waving

נַפְתִּי מִשְׁכָּבִי (Mishlei 7:17), I have sprinkled my bed, is ענין ההתכה והזלוף בבשמים, melting and sprinkling with spices. The noun is נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתוֹתַיִךְ כַּלָּה (Shir HaShirim 4:11), your lips, O bride, drip נֹפֶת, and וְנֹפֶת צוּפִֽים (Tehillim 19:11), and the dripping of the honeycombs, on the pattern of בֹּשֶׁת, shame, from בּוּשׁ, to be ashamed. Where it stands without צופים, honeycombs, or בשמים, spices, joined to it, it is elliptical, and what is left out is understood from elsewhere. Where the verb takes an object, גֶּשֶׁם נְדָבוֹת תָּנִיף אֱלֹהִים (Tehillim 68:10), a rain of bounty You shed, Elokim, that is, You make it flow and drip.

הֵנִיף אַֽהֲרֹן תְּנוּפָה (Vayikra 9:21), Aharon waved a wave offering. Chazal explain (Menachos 61a) that he would carry it forward and bring it back, and that waving is movement this way and that, while the תרומה, the raising, was a lifting upward, raising and lowering, and that is what it says, אֲשֶׁר הוּנַף וַֽאֲשֶׁר הוּרָם (Shemos 29:27), what was waved and what was raised: the waving is carrying forward and back, the raising is lifting up and down.

וְהֵנִיף יָדוֹ אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם וְאָסַף הַמְּצֹרָֽע (Melachim II 5:11), he will wave his hand toward the place and gather in the metzora, in the manner of those who whisper over a wound and wave their hand over it this way and that. אִם־יִתְגַּדֵּל הַמַּשּׂוֹר עַל־ מְנִיפוֹ (Yeshayahu 10:15), shall the saw magnify itself over the one who waves it, is said because the one who cuts with a saw waves it back and forth. יְנֹפֵף יָדוֹ (Yeshayahu 10:32), he waves his hand, is like אַֽחֲרֶיךָ רֹאשׁ הֵנִיעָה (Melachim II 19:21), she has shaken her head behind you: a man who scorns a thing waves and shakes his hand and his head at it, and so a man calling another waves his hand to him to come. In this sense it says מִפְּנֵי תְּנוּפַת יַד, because of the waving of the hand of Hashem of hosts, אֲשֶׁר־הוּא מֵנִיף, which He waves (Yeshayahu 19:16), that is, He waves His hand to those who fight against it and brings them upon it; so too הָנִיפוּ יָד וְיָבֹאוּ פִּתְחֵי נְדִיבִֽים (Yeshayahu 13:2), wave the hand and let them come into the gates of the nobles, and וּבְמִלְֽחֲמוֹת תְּנוּפָה (Yeshayahu 30:32), and in battles of waving.

לַֽהֲנָפָה גוֹיִם בְּנָפַת שָׁוְא (Yeshayahu 30:28), to wave the nations in a sieve of vanity, where לַֽהֲנָפָה is the infinitive, or else a noun. The noun is נָפָה, in construct בְּנָפַת. In the words of Chazal the sieve that flour is sifted in is a נפה, and they said (Avos 5:15) נפה שמוציאה את הקמח וקולטת את הסולת, the sieve that lets out the flour and keeps back the fine meal. It is called so because it is waved this way and that when the flour is sifted.

יְפֵה נוֹף מְשׂוֹשׂ כָּל־הָאָרֶץ (Tehillim 48:3), fair of נוֹף, the joy of all the earth, where נוֹף is מחוז או פלך, a district or a province. So too, in another pattern, כָּל־ נָפַת דֹּאר (Melachim I 4:11), all the district of Dor, and וּבְנָפוֹת דּוֹר (Yehoshua 11:2), and in the districts of Dor, which the Targum renders בְפִלְכֵי דוֹר, in the provinces of Dor; and שְׁלֹשֶׁת הַנָּֽפֶת (Yehoshua 17:11), the three districts, rendered תלתא פלכין, three provinces.

His father explains that the Creator divided His world into seven parts, the climes, which in lashon hakodesh are נופות. The air of each differs, and a man who leaves the נוף of his birth for another will most often fall ill, the change of air upsetting his own mixture. Yerushalayim was the fairest of the נופות, and whoever came to her from the rest would be sound and whole, and that is מְשׂוֹשׂ כָּל־הָאָרֶץ, the joy of all the earth.

