Nitzavim for Minister Chikli

(י) טַפְּכֶ֣ם נְשֵׁיכֶ֔ם וְגֵ֣רְךָ֔ אֲשֶׁ֖ר בְּקֶ֣רֶב מַחֲנֶ֑יךָ מֵחֹטֵ֣ב עֵצֶ֔יךָ עַ֖ד שֹׁאֵ֥ב מֵימֶֽיךָ׃

(10) your children, your wives, even the stranger within your camp, from woodchopper to waterdrawer—

(א) מחטב עציך. מְלַמֵּד שֶׁבָּאוּ כְנַעֲנִיִּים לְהִתְגַּיֵּר בִּימֵי מֹשֶׁה כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁבָּאוּ גִּבְעוֹנִים בִּימֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, וְזֶהוּ הָאָמוּר בַּגִּבְעוֹנִים (יהושע ט') "וַיַּעֲשׂוּ גַם הֵמָּה בְּעָרְמָה", וּנְתָנָם מֹשֶׁה חוֹטְבֵי עֵצִים וְשׁוֹאֲבֵי מַיִם (עי' תנחומא):

Rashi on Deuteronomy 29:10:1

(1) מחטב עציך FROM THE WOODCUTTER [UNTO THE DRAWER OF THE WATER] — This teaches that some of the Canaanites came in Moses' days to become proselytes just as the Gibeonites came in the days of Joshua, — and this is the meaning of what is stated of the Gibeonites, (Joshua 9:4) “And they also acted cunningly”; — and Moses made them woodcutters and drawers of water (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Nitzavim 2).

דברים כ״ט:י״ח

(יח) וְהָיָ֡ה בְּשׇׁמְעוֹ֩ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֨י הָאָלָ֜ה הַזֹּ֗את וְהִתְבָּרֵ֨ךְ בִּלְבָב֤וֹ לֵאמֹר֙ שָׁל֣וֹם יִֽהְיֶה־לִּ֔י כִּ֛י בִּשְׁרִר֥וּת לִבִּ֖י אֵלֵ֑ךְ

Deuteronomy 29:18

When hearing the words of these sanctions, they may imagine a special immunity, thinking, “I shall be safe, though I follow my own willful heart”.

רש"י על דברים כ״ט:י״ח:ג׳

(ג) בשררות לבי אלך. בְּמַרְאִית לִבִּי, כְּלוֹמַר, מַה שֶּׁלִּבִּי רוֹאֶה לַעֲשׂוֹת:

Rashi on Deuteronomy 29:18:3

(3) בשררות לבי אלך means IN THE VIEWS OF MY HEART WILL I WALK, שררות being of a root which means to look, to see. It is as much as to say, I will follow what my heart sees good to do.

ישעיהו נ״ח:ז׳-י׳

(ז) הֲל֨וֹא פָרֹ֤ס לָרָעֵב֙ לַחְמֶ֔ךָ וַעֲנִיִּ֥ים מְרוּדִ֖ים תָּ֣בִיא בָ֑יִת (ט) אָ֤ז תִּקְרָא֙ וַי-הֹוָ֣ה יַעֲנֶ֔ה

וְתָפֵ֤ק לָֽרָעֵב֙ נַפְשֶׁ֔ךָ וְנֶ֥פֶשׁ נַעֲנָ֖ה תַּשְׂבִּ֑יעַ וְזָרַ֤ח בַּחֹ֙שֶׁךְ֙ אוֹרֶ֔ךָ

Isaiah 58:7-10

(7) It is to share your bread with the hungry,
And to take the wretched poor into your home; (9) Then, when you call, GOD will answer;

And your gloom shall be like noonday.

בראשית י״ח:כ״ה

(כה) חָלִ֨לָה לְּךָ֜ מֵעֲשֹׂ֣ת ׀ כַּדָּבָ֣ר הַזֶּ֗ה ... חָלִ֣לָה לָּ֔ךְ הֲשֹׁפֵט֙ כׇּל־הָאָ֔רֶץ לֹ֥א יַעֲשֶׂ֖ה מִשְׁפָּֽט׃

50, 45, 40, 30, 20, 10

Genesis 18:25

(25) Far be it from You to do such a thing, to bring death upon the innocent as well as the guilty, so that innocent and guilty fare alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”

בראשית י״ט:א׳

(א) וַ֠יָּבֹ֠אוּ שְׁנֵ֨י הַמַּלְאָכִ֤ים סְדֹ֙מָה֙ בָּעֶ֔רֶב

Genesis 19:1

(1) The two messengers arrived in Sodom in the evening,

רש"י על בראשית י״ט:א׳:ג׳

(ג) בערב. וְכִי כָל כָּךְ שָׁהוּ הַמַּלְאָכִים מֵחֶבְרוֹן לִסְדוֹם? אֶלָּא מַלְאֲכֵי רַחֲמִים הָיוּ וּמַמְתִּינִים שֶׁמָּא יוּכַל אַבְרָהָם לְלַמֵּד עֲלֵיהֶם סַנֵּגוֹרְיָא:

Stand up for Mishpat in the face of power, Abraham, even stand up for Mishpat in the face of the power of the Kadosh

Rashi on Genesis 19:1:3

(3) בערב AT EVENTIDE — Did it, however, take the angels such a long time to travel from Hebron to Sodom? But they were angels of mercy and so they tarried — perhaps Abraham would succeed in his advocacy for them (Genesis Rabbah 50:1).