Chapter 8 of Sefer Yehoshua is the chapter of repair: after the defeat at Ai and the exposure of Achan's sin, Bnei Yisrael return to battle, this time by the explicit command of the Holy One, blessed be He, under Yehoshua's personal leadership, and with a sophisticated battle tactic of two ambushes. At the end of the chapter we move to an entirely different topic: the building of the altar on Mount Eival, the writing of the Torah upon the stones, and the blessings and curses on Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival. We will proceed according to the order of the pesukim, mainly in light of the explanation of the Malbim.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אַל־תִּירָא וְאַל־תֵּחָת קַח עִמְּךָ אֵת כָּל־עַם הַמִּלְחָמָה וְקוּם עֲלֵה הָעָי רְאֵה נָתַתִּי בְיָדְךָ אֶת־מֶלֶךְ הָעַי וְאֶת־עַמּוֹ וְאֶת־עִירוֹ וְאֶת־אַרְצוֹ׃ - And Hashem said to Yehoshua: Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take with you all the people of war, and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land.
When one tells a person "Do not fear and do not be dismayed," it is a sign that he is fearful and afraid. And why is Yehoshua afraid? First, it is the way of the world that a person who was scalded by boiling water is wary even of lukewarm water. After the first defeat at Ai, even an "easy" battle arouses concern. Second, it is known that a sick person, even after he has recovered, may still relapse into his illness. Yehoshua fears that perhaps the sin was not fully atoned, and that perhaps some flaws still remained in the wake of that sin.
This matter is brought in Shaarei Teshuvah by Rabbeinu Yonah: "And the penitent should further pray to Hashem to blot out his transgressions like a thick cloud and his sins like a cloud, and that He should desire him and favor him and answer him as if he had not sinned." There are two separate things here: one, that the Holy One, blessed be He, forgives the sin; and the second, that He should desire him and favor him, as in the matter stated in the words of Elihu regarding the penitent after suffering, "He shall pray to God, and He will favor him." And Rabbeinu Yonah adds a terrible statement: it is possible that the sin is forgiven and the person is redeemed from suffering and from every decree, no harm will be done to him, and yet "Hashem has no desire in him, and He will not accept an offering from his hand." I have forgiven you, but I do not wish to see you.
And if you ask: What is so terrible about that? After all, the sin was forgiven and the suffering was redeemed. To this Rabbeinu Yonah says: "And the desire of the righteous, among all successes, is to bring about Hashem's favor and that He should desire them." This is the greatest aspiration a person can aspire to, and this is "the enduring, true life and the great light that includes all pleasantness," as in the matter stated "life is in His favor," and it is stated "Hashem, God of hosts, restore us; make Your face shine, and we shall be saved." Therefore we always ask in prayer, "And You, in Your abundant mercy, desire us and favor us" - a special request not only that He forgive us, but that we merit that there be desire and favor in Heaven toward us. This is what Yehoshua feared: perhaps we did our part and the Holy One, blessed be He, said "I have forgiven," but a lingering displeasure still remained. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, came to reassure him: Do not fear and do not be dismayed.
The Metzudat David explains that all this was done in order to deceive the nations. The nations think that the victory does not come from the hand of Hashem but from the power of fighting, and they say: last time we succeeded against them because our strength was greater. Now, when they see Yisrael coming with a large army, they will gather an even larger army, and they will all assemble to deliberate over counsel and strategies through many advisors. And in this there will be a benefit for Yisrael: instead of passing from city to city, they all gather in one place and are all struck with a single blow, and all the future wars are spared.
The Malbim is precise in the wording: "Take with you all the people of war" - not some of them as at first, but all of them. And further: "and arise, go up" - not like the first time when Yehoshua remained in the camp and the people went out alone, but now you yourself will go out at their head. "I have given into your hand the king of Ai and his people" - they will fall into your hand at first when they come out of the city; "and his city and his land" - this will be at the next stage, through the ambush.
Some explain further: by natural means it was not easy to conquer Ai, for Ai was in a high place (and therefore it says that they fled before them in the valley), and conquering a high place is a most difficult battle. And if you ask, why at first were they told to take a small force and they did not see this? Rather, Hashem blinded their eyes so that they would fall at Ai. Now, once they understood that the place is high, they take a large army. And there is an additional reason: for the sake of Yehoshua's honor, that now he himself goes out at their head, and whoever sees him going out will not fail to go out as well.
וְעָשִׂיתָ לָעַי וּלְמַלְכָּהּ כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתָ לִירִיחוֹ וּלְמַלְכָּהּ רַק־שְׁלָלָהּ וּבְהֶמְתָּהּ תָּבֹזּוּ לָכֶם שִׂים־לְךָ אֹרֵב לָעִיר מֵאַחֲרֶיהָ׃ - And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Yericho and its king; only its spoils and its cattle shall you take as plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.
Just as at Yericho: to burn the city and to kill everyone. Except that at Yericho the spoils were given to the House of Hashem, whereas here the spoils were permitted to Israel. The reason for the difference, as explained by the Malbim: the fall of the walls of Yericho did not come about in a natural way but through a miracle, and since the war was Hashem's, the spoils too were Hashem's. Here, by contrast, it says "set an ambush for yourself" - stratagems of war, a war conducted in a natural manner, and since you are the ones fighting, the spoils belong to you.
וַיָּקָם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכָל־עַם הַמִּלְחָמָה לַעֲלוֹת הָעָי וַיִּבְחַר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ שְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף אִישׁ גִּבּוֹרֵי הַחַיִל וַיִּשְׁלָחֵם לָיְלָה׃ - And Yehoshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai, and Yehoshua chose thirty thousand men, mighty men of valor, and he sent them out by night.
Let me say at the outset that the Malbim has an entire approach here to understanding the ambush: there were two ambushes. A first ambush of thirty thousand men, sent out two days earlier, and a second ambush of five thousand men at the next stage. And apart from both of these there was the "people of war" - the visible army that went out to fight.
In this verse the Malbim counts the fulfillment of the three parts of the command: "And Yehoshua arose" - as he was commanded to stand at their head; "and all the people of war" - to take everyone and not a few as the previous time; "and he chose thirty thousand" - as he was commanded "set an ambush for yourself." And why "and he sent them out by night," two days before the conquest? This the Malbim explains in verse 9.
