Deuteronomy · Chapter 11

And you shall love Hashem your God, and keep the charge of His Word, and His statutes, and His ordinances, and His commandments, all the days.

AND THOU SHALT KEEP HIS CHARGE — to fear Him, that you be heedful of sinning against Him. For after enjoining them concerning the love of G-d, He commands them concerning fear [of Him] and He enjoins the observance of the statutes, ordinances, and commandments. Or it may be that the expression and thou shalt keep His charge means that you are to protect what G-d protects, for He preserveth the strangers, is gracious unto the poor and the destitute, and He doth execute justice for the fatherless and the widow. As it is said elsewhere, to keep the charge of the Eternal thy G-d, to walk in His ways, and the Rabbis have said: “Just as He is gracious and merciful, so you also be gracious and merciful, etc.”

"And after He multiplied you" — therefore you are obligated to love Him; and he adds: "all the days."

ושמרת משמרתו, “you shall keep His charge.” Nachmanides understands these words to mean that we must maintain an attitude of reverence and fear even, which will ensure that we will not sin. Having previously commanded us to love Him (G’d), Moses now commands us to fear Him, as familiarity of the beloved might cause the beloved to sin inadvertently. This fear/reverence relationship covers all the various types of commandments in the Torah. Alternatively, this may be a command by Moses to emulate G’d in our relationship with creatures of whom G’d has demonstrated that He is especially solicitous. He declared His concern for the poor, the orphan and the widow, so we must relate to them with equal concern. He practices the virtues of being merciful; hence we, His creatures, must learn to practice that same virtue.

And know this day that it is not your children who did not know and who did not see the instruction of Hashem your God — His greatness, His mighty hand, and His uplifted arm —

וידעתם היום AND KNOW YE THIS DAY — Set your heart to know and comprehend, and to accept my reproof. כי לא את בניכם FOR NOT WITH YOUR CHILDREN am I now speaking who might say, “We do not know nor have we seen all this” (all that God did for you, and what He did to Egypt, and for you in the wilderness, and to Dathan and Abiram, as related in vv. 2—6).

HIS GREATNESS, HIS MIGHTY HAND, AND HIS OUTSTRETCHED ARM. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “[His greatness etc.] to bring you out from Egypt; and the signs and wonders, which He did to Pharaoh; and what He did unto you in the wilderness, in the matter of the manna.” But in my opinion it is incorrect, for now he [Moses] speaks only of the chastisement with which G-d admonished those who transgressed His will; [instead, the correct interpretation of the verse is as follows:] His greatness in that He exalted and elevated Himself when saying, Have thou this glory over me; By tomorrow shall this sign be; And I will distinguish [between My people and thy people]; that thou mayest know that the earth is the Eternal’s. And His mighty hand [refers to], And I will put forth My hand, and smite Egypt; the great work which the Eternal did [upon the Egyptians]. And His outstretched arm [means] that He did not give the Egyptians relief and deliverance from the moment His hand was stretched out upon them, and He hath not withdrawn His hand from consuming until He destroyed them. And what He did unto you in the wilderness, [means] that He smote you [Israel] in the affair of the calf, in the fire that burned at Taberah, [in the affair of] the fiery serpents, Kibroth-hattaavah, the plague at Shittim, and the decree in the affair of the spies so that the hand of G-d was upon them until they came to this place. He [Moses] shortened, however, the account of the punishments that He inflicted upon them. And if so, Therefore shall ye keep all the commandment etc. that ye may be strong, for His mighty hand strengthens those who keep His commandments, neither will He uphold the evildoers.

"For it is not your children" — the answer is: "for your eyes are the ones that see." The meaning is that these awesome things are not something future that your children will see; rather, you yourselves have seen them. "His greatness, His strong hand and His outstretched arm" — to bring you out of Egypt.

כי לא את בניכם, therefore, you who have become witnesses to G’d’s miracles for the generations by reason of the fact that you enter this land and conquer it. וזרועו הנטויה, which is ever ready to smite those who will revert to their sinful ways.

וידעתם היום, "and you shall know as of this day, etc." Moses means as of this day after you have reviewed all the proofs it is your duty to know that G'd has performed all these miracles as He did not perform them for your children. If your children who have only heard about all this would deny knowledge of these events this is one thing. You, however, who have witnessed all these events are in no position to deny knowledge of them. There was no need for Moses to define what precisely he meant by the word ידיעה, knowledge. They had seen with their own eyes miracles which proved that G'd is unique, has created the universe and is the supreme Ruler who despises those who disobey His laws and has chosen as His people those who adopt the laws of the Torah.

ואשר לא ראו את מוסר, “and who have not witnessed Your chastisement;” Moses will furnish the details immediately.

וידעתם היום כי לא את בניכם אשר לא ידעו, “and you will know this day, that not with your children who did not know, etc.” This verse tells that all the wonderful deeds performed by the Lord which Moses speaks about are not events which will happen in the future [like the promises of prosperity in the land of Canaan he had told them about. Ed.] Rather, “you yourselves have seen all this with your own eyes.” Everything we read here is an introduction to verse 7: “for you have seen.” Moses recalls that the people (or most of them, those 40 years and over) have been witnesses to what he is describing. If we find Moses relating to Datan and Aviram and what happened to them while omitting mention of Korach who was the leader of that rebellion, the reason may well be that he felt ashamed that a member of his own family had become guilty of such a sin. Or, he may have singled out Datan and Aviram as they had exceeded everyone else in their demagoguery and their effrontery, strutting around cursing, etc. (compare Tanchuma Korach 8). You are already aware that the “hidden” miracles are performed by the attribute Shaddai, the attribute which G’d employed in His dealings with the patriarchs. That attribute is referred to here as the שם הנכבד והנורא הזה, את ה' אלו-היך in Deut. 28,58. The “manifest” miracles are the ones orchestrated by G’d’s attribute Hashem, the tetragram. This is the attribute of G’d which manifested itself to Moses all the time. This is why you find at the beginning of this passage when Moses refers to all the miracles which affected the bodies of the people, i.e. “hidden miracles,” not dramatic changes in the laws of nature, that Moses employs the attribute ה' אלו-היך for the G’d who had performed them, just as Moses had done since the beginning of the Book of Deuteronomy. When he switches to recalling “manifest” miracles, the ones which changed the laws of nature, such as the descent of people into the bowels of the earth after this event had been announced in advance, suddenly Moses mentions only י-ה-ו-ה, the attribute Hashem as orchestrating that event. את גדלו ואת ידו החזקה וזרועו הנטויה, “His greatness, His powerful hand and His outstretched arm” Every intelligent person knows that terms such as “hand,” “arm,” “mouth,” “nose,” etc., cannot be applied to G’d in the literal sense of these words. They merely represent celestial equivalents of extensions of the essence of G’d just as these parts of the body are extensions of the essence of people on earth, extensions which enable the essence to carry out its will. Every such term used by the Torah in connection with G’d describes a specific function such an extension performs. Just as we do not call a “hand” once “a hand,” and another time “a foot,” the same is true of these terms when used in connection with G’d. We do not lump “arm” and hand together when describing these organs as part of a human being. Similarly, we do not do so when we describe them as extensions of the essence of G’d. The definition of יד, “hand,” includes the surface of the hand up until the beginning of the fingers. The part from the wrist to the elbow is known as קנה, whereas the part from the elbow up is known as זרוע. This is the part of the arm on which we put the phylacteries. On occasion this is known as the higher region of the hand, the part on the same level as the heart. Concerning this arm the sages in Menachot 43 said that proof that Israel is beloved of the Lord is that He assigned this part of the arm for them to place the phylacteries of the hand, and the head to place the phylacteries of the head. The proof that the part of the arm above the elbow is called זרוע is found in Job 31,22 כתפי משכמי תפול ואזרועי מקנה תשבר, “may my arm drop off my shoulder; my forearm break off at the elbow.” Job enumerated parts of the arm beginning with his shoulder, followed by זרוע, continuing with קנה, the arm below the elbow, the part which links up with the hand. We find similar terminology in the Mishnah in Oholot 1,8 where 248 limbs (bones) of man are enumerated, thirty of them being considered part of the פסת היד, ‘the hand;’ 6 of these bones of the hand are attributed to each of the fingers. The Mishnah enumerates 2 bones as being part of the forearm (below the elbow) and 2 more as part of the elbow, one in the upper arm and four in the shoulder. This Mishnah is proof that the part called קנה are the bones linking the hand to the elbow. The term עציל is a word found in the Baraitha describing the word מרפק in the Mishnah (elbow). In Biblical language the עציל of the Baraitha is identical with אציל as described in Ezekiel 13,18 על כל אצילי ידי, “upon all my elbows.” Targum Yonathan clearly translates the word אצילי as “my elbows,” [in contrast to Rashi who considers it as “my armpits”. Ed.] In Massechet Sofrim 3,15 we find the halachah “a man is not to place a Torah scroll upon his knees and hold it down with his elbows (so it does not fall) as it is unseemly (to place one’s weight upon the Torah scroll).” Having explained the difference between יד and זרוע, the author of Masechet Sofrim continues: “it is a well known fact that the זרוע is “greater” (more powerful) than the יד, seeing the power of the hand is derived from the arm and not vice versa.” This makes it clear that whenever the Torah speaks of both hand and arm, the arm is always considered as describing something even more forceful than the hand. Both the mention of G’d’s “hand” and mention of G’d’s “arm” are references to the attribute of Justice at work. The attribute of Justice operates on different levels of intensity, however. Just as red wine comes in different shades of red so the attribute of Justice becomes manifest in different degrees of severity. The manifestation of a weak form of the attribute of Justice presupposes that there must be a stronger form from which the weaker form derives its input. I have explained this in connection with the two letters ה in מי כמוכה in Exodus 15,11. This is also the meaning of Isaiah 53,1: וזרוע ה' על מי נגלתה, “against whom has the “arm” of the Lord become manifest?” When David (Psalms 44,4) speaks of כי ימינך וזרועך, “Your right hand and Your arm,” he also refers to G’d employing His power against the Canaanites as first relatively mildly, ימינך, followed by a stronger dose, i.e. זרועך. I have alluded to all this in my commentary on Exodus 14,31 “Israel saw the great hand, etc.” When the Torah speaks here of G’d’s “greatness, גדלו,” followed by His “strong hand, ידו החזקה,” and “His outstretched arm וזרועו הנטויה,” this is similar to what we read in 5,21. הן הראנו ה' אלו-הינו את כבודו ואת גדלו ואת ידו החזקה וזרועו הנטויה describes “His strong hand and outstretched arm, The word כבדו describes the “weak” manifestation of the attribute of Justice, a manifestation containing also part of the attribute of Mercy. This fact is underscored by use of the tetragramצשאםמ for G’d in that verse. It is as if the Torah had written 'כי בי-ה ה' a combination of Justice, i.e. י-ה,and Hashem, i.e. Mercy. Solomon used similar terms when he prayed at the dedication of the Temple (Kings I 8,42) asking G’d to respond when the people would first hear G’d’s attribute of Mercy mentioned,שמך הגדול followed by the attribute of Justice, i.e. את ידך החזקה וזרועך הנטויה.

את מוסר, disciplinary measures as described in Deut.8,5 “as a father disciplines his son, so the Lord your G’d disciplines you.”

כי לא את בניכם, “that it was not your children;” Moses warns his own generation that it was they who would be punished for ignoring the laws of the Torah, as it was they who had witnessed G–d’s miracles for them, not their children who had been born in the desert.

and His signs, and His deeds that He performed in the midst of Egypt against Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and against all his land —

"And His signs and His deeds" — against Pharaoh, who is the chief [subject here].

and what He did to the camp of Egypt, to their horses and to their chariots, when He made the waters of the Sea of Reeds flow over them as they pursued after you, and Hashem destroyed them until this day —

HOW HE MADE THE WATER OF THE RED SEA TO OVERFLOW THEM THAT PURSUED AFTER YOU, AND HOW THE ETERNAL HATH DESTROYED THEM UNTO THIS DAY. I have not understood the meaning of the phrase, unto this day, for all who die in the sea are destroyed forever [thus the expression unto this day would appear redundant]! Possibly it refers back to the expression unto their horses, and to their chariots, that for the entire generation [following the exodus] horses and chariots remained [irretrievably] lost, since Pharaoh had taken along with him all the horses, chariots, and horsemen that were in Egypt and they were all destroyed, and henceforth it was a lowly kingdom without the chariot and horse, the army and the power. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that [the expression unto this day] denotes that their children afterwards never rose in their stead to resemble them. Rabbi Abraham’s intent is to state that G-d [not only] destroyed the pursuers in the sea, [but] in Egypt [proper] He destroyed the seed [of the pursuers], not leaving them a name and remnant, since they were the most wicked of all the Egyptians to pursue after the redeemed of the Eternal. But this is not mentioned in the Torah!

"Who made overflow" — derived from [the root of] "waters flowed over my head" (Lamentations 3:54). "And He destroyed them" — the meaning is that their sons never rose up in their stead to be like them.

ויאבדם ה' עד היום הזה, for then the choicest captains of the Egyptian cavalry were drowned with their armies in such a decisive manner that even now, forty years later, they have not recovered from this defeat. Until this day these military leaders of Egypt have not been replaced.

ואשר עשה לחיל מצרים, “and what He did to the army of Egypt;” [Moses adds in verse 6, that G-d had killed Datan and Aviram. These two actions do not appear to be related to one another, neither in the manner in which either party met its death, nor in the quantity of people involved in each action.] Why did Moses treat them in such a manner? He wished to demonstrate how both the earth and the ocean collaborated with G-d. The Egyptians did not drown in the regular manner but the waves piled up upon them forcing them below. [In the case of Datan and Aviram, though they stood far away from Korach, they were also swallowed by the earth which strained to carry out what it perceived to be G-d’s will.] Onkelos pays tribute to the astuteness with which nature cooperated with G-d, i.e. חכימא מיא, “the waters acted with wisdom.”

אשר הציף את מי הים סוף על פניהם...ויאבדם ה' עד היום הזה, “Who poured the waters of the Sea of Reeds upon their faces…and He wiped them out until this day.” Nachmanides agonises over the meaning of the words עד היום הזה, “until this day.” After all, all the Egyptians who perished in the sea remain dead forever. What does any of this have to do with “היום הזה”? It is possible that Moses by speaking of היום הזה, reverts to the loss of horses and riders that the Egyptians experienced at that time 40 years ago, and which to the best of his knowledge had not been made good until the time when he was speaking. As a result of that stunning military defeat, according to Moses, Egypt had become relegated to being a “third rate kingdom.” Ibn Ezra understands Moses to mean that never since that time until now did there arise among the Egyptians personalities of impressive stature as Egypt had produced many of while the Israelites were still in that country. This would have been a fitting punishment for a people who in spite of being blessed with an abundance of riches allowed themselves to descend to unparalleled depths of depravity. They reached a zenith in their wickedness when they set out in pursuit of a nation that had been redeemed by the Creator Himself, personally.

and what He did for you in the wilderness, until you came to this place —

"And what He did for you in the wilderness" — this is the matter of the manna.

ואשר עשה לכם במדבר, “and what He did for you in the desert;” this is a reference to the manna. (Ibn Ezra)

and what He did to Dathan and Abiram, sons of Eliab son of Reuben, when the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them, and the people of their households, and their dwellings, and all the living substance that was with them, in the midst of all Israel —

בקרב כל ישראל [AND THE EARTH SWALLOWED THEM UP] IN THE MIDST OF ALL ISRAEL — Wherever one of them fled the earth was riven beneath him and swallowed him up. This is the view of R. Judah. Rabbi Nehemiah said to him: But is it not already stated, (Numbers 16:32) “And the earth opened its mouth”, and it does not state “its mouths”? Whereupon he (R. Judah) asked him: “But how, then, can I explain the words: “in the midst of all Israel” (if there was but one spot at which they were swallowed up, as you suggest Scripture states by the word פיה, “its mouth”)? He replied to him: you can reconcile the two texts by assuming that the earth became a declivity, — something like a funnel, — and wherever it was that one of them happened to be, he rolled down until he reached the place where the fissure was (cf. Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 752). ואת כל היקום אשר ברגליהם AND ALL THE SUBSTANCE THAT WAS AT THEIR FEET — This means a man’s money, that places him on his feet (Sanhedrin 110a).

He mentions and what He did unto Dathan and A biram, but did not mention of Korach and his company that a fire came forth from before the Eternal and consumed them, because it is a prohibition of the Torah for a stranger [non-priest] to approach [the Sanctuary] to burn incense, such a transgressor being punished in all future generations, as happened also to King Uzziah; therefore he did not enumerate it among the signs in the wilderness.

"And their households" — these are their wives and children. "And all the substance" — a collective term. "That was at their feet" — meaning: on their account, or according to its plain sense. And since your eyes have seen all these things, take care to observe the commandments of Hashem.

כל היקום..בקרב כל ישראל, "every substance…in the midst of all Israel." This means that the earth swallowed even the substances belonging to Datan and Aviram which were not in the vicinity of their owners wherever they happened to be at that moment. Bamidbar Rabbah 18,13 claims that even a needle was included in this statement.

ואת בתיהם, “and their houses.” Wives, children, and their young infants went to their deaths.

“And all the substance that was at their feet.” Rashi explained this as a person’s wealth that establishes them upon their feet. But is a person without wealth lame in their feet? Does not all their wisdom and other human virtues support them? It seems that this is speaking in criticism of the acquisition of wealth, as it is the least of the four virtues enumerated by Rambam [in Eight Chapters], which are wisdom, strength, character traits, and wealth. All of these are attached to a person, but wealth is external to them. For wisdom has its source in the head, brain, and heart; strength has its source in the heart, as one who is faint-hearted is not strong. But wealth is attached to their feet, for the profit of the earth is for all (Ecclesiastes 5:8), and the earth is trodden by their feet. Logically, wealth should be the least of all virtues and should be under a person’s control to do with their money as they wish. But ultimately, the situation is reversed — their wealth overpowers them, turning them wherever it desires. It rises from the earth, from its lowly position, as when a man rises against his fellow — so too their wealth rises against them, controls them, and causes them to transgress their own principles and the will of their Creator. Therefore, Scripture calls it the substance that was at their feet, because this despised idol, held in contempt and placed under the soles of their feet, is the very thing that rises against them to rule over them, as when a man rises against his fellow and slays him (Deuteronomy 22:26). Similarly, this acquisition brings its owner into many dangers, and it is what killed Korach, for he trusted in his wealth and fell. Therefore, Scripture calls the wealth of Korach and his assembly the substance that was at their feet.“

ואשר עשה לדתן ואבירם, “and what He has done to Datan and Aviram, etc.” Moses does not mention what G’d had done to Korach and his family and followers and how heavenly fire consumed the 250 people offering incense. The sin of those people who had encroached on privileges reserved for the priests was such that it is irredeemable even after death. History has shown that King Uzziah who tried to arrogate similar privileges to himself, was similarly stricken. What had happened to those 250 men therefore was not something unique to the generation of the Israelites in the desert; this is why Moses did not mention it as such at this time. [Compare Chronicles II chapter 26. Uzziah only became stricken with leprosy, was not burned by heavenly fire, according to that report. Perhaps the fact that he was stricken after having been specifically warned was sufficient of a miracle for Moses in the opinion of our author to compare his fate to that of the 250 men who had heeded Moses’ dare to offer incense. Ed.]

for your own eyes have seen every great deed of Hashem that He performed.

כי עיניכם הראת BUT YOUR EYES HAVE SEEN — This is to be connected with the verse mentioned above (v. 2), thus: (2) For not with your children am I speaking who do not know, but with you whose eyes have seen, etc.

