לקוטי שיחות חלק לט - דברים (תש"נ)

The verse states, "The L‑rd your G‑d has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as the stars of the heavens in abundance." Rashi quotes the words "and behold, you are today as the stars of the heavens" and explains: "Were they indeed like the stars of the heavens on that day? Were they not only sixty myriads? What does 'and behold, you are today' mean? You are compared to the day, existing forever like the sun, the moon, and the stars." This means that the interpretation of "and behold, you are today" is "as if it were said, you are like the day."

We find a similar interpretation regarding the word "today" ("compared to the day, existing forever") in Rashi's commentary later on the verse "You are standing today" — "Behold, you exist before Him today, like this day which exists, etc." However, there Rashi prefaces by stating that it is a "Midrashic interpretation," whereas here Rashi states it plainly, indicating that for Rashi, this is the simple meaning of the text.

The reason for this is explained in Rashi's own words, where he prefaces with the question, "Were they indeed like the stars of the heavens on that day? Were they not only sixty myriads?" Even though it is not Rashi's usual method to specify the difficulty he is addressing, but rather to write the explanation in a way that the question is resolved on its own, here it is necessary. It is impossible to interpret "and behold, you are today" literally (since on that day they were not like the stars of the heavens), and thus the simple meaning of this verse compels us to interpret the word "today" as "compared to the day."

We must examine why Rashi in our parsha concludes with "like the sun, the moon, and the stars," even though only the stars are mentioned in the verse.

The commentators explain that "like the sun and the moon" is the interpretation of "like the day," because "the cause of the day is the sun and the moon," as a complete day includes its night, as it is written, "And there was evening, and there was morning, one day".

This is not understood, for Rashi explains in his question that "today" in this verse means "that day," so how does this relate to "the cause of the day"?

Additionally, it is puzzling: Rashi's source is the Sifrei here, and the language of the Sifrei is "you exist like the day," yet Rashi changes from the language of the Sifrei and explains "compared (not 'existing') to the day, existing forever like the sun and the moon."

Simply, one could say that Rashi's explanation aligns with the wording of the verse "and behold, you are today as the stars of the heavens," which according to Rashi means as if it were said, "and behold, you are like the day and like the stars of the heavens" and the moon and the stars (in the evening part of the day)"), and from the combination of both elements ("day" and "stars"), it is understood that the intention in comparing the Jewish people to "the day" is to the luminaries that rule over all parts of the day (like the sun, the moon, and the stars, which illuminate the earth).

It requires explanation: What is the reason for the change, that in Parshas Nitzavim the comparison to "the day" suffices, while here the verse adds "as the stars of the heavens"? For the purpose of "existing forever," it would suffice to compare the Jewish people to "the day," "like this day which exists."

There is another point to consider in Rashi here:

It has been explained many times that Rashi's wording is precise not only in the body of his commentary but also in the words he quotes in the heading. In our case, there is a notable precision — he quotes from the verse only the words "and behold, you are today as the stars of the heavens," omitting the final word "in abundance," and not even hinting at it with "etc."

It can be said that this is based on the commentary of the Re'em, who writes that according to Rashi, the meaning of "in abundance" is — "that a time will come when you will be like them [the stars of the heavens] also in abundance, but now you exist like the day, that is, like the sun, the moon, and the stars, but not in abundance."

It requires some explanation — why did the Re'em feel compelled to interpret "in abundance" here as referring to a quantitative increase, thereby necessitating the explanation that "a time will come when you will be... in abundance"? Why did he not interpret "in abundance" here as referring to greatness and importance, as we find in several verses, and as Rashi explains at the beginning of our verse, "The L‑rd your G‑d has multiplied you" — "He has made you great and elevated you" (as will be explained later in section 4)?

The Re'em was compelled to this interpretation by Rashi's precision, as he did not include the word "in abundance" in his heading, which implies that Rashi considers "in abundance" as a separate matter.

However, there is a difficulty: (a) The Re'em's interpretation that "in abundance" means "a time will come" seems difficult to reconcile with the simple meaning of the verses. (b) More importantly: What compelled Rashi to separate the word "in abundance" from "and behold, you are today as the stars of the heavens"?

It can be explained as follows:

Rashi's intention in his commentary is (not only to explain the words he quotes in his commentary but also) to clarify and resolve the overall content of these verses:

In the previous verse, "I cannot bear you alone," Rashi comments: "Is it possible that Moses could not judge Israel, a man who brought them out of Egypt, etc.? Rather, he said to them, 'The L‑rd your G‑d has multiplied you, He has made you great and elevated you above your judges, He has taken the punishment from you and placed it upon the judges... If I unjustly adjudicate monetary matters, I am held accountable for lives, as it is said, 'And He will exact the souls of those who exact them.'" From this, it is understood that according to Rashi, the multitude in the number of the Children of Israel does not cause the difficulty in judging them; rather, the difficulty arises because "He has made you great and elevated you above your judges" ("multiplied" — greatness and importance).

Accordingly, it must be said that the continuation of the verse, "and behold, you are today as the stars of the heavens in abundance," also comes to describe the greatness and importance of Israel.

