Chapter 3 of Sefer Yehoshua is the chapter of the crossing: the people of Israel stand on the bank of the Jordan, and from here on a new era begins. Moshe Rabbeinu has passed away, the clouds of glory have departed, and the close, miraculous leadership that accompanied the nation in the wilderness is replaced by another kind of leadership: the Aron Bris Hashem going at the head of the camp. In this chapter we will study the order of the days, the meaning of the Aron going before the nation, the miracle of the splitting of the Jordan in all its details, and the fundamental dispute between the Malbim and the Ralbag regarding the nature of miracles.
וַיַּשְׁכֵּם֩ יְהוֹשֻׁ֨עַ בַּבֹּ֜קֶר וַיִּסְע֣וּ מֵהַשִּׁטִּ֗ים וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ עַד־הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן ה֖וּא וְכׇל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיָּלִ֥נוּ שָׁ֖ם טֶ֥רֶם יַעֲבֹֽרוּ׃ - Yehoshua rose early in the morning, and they journeyed from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and they lodged there before they crossed.
The Malbim already explained above that Yehoshua sent the spies within the thirty days of mourning for Moshe. Moshe Rabbeinu passed away on the seventh of Adar, and Yehoshua sent the spies while the days of mourning were still ongoing, before the seventh of Nisan. On the seventh of Nisan the days of mourning were completed, and then the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke to him, and Yehoshua informed the nation: in three more days we cross the Jordan. Note that he announces this without waiting at all for the spies' report. The spies did indeed return, but we do not depend on their report: Hashem said to cross the Jordan, and we cross. The day after the divine speech, on the eighth of Nisan, the spies arrived. "He rose early in the morning": that is the ninth of Nisan. "And they lodged there": they waited until morning in order to cross by day, and thus on the tenth of Nisan they crossed the Jordan, and then Heaven's name was sanctified in the sight of all through the splitting of the Jordan.
וַיְהִ֕י מִקְצֵ֖ה שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֑ים וַיַּעַבְר֥וּ הַשֹּׁטְרִ֖ים בְּקֶ֥רֶב הַֽמַּחֲנֶֽה׃ - And it was at the end of three days that the officers passed through the midst of the camp.
"At the end of three days": when the three days ended on the ninth of Nisan. For what was said, "in three more days," means at the end of the three days.
The holy Alshich takes note here of a change in wording: in the first pasuk it says, "Yehoshua rose early in the morning, and they journeyed from Shittim." It does not say "they rose early," but rather Yehoshua alone rises early, and they merely journey. And why? Because when Israel saw the divine revelation to Yehoshua and heard that they were now crossing the Jordan, they understood that he was the one going before them and the one who brings them into the land. He is the head, he is the leader, and we follow after him. Hashem will bless us on his account. The moment he is before us, we know we will succeed. Therefore they are as though drawn after him, journeying wherever Yehoshua journeys.
וַיְצַוּוּ֮ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם לֵאמֹר֒ כִּרְאֹתְכֶ֗ם אֵ֣ת אֲר֤וֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָה֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם וְהַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ הַלְוִיִּ֔ם נֹשְׂאִ֖ים אֹת֑וֹ וְאַתֶּ֗ם תִּסְעוּ֙ מִמְּק֣וֹמְכֶ֔ם וַהֲלַכְתֶּ֖ם אַחֲרָֽיו׃ - And they commanded the people, saying: When you see the Aron Bris Hashem your God, with the Kohanim, the Leviim, carrying it, then you shall journey from your place and go after it.
And here, the Alshich continues, when Yehoshua saw this, he gave honor to Hashem. He said: Am I the head? Do they follow after me like a flock? It is not fitting that they set all their aim after me, but rather after the Aron Hashem, where God is present. After Hashem they should go, and after Him they should be drawn. Therefore he passed the officers through the midst of the camp to command: "When you see the Aron Bris Hashem your God... then you shall journey from your place and go after it," after it, not after me. That all your aim should be toward the Aron Hashem, and I and you together are drawn after the Aron.
Rashi explains: "And go after it": this journey differed from all the other journeys. As long as Moshe Rabbeinu was alive they would go after the pillar of cloud that traveled before them and showed them the way, and the Aron would travel only after two banners. Now the Aron travels before them all. And what is meant by "the Kohanim, the Leviim"? Chazal say that in forty-eight places (and some say twenty-four) the Kohanim are called "Leviim," because the Kohanim too descended from the tribe of Levi. And the Radak adds: until now the Leviim would carry the Aron, and now the Kohanim carried it, on account of the miracle that would be performed through the Aron. Indeed we will see later that there were several special places where specifically the Kohanim carried the Aron, and not the Leviim, whose unique task this was.
The Clouds of Glory departed here, because they were in Moshe's merit. The moment Moshe Rabbeinu passed away there are no Clouds of Glory, no manna, no well, for all of these remained in his merit. And there is also a message here: the leadership that existed until now, a close Heavenly leadership in which the Clouds of Glory go before you, is not the leadership from now on. What will the leadership be? The Aron. From now on the Torah will guide your way.
And so it truly has been from then until today: when a person has a difficulty, a question or a dilemma, he consults the Torah. People go and ask the Torah sages. And it is written in the sefarim that when a person has a difficulty and does not know how to act, he should sit and learn for an hour with diligence, without diverting his mind to anything else, but immerse himself in Torah, and afterward think again about the matter in which he is uncertain, and this is called receiving counsel from the Torah. When the pillar of cloud was removed, Hashem gave the Aron to go before us, so that the Torah would guide our way in all our deeds. And beyond that, Yosef's coffin also went with them alongside the Aron of Hashem, to tell you: this one fulfilled what is written in that one.