'כי עיניכם הרואות את כל מעשה ה, which He performed against those who rebelled against Him, to Pharaoh in Egypt, to Pharaoh at the Sea, to those who rebelled against Him in the desert, Datan and Aviram,. It is therefore up to you who have experienced all this with your own eyes to warn your children who have not been eyewitnesses to these events. Therefore...

כי עיניכם, for your own eyes have seen this.

You shall therefore observe all the commandment that I am commanding you today, so that you may be strong and go in and possess the land to which you are crossing over to possess it.

"And you shall possess" (וִירַשְׁתֶּם) — the resh is voweled with a chirik on account of the chirik of the vav.

ושמרתם את כל המצות אשר אנכי מצוך היום, the commandment to erect the stones in the Jordan as well as the stones you will take with you from the Jordan on which you will inscribe the Torah for the benefit of future generations so that the memory that these events really happened will be preserved.

ושמרתם את כל המצוה..למען תחזקו "You shall keep all the commandment in order for you to be strong, etc." Moses advances this argument against the people who suggested a temporary neglect of Torah study, something which physically weakens those who pursue it with intensity. The argument was that they had to husband their physical strength in order for them to conquer the Canaanites. Compare Sanhedrin 26 describing Torah study as a physically debilitating experience based on the word תושיה in Isaiah 28,29. I have mentioned previously that whenever Moses uses the expression כל המצוה in the singular he refers to Torah study. The reason Moses used the expression ושמרתם here, an expression associated with the observance of negative commandments is that neglect of Torah study would be considered a violation equal to transgressing a negative commandment. Moses concludes our verse by saying: "in order that you will be strong" to tell you that far from weakening you, Torah study and מצוה-performance will strengthen you in the forthcoming war by G'd. This is also the meaning of Proverbs 8,14: אני בינה לי גבורה, "once I have acquired insight (through Torah study) courage and strength will be mine."

למען תחזקו, “in order that you will remain strong;” Moses does not mean that the commandments should be performed in order to strengthen the Israelites’ bodies; it is never recommended that we serve the Lord for the sake of reward on this earth. (Avot, 1,3) What he meant was that performance of the commandments as a whole punctiliously, would ensure that their stay on the ancestral land they were about to be given would endure for many years. (verse 9)

למען תחזקו ”in order that you be strong;” Moses does not tell the people to observe G–d’s laws in order that they will become strong (physically), for if that were the reason they would be fulfilling the Torah for the sake of the reward in store for them. This is not the proper motive. (Compare Ethics of our fathers chapter 1, mishnah 3) The interpretation of this line is as follows: “perform the commandments out of a feeling of love for the Lord.” The word למען, here does not mean: “in order that,” just as it does not mean “in order that” in verse 21 of our chapter where we read: למען יאריכון ימיך, in the Ten Commandments in chapter 5,16. It means that the reason you must be strong is in order that you can fulfill the commandment required of you. The word is not linked to what follows, but describes a requisite for successful performance of the Torah being not fear of G–d but love of G–d.

And so that you may prolong your days upon the land that Hashem swore to your fathers to give to them and to their children — a land producing milk and honey.

ולמען תאריכו ימים על האדמה, for if your children will not observe G’d’s commandments they will be exiled from this land before the warnings in the paragraph commencing with ונושנתם בארץ, “you will become well established in the land,” can ever become a reality (Deut.4,25).

For the land to which you are entering to possess it is not like the land of Egypt from which you came out, where you would sow your seed and water it by foot, like a garden of vegetables.

לא כארץ מצרים הוא [THE LAND WHITHER THOU GOEST …] IS NOT AS THE LAND OF EGYPT, but it is better than it. He mentions Egypt because this assurance was made to Israel on their departure from Egypt, for they said: Perhaps we shall not come to a land as good and beautiful as this. — One might, however, think that Scripture is here speaking to its (the Land’s) disparagement, and that he states the following to them: It is not as the land of Egypt — but it is worse than it! It, however, states, (Numbers 13:22; see Rashi thereon) “And Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt etc.”. One person built both of them: Ham built Zoan for Mizrajim (Egypt), his son, and Hebron for Canaan, another son. The usual way is that a man first builds the better city, and afterwards builds the inferior one, because what is not good enough for the first he puts into the second, and, besides, the better is usually first. Thus you may learn that Hebron was a finer city than Zoan. Now Egypt is superior to all other lands, for it is stated of it, (Genesis 13:10) “Like the garden of the Lord, viz., like the land of Egypt”, and Zoan was the best city in Egypt, because it was the seat of royalty, for thus does it state, (Isaiah 30:4) “For in Zoan were its princes”; Hebron was the worst city in Canaan, — for this reason, indeed, they set it apart for a place of burial, — and yet it was finer than Zoan (cf. Sifrei Devarim 37:1-3). — In the Talmud, Treatise Ketuboth 112a, they derived this in another manner: Is it likely that a man would first build a house for his younger son (here Canaan), and afterwards for his elder son (Mizrajim)? But the meaning of שבע שנים נבנתה וכו׳ is that it (Hebron) was furnished (built up) with all excellencies seven times better than Zoan. אשר יצאתם משם [THE LAND OF EGYPT] FROM WHICH YE WENT FORTH — even the district of Raamses in which ye dwelt and which was in the best part of the land Egypt, as it is said, (Genesis 47:11) “[And Joseph placed his father and his brethren] in the best part of the land, [in the land of Raamses]” — even that is not as good as the land of Israel (cf. Sifrei Devarim 38:7). והשקית ברגלך [LIKE THE LAND OF EGYPT] WHICH THOU DIDST WATER WITH THY FOOT — The land of Egypt was such that you had to bring water from the Nile through your foot (i.e. you had to go to the Nile to bring water) to irrigate it — you had to rise from your sleep and to toil. Then again, the lowlying parts alone drank (were irrigated by the Nile) and not the higher land, and you had to take up water from the lower to the higher parts: but this land (Canaan), למטר השמים תשתה מים DRINKETH WATER OF THE RAIN OF HEAVEN — You may sleep soundly on your beds, and the Holy One, blessed be He, waters both low and high districts, both what is exposed and what is not exposed alike (Sifrei Devarim 38:2). כגן הירק AS A GARDEN OF HERBS, which has not enough from rain alone, and one has to water it through the foot and shoulder (one has to run about to bring wa...

[FOR THE LAND, WHITHER THOU GOEST IN TO POSSESS IT, IS] NOT AS THE LAND OF EGYPT — “but better than it. This assurance was given to Israel upon their departure from Egypt, for they said, ‘Perhaps we will not come to a Land as good and beautiful as this’ [hence they were assured that the Land whither they were going was far better than Egypt]. One might, however, think that Scripture speaks in disdain of the Land, and Moses said thus to them: ‘It is not as the land of Egypt — but worse than it!’ Scripture states, therefore, Behold, Hebron ‘nivnethah’ (was built) seven years before Zoan in Egypt. One person [Ham] built [both] of them. Usually, a person builds the better city first and afterwards the inferior one etc.” This is Rashi’s language from the Sifre. And he further quoted what the Rabbis have interpreted in the Gemara of Tractate Kethuboth with a different point of view: “Is it possible that a man would build a house for his younger son first and afterwards for his elder son? But the meaning of the expression, Behold, Hebron ‘nivnethah’ seven years is that it was ‘built up’ superior to Zoan sevenfold.”In line with the plain meaning of Scripture the verse here is said by way of the warnings [with which Moses has been admonishing the Israelites]. For he said to them, “Therefore shall ye keep all the commandments etc. that you may possess the Land etc. a Land flowing with milk and honey, since G-d will give the rain of your Land in its season and the Land shall yield her produce. But know you that it is not like the land of Egypt [where one can find sufficient water] to irrigate it with his feet from the streams and the pools as a garden of herbs. Instead, it is a Land of hills and valleys, and drinketh water as, the rain of heaven cometh down, not in any other way. Therefore it requires that G-d care for it always by giving it rain because it is a very thirsty Land and needs rain all year. If you transgress G-d’s Will and He does not care for it [the Land] with ‘rains of benevolence’ it is a very bad one, it cannot be sown, nor beareth, nor any herb groweth on its mountains.” All this he reviews and explains in the following section, that if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments, then I shall give the rain of your Land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain always, and if you will not listen He shall shut up the heaven etc. and ye shall perish by famine from off the good Land, since you will not be able to live therein without rain. Thus this section warns in terms of the laws of nature. From it we learn that although everything is within His authority and it was but a light thing in the sight of the Eternal, blessed be He, to destroy the inhabitants of the land of Egypt and to dry up their rivers and streams, the land of Canaan, however, could be destroyed more quickly, by His not providing the showers of His mighty rain. The sick person needs merits and prayer in order that G-d heal him more than the healthy one wh...

"For the land" — here is another reason why you are obligated to keep His commandments: because the land is not like the land of Egypt; rather it has need, throughout the year, for Hashem to set His eye upon it. The meaning speaks in the manner of a parable, like a man who sees everything it requires and provides it all in its proper time.

כי הארץ אשר אתה בא שמה לרשתה לא כארץ מצרים היא, which does not require rainfall.

כי הארץ אשר אתה בא שמה וגו :”for the land that you are about to come to, etc.; ”the nature of that land requires that you observe G-d’s commandments. This land is not like Egypt where all the farmer had to do was to plant the seed and nature would take over automatically, as the Nile would irrigate the seedlings and the crops would grow. Therefore: והיה אם תשמעו. “It will be as a result of your hearkening, etc, I will direct My rain to the land that needs it. (vv. 11:13-14) והיה אם לא כארץ מצרים היא, “it is not like the land of Egypt;” Rashi explains as follows: Cham, Noach’s youngest son had built Tzoan in Egypt and Chevron in Canaan. When Rashi commented on Genesis 12,6, that the Canaanite was still living in that land, it means that the Canaanites at that time were in the process of capturing that land from Shem, Cham’s older brother. They did so by proceeding from the north of the land, which had been part of Shem’s ancestral land and that of his descendants. The lower, i.e. more southerly part of what is now the land of Israel had belonged to Cham. Chevron belonged to that part of the land of Canaan. This too has been explained by Rashi.

לא כארץ מצרים היא, “it is not like the land of Egypt;” a land which depends on manual irrigation, i.e. though water is always available it must be brought by man to the fields. The land of Canaan receives its irrigation directly from heaven, through rainfall, not requiring man to bend down and to do back-breaking labour. As long as you observe the laws of the Torah G’d will provide this rainfall for you and the land will produce its yield. If not, (verse 17) G’d will lock the heaven and there will not be any rain, hence no crops either. Even though G’d could have stopped the river flowing in Egypt if the Jews had remained there and failed to keep the laws of the Torah, Nachmanides already dealt with this by writing that G’d prefers to use minimal interference with natural events. Seeing that the land of Israel, as opposed to the land of Egypt, consists of mountains and valleys, an absence of rain means that whatever moisture there had been before will run off much faster than in a flat land like Egypt in which the moisture is retained longer. Sick people need to possess some merit in order to regain their health. Similarly, if Israel or the land of Israel becomes ”sick” as evidenced by an absence of rain, it has to acquire some merits to be healed, i.e. for G’d to make the rain descend again.

לא כארץ מצרים היא אשר יצאתם משם, “it is not like the land of Egypt from which you have departed.” According to Nachmanides, the plain meaning of these words is meant as a warning to the people to be careful to observe the commandments of the Torah in that land as that land depends on rainfall, not like Egypt; therefore, non observance would lead G’d to withhold the necessary rainfall at the appropriate times. Moses impresses all this upon the people a second time in the second paragraph of the קריאת שמע that commences with verse 13 in this chapter. Moses refers to the land of Egypt and what goes on there to remind them that although it is easy for the Creator to arrest the flow of the river Nile if He so desires, and to thereby bring to an immediate end the prosperity of that land and its inhabitants, He does not interfere with His natural law without severe provocation. To interfere with the rainfall in the land of Canaan represents far less of an interference with natural law than arresting the flow of the river Nile, hence the people of Israel better be on their guard not to provoke G’d. Moreover, He Who had to go out of His way to enable the Israelites to be liberated from bondage by a number of miracles, would not hesitate to respond if the people for whom He had taken all this trouble were to show themselves ungrateful by violating His rules of conduct.

כי הארץ אשר אתה בא שמה לרשתה לא כארץ מצרים היא, This is part of the structure of these portions of the Torah, i.e. you need to observe the commandments of the Lord your G’d for the land of Israel cannot be compared to the land of Egypt, being superior in quality to the land of Egypt for the people who observe G’d’s laws. At the same time, it will prove inferior to the land of Egypt for people who do not observe G’d’s laws. Proof of this can be seen already in the fact that the land of Egypt enjoys constant irrigation from the river Nile, does not need rain, whereas the land of Israel is totally dependent on rainfall at the proper time of the year. The Egyptians enjoy their irrigation regardless of their being G’d fearing or not. Their staple foods are assured. The land of Israel, on the other hand, seeing that עיני ה' אלוקיך בה, being constantly under the detailed scrutiny of the Lord your G’d, מרשית שנה ועד אחרית השנה, to ensure that you will have the necessary rainfall at the right time in the right amount, makes you aware of the need to conduct yourself so that He approves of you.

לא כארץ מצרים, “not like the land of Egypt; that land is a flat land lacking mountains and therefore enables its inhabitants to draw water from the Nile river through digging canals to the land surrounding the river. The Jewish people when in their ancestral land, by contrast, will have to depend on the rain to irrigate their land. As a result they will realise the need for their G–d being well disposed towards them as else He might withhold the required rainfall at the appropriate time for securing their success in the fields. Your fulfilling His commandments at the appropriate times, will insure that He grants rain at the appropriate time in the appropriate quantities.

But the land to which you are crossing over to possess it is a land of mountains and valleys; it drinks water from the rain of the heavens.

ארץ הרים ובקעת [THE LAND WHITHER THOU ART PASSING IS] A LAND OF HILLS AND VALLEYS — The mountain is better than the plain because in the plain, in an area that takes a Kor of seed, you can sow only a Kor, but in the mountain the summit of which is an area that takes a Kor, from it you have areas for five Kors of seed: four from its four slopes and one on its summit (Sifrei Devarim 39:3). ובקעת — these are the plain lands.

למטר השמים תשתה מים. For there are not enough rivers to irrigate the farmland so that the earth requires rainfall to irrigate the crops.

והארק אשר אתם עוברים שמה, "and the land which you are crossing over to, etc." Why does Moses repeat the words: "the land you are crossing over to," having said something almost identical in verse 10 already? I believe we have to understand these two verses as follows. Although the Torah had already extolled the virtues of the land of Canaan, describing it as a land flowing with milk and honey, the Torah had to contrast it with Egypt which is also a land blessed with excellent produce as the Torah had testified in Genesis 13,10: "like a garden of G'd, like the land of Egypt." Moses explains that whereas Egypt receives its bounty only by means of natural means, without special providence by G'd, it has another disadvantage compared to the land of Canaan in that you have to irrigate the land with back-breaking labour, whereas in the land of Canaan the rain does the irrigating.

ארץ הרים ובקעות, “a land of hills and valleys.” No one was able to irrigate his fields by drawing on the waters from the rivers. Seeing that you will depend on rainfall at the appropriate season, you will do well to observe the commandments properly.

It is a land that Hashem your God seeks out continually; the eyes of Hashem your God are upon it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.

אשר ה' אלהיך דרש אתה [A LAND] WHICH THE LORD THY GOD CARETH FOR — But does He not care for all lands, as it said, (Job 38:26) “[Who hath cleft a way for the lightning of the thunder …] to cause rain even on a land where no man is"? But, if one can say so of God, He cares for that land alone, but through the care which He bestows on it, He cares also for all other lands with it (Sifrei Devarim 40:1). תמיד עיני ה' אלהיך בה THE EYES OF THE LORD THY GOD ARE ALWAYS UPON IT, to see what it requires, and to make new dispensations for it, sometimes for good and sometimes for bad, as is stated in Treatise Rosh Hashanah 17b. מרשית השנה FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR [TO THE END OF THE YEAR] — At the beginning of the year it is decided by God what will be right up to the end of it (Rosh Hashanah 8a).

"From the beginning" (מֵרֵשִׁית) — written without an alef; and many [verses] are so. Therefore it is written: "And it shall come to pass, if you diligently listen, then I will give rain for your land" — and this is [the meaning of] "the eyes of Hashem your God are upon it."

דורש אותה, to carefully scrutinize the deeds of its inhabitants to determine if they are deserving the rain or not. Therefore, you should remain aware of the fact that

אשר ה׳ אלוקיך דרש, "which the Lord your G'd enquires after (all the time)." Moses emphasises the word אלוקיך, "your G'd" to remind us that the excellence of this land is conditional on the mutually exclusive relationship between Israel and its G'd. If Israel were to find itself in exile due to its sins, the land would not prove excellent for whoever would dwell in it after Israel would be expelled.

דורש אותה, “He cares for it constantly;” He examines the people’s morals in that land especially carefully. מרשית השנה, “from the beginning of the year;” the word ראשית appears here without the customary letter .א ועד אחרית שנה, right until the end of the year. He is entitled to bless the fruit of the land even after it has reached their storage places in their homes. We know that from the promise in Deut. 28,8, יצו ה׳ את הברכה באסמיך, “the Lord will command the blessing in your barns.”

ארץ אשר ה' אלו-היך דרש אתה תמיד, עיני ה' אלו-היך בה, “a land which the Lord your G’d seeks out; the eyes of the Lord your G’d are upon it from the beginning of the year until the end.” According to the plain meaning of the text Moses means that G’d’s supervisory activities are concentrated on this land more than on any other. Once G’d has found out what goes on in the land of Israel, His gaze extends further and further and encompasses the rest of the globe. The matter is similar to man’s organs. First and foremost the heart is examined to determine its condition, seeing that life or death depend in large measure on the condition of the heart, the centre of man’s organisms. Subsequently, a physician examines other limbs and organs which are more peripheral than the heart. The major point of our verse is that the condition of the land of Israel is not left to G’d’s agents, horoscopic influences, etc., but that G’d Himself super-vises this land on an ongoing basis. This is also what David referred to in Psalms 87,7 when he said כל מעיני בך, “all My fountains are within you.” The word מעין is perceived as related to עין, eye; David quotes G’d as saying that His principal supervision is concentrated on “you,” the land of Israel. From there it will extend throughout the rest of the world. A kabbalistic approach: the words ארץ אשר ה' אלו-היך דורש are a reference to the Sanctuary in the celestial regions. Concerning this celestial Sanctuary the prophet Isaiah 66,1 already quoted G’d saying that whereas the heavens are “My throne, the earth is My footstool.” “Feet” symbolize a lower extremity. The reason Moses speaks here of two attributes, i.e. ה' אלו-היך, is because he wants to display the linkage between the terrestrial and the celestial Sanctuary, i.e. two extremities of the concept Sanctuary. The terrestrial Sanctuary is known as בית קדשנו ותפארתנו, “the house of our holiness and glory,” i.e. dedicated to the One Who is our Holy One and our glorious One. The word קדשנו refers to the attribute כבוד, and we find this reflected in Psalms 96,6 עז ותפארת במקדשו, “strength and glory are found in His Sanctuary.” In this connection you must appreciate the previous verse (11) והארץ אשר אתם עוברים שמה, “and the land which you are passing over to, etc.” In that verse the Torah refers to the terrestrial land of Israel, the one on which the terrestrial Sanctuary is to be erected. To make this distinction clear Moses describes the mountains and hills in that land which receives its rainfall from heaven (obviously not heaven itself) as distinct from the celestial regions. However, the land mentioned in our verse (12) is a “land” in the celestial regions, the “tenth” emanation as alluded to by the word תמיד better read as מדת י, “the tenth attribute, emanation.” Seeing that this is so, i.e. the correlation of the celestial Sanctuary and the terrestrial Sanctuary, “our” land is blessed with ten blessings as spelled out in Deut. 8,8 where we explained how, although only seven species are explicitly mentioned there, actually 10 are meant. This entire verse is an allusion to the word הארץ mentioned at the beginning of Genesis. מרשית השנה, “from the beginning of the year.” The word מרשית is spelled without the customary letter א after the letter ר [and can thus be read מתשרי]. This is an allusion to the New Year, the first of the month of Tishrei, anniversary of the creation, the day on which G’d sits in judgment of His creatures. Our sages in Rosh Hashanah 8 see in this the source for G’d predetermining our fates for the whole ensuing year, based on our past performance.