However, on the other hand, in the following verse, it is explicitly stated, "The L‑rd, the G‑d of your fathers, will add to you a thousand times as many as you are," which cannot be interpreted (like "He has multiplied you") as referring to greatness and importance, but rather it is a matter of quantitative increase. Therefore, it must be said that even though Moses' main argument "I cannot bear you alone" is based on the greatness and importance of Israel, the matter of quantitative increase is also relevant here.

This is why Rashi reconciles and divides the verse into two parts:

The main part of the verse — "and behold, you are today as the stars of the heavens" — is a continuation of "The L‑rd your G‑d has multiplied you — He has made you great and elevated you," meaning "you are compared to the day, existing forever like the sun, the moon, and the stars," which indicates the great importance of Israel, and further increases the difficulty in judging them, because when a judge unjustly condemns a Jew, it is not just a temporary harm, but a harm to someone who exists forever (as will be explained later in section 5).

[And only to further emphasize that "and behold, you are today" means "compared to the day," Rashi introduces another question — "Were they like the stars of the heavens on that day, etc.," from which it is absolutely necessary to interpret "and behold, you are today as the stars of the heavens" as "and behold, you are compared to the day, etc.," as explained above in section 1];

The conclusion of the verse — the word "in abundance" — is an introduction to the next verse, which speaks about the increase in the number of the Children of Israel, "The L‑rd, the G‑d of your fathers, will add to you a thousand times as many as you are."

The structure of the verse is as follows: "I cannot bear you alone" due to the great importance of Israel: "The L‑rd has multiplied you" — "He has made you great and elevated you, etc.," "and behold, you... exist forever like the sun, the moon, and the stars" — the difficulty in judging them exists even if they were few in number, and all the more so and certainly since you are "in abundance," there is a multitude in the number of "important people" — how difficult it is "to bear them."

According to this, the word "in abundance" is to be understood literally, referring to the time of Moshe when they were indeed "in abundance." Nevertheless, the question "Were they like the stars of the heavens on that day?" is not difficult, because the word "in abundance" is not a continuation of "the stars of the heavens," as explained above. The Children of Israel were "in abundance" at that time, but not "like the stars of the heavens."

Based on the above, the intention of comparing the Children of Israel to "the day" in this verse is to explain and strengthen the claim that it is difficult for Moshe to judge Israel ("I cannot bear you alone") because they "exist forever." This also explains why the verse here adds "like the stars of the heavens" (unlike in Parshas Nitzavim, where Israel is compared only to "the day"). To preface:

The main idea of "existing forever," according to the simple meaning of the verse, refers to the entirety of the Jewish people, who exist forever [meaning as long as the world exists, as Rashi states, "they exist forever" concerning the heavens and the earth]. However, regarding each individual Jew, they do not exist forever in physical life in this world (only in the World to Come can this be said).

Accordingly, the importance of Israel as "existing forever" does not seem to relate to the difficulty of judging Israel in Moshe's time, since, seemingly, the judgment of an individual does not affect the existence of the entire Jewish people.

Therefore, the verse adds "like the stars of the heavens": The comparison of Israel to the stars of the heavens is already brought in Rashi earlier — "to make known their dearness, that they are compared to stars, which are brought out and brought in by number and by their names." Thus, the comparison to the stars of the heavens emphasizes the importance of the individual, for despite the immense multitude of stars, there is attention to each one individually, "by number and by their names." Similarly, in our context, the comparison of Israel to "the stars of the heavens" emphasizes the great importance of each individual Jew, and this is the great warning to the judges of Israel about how careful they must be in the judgment of each individual Jew.

Based on this, we can also explain the precision in Rashi's commentary, where he compares Israel to the sun and the moon (and not just to "the day" as in Parshas Nitzavim) — because this hints at the connection of each individual to the eternity of the entire Jewish people (therefore, the fact that Israel "exists forever" adds seriousness and caution in their judgment).

The explanation is as follows:

The analogy of the sun, moon, and stars is a clear verse earlier in the Chumash — in Yosef's dream: "And behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me," and the interpretation — "I and your mother and your brothers," meaning: the sun is an analogy for the father, the moon for the mother, and the stars for the children.

This is what Rashi says here, that Israel "exists forever like the sun, the moon, and the stars," which is an analogy for the continuation of the generations of the Jewish people, which has no interruption, "exists forever." Within this, the importance of the individual in the eternity of the Jewish people is emphasized, as each one is a link in the eternal chain of the Jewish people ("sun, moon, and stars"), and therefore, harm to the individual is not only harm to him (as an individual, and it is temporary harm), but to the entire continuation of the generations, "forever."

[For this reason, the verse says "today" and does not specify "sun, moon, and stars" — because the precision here is not on each of the luminaries individually, but on the combination of all of them, as father, mother, sons, and daughters, who together are the continuation of the generations.]