וַיְצַו אֹתָם לֵאמֹר רְאוּ אַתֶּם אֹרְבִים לָעִיר מֵאַחֲרֵי הָעִיר אַל־תַּרְחִיקוּ מִן־הָעִיר מְאֹד וִהְיִיתֶם כֻּלְּכֶם נְכֹנִים׃ - And he commanded them, saying: See, you are to lie in ambush against the city, behind the city; do not go very far from the city, and be, all of you, ready.
The Malbim explains that the ambush here differs from all the familiar types of ambush. In the account of Avimelech in Shoftim chapter 9 we find several kinds of ambushes. There is one who lies in wait against the city, waiting until the city gate opens and then falling upon them suddenly as they come out. This is also one of the methods of thieves: the thief who knows when the homeowner leaves stands up on the stairs, and as the man comes to close the door he shoves him inside and stops his mouth. Such an ambusher must stand in front of the city, right by the gate, not at its side and not behind it, so that he can enter immediately when the gate opens.
There is one who lies in ambush in the field, as it says regarding Avimelech: "and the men of Shechem set ambushers for him on the mountaintops, and they robbed all who passed by them on the way." Such an ambusher must be very far from the city, for if he were close, some of those attacked would manage to escape and would run at once to the city to warn it. Therefore they were placed on the mountaintops.
And there is a third type: one who lies in ambush against both together, like Avimelech who divided the people into three companies - two lay in ambush against those going out into the field, and one stood at the entrance of the city gate so that they would not return to the city. In such an ambush the ambushers sometimes stand behind the city as well, if the field or gathering place is there, in order to strip them of their spoils. However, in this type not all of them are "ready," that is, standing on alert: only those in the field are coiled like a spring and waiting to pounce, while those near the city are not on alert, since their entire task is to catch those fleeing from the ambush.
And the Malbim emphasizes: in all three of these methods they do not lie in ambush against the city itself but against the people of the city. The goal is to capture people, not to capture a city. Here, by contrast, it says "See, you are to lie in ambush against the city" - against the city itself, for the aim is the conquest of the city and not the capture of people and the seizing of spoils. And this is why the three instructions: "behind the city" - and not by the gate like the first ambusher; "do not go very far from the city" - unlike the ambusher in the field who must keep his distance; "and be, all of you, ready" - unlike the third ambush in which those near the city need not be on alert, whereas here all are coiled for the time of battle.
וַאֲנִי וְכָל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר אִתִּי נִקְרַב אֶל־הָעִיר וְהָיָה כִּי־יֵצְאוּ לִקְרָאתֵנוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר בָּרִאשֹׁנָה וְנַסְנוּ לִפְנֵיהֶם׃ - And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city, and it shall be, when they come out toward us as at first, that we will flee before them.
The Malbim: Yehoshua says that he himself will be among those who go out to the battlefield. Besides the two ambush units there is a third group here - the visible army, coming ostensibly to attack, so that the enemy will pursue it, and then the ambush forces will go into action. "And I and all the people who are with me" - including me, unlike the first time when they went out without Yehoshua. "As at first" - they will be confident that they can put us to flight again; if the first time they were still hesitant, after their success they now come with full self assurance.
וְיָצְאוּ אַחֲרֵינוּ עַד הַתִּיקֵנוּ אוֹתָם מִן־הָעִיר כִּי יֹאמְרוּ נָסִים לְפָנֵינוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר בָּרִאשֹׁנָה וְנַסְנוּ לִפְנֵיהֶם׃ - And they will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, "They flee before us as at first," and we will flee before them.
"Until we have drawn them away from the city" - that they will pursue us and move away from the city, for the aim is to capture the city. Rashi brings a first interpretation from the word "tik" (case): the city is like a case and we will draw them out of it. Incidentally, this is how the Arukh always explains the term "teiku" in the Gemara. The simple understanding is that "teiku" is from the word "ta'amod" (it will stand, okimna, okimta), but the Arukh explains that the matter is set as in a sealed case that cannot be opened and the question resolved. And Rashi brings an additional interpretation, and so too the Radak explains, and this is the more reasonable interpretation according to Hebrew: "hatikenu" is from the word "nituk" (detachment), as in "detach them like sheep for slaughter" - until we detach them from the city.
The Malbim asks: what is the redundancy of "they flee before us" and "we will flee before them"? And he explains: they will certainly not sense that our flight is a trap and cunning, because of "as at first" - they already saw that we truly fled from them the first time, and there was no trap there. Therefore they will attribute our flight now to the first flight, that our hearts melted before them, and all the more so now, after the first scorching, that we would be afraid and flee immediately. And the verse is arranged in parallel clauses, as is the Malbim's way in explaining many verses: the verse divides into four statements, where the continuation of the first is the third and the continuation of the second is the fourth. "Until we have drawn them away from the city" corresponds to "and we will flee before them" - how will we detach them from the city? By fleeing before them. And "for they will say, they flee before us" corresponds to "and they will come out after us" - why will they come out after us? Because they will say, look, they flee before us as at first. And in this way we will detach them from the city, and the ambushers will be able to come and capture it.
וְאַתֶּם תָּקֻמוּ מֵהָאוֹרֵב וְהוֹרַשְׁתֶּם אֶת־הָעִיר וּנְתָנָהּ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם בְּיֶדְכֶם׃ - And you shall rise up from the ambush and take possession of the city, and Hashem your God will give it into your hand.
During the flight, when I raise the spear, you shall rise from the ambush and enter the city. And the emphasis: "and Hashem your God will give it into your hand." Yehoshua stresses - we are employing many stratagems here, and let no one say, "See how we captured them." Always remember that Hashem your God is the One who gives it into your hand.
וְהָיָה כְּתָפְשְׂכֶם אֶת־הָעִיר תַּצִּיתוּ אֶת־הָעִיר בָּאֵשׁ כִּדְבַר יְהֹוָה תַּעֲשׂוּ רְאוּ צִוִּיתִי אֶתְכֶם׃ - And it shall be, when you have seized the city, you shall set the city on fire; according to the word of Hashem you shall do. See, I have commanded you.
