וזאת הברכה אשר ברך משה איש האלוקים, “And this is the blessing which Moses the man of G’d bestowed, etc.” His blessing endures until this day. The reason why the blessing is introduced with the word וזאת [the ו which suggests that it is a continuation, Ed.] is that Moses carried on where Yaakov’s blessings had left off. We are told in the Midrash that when Yaakov was on his deathbed he told his children that in due course there would arise another, similar to him, who would give his blessing to the tribes and who would continue where he, their father would leave off. This is why Moses made a point of recording that he viewed his own blessing as a continuation of the blessing bestowed upon them by the patriarch Yaakov.

ה' מסיני בא, “Hashem came from Sinai, etc. “ Nachmanides writes that this is in accordance with how our sages portrayed G’d as having offered the Torah to the various nations of the earth, and the nations refusing to accept it, each for reasons of their own. Moses refers specifically to the descendants of Avraham including the descendants of Esau, who had two of the patriarchs in common with the Jewish people. Seeing that they were not willing to accept the Torah, His glory descended onto Mount Sinai to offer it to the Jewish people. It is possible to explain the words מסיני בא, “He came from Sinai,” as simply meaning that this was not the last stop on G’d’s journey inviting other nations to accept the Torah, but His first stop-on earth, so to speak, -the first time that G’d allowed His Presence to reside on earth again permanently since Adam had sinned in the garden of Eden. G’d’s Presence remained in that region during all the time that Moses spent on the Mountain, on and off. Once Moses had received the second set of Tablets, this Presence of Hashem, the שכינה, resided temporarily over Moses’ own tent until the inauguration of the Tabernacle. Ever since that occasion, G’d’s communications with Moses all emanated from the Tabernacle, i.e. from the lid of the Holy Ark between the cherubs.

וזרח משעיר למו, “after having shone forth from Seir in its direction.” After the people had started journeying from Mount Sinai in the direction of the land of Canaan, the cloud symbolizing His Presence hovered over the desert of Paran from where Moses dispatched the spies. After that debacle, the Presence of Hashem went into voluntary exile until in the fortieth year when the people had reached the borders with Edom it re-appeared as is indicated by Deut. 2,7 כי ה' אלוקיך ברכך בכל מעשה ידך וגו', “for the Lord your G’d has blessed you in all your undertakings, etc.” From that point on the Shechinah did not again depart from the encampment of the Jewish people. When G’d had appeared to them coming from Se-ir, He was as a shining light for them and the period of mourning that had commenced after the episode of the spies had come to an end. This being the case, the time had come when they could hope to defeat Sichon and Og in battle, though they were warned not to attack or harass the Moabites and Edomites.

הופיע מהר פארן, “He had appeared from Mount Paran.” This was where G’d became the people’s guiding light once they entered the great and forbidding desert; G’d looked out for all their needs. The expression הופיע is analogous to Job 10,3 על עצת רשעים הופעת, “that You should shine on the counsel of the wicked?”

ואתה מרבבות קודש מימינו אש דת למו, “He approached with some of His myriads of holy (angels) flanked on His right by His fiery Torah.” Although He was preceded when approaching them by tens of thousands of angels, when it came to presenting the Torah, He did so personally, with His right hand.

אש דת למו, “the fiery Torah toward them.” Hashem displayed for the people heavenly fire and let them hear heavenly voices, similar to when Moses had described this spectacle in Deut. 4,36 ועל הארץ הראך את אשו הגדולה, “and, while you remained on earth, He showed you His great Fire.”

אף חובב עמים, “You were indeed fond of the various tribes;” Moses describes G’d’s fondness as extending to each tribe separately as if it ranked as a whole nation. We find another example of a tribe being treated or referred to as a whole nation in Judges 5,14: בנימין בעממיך, “Benjamin amongst Your peoples.”

