| JPS | Alter | Fox | Friedman | Hebrew | |
| 8 | And of Levi he said: Let Your Thummim and Urim Be with Your faithful one, Whom You tested at Massah, Challenged at the waters of Meribah; | And for Levi he said: Your Thummim and Your Urim for your devoted man, whom you tested at Massah, you disputed with him at the waters of Meribah, | To Levi he said: Your Tummim and your Urim for your loyal man, whom you tested at Massa/Testing, you quarreled with him by the waters of Meriva/Quarreling. | And for Levi he said: Your Tummim and Urim are your faithful man's, whom you tested at Massah, disputed with him over Meribah's water. | וּלְלֵוִ֣י אָמַ֔ר תֻּמֶּ֥יךָ וְאוּרֶ֖יךָ לְאִ֣ישׁ חֲסִידֶ֑ךָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נִסִּיתוֹ֙ בְּמַסָּ֔ה תְּרִיבֵ֖הוּ עַל־מֵ֥י מְרִיבָֽה׃ |
| 9 | Who said of his father and mother, "I consider them not." His brothers he disregarded, Ignored his own children. Your precepts alone they observed, And kept Your covenant. | who says of his father and mother, I have not seen them, and his brothers he recognized not, and his sons he did not know. For they kept Your pronouncement and Your covenant they preserved. | Who says of his father and of his mother: I have not seen them, his brother he does not recognize, and his children he does not acknowledge-- for they have guarded your says, your covenant they have watched over. | Who said of his father and his mother: "I haven't seen him," and didn't recognize his brothers and didn't know his children, for they observed what you said and kept your covenant. | הָאֹמֵ֞ר לְאָבִ֤יו וּלְאִמּוֹ֙ לֹ֣א רְאִיתִ֔יו וְאֶת־אֶחָיו֙ לֹ֣א הִכִּ֔יר וְאֶת־בנו [בָּנָ֖יו] לֹ֣א יָדָ֑ע כִּ֤י שָֽׁמְרוּ֙ אִמְרָתֶ֔ךָ וּבְרִֽיתְךָ֖ יִנְצֹֽרוּ׃ |
| 10 | They shall teach Your laws to Jacob And Your instructions to Israel. They shall offer You incense to savor And whole-offerings on Your altar. | They shall teach Your laws to Jacob and Your teaching to Israel. They shall put incense in Your nostrils and whole offerings on Your altar. | Let them instruct your regulations to Yaakov, your Instruction to Israel, putting smoking-incense in your nostrils, and complete-offerings on your slaughter-site. | They'll teach your judgments to Jacob and your instruction to Israel. They'll set incense at your nose, entirely burnt on your altar. | יוֹר֤וּ מִשְׁפָּטֶ֙יךָ֙ לְיַעֲקֹ֔ב וְתוֹרָתְךָ֖ לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יָשִׂ֤ימוּ קְטוֹרָה֙ בְּאַפֶּ֔ךָ וְכָלִ֖יל עַֽל־מִזְבְּחֶֽךָ׃ |
| 11 | Bless, O LORD, his substance, And favor his undertakings. Smite the loins of his foes; Let his enemies rise no more. | Bless, O LORD his abundance, and his handiwork look on with favor. Smash the loins of his foes, that his enemies rise no more. | Bless, O YHWH, his wherewithal, and the works of his hands, accept-with-favor; smash the loins of those rising up against him, those hating him, from rising up! | Bless, YHWH, his wealth and accept his hands' work. Pierce his adversaries' hips, and those who hate him, so they won't get up. | בָּרֵ֤ךְ יְהוָה֙ חֵיל֔וֹ וּפֹ֥עַל יָדָ֖יו תִּרְצֶ֑ה מְחַ֨ץ מָתְנַ֧יִם קָמָ֛יו וּמְשַׂנְאָ֖יו מִן־יְקוּמֽוּן׃ |
Verse 8
And of Levi He said.
And of Levi He said.
- not TO Levi (Rashi)
- 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... (Nachmanides)
- The Urim and Thummim (the reverse order of the terms is found only here) were a device for obtaining God's decision on important questions. It was kept by the priest who administered it on behalf of the leader or the public for such matters as military decisions, allocation of land, and identifying those chosen by God for an office or convicted by Him of an offense. It apparently consisted of a pouch, attached to the priest's breastplate, containing lots which the priest drew out and interpreted as signifying one of two or more alternative answers to a question, or as indicating a particular message. Urim and tummim may have been the names of the lots. Derivation of these terms from 'or, "light," and tom, "completeness, perfection, integrity," is suggestive but far from certain, (JPS)
- He is addressing God, not Levi (Rashi)
- Moses refers to G’d having given to Aaron who was the outstanding member of the tribe of Levi, the pious tribe, the urim and tumim lodged within his breastplate pouch. The Talmud Yuma 73, derives from the above that any priest who speaks with holy spirit is of the calibre that when he employs the urim and tumim to address enquiries to G’d, he will receive G’d’s answer to such enquiries. Hence the word “איש,” a man of lofty spiritual standing, as if to underscore that character trait. (Sforno)
- The story of the waters of Massah and Meribah (Exodus 17:2-7) makes no mention of a crucial role for the Levites. One may infer that this early poem drew on a narrative tradition not reflected in the story told in the Torah. (Alter)
- Moses reminds G’d that in all the various tests (Numbers 14:22) that the Jewish people had subjected Him to, the tribe of Levi had never been a participant in such demonstrations of lack of faith. This was also why the decree which G’d imposed on the generation of the spies did not apply to them, and the Levites that were of age at that time did not die in the desert. (Sforno)
- 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 behavior 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. 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.” (Nachmanides)
Verses 9
who says of his father and mother.
