Shemot (Exodus) Chapter 13

17Since Pharaoh had to send the people out, God did not lead them via Philistia, because it was nearby, for God said, “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.”   יזוַיְהִ֗י בְּשַׁלַּ֣ח פַּרְעֹה֘ אֶת־הָעָם֒ וְלֹֽא־נָחָ֣ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים דֶּ֚רֶךְ אֶ֣רֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים כִּ֥י קָר֖וֹב ה֑וּא כִּ֣י | אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֗ים פֶּן־יִנָּחֵ֥ם הָעָ֛ם בִּרְאֹתָ֥ם מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְשָׁ֥בוּ מִצְרָֽיְמָה:
וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה וְלֹֽא־נָחָם - means He did not lead them. נָחָם is of the same root as: “go and lead (נְחֵה) the people”; 1 “when you walk, it will lead (תַּנְחֶה) you.” 2   וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה וְלֹֽא־נָחָם.  נְהָגָם, כְּמוֹ "לֵךְ נְחֵה אֶת הָעָם" (שמות ל"ב), "בְּהִתְהַלֶּכְךָ תַּנְחֶה אוֹתָךְ" (משלי ו'):
כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא - Because it was nearby - and it would be easy for the Israelites to return to Egypt by that route. There are also many aggadic explanations of these words.   כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא.  וְנֹחַ לָשׁוּב בְּאוֹתוֹ הַדֶּרֶךְ לְמִצְרַיִם; וּמִדְרְשֵׁי אַגָּדָה יֵשׁ הַרְבֵּה:
בִּרְאֹתָם מִלְחָמָה - When they see war - such as the war of “the Amalekites and the Canaanites…came down….” 3 If they would have gone by the direct route, they would have returned to Egypt, for if when God had them take a circuitous route they already said: “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt,” 4 if He had led them by the straight route, all the more would they have said so.   בִּרְאֹתָם מִלְחָמָה.  כְּגוֹן מִלְחֶמֶת "וַיֵּרֶד הָעֲמָלֵקִי וְהַכְּנַעֲנִי וְגוֹ'" (במדבר י"ד), אִם הָלְכוּ דֶּרֶךְ יָשָׁר הָיוּ חוֹזְרִים, וּמָה אִם כְּשֶׁהִקִּיפָם דֶּרֶךְ מְעֻקָּם אָמְרוּ "נִתְּנָה רֹאשׁ וְנָשׁוּבָה מִצְרָיְמָה" (שם), אִם הוֹלִיכָם בִּפְשׁוּטָה עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה:
פֶּן־יִנָּחֵם - means: lest they have second thoughts about having left Egypt and set their hearts on returning.   פֶּן־יִנָּחֵם.  יַחְשְׁבוּ מַחֲשָׁבָה עַל שֶׁיָּצְאוּ וְיִתְּנוּ לֵב לָשׁוּב:
18So God led the people via the desert road toward the Sea of Reeds. The Israelites were armed when they went up from Egypt.   יחוַיַּסֵּ֨ב אֱלֹהִ֧ים | אֶת־הָעָ֛ם דֶּ֥רֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּ֖ר יַם־ס֑וּף וַֽחֲמֻשִׁ֛ים עָל֥וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם:
וַיַּסֵּב - (lit.) He led around - i.e., He had them turn aside from the straight route to follow the circuitous route.   וַיַּסֵּב.  הֱסִבָּם מִן הַדֶּרֶךְ הַפְּשׁוּטָה לַדֶּרֶךְ הָעֲקוּמָה:
יַם־סוּף - here is the same as לְיַם סוּף – “to the Sea of Reeds.” סוּף is the term for a marsh where reeds grow, as in “she placed it among the rushes (בַּסּוּף),” 5 “reeds and rushes (וָסוּף) break.” 6   יַם־סוּף.  כְּמוֹ לְיַם סוּף, וְסוּף הוּא לְשׁוֹן אֲגַם שֶׁגְּדֵלִים בּוֹ קָנִים, כְּמוֹ "וַתָּשֶׂם בַּסּוּף" (שמות ב'), "קָנֶה וָסוּף קָמֵלוּ" (ישעיהו י"ט):
