“Behold! – “r’eh,” “see, look” - I set
before you today a blessing and a curse…” (Deut.11: 26, emphasis added). The
imperative form of the verb “see, look or behold” is in singular person,
while the “you” in this verse is in plural form. Thus, although that
which is about to follow is a charge to the entire nation, each and every individual
Israelite is to consider what is being said, and is to be personally
responsible to obey YHVH’s Word. Contrary
to the English rendering that, a blessing will result “if you hear the
commandments of YHVH your Elohim which I command you today; and a curse, if you
will not hear the commandments of YHVH your Elohim” (11:27 italics added), in
Hebrew it is simply: “Behold I set before you today a blessing and curse; a
blessing [of] hearing the commandments…” The prepositional “if” is attached
only to the curse. Thus, keeping YHVH’s
Word constitutes a blessing in itself, which is the very reason He gave Yisrael
the Torah in the first place - instructions for life abundant!
In order to maintain the blessings in the land of their inheritance, the
Israelites are commanded: “You shall utterly destroy all the places
where the nations whom you shall possess serve their gods… and you shall
obliterate their name from that place” (12:2a.3c italics added). The
verb used for “utterly destroy” is the same as for “obliterate”
- “abed” of the root a.b/v.d (alef, bet/vet, dalet). The first reference is a double rendering, “a’bed
ta’abdoon (destroying you will destroy - singular),” while the second is
“ve’eeba’de’tem (plural).” “Abed”
forms a pun with “avod” (ayin, bet/vet, dalet), which here is “worship
and service rendered to idols,” and may be an intentional device employed
in our text. Thus we read above, “The places where the nations… serve [av’du]
their gods,” and in 13:6-8: “If your brother… or your son or daughter, or the
wife you cherish, or your friend… entice you secretly, saying, ‘let us go and serve
[na’avda] other gods…’ you shall not yield to him or listen to him…”
(emphasis added), as serving other gods will indeed bring about utter
destruction and obliteration – avadon - of the above root a.b/v.d - upon
those thus engaged (see also 13:10-17).
Having been nomads in the wilderness, the Israelites have not yet
experienced the “rest and the inheritance” promised them by YHVH
(12:9). It is precisely in order to
obtain those two promises that they are to “not do according to all that [you]
are doing here today, each doing all that is right in his own eyes… And you
shall cross over the Jordan
Large portions of our Parasha deal with YHVH’s place of choice of where
He is to be worshipped. As we saw in
Parashat Va’ye’tze (Genesis 28: 10 – 32:2, in chapter 28:10ff) “place” is
“makom,” originating from the verb “kum” which means “to rise, stand up, or go
up.” This place is defined as: “The
place which YHVH your Elohim shall choose out of all your tribes; for you shall
seek His dwelling, to put His name there” (12:5). It is there that the Israelites are to “go” --
it is there that they are to “bring” their “offerings, sacrifices, tithes, contributions
and oaths” (12:6, 11). It is also there that they are to “do” all that He
commands them to do (12:14). It is to be
a place for both individual and corporate service to, and worship of YHVH, with
the Pesach sacrifice being offered there (ref. 16:2, 6), and where the “rejoicing” during the Feast
of Shavu’ot (Feast of Weeks) is to take place (ref. 16:11). Finally, “three times in a year shall all your
males appear before YHVH your Elohim in the place which He shall choose”
(16:16 emphasis added). The word here for “males” is not the usual
“z’charim” (singular, “zachar”), but another version of the same root (z.ch.r.
zayin, chaf, resh), “z’churim.” The root z.ch.r means to “remember,” and
thus a “male” is “one who remembers.” But here the changed form (“z’churim”) means “those
who are remembered.” If the Israelites remember to obey YHVH’s Word,
He will definitely not forget them and will maintain His faithfulness to them (and
to their households).
