וַיְהִי יָדָיו אֱמוּנָה עַד בֹּא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ שֶׁהָיוּ מְחַשְּׁבִים אֶת הַשָּׁעוֹת בְּאַסְטְרוֹלוֹגְיָא, מֶה עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה? הֶעֱמִיד גַּלְגַּל חַמָּה וּלְבָנָה וְעֵרַב אֶת שְׁעוֹתֵיהֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: שֶׁמֶשׁ יָרֵחַ עָמַד זְבֻלָה וְגוֹ' (חבקוק ג, יא). וּכְתִיב: נָתַן תְּהוֹם קוֹלוֹ רוֹם יָדֵיהוּ נָשָׂא (חבקוק ג, י). וַיַּחֲלֹשׁ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת עֲמָלֵק וְגוֹ'. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר: יָרַד וְחָתַךְ רָאשֵׁי גִּבּוֹרִים שֶׁלָּהֶן לְפִי חָרֶב. לָמַדְנוּ, שֶׁמִּלְחָמָה הַזּוֹ עַל פִּי הַגְּבוּרָה הָיְתָה. אֲחֵרִים אוֹמְרִים: נִתְקַיֵּם בָּהֶם מִקְרָא זֶה, כִּי לְדָם אֶעֶשְׂךָ וְדָם יִרְדֳּפֶךָ (יחזקאל לה, ו). And his hands were steady until the going down of the sun (Exod. 17:12). Since time was calculated by means of the stars, what did Moses do? He stopped the revolution of the sun, the moon, and the coming of nightfall in their tracks, as it is said: The sun and the moon stand still in their habitation (Hab. 3:11). It is also written: The deep uttereth its voice, and lifteth up its hands on high (ibid., v. 10). And Joshua discomfited Amalek, etc. R. Joshua said: He went down and cut off the heads of their mighty men with a sword. Hence we learn that this battle was waged only at the command of the Mighty One. Others say that the following verse was fulfilled with regard to them: Therefore as I live, saith the Lord God, I will prepare thee unto blood, and blood shall pursue thee (Exod. 35:6).
כְּתֹב זֹאת זִכָּרוֹן בַּסֵּפֶר וְשִׂים בְּאָזְנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ. זֶה אֶחָד מֵאַרְבָּעָה צַדִּיקִים שֶׁנִּתַּן לָהֶם רֶמֶז. שְׁנַיִם חָשׁוּ, וּשְׁנַיִם לֹא חָשׁוּ. יַעֲקֹב וּמֹשֶׁה נִתַּן לָהֶם רֶמֶז וְלֹא חָשׁוּ. יַעֲקֹב, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: וְהִנֵּה אָנֹכִי עִמָּךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּיךָ (בראשית כח, טו). וּלְבַסּוֹף וַיִּירָא יַעֲקֹב מְאֹד (בראשית לב, ז). אָדָם שֶׁהִבְטִיחוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, הָיָה מִתְפַּחֵד, אֶלָּא אָמַר יַעֲקֹב: שֶׁמָּא כְּשֶׁהָיִיתִי בְּבֵית לָבָן הַטָּמֵא, נִתְלַכְלַכְתִּי בְּטֻמְאָה וּבְחֵטְא. מֹשֶׁה, נִתַּן לוֹ רֶמֶז וְלֹא חָשׁ. שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ: כְּתֹב זֹאת זִכָּרוֹן בַּסֵּפֶר וְשִׂים בְּאָזְנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, לוֹמַר, שֶׁאַתָּה מֵת, וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ מַכְנִיס יִשְׂרָאֵל לָאָרֶץ. בְּכָאן נֶאֱמַר לוֹ וְלֹא חָשׁ, וּלְבַסּוֹף הָיָה מִתְחַנֵּן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וָאֶתְחַנָּן אֶל ה', אֶעְבְּרָה נָּא וְאֶרְאֶה (דברים ג, כג-כה). Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua (ibid. 17:14). He was one of the four righteous men who was given a sign. Two of them took cognizance of the sign, and two did not. Jacob and Moses were given signs, but they did not take cognizance of them. Jacob: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee withersoever thou goest (Gen. 28:15); nevertheless, Then Jacob was greatly afraid (ibid. 32:8). Should a man to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, has given a promise become frightened? However, Jacob said: Perhaps I became unworthy while living with Laban, the sinner, whose home was impure and sinful. Moses was given a sign, but he did not comprehend it, as it is said: Write this for a memorial in the book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua. Thus He was saying (to Moses): You shall die, and Joshua will lead Israel into the land. He told him that in this verse, but he failed to take cognizance of it, and so he later pleaded, as it is said: And I besought the Lord at that time … let me go over, I pray thee (Deut. 3:25).