כל קרושיו בידך, “all its holy ones were in Your hand.” This is a reference to all the members of the tribe of Levi whom You G’d brought especially close to You, in allowing them to encamp around the Tabernacle and within easy range of the Holy Ark. Nachmanides writes that the word חובב is derived from the same root as חבי in Job 31,33 לטמון בחבי עוני, “to bury my guilt in a well hidden place.” The expression מחבא means a “hiding place.” The Holy Ark is the place on earth within which G’d’s Power is hidden. Allegorically speaking, Moses acknowledges that G’d also provided the Jewish nation with a hidden reservoir of spiritual fortitude. The entire Jewish nation is holy, and G’d “hides” them within His hand, as a gesture of His protection.

והם תכו לרגליך, “for they had sat down at Your feet.” Ibn Ezra writes that there is no other instance in the Bible in which the word תכו or a derivative of it occurs [not in our editions of his commentary. Ed.]. According to him, some people consider the word as related to תוך, “within, in the midst of,” in which case the Israelites are perceived as walking within the protective umbrella of G’d’s feet. Others say that the letter ת in תכו instead of the letter ה, indicates that Moses refers to these people who have been the victims of every conceivable affliction during the forty years in the desert. They endured it all in order to follow G’d wherever He led them.

ישא מרברותיך, “bearing Your utterances.” Israel has the words of Torah (i.e. G’d) constantly on its lips, similar to an ox that bears its yoke.

מורשה קהלת יעקב, “the heritage of the congregation of Yaakov.” Our sages pointed out that Moses did not describe Israel here as “the descendants of Yaakov,” or as “the house of Yaakov,” but as “the congregation of Yaakov.” The implication is that when proselytes join the Jewish nation, i.e. they congregate around us, that they too will be so much part of our nation that Torah is their heritage as much as it is ours. Alternately, the reference is to “resident strangers,” who have not converted but who desire to live near us even if in a state of semi-servitude.

ויהי בישורון מלך, “He became King over Yeshurun;, etc.” Nachmanides writes that the word ישורון is an allusion to the holy name of Hashem Who was indeed King in Israel as long as the Jewish people were loyal to Him and His Torah. The verse is a continuation of the previous verse and describes when all the leaders of the people gathered themselves and the whole nation. The Israelites, when they accepted the Torah, meant that it was everyone’s Torah, not a Book aimed at the elite of the people only. As such it is aptly termed a “national heritage, מורשה.” It will never be exchanged, even in the sense of being “updated.” Acceptance of עול מלכות שמים, “the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, by definition means that it is forever, not subject to change. Moses has to reiterate all this, seeing that the people, at their own request, had received all the laws except for the first two of the Ten Commandments from Moses whom they had appointed to be their trusted intermediary. Some commentators say that the subject of ויהי בישורון מלך is not G’d, but Moses; He had been accepted and hailed as such at the assembly of all the people including the elders who had heard the Torah explained by Moses directly, having heard it from his own mouth. Moses had commanded that henceforth this Torah was to be considered as a national heritage of all the people forever more. Seeing that Moses was so outstanding and illustrious, it was appropriate that the Torah he had brought to the people should be embraced with the greatest respect. A third view holds that the words ויהי בישורון מלך refer to the Torah, i.e. that the Torah should rule over Israel like a king, enjoy the same respect and awe. “Yeshurun”, in all these interpretations, is a complimentary term for the people of Israel.

