Rashi - Maurice Liber

Rashi's exegesis is a bit complicated, because his beliefs prevented him from realizing that the narrative of Genesis presupposes a primordial chaos; but his explanations are ingenious, and do away with other difficulties. They have been propounded again as original explanations by modern commentators, such as Ewald, Bunsen, Schrader, Geiger, etc. Botticher even proposed the reading <H>bara (Bet Resh Alef)</H>. I did not give the preceding commentary in its entirety, because it is fairly long and, in this respect, not typical. Consequently other quotations will serve a purpose.

2. THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC (Gen. xxii. 1)

1. After these words]. Some of our teachers explain the expression: "after the words of Satan," who said to God Of all his meals Abraham sacrifices nothing to Thee, neithe a bull nor a ram. He would sacrifice his son, replied God if I told him to do it. Others say: "after the words of Ishmael," who boasted of having undergone circumcision when he was thirteen years old, and to whom Isaac answered: If God demanded of me the sacrifice of my entire being, I would do what he demanded. Abraham said: Behold, here I am]. Such is the humility of pious men; for this expression indicates that one is humble, ready to obey.

2. God said: Take now]. This is a formula of prayer; God seems to say to Abraham: I pray thee, submit thyself to this test, so that thy faith shall not be doubted. Thy son]. I have two sons, replied Abraham. Thine only son]. But each is the only son of his mother. Whom thou lovest]. I love them both. Isaac]. Why did not God name Isaac immediately? In order to trouble Abraham, and also to reward him for each word, etc.

All these explanations are drawn from Talmudic (Sanhedrim 89b) and Midrashic (Bereshit Rabba and Tanhuma) sources. The meaning of the passage being clear, Rashi has recourse to Haggadic elaborations, which, it must be admitted, are wholly charming. Rashi will be seen to be more original in his commentary on the Song of the Red Sea, the text of which offers more difficulties.

3. SONG OF THE RED SEA (Ex. xv. 1)

1. Then sang Moses]. "Then": when Moses saw the miracle, he had the idea of singing a song; similar construction in Josh. x. 12, I Kings vii. 8. Moses said to himself that he would sing, and that is what he did. Moses and the children of Israel "spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord." The future tense is to be explained in the same way as in Josh. x. 12 (Joshua, seeing the miracle, conceived the idea of singing a song, "and he said in the sight of Israel," etc.), in Num. xxi. 17 ("Then Israel sang this song, Spring up, O well; sing ye unto it"), and in I Kings xi. 7 (thus explained by the sages of Israel: "Solomon wished to build a high place, but he did not build it"). The "yod" (of the future) applies to the conception. Such is the natural meaning of the verse. But, according to the Midrashic interpretation, our rabbis see in it an allusion to the resurrection, and they explain it in the same fashion as the other passages, with the exception of the verse in Kings, which they translate: "Solomon wished to build a high place, but he did not build it." But our verse cannot be explained like those in which the future is employed, although the action takes place immediately, as in Job i. 5 ("Thus did Job"); Num. ix. 23 ("The Israelites rested in their tents at the commandment of the Lord") and 20 ("when the cloud was a few days"), because here the action is continued and is expressed as well by the future as by the past. But our song having been sung only at a certain moment, the explanation does not apply.

<H>Ki gaoh gaah (Kaf Yod, Gimel Alef with holam He, Gimel with qamats, Alef with qamats He)</H>]. As the Targum[68] translates. Another explanation: "He is most exalted," above all praise, and however numerous our eulogies, I could add to them; such is not the human king whom one praises without reason. The horse and his rider] - The one attached to the other; the waters carried them off and they descended together into the sea. <H>Ramah (Resh Mem He)</H> (hath He thrown)] like <H>hishlich (He Shin Lamed Yod Final_Kaf)</H>; the same as in Dan. iii. 21. The Haggadic Midrash[69] gives this explanation: one verse employs the verb <H>(Yod Resh He)</H> the other the verb <H>Ramah (Resh Mem He)</H> which teaches us that the Egyptians mounted into the air in order then to descend into the ocean. The same as in Job xxxviii. 6, "who laid (<H>yarah (Yod Resh He)</H> ) the corner stone thereof" from top to bottom?