אֲבָל דָּוִד וּמָרְדְּכַי נִתַּן לָהֶם רֶמֶז וְחָשׁוּ. דָּוִד אָמַר: גַּם אֶת הָאֲרִי גַּם הַדּוֹב הִכָּה עַבְדֶּךָ וְגוֹ'. (ש״א יז, לו). מָרְדְּכַי, וּבְכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם מָרְדְּכַי מִתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵי חֲצַר בֵּית הַנָּשִׁים וְגוֹ' (אסתר ב, יא). אָמַר, אֶפְשָׁר לַצַּדֶּקֶת זוֹ שֶׁתִּנָּשֵׂא לְעָרֵל. אֶלָּא שֶׁעָתִיד דָּבָר גָּדוֹל לִהְיוֹת עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁעֲתִידִין לְהִנָּצֵל עַל יָדֶיהָ. David and Mordecai were given signs and took cognizance of their meaning. To David: He said: Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear (I Sam. 17:34), and to Mordecai: And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women’s house, etc. (Est. 2:11). Mordecai had said to himself: Perhaps this righteous woman is to marry this uncircumcised man in anticipation of some momentous event that will occur to Israel in the future. And ultimately Israel was saved through her.
כִּי מָחֹה אֶמְחֶה. מָחֹה, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, אֶמְחֶה, לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא. זֵכֶר, זֶה הָמָן. עֲמָלֵק כְּמַשְׁמָעוֹ. I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek (Exod. 17:14). Utterly refers to this world; I will blot out alludes to the world-to-come; the remembrance refers to Haman, while Amalek is to be understood in its usual sense.
וַיִּבֶן מֹשֶׁה מִזְבֵּחַ וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ ה' נִסִּי. אָמַר לָהֶם מֹשֶׁה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל: הַנֵּס הַזֶּה שֶׁעָשָׂה לָכֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, בִּשְׁבִילוֹ עָשָׂה, לְמַעַן שְׁמוֹ עָשָׂה. שֶׁלֹּא הָיוּ רְאוּיִין בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה לְאוֹתוֹ הַנֵּס. אַתְּ מוֹצֵא, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל בַּנֵּס, הַנֵּס לְפָנָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוֹ ה' נִסִּי (שמות יז, טו). צָרָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, צָרָה לְפָנָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בְּכָל צָרָתָם לוֹ צָר (ישעיה סג, ט). שִׂמְחָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הַשִּׂמְחָה לְפָנָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי שָׂמַחְתִּי בִּישׁוּעָתֶךָ (ש״א ב, א). וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר: וְגַלְתִּי בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם וְשַׂשְׂתִּי בְעַמִּי (ישעיה סה, יט). וְאוֹמֵר: וּמְשׂוֹשׂ חָתָן עַל כַּלָּה יָשִׂישׂ עָלַיִךְ אֱלֹהָיִךְ (ישעיה סב, ה), אָמֵן, וְכֵן יְהִי רָצוֹן. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Adonai-nissi (Exod. 17:15). Moses said to the Israelites: The miracle that the Holy One, blessed be He, performed, was only for the sake of His name, since they were not worthy of having a miracle performed for their sake. You find that whenever a miracle was performed for Israel, the miracle was for His sake, as it is said: In all their afflictions He was afflicted (Isa. 63:9). And Israel’s joys were His joys, as it is said: Because I rejoice in thy salvation (I Sam. 2:1). Thus it says: I will rejoice in Jerusalem and joy in My people (Isa. 65:19). It likewise says: And as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee (ibid. 62:5). Amen, and so may it be.