ הַמְּלֵאוֹת דָּם, וְאֵינָן נִבְעָלוֹת אֶלָּא לְבַעֲלֵיהֶן:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

praised as the form of the Temple Praised by those who see them and compare them to the form of the height of the Temple. Our Rabbis, however, explained: Our daughters are like corners Full of desire as the corners of the altar are full of blood, but they are intimate only with their husbands.

מְזָוֵינוּ מְלֵאִים. זָוִיּוֹת אוֹצְרוֹתֵינוּ מְלֵאִים טוֹב:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

Our corners are full The corners of our storehouses are full of goodness.

מְפִיקִים מִזַּן אֶל זָן. מַסְפִּיקִים מָזוֹן מִשָּׁנָה לְשָׁנָה, מִזַּן אֶל זָן מִשְּׁעַת אָסִיף מָזוֹן לְשָׁנָה זוֹ עַד זְמַן אָסִיף לְשָׁנָה אַחֶרֶת, זָן גוֹבִירְנִיי״ל בְּלַעַ״ז:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

supplying from harvest to harvest Supplying food from year to year. from harvest to harvest Heb. מזן אל זן, from the time of the ingathering of this year’s food until the time of the ingathering of next year’s food. זַן is gouvernayl in Old French, food, provisions.

מַאֲלִיפוֹת מְרֻבָּבוֹת. לַאֲלָפִים וְלִרְבָבוֹת עוֹשׂוֹת פְּרִי:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

produce thousands, yea, ten thousands They produce offspring of thousands and ten thousands.

אַלּוּפֵינוּ מְסֻבָּלִים. אַלּוּפִים גְּדוֹלִים שֶׁבָּנוּ נִסְבָּלִים עַל קְטַנֵּיהֶם, שֶׁהַקְּטַנִּים נִשְׁמָעִים לַגְּדוֹלִים, וּמִתּוֹךְ כָּךְ אֵין פֶּרֶץ בָּנוּ:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

Our princes are borne The great princes among us are borne by those smaller than they, for the small ones obey the greater ones, the result being that there is no breach among us.

וְאֵין יוֹצֵאת. אֵין שְׁמוּעָה רָעָה יוֹצֵאת לְמֵרָחוֹק:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

nor rumor going out No bad news goes far away.

וְאֵין צְוָחָה. וְאֵין קוֹל מְהוּמוֹת מִלְחָמָה:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

nor is there a cry There is no sound of the confusion of war.

שֶׁכָּכָה לּוֹ. שֶׁכָּל טוֹבָה הַזֹּאת שֶׁלּוֹ:

The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg

Praiseworthy is the people that has this That has all this good.

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