Devarim -Eichah

THESE ARE the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel beyond the Jordan; in the wilderness, in the Arabah, over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. It is eleven days journey from Horeb unto Kadesh-barnea by the way of mount Seir. And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spoke unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the LORD had given him in commandment unto them; after he had smitten Sihon the king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og the king of Bashan, who dwelt in Ashtaroth, at Edrei; beyond the Jordan, in the land of Moab, took Moses upon him to expound this law, saying: The LORD our God spoke unto us in Horeb, saying: ‘Ye have dwelt long enough in this mountain; turn you, and take your journey, and go to the hill-country of the Amorites and unto all the places nigh thereunto, in the Arabah, in the hill-country, and in the Lowland, and in the South, and by the sea-shore; the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the river Euphrates. Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD swore unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.’ And I spoke unto you at that time, saying: ‘I am not able to bear you myself alone; the LORD your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude.— The LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as ye are, and bless you, as He hath promised you!— How can I myself alone bear your encumbrance, your burden, and your strife? Get you, from each one of your tribes, wise men, and understanding, and full of knowledge, and I will make them heads over you.’ And ye answered me, and said: ‘The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.’ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and full of knowledge, and made them heads over you, captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds, and captains of fifties, and captains of tens, and officers, tribe by tribe. And I charged your judges at that time, saying: ‘Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between a man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. Ye shall not respect persons in judgment; ye shall hear the small and the great alike; ye shall not be afraid of the face of any man; for the judgment is God’s; and the cause that is too hard for you ye shall bring unto me, and I will hear it.’ And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do. And we journeyed from Horeb, and went through all that great and dreadful wilderness which ye saw, by the way to the hill-country of the Amorites, as the LORD our God commanded us; and we came to Kadesh-barnea. And I said unto you: ‘Ye are come unto the hill-country of the Amorites, which the LORD our God giveth unto us. Behold, the LORD thy God hath set the land before thee; go up, take possession, as the LORD, the God of thy fathers, hath spoken unto thee; fear not, neither be dismayed.’ And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said: ‘Let us send men before us, that they may search the land for us, and bring us back word of the way by which we must go up, and the cities unto which we shall come.’ And the thing pleased me well; and I took twelve men of you, one man for every tribe; and they turned and went up into the mountains, and came unto the valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought it down unto us, and brought us back word, and said: ‘Good is the land which the LORD our God giveth unto us.’ Yet ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD your God; and ye murmured in your tents, and said: ‘Because the LORD hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.

"How (eichah) does she dwell..." (Lamentations 1:1): There are three who prophesied with the language of "eichah": Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Moses said, (Deuteronomy 1:12), "How (eichah) will I carry alone...". Isaiah said, (Isaiah 1:21) "How (eichah) she has become a prostitute..." Jeremiah said, (Lamentations 1:1) "How (eichah) does she dwell..." Said Rabbi Levi: It is compared to a noble woman who had three friends. One saw her in her negligence, one saw her in her recklessness, and one saw her in her degenerateness. So did Moses see Israel in their honor, and in their negligence, and he said, "How will I carry their burden alone?" Isaiah saw them in their recklessnes, and he said "How she has become a prostitute..." Jeremiah saw them in their degenerateness, and he said, "How does she dwell..."

It is eleven days journey from Horeb unto Kadesh-barnea by the way of mount Seir.

And ye answered me, and said: ‘The thing which thou hast spoken is good for us to do.’

ותענו אתי וגו׳ AND YE ANSWERED ME, etc. — You at once decided the matter to your benefit. You should really have replied: Our teacher, Moses! From whom is it more fitting to learn, from you or from your disciple? Is it not from you who have taken such pains about it? But I knew your thoughts: you said, “Many judges will now be appointed over us; if one of them does not happen to be an acquaintance of ours, we shall bring him a gift and he will show us favour (Sifrei Devarim 14).

And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, while the mountain did burn with fire, that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; and ye said: ‘Behold, the LORD our God hath shown us His glory and His greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the midst of the fire; we have seen this day that God doth speak with man, and he liveth. Now therefore why should we die? for this great fire will consume us; if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any more, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh, that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go thou near, and hear all that the LORD our God may say; and thou shalt speak unto us all that the LORD our God may speak unto thee; and we will hear it and do it.’

ואת תדבר אלינו AND SPEAK THOU (את the feminine form of the pronoun) TO US — you weakened my strength as that of a woman, (cf. Rashi on Numbers 11:15), for I was distressed because of you (because of your words) and you weakened my hands, since I saw that you were not anxious to approach Him out of love. Indeed, was it not better for you to learn from the mouth of the Almighty God, and not to learn from me?!

And the LORD God called unto the man, and said unto him: ‘Where art thou?’

And the Lord God called to man - how did it happen/ where were you? Yesterday you went in my ways, and now in the opinion/ways of the serpent. Yesterday [your vision] was from one end of the world to the other , and now its limited to within the garden. R. Abbahu said the name of R. Hanina: it is written (Hosea 6) and they like Adam transgressed on the covenant. they [Israel],like Adam. Just as Adam - I brought him into the Garden of Eden, I commanded him, and he transgressed my commandments. And so I judged him with banishment and divorce, and I lamented him, "Eicha." I brought him into Gan Eden, as it says: and I placed him in Gan Eden. I commanded, as it states: and God the Lord commanded man. He transgressed the commandment, as it says: did you eat from the tree which I commanded not to eat from. I judged him with banishment, as stated: God the Lord sent him from the garden. I judged him with divorce, it is written: He drove [garesh] out the man. I Lamented over him "Eicha", as stated: And he called the God to man, And said unto him, where are you [Ayeka, Eicha in text]. So too, his sons I brought into Palestine and commanded and they transgressed on my orders, I judged them with banishment and divorce, and I lamented on them Eicha. I brought into Palestine, as written (Jeremiah): and I will bring you into the land of Carmel. I commanded , as it says (Exodus Z): and they thou shalt command the children of Israel. they transgressed on my commandments, as is said (Daniel T.), and all Israel transgressed on your Torah. I judged them with banishment, as written (Jeremiah XVI): Send them from my face and they left. I judged them divorce, as is said (Hosea H): from my house I will divorce them. I lamented on them Eicha, as written (Eicha 1) How did she sit.