Whereas the sacrifices and offerings are not to be offered randomly
(“take heed to yourself that you not offer your burnt offerings in every place
that you see,” 12:13), the slaughtering and partaking of meat, once Yisrael
enters the land, may be done at will (v. 15). This will enable the people to
eat the meat of undomesticated animals such as deer and ram, which although
kosher, could not be eaten in the wilderness as they were not to be used for
sacrifices. But in addition to this
changed regulation, another change is now being enacted. Because meat eating in the wilderness always
involved a sacrifice (“peace offering” for the laymen), those partaking of it
had to be “tahor,” that is in a state of ritual cleanliness. However,
with the changed conditions and requirements for and in the Land of Yisrael
The expression “life is in the blood,” of 12:23, is actually the “blood
is [or constitutes] the soul,” as we see also in B’resheet (Genesis) 9:4. Soul - “nefesh” - stems from the
root n.f.sh (noon, pey/fey, shin) meaning, “rest” or “refreshing oneself.”
Shmot (Exodus) 23:12 provides a good example and illustration of the usage and
meaning of this verb: “Six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day
you shall cease from labor [in order] that your ox and your donkey may rest,
and the son of your female slave, as well as your stranger may refresh
themselves” (emphasis added). Thus, embedded in the very word for ‘soul’ is
YHVH’s original intent and design for it, which is “rest, repose and
refreshment.”
Chapter 13 begins with a challenge concerning false prophets or dreamers
of dreams, which the Israelites are not to heed if they are to truly love YHVH
their Elohim. Accordingly, we read the
following in verse 3: “You shall not listen to the words of that prophet or
that dreamer of dreams; for YHVH your Elohim is testing you to find out if you
love YHVH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul.” The Hebrew for “you love…” is “ha’yesh’chem
ohavim…” This is an unusual usage of
“yesh,” which means “there is, substance, or existence” and is generally not
attached to verbs. The particular usage employed
here indicates that the love the Israelites are supposed to have for YHVH is to
be part and parcel of their very being, their make up and fiber.
The rest of chapter 13 and the first part of 14 deal with idolatrous
practices, about which it says: “You shall put away evil from among you” (13: 5c,
see also v. 17a)). The verb for “put
away” is “(u)ve’arta,” of the root b.ae.r (bet, ayin, resh) , which literally
means to “burn.” In Bamidbar
(Numbers) 11:1 we read, “And when the people complained, it displeased
YHVH and YHVH heard it; and his anger was kindled, and the fire of YHVH burnt
among them.” That fire of YHVH, which
burnt among them, was denoted by the same verb. And thus we may infer that Yisrael is not only
to “burn” the “evil,” but that failing to depart from it they will incur YHVH’s
burning (anger). Moreover, another word
that is spelt the same means, “brutish or ignorant” and by
inference also “beasts and cattle” (e.g. Gen. 45:17). The fools are addressed in Tehilim (Psalms)
94: 8 – 11 in
this way: “Understand you beastly ones [“bo’arim”] among the people; you fools,
when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, shall He not hear? He who formed
the eye, shall He not see? He who chastises the nations, shall He not punish,
He who teaches man knowledge? YHVH knows
the thoughts of man, that they are vain.” It appears that b.ae.r (“burning,” but also
“removal” and “brutish”) is applied to the ignorant ones who have incurred
YHVH’s burning anger, or to those who may be in danger of doing so.
The
laws of tithing are also repeated in our Parasha: “You shall surely tithe all
the increase of your seed that the field yields year by year” (14:22). “Aser te’aser,” you shall surely
tithe” (lit. “tithing you shall tithe”) is emphatic, while the letters
ayin, sin and resh which from the word “eser” - “ten” (the tithe of course
being the tenth part of the whole, and called “ma’aser”) are also the
root of ashir - rich (with a slight modification in the letter “sin,” placing
the dot on the upper right hand side, turning it to “shin”). Are we to surmise from this that he who pays
his tithes is guaranteed riches? The
reason given here for the tithes (and for having to be faithful to eat it in
the place chosen by YHVH), is for the purpose of teaching the “fear [of] YHVH”
(14:23). The commentator Alshikh asks,
“How can eating, drinking and abundance of rejoicing teach people to be God
fearing? … Perhaps the Holy One blessed Be He commanded them to take a tithe of
all their possessions to Jerusalem
The principle of the release of debts comes next. “Every seven years you
shall make a release [“sh’mita”] (15:1), of the verb sh.m.t.