ארץ אשר ה' אלוקיך דורש אותה תמיד, “a land which the Lord your G–d looks after constantly;” He does so with a view to examine its inhabitants’ way of life as they will be judged according to their actions and the frequency with which the perform the commandments. This is why we recite twice daily the second paragraph of the kriyat sh’ma, commencing with the words: “it will be as a result of your observing My Commandments ........ that I will give the required amount of rain at the proper time, etc.” (verse 17 in our chapter) Also the sages in the Talmud, tractate Rosh Hashanah folio 17, explain our verse in the following sense. Concerning the word: בעתו, “at its appropriate time,” our sages say that rainfall may occur as a blessing or as a curse, depending on the condition of the growing crops at the time when it descends. If at the time of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish people were in a state of disgrace due to non observance, G–d may supply only a little rainfall; this may spur them to engage in repentance. It will not make sense to suddenly increase the rainfall, as the decree had already been sealed and executed. If they had been in good standing at the beginning of the year, and G–d therefore had provided the required amount of rain, but they subsequently became corrupted, how would G–d be able to retract the rain that had already descended? Therefore, Rosh Hashanah is the time at which G–d decrees the required amount of rainfall for the year at that time, but lets it descend on the part of the land that requires it if the conduct of the people deserves it, and on a different part of the land where it goes to waste, if the conduct of the people is such that it had forfeited this blessing. מרשית שנה, “from the beginning of the year.” Why has the word ראשית, spelled defectively, without the letter א after the letter ר? Rabbi Yitzchok, on folio 16 in the above quoted tractate of the Talmud, claims that any year which commences apparently poorly, will by the time it comes to its end have become much better. If Moses added the word: עד אחרית “until the end,” this is proof that the year will have an end for those who doubted that at its beginning. The meaning of the word: רשה, i.e. ראשית, without the letter א, is: that the year started poorly so that its people would becoming humble and deserve better by the end of it.

And it shall come to pass, if you truly heed My commandments that I am commanding you today — to love Hashem your God and to serve before Him with all your heart and with all your soul —

והיה אם שמע AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IF YE WILL HEARKEN — The word והיה is to be connected with what is said above (v. 11): “it drinketh water of the rain of heaven”. שמע תשמעו lit: AND IT WILL COME TO PASS IF HEARKENING YE WILL HEARKEN — If you hearken to the old (if you hear again what you have already learnt, i.e. if you repeatedly study the old lessons), you will hearken to the new (you will the more easily gain new knowledge) (Sukkah 46b; cf. Rashi on Exodus 19:5). Similar is the meaning of אם שכח תשכח (Deuteronomy 8:19): If you have begun to forget, your end will be that you will forget all of it. So, too, is written in a certain Scroll: If thou forgettest Me one day, I will forget thee two days (cf. Sifrei Devarim 48:8; Jerusalem Talmud end of Berakhot). מצוה אתכם היום [MY COMMANDMENTS WHICH I] COMMAND YOU THIS DAY — This suggests that they should ever be to you as new commandments, as though you had heard them for the first time on that day (Sifrei Devarim 58). לאהבה את ה׳ TO LOVE THE LORD — This means that you should not say: Well, I will learn, but in order that I may become rich, in order that I may obtain the title Rabbi, in order that I may receive a prize, — but whatever you do, do it out of love for God (Sifrei Devarim 41:23), and ultimately the honour which you desire will certainly come (Nedarim 62a). ולעבדו בכל לבבכם AND TO SERVE HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART — i.e. to serve Him with a service that is in the heart: that is prayer, for prayer is termed service (עבודה), as it is said, (Daniel 6:17) “Thy God whom thou servest continually”. But was there service (i.e. sacrificial service, the technical term for which is עבודה) in Babylon? But the term is used because he offered prayer there, as it is said, (Daniel 6:11) “Now his windows were open [in his upper chamber towards Jerusalem and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day and prayed]”. And so, too, it states in the case of David (Psalms 141:2): “Let my prayer be set forth as incense before Thee” (incense being part of the sacrificial service) (Sifrei Devarim 41:25-27). בכל לבבכם ובכל נפשכם [TO LOVE THE LORD] WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL — But has it not already admonished us to love God, by the words (6:5) “[Thou shall love the Lord thy God] with all thy heart and with all thy soul”? But that was an admonition addressed to each and every individual (“with all thy heart”), whilst here it is an admonition addressed to them as a community (“with all your heart”) (Sifrei Devarim 41:29).

[AND TO SERVE HIM] WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL. “Has he not already mentioned with all thy heart and with all thy soul? But that warning was addressed to the individual, and this is a warning to the community.” This is Rashi’s language quoting the Sifre. The explanation of the matter is as follows: G-d does not always perform miracles — every time giving the rain of the Land [in its proper season], the former rain and the latter rain, increasing the corn, wine, and oil, and providing also abundant grass in the fields for the cattle, or, on the contrary, shutting up the heaven and drying up the Land — except according to the deeds of the majority of the people. The individual, however, lives by his own merits, and he dies in his iniquity. Thus he is saying that upon their performance of all the commandments out of perfect love, He will do all these miracles with them for the good. And he further says that when they worship idols He will perform with them a sign for bad [to indicate to them the need to repent]. Know further that miracles for good or bad are performed only for perfectly righteous or utterly wicked people. For average people, however, He visits good or bad upon them in a natural manner according to their way and by their doings.

אם שמוע תשמעו...ונתתי מטר ארצכם בעתו, so that you will find your livelihood painlessly, and the land will cooperate with you. If not, G’d will not provide any rain and you will not have food to eat (16-17)

והיה אם שמע תשמעו, "and it will be if you will surely hearken, etc." The meaning of the word והיה is usually that something joyful will occur. Moses tempers this by making the joy conditional on it being due to performance of G'd's commandments. Moses continues with the conditional אם [as opposd to the word כאשר "when," Ed.]. The reason is analogous to what we have learned in Shabbat 30 that the only kind of joy Solomon praised was the joy generated through מצוה-performance. Concerning all other kinds of joy Kohelet 2,2 applies, i.e. ולשמחה מה זה עושה, "and of joy, what does it accomplish?" Moses repeated the word שמע based on a comment in Berachot 55 on Daniel 2,21 "He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledgable." G'd does not grant wisdom unless a person has already acquired a measure of wisdom. When Moses says: "if you will hearken" he means if you already have a wise heart and are mentally prepared to hearken, G'd will grant you more such wisdom so that you will surely hearken to G'd." לאהבה…ולעבדו…ונתתי, "to love G'd..to serve Him;..and I will give the rain, etc." In view of previous statements to the effect that the reward for מצוה-performance is not paid in this life, Moses assures the people if their service is of a quality that is equivalent to their loving G'd with all their heart then they will also experience compensation in this life. This is the meaning of the conjunctive letter ו at the beginning of the word ונתתי in verse 14. Receiving rainfall at the appropriate time is not the reward for their מצוה-performance but is something additional, i.e. ו, plus. The reward itself is stored up for the Hereafter. Moses also hints that although a good livelihood is one of the three blessings which are within the province of mazzal and not of personal merit as we explained repeatedly (Moed Katan 28), when the nation serves the Lord in the above-mentioned manner Israel as a whole will rise above mazzal and everything which happens to it comes under the scrutiny of the personal providence of G'd. בכל לבבכם ובכל נפשכם, "with all your hearts and with all your souls." In this instance Moses did not mention מאדכם, "your material assets" as he did in Deut. 6,5. The reason is that the paragraph in Deut. 6 was addressed to the individual Jew whereas this paragraph is addressed to the nation as a whole. Whereas it is possible to find an individual who values his material assets over and above his very life, the Torah had to command that Jew not to do so. Amongst the people collectively it is psychologically impossible to find them value their assets as worth dying for. In such a setting, the rule applies that people will give up all their wealth in order to save their lives. As soon as Moses had told the people that they should love the Lord with all their souls, it went without saying that the same applies to all their material assets.

ולעבדו בכל לבבכם, “and to serve Him with all your hearts.” Our sages in Taanit 2 ask rhetorically: “what kind of service can one perform for G’d with one’s heart?” They answer: “Prayer.” They prove this from Daniel 6,17: “your G’d, the one whom you serve constantly, He will save you.” Was there then a Temple for the Jewish G’d in Babylon where Daniel could have offered sacrifices? Clearly the King must have referred to the G’d to whom Daniel prayed in his heart. In verse 11 of that same chapter Daniel is described as opening the window of his room facing Jerusalem when praying. David also said in Psalms 141,2: “take my prayer as an offering of incense.” Moreover, our sages in Berachot 26 have said that the daily prayers nowadays are in lieu of the daily communal offerings, the תמידים. It is important to appreciate that the power of prayer is such that it can bring about changes in the laws of nature, save people from mortal danger, and bring about cancellation of evil decrees by G’d. We know that it can effect changes in the laws of nature from Yitzchak whose prayer in the presence of Rivkah brought about the new-found ability of Rivkah to conceive (Genesis 25,21). She had previously been barren, and our sages explain that this was so as G’d wanted to encourage Yitzchak to pray to Him to reverse this situation. (compare Shir Hashirim Rabbah 2,31). Our sages explained to us that the barrenness of our matriarchs was due only to the absence of the prayers of either themselves or their husbands. Proof that prayer can save one from mortal danger is found in Psalms 107,23: “the ones who descend to the sea in ships.” We know that from when Jonah prayed inside the fish, surely a mortal danger if ever there was such. Not only this, but David continues in that psalm describing how the mariners in time of a storm pray to G’d Who saves them from these dangers. As a result of their prayers G’d silences these turbulent waters (verse 29). Proof that prayer is able on occasion to reverse evil decrees by G’d is found in Isaiah 38,8 where G’d tells King Chizkiyah that his prayer has been granted that he will enjoy a 15 year extension of his lifespan after the prophet had told him in the name of G’d to make his last will and testament as he would not recover from his sickness. (Compare Berachot 10 on what the king told the prophet.) The Talmud tells us not to despair even if the sword is poised to fall on one’s neck, that G’d is still able to help. They quote Job 13,15 to prove their point. Incidentally, our sages there reveal that the power of prayer exceeds the power of prophecy. In this connection we must remember that in the period between Moses and the men of the Great Assembly (over 900 years later) prayer was not formalized as it is nowadays. Every person formulated his prayers in his own words in accordance with his knowledge and ability. The men of the Great Assembly organised the formula which serves until this day as the principal prayer commonly known a the Shmone Esreh, (“18,” according to the number of benedictions which it contains). The main reason the men of the Great Assembly formulated this prayer was to ensure that everyone would learn it by heart and be familiar with it. This is why the language of that prayer is very plain and simple. This would prevent people from becoming confused and making errors. The sages wanted the prayers of both fools and wise men to be identical so that the fools would not feel at a disadvantage. These benedictions were composed with the utmost care and with regard to such formulas having proved successful. The introductory benediction, known as אבות introduces the petitioner as a descendant of the patriarchs and as such entitled to a hearing. It is followed by a benediction known as גבורות, a declaration of our awareness of G’d’s mighty deeds. The third benediction is called קדושה, a prayer in which we extol G’d’s Holiness. These three benedictions are followed by a string of בקשות, requests (12 in all) which are arranged both in terms of our spiritual needs, our physical needs, our national needs and our individual needs. The final three benedictions consist of עבודה, a prayer asking for the restoration of the Temple and the sacrificial service in the Temple, followed by a benediction known as הודאה, thanksgiving. This is followed by the blessing by the priests, the prayer for peace, without which all the other blessings are short-lived. If you will examine the letters in the tetragrammaton י-ה-ו-ה you will find that if the letters of that name are spelled in a different sequence you have a total of 12 variations, known as צירופים, permutations. An example of these variations is that starting with the first letter י you could follow it with either a ו followed by two letters ה, or by the letter ה twice followed by the letter ו. The three basic letters in the tetragrammaton, the letters י-ה-ו lend themselves to six permutations, i.e. יהו,יוה,הוי,היו,ויה,והי giving you a total of 6 such צירופים. The tetragrammaton, having four basic letters, doubles the number of permutations possible so that you wind up with basically 12 צירופים. [Some authorities speak about 24. Ed]. The number 12 corresponds to the numerical value of the word זה in the verse זה שמי לעולם, “this is My name forever” (Exodus 3,15). The three first permutations, i.e. the ones using the letter י at the beginning, correspond to the first three of the benedictions representing אבות, גבורות, קדושה. The final three צירופים in that series correspond to the last three benedictions עבודה, הודאה, ברכת כהנים. The 6 permutations in the middle correspond to six of the 12 central requests, i.e. אתה חונן, השיבנו, סלח לנו, גאולה, רפואה, פרנסה. The other six benedictions do not have a specific permutation of the tetragrammaton assigned to them and one can perceive them as being used interchangeably. The reason that the 19th benediction, the one added by later sages as a request to ward off the potential damage caused to Jews and Judaism by its defectors and maligners cannot be assigned any of these permutations of the tetragrammaton is that this benediction is addressed in the first instance to the attribute of Justice, not the tetragrammaton as we want that attribute to neutralize these anti Jewish forces. This nineteenth benediction and its significance has already been alluded to in Psalms 29 where after mentioning the tetragrammaton 18 times, David adds the words ואל הכבוד הרעים, in verse 3, a reference to the attribute of Justice. The only reason David changes the attribute he addresses there after having referred to the tetragrammaton 18 times is that he hints that this attribute ought to be poised, ready to strike these virulent anti-Semites unless they retract. Another reason that David introduces an additional attribute of G’d in that psalm is that he conveys the message that not only our external enemies but our internal enemies, the evil urge, should be taken care of by the attribute of Justice. We encourage the attribute of Justice, so to speak, to vent its anger on our internal enemies. Among the 12 requests we observe that 6 address human needs whereas the other 6 are the plea for the restoration of G’d’s kingdom on earth and His closeness to His people as it had been prior to the destruction of the Temple. By means of the addition of the 13th request, the one to liquidate the hostile heretics, we have a total number of 13 requests corresponding to the 13 attributes of Himself which G’d revealed to Moses after the episode of the golden calf. This is an allusion to the fact that all the good on earth, be it for the benefit of man or G’d Himself, is channeled our way by means of these attributes in one form or another. It is therefore incumbent upon us to address the Essence of G’d, Who operates by means of these attributes. This is what Moses had in mind when he quoted the Gentile nations (Deut. 4.7) as describing our relationship to that Essence as אשר לו אלו-הים קרובים אליו. The Gentiles felt that no other nation established such a close relationship to the Divine Essence, the tetragrammaton, by means of the attributes as did the Jewish people. This is conditional on בכל קראנו אליו, “providing that when we pray we always call out to Him, the Essence” (Deut. 4,7). The word אליו specifically excludes any of the attributes as being the address to which our prayers are to be directed.

“And it shall come to pass, if you earnestly listen [to My commandments],” Rashi explains: “If you listen to the old, you will continue to listen to the new,” as our Sages said (Avot 4:2): “The reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah,” and listening leads to more listening, that is, from the old to the new. And regarding what is written with all your heart and with all your soul, but “with all your might/substance” [meodkhem] is not mentioned — according to Rashi’s explanation that with all your might/substance is written [in the first paragraph of Shema] because “you have a person who values their money more than their bodies.” By saying “you have a person,” this implies that this attitude is uncommon, found only in one person or a few individuals whose opinion is dismissed by everyone else, but not in the public at large, as it is unlikely that many would agree with this flawed perspective. And according to Rashi’s [other] interpretation that with all your might means “with every measure that He measures out to you, whether for good or bad,” this passage [in our parasha] speaks about the time of receiving reward, which is a time of love, and the blessing concerning accepting adversity is not relevant here, as it does not fit the time period being discussed. Furthermore, it seems unnecessary to say here that one should serve God with every measure He metes out, even in times of receiving hardship, because this concept is already expressed in this passage where it says: And you shall quickly perish from the good land, etc. [and then] You shall place these words of Mine upon your heart. This means that even in a time when the sheep are lost, nevertheless they should serve God regardless and place His words upon their hearts, as Rashi explains (11:18). Since this matter is explicitly stated, there was no need to say with all your might. The passage is written in plural form except for “and you shall gather your grain,” because it says And you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread (Exodus 23:25). The early commentators explained that serving God is better done as a community, as it says Behold, God is mighty and does not despise (Job 36:5) [read here as, Behold, God will not despise the mighty ones]. But eating is better when each person eats their bread alone and does not increase in feasts with companions. Therefore it says here, and to serve Him with all your heart, etc., [in plural] and you shall gather your grain [in singular]. For it is good when each person gathers their grain for themselves, and similarly when they sit in their house alone, as it says, when you sit in your house, when you walk on the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. For all these matters are not appropriate to say about the community as a whole.

בכל לבבכם ובכל נפשכם, “with all your heart and all your soul.” Rashi points out that Moses had already warned the people individually to do just that, whereas now he warns them to love G’d with all their collective hearts and with all their collective souls (hence the plural endings in both words). Nachmanides explains the matter as follows: G’d is not prepared to perform miracles at all times, especially when it comes to interference with the amount of rain required and the season at which the rain descends. He does not, on account of a few individuals deviate from His laws, re-arrange all of nature, so that the sinner’s field is not irrigated and the fields of the righteous enjoy abundant rainfall, although the two fields are adjoining. Therefore, in this paragraph Moses addresses the people as a unit when exhorting them to love G’d with all their hearts and souls, whereas in the first paragraph of the קריאת שמע when he addressed them as individuals he did not threaten what would happen if some individual were not to follow his instructions. He will however, address that problem in chapter 29 17-19. As a rule, G’d reserves miracles for extreme situations, such as total perversion of the people or total righteousness. The former will produce recognisable unnatural catastrophes, whereas the latter will produce extraordinary and recognizable bounty by G’d, the Provider.

והיה אם שמוע תשמעון...ונתתי מטר, so that you will be able to eat without being subjected to strenuous work. If you do not observe the commandments, ועצר את השמים ולא יהיה מטר, He will lock the gates of heaven and there will not be any rain.

I will give the rain of your land in its season, the early rain and the latter rain, and you shall gather in your grain, your wine, and your oil.