יחי ראובן, “May Reuven live, etc.” Nachmanides, quoting Ibn Ezra, writes that the reason that Moses commenced the blessings with Reuven was because he was Yaakov’s biological firstborn, and that the reason why Moses did not include Shimon in the list of tribes whom he blessed was because that tribe had been so guilty in the sin at Baal Peor. In fact, most of the people that sinned there were from the tribe of Shimon, something that can be proved by comparing the tremendous reduction in the number of men over 20 during the second census compared to that in the first census. The reason was that the sinners died during the plague before Pinchas had stabbed Zimri and Cosbi to death. Nachmanides adds that in his view this is not conclusive proof of anything, as even after deducting the 24000 men who had died during that plague, and assuming even that all of them had belonged to the tribe of Shimon there are still 13000 missing men from Shimon unaccounted for. (at the first census there had been 59,300 men of the required ages from the tribe of Shimon, whereas after the sin of Baal Pe’or there were only Moreover, we observe that there was substantial shrinkage in the number of men of recruiting age among some of the other tribes also, The tribe of Gad numbered 45,500 such men during the first count, whereas now it had only The number of men counted from the tribe of Ephrayim during the second count was also 5000 fewer than when they had been counted during the first census. Besides, when the Torah reports (Numbers 25,3) that Israel became attached to Baal Pe’or and that G’d told Moses “to take (gather) the leaders of the nation and hang them before Hashem, etc.,” it is clear from this verse that members of all tribes had been involved in sinning at Baal Pe’or. The fact that Zimri was the one whom Pinchas killed is no proof, as he was only the head of a בית אב, and not the prince of the tribe. The tribe of Shimon had a number of heads of families with that title. Moreover the rebels from the tribe of Reuven, Datan and Aviram, who went into the bowels of the earth with Korach were of higher rank in their tribe than Zimri was in his, and Moses did not deny the tribe of Reuven a blessing on that account. It is quite inconceivable that Moses would deny a whole tribe a blessing on account of a sin committed by one of their leading members. The Torah (Moses’ words) expressly stated that all the people who had not sinned on the occasion of the debacle of Baal Pe’or were included in the complimentואתם הדבקים בה' אלוקיכם חיים כולכם היום, “all of you who have cleaved to the Lord your G’d are alive as of this day.” In other words, Moses faced only righteous people at the time when he set out to bless the nation. The correct interpretation of why Moses did not bless the tribe of Shimon specifically has to do with the long-standing tradition that the Jewish people comprise no more than 12 tribes. At the time when Yaakov had blessed his children, he had given one blessing to Joseph, although part of the whole procedure had been the vision that both of Joseph’s sons would develop into two separate tribes. This left Moses with the problem of which tribe to delete from his blessings, seeing that including the “super” tribe Levi, there were now in effect 13 tribes. The division of the tribe of Joseph into two tribes did not occur as a mere wish of Yaakov, or as its interpretation by Moses on his own. At the inauguration of the Tabernacle and when establishing the groupings around the Tabernacle by the various tribes, Ephrayim and Menashe, by Divine decree, had clearly been treated as separate tribes. Furthermore, there was a need to mention Joshua who would be Moses’ successor and who would lead the people to the Divinely ordained heritage in the Land of Canaan, and he was a member of the tribe of Ephrayim. Seeing that Ephrayim was the junior of the two sons of Joseph, it would have been inconceivable for Moses to ignore the senior son (tribe) Menashe by not blessing that tribe separately. Moses, clearly, wanted to bless the tribe of Levi, the tribe whose members henceforth would dispense blessings to all of the people. The people’s various sacrificial offerings would have been meaningless unless the Priests, members of the tribe of Levi had blessed them. Moses could not avoid deleting one tribe from his blessing as the number 12 was not arbitrary but was symbolical of the 12 signs of the zodiac, the twelve months of the year, etc. According to the Midrash these twelve constellations in the sky known as the zodiacal constellations, are considered the arms of the universe, G’d’s instruments in supervising nature at work. When the people were blessed at Mount Gerizim and Mount Eyval, the tribe of Shimon most certainly took part in that procedure (Deut.) On that occasion the tribe of Levi was not mentioned, as its members did not share in the distribution of ancestral land. Yaakov, on his deathbed had indicated that he wished both the tribe of Shimon and that of Levi to be separated from one another in order to forestall the kind of violence plotted against the city of Shechem by these two brothers to ever occur again. (Compare Genesis 49,7) The entire portion of וזאת הברכה had, of course, been said by Moses while he was inspired with the Holy Spirit, and the reason why Reuven had been listed first was because he was the first of the tribes to receive his ancestral heritage (on the east bank of the Jordan). An additional reason was the fact that he was chronologically the most senior of the tribes, the founding father having been Yaakov’s oldest son, the firstborn. Moses prayed for the tribe’s continued well being, wishing that its name not be extinguished on account of the sin of their founding father involving an indiscretion with Bilhah, his father’s steady mate after the death of Rachel. To underscore this point, Moses referred to the fact that Reuven was the firstborn, something that everybody had been well aware of. He blessed Yehudah next, as this tribe would be the first tribe to receive its heritage in the land, and he would lead the nation in its war against the Canaanites. The blessing given by Moses to Yehudah was meant to include all of the Jewish people. Moses blessed the tribe of Levi next, as the Levites who largely lived in Jerusalem, would be territorial neighbours to Yehudah. They would ensure that the sacrificial offerings of the Jewish people, both communally and individually, would enjoy a welcome reception by Hashem. Binyamin was next in line for Moses’ blessing, as the holy Temple would stand on its territory. After having blessed Binyamin, Moses blessed the tribes named after Joseph’s two sons, as they were next in conquering and settling the land of Israel. Next Moses blessed the remaining tribes that had as their founding father sons of Yaakov principal wife Leah. He followed the pattern used by Yaakov when he had blessed those sons. This left the tribes whose founding fathers were the maidservants of Leah and Rachel, respectively. History shows that the lots allocating lands to the various tribes also confirmed the order in which Moses had blessed these tribes. Gad was mentioned first, as he with Reuven was the first to receive his share on the east bank of the Jordan. He was also part of the flag commanded by the army headed by Reuven.

