What is the meaning of "Yehoshua wrote these matters in Sefer Toras Elokim"?
Rashi citing the Targum: Yehoshua wrote his words in a Sefer, and hid it in the Sefer Torah 1 .
Rashi citing Makos 11a #1: He wrote the last eight verses of the Torah (that begin with Moshe's death).
Rashi citing Makos 11a # 2: He wrote the Parshah of Arei Miklat, like they are written in Sefer Toras Elokim.
Malbim: He wrote these matters amidst his Sefer (which he wrote - Bava Basra 14b), and joined it with Sefer Toras Elokim, to be among Kisvei ha'Kodesh.
Does this not belittle the honor of the Sefer Torah? Perhaps Hashem authorized this. (PF) Lev Yitzchak - the Targum means that Yehoshua hid [what he wrote] in the place where the Torah is.
Why did he take a rock?
Radak (25): The rock [and Alah] were witnesses about the Bris.
Malbim: He wanted to designate a special place for his Sefer. He took a hollow rock to be an Aron for his Sefer.
What is the Alah?
Rashi citing Targum Yonasan: It is Alsah, i.e. the [door]posts of the entrance [to the Mishkan]. 1
Rashi: This is like the Alah (tree) near Shechem - "va'Yitmon Osam Yakov Tachas ha'Elah" (Bereishis 35:4).
Malbim (27) #1: It is a tree [in Shilo].
Malbim (27) #2: It was a rock in the shape of an Alon (tree). Normally, there is Tzeirei under the Aleph, like "Ki Sihyu k'Elah" (Yeshayah 1:30); the Tzeirei was changed to a Patach.
Rashi: This is like "ha'Ayil Mezuzos Chamishis", "Midah Achas la'Elim" (Melachim 1 6:31, Yechezkel 40:10).
Why does it say "Asher b'Mikdash Hashem"?
Rashi: They brought the Aron there (refer to 24:1:3:1). Radak - the house where the Aron was, it was called Mikdash at the time due to the Aron. 1
Malbim (26,27) #1: If Alah is a tree, it was outside the Mikdash in Shilo, for one may not plant any tree in the Mikdash (Devarim 16:21).
Malbim (27) #2: If Alah was a rock in the shape of a tree, it was truly in the Mikdash in Shilo.