ונתתי מטר ארצכם I WILL GIVE THE RAIN OF YOUR LAND [IN ITS SEASON] — You will then have done what devolved upon you, I, too, shall do what devolves upon Me (Sifrei Devarim 41:29; cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 26:15). בעתו [RAIN …] IN ITS SEASON — i.e. at night time, so that it may not cause you any trouble. — Another explanation of בעתו IN ITS SEASON is: on Sabbath (Friday) nights when everyone is usually at home (cf. Sifrei Devarim 42:2; Taanit 23a; see Rashi on Leviticus 26:4). יורה THE FIRST RAIN — This is the rain that falls after the sowing-time, which thoroughly drenches (מרוה) the soil and the seed (Sifrei Devarim 42:4; Taanit 6a). מלקוש THE LATTER RAIN is the rain that descends just before the harvest time to make the grain full (ripe) on its stalk. The term מלקוש refers to something that is late, just as in the Targum we translate והיה העטפים ללבן (Genesis 30:42; see Rashi thereon) “those born late were Laban’s” by לקשיא. — Another explanation: The reason why it is called מלקוש is because it falls at the same period upon the ears (מלילות) and the stalks (קש) (i.e. just before the harvest) (Taanit 6a). ואספת דגנך AND THOU SHALT GATHER IN THY CORN means: and thou shalt gather it into thy house, and not thy enemies, just as it is said, (Isaiah 62:8—9) “[The Lord hath sworn … ], surely I will no more give thy corn [to be food for thine enemies], but they that have gathered it shall eat it”; and not as it is said, (Judges 6:3) “And so it was when Israel had sown that the Midianites came up [and destroyed the produce of the land]” (Sifrei Devarim 42:10).

"The early rain" (יוֹרֶה) — a rain that portends a good year; it comes at the beginning of the year. "And the latter rain" (וּמַלְקוֹשׁ) — well known.

ואספת דגנך, “you will gather in your grain harvest.” Even though you have been commanded to study Torah day and night, you have permission to go about your business in the full meaning of the word [not as in the desert when your bread came down from heaven and you were totally free to devote yourselves to Torah study. Ed.]

ונתתי מטר ארצכם בעתו, “I will give the rain for your land at its appropriate time.” At the hours when it is most beneficial for newly seeded fields. You will be pleased with the timing of the rain, which, according to our sages in Taanit 22 and 23 will descend at night when it does not interfere with any of your activities. In Leviticus 26,3 the Torah words this blessing somewhat differently, writing “ונתתי גשמיכם בעתם, “I will give your rains at their respective seasons.” Our sages interpret the wording there to mean that the rain will neither be sparse nor excessive. Too much rain soaks the earth so that it does not produce fruit. Another meaning of these words is that the word בעתם, refers to the nights from Tuesday to Wednesday and on Friday nights, periods when everyone is at home. We have a tradition that during the period of Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach this blessing was fulfilled and the rains in Israel descended only on these two nights of the week. As a result, the wheat kernels were as big as kidneys and the barley as big as the pits of the olives, and lentils grew to the size of golden dinars. Our sages used this period to illustrate to what extent sins by the people can reduce the fertility of the Holy Land. They used Jeremiah 5,25 to illustrate their point. The prophet wrote: “it is your iniquities that have diverted these things, your sins have withheld the bounty from you.” We also find that during the reign of Herod when the people were busy with major renovations of the Temple, rain descended only at night so as not to interfere with the work of restoring and enlarging the Temple. On the morning following such rain, the clouds would disperse quickly, the sun would shine and work could proceed without impediment. The people would rise at an early hour and go to work at the Temple site. יורה ומלקוש, “early (seasonal) rain and late rains.” The rain called יורה descends during the first quarter of the season shortly after sowing. It moistens the earth after a dry summer and provides critical moisture for the seedlings (Taanit 6). According to this view the word יורה is derived from רוה, “irrigated, well-watered.” Alternatively, the word may allude to “teaching”, forecasting a good year, i.e. if that rain materialises at the proper time in the proper quantities it is a good omen for the agriculture of the year which just commenced. מלקוש is the rain which descends much later in the season shortly before the barley is ripe for cutting. The reason the Torah called it by that name is because it descends on מלילות, ears of corn already fully formed on their stalks. The second half of the word, קש, may be an allusion to the straw, part of the grain. At any rate, it refers to the rain that descends near the end of the rainy season. It may be an allusion to the grain gaining volume while on the stalks. Onkelos also translates the word עטופים in Genesis 30,42 as לקישא, “born late.” It may also be an allusion to מל קשיותן של ישראל, that it “circumcises the obstinate posture of the Jewish people” [when they observe G’d’s blessing arriving on time. Ed.] Our sages in Taanit 6 interpret it thus: ‘when the rains are late in arriving the people will be motivated to pray for rain. They will also become penitents in order not to forfeit the needed rainfall’. ואספת דגנך ותירושך, “you will gather in your corn harvest and your grape harvest.” The sages (Berachot 35) ask how it is possible to reconcile the commandment that “the Torah should never be absent from your mouth” (Joshua 1,8), with these instructions to pursue an agricultural career, ploughing, sowing harvesting, etc.? They answer that there are times set aside for both of these activities. This is also what Kohelet 7,18 had in mind when he said: “it is best that you grasp the one without letting go of the other.”

יורה, “the first quarter of the year, when the early rains are due.” It descends during the moth of Marcheshvan, and “teaches” people to tend to their gardens. Alternatively, it describes the rain hitting the ground like an arrow, “shooting.” ומלקוש, “and the late rain,” in the month of Nissan The word is related to קש, straw, the season when the stalks turn hard as straw. ואספת דגנך, “you will gather in your corn.” Once you have gathered in your corn there will no longer be any rainfall during the remainder of the season. Rain during harvest season is considered a bad omen as we know from Samuel I 12,17, where the prophet in calling upon G–d to produce a thunderstorm points out that the miracle will be that it will occur during the harvesting season when there is no rainfall expected. In the Talmud, tractate B’rachot folio 35, the word ואספת is questioned, as it implies that the farmer will have to do the ingathering by himself without assistance, whereas in Isaiah 61,5, we are told that the Israelites will have gentiles guarding their sheep and aliens will be their plowmen. The answer given is that when the Israelites all observe the Torah, they will have gentile servants to do the heavy work for them, When this is not the case, they will have to do it for themselves. This answer is difficult as our paragraph deals with the assumption that the Israelites bring in a successful harvest as a result of having obeyed the commandments of the Lord. Our author leaves the question open.

And I will give grass in your field for your livestock, and you shall eat and be satisfied.

ונתתי עשב בשדך AND I WILL GIVE GRASS IN THY FIELD [FOR THY CATTLE] in thy field: so that you will not need to lead them to distant pasture grounds. Another explanation: it means that you will be able to cut your grain all the rainy season and cast it before thy cattle as fodder, and if you withdraw your hand from it (stop doing this) only thirty days before the harvest, it will not give you less of its corn than if you had not fed your cattle with it (as is implied by ואכלת ושבעת, you will eat to the full) (Sifrei Devarim 43:2). ואכלת ושבעת AND THOU SHALT EAT AND BE SATISFIED — This is quite another (a separate) blessing; it means that a blessing will be on the bread within the stomach (see Rashi on Leviticus 25:19). השמרו לכם

AND THOU SHALT EAT AND BE SATISFIED. “This is another blessing, meaning that there will be a blessing on the bread within your stomach, and you eat and be satisfied.” This is Rashi’s language and Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “And thou shalt eat and be satisfied. This refers back to thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil [mentioned in the preceding verse], not to the grass in thy fields which is near [in the same verse].” The correct interpretation in my opinion is that it refers to everything: “and thou shalt eat and be satisfied with the corn, wine, and oil, and also the sheep and cattle [will eat and be satisfied with the grass in the field].” And in the Sifre we find: “And thou shalt eat and be satisfied, when your cattle eats and is satisfied, it works the ground [with strength], and so it is said, and much increase is by the strength of the ox. Another interpretation: [And thou shalt eat and be satisfied] from the young [of the cattle]. Although there is no proof of this, yet there is an indication, for it says, And they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow unto the goodness of the Eternal, to the corn, and to the wine, and to the oil, and to the young of the flock and of the herd etc.” This is the correct interpretation.

"And you shall eat and be satisfied" — it refers back to your grain and your wine, not to what is immediately preceding, namely the grass in your field.

ונתתי עשב בשדך, “I will provide grass in your field, etc.” Moses attributed the provision of grass in the field to G’d personally in order to counter the opinions of the people that the world as we know it has been handed over by G’d unconditionally to planetary forces and terrestrial forces encouraging the growth of vegetation. Seeing this was a widely held view, the Torah had to phrase some things in such a way that people will remember that it is only He Who provides the celestial input without which no growth of any sort will manifest itself in our world. David also reminds us of this in Psalms 104,14: “Who makes the grass grow for the cattle, and herbage for man’s labour.” Just as the rainfall is attributed to G’d in verse 14, so the growth of grass is attributed to Him in this verse. The same idea is also expressed in Zecharyah 10,1 ואכלת ושבעת, “you will eat and be sated.” These words refer to the earlier verse which spoke about the grain harvest and the grape harvest. They do not mean that you will eat grass. The words could also be understood thus: When I provide plenty of grass and grazing in the fields, the animals which fed on this and whose meat you will eat will be a source of satisfaction for you. Our sages in Berachot 40 derive a moral lesson from our verse. Seeing G’d speaks first about the feed for the livestock before assuring us that we will eat our fill, this teaches that we are not to sit down to eat until after we have made sure that our animals have food to eat.

ואכלת ושבעת, “you will eat and be satisfied.” According to Ibn Ezra these words refer to the previous words (verse 14) דגנך, ותירושך, ויצהרך, “your grain, your wine, and your oil,” rather than to the more recent words עשב בשדך, “the grass in your field.” Nachmanides writes that the correct interpretation is that the words ואכלת ושבעת refer to the both דגן, תירושך, ויצהרך as well as to עשב בשדך. They even refer to the livestock mentioned in our verse as בהמתך. The Sifri interprets this as meaning that when your livestock has enough to eat, then your land will be able to provide the harvest it is meant to provide. Another possible approach is that the word ובהמתך does not refer to what you will eat, but to the fact that your livestock will produce its young, just as the soil will produce its yield.

Guard yourselves lest your heart go astray and you turn aside and worship the idols of the nations and bow down to them.

TAKE HEED [THAT YOUR HEART MISLEAD YOU NOT] — when you have eaten and are full, take heed to yourselves that you kick not against God; for usually no man rebels against the Holy One, blessed be He, except out of satiety, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 8:12—14) “Lest thou eat and art full … and thy herds and flocks increase”. What is stated after this? “And thy heart be lifted up and thou forget [the Lord thy God]” (Sifrei Devarim 43:7). וסרתם AND YE TURN ASIDE, to depart from the Torah, and through this, ועבדתם אלהים אחרים YE WILL SERVE OTHER GODS, for so soon as a man departs from the Torah he goes and clings to idol-worship. Similarly did David say, (I Samuel 26:19) “For they have driven me out this day, that I should not cleave to the inheritance of the Lord (the Torah) saying, Go, serve other gods”. But who had really said thus to him?! But he meant: Since I am driven out so that I can no longer occupy myself with the Torah, I am nearly exposed to the danger of serving other gods (Sifrei Devarim 43:14). אלהים אחרים OTHER GODS — i.e. gods that are other (alien) to those who worship them: one calls to it, and it does not answer him; consequently it becomes to him like a stranger (Sifrei Devarim 43:17).

פן יפתה לבבכם, “lest your heart be fooled;” the root פתה appears in this sense in Job 5,2: “passion slays the fool.” Moses warns the people not to be misled by the urges of their heart and commit foolishness. If the root of this word would be פתוי, “temptation,” Moses should have written: יפותה, as in Proverbs 25,15. ועבדתם אלהים אחרים, “you will worship other deities.” Rabbi Yossi queries why these deities are called elohim in the Torah seeing that they are idols. He said it so that the gentiles would not have a pretext to say that if these “deities” had been called by their individual names in the Torah, instead of simply “non gods,” this would be proof that G-d had had need of them for some purpose at some time. [Our author dealt with this problem already in his commentary on Exodus 20,3, the main point of which was that the translation “other gods,” is incorrect, and it should be translated as: “deities” worshipped by others.”] According to the Sifri on the word אחרים, that word could be translated as “exchangeable,” if the owner of a golden idol finds himself hard up, he will sell the golden one and exchange it for something similar made of silver, etc.

השמרו לכם פן יפתה לבבכם, “Be very much on guard that your hearts will not be seduced, etc.” The seduction might result from the very serenity and affluence of your existence in the land of Israel. You might, G’d forbid, become attracted to idolatry and depart from the path G’d has earmarked for you. If that were to happen, G’d will become very angry at you and lock the heavens so that there will not be any rain (next verse). The reason that Moses uses the example of absence of rain as indicating G’d’s anger is because the pagans attribute the very presence of rain to their worshipping their various deities faithfully. This is why it was important to point out to the Israelites that if they would depart from the path of the Torah the very opposite would occur; instead of their assuring themselves of their rain supply through idolatry they would lose that life-giving rain. Isaiah 30,22-23 is on record that when the Israelites who had been guilty of worshipping idols will throw out the silver overlays of these images they will be provided with rain as acknowledgment of their penitence. The prophet also picked rainfall as his example of G’d’s positive reaction to a penitent Israel to remind them that such basics as rainfall are provided only through the Lord our G’d. We have to pin our hopes on Him and not on anyone else.

And the anger of Hashem will be kindled against you, and He will restrain the heavens so that there will be no rain, and the earth will not yield its produce, and you will swiftly perish from upon the good land that Hashem is giving you.

את יבולה [THE GROUND WILL NOT GIVE] ITS יבול — it will not yield even as much as what you have brought (יבול) to it (even the same quantity of seed you have sown in it), just as it is said, (Hag. 1:6) “You sow much, but bring in little” (Sifrei Devarim 43:28; cf. Rashi on Leviticus 26:20). ואבדתם מהרה AND YE SHALL PERISH QUICKLY — In addition to all the other sufferings I will banish you from the soil which made you sin (Sifrei Devarim 43:29). A parable! It may be compared to the case of a king who sent his son to the banqueting hall and earnestly charged him, “Do not eat more than you need, in order that you may come home clean!” The son, however, took no notice of this; he ate and drank more than he needed, and vomited it up and befouled all the company. They took him by his hands and feet and cast him out of the palace (Sifrei Devarim 43:23). מהרה [AND YE SHALL PERISH] QUICKLY — I will give you no respite. But if you ask: Was not respite given to the generation of the flood, as it is said, (Genesis 6:3) “His days shall be (i.e. a respite shall be given him for) one hundred and twenty years”? Then I reply: The generation of flood had no one from whom to learn, but you have someone from whom to learn (Sifrei Devarim 43:31).

"Its produce" (יְבוּלָהּ) — I have already explained it. "And you will perish swiftly" — meaning that they will be exiled from it like those lost to famine, after the land had been good. Therefore you are obligated to take these words to heart.

and as a result of such a development ואבדם מהרה, from hunger, which is a more painful death than dying by the sword.. Therefore, remain on guard!

לא תתן את יבולה, "it will not yield its produce." Although Moses had already said that G'd would lock the heavens he repeated that the earth would not yield its produce to tell the people that even if they were to plant their fields adjacent to rivers and wells the earth would not produce a harvest. ואבדתם מהוה, "and you will perish quickly, etc." Even if you somehow find a harvest dating back to previous years you will still perish. We have an illustration of this curse in Gittin 56 where the Talmud tells how Jewish zealots deliberately destroyed a 21 year supply of grain owned by a certain Kalba Savua during the siege of Jerusalem by the Romans.

ואבדתם, “you will become lost,” the reference is to exile, similar to when the prophet Isaiah 27,13 refers to the exiles from Ashur returning to their homeland as האובדים בארץ אשור, “the ones who were lost in the land of Ashur.”

ועצר את השמים ולא יהיה מטר, “He will lock the heaven and there will not be any rain.” This is a reference to verse 11 where the drinking of water is credited to the rain which emanates in heaven. The reason G’d did not provide the Israelites with a land irrigated by rivers is in order that such irrigation should not be dependent on their own labor and they would not feel dependent on G’d. A land which requires rainfall to provide its water resources is a land whose inhabitants must turn to G’d pleading for such rainfall to materialize. We find a disagreement between the scholars Rabbi Joshua and Rabbi Eliezer in Taanit 9 as to the precise origin of rain. Rabbi Eliezer holds that all the waters in our terrestrial universe originate in the oceans (and are recycled via the sky). He bases his opinion on Genesis 2,6 that a mist rose from earth before it had ever rained. Rabbi Joshua believed that the earth gets its rainfall directly from heaven, seeing the Torah told us in our portion “you will drink water which originates in the rain from heaven.” Each one of the scholars has weighty arguments. Rabbi Eliezer cites a powerful proof from Psalms 33,7: “He heaps up the ocean waters like a mound, stores the ‘deep’ in vaults. Who caused the vaults to be filled with water? The “deep”, i.e. the waters of the ocean.” This appears to be proof that rain water originates in the ocean. How do we account for the salt in the waters of the ocean and the absence of such salt in rain water? We assume that while traveling as clouds the waters that had emerged from the ocean are being sweetened. Rabbi Joshua cites proof for his opinion that the rain waters originate in heaven from Psalms 104,13: “He waters the mountains from His lofts.” Rabbi Yochanan said that the word מעליותיו in that verse refers to “celestial lofts.” He quotes a Baraitha in Taanit 10: “the waters of the ‘upper’ regions are suspended by an utterance of G’d, their ‘fruit’ is the rain water.” We know this from Psalms 104,13 which describes them as פרי מעשיך תשבע ארץ, “by the fruit of Your works the earth is sated.” The words of these scholars are truly divinely inspired.” It is entirely possible that both scholars are correct and that sometimes the rain waters originate in the oceans whereas on other occasions they are of celestial origin. The key to understanding the phenomena in question lies in the use by the Torah of two different words for the word rain, גשם and מטר, respectively. The word גשם refers to something physical, i.e. rain originating in the ocean, whereas the rain originating in the celestial spheres is described by using both the name גשם and the name מטר, (compare Isaiah 5,10, or Deut. 28,12). When the deluge occurred we also find that it consisted both of מטר and of גשם, compare Genesis 7,4 and 7,12. I have found support for my thesis in Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer chapter 5. The text there reads as follows: “the thick clouds draw their water from the ‘deep,’ i.e. oceans as we know from Psalms 135,7: “He makes clouds rise from the end of the earth.“ In every place where the King directs them they unload their rain and the earth immediately responds by becoming pregnant and growing vegetation much like a woman who was a widow and has become pregnant through engaging in harlotry.” However, when G’d really wants to bless the vegetation on earth the rain originates in the celestial spheres which are masculine regions. The earth then becomes pregnant immediately and produces vegetation which reflects G’d’s blessing. This is the meaning of Deut. 28,12: “may the Lord open for you His good store, the heaven.” Thus far Pirke d'Rabbi Eliezer. If you will peruse the Torah you will find that the word מטר, is associated with שמים, “heaven,” in most instances when it occurs. There is a considerable difference in the meanings of גשם and מטר respectively. The distinctions between different meanings as reflected by different words in a language reflect a deep-rooted wisdom. Consider for a moment the combination of the words וגשם מטר in Job 37,6. Elihu had previously said that the snow which originates beneath the throne of G’d’s glory returns to earth whereas the rain which is of physical origin turns into מטר, a most remarkable and inexplicable phenomenon. Our sages have already stated G’d turns flesh into streaks of lightning. This is the meaning of Psalms 135,7 “He turns flashes of lightning into rain.” If we were to accept the verse at face value the meaning is that rain should always be accompanied by lightning, something which contradicts our experience. We may therefore conclude that the מטר mentioned there is not a phenomenon visible on earth. Clearly, the only thing we can be sure about is that the terms גשם and מטר cannot always be used interchangeably. ואבדתם מהרה, “and you will perish quickly, etc.” if you were G‘d forbid to serve idols you will be exiled from Eretz Yisrael, a good land which does not tolerate sinners for long. We also have a verse in Isaiah 13,9 which states וחטאיה ישמיד ממנה, ”and it wipes out the sinners on it (the earth).” Our sages (Sifri Eikev on the word והשתחויתם) have illustrated this concept by a parable. A father leads his son on the way to a feast and warns him not to overeat there so that he would return home from the feast looking clean. The son paid no heed to the warning; he overate, vomited and returned home in utter disgrace after he had dirtied all the other participants at that feast. How did the other guests at that feast react to such conduct? They took the son in question by his hands and feet and tossed him out of the palace.