Just as we set Yericho on fire, so too here, except that the spoil is permitted. And what is the addition of "see, I have commanded you"? The Malbim explains: so that you should not say, since Hashem permitted plundering the spoil, and if so everything is going to be burned, let us therefore hurry and take the spoil before the burning. And then, instead of being occupied with the battle you would be occupied with taking spoil and plundering booty, and this is a sure recipe for failure, as each one will look after his own household. Therefore he tells them: burn the city, and what remains afterward will be permitted. "See, I have commanded you" - I am explaining and teaching you what Hashem's intent is, that the permission applies to what is left after the burning, and not that you should first go to take spoil and afterward burn. And the commentators further explain: so that you should not say, if we burn all the cities we capture, where will we ultimately dwell? To this he says "according to the word of Hashem" - you need not worry, the Holy One, blessed be He, will provide for you.
וַיִּשְׁלָחֵם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיֵּלְכוּ אֶל־הַמַּאְרָב וַיֵּשְׁבוּ בֵּין בֵּית־אֵל וּבֵין הָעַי מִיָּם לָעָי וַיָּלֶן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא בְּתוֹךְ הָעָם׃ - And Yehoshua sent them out, and they went to the ambush and lay in wait between Beit El and Ai, to the west of Ai; and Yehoshua lodged that night among the people.
The Malbim raises two difficulties. First, how is it possible that they sat to the west of the city and the men of Beit El did not encounter them? For the men of Beit El coming to help Ai arrive from the west, and should have run into the ambush. Second, later on (verse 14) it says that the ambush was "behind the city," that is, on the south side, since the front of the city was on the north, and if so the rear part is the south. So was it from the south or from the west?
The Malbim explains: this is why he sent this ambush out two days before the start of the battle. With the battle, the visible army, encamped on the entrance side of the city, which is the north side. And in order for the matter to be tangible, let us take as an example the Kotel plaza, a place where the directions are clear to us. The east side is the side of the Mount of Olives, the direction toward which we pray; the west side is behind us, toward the Jewish Quarter; for one standing facing the Kotel - his left is north (the Muslim Quarter) and his right is south (the side of the gates and the entrance to the Kotel). The city's opening, the city's face, is the north side, from the side of Wilson's Arch and the Kotel tunnels. From there the army comes to attack, since its whole aim is to draw out the men of Ai and to flee.
The first ambush Yehoshua placed at the southwestern corner, that is, in our example, at the corner of Yeshivat Porat Yosef, in the parking area through which one enters toward the Kotel. And note: he did not place it close to the city but far from it, for if they were noticed the entire plan would be lost, they would realize there was an ambush and would not leave the city, or at least they would post a guard on the other side. And in order to reach there without being detected they had to make a wide circuit, since it is impossible to walk around the Ai close to it, for then everyone sees an army marching and they begin to track it. And because of this wide detour they had to set out two days earlier. "And they lay in wait" - they do not roam about there but sit, concealed and hidden.
With this, the two difficulties are resolved: they did not fill the entire western side, which would have caused the men of Beit El to run into them at once, but rather stood at the southwestern corner. The men of Beit El, coming to assist, arrive from the center or closer to the side of the city's entrance, that is, the northwest, and do not meet them along their way. And so too the verse is settled: since the place is the southwestern corner, it can be called "westward" - for it is in the west, and it can be called "behind the city" - for it is on the southern side, which is the opposite of the front of the city, which faces north.
And there is a further hint here: they sat "between Beit El and the Ai," and there Avraham Avinu built an altar, and they did so in order to recall the merit of Avraham. And it is most interesting: the letters of "hamaarav" (the ambush) are the letters of "Avraham," hinting that the merit of Avraham accompanies them.
Yehoshua lodged with the people, from the aspect of "I am with him in trouble." As is told of the Chafetz Chaim, that during the days of the World War he was seen one night sleeping on the floor. When they asked him at home what had happened, he said: how can it be pleasant for me to lie in my bed at a time when the young men of Israel are risking their lives in the trenches and in places of danger? For at that time they conscripted everyone, both yeshiva students and other young men of Israel.
And so too it is told of the Rav of Brisk, that there was a great fire in Brisk that consumed more than half of the city's houses, and people were left with no place to lodge. The Rav set his dwelling in the women's section of the synagogue, which was the space that was free all week, and he said that he would not return to his home, even though his home had not burned down, until the last of the Jews of Brisk was settled; only after all of them returned and rebuilt their homes would he return to his own home. We see, then, that there is a matter of a person joining himself to the distress of the community, and this is what Yehoshua did here.
וַיַּשְׁכֵּם יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּבֹּקֶר וַיִּפְקֹד אֶת־הָעָם וַיַּעַל הוּא וְזִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי הָעָם הָעָי׃ - And Yehoshua rose early in the morning and mustered the people, and he went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to the Ai.
Yehoshua is the commander of the army, he is the one who musters and leads, and he goes up at their head, as the condition that Hashem had set with him. As Rashi's words: just as the Place said to him, if he passes before them they pass, and if he does not pass before them they do not pass. And note that he counts them again, even though he had already counted them before. And the plain reason is from the aspect of "the fearful and fainthearted, let him go and return to his home," for perhaps in the meantime a person managed to marry a wife or plant a vineyard, which are the things the Sages listed as reasons to return, and as it were, under cover of these exemptions the fearful and fainthearted would also return together with everyone.
וְכָל־הָעָם הַמִּלְחָמָה אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ עָלוּ וַיִּגְּשׁוּ וַיָּבֹאוּ נֶגֶד הָעִיר וַיַּחֲנוּ מִצְּפוֹן לָעַי וְהַגַּי בֵּינָו וּבֵין־הָעָי׃ - And all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near and came before the city, and they encamped on the north of the Ai, with the valley between them and the Ai.
Here it does not speak of the ambushers but of the open army. They come from the northern side, from the side of the city's entrance (in our example, from the side of the Kotel tunnels), and encamp there, and the valley separates between the camp and the city. They stand in a high place intentionally: so that by the time the men of the Ai come down from the city they will have time to flee. Had they been too close, there was concern that the bait would fall right into their hands. They want to be bait that manages to escape, not bait that is captured.
וַיִּקַּח כַּחֲמֵשֶׁת אֲלָפִים אִישׁ וַיָּשֶׂם אוֹתָם אֹרֵב בֵּין בֵּית־אֵל וּבֵין הָעַי מִיָּם לָעִיר׃ - And he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Beit El and the Ai, to the west of the city.
