“When you have come – ki tavo – into the land…” informs us
that “living in Israel land of Yisrael
“And the priest
shall take the basket out of your hand and place it before the altar of YHVH
your Elohim. And you shall speak and say before YHVH your Elohim…” (26: 4). Now
the Israelite is bidden to recount before YHVH some of the history of his
people (v. 5ff), which of course highlights YHVH’s indispensable role, generating
thanksgiving in the said Israelite worshipper, as well as a greater sense of
oneness with his ancestors and with the future generations. And so (as we have
noticed in many other instances), place, time and people all come together
under the sovereign rule of YHVH.
However, the
declaration: “… And you shall place it before YHVH
your Elohim, and bow yourself before YHVH your Elohim” (26:2), along
with the presentation of the fruit in the basket, does
not end this particular activity. In verse 11 we read: “… and rejoice in all the good which YHVH your Elohim has given
to you, and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the alien who is in your
midst,” immediately leading to: “When you have made an end of tithing all the
tithes of your increase the third year, the year of tithing, and have given it
to the Levite, the alien, the orphan, and the widow, that they may eat inside your
gates, and be filled…” (v.12).
In
Parashot R’eh and Shoftim (2 and 3 weeks ago, respectively, and before that in
Parashat Mishpatim Ex. 21-24) we encountered the root b.ae.r (bet, ayin, resh),
used in reference to YHVH’s burning anger, and also in regards to removing any
and all impurities from Yisrael’s camp, hence meaning, to “burn, purge or
consume” (in Mishpatim we examined this root closely, finding several more
meanings not mentioned here). Last week’s Parashat Ki Te’tzeh also cited
several times this term in regards to sexual impurity (22:13-24), with one more
reference to kidnapping (24:7). Here
this term is used once more, but surprisingly in a very different context:
“When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the
third year -- the year of tithing -- and have given to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so
that they may eat within your gates and be filled, then you shall say before
YHVH your Elohim: 'I have removed the holy tithe from my house… I have not eaten any of
it when in mourning...‘” (Deuteronomy 26:12-13, 14 italics added). In Hebrew both “I removed” and “I have [not]
eaten” are rendered as “bi’ar’ti.” This further emphasizes the potential for
YHVH’s burning anger if one were not to fulfill the
above-mentioned requirement of rendering that which is set-apart (kadosh) for
those to whom it is due (i.e. the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the
widow).
Thus
the individual Israelite, who is responsible before his Elohim for handing over
the initial yield of his land, for thanking Elohim and rejoicing before Him, is
at the same time also to encompass the needy ones within his gates, since doing
so is as good as “lending to YHVH” Himself (ref. Prov.19:17).
The afore-mentioned address made to the Israelites (in
chapter 26) is in second person singular, which constitutes, as noted before, a
means to underscore the individual responsibility to be borne by each person
(as well as the oneness of the people – one and all). The confession, however, that
the Israelite worshiper is to make is in first person plural, denoting
the collective national identity in relationship to YHVH (vs. 5-9). In verse 10
there is an immediate change, again to first person, as the focus shifts back
to the individual’s responsibility and relationship with his Elohim. Verses
17-19 sum up the ‘transaction’ which will take place: “You have today declared
YHVH to be your Elohim, and to walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes and
His commands, and His judgments, and to pay attention to His voice. And YHVH
has declared you today to be His people, a special treasure as He has
spoken to you, and to keep all His commands. And He will make you high above
all nations that He has made, in praise, and in name, and in glory; and that
you may be a holy people to YHVH your Elohim, as He has spoken” (italics
added). The verb “declared” in both instances is “he’emir,” of
the root a.m.r (alef, mem, resh), meaning to “say, utter, declare, speak.”
However, because “he’emir” is an unusual conjugation, rather than the regular
“amar,” some translate it “elevate,” from the root word “a’mir,” which is “top
or summit” (for example, “uppermost branch” in Isaiah 17:6). The wilderness
journey had seen many incidents of rebellion, as Moshe states in Dvarim
(Deuteronomy) 9:24: “You have been rebels against YHVH from the day that I knew
you.” There, as in many of the other references to the Israelites’
rebelliousness, the word used is “mam’rim,” of the root m.r.h. This sad fact, which
is stated in alliteration form in Tehilim (Psalms) 107:11: “They defied Elohim’s
words” – “himru ee’mrey El,” finds its ‘remedy’ (tikkun) in the present
term - “he’emiru” - that is in the definitive
action of the Israelites “saying and declaring” YHVH’s “elevating” words, deeds
and goodness toward them.