You shall therefore place these My words upon your heart and upon your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as tefillin between your eyes.

ושמתם את דברי AND YE SHALL PLACE MY WORDS [UPON YOUR HEART] — Even after you have been banished make yourselves distinctive by means of My commands: lay Tephillin, attach Mezuzoth to your doorposts, so that these shall not be novelties to you when you return. Similarly does it state, (Jeremiah 31:21) “Set thee up distinguishing marks” (Sifrei Devarim 43:34).

THEREFORE SHALL YE PUT THESE MY WORDS IN YOUR HEART. “Even after you have been exiled, be distinguished by the commandments. Put on the T’fillin, attach a Mezuzah [to the doorpost of your home], so that they will not be novelties to you when you return to the Land. And so Scripture states, Set thee up waymarks.” This is Rashi’s language. Now I have already written on the meaning of this matter, that these commandments [the T’fillin and the Mezuzah mentioned by Rashi] are personal obligations and, as such, their laws apply in all places just as in the Land! But there is in this Midrash a profound secret, and I have already alluded to it. Now he repeated these commandments about the T’fillin, the study of the words of the Torah, and the Mezuzah, a second time in order to allude to this analogy, that we shall be obligated to observe them after being exiled from the Land of Israel. From these [texts] we learn that all commandments that are personal obligations are binding in all places and that, outside the Land of Israel, we are exempt from duties which apply to ground, such as heave-offering and tithes. So it is interpreted in the Sifre. And the intent of this interpretation is suggested by the fact that he placed the expression therefore shall ye put [these my words in your heart] next to [the verse], and ye shall perish [quickly from off the good Land thus clearly intimating that even after ye shall perish from off the good Land you shall still put these My words in your heart]. But the main reference of the verse [even regarding personal obligations] applies to the Land, as it is written, that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, upon the Land; or it may be that the verse is stating: “that your days may be multiplied, so that you will return [to the Land] and you will prolong your days on it forever.”In line with the plain meaning of Scripture, it is possible that he comes to add here the expression to speak of them, for there [in the first charge to the individual] he commanded and ‘thou’ shalt speak — you yourself — of them when ‘thou’ sittest in thy house, and here [in the charge to the community he stated that we are to teach the words of Torah to our children until they speak of them always. So also he added here and ye shall ‘teach’ them, for the term v’shinantom [mentioned there] means only that he shall “tell” them the commandments, and here [he added that the obligation extends] until they teach the words of Torah [to their children] and they understand them and their reasons [well enough] to discuss them with you at all times. So also he added here as the days of the heavens above the earth which means “for all generations,” or it may refer to the first heaven and earth, and the days of old. The student learned [in the mysteries of the Cabala] will understand.

"As frontlets" (לְטוֹטָפֹת) — [this] is explained. And if you take them to heart, you will not perish from upon the land; rather you will prolong your days like the days of the heavens over the earth.

ושמתם את דברי אלה על לבבכם, to understand them through intensive study; ועל נפשכם, so that you will observe them willingly.

על לבבכם, “in your hearts;” the word על usually translated as “on, above, etc.,” also appears quite a few times as meaning “next to, beside,” the author cites Exodus 40,3 as an example where the Torah writes: וסכותה על הארון, which is translated as: “you shall screen the ark,” i.e. the dividing curtain before or beside the Holy of Holies screens the Ark from view. In our verse the meaning would be that G-d’s word shall always be close to our hearts.

ושמתם את דברי אלה, “you are to put these My words on your hearts, etc.” our sages in Sifri Eikev comment on this that even after you will be in exile you continue to be obligated to obey the commandments of the Torah. You are to put on the phylacteries, attach mezuzot to your houses, in order that all these commandments will not be strange to you when you return to your homeland. We have a verse in Jeremiah 31,20 reflecting this same theme when the prophet says הציבי לך ציונים, “erect markers, set up signposts!” The prophet means that though the performance of the commandments which require our bodies in order to fulfill them are applicable everywhere and therefore automatically obligatory in exile, the whole Torah was given primarily in order to be observed on holy soil (Nachmanides).

ושמתם את דברי אלה, “You will place these words of Mine, etc.” Rashi explains that Moses means that even after you will be exiled, when the prompt fulfillment of the promise we just read is not likely, you are not free from the obligation to observe those commandments of the Torah that are not tied to residence in the Holy Land. Nachmanides writes that it is obvious that those commandments that are to be fulfilled with our bodies, as opposed to with our land, remain applicable also in the Diaspora, but the Sifri writes that this obligation is derived from this verse. In other words, according to that interpretation our verse serves as a בנין אב type of interpretation. Just as when it comes to thanking the Lord for having received our food and blessing Him, this is an obligation that applies wherever we find ourselves, so other commandments that are capable of fulfillment all over the globe remain in force also during periods of exile. It is possible, that from the perspective of the plain meaning of the text, the פשט, that Moses implies that the father should speak about these aspects of the Torah to his children, just as Moses had commanded in the parallel paragraph of the קריאת שמע in Deut. 6,7 that the father must teach the Torah diligently to his children and seize every opportunity at home and outside, by day and by night to inculcate these precepts in his children’s minds and hearts. Moses adds the words כימי השמים על הארץ, “like the days of the heaven over the earth,” to remind us that this is an ongoing obligation, one without a time limit.

And you shall teach them to your children, to speak of them — when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road, and when you lie down and when you rise up.

לדבר בם [AND YE SHALL TEACH THEM UNTO YOUR CHILDREN,] TO SPEAK OF THEM — From the moment when your son knows how to speak, teach him the text (Deuteronomy 33:4) “Moses commanded us the Torah as a possession of the congregation of Jacob” — so that this should be the means of teaching him to speak (Sukkah 42a). From this they (the Rabbis) derived their teaching: When the babe begins to speak, his father should speak with him in the Holy Tongue, and should instruct him in the Torah. If he does not do this, it is as though he buries him, as it is said here, “And ye shall teach them unto your children to speak of them, etc.”...

ולמדתם אותם את בניכם, train your children in the regular performance of the commandments לדבר בם בשבתך, so that you will make them a regular part of your conversation with your children.

ולמדתם אותם את בניכם לדבר בם, “You shall teach them to your children to speak about them.” From the time your son (or daughter) is old enough to talk you must instruct him in Torah. One of the first lessons should be the verse תורה צוה לנו משה, as well as שמע ישראל .

And thou shalt teach them to thy children to study them when you are sitting in your house with your kindred, and when you are walking in the way, and in the evening when you lie down, and in the morning when you arise.

And you shall write them on the doorposts, and affix them at the thresholds of your house and at your gates.

And you shall write them upon parchment, upon the posts, and affix them to three (things), against thy chest, against the pillars of thy house, and against thy gates:.

So that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied upon the land that Hashem swore to your fathers to give to them — as the days of the heavens over the earth.

למען ירבו ימיכם וימי בניכם IN ORDER THAT YOUR DAYS MAY BE INCREASED AND THE DAYS OF YOUR CHILDREN — We may learn from this that if you do so, then they will be increased, but if not, they will not be increased, for the statements of the Torah may be expounded so as to derive from the negative the positive, and from the positive, the negative (Sifrei Devarim 46). לתת להם [THE LAND WHICH THE LORD SWARE UNTO YOUR FATHERS] TO GIVE TO THEM — It is not written here “to give to you”, but “to give to them”. From this we are able to derive that the tenet of the “Resurrection of the Dead” is of Biblical origin (more lit., is from the Torah) (Sifrei Devarim 47:2).

למען ירבו ימיכם, "that your days may multiply, etc." Why did Moses not write this verse prior to verse 20, i.e. the writing down of this paragraph and attaching it to the doorposts? If that had been the case our verse and the blessing it contains would also be part of the promise in what was to be attached to the doorposts? Perhaps Moses chose this order in order to teach us that the fulfilment of the commandment in verse 20 would bring in its wake the blessing contained in verse 21. This may be what the Talmud (Shabbat 32) had in mind when it stated that "anyone who takes the commandment of the Mezuzah seriously has his lifespan extended." [The only quotation I was able to find on that folio was that neglect of the commandment of Mezuzah may result in premature death. This itself is questionable. Ed.]

למען ירבו ימיכם וימי בניכם, “so that you will live long and your children will live long, etc..” Women are also obligated to put mezzuzot on their homes when no man shares the home they live in. This is logical, seeing that they too wish to enjoy long life. (Talmud, Kidushin, folio 31.)

To give them. The verse teaches you that the land of Israel was given to the Jewish people forever, like the heaven is over the earth forever. If you are exiled from the land, you will return to it. No other nation will possess it or settle it except for the Jewish people.

In order that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied upon the land. In Tractate Berakhot (8), they said to Rabbi Yochanan, “There are elderly people in Babylon.” He was astonished and responded, “But it is written, In order that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied upon the land, implying that in lands outside of Israel, this is not the case.” They told him, “They rise early and stay late in the synagogue.” He said, “That is what has benefited them.” However, this answer is difficult because the original question still remains, since this verse simply states upon the land without any distinction. From where did he learn to say that this verse specifically refers to times when they do not go to the synagogue, to say that only then is the blessing diminished? And it seems to me, according to what our Sages of blessed memory said (Megillah 29a) that in the future, synagogues and houses of study in the Diaspora will be affixed in the Land of Israel, etc. And if so, the ground on which all synagogues outside the Land of Israel stand is actually the ground of the Land of Israel, because in the future, God will affix these synagogues — both the buildings and the land in their entirety — in the Land of Israel. Therefore, certainly that ground is holy ground and a part of the Land of Israel. And one who arrives early and stays late every day in synagogues is like one who stands every day on the ground which God swore to their forefathers. And thus is fulfilled the promise that your days and the days of your children may be prolonged upon the land which the Lord swore to your forefathers to give to them. It does not say “to you” but rather to them. Rashi explains this as evidence for the resurrection of the dead from the Torah. But what is the relevance of this here? Rather, it is because specifically at that time the synagogues of the Diaspora will be affixed in the Land of Israel. And it could be that this refers back to the beginning of the section, which states, And to serve Him with all your heart — this refers to prayer, as Rashi explains. And from the fact that it says with all your heart, we can learn that it speaks of many people gathering in synagogues to pray, and for this the reward is promised: that your days and the days of your children may be prolonged upon the land. And why it specifically depends on arriving early and staying late, you will find explained beautifully in our work Olalot Ephraim in the Gate of Prayer, discourse 503, regarding the verse To watch at my doors day by day, to keep the posts of my entrances (Proverbs 8:34). You shall seek His dwelling and come there, and you will find the entire matter explained thoroughly.

כימי השמים על הארץ, meaning: “when I provide rain from the heavens, the earth will yield its produce.”

For if you diligently observe all this commandment that I am commanding you to do — to love Hashem your God, to walk in all the ways that are upright before Him, and to draw near to His fear —

שמר תשמרון [IF] YE SHALL DILIGENTLY OBSERVE [ALL THESE COMMANDMENTS] — The repetition of the verb implies an admonition to be very much on one’s guard: to be careful in respect to one’s study of the Torah that it should not be forgotten (cf. Sifrei Devarim 48:2). ללכת בכל דרכיו TO WALK IN ALL HIS WAYS — He is merciful, be thou merciful; He bestows lovingkindness, bestow thou lovingkindness (Sifrei Devarim 49:1). ולדבקה בו AND TO CLEAVE TO HIM — Is it possible to say this? Is He not “a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24)? But it means: cleave to the scholars and sages, and I will account it unto you as though you cleave to Him (Sifrei Devarim 49:2).

AND TO CLEAVE UNTO HIM. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “[You are to walk in His ways so that you will merit to cleave unto Him] ultimately, this being a great secret.” But the secret is not by reason of this reference [here in the verse before us]. Perhaps he is stating: “to love the Eternal, to walk in all His ways until you become worthy to cleave unto Him in the end” [as Ibn Ezra wrote]. But in the Book of Joshua it is stated, Neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor worship them; but cleave unto the Eternal your G-d, as ye have done unto this day [thus indicating that “cleaving to G-d” was not an ultimate goal, but something they had been experiencing all along]. If so, the verse [before us] is one of the admonitions against idolatry, meaning that one’s thought should not part from G-d [and transfer] to other gods, that one should not think that there is any substance to idolatry but instead it is all nought and worthless. Thus this verse is similar to what he said, and Him shall ye serve, and unto Him shall ye cleave, the intent being to warn that one is not to worship G-d [in combination] with anything besides Him, but to worship [only] G-d alone, with one’s heart and deeds. It is possible that the term “cleaving” includes the obligation that you remember G-d and His love always, that your thought should never be separated from Him when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up to such a degree that [a person] during his conversation with people by mouth and tongue, his [entire] heart will not be with them, but instead be directed towards G-d. With men of such excellence it is possible that even in their lifetime, their souls shall be bound in the bundle of life, since their very being is a “residence” for the Divine Glory, as the author of the Book of the Kuzari alludes. I have already mentioned this matter in the section on forbidden relations. And when Joshua said as ye have done unto this day he meant, that when they were in the wilderness and the cloud of the Eternal was over them, and the manna would descend from heaven, and the quail would come up and the well was always before them, and all their requirements were provided by Heaven in miraculous ways — then their thoughts and deeds were [perforce] always with G-d. Therefore Joshua warned them that even now in the Land, when these wonderful deeds would be removed from them, their thoughts should always be with them [i.e., the wonders that G-d had done for them], to cleave unto the glorious and fearful Name and their attention should not be withdrawn from Him.

"For if you diligently keep" — the meaning is: what I told you, that you would swiftly perish from the good land — know that you will not enter there at the outset, nor will you prevail, unless you keep the commandments of Hashem. "To love" — in the heart. "To walk in all His ways" — that one not change or turn aside. "And to cleave to Him" — at the end, and this is a great mystery.

כי אם שמור תשמרון לאהבה, the thrust of your preoccupation with Torah is to be that you show the acts of loving kindness G’d has performed, which in turn will ensure that you love Him. ללכת בכל דרכיו, to emulate the way in which He governs His universe, i.e. application of justice and righteousness. ולדבקה בו, all your actions should strive to carry out His will, as Proverbs 3,6 בכל דרכיך דעהו!

כי אם שמר תשמרון, "For if you diligently keep, etc." Why did Moses repeat the word שמר תשמרון? Besides, what kind of observance does Moses speak about here? Perhaps he intended to warn the people to observe the "fences" around the Biblical commandments which were designed to prevent violation of the commandments proper. Moses warns the people not to disregard these "fences." Moses may also have had in mind to reassure the Israelites that if they indeed observed the "fences" with the same determination as the Biblical injunctions, then G'd would ensure that they would be able to observe all the Biblical commandments. Failure to take the "fences" seriously would result in their observance of the Biblical commandments becomimg slipshod. The classic example is that he who conscientiously observes the Sabbath already a few minutes prior to sunset will be helped to observe the Sabbath in all its ramifications. He who waits with beginning the Sabbath until the last possible minute may find himself violating even Biblical aspects of the Sabbath legislation. Another thing Moses may have had in mind when repeating the word שמור תשמרון is that one should not only be concerned with personally observing the commandments but should also encourage others to keep them. A person should not say that he has done his duty by observing G'd's commandments and letting others worry about doing their duty. The first word שמור refers to personal observance, whereas the word תשמרון refers to one's encouraging others to do the same. We have been taught in Pessachim 49 that instead of merely reading Deut. 33,4 מורשה, "something to be transmitted by inheritance," we should also read the word as if it had been spelled מאורשה, "betrothed." Just as a person is responsible for the welfare of his bride-to-be, i.e. his ארוסה, so G'd has empowered him by means of the Torah not to let others despise the Torah without protesting this. When possible all legal means have to be employed to ensure that Jews do not violate G'd's law in public just as we would not let such people get away with violence against fellow human beings. Naturally, admonishing trespassers must be done in a manner which does not alienate such people from the Torah. This is why Moses speaks about לעשותה לאהבה, to "perform it lovingly, etc." Yevamot 63 explains that the person who does not only admonish others but demonstrates that he himself demands of himself at least as much as he appears to demand of others is liable to have an impact on his listeners. Something similar is stated in Berachot 6 where the Talmud says: "a truly G'd-fearing person will find that his listeners will respond to him." This is why Moses spoke first of all about לעשותה, i.e. people who had been models to others by themselves performing the commandments. When this is the case such people may plant love for G'd in others. Such people will no longer violate G'd's commandments. This is also the meaning of Midrash Mishley 2,4 that if one suc...

כי אם שמור תשמרון, “for if you diligently keep all these commandments;” the word כי is used here instead of the word: אלא, “but.” ואבדתם מהרה, “if you do not keep the commandments now, you will not have to go into exile as you will not even enter the Holy land in the first place. The condition for entering is that you have a record of keeping the laws of the Torah.

כי אם שמר תשמרון, “For if you will surely observe, etc.” If you will observe the laws of the Torah Hashem will expel your enemies from before you, seeing you enter the land in order to fulfill the commandments. A Midrashic approach (based on Tanchuma Bereshit 1): the reason the words שמר תשמרון are repeated is to tell us that the merit of the commandments which we fulfill will protect us, i.e. the Torah will protect us against our enemies. This is also the reason the previous paragraph commenced with the repeated והיה אם שמע תשמעו. The message is that if you will listen to G’d’s instructions He in turn will listen to your prayers. You may infer the reverse to be true in the event that we do not listen to G’d’s instructions.

כי אם שמור תשמרון, “For if you will diligently observe, etc.” Ibn Ezra writes that this paragraph too refers to what has been written previously when Moses warned that non-observance of the commandments will lead to exile from the Holy Land. He adds here, by implication, that if these commandments are not observed, there will be no need for an exile as the people will not take over that land in the first place. If you neglect the commandments after you have established yourselves there, your tenure will be short-lived. ולדבקה בו, “and to cleave to Him;” Ibn Ezra sees in these words the ultimate objective of Torah observance and love of Hashem, i.e. if you will observe all the commandments in the right spirit, you will achieve the closest relationship with Hashem that it is possible for a human being to have, the relationship known as דבקות, cleaving to Him. Nachmanides understands these words as a warning, one of the types of warnings against worshipping idols. He bases this on Joshua 23,7-8 where Joshua juxtaposes pursuit of idols with cleaving to Hashem exclusively. In that paragraph of the Book of Joshua we read as follows: “and without intermingling with these nations that are left among you. Do not utter the names of their gods or swear an oath by them; do not serve them or bow down to them. But ‘hold fast,’ to the Lord your G’d, בו תדבקון, as you have done to this day.” Moses, according to Nachmanides, does not aim at what the select few are capable of achieving in the search for closeness to G’d, but he speaks about the minimum that every Jew must strive for. It is possible that the reason why Moses introduced the term דבקות here is because by striving for this kind of closeness one concentrates on G’d and what His expectations are of His creatures, so much that one does not have time or desire to explore other religions and what the nations of the world see in them that they pursue those deities. This would again be parallel to Moses’ exhortation to speak to one’s children of the Torah during all hours of the day and night, and in all localities, barring places reserved for excreting. The positive of what we are to do, is matched by the negative, as for instance in the verses quoted from the Book of Joshua. Nachmanides suggests that an ideal relationship with Hashem could be that when one speaks to fellow humans one does so only from the lips outwards, whereas one’s heart, and one’s mind is still tuned in to Hashem, simultaneously. He speculates further that possibly these elitists among us have reached a level of spirituality that can be compared to the wish we express at every funeral that the soul of the departed be enfolded by what our sages have described as צרור החיים, the bundle of eternal life. [Compare Samuel I 25,29, Avigail’s wish to David, and Maimonides’ comment in his hilchot TeshuvahEd] The words כאשר עשיתם עד היום הזה may be Moses’ way of describing the intimate relationship that existed between G’d and His people, who received a daily portion of heavenly bread, a supply of meat, apparently materializing miraculously, a well that moved with them every step of the way so that drinking water was always at hand in the desert, etc. Joshua, who speaks to the people after these miracles have ceased and the people have begun to live a “normal” life, exhorts them not to forego the intimate relationship with Hashem that had been forged during the years in the desert.

then Hashem will drive out all these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves.