This is another ambush, a smaller one, five thousand men as opposed to thirty thousand. The first ambush stood far from the city - far, but not too far, for it says "do not go very far from the city": if it went too far it would take a long time to draw near, and if it came too close it would be spotted. Therefore they had to circle around over two days, so that they would not be seen either on the way or at their position.
By contrast, says the Malbim, the second ambush stood near Yehoshua's own camp. It came from the north, from the side of the camp, but it extended toward the western side - that is, at the northwest corner (in that same analogy, the side where the Menorah stands in the Temple courtyard). Thus a shape like the letter ר was formed, like an inverted ד. That is why Scripture later calls it "its rear" (akevo), from the word akev (heel), something that wraps around on two sides. The people of Ai saw this ambush, since it was close, unlike the distant ambush in the southwest.
וַיָּשִׂימוּ הָעָם אֶת־כָּל־הַמַּחֲנֶה אֲשֶׁר מִצְּפוֹן לָעִיר וְאֶת־עֲקֵבוֹ מִיָּם לָעִיר וַיֵּלֶךְ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּלַּיְלָה הַהוּא בְּתוֹךְ הָעֵמֶק׃ - And they set the people, all the camp that was on the north of the city, and its rear on the west of the city, and Yehoshua went that night into the midst of the valley.
"All the camp that was on the north" is the visible camp, "and its rear on the west of the city" is the northwestern ambush. So facing the camp stand two lines: a line to the north, and a line extending from it to the west. And all this was in plain sight before the people of Ai. Seemingly, what wisdom is there in a visible ambush, what benefit is there in a surprise that can be seen? The Malbim says: shortly we will see what the great wisdom in this matter was.
"And Yehoshua went that night into the midst of the valley" - Rashi brings the teaching of Chazal that he lodged in the depth of halacha. Unlike the previous time, when a complaint was raised against them for neglecting Torah, here he lodged in the depth of halacha. The Radak explains it plainly: he and others went into the midst of the valley toward the place of the camp to check whether the camp guards were awake, lest they be asleep and the people of Ai come and surprise them. The Malbim adds: although by day they encamped before the valley, at night Yehoshua and his men go down into the valley, so that the people of Ai would see them approaching and think that these men believe they are not being seen. This itself strengthens in them the sense that the attack is naive, and they do not suspect that it is a coordinated attack with ambushes.
וַיְהִי כִּרְאוֹת מֶלֶךְ־הָעַי וַיְמַהֲרוּ וַיַּשְׁכִּימוּ וַיֵּצְאוּ אַנְשֵׁי־הָעִיר לִקְרַאת־יִשְׂרָאֵל לַמִּלְחָמָה הוּא וְכָל־עַמּוֹ לַמּוֹעֵד לִפְנֵי הָעֲרָבָה וְהוּא לֹא יָדַע כִּי־אֹרֵב לוֹ מֵאַחֲרֵי הָעִיר׃ - And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hurried and rose early, and the men of the city went out to meet Israel in battle, he and all his people, at the appointed time, before the plain, and he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.
The king of Ai sees that they are already walking in the valley, and he does not wait for them to come up from the valley and approach the gate as they did the first time. He remembers that the first time they struck them on the descent, and he says: we are already experienced, let us run after them and strike them on the descent as before.
And what is "at the appointed time"? Rashi explains: at the time, the day on which they took counsel together the day before to go out at that hour, for they were diviners and soothsayers. "Soothsayers" - who say this season is suitable, this season is fortunate. According to this, "at the appointed time" refers to the king of Ai. The Malbim explains that "the appointed time" refers to Yehoshua: the ambush was supposed to go out at a certain point in time and capture Ai, and how would it know when? In those days there were no communication devices and no Morse code, so they set a time in advance - on such a day at such an hour, in two days, you will go out to attack. So they told the distant ambush, and according to this timing Yehoshua must now initiate his attack and draw the people of Ai out. "At the appointed time," then, refers to the time that Yehoshua designated and planned with the ambush.
The king of Ai goes out "before the plain" - the plains of Jericho on the eastern side. Since Israel stands in the shape of a ר to the north and to the west, he cannot approach there, so he turns eastward so as not to be surrounded from two directions. "And he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city" - the northwestern ambush he saw, and therefore he guarded against it and veered eastward, but the second ambush, the large and distant one in the southwest, he did not know about.
Some have raised a difficulty here: if "they hurried and rose early," what is "at the appointed time"? Did they rise early or go out at a designated time? According to the Malbim there is no difficulty, since "at the appointed time" refers to Yehoshua. But according to Rashi it must be resolved, and Chazal say that the king of Ai was expert in astrology and knew how to time the most fortunate hour. Therefore he sent out part of the people immediately at daybreak so that they would be ready for battle, and left part to go out at the fortunate time according to the movement of the stars. And here we see the kindness of Hashem, who confounded their plans: although they were soothsayers who knew the matters of the stars, the Holy One, blessed be He, disrupted their wisdom so that Yehoshua would succeed in his maneuver.
וַיִּנָּגְעוּ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵיהֶם וַיָּנֻסוּ דֶּרֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּר׃ - And Yehoshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
The Malbim explains in several places that the hitpael form indicates something imagined rather than real: "one who pretends to be rich (mit'asher) yet has nothing" - he is not truly rich but only acting rich; "one who pretends to be poor (mitroshesh)" - he does not truly become poor. So too here, "vayinag'u" - they were not truly struck, but rather acted as if they had been hit and fled. "They fled by way of the wilderness" - the wilderness of Beit Aven, which lay between Yericho and Beit El, opposite Ai on the northern side. It turns out that Yehoshua and Israel, who had come from the north, turned back in order to draw the men of Ai to pursue them, overtake them, and strike them as they had the first time.
וַיִּזָּעֲקוּ כָּל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בָּעַי לִרְדֹּף אַחֲרֵיהֶם וַיִּרְדְּפוּ אַחֲרֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיִּנָּתְקוּ מִן־הָעִיר׃ - And all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Yehoshua and were drawn away from the city.
Even those who had remained in the city to guard it went out to pursue, and the men of Beit El also came to assist, leaving their own city open. The Radak explains: "vayiza'aku" means they gathered together to pursue, and since the gathering and assembling of the people is done through a call, the verse uses the language of calling out.
