(כז) לָ֤מָּה תֹאמַר֙ יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וּתְדַבֵּ֖ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל נִסְתְּרָ֤ה דַרְכִּי֙ מֵיְהֹוָ֔ה וּמֵאֱלֹהַ֖י מִשְׁפָּטִ֥י יַעֲבֽוֹר׃
(27) Why do you say, O Jacob,
Why declare, O Israel,
“My way is hid from the LORD,
My cause is ignored by my God”?
Why would a person assume this? The causes? If we cannot find God, it is accurate to say God is hidden, at least from us. How do we change this. Can we?
(א) למה תאמר. עמי יעקב ותדבר בגלות:
(1) Why should you say My people ([K’li Paz, mss.:] the people of) Jacob, and speak in exile.
Rashi’s question: can we be people of Israel if we are in exile elsewhere? What are the meanings?
(ב) נסתרה דרכי מה'. העלים מנגד עיניו כל מה שעבדנוהו והמשיל עלינו אות' שלא ידעוהו:
(2) My way has been hidden from the Lord He hid from before His eyes all that we served Him, and gave those who did not know Him, dominion over us.
Why in the world didn’t God acknowledge our deeds?
(ג) ומאלהי משפטי יעבור. העביר מלפניו משפט הגמול הטוב שהי' לו לשלם לאבותינו ולנו:
(3) and from my God, my judgment passes? He ignores the judgment of the good reward He should have paid our forefathers and us.
Same question as above. How can a just God ignore our good deeds?
(כח) הֲל֨וֹא יָדַ֜עְתָּ אִם־לֹ֣א שָׁמַ֗עְתָּ אֱלֹהֵ֨י עוֹלָ֤ם ׀ יְהֹוָה֙ בּוֹרֵא֙ קְצ֣וֹת הָאָ֔רֶץ לֹ֥א יִיעַ֖ף וְלֹ֣א יִיגָ֑ע אֵ֥ין חֵ֖קֶר לִתְבוּנָתֽוֹ׃
(28) Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is God from of old,
Creator of the earth from end to end,
He never grows faint or weary,
His wisdom cannot be fathomed.
How can we perceive a God beyond our fathoming?
(א) בורא קצות הארץ וגו'. אין חקר לתבונתו ומי שיש לו כח כזה וחכמה כזו הוא יודע את המחשבות למה הוא מאחר טובתכם אלא כדי לכלות את הפשע ולהתם את החטאת ע"י היסורין:
(1) the Creator of the ends of the earth...there is no fathoming His understanding And One who has such strength and such wisdom—He knows the thoughts. Why does He delay your benefit, only to terminate the transgression and to expiate the sin through afflictions.
(כט) נֹתֵ֥ן לַיָּעֵ֖ף כֹּ֑חַ וּלְאֵ֥ין אוֹנִ֖ים עׇצְמָ֥ה יַרְבֶּֽה׃
(29) He gives strength to the weary,
Fresh vigor to the spent.
Fresh vigor to the spent.
(א) נותן ליעף כח. וסופו להחליף כח לעייפותכם:
(1) Who gives the tired strength And who will eventually renew strength for your tiredness.
(ל) וְיִעֲפ֥וּ נְעָרִ֖ים וְיִגָ֑עוּ וּבַחוּרִ֖ים כָּשׁ֥וֹל יִכָּשֵֽׁלוּ׃
(30) Youths may grow faint and weary,
And young men stumble and fall;
And young men stumble and fall;
(א) ויעפו נערים. גבורת הכשדי' המנוערים מן המצות תיעף:
(1) Now youths shall become tired Heb. נְעָרִים. The might of your enemies who are devoid (מְנֹעָרִים) of commandments, shall become faint.
(ב) ובחורים כשול יכשלו. אותם שהם עכשיו גבורים וחזקים יכשלו ואתם קוי ה' תחליפו כח חדש וחזק:
(2) and young men shall stumble Those who are now mighty and strong, shall stumble, but you, who put your hope in the Lord shall gain new strength and power.
(לא) וְקוֹיֵ֤ יְהֹוָה֙ יַחֲלִ֣יפוּ כֹ֔חַ יַעֲל֥וּ אֵ֖בֶר כַּנְּשָׁרִ֑ים יָר֙וּצוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יִיגָ֔עוּ יֵלְכ֖וּ וְלֹ֥א יִיעָֽפוּ׃ {ס}
(31) But they who trust in the LORD shall renew their strength
As eagles grow new plumes:
They shall run and not grow weary,
They shall march and not grow faint.
As eagles grow new plumes:
They shall run and not grow weary,
They shall march and not grow faint.
Read verses 30 and 31 together. What do we learn?
This translation of v 31 has eagles growing new plumes. Then they run, then walk?
Another translation of v 31: 31 But those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Look at the verbs and their order. What does that say?
In both versions, walking is more taxing than running. Why? Doesn’t that seem backward?
(ה) הַמַּשְׂבִּ֣יעַ בַּטּ֣וֹב עֶדְיֵ֑ךְ תִּתְחַדֵּ֖שׁ כַּנֶּ֣שֶׁר נְעוּרָֽיְכִי׃
(5) He satisfies you with good things in the prime of life,-a
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
(א) כנשר יעיר קנו. המשיל הכבוד לנשר שהוא מלך על כל העופות, כן הכבוד מלך על השכלים הנפרדים הנרמזים בפסוק (בראשית ב׳:י׳) ומשם יפרד, וכשם שהנשר לוקח גוזליו ונושאם על אברתו ומנחה אותם ממקום למקום, כן ה' בדד ינחנו, כלומר לישראל לבדו, ואין עמו שותף אל נכר מכל הנפרדים שרי מעלה, וכענין שכתוב (תהילים ע״ג:כ״ה) מי לי בשמים, אלא אתה, לא מלאך ושרף ולא כוכב ומזל, ועמך לא חפצתי אחר בארץ. ועוד כשם שהנשר מתחדש מזמן לזמן וכענין שכתוב (ישעיהו מ׳:ל״א) יעלו אבר כנשרים, (תהילים ק״ג:ה׳) תתחדש כנשר נעוריכי, כן הכבוד מתחדש בבוא השפע אליו מלמעלה אחר שנפסק ממנו בחטאת ישראל.
