Sifrei Devarim Paragraph 331
Can copy this into an AI, or connect the whole library to your assistant. For deeper learning, you can directly use the original seforim, sites, and apps.
(דברים לב מא) אִם שַׁנּוֹתִי בְּרַק חַרְבִּי, כְּשֶׁפֻּרְעָנוּת יוֹצְאָה מִלְּפָנַי קַלָּה הִיא כַּבָּרָק, אַף עַל פִּי כֵן – וְתֹאחֵז בְּמִשְׁפָּט יָדִי.
(Devarim 32:41) "When I whet the flash of My sword": When punishment goes forth from before Me, it is light as a flash — in spite of which "My hand takes hold of justice."
אָשִׁיב נָקָם לְצָרָי הֲרֵי אֶחָד, וְלִמְשַׂנְאַי אֲשַׁלֵּם הֲרֵי שְׁנַיִם.
“I will return vengeance to My tormentors” (Dt.32:41)— this is one [act of retribution]. “And will repay those who hate Me” (Dt.32:41)— now, here’s a second!¹⁸⁶
footnotes: ¹⁸⁶ The text in smaller type is considered by F:381, n.1 to be an interpolation.
דָּבָר אַחֵר אָשִׁיב נָקָם לְצָרָי אֵלּוּ כּוּתִיִּים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (עזרא ד א): ״וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ צָרֵי יְהוּדָה וּבִנְיָמִן״.
"I shall return vengeance to My foes": These are the Cutheans, of whom it is written (Ezra 4:1) "And the foes of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a sanctuary, etc."
וְלִמְשַׂנְאַי אֲשַׁלֵּם, אֵלּוּ הַמִּינִים. וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (תהלים קלט כא): ״הֲלֹא מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ ה׳ אֶשְׂנָא וּבִתְקוֹמְמֶיךָ אֶתְקוֹטָט״.
"And I shall repay those who hate Me," viz. (Psalms 139:21-22) "Your haters, O L-rd, do I hate, and I strive with those who rise up against You. To the ends of hatred do I hate them; they have become my foes!"