What is the significance of the hornet?
Rashi: The hornet, which did not cross the Yarden, 1 shot poison into the eyes of the three nations listed in the Pasuk and killed them.
Ramban #1 (citing the Tanchuma) and R. Bachye (in Pasuk 27): The hornet, 2 which crossed the Yarden together wirh Yehoshua, 3 shot poison into the eyes of the three nations listed in the Pasuk and killed them.
Ramban #2: Hashem filled the air of their land with hornets 4 and it became dark, 5 thereby preventing the Cana'anim from going to fight with Yisrael. Moreover, they devoured all the produce of the land. 6 .
Sotah, 36a #1 (citing Resh Lakish): The hornet did not cross the Yarden with Yisrael. 7 It 'stood' on the bank of the Yarden and and shot poison at the enemy, blinding them above, and castrating them below. 8
Sotah, 36a #2 (citing Rav Papa): There were two lots of hornets; one in the days of Moshe, the other, in the days of Yehoshua.
See Torah Temimah, citing Sotah, 36a and note 164.
According to R. Bachye, Tzir'ah actually comprised a mixture of insects ? gnats, hornets, flies and bees.
Ramban and R. Bachye: As the Navi records in Yehoshua 24:11-12.
Ramban: Like He did with the locusts in Egypt and in the days of Yo'el (Yo'el, 2:25).
See Sh'mos 10:15.
As the Pasuk writes [about the locusts] in the K'lalos in Ki Savo Devarim, 28:38 & 42.
See Torah Temimah. Oznayim la'Torah: The eyes and the Ervah - Midah ke'Neged Midah, because they sinned in the area of Arayos, as the Torah states in Acharei-Mos, 18:27, a sin that begins with the eyes. See Oznayim la'Torah, who elaborates and offers an additional explanation..
Why specifically the Chivi, the Cana'ani and the Chiti?
Rashi: Because the hornet did not cross the Yarden 1 and the Chiti and Cana'ani ? alias Sichon and Og - lived in Eiver ha'Yarden. Whereas regarding the the Chivi, even though they lived west of the Yarden, they lived close to the border, and it shot poison at them from the other side. 2
Ramban #1: These three are only examples, and in fact, the hornet attacked all seven nations.
Ramban #2: Because most men of these three nations opted to remain safely in their fortified cities and not to go and fight Yisrael. So Hashem sent the hornet to destroy them in their homes. 3
R. Bachye: Because they were the strngest of the seven nations who live in impregnable fortresses; And the Torah is telling us the hidden miracle that he employed the weakest of all His creations to defeat the most powerful nation.
Oznayim la'Torah: Because these three nations sinned in the area of adultery more thann the other nations of Cana'an. 4
See Sifsei Chachamim.
See Oznayim la'Torah, who queries Rashi on a number of points. See also Torah Temimah, note 164, who switches 'Chiti' and 'Chivi' in the text of Rashi.
In the same way as He sent the locusts into the houses of the Egyptians, as the Torah writes in Bo, Sh'mos 10:6. See also Oznayim la'Torah.
How will the hornets drive the nations out of the land?
Rashi and Ramban #1: They will strike their eyes, and inject poison and kill them.
Ramban #2: Because a. They will cover the land and cause it to go dark, 1 thereby rendering them incapable of going to fight Yisrael, and b. They will devour all the produce of the land. 2 .
See Sh'mos 10:15.
As the Pasuk writes [about the locusts] in the K'lalos in Ki Savo Devarim, 28:38 & 42.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes that the Chiti and Cana'ani were in Eiver ha'Yarden (on the east side). But the Navi writes in Yehoshua 9:1 that all six Cana'ani nations were on the same (west) side of the Yarden?
Emes le'Ya'akov: They were actually on the west side of the Yarden, and Sichon and Og conquered them.