(1) . כנשר יעיר קנו, “Like an eagle arousing its nest;” Moses compares G’d’s attribute כבוד to the eagle, the king of the birds. Similarly, the attribute כבוד is perceived as the “king” of all the disembodied spirits. Just as the eagle takes its young, carrying them on top of its wings, guiding them to various places, so G’d alone, guides the Jewish people (in the desert). He did not employ the help or assistance of any other deity. We have a similar verse in Psalms 73,25: “Whom else do I have in heaven except You?” Assaph means that we rely neither on angels nor any other celestial forces but only on G’d directly. He goes on saying: “having You I want no one on earth.” Furthermore, elaborating on the comparison with the eagle, “just a the eagle renews itself from time to time, so Israel does renew itself from time to time.” The author cites Isaiah 40,31 יעלו אבר כנשרים as meaning that the eagle produces new wings from time to time. He quotes Psalms 103,5 as confirmation of the verse in Isaiah.
(כ) וַיֵּ֥צְא֛וּ כׇּל־עֲדַ֥ת בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִלִּפְנֵ֥י מֹשֶֽׁה׃
(20) So the whole community of the Israelites left Moses’ presence.
(א) הַחֲרִ֤ישׁוּ אֵלַי֙ אִיִּ֔ים וּלְאֻמִּ֖ים יַחֲלִ֣יפוּ כֹ֑חַ יִגְּשׁוּ֙ אָ֣ז יְדַבֵּ֔רוּ יַחְדָּ֖ו לַמִּשְׁפָּ֥ט נִקְרָֽבָה׃
(1) Stand silent before Me, coastlands,
And let nations renew their strength.-a
Let them approach to state their case;
Let us come forward together for argument.
And let nations renew their strength.-a
Let them approach to state their case;
Let us come forward together for argument.
(א) החרישו אלי. כדי לשמוע דבר:
(1) Be silent to Me in order to hear My words.
(ב) איים. אומות של עכו"ם:
(2) islands Heathens ([mss. Kli Paz:] nations).
(ג) יחליפו כח. יתקשטו ויתחזקו בכל גבורתם אולי יעמדו בדין בכח:
(3) shall renew [their] strength They shall adorn themselves and strengthen themselves with all their might perhaps they will succeed in their judgment by force.
(ד) יגשו. הלום ואז משיגשו ידברו:
(4) they shall approach here, and then, when they approach, they shall speak.
(ה) למשפט נקרבה. להוכיח' על פניהם:
(5) to judgment let us draw near to reprove them to their faces.
(ב) מִ֤י הֵעִיר֙ מִמִּזְרָ֔ח צֶ֖דֶק יִקְרָאֵ֣הוּ לְרַגְל֑וֹ יִתֵּ֨ן לְפָנָ֤יו גּוֹיִם֙ וּמְלָכִ֣ים יַ֔רְדְּ יִתֵּ֤ן כֶּֽעָפָר֙ חַרְבּ֔וֹ כְּקַ֥שׁ נִדָּ֖ף קַשְׁתּֽוֹ׃
(2) Who has roused a victor from the East,
Summoned him to His service?
Has delivered up nations to him,
And trodden sovereigns down?
Has rendered their swords like dust,
Their bows like wind-blown straw?
Summoned him to His service?
Has delivered up nations to him,
And trodden sovereigns down?
Has rendered their swords like dust,
Their bows like wind-blown straw?
(ג) יִרְדְּפֵ֖ם יַעֲב֣וֹר שָׁל֑וֹם אֹ֥רַח בְּרַגְלָ֖יו לֹ֥א יָבֽוֹא׃
(3) He pursues them, he goes on unscathed;
No shackle is placed on his feet.
No shackle is placed on his feet.
(א) ירדפם יעבור שלום. הלך על מעברותיו בשלום לא נכשל ברדפו אותם:
(1) He pursued them and passed on safely He traversed all his fords safely; he did not stumble when he pursued them.
(ב) אורח ברגליו לא יבא. דרך אשר לא בא קודם לכן ברגליו, לא יבא לא היה רגיל לבא:
(2) a path upon which he had not come with his feet A road upon which he had not come previously with his feet. [The future tense of] יָבוֹא means that he was not accustomed to come.
(ד) מִֽי־פָעַ֣ל וְעָשָׂ֔ה קֹרֵ֥א הַדֹּר֖וֹת מֵרֹ֑אשׁ אֲנִ֤י יְהֹוָה֙ רִאשׁ֔וֹן וְאֶת־אַחֲרֹנִ֖ים אֲנִי־הֽוּא׃
(4) Who has wrought and achieved this?
He who announced the generations from the start—
I, the LORD, who was first
And will be with the last as well.
He who announced the generations from the start—
I, the LORD, who was first
And will be with the last as well.
(א) מי פעל ועשה. כפל הענין במלות שונות אמר מי פעל ועשה גבורות אלו:
Who wrought and achieved this? We have two different words for the matter, which double the impact. Who did this and made such mighty things?