וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר בֵּרַךְ מֹשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי מֹותֹו 33:1
Deut. 33:1 And this is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel before his death,
וַיֹּאמַר יְהוָה מִסִּינַי בָּא וְזָרַח מִשֵּׂעִיר לָמֹו הֹופִיעַ מֵהַר פָּארָן וְאָתָה מֵרִבְבֹת קֹדֶשׁ מִימִינֹו (אֵשְׁדָּת) 33:2
אֵשׁ] [דָּת] לָמֹו]
Deut. 33:2 and he said,
“The Lord came from Sinai
So He would rise from Seir to them.
He shone forth from Mount Paran,
And He would come from myriads of holiness,
At His right side the fiery decree for them.”
The letters in the parentheses at the end of the top line spell two words. In the Torah scroll they don’t appear to be separated. The two words are in the brackets on the next line.
אַף חֹבֵב עַמִּים כָּל־קְדֹשָׁיו בְּיָדֶךָ וְהֵם תֻּכּוּ לְרַגְלֶךָ יִשָּׂא מִדַּבְּרֹתֶיךָ 33:3
Deut. 33:3 “Yea, He loves the people, all His holy ones.
They are in Your hand,
And they assemble at Your foot,
Each to be lifted up because of Your words.”
תֹּורָה צִוָּה־לָנוּ מֹשֶׁה מֹורָשָׁה קְהִלַּת יַעֲקֹב 33:4
Deut. 33:4 “Moses commanded us a Torah,
An inheritance of the congregation of Jacob,
וַיְהִי בִישֻׁרוּן מֶלֶךְ בְּהִתְאַסֵּף רָאשֵׁי עָם יַחַד שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל 33:5
Deut. 33:5 And he was a ruler in Jeshurun,
To gather the heads of the people,
The tribes of Israel, together.”
יְחִי רְאוּבֵן וְאַל־יָמֹת וִיהִי מְתָיו מִסְפָּר 33:6
Deut. 33:6 “Reuben shall live and not die,
Though his men has become few.”
וְזֹאת לִיהוּדָה וַיֹּאמַר שְׁמַע יְהוָה קֹול יְהוּדָה וְאֶל־עַמֹּו תְּבִיאֶנּוּ יָדָיו רָב לֹו וְעֵזֶר מִצָּרָיו תִּהְיֶה 33:7
Deut. 33:7 And this was for Judah as he said,
“Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah,
So You shall bring him to his people.
His hand increases for him,
So You shall be a help from his adversaries.”
וּלְלֵוִי אָמַר תֻּמֶּיךָ וְאוּרֶיךָ לְאִישׁ חֲסִידֶךָ אֲשֶׁר נִסִּיתֹו בְּמַסָּה תְּרִיבֵהוּ עַל־מֵי מְרִיבָה 33:8
Deut. 33:8 And for Levi he said,
“Your Thummim and Your Urim be his, Your holy one,
Whom You had tried in Massah;
You would contend with Him
Over the waters of Meribah,
הָאֹמֵר לְאָבִיו וּלְאִמֹּו לֹא רְאִיתִיו וְאֶת־אֶחָיו לֹא הִכִּיר וְאֶת־(בָּנֹו) [בָּנָיו] לֹא יָדָע כִּי שָׁמְרוּ אִמְרָתֶךָ 33:9
וּבְרִיתְךָ יִנְצֹרוּ
Deut. 33:9 Who said to his father and his mother,
‘I did not see him,’
And did not acknowledge his brothers,
And he did not know his children;
For they took heed of Your word
And they would keep Your covenant.”
A spelling error may be present in this verse, the word appearing in the parentheses. A yad might be missing, which would make the word translate to his children (or his sons) instead of his son (or his child). The presumed correction is in the brackets.
In truth I have some difficulty in understanding the phrase in which the word appears. Is it Levi who was not willing to acknowledge his brothers and didn’t know his children? There seems to be no other noun referent for the pronoun his [children], except that it’s difficult to imagine that Levi didn’t know his children. That’s my first guess. Another guess, and this may explain the mystery of the phrase: Could the antecedent of his be Moses? He’s certainly the one who didn’t know his children.