אַ֣ךְ ׀ רָח֣וֹק יִֽהְיֶ֗ה בֵּֽינֵיכֶם֙ וּבֵנָ֔יו כְּאַלְפַּ֥יִם אַמָּ֖ה בַּמִּדָּ֑ה אַֽל־תִּקְרְב֣וּ אֵלָ֗יו לְמַ֤עַן אֲשֶׁר־תֵּֽדְעוּ֙ אֶת־הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֵּֽלְכוּ־בָ֔הּ כִּ֣י לֹ֧א עֲבַרְתֶּ֛ם בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ מִתְּמ֥וֹל שִׁלְשֽׁוֹם׃ - Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about two thousand amos by measure. Do not come near it, so that you may know the way by which you should go, for you have not passed this way before.
The Malbim emphasizes the two new elements of this journey: one, that the Aron travels first, and the second, that the Kohanim carry it, and from here that they too go at the front. And yet Yehoshua warns against the honor of the Omnipresent: "there shall be a distance between you and it, about two thousand amos." What is meant by "uvanav" (and its sons)? Rashi says: like "uveino" (and it), in the manner of "yismach Yisrael be'osav" (let Yisrael rejoice in its Makers), which means its Maker. And another explanation: there were two coffins, of the Shechinah and of Yosef, traveling together, and therefore a plural form is written, referring to both the Aron of the Torah and the coffin of Yosef.
And why specifically two thousand amos? Rashi brings the teaching of Chazal: so that they would be able to go and pray before it on Shabbos, for two thousand amos is the Shabbos boundary. And Rashi continues: "so that you may know the way" - the Aron will go before you to guide you, for you have not gone by this way until now.
But the Malbim finds difficulty in the wording of the verse. Had it said "for you have not passed by this way," we would understand: this way is unfamiliar to you and therefore you need a guide, implying that other ways are familiar. But here it simply says "for you have not passed by the way," meaning that they had not passed by any way at all. And he further asks: why does it say "from yesterday and the day before"? It should have said that you have not gone by the way for many days, since they had stayed in their place for a long time.
Therefore the Malbim brings the explanation of the Ralbag: the Aron would show them the way, and for this purpose it needed to be far, so that everyone could see it. When it is close, they do not see it. And this is unlike the pillar of cloud, which is seen because it is high. Make the calculation: we are speaking of several million people going and seeing a pillar of cloud before them from afar, and all of them perceive it. But had the Aron been near the camp, in front of the people going at the head, all those farther back would not have seen it at all. In order for them to see the Aron it needs to take up distance, and then even those far away could see it, and certainly one who stands a little higher. Therefore the Aron needed to be distanced "so that you may know the way." And so too the Malbim derives from the cantillation notes, unlike Rashi's view.
And what is meant by "for you have not passed by the way from yesterday and the day before"? The intent is to the days of Moshe, when they wanted to enter the land and it says "and the Aron of Hashem traveled before them a distance of three days to seek out a resting place for them." The Ramban there holds that there was one Aron, and this journey was only then, when they wanted to enter the land, unlike Rashi's explanation that it was an Aron of the broken tablets. According to the Ramban, on that one occasion the Aron went before them, because they were about to enter the land, and it went a distance of three days like a warrior going out before the camp to strike terror into the enemies.
And if so, the purpose of the Aron's travel there was not to show them the way, for they had a pillar of cloud. What was its purpose? To conquer the land before them. For as is known, wherever the Aron went the mountains and hills were leveled and everything was smoothed out. The Aron conquers the land before them, and therefore it went a distance of three days, so that when they arrived at the place, the land would already be conquered. And here the verse comes to say that the purpose is different: the Aron is now going not to conquer, but to show the way, since we have no pillar of cloud. And the proof is "for you have not passed by the way from yesterday and the day before." Note the wonderful explanation: had the Aron been going in order to conquer, it would have had to go ahead three days, "from yesterday and the day before." And the verse says that the Aron and the Kohanim carrying it did not pass by here from yesterday and the day before, a sign that its going is not for conquest but to show the way. And for this reason too the distance is only two thousand amos and not a journey of three days: a distance of three days is for conquest, whereas two thousand amos is so that they can perceive it. For if you place it three days ahead, who would see it at all, and how would we have a sign of where to go? Here it comes in place of the pillar of cloud, and therefore it is two thousand amos before them.
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁ֛עַ אֶל־הָעָ֖ם הִתְקַדָּ֑שׁוּ כִּ֣י מָחָ֗ר יַעֲשֶׂ֧ה יְהֹוָ֛ה בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֖ם נִפְלָאֽוֹת׃ - And Yehoshua said to the people: Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow Hashem will perform wonders in your midst.
What does "sanctify yourselves" mean? The Radak says: be ready to cross, prepare your vessels and all your affairs, for tomorrow, when you cross the Jordan, Hashem will perform wonders among you. And what are these wonders? The splitting of the waters of the Jordan, that the waters would stand as one heap through a miracle and wonder.
But the Radak raises a difficulty: how did Yehoshua know this? There was no prior revelation of it, and only the next day was it said to him "This day I will begin to make you great." The Radak resolves it: when Hashem said to him on the thirtieth day of mourning for Moshe "Arise, cross," and told him that within three days they would cross the Jordan, He also told him of the wonders He was going to perform when they crossed. And though this is not mentioned in the pasuk, we must say that Hashem told him this.
The Radak further says: it is possible that Hashem did not tell him this explicitly, but rather Yehoshua understood it on his own. For Hashem tells him "Arise, cross the Jordan," and Yehoshua knows that the Jordan is full to all its banks - we are speaking after Adar, in Nisan, at the time of the melting of the snows, when the Jordan swells. If so, how could we possibly cross? He necessarily understood that the Holy One, blessed be He, would perform a miracle for us and split the Jordan for us. On this basis he told them: tomorrow Hashem will perform wonders among you.