וַֽחֲמֻשִׁים - The meaning of חֲמֻשִׁים is none other than “armed.” Because God led them by the circuitous desert route, this was cause for them to go up from Egypt armed, for if He had led them only by way of inhabited places, they would not have needed to be equipped with everything that they needed, but could have set out merely like a person traveling from one inhabited place to another, who intends to buy there anything he may need; but when he sets out into the desert, he must provide for himself all his requirements. This verse is written here merely to make things comprehensible, that you not ask regarding the war with Amalek and the wars with Sichon, Og, and Midian: from where did Israel have weapons, that they smote them by the sword? And similarly, it says “and you cross over חֲמֻשִׁים.” 7 And so Onkelos translates it: מְזָרְזִין “armed,” just as he translates “וַיָּרֶק his attendants” 8 as וְזָרֵיז “and he armed.” Another explanation: חֲמֻשִׁים – One out of five (חֲמִשָּׁה) of the Israelites left Egypt, but the other four-fifths died in the three days of darkness.   וַֽחֲמֻשִׁים.  אֵין חֲמוּשִׁים אֶלָּא מְזֻיָּנִים; (לְפִי שֶׁהֱסִבָּן בַּמִּדְבָּר הוּא גָּרַם לָהֶם שֶׁעָלוּ חֲמוּשִׁים, שֶׁאִלּוּ הֱסִבָּן דֶּרֶךְ יִשּׁוּב, לֹא הָיוּ מְחֻמָּשִׁים לָהֶם כָּל מַה שֶּׁצְּרִיכִין, אֶלָּא כְּאָדָם שֶׁעוֹבֵר מִמָּקוֹם לְמָקוֹם וּבְדַעְתּוֹ לִקְנוֹת שָׁם מַה שֶּׁיִּצְטָרֵךְ, אֲבָל כְּשֶׁהוּא פּוֹרֵשׁ לַמִּדְבָּר צָרִיךְ לְזַמֵּן לוֹ כָּל הַצֹּרֶךְ; וּמִקְרָא זֶה לֹא נִכְתַּב כִּי אִם לְשַׂבֵּר אֶת הָאֹזֶן, שֶׁלֹּא תִתְמַהּ בְּמִלְחֶמֶת עֲמָלֵק וּבְמִלְחֶמֶת סִיחוֹן וְעוֹג וּמִדְיָן מֵהֵיכָן הָיוּ לָהֶם כְּלֵי זַיִן שֶׁהִכּוּ אוֹתָם בַּחֶרֶב) וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר "וְאַתֶּם תַּעַבְרוּ חֲמֻשִׁים" (יהושע א'), וְכֵן תִּרְגְּמוֹ אֻנְקְלוֹס "מְזָרְזִין", כְּמוֹ "וַיָּרֶק אֶת חֲנִיכָיו" (בראשית י"ד) – וְזָרֵיז. דָּבָר אַחֵר, חֲמֻשִׁים אֶחָד מֵחֲמִשָּׁה יָצְאוּ וְאַרְבָּעָה חֲלָקִים מֵתוּ בִּשְׁלֹשֶׁת יְמֵי אֲפֵלָה (מכילתא):
19Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had bound the sons of Israel by an oath that they should bind their descendants by an oath, saying, “God will surely remember you, and you must take up my bones from here with you.”   יטוַיִּקַּ֥ח משֶׁ֛ה אֶת־עַצְמ֥וֹת יוֹסֵ֖ף עִמּ֑וֹ כִּי֩ הַשְׁבֵּ֨עַ הִשְׁבִּ֜יעַ אֶת־בְּנֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר פָּקֹ֨ד יִפְקֹ֤ד אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְהַֽעֲלִיתֶ֧ם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַ֛י מִזֶּ֖ה אִתְּכֶֽם:
הַשְׁבֵּעַ הִשְׁבִּיעַ - means “he made them swear that they would make their children swear.” And why did Joseph not make his children swear that they would carry his body to Canaan immediately upon his death, just as Jacob had made Joseph swear? Joseph said: I was a ruler in Egypt and I had the ability to carry out my father’s wishes, but regarding my children – the Egyptians will not allow them to do this. He therefore made them swear that when they would be redeemed and leave Egypt, they would carry his bones with them.   הַשְׁבֵּעַ הִשְׁבִּיעַ.  הִשְׁבִּיעָם שֶׁיַּשְׁבִּיעוּ לִבְנֵיהֶם. וְלָמָּה לֹא הִשְׁבִּיעַ בָּנָיו שֶׁיִּשָּׂאוּהוּ לְאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן מִיָּד כְּמוֹ שֶׁהִשְׁבִּיעַ יַעֲקֹב? אָמַר יוֹסֵף, אֲנִי שַׁלִּיט הָיִיתִי בְמִצְרַיִם וְהָיָה סֵפֶק בְּיָדִי לַעֲשׂוֹת, אֲבָל בָנַי לֹא יַנִּיחוּם מִצְרַיִם לַעֲשׂוֹת, לְכָךְ הִשְׁבִּיעָם לִכְשֶׁיִּגָּאֲלוּ וְיֵצְאוּ מִשָּׁם שֶׁיִּשָּׂאוּהוּ:
וְהַֽעֲלִיתֶם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַי מִזֶּה אֶתְכֶם - And you must take up my bones from here with you. It was his brothers whom Joseph made swear this oath. We thus derive that the Israelites brought up the bones of the progenitors of all the other tribes as well, since the verse says “with you.”   וְהַֽעֲלִיתֶם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַי מִזֶּה אִתְּכֶֽם.  לְאֶחָיו הִשְׁבִּיעַ כֵּן, לִמְּדָנוּ שֶׁאַף עַצְמוֹת כָּל הַשְּׁבָטִים הֶעֱלוּ עִמָּהֶם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אִתְּכֶם (מכילתא):