יחי ראובן ואל ימות, “May Reuven live and not die, etc.” Ibn Ezra understands this to mean that Reuven (the tribe) should live indefinitely, never die out. It had been possible that the lifetime of a tribe might be no different from the lifetime of an individual human being.

ויהי מתיו מספר, “and may its numbers never shrink into insignificance.” Seeing that all things that are subject to count are also subject to a decline in number, Moses prayed that Reuven should not experience such a reduction in numbers. Nachmanides writes that in his view a better explanation of the above words is that of Rashi, i.e. that Moses prayed that Reuven should live on as a tribe of Israel in this world and not disappear as an entity in the world to come, either. The sin of his founding father should not be visited upon him and his descendants even in the hereafter. When reflecting on Yaakov’s comments on Reuven on his deathbed, Moses realized that it contained a great deal of anger that had been suppressed for a long time. Moses prays to protect the tribe against any fallout from this also in the future, beyond life on earth. The word מתיו, “his population,” is used to include all members of the tribe against such fallout. The word מספר “number,” is to be understood as if the Torah had written: במספר, ”in number,” a construction similar to בית אביה, ”her father’s house,” where what is meant is בבית אביה, “in her father’s house.” (Compare Genesis 38,11) It is also possible that the words מתיו מספר refer to the people of Israel who are to always look upon the tribe of Reuven as one looks on a firstborn son. Some commentators understand this blessing as being directed at the days of the conquest of the land of Canaan, Moses blessing the soldiers of the tribe of Reuven who would be in the vanguard with the members of the tribe of Gad, as agreed when they received their allocation of land on the east bank. Moses included the soldiers of the tribe of Gad in his prayer, asking Hashem not to let either of these two tribes sustain casualties during that campaign. Whereas this interpretation has much to commend it, the first interpretation is most likely the correct one.

וזאת ליהודה, “and this to Yehudah, etc.” Ibn Ezra translates the word וזאת, as “and similarly he said to Yehudah, etc.” i.e. he too should live on indefinitely and not be diminished in numbers, adding that Hashem should respond to the prayers of Yehudah. [Presumably, Ibn Ezra felt that Yehudah’s role in the sale of Joseph and the deception of his father Yaakov also needed forgiveness still. Nachmanides disagrees with the interpretation of Ibn Ezra on this, seeing that Yehudah’s sin had not been of the type that the Torah would punish with the karet penalty [generally understood to include destruction of one’s soul, Ed.] if it had been committed deliberately and had not been repented properly. This is also, in his opinion, why Moses did not offer a special prayer on behalf of Yehudah, just as he did not do so on behalf of the other tribes whose founding fathers had been involved in the sale of Joseph and the deception of their father. He therefore understands the words וזאת ליהודה as the preamble to the blessing he would forthwith bestow on that tribe. He would receive the latter part of Reuven’s blessing also, as he, more than any other tribe needed G’d’s protection against suffering casualties, as this tribe was always leading in the wars Israel fought. He had a merit exceeding that of the other brothers, as it had been he who had saved Joseph from the brothers’ demand that he be killed immediately.