The Malbim too finds this difficult: how did Yehoshua know? And if you say he already knew earlier, it is difficult: what does "This day I will begin to make you great" mean, for you already knew earlier that Hashem would make you great, so why is this said only when they came to cross the Jordan? The Malbim answers: Yehoshua sees that today the Kohanim are the ones carrying the Aron, unlike at any other time, and from this he knows that Hashem will perform wonders. The Gemara in Sotah 33 says that in three places the Kohanim carried the Aron: when they crossed the Jordan, when they encircled Yericho, and when they returned it to its place in the Holy of Holies in the days of Shlomo. The Radak finds a fourth place and resolves it, but in any case these are the three principal places. And in all these places there were open miracles: in the falling of the walls of Yericho, and when the fire descended in the days of Shlomo. Yehoshua thought here that the miracles were performed in the merit of Israel, and therefore he said "Hashem will perform wonders among you" - on account of your worth and your level, and therefore sanctify yourselves so that you will be worthy of these miracles. And Hashem told him that the wonders would be performed by the power of the Aron of the covenant of Hashem, and not by their power.
Incidentally, we must explain within the Malbim's words that in any case the matter became known to Yehoshua through prophecy. For the proof that wherever the Kohanim carry the Aron there are miracles and wonders is a proof from the future: the splitting of the walls of Yericho had not yet occurred, and the descent of the fire in the days of Shlomo had not yet occurred. Rather we must say that Yehoshua understands: if Hashem changed the manner here and commanded that specifically the Kohanim carry the Aron, presumably a miracle is about to happen here. And as he understood, so it indeed was, except that he thought the miracle would be in their merit, and Hashem told him it would be by the power of the Aron.
There is a question here: for what purpose were these miracles performed, when it is written that David and his men crossed the Jordan in their journey and did not need it to be split? One explanation, as we said: it is quite possible that they crossed on days when the Jordan was low, and not at the time of the melting of the snows, for in Nisan the Jordan swells and it is impossible to cross. But there are additional reasons. The Holy One, blessed be He, wanted especially to perform a miracle here, because Israel greatly feared the nations in the Land of Israel, and miracles were needed to encourage them that the Holy One, blessed be He, was still among them. Therefore Hashem performed the great miracle of the splitting of the Jordan, so that they would see that Hashem continues to accompany them. In addition, there was in this a matter of casting dread upon the nations so that they would not fight them. So that the nations would understand how dangerous it is to deal with Israel, the Jordan rises up as one heap to a great height, and through this all recognize that Hashem walks among us.
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁ֙עַ֙ אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֣ים לֵאמֹ֔ר שְׂאוּ֙ אֶת־אֲר֣וֹן הַבְּרִ֔ית וְעִבְר֖וּ לִפְנֵ֣י הָעָ֑ם וַיִּשְׂאוּ֙ אֶת־אֲר֣וֹן הַבְּרִ֔ית וַיֵּֽלְכ֖וּ לִפְנֵ֥י הָעָֽם׃ - And Yehoshua said to the Kohanim, saying: Take up the Aron of the covenant and cross over before the people. And they took up the Aron of the covenant and went before the people.
When was this? The Malbim says: on the tenth of Nisan. And he commanded two things: that the Kohanim carry the Aron and not the Leviim, and that they go before the people and not among the people.
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁ֔עַ הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֗ה אָחֵל֙ גַּדֶּלְךָ֔ בְּעֵינֵ֖י כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אֲשֶׁר֙ יֵֽדְע֔וּן כִּ֗י כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר הָיִ֛יתִי עִם־מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶהְיֶ֥ה עִמָּֽךְ׃ - And Hashem said to Yehoshua: This day I will begin to make you great in the eyes of all Israel, that they may know that as I was with Moshe, so I will be with you.
"As I was with Moshe" - the Radak says: just as I split the sea before Moshe, so I will split the Jordan before you, and in this there will be a sign for the people that just as Hashem accompanies Moshe, so He accompanies Yehoshua.
The Malbim explains: "On this day I will begin to make you great" - Hashem came to inform Yehoshua that the wonders would not be performed through Israel. Yehoshua thought that the wonders would happen in their merit, and therefore he told them to sanctify themselves. Hashem says to him: no, you will see that the wonders will be performed in the merit of the Aron. And therefore, even before the people draw near to the Yarden, the Yarden will turn back, because of the Aron. The Aron HaBris approaches, and that is what causes the Yarden to split, and from this they will recognize the greatness of its merit.
And what is meant by "just as I was with Moshe"? Just as the splitting of the Yam Suf was through Moshe and by his power, and there the miracle was not necessary for the crossing itself, since the splitting of the Yam Suf did not open a path between two banks, but rather so that they would believe in Hashem and in Moshe His servant, so too here. According to those who explain that it was possible to cross the Yarden even without its splitting, the miracle was not necessary: Yaakov says "for with my staff I crossed this Yarden," and the spies crossed the Yarden without a miracle. Rather, what was the point? The miracle came to show the mastery of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the power of the Aron, and that the Holy One, blessed be He, accompanies Yehoshua exactly as He was with Moshe.
וְאַתָּ֗ה תְּצַוֶּה֙ אֶת־הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים נֹֽשְׂאֵ֥י אֲרֽוֹן־הַבְּרִ֖ית לֵאמֹ֑ר כְּבֹאֲכֶ֗ם עַד־קְצֵה֙ מֵ֣י הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן בַּיַּרְדֵּ֖ן תַּעֲמֹֽדוּ׃ - And you shall command the Kohanim, the bearers of the Aron HaBris, saying: when you come to the edge of the waters of the Yarden, you shall stand still in the Yarden.