(shin, mem, tet), which means to “drop, release, or let go”
(as we saw in Parashat Mishpatim – Ex. 21-24, in 23:11). The lesson learned thereby is not only the
remission of debts, but also the remission of sins, granted us by YHVH who in
forgiveness and grace “lets go” of our transgressions. The theme of generosity
expressed in 15:3-4 is repeated in verses 7-11, where we find the expression, “an open and free hand” (15:8). Such
an attitude, with the resultant deeds, will produce conditions where there will
be, “…no one in need among you, for YHVH will greatly bless you in the land
that YHVH your Elohim is giving you for an inheritance, to possess it” (15:4). But should the poor nevertheless remain in the
land, “sh’mita” will afford an opportunity to “give freely” (ref. vs. 7, 8, 10,
11) and, further, to be blessed in return. Even Yeshua made the comment that “the poor
are always with you” (John 12:8). The
word used in our text for “poor” (15:7, 11) is “ev’yon,” of the root
a.v.h (alef, bet/vet, hey) which is “submit to existing demand” [3], thereby
describing the lot of the less fortunate member of society. In verse 2 we
read: “… every creditor shall release
what he has loaned to his neighbor…” - while “loaned” here is “yasheh”
(root n.sh.h, noon, shin, hey) and means “obligate, give up rights.”
In verse 6 we read again: “For YHVH
shall bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but
you will not borrow…” “Lend” is “avot” (a.v.t. ayin, bet/vet,
tet), meaning “obligate, be indebted.” [4] Conditions of full
graciousness and generosity result in full freedom, with none having to “submit
to the demands of others” to whom they are “indebted.” But, as mentioned above,
when that is not the case, YHVH makes provision for those who fall under this
category, thus giving an opportunity to the rest of society to be exercised in
goodness and care for the needy.
In the latter part of chapter 15 we encounter instructions concerning
Hebrew slaves, who are to be released on the seventh year: “And when you send
him out free from you, you shall not let him go away empty. You shall richly
bestow on him from your flock, and from your threshing floor, and from your
winepress…” (v. 14, emphasis added). The
Hebrew reads: “bestowing you shall bestow,” while the verb for “bestow”
is “ha’anik” (the root is a.n.k, ayin, noon, kof). According to Daat
Mikra commentary [5] the usage of this verb here is connected to “anak,”
a necklace, in order to point out that rather than ‘hang burdens on the
neck’ (as the idiom goes) of the former slave, the master is to ‘hang on his
neck’ gifts of every kind.
Still on the same theme, in 16:11 we read concerning the Feast of
Shavu’ot: “And you shall rejoice before YHVH your Elohim, you and your son, and
your daughter, and your male slave, and your slave-girl, and the Levite that is
inside your gates, and the alien, and the fatherless, and the widow that are
among you…” According to Rashi, the first group of four parallels the last
four. The first lot belongs to man, while the second lot belongs to YHVH, who
says to man: “If you will treat well those who belong to Me, I shall likewise
be kind [literally, ‘cause to rejoice’] to those who belong to you”. [6]
[1] Dvarim with Daat Mikrah Commentary,
Pub. Mossad Harav Kook, Jm. 2001.
[2] New Studies in Devarim, Nechama Leibowitz,
trans. Aryeh Newman. Eliner
Library,
Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora. Hemed
Books Inc., Brooklyn ,
N.Y.
[3] Etymological
Dictionary of Biblical Hebew, based on the commentaties of
Samson Raphael Hirsch, Matityahu Clark,
Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem
[4] Ibid
[5] Dvarim with Daat
Mikrah Commentary, Pub. Mossad Harav Kook, Jm. 2001.
[6]
Ibid