And they guarded Your covenant. viz., the covenant of circumcision; For the [ordinary] Israelites who were born in the desert did not circumcise their sons, whereas the Levites were [not only] circumcised themselves, [but they] also circumcised their sons. (Rashi)
who says of his father and mother.
- The reference is obscure, but this sounds rather like the Levites' ruthless denial of kinfolk in playing the role of the LORD's avengers in the episode of the Golden Calf (Exodus 32:26-29). Perhaps this same motif was attached to the Levites in an early story about Massah and Meribah that did not survive elsewhere. (Alter)
- This has been taken in a narrow sense (by Rashi and others) to refer to the golden calf episode, in which Moses tells the Levites to "kill, each man, his brother and, each man, his neighbor and, each man, his relative" (Exodus 32:27, 29). And it has been understood more broadly to refer to the Levites' single-minded performance of their priestly duties, neither being distracted by one's family nor showing favoritism to them. Alternatively, it might refer to the requirement that the high priest may not touch any dead bodies, even of his own parents (Lev. 21:11). (Friedman)
And they guarded Your covenant. viz., the covenant of circumcision; For the [ordinary] Israelites who were born in the desert did not circumcise their sons, whereas the Levites were [not only] circumcised themselves, [but they] also circumcised their sons. (Rashi)
Verse 10
Because of the devotion they showed to God's precepts, the Levites shall have the privilege of transmitting His laws to Israel (essentially a measure-for-measure reward) as well as conducting His worship. (JPS)
They shall teach Your laws...Your instructions. This refers to the full range of priestly instruction in ritual, judicial, and civil matters, such as worship, distinction between sacred and profane, clean and unclean, judicial decisions, and division of territory....Priests gave some of their instructions as ad hoc rulings, sometimes probably obtained from the Urim and Thummim, in response to specific inquiries. We do not know what further institutional form their instruction took, such as teaching in schools or at festivals or other gatherings. (JPS)
complete-offerings.
Because of the devotion they showed to God's precepts, the Levites shall have the privilege of transmitting His laws to Israel (essentially a measure-for-measure reward) as well as conducting His worship. (JPS)
They shall teach Your laws...Your instructions. This refers to the full range of priestly instruction in ritual, judicial, and civil matters, such as worship, distinction between sacred and profane, clean and unclean, judicial decisions, and division of territory....Priests gave some of their instructions as ad hoc rulings, sometimes probably obtained from the Urim and Thummim, in response to specific inquiries. We do not know what further institutional form their instruction took, such as teaching in schools or at festivals or other gatherings. (JPS)
complete-offerings.
- Completely consumed by fire on the altar. (Fox)
- The term for "entirely burnt" (kalil) is used in connection with the offering that the priests make on the day of the high priest's anointing (Lev. 6:12-16). It this especially symbolizes the priestly status of Levi. (Friedman)
Verse 11
The final part of the Levites' blessing, like those of the other tribes, refers to their material welfare and security. (JPS)
Bless. “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. (Tur HaAroch)
his substance. That is, their wealth. Although the Levites are not given a tribal territory, they receive income in return for their priestly services and they are given cities, real estate, fields, pastureland, and cattle. Hence their wealth is potentially considerable. (JPS)
work of his hands. “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. (Tur HaAroch)
smash the loins.
The final part of the Levites' blessing, like those of the other tribes, refers to their material welfare and security. (JPS)
Bless. “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. (Tur HaAroch)
his substance. That is, their wealth. Although the Levites are not given a tribal territory, they receive income in return for their priestly services and they are given cities, real estate, fields, pastureland, and cattle. Hence their wealth is potentially considerable. (JPS)
work of his hands. “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. (Tur HaAroch)
smash the loins.
- This violent image of martial triumph does not accord with the later sacerdotal role of the Levites, which exempted them from military duty. What it may pick up is the preceding allusion to the Levites as YHWH's special militia, wielding their swords against all who betrayed him, even against their own kin. (Alter)
- Render them powerless. The loins are used figuratively as the seat of one's strength. (JPS)
- Moses does not ask God to grant the Levites military prowess but to defend them against attackers. As a clerical tribe the Levites had no military force and, unlike the other tribes, they were defenseless against military attacks....But the verse does not necessarily refer to physical assault....The Levites' enemies could be those who would challenge their exclusive right to priesthood.... (JPS)
- Some understand as "who will arise?" (Fox)
- So that their enemies cannot rise against them with any chance of success. (Sforno)