The Kohanim are commanded that when they reach the edge of the waters of the Yarden they should stand there and not cross over, since the waters would not turn back except because of the Aron, and the moment the Aron leaves the Yarden the waters would return to their place. And here, says the Malbim, they were commanded to stand at the eastern edge. They stand within the waters of the Yarden until the waters split, and they wait until all the people cross, and afterward they retreat so that the waters of the Yarden return to their place, and then they cross over the Yarden, as though flying over the Yarden. And if you ask, by what power? The answer is simple: the Aron carries its bearers. The Aron lifted the Kohanim and carried them over the Yarden after all the people had finished crossing. And the purpose of this was to show that although the Yarden split by the power of the Aron, that was only for your sake. The Aron itself has no need for it, and it can cross over the Yarden as well.
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁ֖עַ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל גֹּ֣שׁוּ הֵ֔נָּה וְשִׁמְע֕וּ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֖י יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ - And Yehoshua said to Bnei Yisrael: Draw near here and hear the words of Hashem your God.
"Draw near here" - Rashi brings the words of Chazal that he compressed them all between the two staves of the Aron, and this is one of the places where the small held the great. And the holy Alshich derives this from the wording: "Draw near here and hear" - this implies that he spoke with them while they were all beside him, "here," all of them by me, and hear. And how could this be, unless he compressed them all between the staves of the Aron? And so it was also with Moshe Rabbeinu, that they all gathered around the rock. It emerges that a miracle that Moshe had, Yehoshua had as well.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁ֔עַ בְּזֹאת֙ תֵּֽדְע֔וּן כִּ֛י אֵ֥ל חַ֖י בְּקִרְבְּכֶ֑ם וְהוֹרֵ֣שׁ יוֹרִ֣ישׁ מִ֠פְּנֵיכֶ֠ם אֶת־הַכְּנַעֲנִ֨י וְאֶת־הַחִתִּ֜י וְאֶת־הַחִוִּ֗י וְאֶת־הַפְּרִזִּי֙ וְאֶת־הַגִּרְגָּשִׁ֔י וְהָאֱמֹרִ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי׃ - And Yehoshua said: By this you shall know that the living God is in your midst, and that He will surely drive out from before you the Kenaani, the Chitti, the Chivvi, the Perizzi, the Girgashi, the Emori, and the Yevusi.
The Radak explains that "by this you shall know" refers back to what was said: the Aron will cross before them and the waters of the Yarden will be cut off, and through this great sign and this great wonder you will know that Hashem is in your midst. And the Midrash connects "by this you shall know" to "draw near here": for he compressed them all between the staves of the Aron, and this is one of the places where the small held the great, and through this wondrous miracle, how they all concentrate in one place, by this you will know that Hashem is in your midst. However, the Radak says that this is a far-fetched derashah, since a derashah must fit within the pesukim, and the miracle of the compression between the staves of the Aron does not appear explicitly in the pesukim. And although we certainly believe in it and have no doubt at all, it is difficult to explain "by this you shall know" as referring to something not mentioned in the text. Therefore it is more reasonable to explain: "by this you shall know" - through the splitting of the waters of the Yarden before you, that will be the sign to know that the living God is in your midst.
הִנֵּה֙ אֲר֣וֹן הַבְּרִ֔ית אֲד֖וֹן כׇּל־הָאָ֑רֶץ עֹבֵ֥ר לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם בַּיַּרְדֵּֽן׃ - Behold, the Aron HaBris, master of all the earth, is passing before you into the Yarden.
The Malbim has several questions about the order of the pesukim. If "by this you shall know" refers to the fact that the Aron HaBris passes before them, how would they know from this that Hashem will drive out the Kenaani? After all, the Aron passed before us until now as well. And if you say that the intent is to what will happen the moment the Kohanim set their feet at the edge of the Yarden and the Yarden splits, and that this is the sign and the wonder that Hashem will perform for you further miracles in inheriting the land, then why is there an interruption in the middle, "and now take for yourselves twelve men," which cuts the statement to pieces?
The Malbim adds that this is especially so according to the commentators who hold that what is said here about taking twelve men is only clarified in the next chapter: "And Hashem said to Yehoshua, saying: Take you twelve men out of the people, one man from each tribe, and command them, saying: Take you from here, out of the midst of the Yarden, twelve stones," and set them up in the lodging place as a sign and a remembrance. If so, asks the Malbim, why was the command deferred to the next chapter? The command is immediate: when they cross the Yarden they take twelve men and tell them to take up stones. The commentators sensed the difficulty and said that what is written there, "And Hashem said to Yehoshua," means that He had already told him earlier, that is, here. But the Malbim says this does not fit the rules of the language: "vayomer" means that He is speaking now, whereas "ve'amar" means that He had already spoken beforehand.
Therefore the Malbim explains: "By this you shall know" - through the fact that the Ark of the Covenant, the Lord of all the earth, passes before you into the Yarden, by this you shall know that you will be able to inherit the land from the Canaanite, the Hittite and the Hivvite. And how? In two respects. First: from the fact that the Ark of the Covenant passes before you, you shall know that a living God is in your midst, for the Ark is the place where the Shechina rests, and Hashem is with us like a king who goes before his people to conquer the land before them. Second: from the fact that the Lord of all the earth passes into the Yarden. Just as gatekeepers open doors and gates and do not shut them before the ruler of the land, so shall the gates of the land be opened before you, the King of glory will come, and the path is paved. Hashem opened the Yarden, opened the gate, and as it were says: come and enter. And as we find with the Sanctuary, whose doors would open by themselves miraculously before the coming of the enemy, as if calling to the enemy, and they said to it: how long will you frighten yourself, for they did not want this, since it instills fear in the people. In any case we see that the opening of the doors serves as a sign: here, come and conquer. And here Hashem opened the gates of the land by splitting the Yarden, and by this you shall know that He will surely drive out: the land is His and He is giving it to us to inherit.