וְלֹא־נִשְׁאַר אִישׁ בָּעַי וּבֵית אֵל אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָצְאוּ אַחֲרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעַזְבוּ אֶת־הָעִיר פְּתוּחָה וַיִּרְדְּפוּ אַחֲרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - Not a man remained in Ai or Beit El who did not go out after Israel, and they left the city open and pursued Israel.
The verse emphasizes that everyone went out, in order to explain how Israel was able to enter Ai without any problem and without any concern. And why did they leave the city open? First, out of excessive confidence: they were so sure of their strength that there was no need even to close it. And some say they left it open so that if they were forced to flee back, they could enter immediately. This is like the jokes that circulated before the Yom Kippur War about the Egyptian army, following its defeat in 5727: they said the Egyptians ordered tanks from Russia and requested that they have three reverse gears and one forward gear. They were asked why three reverse gears, and answered: to carry out a rapid retreat. They were asked: and why the forward gear? They answered: in case we are attacked from behind. So too here, they left Ai open in case they should need to escape back inside and shut the gate behind them.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ נְטֵה בַּכִּידוֹן אֲשֶׁר־בְּיָדְךָ אֶל־הָעַי כִּי בְיָדְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה וַיֵּט יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּכִּידוֹן אֲשֶׁר־בְּיָדוֹ אֶל־הָעִיר׃ - And Hashem said to Yehoshua: Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for into your hand I will give it. And Yehoshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward the city.
Yehoshua holds the spear and extends it as a signal to the distant ambush, the one in the southwest, the thirty thousand men. Although a time had been set for them in advance so that they would be ready, the precise moment was determined by the raising of the spear high: when they would see it extended, they would know that this was the moment to attack.
Others explain that the extending of the spear downward indicates the subduing of the heavenly minister. That is, the subjugation takes place first above, and only afterward below, for the wars here are only a reflection of what happens in the heavens, since everything is determined from above.
There is a wonderful hint of this in Parashat Vayishlach. It is told of the Rav of Brisk that during the war, army personnel would come and mark houses, meaning that within forty eight hours they might have to be vacated, for the officers who arrived in the area were quartered in the residents' homes, and the homeowners were moved to ruins and small houses for the entire duration of the war. The son ran to his father and said: Father, they marked our house! And he saw that his father was completely calm. He said to him: But in forty eight hours we must evacuate. The Rav said to him: We are in Parashat Vayishlach, and I will ask you a question. The angel says to Yaakov, "For you have striven with G-d and with men and have prevailed." "With G-d" refers to the angel; "with men" refers to Lavan and Esav; "and have prevailed" means you overcame them. But how? Yaakov had not yet met Esav, the encounter with the angel comes before the encounter with Esav, and he was destined to meet Esav only the next day. Rather, the angel already knows what has been decreed in the heavens, and the battles here have already been determined above. And since it says "you have striven," already now you are defeating Esav, for so it is written above, and you have only to see how the matter unfolds and descends down to here. If so, you have nothing to worry about: what is decreed from heaven is what will be, and if action must be taken, it is a heavenly action, to pray and to ask of the One in whose hands everything lies. And it is told that officers came to look at the apartment, and everyone who entered closed the door and left. No one wanted it, and the astonishing thing was that it was a spacious apartment. Finally, when the Rav moved away from the city, the first one who saw the apartment took it immediately. For many long months no one had wanted it, for everything had already been determined from heaven.
Others explain that the extending of the spear is like the raising of a flag: it was customary for a man to carry the flag at the head of the camp, and this was a signal for all to attack. And when the flag was lowered, they knew that the king or the army commander had died, and that there was no longer any point in continuing to fight, and they would immediately begin to retreat.
וְהָאוֹרֵב קָם מְהֵרָה מִמְּקוֹמוֹ וַיָּרוּצוּ כִּנְטוֹת יָדוֹ וַיָּבֹאוּ הָעִיר וַיִּלְכְּדוּהָ וַיְמַהֲרוּ וַיַּצִּיתוּ אֶת־הָעִיר בָּאֵשׁ׃ - And the ambush rose quickly from its place and they ran when he stretched out his hand, and they came into the city and captured it, and they hurried and set the city on fire.
And so it happened, just as planned. The thirty thousand men lying in ambush rise up and run when Yehoshua stretches out his hand, seeing the javelin raised, and they capture the city and burn it.
וַיִּפְנוּ אַנְשֵׁי הָעַי אַחֲרֵיהֶם וַיִּרְאוּ וְהִנֵּה עָלָה עֲשַׁן הָעִיר הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וְלֹא־הָיָה בָהֶם יָדַיִם לָנוּס הֵנָּה וָהֵנָּה וְהָעָם הַנָּס הַמִּדְבָּר נֶהְפַּךְ אֶל־הָרוֹדֵף׃ - And the men of Ai turned to look behind them, and they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city rose to the heavens, and they had no strength to flee this way or that, and the people who had been fleeing toward the wilderness turned against their pursuers.
The men of Ai, who had run northward to pursue Yehoshua, turn their gaze back, to the south, and see the smoke of their city rising to the heavens, and at once their knees buckle. "They had no yadayim" - Rashi explains yadayim as an expression of strength; the Radak and Metzudat Tzion explain yadayim as an expression of place, as in "the hand (yad) of Avshalom" and "behold, he is setting up a monument (yad) for himself." And then the direction reverses: the people who had been fleeing toward the wilderness, to the north, turn to become the pursuers.
וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל רָאוּ כִּי־לָכַד הָאֹרֵב אֶת־הָעִיר וְכִי עָלָה עֲשַׁן הָעִיר וַיָּשֻׁבוּ וַיַּכּוּ אֶת־אַנְשֵׁי הָעָי׃ - And Yehoshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city and that the smoke of the city had risen, and they turned back and struck the men of Ai.
Yehoshua sees that the pursuers have realized their city has been burned, and this has brought faintness to their hearts, so he reverses the direction of the battle: from fleeing they become attackers. The Malbim asks: it already said in verse 20, "and the people who had been fleeing toward the wilderness turned against their pursuers," so why does it need to say again, "and they turned back and struck the men of Ai"? He further asks: how did the men of Ai come to be "in the middle," when they were surrounded only from the north and south, and could flee eastward or westward?