שמע ה' קול יהודה!, “Hearken O Hashem to the voice of Yehudah!” when he entreats you whenever he goes into battle, seeing he is at the head of the army.

ואל עמו תביאנו,“and return him to his people;” to the encampment. This verse could also be understood as a general prayer to bring back all those who went out to battle in the enemy’s country, to return home safely, unharmed.

ידיו רב לו, “may his hands suffice to fight on his behalf;” may he not have to rely on outside assistance other than the help of Hashem, alone. Some commentators, seeing in the word רב an analogy to ריב, “quarrel, strife,” understand the verse to mean that Moses wishes that Yehudah’s hands alone should prove equal to any strife he will be involved in. Still other commentators see an analogy to Psalms 18,15 וברקים רב, where the word is used to describe “stunning” blows, by means of lightning. Nachmanides writes that these words are an allusion to the first war against the Canaanites, and are an encouragement to Yehudah to not only worry about conquering his own allotted ancestral territory, but also that allotted to his brethren of the other tribes. In particular, it would be a hint to conquer land beyond that needed by himself, and to cede it to the members of the tribe of Shimon, who, as it turned out were going to be an enclave within the boundaries of the tribal lands of Yehudah. This is borne out by Joshua 19,9 where the members of the tribe of Shimon are described as receiving their share of the ancestral heritage as “within” that of the tribe of Yehudah.

וללוי אמר, “and concerning Levi, Moses had said” Rashi understands the letter ו at the beginning of the word וללוי, as meaning על, i.e. “about.” Similar use of that letter in that sense is found in Genesis 26,7 וישאלו אנשי המקום לאשתו, “the people of that place enquired about his wife.” There are other examples of that kind of usage made of the letter ו in the Scriptures. Nachmanides writes that seeing Moses had addressed Reuven and Yehudah in his blessings by name both in the introduction and as an integral part of the blessing, he hastens to face each tribe separately when blessing them, so that they do not feel slighted. In other words, each time we find the introductory letter ו before the tribe’s name, this means that at that moment Moses had taken up position directly in front of the members of that tribe. After positioning himself opposite the members of the tribe of Levi, he commenced with the words תומיך ואריך וגו'.

אשר נסיתו במסה, “whom You had tested at Massah.” According to Ibn Ezra the word במסה is not a reference to a location but to a test of faith when executing the fellow Israelites during the golden calf episode was not considered death without benefit of trial, i.e. murder, but an act of supreme faith, risking their lives on behalf of preserving the glory of the Holy Name of Hashem. The only sin the Levites were guilty of collectively also, was the one their leaders Moses and Aaron also became victims of, the confrontation after Miriam’s death when the people ganged up on Moses and Aaron demanding water to drink. (Numbers chapter 20); [note that whereas at the beginning of that chapter only העם, the common people, the mixed multitude according to some, is mentioned as being rebellious, near the end even the בני ישראל, the elite of the people, are described as having quarreled with Moses. Presumably, Ibn Ezra feels that the Levites were included, or the Torah would have credited them with being without guilt during that episode. Ed.] Nachmanides, approaching the verse from the peshat point of view, writes that the correct interpretation is that the word במסה refers to a location, i.e. the place previously known as Refidim, which was renamed on account of the unruly behaviour of the Israelites there, as detailed in Exodus Moses credits the Levites with already at that time not being part of the people who ganged up on him and adopting a threatening posture. [Perhaps the Levites’ “cool” when the people had no water is especially commendable seeing that the Levites were not subject to slave labour in Egypt; they had been the ones to benefit least by the redemption, and therefore suffered most by deprivation in the desert. Ed.] Moses therefore blesses them with the blessing that its loyalty and steadfastness should remain a characteristic of theirs throughout the ages. This is the meaning of the reference to תמיך ואוריך. “May the qualities displayed then ensure that you will always be men of piety.” The people’s sin, even then had not been that they had clamoured for drinking water; far from it. Their sin had been that they had accused Moses for being responsible for the absence of the Shechinah, which most certainly would not have allowed a situation such they found themselves in to arise had not their leaders fallen out of favour with Hashem The thought that they themselves could have been at fault did not even occur to them.