And there is one who explains that "Lord of all the earth" is said of the Ark itself. Is the Ark the lord of all the earth? Yes, for the glory dwells within the Ark and the Shechina rests upon it, and the name of Hashem, Lord of hosts, is upon it, and therefore the Ark is called by the name of Hashem. And when the Ark would set out on journeys, what would they say? "Arise, Hashem" - meaning, arise, O Ark. So the Ark is called by the name of Hashem, because the name of Hashem is upon it. It is therefore fitting to say "the Ark of the Covenant, Lord of all the earth": the Ark is lord of all the earth, because the Holy One, blessed be He, who rests upon it is the Lord of all the earth.
And what is the purpose of this emphasis here? Because we are about to see that Hashem overturns nature, and it comes to tell you: since Hashem is the Lord of all the earth, He has the power to overturn all the systems of nature as He wills. Furthermore: "Lord of all the earth" means that even the nations fear Him, as we saw that when the Ark came to the war with the Philistines the nations were terrified and dismayed at the sight of the Ark coming at our head, and then it is revealed that Hashem is the Lord of all the earth. Furthermore: Hashem promises that He Himself will pass before them - "the Lord of all the earth passes" - not that Hashem is above and merely watches over, but that, as it were, He Himself passes before you, and this encourages them that the land will be easy to conquer. And it further hints to them that Hashem dwells throughout the whole earth, just as He dwells in the Ark of the Covenant, as it says, "In every place where I cause My name to be mentioned I will come to you and bless you" - "I will come" (avo) has the numerical value of ten, for in every place where there are ten of Israel the Shechina rests.
This is like the matter the Gemara brings about a certain heretic who asked Rabban Gamliel: how is it possible for Hashem to be in several places at once? Rabban Gamliel called his servant and gave him a light slap. The heretic asked him: why did you do that? He said to him: because he let the sun in. The heretic said to him: what do you mean, "let in"? The sun is everywhere, so how can one prevent it from entering? Rabban Gamliel said to him: yet this is only one of the small servants of the Master of the universe, and you understand that it can be found everywhere. You are here and it is here; fly to Spain and it is there; go to Eilat and it is there; over half of the globe the sun is present at once. And if this is only the sun, could the Holy One, blessed be He, not be everywhere? All the more so. And this is what it means: Hashem dwells throughout the whole earth just as He dwells in the Ark of the Covenant.
וְעַתָּ֗ה קְח֤וּ לָכֶם֙ שְׁנֵ֣י עָשָׂ֣ר אִ֔ישׁ מִשִּׁבְטֵ֖י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל אִישׁ־אֶחָ֥ד אִישׁ־אֶחָ֖ד לַשָּֽׁבֶט׃ - And now take you twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from each tribe.
He tells them to take twelve men but does not explain what they are to do; rather, he prepares them before they cross. The Radak takes the approach that the twelve were intended to take up the stones afterward, even though it is not written here. And indeed many of the commentators understand that the beginning of the next chapter, the taking of the stones, is the clarification of why twelve men were taken here.
But the Malbim explains differently, with no connection to the twelve men of the next chapter who will bring the stones - for if that were so, the command should have been written here, as in his question above. Rather, after the miracle was done through the Ark, he tells them to take twelve men so that they will be witnesses to the miracle. "One man from each tribe" - the prince of the tribe will be the emissary and representative of his whole tribe, as though the entire tribe were there.
And one must understand: when a miracle like this occurs and the Yarden splits, only those nearby see it. Suppose there are a million people here, from here all the way to the Yarkon, and the Yarkon splits - which of us saw it? Only the first row standing there. All the rest do not see how it split. Therefore he took the representatives to stand at the front and see it immediately, seeing the miracle before their eyes. And if you say: afterward we too cross the Yarden and see that it split. True, but when exactly, and because of what, did it split? It was "when the soles of the feet of the priests rest," and at that very moment the waters split - and this is what shows that it is a miracle and rules out any natural explanation. Only those standing nearby can see this, watching how the priests set down their feet and immediately the waters flee before them. Furthermore: sometimes the water stops flowing yet pools, mud and puddles remain. And here they see that the moment the priests set down their feet, immediately it is dry, a dry place, solid ground. Therefore, so that all of Israel would know the miracle and it would be publicized, he brought one man from each of the tribes of Israel to see the miracle with his own eyes and be the representative who recounts it to his tribe.
וְהָיָ֡ה כְּנ֣וֹחַ כַּפּ֣וֹת רַגְלֵ֣י הַכֹּהֲנִ֡ים נֹשְׂאֵי֩ אֲר֨וֹן יְהֹוָ֜ה אֲד֤וֹן כׇּל־הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ בְּמֵ֣י הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן מֵ֤י הַיַּרְדֵּן֙ יִכָּ֣רֵת֔וּן הַמַּ֥יִם הַיֹּרְדִ֖ים מִלְמָ֑עְלָה וְיַעַמְד֖וּ נֵ֥ד אֶחָֽד׃ - And it shall be, when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the Ark of Hashem, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Yarden, the waters of the Yarden shall be cut off, the waters coming down from above, and they shall stand in one heap.
This is what those men are to testify to. "When the soles of the feet of the priests rest" - by the power of the Ark and its holiness the waters of the Yarden will be cut off. And the separation will be only in the waters coming down from above: the Yarden flows downstream, and the waters that were supposed to continue coming down will begin at this point to climb upward, while the waters on the left side, which were supposed to continue flowing, will continue their flow. Thus on their left there will be dry ground, and on the right the waters go up and up. The Malbim says: and this is contrary to the nature of water, which by nature flows downstream.
