אף חובב. מגזר' ארמית מל' והייתם לי סגולה ועמים הם ישראל כמו אחריך בנימין בעממיך. עמים הר יקראו: YEA, HE LOVETH THE PEOPLES. Hovev (loveth) comes from an Aramaic word. It29Yea, He loveth the peoples. has the meaning of then ye shall be Mine own treasure from among all peoples (Ex. 19:5). The peoples refers to Israel. Compare, After thee, Benjamin, among thy peoples (Jud. 5:14); They shall call peoples unto the mountain (v. 19).
וכל קדושיו. בני לוי: [ALL HIS HOLY ONES.] This refers to the sons of Levi.
בידך. שהם סביבות הארון: THEY ARE IN THY HAND. They are round about the ark.
והם תכו לרגלך. ילכו על דרכך וטעם בידך. שתשמר': AND THEY SIT DOWN AT THY FEET. This means they will walk in Your ways. The meaning of in Thy hand is, you will protect them.30I.E. earlier interpreted in Thy hand to mean that the Levites camp around the ark. His comment here is either another interpretation or it explains why Moses refers to the ark as Thy hand.
ישא מדברותיך. כי הם ילמדו התורה והם המעתיקים על תורה שבעל פה: RECEIVING OF THY WORDS. They31The Levites. will teach Torah. They are the ones who transmit the oral Torah.
ישא. כל א' ואם הם רבים: RECEIVING.32Hebrew yissa (literally, they will bear). Each and every one.33Of the Levites. This is so even though they are many.34The verse opens with the plural (ve-hem). However, yissa (receiving) is singular. Hence I.E.’s comment.
וטעם מדברותיך. כי אשר דברת ישאו כי הם נושאי התורה. כי גם הם ישאו את הארון: The meaning of Thy words35That is, the meaning of yissa mi-dabberotekha (literally, they will bear your words). is, that which You spoke they will bear,36Upon their lips. for they are the bearers of the Torah, and they also carry the ark.37Hence Scripture employs the term yissa, which means to bear upon the lips (to speak of, to teach) and to physically bear.
וטעם ישא כמו. ולא תשא שמע שוא: The word yissa (receiving) is similar to tissa (uttering) in Thou shalt not utter a false report (Ex. 23:1).
תכו. בלא אח וי״א מל' מתוך כאילו הולכים בתוך רגלך ואחרים אומרים כי התי״ו במקום ה״א כתי״ו תרגלתי לאפרים כטעם אפילו שיוכו בשבילך לא יעזבו דבריך וזה רחוק. והנכון שהוא כמו נמשכו והטעם שילכו אל המקום ששם הארון שהוא הדום רגלי השם וזאת היא הברכ' שהשם יהיה חומת אש סביב ישראל ויהיה סגולתו והלוים יורו התורה תמיד: AND THEY SIT DOWN. Tukku (sit down) has no brother.38It does not appear elsewhere in Scripture. Some say39See Rashi. that it is related to the word mi-tokh (from the midst of).40That is, to the word tokh. They, as it were, walk in the midst of Your feet. Others say that the tav41Of tukku. is in place of a heh.42In other words, tukku is a variant of hukku (were beaten). It is like the tav of tirgalti (I taught)43Tirgalti is a variant of hirgalti. in I taught Ephraim (Hos. 11:3). The meaning of our verse is, even if they are beaten on Your account, they will not forsake Your words. However, this is farfetched. Actually it means are drawn;44According to I.E. The literal meaning of tukku le-raglekha is, they are drawn to your feet. they go to the place of the ark which serves as the footstool for God’s feet. This is the blessing:45With which Moses blessed Israel. May God be a wall of fire round about Israel.46Verse 2. May Israel be God’s treasure.47Verse 3. May the Levites always teach the Torah.48Verse 3.