תריבהו, “you have quarreled with Him at the waters of Merivah.” Compare Psalms 35,1 ריבה ה' את יריבי, “O G’d strive with my adversaries” (David speaking). It sounds as if Moses is hinting that G’d ought to punish those who had been responsible for his losing his temper at מי מריבה. He hints that the people had provoked him to lose his composure so that he had shouted at them: (Numbers 20,10) “listen you rebellious people!” Moses had first addressed the priests, as he had said to Levi, asking them to be loyal to the High Priest, wearer of the urim and tumim, the breastplate that had the ineffable Name in its pouch, assuring the High Priest constant communication with G’d if the situation warranted this. Afterwards, he addressed the whole tribe of Levi who had participated in the general uproar on that occasion.

יורו משפטיך ליעקב, “They shall teach Your social laws to Yaakov;” These words refer to the entire tribe of Levi. The priests, on their part will offer the incense on behalf of the entire nation.

ברך ה' חילו, “Bless, O Hashem its resources, etc.” According to Nachmanides this is a plea by Moses to Hashem to grant the tribe of Levi plenty of human resources, seeing that in fulfilling their tasks they put their lives at risk if they make any of many possible mistakes which result in such people forfeiting their lives. Compare Numbers 4,18 “Do not let the tribe of the Kehatites be cut off from the rest of the tribe of Levi.” Onkelos translates חילו as “its material resources,” using Genesis 37,29 and Number 31,9 as his models. In both those verses the expression ואת כל חילם means: “all their physical possessions.” The verse is an appendix to ישימו קטורה באפך in the previous verse, which describes the material possession of man most closely related to a spiritual asset, i.e. the fragrance of the incense burned on the Altar.

ופועל ידיו תרצה, “and may the work of his hands be received with goodwill.” A reference to the sacrificial offerings, generally, the incense being the most refined type.

מחץ מתנים קמיו ומשנאיו מן יקומון, “smash the loins of his foes and his enemies so that they may not arise again.” Ibn Ezra understands the words מן יקומון as “preventing them from arising again.”

ידיד ה', “Hashem’s beloved;” Benjamin, G’d’s beloved, will dwell securely on his land.

עליו, “over him;” guarding the habitat of Hashem in the Tabernacle or Temple. Hashem’s Presence, in turn will hover over him (Benjamin) in turn all of his days and allow His glory on his territory,

ובין כתיפיו ישכון, “and he will feel at home between his shoulders.” An allusion to what our sages explained that during a competition as to who would be the first one into the Sea of Reeds, Binyamin did not wait for the argument to be settled but jumped in (Sotah 36) [first version of that argument. Folio 37 there has a different version. Ed.] Another allusion contained in this simile is that our verse contains references to all three Temples and the respective significance of each one. The statement about “dwelling securely,” would apply to the period of the first Temple, whereas the statement about “hovering all day long,” would refer to the period of the second Temple, a period during which the Jewish state was a vassal state, and many of the symbols of our close connection with the Shechinah were absent, the Tablets and the Holy Ark being some of these symbols. The description of “residing between its shoulders,” is an allusion to the third Temple, the one that will be built after the arrival of the Messiah.

וממגד ארץ ומלואה, “from the bounty of the land and its fullness;” this refers to the produce grown in the coastal plains, seeing that the produce growing on mountains and on hills has already been mentioned. Nachmanides explains the words as referring to blessings of the breast and womb respectively, corresponding to Yaakov’s blessing in Genesis He claims that every living creature is called מלואה inasmuch as they help fill the earth. He quotes as proof Chronicles I 16,32 ירעם הים ומלואו, “let the sea and all that is in it thunder.”

ורצון שוכני סנה, “and by the favour of Him Who rested on the thorn bush.” This was when the Shechinah had his first encounter with Moses. This was also where he had spent many days (either receiving the Torah, or pleading for forgiveness for his people.) The thorn bush was at the bottom of Mount Sinai, or Mount Chorev as it is known also. Eventually, after the building of the Tabernacle, the Shechinah came to rest above the Holy Ark in that Tabernacle, i.e. over the encampment of the whole Jewish people.

תבואתה, “may it be present, etc.;” a reference to this blessing.