And what is "one heap," and what is the emphasis of "one"? The Malbim explains: at the splitting of the Sea of Reeds the heap stood on both sides, since there it was not a matter of a flowing river but of gathered water, sea water, and therefore the water had to form a wall on their right and on their left. Not so the water of the Jordan, which flows downward, where no change of nature is needed on the left side either, but it suffices to change it on the right side, at the place from which the water comes, while on the left side the water continues and descends in the direction of its flow. And Chazal say that the Shechinah was revealed to them through a clear lens when the Jordan split, just as it was revealed at the Sea of Reeds. And we will see further on what condition Yehoshua stipulated with them while they were still in the Jordan.
וַיְהִ֗י בִּנְסֹ֤עַ הָעָם֙ מֵאׇ֣הֳלֵיהֶ֔ם לַֽעֲבֹ֖ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן וְהַכֹּהֲנִ֗ים נֹ֥שְׂאֵ֛י הָאָר֥וֹן הַבְּרִ֖ית לִפְנֵ֥י הָעָֽם׃ - And it came to pass, when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan, that the Kohanim bearing the Ark of the Covenant were before the people.
Here too the Radak comments on the phrase "the Ark the Covenant," which seems to be missing a word. And the Malbim describes: when the Kohanim reached the Jordan the people had already set out from their tents, and the bearers of the Ark were before all the people, preceding everyone, for when the people set out from their tents those at their head were the bearers of the Ark. And the Malbim adds: sometimes it is called "the Ark of the Covenant" because the Tablets, which are the Tablets of the Covenant, are placed within it, and sometimes it is called "the Ark, the Covenant of Hashem" because it itself is the covenant of Hashem, that is, the covenant made between us and Hashem. And this is "the Ark the Covenant" - that it itself is the covenant between us and Hashem, and it was a banner to be raised, for through it Hashem performed the miracle of splitting the Jordan.
וּכְב֞וֹא נֹשְׂאֵ֤י הָֽאָרוֹן֙ עַד־הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן וְרַגְלֵ֤י הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ נֹשְׂאֵ֣י הָאָר֔וֹן נִטְבְּל֖וּ בִּקְצֵ֣ה הַמָּ֑יִם וְהַיַּרְדֵּ֗ן מָלֵא֙ עַל־כׇּל־גְּדוֹתָ֔יו כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י קָצִֽיר׃ - And when the bearers of the Ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the Kohanim bearing the Ark dipped into the edge of the water, while the Jordan overflowed all its banks throughout the days of harvest,
The verse emphasizes this so that you should not think that perhaps the water there was shallow and could have been crossed anyway. No. The great wonder was that this occurred precisely at the time when the Jordan overflowed all its banks. "Banks" means edges, over both its edges on both sides. And it is the way of the Jordan during the days of harvest to overflow all its banks, as is its manner, for after the melting of the snows the Jordan is full. One who goes to the Jordan around Nisan will see it full, because of the melting of the snows, and they crossed at approximately that time. And the verse comes to tell you how difficult it is, in the natural way, to cross the Jordan when it is rushing and surging. And it further comes to tell you that the feet of the Kohanim did not get wet at all: as soon as they touched the water, the water stopped, and they were not troubled by wet feet. And Chazal say there was another miracle: that all the waters in the world were cut off at that moment, as happened at the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, and through this it became known to the whole world.
וַיַּֽעַמְד֡וּ הַמַּ֩יִם֩ הַיֹּרְדִ֨ים מִלְמַ֜עְלָה קָ֣מוּ נֵד־אֶחָ֗ד הַרְחֵ֨ק מְאֹ֜ד מֵֽאָדָ֤ם הָעִיר֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ מִצַּ֣ד צָֽרְתָ֔ן וְהַיֹּרְדִ֗ים עַ֣ל יָ֧ם הָעֲרָבָ֛ה יָם־הַמֶּ֖לַח תַּ֣מּוּ נִכְרָ֑תוּ וְהָעָ֥ם עָבְר֖וּ נֶ֥גֶד יְרִיחֽוֹ׃ - the water descending from above stood still and rose up as one heap, very far off, from Adam the city that is beside Tzartan, while the water descending toward the Sea of the Aravah, the Salt Sea, was completely cut off; and the people crossed opposite Yericho.
The Malbim says: there was a double miracle here. The first, that the water descending from above ceased to descend and stood as one heap. The second, "very far off, from Adam the city that is beside Tzartan": for in nature, when you place a barrier before water, it spreads and floods to the sides, since it cannot continue straight. And had this been so, it would have flooded Adam the city that is beside Tzartan, that city to the side, for all the water of the Jordan was destined to flood it. But there was a miracle here that the water went up and rose upward, and thus the city to the side was not flooded and the people of the city were not harmed. And the water below continued on its way and separated from the water at the heights, and this is "was completely cut off" - that the water to the left continued in its flow. And this is "the Jordan turned back": that the Jordan did not spread to the right and left, but went and piled up backward until it became a high heap.
And that which is written "Adam the city" comes to hint that this was meant to arouse man: if the water does the will of its Creator, man should be aroused by this that he too must do the will of his Creator. And Chazal say that we do not find a place called "Adam," and therefore they expounded that the water split in the merit of Avraham Avinu, who is called "Adam" - "the great man among the giants," and the verse hints to you that in his merit the Jordan was split.