הוריש ה׳ THEN THE LORD WILL DRIVE OUT [ALL THESE NATIONS FROM BEFORE YOU] — If you do what devolves upon you, “I” will do what devolves upon Me (Sifrei Devarim 49:3; cf. Rashi on v. 14). ועצמים מכם [YE SHALL POSSESS NATIONS] MIGHTIER THAN YOURSELVES — You are mighty, but they are mightier than you; for if this does not mean to suggest that the Israelites are mighty, what superiority is it that he ascribes to the Amorites by saying “mightier than yourselves”? But the meaning must be: you are mightier than other nations and they are mightier than you (cf. Sifrei Devarim 50:3).

והוריש, He will give you a chance to earn your livelihood easily so as to have time to serve Him.

והוריש ה' את כל הגוים האלה מלפניכם, “Hashem will drive out all these nations from before you.” This refers to the ones that reside near the Israelites’ present location. Afterwards He will also do so to the nations which reside further away, הרחוקים, i.e. wherever you will set foot. Seeing that G’d here indicates a certain order in which the conquest of the land of Canaan has to proceed, we know that David erred when he did not follow this sequence by first driving out the nations which lived further away from the Israelites such as Aram Tzovah, Aram Naharayim. He conquered the nearby countries only afterwards including Jerusalem, i.e. the Jebusite (compare Sifri Eykev 51 ). Our sages also ruled that lands conquered by an individual (with fewer than 600,000 Israelite soldiers) does not have the legal status of a conquest based on milchemet mitzvah. When the land is conquered in the true order, the conquered territories all become part of the Holy Land with all that this entails, i.e. the need to tithe its product, and to give the Levites and Priests all the gifts prescribed by the Torah. Lands conquered as כבוש יחיד, as the result of a private initiative is not subject to the Shemittah and Yovel legislation by Biblical decree. The Rabbis applied this legislation to such lands only so as not to encourage Jews to settle in such lands and to circumvent the intent of Torah legislation.

Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread shall be yours — from the wilderness and Lebanon, from the river, the River Euphrates, to the western sea shall be your border.

EVERY PLACE WHEREON THE SOLE OF YOUR FOOT SHALL TREAD SHALL BE YOURS: FROM THE WILDERNESS etc. In the opinion of our Rabbis they constitute two assurances: [First,] that whatever place in the land of Shinar and the land of Assyria and elsewhere they want to conquer, shall be theirs; and that all the commandments are applicable there, because they all are [part of] the Land of Israel [as Scripture says], from the wilderness and Lebanon etc. even unto the Back Sea shall be your border, meaning that you are obligated to conquer it and to extirpate the peoples from it, just as he said here, and ye shall dispossess nations greater and mightier than yourselves, and to uproot the idols and their appurtenance, as he mentioned above. And [secondly] he assured them that there shall no man be able to stand against you whether in the land mentioned or in every place whereon the sole of your foot shall tread. It is from here that there originated a division of opinion among our Rabbis regarding Syria which they called “the conquest of an individual” [and not a national conquest]. The reason is that David conquered it of his own will, not asking [authorization] of the Urim and Thummim and not consulting the Sanhedrin. For he was obligated to dispossess all the seven nations first, and afterwards if he wished, he could go to another land as G-d promised here. And because that conquest [of Syria] was not done in accordance with the commandment of the Torah, some of the Rabbis said that it is not considered “a [legal] conquest” [in the sense that it is annexed to the Land], and regarding the commandments [applicable exclusively to the Land], it has the legal status of outside of the Land of Israel. So it is taught in the Sifre. But some Rabbis say in the Talmud that it is termed “a [legal] conquest,” because, although it was not carried out properly, since David went there and conquered it, the Divine assurance it shall be yours was fulfilled and it is [part of] the Land of Israel. R’eih

כל המקום אשר תדרוך כף רגלכם בו לכם הוא, “Every place where the sole of your foot will tread will become yours;” According to our sages (Sifri on our verse) Moses assured the people of two distinctly separate promises here. 1) Any place the Israelites felt they wanted to conquer would not be denied them. Having done so, the commandments of the Torah would apply in any of the lands conquered as the people were under an obligation to conquer the lands as far as the river Euphrates. Secondly, there is another promise...

אשר תדרך כף רגלכם, to make war against the seven Canaanite tribes, from the desert in the south, to the river Euphrates in the north, as far as the Mediterranean Sea in the west.

No man shall stand before you; the dread of you and the fear of you shall Hashem your God set upon the face of all the land on which you tread, as He has spoken to you.

לא יתיצב איש וגו׳ NO MAN SHALL STAND [BEFORE YOU] — I have here the statement only regarding a man! Whence may I derive that the same applies to a nation or a family or a woman with her witchcraft? Because it states: לא יתיצב, “there shall be no standing before you” — under any circumstances. — If this be so, why does it speak of a man? It means a man, be he even as Og, king of Bashan (Sifrei Devarim 52:1; cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 3:11). פחדם ומוראכם THE DREAD OF YOU AND THE FEAR OF YOU [THE LORD WILL PLACE UPON ALL THE LAND] — Is not, however, פחד the same as מורא? But פחדכם, “the dread of you”, refers to peoples near by, and מוראכם, “the fear of you” to those far away, for פחד denotes “sudden terror”, and מורא denotes apprehension enduring for many days (Sifrei Devarim 52:2; cf. Rashi on Sotah 20b and Niddah 71a; see also Rashi on Exodus 15:16 and Note p. 241 there). כאשר דבר לכם AS HE HATH SAID TO YOU — And where did He say this? In Exodus 23:27: “I will send My terror before thee” (Sifrei Devarim 52:4).

לא יתיצב איש, not even outside the land of Israel.

לא יתיצב איש בפניכם, פחדכם ומוראכם יתן ה' אלו-היכם על פני כל הארץ אשר בה כאשר דבר לכם, “no man will remain standing upright before you (on account of you); the Lord your G’d will give the fear of you and the terror of you all over the land on which you set foot, just as He has said.” This verse contains 72 letters corresponding to the 72 letters (number 72) in the tetragrammaton when spelled in a certain manner, adding the following letter to the original one. [י+יה+יהו+יהוה =72. Ed.]. This name is invoked by people familiar with Kabbalah when they want G’d to counteract fears experienced on journeys into uncharted territory. When Moses adds the words כאשר דבר לכם, “as He has said to you,” he refers to Exodus 23,27: “the fear of Me I shall send ahead of you.” This is also what Moses had prayed for at the end of the Shirah in Exodus 15,16: “may fear and terror fall upon them.” He wanted the attribute of Justice to be constantly poised against the enemies of the Israelites both then and in the future. This is also the method employed by G’d in His dealings with the righteous as we know from Psalms 91,11: “for He will order His angels to guard you wherever you go.” This is a reference to G’d’s “sword” which has 16 facets which are instructed to smite the adversaries. I have explained this matter in connection with Genesis 3,24. We have three veses in Scripture referring to this “sword of G’d” in Leviticus 26,25, Isaiah 27,1 and Genesis 3,24. In our paragraph the Torah simply assures us that if we keep all the commandments He will deliver into our hands all the far more powerful nations surrounding us and that we would inherit their possessions. This is why the Torah also had to caution us not to be afraid of the pagans. Anyone who is afraid of someone made of flesh and blood is deficient in his trust in G’d’s promise. This is the reason why fear itself is one of the greatest obstacles our soul encounters in its effort to trust G’d absolutely. Such people may become the architects of their own misfortune although none had been decreed against them. People who are saved from all troubles are the ones who take to heart Deut. 20,5 and Psalms 40,8: “he puts his trust in the Lord.”

לא יתיצב איש בפניכם, “no one will stand up against you;” neither in the land of Canaan, nor in the surrounding countries will you encounter serious opposition. As far as the opinion expressed by some scholars, that David’s conquest of Syria was in the category of a private conquest, not part of the commandment to conquer the land promised to the patriarchs, the reason is that the campaign had not first been approved by the urim vetumim in the breastplate of the High Priest, this was only because he had not yet conquered all the territory belonging to the seven Canaanite tribes. (Compare Gittin 47)

לא יתיצב איש, within the regions just described.

See, I am placing before you today blessings and curses:

ראה אנכי ... ברכה וקללה BEHOLD I [SET BEFORE YOU THIS DAY] A BLESSING AND A CURSE — those which are later to be recited on Mount Gerizim and on Mount Ebal respectively (cf. v. 29).

"See" — he speaks to each individual.

ראה, pay good attention so that you will not be like the nations of the world who are always trying to find middle ground. Remember that אנכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה, I present you this day with the choice of two extremes, opposites. The ברכה is an extreme in that it provides you with more than you need, whereas the קללה is another extreme making sure that you have less than your basic needs. You have the choice of both before you; all you have to do is make a choice.

ראה אנכי נתן היום, "Behold, I have given this day, etc." Why did Moses employ the term "seeing," in connection with words, i.e. the words of a blessing? Furthermore, why did he describe himself as אנכי? Moreover, why does Moses address the people in the singular i.e. ראה instead of ראו, although during the whole passage he addresses them in the plural [with the exception of verse 29, Ed.]? I believe that the wording of our verse is connected to the message Moses wants to convey, i.e. that the people should learn to set more store by the blessings which will accrue to them in the Hereafter than the blessings which accrue to them in this life. In order for the prophet who conveys such teachings to be believable he must possess two qualifications. 1) He must himself have a deep appreciation of the value of the good to be experienced only in the celestial regions. 2) He must have demonstrated that he personally has achieved success in this life and what it has to offer. If the person preaching the values of the Hereafter were not himself blessed with success in this life, his listeners would not believe him thinking that he consoles himself with something in the future because he had been unable to attain it in the here and now. Moreover, even if someone who has experienced all that this life has to offer praises the Hereafter in exaggerated terms he is not liable to be believed unless he can prove that he has first-hand experience of what goes on in the celestial regions. This is why Moses felt impelled to apply the term אנכי to himself when he makes it appear as if he is bestowing the blessing. He invites the people to look at him as a personification of the truth of what he is about to tell them. He had attained all the honour and glory that it is possible to attain in this life. He was king over a mighty nation, was personally wealthy, and physically endowed as a giant as pointed out in Shabbat 92. In addition, he had ascended to heaven and had experienced a taste of what is in store there. After having explained all this to the people Moses mentions the message he had for the people as I shall explain. He used the words ראה אנכי in the singular to remind the people that whatever is perceived by means of the sense of sight is experienced equally by all the people although their perceptions by means of the other four senses may vary in depth. Each one of the Israelites had seen Moses' stature with his own eyes and had been aware of Moses having spent time in the heavens [returning with his skin radiating light. Ed.]. Moses had something else in mind when he said ראה אנכי, "look at me!" Maimonides explains in his treatise Hilchot Teshuvah chapter 5 that every person has the potential to become the equal of Moses. This is precisely what Moses meant. He said: "Take a good look at me! Everything that I have accomplished you are able to accomplish for yourselves!" Whenever a person aspires to serve the Lord he is not to look at people who have been ...

ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם, “Behold, I set before you;” up until now Moses had concentrated on the need to revere the Lord; from now on he concentrates on spelling out specific commandments.