לראש יוסף, “upon Joseph’s head.” Moses expresses the wish that Hashem bestow this blessing on the tribe of Joseph. Alternately, the meaning is that “the goodwill of the One Whose residence is above the thorn bush should bestow His blessing on the tribe of Joseph.” The reason that Moses would be referring to G’d in the feminine mode (apparently, by saying תבוא instead of יבוא, is that this is the standard mode employed in Aramaic when referring to attributes of Hashem. [CompareTargum on Kohelet 5,7 where G’d is described in the feminine mode as רעותא ד'.] Some commentators say that when viewed from the perspective of the plain meaning of the text, the פשט, Moses means to say that although there is no need to express a special blessing for the parts of the land of Israel which is naturally bountiful, Moses wanted to bestow a similar blessing on the parts which normally do not yield nature’s bounty. The thorn bush represents such normally barren areas in any country.

בכור שורו הדר לו, “Like a firstling bull is his majesty;” Nachmanides, referring to the plain meaning of the verse, writes that seeing Moses had blessed the tribe of Joseph in terms of abundant crops, he had likened that tribe to an ox, the animal without whose work most crops would never see the light of day. He wishes that the firstborn of this tribe be majestic, an allusion to the position which Joshua, an illustrious member of the tribe of Joseph, would occupy among the people shortly, after Moses would die. He would henceforth be remembered as the most illustrious of Joseph’s descendants.

וקרני ראם קרניו, “his glory will be like the horns of the Re’em.” Moses refers to the horns in the plural, parallel to the term רבבות אפרים, the tens of thousands of Ephrayim, on the one hand, and the אלפי מנשה, “the thousands from Menashe” on the other. Ephrayim’s blessing recalls that Yaakov, at the time, had insisted on placing his right hand on Ephrayim, and his left hand, i.e. אלפי, on Menashe. Israel has been described elsewhere as consisting of רבבות אלפי, “tens of thousands of thousands,” (Numbers 10,36)

ברוך מרחיב גד, “Blessed, He, Who broadens the territory of Gad;” Ibn Ezra states that seeing that he had likened Gad to a lion, Moses pronounces a blessing on the One Who had equipped Gad with such an imposing stature; allegorically speaking, his territory is so wide, as no one dares hem him in, come too close to him. Nachmanides writes that the correct interpretation of our verse is that the word מרחיב refers to the territorial size of the ancestral heritage of Gad, which was larger than anyone else’s. The two and a half tribes who took their lands on the east bank of the Jordan had not been required to participate in the allocation by lot that took place under the supervision of Joshua. It is quite possible, that in light of the Gadites being natural born warriors, that they grabbed more land for themselves than did the members of the tribe of Reuven. Furthermore, the Gadites had been the very first to raise the subject of remaining on the east bank of the Jordan because the land was suited for grazing and they possessed such large herds after the war against Sichon. Large land allocation was therefore a factor high on the Gadites’ agenda.

כי שם חלקת מחוקק ספון, “for it is there that the lawgiver’s plot is hidden.” Ibn Ezra understands the three words חלקת, מחוקק, ספון as if the Torah had written חלק ומחוקק וספון, that Gad had three reasons for choosing the portion he chose, 1) the land was very desirable, 2) the lawgiver, Moses, would be buried on that land, 3) there the Emorites had fancy houses with paneled walls.. He quotes Chagai 1,4 speaking of בבתיכם ספונים, “in your houses with the paneled walls and ceilings,” as another example of the use of the word ספון in that sense.

צדקת ה' עשה, “he exacted G’d’s righteous justice.” The Midrash states that the words וירא ראשית לו mean that Gad took the lands of Sichon and Og, which represented the beginning, ראשית, of the Israelites’ conquest of the Canaanite nations. By doing so he did a צדקה, a righteous deed for the whole of the people of Israel, who learned from that tribe to build fortified cities. All the elderly and sick people of Israel stayed in those fortified cities during the seven years that the conquest of the land lasted.

יזנק מן הבשן, “leaping forth from the Bashan.” Ibn Ezra points out that the word יזנק, i.e. the root זנק, does not occur any place else in the Bible. It describes that the might of the lion to which Dan is compared here is that he appears to leap forth suddenly from a lair or hiding place one has not been aware of, has not suspected.