וַיַּעַמְד֣וּ הַכֹּהֲנִ֡ים נֹ֠שְׂאֵ֠י הָאָר֨וֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָ֜ה בֶּחָרָבָ֛ה בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיַּרְדֵּ֖ן הָכֵ֑ן וְכׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל עֹֽבְרִים֙ בֶּחָ֣רָבָ֔ה עַ֤ד אֲשֶׁר־תַּ֙מּוּ֙ כׇּל־הַגּ֔וֹי לַעֲבֹ֖ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּֽן׃ - And the Kohanim bearing the Ark of the Covenant of Hashem stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, while all of Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
The Kohanim bearing the Ark of the Covenant of Hashem stand on dry ground and wait there until all the people finish crossing, and only then do they cross. And what is the meaning of this? The author of "Me'am Lo'ez" brings: at first they had no merit of their own, and their merit derived from the Ark. But while they were still in the midst of the Jordan, Yehoshua made a condition with them. He said to them: on this condition you cross the Jordan, that you accept upon yourselves responsibility for one another even regarding hidden matters. For at first it was said, "The hidden things are for Hashem our God, but the revealed things are for us and our children forever," that is, that we are held accountable for our fellow's deeds, all of Israel being guarantors for one another, only regarding revealed matters, for I can rebuke my fellow for what is revealed, but hidden matters are not in our power. And now, in the midst of the Jordan, Yehoshua told them to accept upon themselves responsibility even for hidden matters, and if not, the waters of the Jordan would sweep them away. Somewhat like the acceptance of the Torah: if you accept the Torah, good, and if not, there will be your burial place. And here they accepted upon themselves not to commit transgressions even in secret. And he further stipulated with them that they would drive out the seven nations. And at this stage they already become meritorious on their own account, and therefore the Ark could depart and the waters would not sweep them away. At first they needed the Ark, and now, after these acceptances, they already have merit of their own.
The Malbim describes here every detail of the miracle. First, that the Kohanim stood "on dry ground... firmly": for according to nature, when depths dry up, it is inevitable that water remains in pits and crevices. Even if you sweep away the water from one place, everything is wet, muddy, full of puddles, and the ground is soggy. The verse comes to tell us: they stood firmly on dry ground, standing steady in a dry and parched place. Second, not only the Kohanim's feet, but "and all Israel crossed on dry ground" - everyone crossed on a dry place, for everything had dried up. Third, that this miracle continued until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.
With this we have completed the chapter, but there is an important appendix here from the Malbim. In many places throughout Nach the Ralbag tries to explain miracles in a natural way and to give them a natural explanation, and in many places the Malbim does not accept this approach and refutes his words. We have already seen this in the matter of the axe head that was cast into the water and floated the iron up, where they tried to find logical reasons for how the thing happened, and the Malbim was not satisfied: a miracle occurred here. And so too here the Malbim says: do not lend your ear to the words of the Ralbag.
This is the essence of the Ralbag's words: it is fitting that we investigate here a not insignificant doubt that arises in this wonder. For Chazal already established as a root principle that in miracles nothing entirely new comes into being, for in miracles there is no new existence. And therefore it troubled the Sages regarding "and if the Lord creates a creation," since after all there is nothing new under the sun. They resolved the doubt by saying that the wonder there was to hasten the earth's opening of its mouth: by nature the earth was destined to open its mouth, and the miracle is that it hastened to do so, but not something new that did not exist since the six days of creation. The Ralbag explains that this thing happens to the earth over long stretches of time when a smoky vapor is trapped in its belly, as is explained in the Book of Meteorology, and the wonder was to do in an imperceptible moment what nature does over a long time. So too the matter of the staff turning into a serpent. But God will not create a new thing among all existing things, and therefore it is impossible for something to be a staff and a serpent at once, and He will not do a thing whose existence contradicts itself - such as a square whose diagonal equals its side, which is impossible, for the diagonal is always longer than the side; or a triangle of straight lines whose angles are less or more than two right angles; or cold fire, fire that does not burn. And since this is so, and the nature of water is that it seeks the low place, it is difficult to understand how this wonder could be done in this manner.
Thus the difficulty is: how do the waters suddenly rise upward, which is against nature, and God does not do things contrary to nature. And by the way, regarding the staff turning into a serpent his words are not entirely clear: he only says that there will not be a staff and serpent simultaneously, but how then does the staff turn into a serpent? Unless we explain that the intent is like an act of demons, that the demon brings the serpent from the forest in one instant and takes the staff from there, and then it appears as if the staff turned into a serpent. And this differs from an act of sorcery, which is control over your perception, an optical illusion where it seems to you that something happened when in truth nothing happened. As the Gemara relates about one who took a camel and slaughtered it, dismembered it into pieces and reassembled it, and they said to him: did you see blood there? He said: no. They told him: it was all a deception of the eyes. That is, he succeeds in controlling your eyes so that you see thus, but there is no actual change.
I once read about a man who was in India, where as is known there are those who deal in all these powers. They told him about a performance in a cave, in which a priest takes a child, cuts him, and afterward restores him, and cameras are forbidden. But who tells an Israeli that it is forbidden? He hid a camera and filmed the whole thing. Afterward, back when there was still film, when he developed the pictures, he saw nothing. The child was whole; throughout the entire show the child was whole. That is, everything he saw was a control over what he perceives, and this is called "he seized their eyes," and in reality nothing happened. And it is quite possible that the Ralbag would explain the matter of the serpent this way too, by way of shortening time: in one instant he brought the serpent here and in one instant he took the staff away from here. In any case, the question remains: how do you explain the miracle of the waters rising upward, which is against nature?
The Ralbag answers: one can say that the placing of the waters so they do not flow is not a new thing, for this happens to water when there is something preventing its motion. And what was the blocking thing? It is possible that God introduced through the wonder, in the air adjacent to those waters, a thick crystalline rain that prevented the waters from descending. However, how rain prevents water from descending is itself a difficulty, all the more so that he calls this nature, and where have we seen such rain that would be called nature. Or it is possible, and this is more reasonable, that God introduced a strong wind that pushes the waters to that place and does not let them descend. And this is indeed something we have seen the like of: there were cases where entire towns received a "rain of fish." How does a rain of fish come about? A storm over the river lifts the river waters with tremendous force and sweeps them up, and this comes down as rain on the neighborhood and fish rain down there. That is, a very strong wind can also hold waters as though standing.