יֹורוּ מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לְיַעֲקֹב וְתֹורָתְךָ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל יָשִׂימוּ קְטֹורָה בְּאַפֶּךָ וְכָלִיל עַל־מִזְבְּחֶךָ 33:10
Deut. 33:10 “They will teach Your ordinances to Jacob
And Your Torah to Israel.
They will put sweet incense in Your nostril
And whole burnt offering on Your altar.”
בָּרֵךְ יְהוָה חֵילֹו וּפֹעַל יָדָיו תִּרְצֶה מְחַץ מָתְנַיִם קָמָיו וּמְשַׂנְאָיו מִן־יְקוּמוּן 33:11
Deut. 33:11 “Bless, O Lord, his substance,
And may You accept the work of his hands.
Pierce the loins of his enemies
And those who hate him
So they cannot rise again.”
לְבִנְיָמִן אָמַר יְדִיד יְהֹוָה יִשְׁכֹּן לָבֶטַח עָלָיו חֹףֵף עָלָיו כָּל־הַיֹּום וּבֵין כְּתֵיפָיו שָׁכֵן 33:12
Deut. 33:12 For Benjamin he said,
“He is beloved of the Lord;
He shall abide for safety over him,
A protection over him all the time,
To dwell in His arms.”
וּלְיֹוסֵף אָמַר מְבֹרֶכֶת יְהֹוָה אַרְצֹו מִמֶּגֶד שָׁמַיִם מִטָּל וּמִתְּהֹום רֹבֶצֶת תָּחַת 33:13
Deut. 33:13 And for Joseph he said,
“Because of the blessing of the Lord, his land,
From the precious fruits of heaven, from the dew,
And from the deep lying below,
וּמִמֶּגֶד תְּבוּאֹת שָׁמֶשׁ וּמִמֶּגֶד גֶּרֶשׁ יְרָחִים 33:14
Deut. 33:14 And from the precious fruit, products of the sun,
And from the precious fruit, produce of the lunar cycles,
וּמֵרֹאשׁ הַרְרֵי־קֶדֶם וּמִמֶּגֶד גִּבְעֹות עֹולָם 33:15
Deut. 33:15 And from the top of the mountains of the east,
And from the precious fruit of the hills everlasting,
וּמִמֶּגֶד אֶרֶץ וּמְלֹאָהּ וּרְצֹון שֹׁכְנִי סְנֶה תָּבֹואתָה לְרֹאשׁ יֹוסֵף וּלְקָדְקֹד נְזִיר אֶחָיו 33:16
Deut. 33:16 And from the precious fruit of the earth and its fullness,
And the delight of the Dweller of the bush,
Will come on the head of Joseph
And on the top of the head of the consecrated one of his brethren.”
בְּכֹור שֹׁורֹו הָדָר לֹו וְקַרְנֵי רְאֵם קַרְנָיו בָּהֶם עַמִּים יְנַגַּח יַחְדָּו אַפְסֵי־אָרֶץ וְהֵם רִבְבֹות אֶפְרַיִם 33:17
וְהֵם אַלְפֵי מְנַשֶּׁה
Deut. 33:17 “The firstling of his bullock is His glory,
And the horns of the wild ox are His horns,
With them He will thrust the peoples together to the ends of the earth,
And they are the tens of thousands of Ephraim
And they are the thousands of Menassah.”
וְלִזְבוּלֻן אָמַר שְׂמַח זְבוּלֻן בְּצֵאתֶךָ וְיִשָּׂשכָר בְּאֹהָלֶיךָ 33:18
Deut. 33:18 And for Zebulun he said,
“Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out,
And Issachar, in your dwelling place;
עַמִּים הַר־יִקְרָאוּ שָׁם יִזְבְּחוּ זִבְחֵי־צֶדֶק כִּי שֶׁפַע יַמִּים יִינָקוּ וּשְׂפוּנֵי טְמוּנֵי חֹול 33:19
Deut. 33:19 The peoples of the mountain they shall call out;
There they shall offer sacrifices of prosperity,
For they shall suck the abundance of the seas,
The secrets of the sand.”