2. <H>Ozi vezimrat yah vayei li lishuah (Ayin Zayin Yod, Vav Zayin Mem Resh Tav, Yod He, Vav Yod He Yod, Lamed Yod, Lamed Yod Shin Vav Ayin He)</H>]. Onkelos translates: my strength and my song of praise. He therefore explains <H>ohzi (Ayin with qamats Zayin with dagesh and hiriq Yod)</H> as <H>uzi (Ayin with qubuts, Zayin with dagesh and hiriq Yod)</H> and <H>vezimrat (Vav Zayin Mem Resh Tav)</H> as <H>vezimrati (Vav Zayin Mem Resh Tav Yod)</H> But I am astonished at the vowelling of the first word, which is unique in Scriptures, if an exception is made of the three passages in which the two words are joined. In all other places it is provided with the vowel "u", for example in Jer. xvi. 19 and Psalms lix. 10. In general, when a word of two letters contains the vowel "o", if it is lengthened by a third letter, and if the second letter has no "sheva", the first takes an "u": <H>oz (Ayin with holam Zayin)</H> makes <H>rok, uzi (Resh with sin dot Qof, Ayin with qubuts Zayin with dagesh Yod</H> makes <H>jok, ruki (Het Qof, Resh with qubuts Qof with dagesh and hiriq Yod)</H> makes <H>ol, juki (Ayin with holam Lamed, Het with qubuts Qof with dagesh and hiriq Yod</H> makes <H>kol ulo (Kaf with holam Lamed, Ayin with qubuts Lamed with dagesh Vav)</H>[70] makes <H>kulo (Kaf with qubuts Lamed with dagesh Vav)</H>, as in Exodus xiv. 7. On the contrary, the three other passages, namely, our passage, the one in Is. (xii. 2), and that in Psalms (cxviii. 14), have <H>ozi (Ayin Zayin Yod)</H> vowelled with a short "o"; moreover, these verses do not have <H>vezimrati (Vav Zayin Mem Resh Tav Yod)</H> but <H>vezimrat (Vav Zayin Mem Resh Tav)</H>, and all continue with <H>vayei li lishuah (Vav Yod He Yod, Lamed Yod, Lamed Yod Shin Vav Ayin He)</H>. And to give a full explanation of this verse, it is in my opinion necessary to say that <H>ohzi (Ayin with qamats Zayin with dagesh Yod)</H> is not equivalent to <H>uzi (Ayin with qubuts Zayin with dagesh Yod</H> nor <H>vezimrat (Vav Zayin Mem Resh Tav)</H> to <H>vezimrati (Vav Zayin Mem Resh Tav Yod),</H> but that <H>ohzi (Ayin with qamats Zayin with dagesh Yod)</H> is a substantive (without a possessive suffix, but provided with a paragogic "yod"), as in Psalm cxxiii. 1, Obadiah 3, Deut. xxxiii. 16. The eulogy (of the Hebrews) therefore signifies: it is the strength and the vengeance of God that have been my salvation. <H>vezimrat (Vav Zayin Mem Resh Tav)</H> is thus in the construct with the word God, exactly as in Judges v.23, Is. ix. 18, Eccl. iii. 18. As for the word <H>vezimrat (Vav Zayin Mem Resh Tav)</H> it has the meaning which the same root has in Lev. xxv. 4 ("thou shalt not prune") and in Is. xxv. 5; that is to say, "to cut". The meaning of our verse, then, is: "The strength and the vengeance of our Lord have been our salvation." One must not be astonished that the text uses <H>vayehi (Vav Yod He Yod)</H> (imperfect changed to past) and not <H>haiah (He Yod He)</H> (perfect): for the same construction occurs in other verses; for example, I Kings vi. 5, II Chron. x. 17[71], Num. xiv. 16 and 36, Ex. ix. 21.

He is my God]. He appeared to them in His majesty, and they pointed Him out to one another with their finger.[72] The last of the servants saw God, on this occasion, as the Prophets themselves never saw Him. <H>veanvehu (Vav Alef Nun Vav He Vav)</H>]. The Targum sees in this word the meaning of "habitation"[73] as in Is. xxxiii. 20, lxv. 10. According to another explanation the word signifies "to adorn," and the meaning would be: "I wish to celebrate the beauty and sing the praise of God in all His creatures," as it is developed in the Song of Songs; see v.9 et seq.[74] My father's God]. He is; and I will exalt Him. My father's God]. I am not the first who received this consecration; but on the contrary His holiness and His divinity have continued to rest upon me from the time of my ancestors.