Selections from Baal haTurim

The Three Covenants

דברים א, א: אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל-כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל

Baal HaTurim comments that 'Devarim', 'ha'devarim', 'eileh ha'devarim' is a hint to the three times that the Mitzvos were said, at Sinai, in the Ohel Mo'ed and in Arvos Mo'av. On each and every Mitzvah, he adds, He made sixteen covenants, a total of forty-eight all in all. Corresponding to this, the Torah warns against Avodah-Zarah forty-eight times, and likewise it issues forty-eight warnings against abusing a Ger, who comes to cleave to the Torah, on which forty-eight covenants were made.

The Five Books

דברים א, א: אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים

Baal HaTurim observes that the Gematriya of the first words of the Five Books of the Torah "Bereshis", "ve'Eileh", "VaYikra", "VaYedaber" & "Eileh" are equivalent to that of "Yir'as" (representing the Pasuk in Mishlei "Reishis Chochmah Yir'as Hashem" "the beginning of wisdom is the Fear of HaShem), which in turn, is equivalent to the word 'Torah'.

Plus, the Gematriya of the first letters of the five Books ('Beis', 'Vav', 'Vav', 'Vav' & 'Alef'), he adds, equals that of the Name of HaShem "Ehekeh", whereas that of the last letters ('Mem', 'Mem', 'Yud' 'Vav' & 'Lamed') is the equivalent of 'Hu Elokeinu Zeh'.

The Rewards of Kibud Av

דברים ב, ג: רַב-לָכֶם סֹב אֶת-הָהָר הַזֶּה פְּנוּ לָכֶם צָפֹנָה:

"You have spent enough time going round ('Sov') this mountain (Har Eisav); turn to the north!"

Baal HaTurim comments that the letter 'Samech' in the word "Sov" has Tagin (crowns) on it. This is because Eisav honored his father, who was sixty when he was born, and that is why he was destined to destroy the Beis HaMikdash whose Heichal was sixty Amos tall.

And that's not all, for in Pasuk five, the words "yerushah le'Eisav" (an inheritance for Eisav [in connection with Har Eisav]) contain the same Gematriyah as 'bi'sh'vil Mitzvas kibud' (due to the Mitzvah of honoring his father).

Og's Large Tooth

דברים ג, א: וַנֵּפֶן וַנַּעַל דֶּרֶךְ הַבָּשָׁן וַיֵּצֵא עוֹג מֶלֶךְ-הַבָּשָׁן לִקְרָאתֵנוּ הוּא וְכָל-עַמּוֹ לַמִּלְחָמָה אֶדְרֶעִי:

Baal HaTurim explains why Og's country was called 'Bashan'. It comes from the word 'shein' (tooth) and is connected with the miracle recorded in Berachos, where Og picked up a mountain to hurl on K'lal Yisrael. Had he succeeded, it is clear that he would have annihilated the entire nation. Only Hashem performed a miracle, and one of his teeth grew long and curled round the stone, thereby preventing him from throwing it.

Og's Bed

דברים ג, יא: כִּי רַק-עוֹג מֶלֶךְ הַבָּשָׁן נִשְׁאַר מִיֶּתֶר הָרְפָאִים הִנֵּה עַרְשׂוֹ עֶרֶשׂ בַּרְזֶל הֲלֹה הִוא

Baal HaTurim notes that "Halo" (it is not) is always spelled with an Alef at the end, as it is a combination of the word "lo," (no) and the prefix questioning Hei. Here it is spelled with a Hei in place of the Alef to create a word whose numerical value is 40. This alludes to the fact that in the future a king who will reign for 40 years will again reclaim these lands, King Dovid. As well the letter Hei is used to allude to King Dovid who is five generations down from his ancestor Salmone (Boaz, Oveid, Yishai, Dovid).

Alternatively, it alludes to Moshe who captured it from Og. Moshe was 10 cubits tall, jumped 10 cubits, and held a sword that was also 10 cubits tall. The total height of all this is 30 cubits and Moshe struck Og in his ankle, which was 30 cubits above the ground (see Berachos 54b). Moshe was Hei-Hei cubits tall and he struck Og at Lamed height, therefore HaLoH.