The Malbim explains: at first Yehoshua stretched out the javelin, and those fleeing halted and turned their faces against Israel. The enemy was alarmed - the smoke behind them and the camp before them - and stood bewildered and confused, not knowing which way to turn. Only after a period of time, which Yehoshua estimated to be enough for the ambush to have entered the city, set it ablaze, and come out of it to flank the enemy, only then "they turned back": then Yehoshua struck the men of Ai in order to drive them into the arms of the ambush that had already come out of the city. There were two stages here: first that the ambush set the city on fire, and then that it came out of it and helped in the fighting, to flank the men of Ai from the south.
וְאֵלֶּה יָצְאוּ מִן־הָעִיר לִקְרָאתָם וַיִּהְיוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל בַּתָּוֶךְ אֵלֶּה מִזֶּה וְאֵלֶּה מִזֶּה וַיַּכּוּ אוֹתָם עַד־בִּלְתִּי הִשְׁאִיר־לוֹ שָׂרִיד וּפָלִיט׃ - And these came out of the city toward them, and they were caught by Israel in the middle, these on one side and these on the other, and they struck them until none was left of them, neither survivor nor fugitive.
The ambush comes out toward them, for the men of Ai wish to return to their city, where their wives and children, their flocks and cattle and all their possessions remained. And now they are surrounded on all four sides: Yehoshua's camp from the north, the detachment of the open ambush from the west (since the formation was like the letter reish), and the great ambush from the south. The eastern side seemingly remained open, so why did they not flee there? The Malbim says: the east was already in our hands, for Yericho lies to the east. No one flees to the side that the army facing him has already conquered. Therefore we had no need to flank them from there at all, only from the south, the west, and the north. "And in this you will see the wisdom of Yehoshua," says the Malbim, "for this is the fundamental principle in the tactics of war: to surround the enemy on all his sides," so that he has nowhere to flee, and in this way one defeats him.
וְאֶת־מֶלֶךְ הָעַי תָּפְשׂוּ חָי וַיַּקְרִבוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ׃ - And they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Yehoshua.
Hashem performed a miracle for them, for usually capturing the king is a more difficult task, since he has special protection, and here they captured him alive and brought him to Yehoshua.
וַיְהִי כְּכַלּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל לַהֲרֹג אֶת־כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי הָעַי בַּשָּׂדֶה בַּמִּדְבָּר אֲשֶׁר רְדָפוּם בּוֹ וַיִּפְּלוּ כֻלָּם לְפִי־חֶרֶב עַד־תֻּמָּם וַיָּשֻׁבוּ כָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל הָעַי וַיַּכּוּ אֹתָהּ לְפִי־חָרֶב׃ - And it was, when Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they had pursued them, and they all fell by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, then all Israel returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword.
We see from here that the men of Ai were completely destroyed, in accordance with the Torah's command "you shall let nothing that breathes remain alive," while from Israel not a single man fell.
וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא־הֵשִׁיב יָדוֹ אֲשֶׁר נָטָה בַּכִּידוֹן עַד אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱרִים אֵת כָּל־יֹשְׁבֵי הָעָי׃ - And Yehoshua did not draw back his hand, which he had stretched out with the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
Yehoshua holds the spear just as Moshe Rabbeinu held the staff during the war with Amalek, fearing that if he lowered the spear it would appear as a bad omen for defeat. Therefore he continued to hold it, like the hands of Moshe waging war. And this was through a miracle, for it is impossible by natural means to hold a spear for such a long time. Whoever wishes to try it at home should take only a broom stick, not a metal spear, and hold it with one thin arm or two, and then he will understand how impossible it is to hold it that way for many hours. And I thought one might add further, based on what we saw earlier, that the spear is the lance, and it comes to hint that he holds the spear as if to say: there is no longer any cherem among them. It was the cherem that caused the defeat, and now that there is no cherem in their possession, they are able to win the battle.
רַק הַבְּהֵמָה וּשְׁלַל הָעִיר הַהִיא בָּזְזוּ לָהֶם יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּדְבַר יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֶת־יְהוֹשֻׁעַ׃ - Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took as plunder for themselves, according to the word of Hashem which He commanded Yehoshua.
"According to the word of Hashem which He commanded Yehoshua" - some explain that this comes to teach that their intention was for the sake of Heaven, not out of a lust for money but because Hashem had so commanded.
וַיִּשְׂרֹף יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אֶת־הָעָי וַיְשִׂימֶהָ תֵּל־עוֹלָם שְׁמָמָה עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃ - And Yehoshua burned Ai and made it an everlasting mound of ruins, a desolation to this day.
While the people were occupied with the cattle and the spoil of the city, Yehoshua was occupied with the mitzvah of burning Ai, just as Moshe Rabbeinu during the plunder of the sea was engrossed in the coffin of Yosef. And Yehoshua did not place Ai under cherem as he did with Yericho, because this place was in any case not a place people would aspire to return and rebuild, whereas Yericho was in a superior location, and therefore there he decreed a cherem that it never be rebuilt.
וְאֶת־מֶלֶךְ הָעַי תָּלָה עַל־הָעֵץ עַד־עֵת הָעָרֶב וּכְבוֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ צִוָּה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיֹּרִידוּ אֶת־נִבְלָתוֹ מִן־הָעֵץ וַיַּשְׁלִיכוּ אוֹתָהּ אֶל־פֶּתַח שַׁעַר הָעִיר וַיָּקִימוּ עָלָיו גַּל־אֲבָנִים גָּדוֹל עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃ - And the king of Ai he hung on the tree until evening, and at sunset Yehoshua commanded and they took his corpse down from the tree and cast it at the entrance of the city gate, and raised over it a great heap of stones, which remains to this day.
"Until evening" - in accordance with the Torah's command "his corpse shall not remain overnight on the tree." Anyone hung in the Land of Israel, even a gentile, this is the command. "At sunset," toward the setting of the sun, they take down his corpse, cast it at the entrance of the city gate, and raise over it a great heap of stones "to this day," meaning until the time the book was written, and not literally to this very day.
אָז יִבְנֶה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהַר עֵיבָל׃ - Then Yehoshua built an altar to Hashem, the God of Israel, on Mount Eival.
Here we enter a new section, over which many pens have been broken. The Malbim brings three approaches in Chazal on this matter, and says that all three are difficult to reconcile with the plain meaning of the verses. The Torah commands in Parashat Ki Tavo that when they cross the Yarden they should set up stones, coat them with plaster (that is, whitewash and cover them), build an altar from them, and write the Torah upon them. Yet in chapter 4 we saw that Yehoshua sets up the stones in Gilgal, and here it is written that he builds the altar on Mount Eival, and it is implied that this refers to that very same command.