יָדֵנוּ רָמָה (Devarim 32:27), our hand is high, and with the middle root letter showing as an alef, וְרָאֲמָה וְיָשְׁבָה תַחְתֶּיהָ (Zecharyah 14:10), it shall be lifted up and dwell in its place; רוּמָה עַל־הַשָּׁמַיִם (Tehillim 57:6), be exalted above the heavens. כְּרֻם זֻלֻּת לִבְנֵי אָדָֽם he explains as: when the wicked are raised, it is vileness to the sons of men. The adjectives are עַל כָּל־גֵּאֶה וָרָם (Yeshayahu 2:12), on all that is proud and high, הֶהָרִים הָרָמִים (Devarim 12:2), the high mountains, and עֵינַיִם רָמוֹת (Mishlei 6:17), haughty eyes; with an alef, רָאמוֹת לֶאֱוִיל חָכְמוֹת (Mishlei 24:7), wisdom is high for a fool. A height is עָלִיתָ לַמָּרוֹם (Tehillim 68:19), You went up on high, and מְרֹמֵי קָרֶת (Mishlei 9:3), the heights of the city; and וַתַּעֲשִׂי־לָךְ רָמָה (Yechezkel 16:24) is, and you made yourself a raised place.

הֲרִמֹתִי יָדִי (Bereishis 14:22), I have lifted my hand, תָּרִימוּ תְרוּמָה (Bamidbar 15:20), you shall set apart a terumah, and וּכְסִילִים מֵרִים קָלוֹן (Mishlei 3:35), fools raise up shame. וַיָּרֶם יָד בַּמֶּלֶךְ (Melachim I 11:26), he raised a hand against the king, means that he rebelled against him, and that is what raising a hand against him is. אֲשֶׁר הוּנַף וַאֲשֶׁר הוּרָם (Shemos 29:27) is what was waved and what was lifted off; what separates terumah from waving is set out under the root נוּף.

וְהֵרִים אֶת־הַדֶּשֶׁן (Vayikra 6:3), and he shall lift up the ash: Chazal explained that he lifted a panful of the ash every day and set it east of the ramp. On this explanation, the carrying out of the ash, of which it says וְהוֹצִיא אֶת־הַדֶּשֶׁן (Vayikra 6:4), and he shall carry out the ash, was not every day, only when there was much ash on the mizbeach and no room for the arrangement; and though they brought the heap down each day and took it out, the mitzvah was the daily lifting alone and not the clearing of the mizbeach, for on the regalim they did not clear it and left the heap as it stood, since it is an adornment to the mizbeach.

וְלֹא מִמִּדְבַּר הָרִֽים (Tehillim 75:6 in his edition), and not from the wilderness is raising: raising and enlarging come to a man neither from the rising of the sun nor from its setting nor from the wilderness; they do not come from all his striving and his going here and there, but only from Hashem, as it says כִּי־אֱלֹהִים שֹׁפֵט זֶה יַשְׁפִּיל וְזֶה יָרִים (Tehillim 75:8), for Elokim is the judge, He lowers one and lifts another. Some sefarim read ממדבר with a patach, from the wilderness of, and then הָרִים would be from הַר, mountains; even so the first is correct, and a patach outside a construct has cases like it, מִשְׁפַּט אֶחָד יִהְיֶה לָכֶם (Vayikra 24:22), one law shall there be for you, and וּמִקְסַם חָלָק (Yechezkel 12:24), and smooth divination. In the midrash (Rabbah, end of parshas Matos) Rabbi Abba says every הָרִים in Tanach means mountains but this one, which means exaltations, since a man is not exalted by these ways; and what does Hakadosh Baruch Hu do? He takes property from one and gives it to another.

גִּדַּלְתִּי וְרוֹמַמְתִּי (Yeshayahu 1:2), I reared and exalted, אֲרוֹמִמְךָ אֱלוֹהַי הַמֶּלֶךְ (Tehillim 145:1), I will exalt You, my Elokim the King, and רוֹמְמוֹת אֵל בִּגְרוֹנָם (Tehillim 149:6), the exaltations of Hashem in their throat. All of this sense is raising up. Rabbi Yonah divided between them; Radak holds there is no need, for separating one thing from another is itself a raising. So too וּכְסִילִים מֵרִים קָלוֹן, and fools raise up shame: a fool raises shame and brings it upon himself.

וְאַרְמוֹן עַל־מִשְׁפָּטוֹ יֵשֵׁב (Yirmiyahu 30:18), and a palace shall stand on its own place, may be derived from this sense, called so since it is a high building; he has already given it as a root of its own, אָרַם. רָאמוֹת (Iyov 28:18) is one of the precious stones, and some explain it as אַלְמוֹנִים, which is what is called coral in the vernacular.