וּלְגָד אָמַר בָּרוּךְ מַרְחִיב גָּד כְּלָבִיא שָׁכֵן וְטָרַף זְרֹועַ אַף־קָדְקֹד 33:20
Deut. 33:20 And for Gad he said,
“Blessed is He Who enlarges Gad,
Like a lion, abiding and tearing off the arm,
Also the top of the head.”
וַיַּרְא רֵאשִׁית לֹו כִּי־שָׁם חֶלְקַת מְחֹקֵק סָפוּן וַיֵּתֵא רָאשֵׁי עָם צִדְקַת יְהוָה עָשָׂה וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו עִם־ 33:21
יִשְׂרָאֵל
Deut. 33:21 “Then he saw the first part of his,
For there was the parcel of land the Lawgiver reserved,
And he brought the heads of the people.
The justice of the Lord he accomplished
And His judgments with Israel.”
וּלְדָן אָמַר דָּן גּוּר אַרְיֵה יְזַנֵּק מִן־הַבָּשָׁן 33:22
Deut. 33:22 And for Dan he said,
“Dan, a lion cub, shall leap out from the Bashan.”
וּלְנַפְתָּלִי אָמַר נַפְתָּלִי שְׂבַע רָצֹון וּמָלֵא בִּרְכַּת יְהוָה יָם וְדָרֹום יְרָשָׁה 33:23
Deut. 33:23 And for Naphtali he said,
“Naphtali, satisfied with favor and full of the blessing of the Lord,
Take possession of the sea and the south.”
וּלְאָשֵׁר אָמַר בָּרוּךְ מִבָּנִים אָשֵׁר יְהִי רְצוּי אֶחָיו וְטֹבֵל בַּשֶּׁמֶן רַגְלֹו 33:24
Deut. 33:24 And for Asher he said,
“Most blessed of the sons is Asher.
He shall be the favored of his brethren,
And he shall dip his foot in oil.”
בַּרְזֶל וּנְחֹשֶׁת מִנְעָלֶיךָ וּכְיָמֶיךָ דָּבְאֶךָ 33:25
Deut. 33:25 “Iron and bronze are your locks,
And, according to your days, your strength.”
אֵין כָּאֵל יְשֻׁרוּן רֹכֵב שָׁמַיִם בְעֶזְרֶךָ וּבְגַאֲוָתֹו שְׁחָקִים 33:26
Deut. 33:26 “There is none like God, Jeshurun,
Rider of the heavens in your aid
And in His mastery of the clouds.”
מְעֹנָה אֱלֹהֵי קֶדֶם וּמִתַּחַת זְרֹעֹת עֹולָם וַיְגָרֶשׁ מִפָּנֶיךָ אֹויֵב וַיֹּאמֶר הַשְׁמֵד 33:27
Deut. 33:27 “A Dwelling Place is the God of eternity,
And from underneath are the arms of everlasting,
And He expelled from before you the enemy,
Then He said, ‘Destroy!’”
וַיִּשְׁכֹּן יִשְׂרָאֵל בֶּטַח בָּדָד עֵין יַעֲקֹב אֶל־אֶרֶץ דָּגָן וְתִירֹושׁ אַף־שָׁמָיו יַעַרְפוּ טָל 33:28
Deut. 33:28 “And Israel dwelled safely,
The fountain of Jacob
Alone to the land of corn and sweet wine;
Yea, his heavens shall drop down dew.”
אַשְׁרֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִי כָמֹוךָ עַם נֹושַׁע בַּיהוָה מָגֵן עֶזְרֶךָ וַאֲשֶׁר־חֶרֶב גַּאֲוָתֶךָ וְיִכָּחֲשׁוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ לָךְ וְאַתָּה 33:29
עַל־בָּמֹותֵימֹו תִדְרֹךְ
Deut. 33:29 “Your blessedness, O Israel, whose shall be like yours?
A people saved by the Lord,
The Shield of your help, and Who is the Sword of your majesty,
And submits your enemies to you;
And you shall tread on their high places.”
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