We can also explain the precision in Rashi's language that "today" here means "like the sun, the moon, and the stars" according to the inner dimensions of the matters:

On the verse "which I command you today," our Sages said "they should be in your eyes... as new," "every day they should be in your eyes as new," which indicates two opposite movements:

This feeling that a person always has — every single day — that the words of Torah are as new, indicates the aspect of constancy in his service, which is beyond change. Yet, at the same time, the constancy and eternity in his service is not only in that he serves G‑d continually, but that he always feels that the words of Torah are as new. This is a movement that is contrary to the concept of constancy, because by nature, something old, and especially something constant, cannot be felt as something new.

Thus, the word "today" indicates the joining of two opposites — the concept of constancy and eternity ("exists forever"), and the concept of renewal.

These are the aspects of "the sun, the moon, and the stars" (which together become a "complete day"):

The advantage of the "sun" is that the light of the sun does not change, unlike the light of the moon, which is always in a state of change (in the first half of the month it increases, and in the second half — it decreases).

On the other hand, there is an advantage in the light of the moon, that precisely because of its changes, it has the advantage of renewal, as taught by the Maggid on "and our eyes shine like the sun and the moon" [which seems puzzling, since if they shine "like the sun," what does it add that they also shine like the "moon," which "only receives its light from the sun"?] — that "in this (the light of the moon) it has more pleasure, because the sun has no pleasure since constant pleasure is not pleasure, but the moon has pleasure when it receives light."

This is why the day includes both the sun and the moon — because it combines both advantages, the constancy of the sun and the renewal of the moon, together.

Based on this, we can also explain in the inner dimensions of the matters the reason for the addition "(like the sun and the moon) and like the stars" — it can be said that the power to combine the two aspects of the sun and the moon comes from the "stars," which are above both of them.

The explanation in the soul of a person: "Star" hints at the (hidden) light of the (inner) soul [like stars in a simple sense, which appear to the eye as very distant from the earth, to the point that most stars are not visible to the eye], and up to the level of yechidah in the soul, the essence of the soul;

And due to the great connection of the essence of the soul with the Holy One, blessed be He, "yechidah to unify You," the joining of the two opposites (hinted at by the sun and the moon) occurs, where his service is with constancy without changes, and at the same time — it is with great and intense joy and extra affection, in a manner of renewal, "every single day they should be in your eyes as new," and even — truly new.

This is also the reason that in the simple meaning of the verse, the Jewish people are compared to the stars of the heavens — because this is the main point, and this aspect will shine in revelation in each and every Jew in the future, as our Sages said that the Jewish people are specifically compared to stars, because "the sun and the moon will be ashamed in the future... as it is written, 'And the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed,' but the stars will never be ashamed... as it is written, 'And you shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the L‑rd your G‑d, and there is none else.'"

It seems puzzling, as it is explicitly stated in Parshas Eikev, "With seventy souls... and now the L‑rd your G‑d has made you as numerous as the stars of the heavens," and even then, "they were only slightly more than 600,000" (as detailed in the census in Parshas Pinchas). Therefore, we must say that even the multitude of 600,000 men from the age of twenty to sixty (which did not include the majority of people, women, and children) is sufficient to describe them as "as numerous as the stars of the heavens." Especially since the following verse continues, "May He increase you a thousand times," indicating that "as numerous as the stars of the heavens" does not mean an innumerable multitude. It can be said (albeit with difficulty) that Rashi's precision here is on the word "today" (which seems superfluous), implying that this multitude "as numerous as the stars of the heavens" was only renewed then (on that day), when he said to them, "I cannot carry you alone". This is Rashi's intention in saying, "Were they as numerous as the stars of the heavens on that day? They were only 600,000," indicating that this multitude was not renewed at the time of the Exodus (when they were also 600,000), unlike the "seventy souls" as mentioned in Parshas Eikev. Therefore, it must be said that "what is 'and you are today' — you are compared to the day."

In the continuation of the matter, the Sifrei states there, "The faces of the righteous in the future will resemble the sun, the moon... the stars, etc.," but it is not the simple meaning that the Sifrei learns this from the word "today" here, as it brings several other matters — the firmament, lightning, roses, and the Menorah of the Temple. [As evidenced by the fact that it brings proof that they resemble the moon and the sun from the verse "Fair as the moon, clear as the sun" — unlike the stars, for which no proof is brought, as it is explicitly stated in our own verse, "as the stars of the heavens"].

Especially according to Rashi's commentary there, "This is from my own [which has a limit], but He will bless you as He has spoken to you." For a detailed explanation, see Likkutei Sichos referenced in note 8.

However, according to the above (note 8) — that even the number of 600,000 can be described as "like the stars of the heavens for multitude," but this multitude was not renewed "today" — otherwise, it is not difficult, because it is possible to divide the verse into two parts (as explained by the Nachalas Yaakov mentioned above in note 15): A) "And you are today" — "compared to the day, existing forever," B) and "like the stars of the heavens for multitude" (and consequently, it is not difficult to say "were they like the stars of the heavens on that day"). The reason Rashi explains that "like the stars of the heavens" is a continuation of "and you are today" ("like the sun and the moon and the stars") is understood from what is explained later in section five.

In contrast, in the Sifrei here, it interprets that it refers to Gan Eden. According to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai there, it refers to the World to Come.