מחרף עצל לא יחרוש, ושאל בקציר ואין, “in winter the lazy man does not plough; at harvest time he seeks but finds nothing” (Proverbs 20,4). Solomon has made it a point in the Book of Proverbs to explain the value of all the good character traits in order that we learn how to avoid the negative virtues. One of the positive virtues is זריזות, diligence, and eagerness to carry out one’s duties. Laziness, by contrast, is a negative virtue, one to be avoided. In fact, laziness is at the root of many of the problems one experiences in one’s life. There are different kinds of laziness. Some people’s laziness becomes manifest in the manner in which they neglect their homes, other people’s laziness we can recognize by the way they neglect their bodies. A third form of laziness is the way one relates to the requirements of one’s soul; a fourth kind of laziness involves one’s attitude to Torah study and performance of the Torah’s commandments. An example of laziness or slovenliness in one’s house is failure to repair a leaky roof during the summer. Not only will immediate steps taken to make the repairs presumably save one greater expense the longer one waits, but one will save oneself discomfort when it starts to rain. Concerning people who put off the inevitable such as the need to repair their roof, Solomon says in Kohelet 10,18: “through slothfulness the ceiling sags, through lazy hands the house caves in.” Concerning laziness, i.e. neglect of one’s body’s needs it is well to remember that if one attends to the need to assure oneself with a livelihood and is satisfied if one attains an average standard of living without trying to attain what one does not need, one is liable to achieve what one sets out to do. This is the secret of “enjoying one’s share.” If one neglects one’s basic needs relying on miracles to happen instead, one is liable to die from hunger. Concerning people who are too lazy to fend for themselves and prefer to wait for miracles, Solomon writes in Proverbs 13,4: “a lazy man craves but has nothing; the diligent shall feast on rich fare.” There are people whose laziness is manifest in the neglect of the requirements of their soul. Such people, though aware of shortcomings in their character, make no effort to correct these shortcomings. They forget that the soul has much in common with the earth; some earth is easy to work and it does not take too much time to make things grow from such earth. Other parts of the earth are by nature hard, difficult to work; nonetheless the farmer must not abandon it in despair; he must invest extra time and will find that eventually even such earth will yield its produce. Concerning such “earth,” i.e. soul, Solomon says in Proverbs 18,9: “one who is slack in his work is a brother to a vandal.”. Some people (their souls) respond to minimal encouragement and discipline. Others require a great deal more. However, if the latter person makes an effort to respond to rebukes, teachings and exhortations he will find that eventually he will rehabilitate himself completely so that positive characteristics will become second nature for him. Concerning such a person (before rehabilitation) Solomon says in Proverbs 24,30: “I passed by the field of a lazy man, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense; it was all overgrown with thorns, its surface was covered with weeds.” In this simile Solomon compared greed and lust to a field seeing it is a derivative of raw material [I believe that by “raw material” the author means something physical, not divine such as the soul. Ed.]. If one does not treat raw material in the manner it is intended to be treated and used and allows one’s urges free reign one will wind up destroying both one’s body and one’s soul. When Solomon goes on in verse 31 to describe that he saw a stone fence lying in ruins, this describes the result of what happens to people who neglect body and soul. There are also people to whom the negative virtue of laziness can be applied as they neglect Torah study and the performance of good deeds. If someone is guilty of this in this world how will he attain eternal bliss in the world to come? This is the person whom Solomon had in mind in our opening verse, “he who does not plough in the winter will surely have nothing to show in summer.” Solomon’s definition of laziness is not just failure to do one’s duties, but failure to do the requisite duty on time. There are times which are meant for certain activities. If one wastes these times by not performing the requisite activities such as plowing in winter, such failure will backfire. Solomon uses the farmer as his model par excellence for describing the results of laziness. He compares our life on earth to “winter” and the hereafter to “summer,” the time for reaping what one has sown. The winter is perceived as under the relatively weak domain of the moon whereas the summer is under the far more powerful domain of the sun. Everyone knows that in a comparison between moon and sun as luminaries, the sun is primary whereas the moon is secondary. Compare what Solomon wrote in Song of Songs 2,11: “here the winter has passed, etc.” Our sages in Avodah Zarah 3 phrased it thus: “the present world is comparable to Sabbath eve whereas the world to come is comparable to the Sabbath itself.” They therefore ask: what is he going to eat on the Sabbath who has not toiled on the Sabbath eve?” Amongst other things the sages explained to us by means of their simile that whereas the present world is one of מעשה, deeds, the world to come is one of מנוחה, “rest and compensation.” It is not a world in which activities which are meant to store for the future are performed. Searching for work in the world to come is a non-starter, אין, one will find nothing (if one had not amassed it previously). Why does Solomon write: מחורף when speaking about the winter, instead of בחורף, as he does when speaking about בקציר, “at harvest time?” The word מחורף must be understood as מפחד החורף, “because of the fear of winter.” It is typical of lazy people to look for any excuse (including weather) to justify their putting off essential tasks which they ought to perform. An example of this is found in Proverbs 26,13: “the lazy man says: ‘there is a lion on the path, a fierce lion in the streets.” He excuses his failure to sow in winter by his fear of the inhospitable climate at that time. The reason that Solomon harps so many times on the subject of laziness is in order to thoroughly delegitimize such laziness in the eyes of people. He wants people to shun this negative virtue and to copy the ways of the ant instead. This is why he writes in connection with the ant: “go to the ant, you lazybones; study its ways and wise up!” (Proverbs 6,6) He means that although the ant is a most insignificant appearing little creature, even brainy man can learn a lesson from such a creature when he observes how the ant stores up food to be consumed at a time when it will not be found lying around ready to pick up. Not only this; the ant has sense enough not to collect its food immediately it has been made wet by the rain but it waits until the wind has dried it so that when it is stored it does not rot. When Solomon adds in 6,7 “which though having no ruler, captain, or overseer,” he means that the ant has no intelligence of its own which dictates its behaviour but is simply prompted by its instincts. It follows that creatures equipped with intelligence would do well to consider the ant as their model. The three words: קצין, שוטר, מושל, “captain, overseer, and ruler,” which Solomon says the ants do not have, correspond to three aspects of human intelligence, שכל, known as חכמה, תבונה, דעת, “wisdom, insight, knowledge.” All of these three attributes are only found in man. They are basically sub-categories of the same attribute. This is why Solomon uses three terms each of which represents different degrees of authority, in describing them. By acquiring and nurturing the attribute of זריזות, diligence, man can assure for himself eternal life, whereas by indulging his laziness he is sure to forfeit such eternal life. The former characteristic prompts him to fulfill G’d’s commandments whereas the latter keeps him from doing so. After all, man has been given free choice and our salvation or otherwise lies in our own hands. We are to make the choice between good and evil and only by making the right choice do we qualify for the eventual reward promised by the Lord.. ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה, “See, I place before you this day blessing and curse.” The reason Moses commences with the singular ראה, followed by the plural form לפניכם is that he addresses everybody, both the individual and the community (Ibn Ezra), and because blessings and curses respectively are influenced and channeled from two different attributes Justice and Mercy, both of which were active in creating the universe and both of which are capable of being appreciated only by a select few individuals. When addressing these select few, Moses says ראה, a reference to “seeing” with one’s mental eye. The word corresponds to Kohelet 1,16 ולבי ראה הרבה חכמה ודעת, “I have seen (acquired) great wisdom and knowledge.” Seeing that the promise of a blessing and the threat of a curse are an important factor in encouraging observance of the commandments of the Torah by the people at large, Moses used the plural form when addressing the nation, i.e. לפניכם. We find that the Torah used this combination of singular and plural also in Deut. 4,5: ראה למדתי אתכם חקים ומשפטים, “See I have taught you statutes and social laws.” The singular form ראה was addressed to the individuals who have some appreciation of the statutes, whereas the plural form was used when speaking of the social laws whose merit can be appreciated by the whole nation. The word אתכם in the plural emphasizes that the entire Torah, all of its commandments were given to the masses, not to select individuals. Our verse here makes plain that the right to choose has been given to man. If he wants to conduct himself in a manner acceptable to G’d he is free to do so; if he chooses to contravene G’d’s commandments he cannot be coerced by G’d. We have already referred to this in connection with Deut. 5,26: “who would give, etc.” We pointed out there that If G’d had not granted freedom of choice, He would not have to “wish” for the people to remain on a spiritual high but could legislate it. The whole premise of this freedom of choice is understood easily by the fact that G’d bothers again and again to command us what to do and what not to do. If we were not free to chart our own course, it would not make sense for G’d to have to give us all these commandments. All He would have to do is to program us according to His wishes. Seeing the principle of man’s freedom to choose is so fundamental, the Torah mentions it already at the beginning such as in Genesis 3,27 where G’d explains the need to expel Adam from Gan Eden by referring to his freedom to help himself to the fruit of the tree of life so that “he would live forever.” Had G’d been able to physically prevent Adam from reaching for the tree He would not have to had to place the tree out of reach for him. In the verse just quoted, G’d makes plain that as a result of having eaten from the tree of knowledge both good and evil have become viable options for man. The words הן האדם in Genesis 3,27 are G’d’s way of saying that man as a species is unique in the universe in that he possesses this freedom of choice. There is no other species like man in either heaven or on earth. The celestial beings have all been programmed by G’d to do His bidding with a minimum of delay and opposition. The reason that man is basically different is that he is the only species composed of both matter and spirit. The celestial beings are totally disembodied, whereas all other creatures on earth are earth-bound, equipped with a minimal “spiritual” equipment, one that merely strives to keep its body physically alive, i.e. the נפש of an animal. At the end of the Torah too the theme of man’s freedom of choice is dealt with once more when Moses says: “see I place before you this day life and goodness or death and evil.” (Deut. 30,15.) Our verse here basically reflects a similar message. Concerning this whole subject of what G’d is able to do and how He has voluntarily limited His options, Maimonides in chapter 5,4 of Hilchot Teshuvah has this to say: “Do not be amazed that we read in Psalms 135 6: “G’d does all He wants to do in heaven or on earth, in the oceans and in the deep.” There is no question that everything He does, He does as a result of His will. This is so in spite of the fact that what we do is subject to our own volition. How do we illustrate that this apparent contradiction is in fact no contradiction at all? Just as G’d wants that fire and wind rise upwards whereas water and earth are programmed through the forces of gravity to always strive downwards [the four basic raw materials the universe is made of], and the planets orbit in space around the globe, so all other phenomena in the universe behave in accordance with the way G’d has programmed them. Man’s freedom of choice is part of G’d’s expressed desire, i.e. this is part of how He decreed in His own free will that the universe should function. As a result of this system man is judged in accordance with his deeds. If he chooses the right way he will be rewarded, if not he will be punished. This is what the prophet meant when he said in Isaiah 50,11: מידי היתה זאת לכם, “Do you think this was decreed for you by ME?” The same theme occurs in Isaiah 66,3 גם המה בחרו בדרכיהם, “they have also chosen their own paths” Concerning the above Solomon said in Kohelet 11,9: “Rejoice young man in your childhood let your heart cheer you in your youth; but remember that for all these things G’d will call you to account.” Solomon warns that though it is within your power to do what you fancy and to lead a life of frivolity, remember that the day of accounting is not far off. Thus far the comment of Maimonides in Hilchot Teshuvah. ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה, “See, I place before you this day blessing and curse.” The reason Moses commences with the singular ראה, followed by the plural form לפניכם is that he addresses everybody, both the individual and the community (Ibn Ezra), and because blessings and curses respectively are influenced and channeled from two different attributes Justice and Mercy, both of which were active in creating the universe and both of which are capable of being appreciated only by a select few individuals. When addressing these select few, Moses says ראה, a reference to “seeing” with one’s mental eye. The word corresponds to Kohelet 1,16 ולבי ראה הרבה חכמה ודעת, “I have seen (acquired) great wisdom and knowledge.” Seeing that the promise of a blessing and the threat of a curse are an important factor in encouraging observance of the commandments of the Torah by the people at large, Moses used the plural form when addressing the nation, i.e. לפניכם. We find that the Torah used this combination of singular and plural also in Deut. 4,5: ראה למדתי אתכם חקים ומשפטים, “See I have taught you statutes and social laws.” The singular form ראה was addressed to the individuals who have some appreciation of the statutes, whereas the plural form was used when speaking of the social laws whose merit can be appreciated by the whole nation. The word אתכם in the plural emphasizes that the entire Torah, all of its commandments were given to the masses, not to select individuals. Our verse here makes plain that the right to choose has been given to man. If he wants to conduct himself in a manner acceptable to G’d he is free to do so; if he chooses to contravene G’d’s commandments he cannot be coerced by G’d. We have already referred to this in connection with Deut. 5,26: “who would give, etc.” We pointed out there that If G’d had not granted freedom of choice, He would not have to “wish” for the people to remain on a spiritual high but could legislate it. The whole premise of this freedom of choice is understood easily by the fact that G’d bothers again and again to command us what to do and what not to do. If we were not free to chart our own course, it would not make sense for G’d to have to give us all these commandments. All He would have to do is to program us according to His wishes. Seeing the principle of man’s freedom to choose is so fundamental, the Torah mentions it already at the beginning such as in Genesis 3,27 where G’d explains the need to expel Adam from Gan Eden by referring to his freedom to help himself to the fruit of the tree of life so that “he would live forever.” Had G’d been able to physically prevent Adam from reaching for the tree He would not have to had to place the tree out of reach for him. In the verse just quoted, G’d makes plain that as a result of having eaten from the tree of knowledge both good and evil have become viable options for man. The words הן האדם in Genesis 3,27 are G’d’s way of saying that man as a species is unique in the universe in that he possesses this freedom of choice. There is no other species like man in either heaven or on earth. The celestial beings have all been programmed by G’d to do His bidding with a minimum of delay and opposition. The reason that man is basically different is that he is the only species composed of both matter and spirit. The celestial beings are totally disembodied, whereas all other creatures on earth are earth-bound, equipped with a minimal “spiritual” equipment, one that merely strives to keep its body physically alive, i.e. the נפש of an animal. At the end of the Torah too the theme of man’s freedom of choice is dealt with once more when Moses says: “see I place before you this day life and goodness or death and evil.” (Deut. 30,15.) Our verse here basically reflects a similar message. Concerning this whole subject of what G’d is able to do and how He has voluntarily limited His options. Maimonides in chapter 5,4 of Hilchot Teshuvah has this to say: “Do not be amazed that we read in Psalms 135 6: “G’d does all He wants to do in heaven or on earth, in the oceans and in the deep.” There is no question that everything He does, He does as a result of His will. This is so in spite of the fact that what we do is subject to our own volition. How do we illustrate that this apparent contradiction is in fact no contradiction at all? Just as G’d wants that fire and wind rise upwards whereas water and earth are programmed through the forces of gravity to always strive downwards [the four basic raw materials the universe is made of], and the planets orbit in space around the globe, so all other phenomena in the universe behave in accordance with the way G’d has programmed them. Man’s freedom of choice is part of G’d’s expressed desire, i.e. this is part of how He decreed in His own free will that the universe should function. As a result of this system man is judged in accordance with his deeds. If he chooses the right way he will be rewarded, if not he will be punished. This is what the prophet meant when he said in Isaiah 50,11: מידי היתה זאת לכם, “do you think this was decreed for you by ME?” The same theme occurs in Isaiah 66,3 גם המה בחרו בדרכיהם, “they have also chosen their own paths” Concerning the above Solomon said in Kohelet 11,9: “Rejoice young man in your childhood let your heart cheer you in your youth; but remember that for all these things G’d will call you to account.” Solomon warns that though it is within your power to do what you fancy and to lead a life of frivolity, remember that the day of accounting is not far off. Thus far the comment of Maimonides in Hilchot Teshuvah.

“See, I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse.” See is spoken in the singular, before you is spoken in the plural, because our Sages said (Kiddushin 40b): “A person should always view himself as if the entire world is evenly balanced between merits and transgressions. If he performs one mitzvah, he tips himself and the entire world to the side of merit.” Therefore, He said to each individual, See — that they should see with their mind’s eye that all their actions will return before you [plural] — to all of you. And He mentioned this matter in this section which deals with Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, because there all of Israel became guarantors for one another, and due to this mutual responsibility, many are held accountable for the sin of the individual. There is a hint to this in what the Yalkut (475) concludes at the beginning of this section with a parable about someone sitting at a crossroads, with two paths before him, etc. He began with paths that are trodden by many, and ended with paths that are trodden by individuals. But he presented this parable regarding the verse that begins in singular form and ends in plural form, for the reason that was explained. And it uses the language today even though the appointed time for accepting the oath was when the Lord your God brings you into the land. Nevertheless, it uses the expression today to indicate that from today until that time, you have an opportunity to reconsider, so they would not say “we were coerced,” as is customary with any oath where time is given lest the person regret it. Similarly, He gave them time so they wouldn’t say that He confused and rushed them, and if they had been given time to reconsider, they wouldn’t have done it. Another interpretation of the word “today” alludes to the daily cycle of the celestial sphere, and links it to blessing and curse to tell you that just as the sun, which is singular, produces two opposite effects: it melts wax and congeals eggs, it darkens the face of the launderer, and whitens the garment. All these changes do not come from the sun itself but rather from the recipients. Similarly, the blessings and curses that come from the Blessed One do not necessitate any change in Him, as it is written I am the Lord, I have not changed (Malachi 3:6), but rather the change comes from the recipients, and from the mouth of the Most High comes neither evil nor good (Lamentations 3:39), as appears in the Midrash quoted by the Akeidah in this portion, and I decided to affix this interpretation on the word today. Another explanation is according to what our Sages of blessed memory taught, that they said (Nedarim 8b): There is no Gehinnom in the future, rather the Holy One, blessed be He, will remove the sun from its sheath, etc., as it is said And the coming day will scorch them (Malachi 3:19). And the day refers to the sun, but regarding the righteous it is written But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will shine with healing in its wings (Malachi 3:20). Therefore, it is said today [are set before you] blessing and curse — from the daily cycle will extend blessing and curse, for in this world there is no reward for commandments. And therefore He gave a sign, after the way of the sunset, etc. In this verse He gives signs and boundaries more detailed than one who sells his field. And why do I need [the phrase] the way of sunset? Rather, it comes to hint that the main receiving of reward and punishment is through the setting of the sun.

ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה, “See, I present before you this day, a blessing and a curse.” According to the plain meaning of the text, the פשט, the reason why Moses suddenly switches to the singular mode when addressing the whole people, is that he is addressing each one of them as individuals. Some commentators feel that Moses’ words, in this instance, were addressed to Joshua, and that he charged Joshua with blessing the people when they would cross the Jordan. Still other commentators feel that all the blessings and curses in the Book of Deuteronomy are expressed in singular mode, there is therefore nothing unusual here. A different approach altogether, concentrating on the choice of the introductory word ראה, “See!” describes the different manner between how Moses approaches the Israelites’ choice of their fate to that of the nations at large. When one engages in drawing lots for something, one exercises extreme caution to ensure that neither of the lots is visible to the parties participating in the draw. Moses, in outlining the choices before the Jewish people, makes sure that they can see clearly the choices at each one’s disposal. He therefore urges them to choose “life,” which is equated with “blessing.” He, so to speak, invites the people to let him place his hands on “blessing,” by their choosing to opt for performance of G’d’s commandments. He underlines this even more by not phrasing their choice as “iffy,” i.e. with the word אם, i.e. “if you do so and so you will receive a blessing,” but as something definitive, i.e. אשר תשמעון, “that you will hearken, etc.” The term אשר is also reminiscent of the word אשרי, “hail to.” Moses implies that he already hails them for having chosen correctly.

ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם היום, the commandments ברכה וקללה, as explained later in verse 29, that the “blessing” would be recited toward the tribes standing on Mount Gerizim, whereas the curse would be addressed to the tribes standing on Mount Eyvol. (compare author on 27,12-14)

ראה אנכי נתן לפניכם, “Behold, anochee set before you, etc.” Moses is asking the Israelites to choose that which Hashem had said to them in Exodus 20,2 when He identified Himself as their G–d Who had taken them out of Egypt. Hence the repetition here of Moses quoting the אנכי attribute of that G–d. An alternate interpretation of our verse: “Behold it is I Who gave goodness, therefore I am different from anyone else, Moses not having been aware that when he descended from Mount Sinai that his forehead radiated light. נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה, “am placing before you blessing and curse.” In this lower world there exists a mixture of blessing and curse; in the world after the arrival of the Messiah there will be only blessing.

the blessings — if you heed the commandments of Hashem your God that I am commanding you today;

את הברכה [I SET BEFORE YOU] THE BLESSING — with the condition that you should obey (אשר תשמעו).

"The blessing, that you obey" — for in your obeying, you are already blessed. The blessing is an addition of good, and the curse is a diminishment; it [the word for curse, קְלָלָה] is derived from the root meaning lightness (קַלָּה).

את הברכה אשר תשמעון, "The blessing if you will hearken, etc." The word את which frequently means "with" means here that in addition to the blessing which is the result of walking in G'd's paths there would be a bonus, i.e. they would hearken to G'd's commandments. Hearkening to G'd's commandments is perceived as a pleasurable experience by itself. It helps the soul to feel "alive" as we know from Isaiah 55,4: שמעו ותהי נפשכם, "hearken and your souls will come alive." Whenever someone who studies Torah gains an understanding of what the Torah has in mind he experiences a physical and spiritual sense of wellbeing. He owes G'd a debt of gratitude for affording him such pleasure. There is no need to add that such a person cannot demand a reward from G'd for having allowed him to experience such joy. There is yet another aspect to the words את הברכה. We have been taught in Kidushin 40 that the reward for מצוה-performance is divided into "capital and dividends." When Moses uses the word את he refers to the "dividend" aspect of the blessing which is the reward. The word הברכה refers to the world in which the capital is payable, whereas the word את refers to our world in which the dividends of this capital are paid out. Moses was careful to say אשר. Had he used the customary word אם this would have had a connotation of "if," i.e. that the payment of such dividends was somehow subject to doubt. By saying instead אשר, Moses made sure that this dividend would be perceived as something absolute, not subject to doubt or additional conditions. The Torah made this whole blessing dependent on "listening" rather than on performance of a deed or deeds with one's limbs as it wanted to convey the idea that anyone who listens to the living G'd and His Torah becomes imbued with the elixir of life, something which is guaranteed to bring him back to the fold in case he had strayed (compare introduction of Eychah Rabbati).

את הברכה אשר תשמעו, “the blessing, that you will listen, etc.” Interestingly, Moses did not use the conditional אם when speaking about the blessing, in contrast to his using this word when referring to the people not listening, i.e. את הקללה אם לא תשמעו, “the curse if you will not listen.” Seeing that the word אם implies that what follows is doubtful, Moses did not want the blessing to be associated with a word expressing doubt. The word אשר expresses that something is definite. This is why Moses chose to use this word as describing the blessing, i.e. its materializing.

The blessing when you listen, etc. In every place where listening is mentioned, it is followed by doing and keeping, or serving, such as And it shall come to pass, if you listen, etc., you shall keep and do, or And it shall come to pass, if you listen, etc., to serve Him with all your heart. This is because listening itself only involves accepting things in thought alone, committing oneself to do them, but this is not enough — one also needs to actually perform the actions. This is stated in and the curse if you do not listen, etc., and you turn away from the path. If so, it is difficult: it should have said “the blessing if you listen, etc., and you walk on the path.” Is listening alone sufficient without action? And behold, please lift your eyes and see what we have written above in the portion “Lech Lecha,” regarding what was said I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse — that the reason [God’s] blessing precedes [the phrase,] those who bless [whereas His curse comes after the phrase, those who curse] is because a good thought is considered by Scripture as if it were actually done, but an evil thought is not combined with action by the Holy One, blessed be He. According to this principle, no explanation is needed here, because the curse will certainly not take effect until after you do not listen and actually turn away from the path, but the blessing will take effect immediately after merely hearing [the commandments], so that receiving the blessing will help him to actualize his good thoughts by removing obstacles. And what it says “when you will listen” and not “if you will listen,” was said out of honor for Israel, as if they are not suspected in His eyes that they would not listen and not accept upon themselves to do God’s commandments even in thought. That far, they would not be defiant. So presumably every person from Israel will consider doing the commandment because thought is very easy. But in actual doing, He was doubtful about them, because perhaps the work would be too heavy for them and they would become negligent in doing it. Therefore, He said the blessing when you will listen, because God certainly knows that you will listen and accept in your hearts to do them, and then God will send the blessing so that through it, all external obstacles will be removed from you, and you will be able to bring the thought into action. For the person begins and God completes for him, as it says to God who completes for me (Psalms 57:3). Therefore, it says et the blessing — every “et” [Hebrew grammatical marker] comes to include, because the blessing comes to include the action that can come through it. But regarding the curse, the language of if is used, because of and you will turn aside from the way in action, which is said after you will not listen, because in this He was doubtful whether it would happen or not, as it is possible that they would become negligent in action, for and you will turn aside from the way explains you will not listen — that the intention is not just listening in thought alone, but listening that includes action. And some say that for this reason the blessing was placed before the action, because all the blessings were Blessed is the man who does not make a carved image or molten image, and so at every moment he stands without doing it. For if you say, “Perhaps he will do it later,” then there would be no end to the matter, and when would the blessing take effect? This agrees with the opinion of those who say that anyone who says “on condition” is as if saying “from now” (Kiddushin 8a). And the word that you listen means “on condition that you listen,” and it indicates that the reward precedes the action. As it is said And He gave them the lands of the nations, and they inherited the labor of the peoples, in order that they might keep His statutes (Psalms 105:45). And adjacently the word when [asher] will be explained in another way. “The blessing when you obey the commandments of the Lord, etc.” One must examine why it says regarding blessings when you obey the commandments of the Lord which I command you today — one time attributing the commandments to the Lord, and another time to himself [Moses]. And in the curses, it separates between them with the phrase and you turn aside from the way. It seems to me according to what is concluded in the Jerusalem Talmud of Tractate Shabbat (Chapter 6, Halakhah 9): Rabbi Berekhiah said, “In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will make a partition for the righteous beyond the partition of the ministering angels, and the ministering angels will ask them, ‘What has God wrought?’ as it is said At this time it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, ”What has God wrought“ (Numbers 23:23).” From here we learn that in the future, Israel will hear directly from the Almighty that which He commands, unlike in this world where they said, If we continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, we will die (Deuteronomy 5:22), and they needed an intermediary. But in the future, their strength will be so enhanced that they themselves will be intermediaries between Him, blessed be He, and the ministering angels. This is the main reward of the righteous and the hope of all who wait to behold the pleasantness of the Lord and to visit His Temple (Psalms 27:4). However, the punishment of the wicked is not merely that they will not merit to behold the pleasantness of the Lord, as is the opinion of Maimonides, but they will receive great punishment in actuality, according to the opinion of Nachmanides. With this suggestion it comes well to resolve the difficulty: Are not the blessing and the curse mentioned here the same as those spoken of regarding Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal? And why are all the curses mentioned in Parashat Ki Tavo, Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol, etc., but the blessings are not mentioned? The answer must be that the blessing mentioned here primarily refers to the World to Come, for there God has commanded the blessing. The verse explicitly explains the nature of the blessing, saying the blessing, this is the blessing that you will hear in the future regarding the commandments of the Lord your God, because in this world I stand between the Lord and you. This is what it means by which I command you today — in this world. But in the future, you will merit to hear for yourselves, as mentioned. But regarding the curse, it did not want to say that there is no other curse except not meriting this perfection, because this is not enough; rather, an actual curse will befall the heads of the wicked, and these are those curses mentioned in Parashat Ki Tavo. And that curse will take effect if you do not listen to accept the commandments of the Lord your God. And so that you will not mistakenly interpret if you do not listen as being similar to when you will listen, it says and you turn aside from the way. For when I said if you do not listen, it refers to turning aside from the way in this world, and it is not like when you will listen, which speaks of the reward in the World to Come. And what it says: “which I command you today.” Since I am and You shall have no other were heard directly from the Almighty (Makkot 24), therefore he made two divisions and said that the curse will take effect if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, namely I am and You shall have no other which you heard with your own ears directly from the Almighty. And regarding these, it is obvious that the curse will take effect if you do not listen to fulfill them. But even if you turn away from the path which I command you and trust in emptiness, saying that I made them up from my heart, nevertheless you will not be exempted from punishment by this. And he has not yet specified what are the commandments that they heard directly from the Almighty, therefore he said to go after other gods, etc. For this corresponds to I am and You shall have no other, and it refers back to the beginning of the verse which stated if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God. And with this, all the questions which the commentators raised regarding this section will be resolved.