יָדֵנוּ רָמָה (Devarim 32:27), our hand is high, and with the middle root letter showing as an alef, וְרָאֲמָה וְיָשְׁבָה תַחְתֶּיהָ (Zecharyah 14:10), it shall be lifted up and dwell in its place; רוּמָה עַל־הַשָּׁמַיִם (Tehillim 57:6), be exalted above the heavens. כְּרֻם זֻלֻּת לִבְנֵי אָדָֽם he explains as: when the wicked are raised, it is vileness to the sons of men. The adjectives are עַל כָּל־גֵּאֶה וָרָם (Yeshayahu 2:12), on all that is proud and high, הֶהָרִים הָרָמִים (Devarim 12:2), the high mountains, and עֵינַיִם רָמוֹת (Mishlei 6:17), haughty eyes; with an alef, רָאמוֹת לֶאֱוִיל חָכְמוֹת (Mishlei 24:7), wisdom is high for a fool. A height is עָלִיתָ לַמָּרוֹם (Tehillim 68:19), You went up on high, and מְרֹמֵי קָרֶת (Mishlei 9:3), the heights of the city; and וַתַּעֲשִׂי־לָךְ רָמָה (Yechezkel 16:24) is, and you made yourself a raised place.

הֲרִמֹתִי יָדִי (Bereishis 14:22), I have lifted my hand, תָּרִימוּ תְרוּמָה (Bamidbar 15:20), you shall set apart a terumah, and וּכְסִילִים מֵרִים קָלוֹן (Mishlei 3:35), fools raise up shame. וַיָּרֶם יָד בַּמֶּלֶךְ (Melachim I 11:26), he raised a hand against the king, means that he rebelled against him, and that is what raising a hand against him is. אֲשֶׁר הוּנַף וַאֲשֶׁר הוּרָם (Shemos 29:27) is what was waved and what was lifted off; what separates terumah from waving is set out under the root נוּף.

וְהֵרִים אֶת־הַדֶּשֶׁן (Vayikra 6:3), and he shall lift up the ash: Chazal explained that he lifted a panful of the ash every day and set it east of the ramp. On this explanation, the carrying out of the ash, of which it says וְהוֹצִיא אֶת־הַדֶּשֶׁן (Vayikra 6:4), and he shall carry out the ash, was not every day, only when there was much ash on the mizbeach and no room for the arrangement; and though they brought the heap down each day and took it out, the mitzvah was the daily lifting alone and not the clearing of the mizbeach, for on the regalim they did not clear it and left the heap as it stood, since it is an adornment to the mizbeach.

וְלֹא מִמִּדְבַּר הָרִֽים (Tehillim 75:6 in his edition), and not from the wilderness is raising: raising and enlarging come to a man neither from the rising of the sun nor from its setting nor from the wilderness; they do not come from all his striving and his going here and there, but only from Hashem, as it says כִּי־אֱלֹהִים שֹׁפֵט זֶה יַשְׁפִּיל וְזֶה יָרִים (Tehillim 75:8), for Elokim is the judge, He lowers one and lifts another. Some sefarim read ממדבר with a patach, from the wilderness of, and then הָרִים would be from הַר, mountains; even so the first is correct, and a patach outside a construct has cases like it, מִשְׁפַּט אֶחָד יִהְיֶה לָכֶם (Vayikra 24:22), one law shall there be for you, and וּמִקְסַם חָלָק (Yechezkel 12:24), and smooth divination. In the midrash (Rabbah, end of parshas Matos) Rabbi Abba says every הָרִים in Tanach means mountains but this one, which means exaltations, since a man is not exalted by these ways; and what does Hakadosh Baruch Hu do? He takes property from one and gives it to another.

גִּדַּלְתִּי וְרוֹמַמְתִּי (Yeshayahu 1:2), I reared and exalted, אֲרוֹמִמְךָ אֱלוֹהַי הַמֶּלֶךְ (Tehillim 145:1), I will exalt You, my Elokim the King, and רוֹמְמוֹת אֵל בִּגְרוֹנָם (Tehillim 149:6), the exaltations of Hashem in their throat. All of this sense is raising up. Rabbi Yonah divided between them; Radak holds there is no need, for separating one thing from another is itself a raising. So too וּכְסִילִים מֵרִים קָלוֹן, and fools raise up shame: a fool raises shame and brings it upon himself.

וְאַרְמוֹן עַל־מִשְׁפָּטוֹ יֵשֵׁב (Yirmiyahu 30:18), and a palace shall stand on its own place, may be derived from this sense, called so since it is a high building; he has already given it as a root of its own, אָרַם. רָאמוֹת (Iyov 28:18) is one of the precious stones, and some explain it as אַלְמוֹנִים, which is what is called coral in the vernacular.