The first opinion, a Mishnah in Sotah page 32: on the very day they crossed the Jordan they came to Mount Eival, built an altar, wrote the Torah on the stones, peeled off the plaster, and then returned and lodged that same day at Gilgal, where they set up the stones. This matter raises a great difficulty, for from Gilgal to Mount Eival is sixty mil. A whole nation, or even a group of men, walks sixty mil carrying with them heavy, enormous stones from the place of the Jordan, builds there, dismantles, and returns that same day another sixty mil. And if such a tremendous miracle occurred, why is it not mentioned in the verses at all? It only mentions that they built an altar, so why is the wonder not mentioned? And a further difficulty: if all this happened immediately upon crossing the Jordan, why is it written here, after the war of Ai, and not in its proper place?
The second opinion, in the Yerushalmi: there were two mounds beside Gilgal, one they called Mount Gerizim and the other Mount Eival. That is, this is not referring to the classic, well known Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival, but to two nearby hills that were so named. But here too the question returns: why was the matter not written there, at the place where they arrived at Gilgal, and why did the verse leave the matter until chapter 8, which is after the war of Ai?
The third opinion, a Gemara in Sanhedrin page 44, the view of Rav Sheila: following the sin of Achan, who trespassed with the devoted property, Hashem said to Yehoshua "Arise, go" - you brought this upon yourself. We already saw one explanation above, and this is a further explanation: I said "And it shall be on the day that you cross the Jordan you shall set up for yourself great stones," and you distanced yourselves sixty mil. The claim against Yehoshua was why did they distance themselves sixty mil and not set up the stones immediately upon crossing the Jordan. "After he departed, Rav set up a spokesman over him and expounded" - after Rav Sheila left, Rav appointed a translator and expounded: "As Hashem commanded Moshe, so did Yehoshua do." And Rashi explains: a verse is written thus, and Rav Sheila did not expound well when he said that Yehoshua changed. That is, Rav does not accept that Yehoshua changed from what Moshe said, for it is written explicitly that all that Hashem commanded Moshe, so did Yehoshua do.
It emerges, says the Malbim, that according to Rav Sheila this deed took place some time after the crossing of the Jordan, and by this it is settled why it is written here: it is not referring to that period, and on the contrary, the Holy One, blessed be He, is claiming that they tarried. But what is not understood is Rav's objection: did Yehoshua then change from the divine command? And on the other hand, Rav says that Yehoshua did not change, but does not reveal to us what his own view was regarding the story itself. Therefore the Malbim comes to offer an explanation that will fit both the approach of Rav Sheila and also explain the approach of Rav.
According to the plain flow of the verses, "Then Yehoshua built" - at the conclusion of the war of Ai Yehoshua built an altar. And to understand this, we must return to the Torah. In the book of Devarim chapter 27 verse 2: "And it shall be on the day that you cross the Jordan you shall set up for yourself great stones and coat them with plaster, and you shall write upon them all the words of this Torah when you cross over." And in verse 4: "And it shall be when you cross the Jordan, you shall set up these stones which I command you today on Mount Eival, and coat them with plaster. And you shall build there an altar to Hashem your God, an altar of stones... and you shall write upon the stones all the words of this Torah." Note that three things repeat doubly: the crossing of the Jordan, the plastering, and the writing of all the words of the Torah.
And the Malbim notes that there is a difference between the commands. In the first it says "on the day that you cross the Jordan" - specifically on the day, on that very day, do not delay. And so Yehoshua did: he set up great stones at Gilgal that very day, as we saw in chapter 4, and those stones were meant as a sign and a remembrance of the miracle that occurred in the crossing of the Jordan. And afterward it says "and coat them with plaster and write... when you cross over" - not "on the day you cross over" but "when you cross over," meaning days later. There is an additional commandment regarding those same stones: to coat them with plaster and to write upon them the words of the Torah.
And since the first command came in a brief manner, verse 4 comes and details how one actually does this: when you cross the Jordan, meaning several days later - "when you cross over," and it does not say "on the day you cross over" - you shall set up these stones on Mount Eival. Those very stones that were set up at the place of lodging, at Gilgal, you shall take to Mount Eival, there you shall set them up anew, and there you shall coat them and write upon them. And what is said in verse 2 to coat and to write is a statement about what will be done in the future, and it does not say that they should coat the stones at Gilgal. And this is Rav's view, that Yehoshua did not change from Moshe's words. And it even fits Rav Sheila who said that they distanced themselves sixty mil - true, they distanced themselves sixty mil, but there was no change here at all, rather as Hashem commanded Moshe, so did Yehoshua do.
כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד־יְהֹוָה אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּכָּתוּב בְּסֵפֶר תּוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה מִזְבַּח אֲבָנִים שְׁלֵמוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא־הֵנִיף עֲלֵיהֶן בַּרְזֶל וַיַּעֲלוּ עָלָיו עֹלוֹת לַיהֹוָה וַיִּזְבְּחוּ שְׁלָמִים׃ - As Moshe the servant of Hashem commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the Torah of Moshe, an altar of whole stones over which no iron had been lifted; and they offered upon it burnt offerings to Hashem and sacrificed peace offerings.
The Malbim: as Moshe commanded - coat them with plaster, and the altar was built from the stones that he had set up at the place of lodging. And this is what is said "as it is written in the book of the Torah of Moshe," and likewise "whole stones" mentioned in the book of the Torah of Moshe. And the novelty here is that a wondrous thing occurred, that they found within the Jordan whole stones that no iron had touched and that were fit for an altar. And understand, these are great stones - Chazal say that enormous stones were taken out from there. Whoever goes today and digs in the Jordan will find nothing but sand and more sand, and here they take out great whole stones that no iron had touched and build an altar from them.
וַיִּכְתָּב־שָׁם עַל־הָאֲבָנִים אֵת מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר כָּתַב לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ - And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the Torah of Moshe, which he wrote before the children of Israel.