את הברכה, which would be on Mount Gerizim on condition that 'אשר תשמעו אל מצות ה', וגו, that you will listen, etc.

את הברכה, אשר תשמעו את מצות ה'.......ואת הקללה אם לא תשמעו אל מצות ה', “and the curse if you will not hearken to the commandments of the Lord;” our author feels the need to explain this by a parable. An old man sat at a parting of a path. One of the parts continues smoothly but will soon become covered with thorns and thistles making progress almost impossible. The other is strewn with thorns and thistle already immediately, but will become smooth later on. This is what the old man explains to anyone asking him which path to take. The old man, naturally advises a traveler to take the path that has thorns and thistles only initially. Some travelers, seeing that the man is old, do not take his advice, and pay for it dearly as it is most difficult to go back to the junction once one has become embroiled in the thorns and thistles, People who commit trespasses against the Torah in their youth, i.e. in this world, because they choose ease and comfort, will find it almost impossible to retrace their steps once they have become caught in thorns and thistles. People who accept the challenge of Torah laws in their youth, will find it progressively easier, and in the end, their path will ensure that they experience the coming of the Messiah in due course. (Tanchuma section 3 on our portion)

and the curses — if you do not heed the commandments of Hashem your God, and you turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after the idols of the nations that you have not known.

מן הדרך אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם היום ללכת וגו׳ [IF YE DEPART] FROM THE WAY WHICH I COMMAND YOU THIS DAY, TO GO [AFTER OTHER GODS] etc. — You thus learn that he who serves idols departs from the entire path of life that Israel has been commanded. From this passage they (the Rabbis) taught the well-known dictum that he who acknowledges the divinity of an idol is as though he denied the Torah in its entirety (Sifrei Devarim 54:4).

והקללה אם לא תשמעו, "And the curse in case you will fail to hearken, etc." Moses means that anyone who prevents himself from hearkening to the voice of G'd has already cursed himself. This is why the word והקללה appears before the words "if you will not hearken." Moses adds that in addition you will have demonstrated that you depart from the normal path of life by preparing for yourselves alternate but leaking water cisterns. In effect this is what the words: "you will depart from the way and follow alien deities" are all about.

אם לא תשמעו אל מצות ה' אלו-היכם וסרתם מן הדרך, “If you will not listen to the commandments of the Lord your G’d and you will deviate from the path, etc.” This verse teaches that anyone guilty of idolatry is as if he had abandoned all of G’d’s commandments. This verse also inspired the statement by our sages in the Sifri that anyone who acknowledges that idolatry has any substance to it is considered as having denied all aspects of Torah.

And it shall come to pass that when Hashem your God brings you into the land to which you are entering to possess it, you shall place those who pronounce the blessings on Mount Gerizim and those who pronounce the curses on Mount Ebal.

ונתת את הברכה THEN THOU SHALT PUT THE BLESSING [UPON MOUNT GERIZIM] — Understand this as the Targum renders it: ית מברכיא those who pronounce the blessing. על הר גרזים means “towards Mount Gerizim”: they (the Levites) turned their faces towards it and began with a formula of blessing: “Blessed be the man that doth not make any graven or molten image etc.”. For each of the paragraphs beginning with the expression ארור as set forth in the chapter (Deuteronomy 27), they first recited in a converse form, beginning with the expression ברוך, “Blessed be etc.” and only afterwards did they turn their faces towards Mount Ebal and began to recite the corresponding curse (Sifrei Devarim 55:2; Sotah 32a; cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 27).

AND THOU SHALT PUT ‘ETH HABRACHAH’ UPON MOUNT GERIZIM. “This is to be understood as the Targum [Onkelos] rendered it: yath m’vorchaya — ‘the blessers’ [i.e., those who will pronounce the blessings]. Upon Mount Gerizim — toward Mount Gerizim.” This is Rashi’s language, but it is not correct according to the plain meaning of Scripture, for he has not yet instructed concerning [the identity of] those who were to pronounce the blessing [which is only mentioned further on, in Chapter 27:11-14; hence the verse here could not refer to them with the definite article — habrachah which implies that their identity was already known]. Rather, the meaning of the verses is as follows: “I have set ‘before you’ a way [to attain] blessing and a way [to attain] curse. And the expression before you signifies that you are to choose for yourselves what you desire, and I inform you that the blessing will be yours when you perform the commandments, and the curse if you do not fulfill them.” This is similar to what he further said. See, I have set before thee this day the life and the good, the death and the evil etc. [This verse clearly does not pertain to the setting at Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, thus disproving Rashi’s interpretation that the blessing refers to “those who will pronounce the blessings.”] Then he stated here [in the verse before us], that they were to bestow this blessing of which he speaks, upon them [i.e., the tribes] on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal, this [“bestowal”] being by word of mouth [rather than by some physical act of placing the blessers there, as Rashi rendered it]. In a similar way is the interpretation of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra, on this verse, and he shall ‘put’ them upon the head of the goat [meaning that the High Priest, by confessing the sins of the people, “puts” them upon the head of the goat that was to be sent to Azazel]. Thus he is saying here by way of admonition that they are to “put” [or pronounce] the blessing on Mount Gerizim, blessing the people if they will hearken to the commandments of G-d; and the curse on Mount Ebal, saying, “Cursed be he that will not hearken to the commandments and will turn aside from the way which G-d has commanded.” Now it would have been possible [in accordance with the plain meaning of this verse] that all the tribes utter the blessing and all of them [utter] the curse, or that the Levites pronounce them all, or that one individual proclaim them all. Hence he later reverted to explain there, These shall stand upon Mount Gerizim to bless the people, And these shall stand for the curse, and he further declared, And the Levites shall speak, and he explained the whole subject. For here, because of his admonition which he stated, Behold, I set before you etc., he mentioned part of the commandment and then he reverted to explain it [fully] in its proper place. It is possible that Mount Gerizim is to the south which is “the right” [side of a person who turns eastward facing the sunri...

"And you shall give the blessing" — verbally, as in "and he shall place them upon the head of the goat" (Leviticus 16:21).

ונתת את הברכה, bless the people who observe G’d’s commandments, ואת הקללה, and curse those who violate them deliberately.

ונתתה את הברכה, “you shall set the blessing;” verbally, as the author has explained in Deuteronomy 27,11-14; another example can be found in Leviticus 16,21: ונתן אותם על ראש השעיר, “he will place them on the head of the he-goat” (the sins of Israel). על הר גריזים, “next to Mount Gerizim.” The word על meaning “next to,” is also used in this sense in Exodus 40, 3 וסכות על הארון, “you shall screen the ark.” So also Leviticus 24.7: And thou shalt put pure frankincense with each row.

את הברכה, “you will give the blessing, etc.” The word “you will give” in this instance refers to something you will say. Pronouncing blessing while standing on Mount Gerizim is equivalent to “giving” the blessing on Mount Gerizim. We have a similar construction In Leviticus 26,21 ונתן אותם על ראש השעיר, “he will place them (the iniquities) on the head of the billy goat.” [Clearly, Aaron could not literally place the peoples’ sins on the head of that he-goat. He consigned the sins onto the head of that animal so they would be removed when the he-goat was taken to the desert. Ed.] על הר גריזים, “on Mount Gerizim.” The meaning is not “on” but “facing” Mount Gerizim. The Levites would turn their faces toward Mount Gerizim and begin to pronounce the blessings. The reverse applies to the “curses” mentioned in Parshat Ki Tavo in connection with Har Eyvol, Mount Eyvol. The Levites would first pronounce the blessing before spelling out the curses for violating the eleven commandments listed there. Nachmanides writes that possibly Mount Gerizim was to the south, i.e. the right of the people, whereas Mount Eyvol was on their left in the North. We have a tradition that evil, misfortune, always begins in the north (Jeremiah 1,14).

ונתתה את הברכה על הר גריזים, “you shall deliver the blessing to Mount Gerizim;” Rashi writes: כתרגומו, meaning that he agrees with Onkelos’ translation of the word הברכה as “the ones pronouncing the blessing, i.e. the Levites.” Nachmanides does not agree. He argues that seeing that Moses had as yet not instructed the Levites to pronounce these blessings, how could they be the subjects in this verse? He feels therefore that the meaning of our verse is that Moses encourages the people to choose the path of blessing (instead of the path that leads to a curse). This is why he first warned of the alternative in verse 28, explaining that the curse would result from failure to heed the laws of the Torah. Moses commanded that the blessing be dispensed on Mount Gerizim, i.e. that there they would bless the people that hearken to the commandments of Hashem, whereas the ones failing to do so would be cursed on Mount Eyval. It is also possible that all the tribes would be blessed, conditionally, and all the tribes would be cursed conditionally. Another scenario could be that the Levites pronounced both the blessings and the curses, or even that a single person pronounced both the blessings and the curses. After that (27,12) Moses explained which tribes were to position themselves on which of the two mountains at that time, and all had to confirm both the blessings and the curses by answering “Amen” when they heard same. The reason why this whole procedure is reported in two sections, part here and part in chapter 27, is that Moses had introduced it here when the people were not on location, whereas in chapter 27 he is at pains to point out that this procedure is to be one of the very first commandments performed as soon as the people had crossed the river Jordan.

Are they not across the Jordan, behind the route of the setting of the sun, in the land of the Canaanite who dwells in the plain, facing Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh?

הלא המה ARE THEY NOT [AT THE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN … ]? — He gave geographical indications regarding them (the mountains). אחרי [AT THE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN,] AFTER — This means: behind the passage of the Jordan much further on in a distance, for that is the force of the expression אחרי, because wherever the term אחרי (in contradistinction to אחר; cf. Rashi on Genesis 15:1) is used it signifies “greatly separated” (Genesis Rabbah 44:5; cf. Sifrei Devarim 56:1; Sotah 33b). דרך מבוא השמש [AT THE PASSAGE OF THE JORDAN, FAR DISTANT FROM IT] ON THE WAY OF THE SETTING OF THE SUN — i.e. beyond the Jordan towards the West. The accents in the verse prove that they (the word אחרי and the phrase דרך מבוא השמש) are two unconnected phrases since they bear two separate accents of a different character, viz., the word אחרי is marked by a Pashta (a disjunctive accent), and the word דרך is marked by a משפל (our Yetib), and also has a Dagesh. If, however, אחרי דרך formed one phrase, the word אחרי should be marked by a conjunctive accent, a שופר הפוך (our Mahpach) and דרך by a Pashta, while the ד of דרך would be ‘‘weak” (i.e. have no Dagesh; cf. Rashi on Joshua 7:15). מול הגלגל means, distant from Gilgal (not near Gilgal). אלוני מורה [BESIDE] THE TEREBINTHS OF MOREH — This is Shechem, for it states, (Genesis 12:6): “unto the place of Shechem, unto the terebinth of Moreh” (Sifrei Devarim 56:1; Sotah 33b; cf. Rashi on that verse).

"On the other side of the Jordan" — facing the wilderness. "After the way of the setting of the sun" — meaning that you shall travel westward and find them. "In the land of the Canaanite who dwells in the Arabah" — for there is also a Canaanite who dwells in the hill country. "Facing Gilgal" — now the mountains are long, and therefore he specifies the location on the mountains: facing Gilgal — like "and he pursued as far as Dan" (Genesis 14:14), either by way of prophecy or as [it is] two names [for the same place]. "Facing" (מוּל) — means opposite (נֶכַח). "The oaks of Moreh" — these are those mentioned in the days of Abraham. As for the blessing and the curse, he will explain them further [in due course].

הלא המה בעבר הירדן, at the entrance to the land as soon as you cross the Jordan. This procedure is meant to demonstrate that your settling in this land will not be in an unsatisfactory, inadequate manner, but that it will be either completely successful or the reverse.

אחרי דרך מבא השמש, “behind the way of the going down of the sun.” Rashi’s commentary on this phrase is that the people travelled a tremendous distance on that day. According to the Talmud, tractate Sotah, folio 36, the Israelites on that day, after having crossed the river Jordan, would have marched 60 mil to Mount Gerizim and Mount Eyval. After having performed all the commandments they were to perform there, on that day they would then march back to Gilgal where they would spend the night as detailed in Joshua 8,30-35 as well as in Sotah 36. [I am not sure if our author questions the literal meaning of the Talmud concerning this. Ed.] מול הגלגל, “facing Gilgal;” The reason why Moses pinpoints the location is because the chain of mountains is long, and Moses wished to give precise directions.

הלא המה בעבר הירדן אחרי דרך מבא השמש, “Are they not on the other side of the Jordan, far, in the direction of the sunset.” Moses gave the people a sign by which to recognize these two mountains. If they were to journey in its direction by bearing west they would find them in the land of the Emorite who dwells in the wilderness opposite Gilgal, close to Eloney Moreh.

“After the way of the setting of the sun, etc.” All these signs and landmarks seem unnecessary, since these mountains which were mentioned by name were recognizable and well-known. And in the tractate Sotah (33b), it concludes: which dwell in the plain — but were they not dwelling among hills and mountains? Opposite Gilgal — but they could not see Gilgal. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: The verse only comes to show them the way the second time, just as it showed them the way the first time. In the way — go by the road and not through fields and vineyards. Which dwell — go through settlements and not through deserts. In the plain — go through level ground and not through hills and mountains. But this is difficult according to his words: what does this have to do with Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal? And as a hint, one could say that it indicates that the blessings will rest upon the heads of three groups of Israel when they go on the straight path. The first group, they are the righteous of the way who walk in God’s Torah, the teachers of instruction in Israel. To them he said “Go on the path” and not in fields and vineyards, just as the priests had no portion in fields and vineyards so that they would not be preoccupied with working the land, but rather the lips of a priest shall preserve knowledge, and they shall seek Torah from his mouth (Malachi 2:7). And we find that the entire Torah is called “way” as is stated in Kiddushin (2b), similarly all those who walk in the way of God’s Torah should not occupy themselves with fields and vineyards. The second group consists of the householders who engage in settling the world and support Torah scholars. To them he said, “Go to settlements,” meaning that you should always be occupied with matters that contribute to the settlement of the world, not with idle matters or meaningless things like the wilderness, which is a place of chaos. This is why he says “and not in wildernesses,” unlike those who sit at street corners, whose entire discourse consists of idle matters and slander, which is included in the term “wildernesses.” The third group, they are the officials, the kings of Israel and the leaders of each generation and their guides, to them he said that their hearts should not be lifted up, but rather they should walk in the plain, on level ground and not on mountains and hills, not to pursue big things and extravagances, but rather on a middle path, just as the plain is intermediate between mountain and lowland. And although this entire verse speaks literally about travelers, for the Scripture never departs from its simple meaning, and as Rashi explained, that he commanded them to go by way of the Canaanites because it is a level and settled land, as he had first shown them. Nevertheless, Moses did not needlessly repeat and encourage them a second time about the conduct of the journey, but rather so that they would learn from this general path about the way to conduct themselves on God’s path in Torah and commandments, through which they would merit the blessings mentioned on Mount Gerizim in this world, and to the reward of the world to come, which comes after the setting of the sun, after the setting of a person’s sun in this world, where they will shine with eternal light. And even if all this is by way of homiletical interpretation, nevertheless, the matter itself is correct and reasonable to hear; the wise will hear and increase learning (Proverbs 1:5).

אחרי דרך, it looks as if we encounter two successive vowel patterns both pashta, both tone-signs employed as separators, something most unusual. However, if we look closely we will find that the word דרך is accented on the first syllable, so that this results in the word אחרי sounding like an שופר הפוך, a term used in Hebrew grammar for a connecting tone-sign. [Minchas Shay suggests that when reading this line the reader should briefly pause after the word אחרי, in order to achieve the same result. Heidenheim, explaining Rashi, also states that Rashi understands the word אחרי as not belonging to the word דרך following it. Ed.] מבא השמש, where the sun sets, i.e. in the west.

For you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess the land that Hashem your God is giving you, and you shall possess it and dwell in it.

כי אתם עברים את הירדן וגו׳ FOR YE SHALL PASS OVER THE JORDAN etc., — The miracles that will be wrought for you during your crossing of the Jordan shall be an omen for you that you will indeed come into and inherit the land (cf. Sifrei Devarim 57).

"For you are crossing" — the meaning is: begin thus to act, and the land will be yours as an eternal inheritance.

And you shall observe to perform all the statutes and the ordinances that I am setting before you today.

AND YE SHALL OBSERVE TO DO ALL THE STATUTES AND THE ORDINANCES. Here, also, he admonishes concerning the statutes and ordinances before mentioning the rest of the commandments, and he cites first the ordinance concerning idolatry and its appurtenances as I have explained in the section of Va’ethchanan. Afterwards he mentions many ordinances concerning a false prophet, a beguiler, and an apostate city. And he mentions among the statutes first, the offerings in the Sanctuary, and afterwards, the prohibition of eating anything abominable, and the rest of the commandments.

ושמרתם לעשות, "And you will observe to carry out, etc." Inasmuch as the commandments which Moses is about to convey are all of the kind that can be performed only in ארץ ישראל, Moses applies the term שמירה [usually reserved for the avoidance of violating negative commandments, Ed.] much as we read in Genesis 37,11 that ואביו שמר את הדבר, "his father remained aware of the matter" (Joseph's dream about the brothers and his father and mother bowing down to him). Moses meant by this word that the Israelites should constantly look forward to the opportunity to carry out these commandments although at the time he spoke to them they had no opportunity to fulfil these מצות. He concluded by saying אלה החוקים "these are the statutes." Commandments such as the one to wipe out locations where the Canaanites had worshiped idols, he called "statutes," as they applied only once the Israelites were in that country. They could not carry out this commandment until they had conquered the land.

ושמרתם לעשות את כל החוקים ואת המשפטים, “you are to carefully perform all the statutes and all the social laws.” Here too, Moses mentions the statutes and social laws ahead of other types of legislation. When mentioning these laws in details, he deals first with the need to abolish all traces of idol-worship, just as he had done in Parshat Vaetchanan.