Now let us see how the Malbim refutes these words. The Malbim says: behold, he compared unequal things, and likened one thing to another that are not at all alike. It is true that we would not describe God as doing something that contradicts itself, like a round square or something that is black and white at once. And it is likewise agreed that "there is nothing new." But the meaning of their words is: that after the first absolute creation of something from nothing, He will no longer create something from nothing, but only bring forth something from something by changing forms. And this is the accepted explanation: "there is nothing new under the sun" means that God does not create new materials, but as for changing the action of existing things, it was not said that He would not do this. Creation is one time; God created all that He created at the creation of the world, and from then on it is fashioning, like clay in the hand of the maker, to take the existing material and form from it. Since the creation of the world God has not added any new material to creation. And if additional materials are discovered, that is our discovery, and they existed in creation from the start. That is why Rava asked about "if the Lord creates a creation," for the difficulty is in the word "creation," whose definition is bringing forth something from nothing. But changing the nature of an existing substance is not bringing forth something from nothing and is not creation, but rather a change of nature in existing being, and this God always does when needed, and it is called a miracle because He changed in it the accustomed nature of the substance. The nature of water is to descend and fill the sea, and God changed its nature and the sea split.
Therefore do not be astonished if God in His wonders cools fire - Chananya, Mishael, and Azarya enter into the fire and it is cold and does not burn them. Or He makes the sun stand still, for although "there is nothing new under the sun," the Holy One, blessed be He, makes the sun stand still and it does not continue its motion, since the sun is an existing thing and God changes the incidental properties of the existing thing. Or that liquids stand like a wall. And all this is nothing but a change in the nature of the substance in quality or in motion, which are incidental properties of the substance and not its essence. There is no change here in the essence of the thing but in what happens to it; there is no molecular change of the water - it is the same water, except that until now it was lying down and now it is standing.
Beyond this, says the Malbim, even according to the Ralbag's own approach he did not reason well in this place. For the descent of water downward is not a nature intrinsic to the water itself, as heat and burning are a nature intrinsic to the element of fire itself, but rather its cause is the pressing of the air that weighs upon the water and brings it down. That is, you likened one thing to another that are not alike. With fire, the change of its nature so that it does not burn is indeed a change of nature, for fire by its nature burns. But with water that goes downward and now rises, this is not at all a change of its nature, for going downward is not connected to the nature of water. We all know today why water descends: gravity, the same force that causes everything to fall down and everything thrown into the air to return and land. This does not belong to the nature of water but to the weight of the pressing air and the weight of the body and the earth's force of attraction. If you would say "dry water," that is a change of nature, for water is wet. But water that does not descend, that is not a change in its nature.
The Malbim continues and demonstrates this: water rises as vapor, makes clouds its chariot, and hangs suspended in a vessel whose mouth is sealed above, so that the air does not press from above. This is one of the experiments children love to do: take a cup, fill it even halfway with water, place a smooth cardboard over it, turn the cup over, and you will see that the water does not spill. Why? Because there is no air; the air is trapped inside and does not let the water come out. Thus in a place where there is a vacuum there is no pressure to bring the water down. And once they showed me a video of a man in a space simulation, like they do for astronauts, in a place where there is no weight: he wrings out a cloth soaked with water, and you see all the water standing around the cloth on the outside, not moving and not budging. What for us falls into a bucket, for him stands in the air. And there is no one to hold the microphone for him, so he places the microphone in the air in front of him, and it stands; every so often he nudges it so it returns opposite his mouth, and he continues to wring and speak. Thus the nature of water is not to descend, but the matter depends on gravity, and in a place where there is no gravity the water does not descend.
It emerges, says the Malbim, that the descent of water comes from an external cause and not from its nature. And if the cause is only the air hovering over the surface of the water, in a place where the waters were cut off it is necessary that the liquids stand like a wall. That is, if the Holy One, blessed be He, removes the air from that place where the waters flow, there is no air, and there is no obstacle at all to the waters rising upward, as if you placed water in a void where they float. And just as we see in the experiment where they remove the air by a pump and create a vacuum, and the water stands. And if there you see water standing, why should you be astonished that it stands before the Master of all the earth?
The Malbim brings another proof from the verse itself against the view of the Ralbag: the verse made clear that it was not the wind that held back the water, for had it been so, the water would have spread out to the sides toward Adam, the city that lay off to the side. For a strong wind that pushes the water, why would it merely make it stand still? It is meant to push it, and the water would have flooded off to the side. Yet you see that this did not happen; rather it stood as a heap and did not stream to the sides, teaching you that this was miraculous. Nor was it a thick, congealing rain, for had it been right at the feet of the Kohanim, the Kohanim would have felt it and could not have stood there, while in fact you see that they did stand. The Malbim concludes: "Do not be overly clever, why should you be dumbfounded."
Chapter 3 describes the opening of the gates of the Land. Yehoshua rises early and the people are drawn after him, and he shifts their gaze from himself to the Ark of the covenant of Hashem going before them, for from now on the Torah, and not the clouds of glory, will guide their way. The Ark moves off two thousand cubits so that everyone can see it and know the way, unlike the journey of conquest in the days of Moshe, which advanced a distance of three days. Yehoshua prepares the people in holiness, and Hashem informs him that the wonders will be accomplished through the power of the Ark, the Master of all the earth, whose power can overturn the systems of nature. Twelve representatives stand as witnesses to the miracle that occurred the moment the feet of the Kohanim touched the water: the upper waters rise and pile up in a single heap while the lower waters flow off completely and are cut off, and the people cross on entirely dry ground. Within the Jordan, Israel takes upon itself responsibility even for hidden matters, and acquires a merit of its own. And in the appendix the Malbim taught us a great principle: "there is nothing new under the sun" was said only of creation of something from nothing, but a change in the nature of a thing that already exists, that is a miracle, and this Hashem performs whenever there is need for it.