נפתלי שבע רצון, “Naftali is sated with favour;” Rash understands this phrase to mean that the territory allocated to Naftali would prove to be so well endowed that all its inhabitants would express their satisfaction with it. Nachmanides writes that the words שבע רצון, “well pleased,” refer to Hashem being well pleased with the lifestyle of this tribe and this would express itself visibly through the blessings He would shower upon that tribe.

ברוך מבנים אשר, “Asher is more blessed than any of the other tribes;” Nachmanides writes that if the letter מ in front of the word בנים is meant to introduce a comparative, i.e. “more than,” similar to the expression תבורך מנשים in Judges 5,24 where it means that Yael was more blessed than other women, we have a problem, as Moses would then have portrayed all the other tribes as at a disadvantage when compared to the blessings received by Asher. Surely, Moses did not mean to arouse the other tribes’ jealousy? Furthermore, and even more to the point, if that had been what Moses meant, history did not bear out what Moses promised or predicted. Rashi writes that he had seen a comment in the Sifri, according to which none of the other tribes had been blessed with children as abundantly as had the tribe of Asher. [It is strange that Nachmanides did apparently not know of that comment in the Sifri. Ed.] Nachmanides contents himself with considering that statement as unsupported by evidence of any kind. Nachmanides writes that our sages understood these words to mean that whereas all the other tribes’ blessings referred in some manner to the blessed nature of the piece of land they would inherit, in the case of Asher Moses emphasized the quality of the children that the tribe of Asher would be blessed with. The versions of the Sifri that were in circulation at Nachmanides’ time did not have the line quoted by Rashi. There is no record of the prediction made by Moses here being fulfilled. Perhaps Chronicles I 7,40 which commences with the words כל אלה בני אשר, having given details of descendants of Asher to the ninth generation, is some hint that the tribe developed exceedingly well. [Compare relative tables in the דעת מקרא edition of Chronicles by Mossad Harav Kook, and edited by Yehudah Kil. Ed.] The 26000 officers of varying rank listed in Chronicles as Asher’s contribution to the army is not matched by any of the other tribes. According to the plain meaning of the text, the פשט, Moses expresses a prayer that seeing that the land granted to the tribe of Asher is exceedingly productive, he hopes that the tribe will enjoy the blessing of G’d to ensure that they can benefit from this to the full extent possible, seeing that this land has a greater potential than that of the other tribes. The tribe should nonetheless be so well liked by the members of the other tribes, that instead of being jealous, they formulate a blessing when they bestow it, by using Asher as the model of someone being blessed by Hashem. Onkelos translates the phrase above as אשר יהי רעוא לאחוהי, “may he be well liked by his brothers, etc.” As a result of Asher’s popularity, the other tribes would make a point of buying their olive oil from that tribe’s ample supplies.

ברזל ונחושת מנעליך, “your borders (those of all the tribes having borders other that the sea) be sealed tightly by iron and copper fences.” May Hashem always protect your borders from attack.

וכימיך דבאיך, “may your old age be similar to your prime.” Nachmanides understands the word דבאך as being similar in meaning to זובאך, claiming that the letter ד and ז are very often used interchangeably, quoting one or two examples. The meaning of the line would be: “may the oil flowing from your olive presses be so bountiful that you can dip your feet in it, כימיך, as long as you live.” It is true that what commentators have pointed out in connection with Deut. 28,65, that the word דאבון, which means “mental depression,” is the opposite of the optimism that one possesses in one’s prime. i.e. ימיך. Moses’ prayer is that the Jewish nation, when its members experience old age, should not feel depressed by it, but should enjoy it no less than their prime.

אין כא-ל ישורון, “There is none like G’d, Yeshurun;” The reason is that there is no other nation equal to the Jewish people, a people who are able to call upon G’d Who rides across heaven and earth to help them.

מעונה אלוקי קדם, “that (the שחקים at the end of the last verse) is the abode of G’d since days immemorial.” Some commentators understand this phrase as meaning: “Your abode is that of the Immemorial G’d.”