The Radak says: from Bereishit until "before the eyes of all Israel," and even though it is not explicit, this is its root, and its meaning is the language of the Torah and its explanation in a general way. And Rabbeinu Saadia Gaon says that they wrote on them the number of the mitzvot as they are written in the halachot and the azharot, that is, in the manner in which the mitzvot are brought in the Sefer HaChinuch or in the azharot of Rabbeinu Shlomo ibn Gabirol which the Sefaradim customarily recite on Shavuot. And the Radak says: well did he say this, for it is not possible that they wrote the entire Torah on them, only what was needed in a general way. And this too is logical: they would not write the whole Torah from Bereishit, but only what is necessary, these being the mitzvot of Hashem.
And upon what did they write, on the stones or on the plaster? The Radak says: our Rabbis disagreed. Some said that they wrote it upon the stones and afterward plastered them over with plaster, and some said that first they plastered the stones and wrote the Torah upon the plaster. The opinion that they wrote on the plaster is understandable, so that the nations would be able to see the Torah, and thus it is brought that they wrote it in seventy languages. But the opinion that they wrote on the stones and then plastered over them, what is the logic in it? You write and afterward you coat it over, and who will be able to read it? Chazal say that in this there was a claim against the nations: why did they not come and scrape off the plaster? That is to say, effort is demanded here, investment and caring are demanded: if I care what Hashem wants, I will come and scrape off the plaster to see what the divine command is. And the Radak adds that they wrote the words of the Torah in seventy languages, as it says "clearly explained," so that every people and tongue that read it would be able to understand. And the Metzudat David explains "a copy of the Torah of Moshe" as the entire book of "Eleh HaDevarim," which is called Mishneh Torah, for it is the review and repetition of the weighty portions of the Torah itself.
וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וּזְקֵנָיו וְשֹׁטְרִים וְשֹׁפְטָיו עֹמְדִים מִזֶּה וּמִזֶּה לָאָרוֹן נֶגֶד הַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם נֹשְׂאֵי אֲרוֹן בְּרִית־יְהֹוָה כַּגֵּר כָּאֶזְרָח חֶצְיוֹ אֶל־מוּל הַר־גְּרִזִים וְהַחֶצְיוֹ אֶל־מוּל הַר־עֵיבָל כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד־יְהֹוָה לְבָרֵךְ אֶת־הָעָם יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּרִאשֹׁנָה׃ - And all Israel, its elders, officers, and judges, stood on this side and on that side of the Aron, opposite the Kohanim the Leviim who carried the Aron of the covenant of Hashem, the stranger as well as the native; half of them facing Mount Gerizim and half of them facing Mount Eival, as Moshe the servant of Hashem had commanded, to bless the people of Israel first.
What is "to bless the people of Israel first"? Rashi says: to place the blessings before the curses. Indeed, in the Torah only the curses are mentioned, "cursed is the man who makes a graven or molten image... and all the people shall say Amen," but Rashi there already brings that blessings and curses were spoken, and therefore there were both Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival: six tribes toward Mount Gerizim for the blessings and six tribes upon Mount Eival for the curses. And how did the blessing precede the curse, when in the Torah no blessings were written? Rather, corresponding to each curse a blessing was spoken: first "blessed is the man who does not make a graven or molten image and set it up in secret," and all the people said Amen, and afterward "cursed is the man who makes a graven or molten image and sets it up in secret," and all the people said Amen. Corresponding to each curse they said its opposite.
And the Malbim explains, in accordance with the view of the Ibn Ezra in his commentary on the Torah: the six tribes on Mount Gerizim spoke the blessings, and the six tribes on Mount Eival spoke the curses, and the Leviim who stood below between the two mountains spoke only the "cursed" statements written there. And so it is written in the pesukim: "these shall stand to bless" and "these shall stand for the curse," "and the Leviim shall answer," the Leviim only answer. And therefore it says that Israel stands opposite the Kohanim the Leviim. The Leviim would open with "cursed," and this the verse did not need to inform us here, for it is clear that they did as is written in the Torah. And if so, "to bless the people of Israel first" means that Israel are the ones who put the blessing first and afterward the curse, unlike the Leviim who opened with the curse. The verse refers to the one who blesses: Israel were the ones who blessed first.
וְאַחֲרֵי־כֵן קָרָא אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה כְּכָל־הַכָּתוּב בְּסֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה׃ - And afterward he read all the words of the Torah, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the Torah.
Afterward Yehoshua reads all the blessings and the curses, and the Malbim says that these are those written in Parashat Ki Tavo: "And it shall be, if you do not listen to the voice of Hashem your God to observe and to do all His mitzvot and His statutes which I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you, cursed shall you be in the city and cursed shall you be in the field." All this Yehoshua read himself.
לֹא־הָיָה דָבָר מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה מֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר לֹא־קָרָא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ נֶגֶד כָּל־קְהַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְהַנָּשִׁים וְהַטַּף וְהַגֵּר הַהֹלֵךְ בְּקִרְבָּם׃ - There was not a word of all that Moshe commanded that Yehoshua did not read before the entire assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the stranger who walked among them.
The Radak says: it appears from the pesukim that after the Leviim read the blessing and the curse, Yehoshua read in their ears all the positive mitzvot and negative mitzvot, and therefore the verse emphasizes that there was nothing that he did not read before them. And what is "the stranger who walked among them"? The Radak says: these are those who were converting from the nations throughout all their journeys, on account of the wonders that they heard and saw, such as those who came to join themselves to the people of Israel.
Chapter 8 opens with Yehoshua's concern, not out of fear of the battle but out of fear that perhaps the divine favor had not fully returned, and from here we learned the words of Rabbeinu Yonah that the desire of the righteous is to draw forth favor from Hashem and not merely to be forgiven. From there the chapter goes on to reveal wondrous wisdom of warfare: a visible army that draws out the enemy, a distant ambush in the southwest that had gone out two days earlier and circled around so that they would not be seen, and a near, visible ambush in the northwest that closed off the escape corner, until the enemy was surrounded on all sides, which according to the Malbim is the foundation of military tactics. And throughout the entire stratagem the emphasis recurs: "and Hashem your God will give it into your hand," and the outstretched spear teaches that the decision is made first above and only afterward unfolds below. The chapter concludes with the altar on Mount Eival, with the writing of the Torah upon the stones in seventy languages, and with the blessings and the curses facing the two mountains, for all the victories are but a means, and the purpose is the acceptance of the Torah and its fulfillment before the entire assembly of Israel, the women, the little ones, and the stranger who walks among them.