The rest of the Parasha is mostly devoted to the blessings and the
curses (chapter 28). Even the undertaking in the future, of writing the Torah
on “large stones” after crossing the Yarden and reading it to the people, is
intended to illustrate vividly the extant dichotomy of “blessings” and “curses,”
as this event was to take place between the “Mountain of Blessing” and the
“Mountain of Curse.” And, as if to make
sure that the people will understand the simple equation of ‘obedience equals
blessings - rebellion equals curses,’ it says: “And you shall write on the
stones all the words of the law very plainly” (27:8). “Very plainly” is
“ba’er heytev,” and while we have already examined once the verb “ba’er”
(and its connection to “be’er,” “well” – in Deut. Ch. 1), here we encounter the
additional “heytev,” of the root “tov” - well, good,
pleasant.” “Ba’er hey’tev,” then, is plainly “do a good job of explaining
and making the meaning clear and simple.”
Moving now to the blessings versus the curses, we take a look at 28:1
(regarding the blessings) and at verse 15 (the opening verse of the passage enumerating
the curses) and read the following commentary: “Particularly remarkable is the
difference between the emphatic double phrase of obedience used in the positive
passage: ‘If thou shalt diligently hearken (shamo’a tishma)’ and the
bare: ‘if thou shalt not hearken’ in the negative one. … Rashi, following Talmudic
exegesis interprets the idiomatic doubling of the verb in a conditional sense:
‘And it shall be,’ im shamoa, ‘if thou shalt hearken,’ tishma, ‘then
thou shalt continue to hearken.’ Though grammatically this is not the
implication of the verb doubling, it nevertheless expresses a deep
psychological truth that once man has started on the right path, his progress
becomes easier, gathering momentum with each fresh good deed. Maimonides also observed:
‘The more man is drawn after the paths of wisdom and justice, the more he longs
for them and desires them’”. [2]
The blessings and the curses are set side by side in chapter 28, and are
parallel in content. But whereas it takes 14 verses to spell out the blessings,
it takes almost four times that to go through all the curses. It appears that
both blessings and curses are all-encompassing. Being blessed, one is blessed
everywhere one goes or happens to be, and likewise when one is cursed. The
blessings and the curses are therefore all-pervasive. The more the blessings
sound pleasant and appealing, the more horrendous and appalling are the curses,
and using some of the same words in both underscores this fact all the more.
The word fruit, for example, is used this way. In 28:4 and 11 we read:
“The fruit of your body shall be blessed, and the fruit of your
ground, and the fruit of your livestock, the offspring of your oxen, and
the young ones of your flock. (italics added).” “And YHVH shall prosper you in
goods, and in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your
livestock, and in the fruit of your ground in the land which YHVH swore
to your fathers to give it to you” (italics added). In the next section we read
about a fierce nation, which “shall eat the fruit of your livestock, and
the fruit of your land, until you are destroyed” (v. 51, italics added. In
the English translation “increase” and “produce” replace “fruit”). But what
renders “fruit” and its usage much more macabre is verse 53: “And you shall eat
the fruit of your body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom
YHVH your Elohim has given to you… “ (italics added).
Let
us review several other similar examples (where the same term or root is used
in widely differing contexts, highlighting the severity of the message). In
28:11 it says: “And YHVH will grant you plenty of goods…”
(emphasis added), which is “ve’hotircha” from the root y.t.r -“that which surpasses” and is
therefore a “surplus.” But y.t.r (yod, tav, resh) is also the root for
“that which remains.” And so in 28:54 the root y.t.r is employed once
more, though with a very different message: “The sensitive and very refined man
among you will be hostile toward his brother, toward the wife of his bosom, and
toward the rest – “yeter” - of his children whom he leaves
behind – “yotir” - so that he will not give any of them the flesh of
his children whom he will eat…” (emphasis added). These words, aside from
highlighting the horrid situation, especially as juxtaposed against the
blessings of y.t.r., also echo the same morbidity which characterized the
passage we just read above (having had to do with “fruitfulness”). “Avod” - “work, labor, worship,
serve” is another term which is used in this manner.
Verse
14 concludes the list of blessings by saying: "So you shall not turn aside
from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the
left, to go after other gods to serve them” (italics added). In contrast
it is written in verses 47-48 “Because you did not serve/worship YHVH
your Elohim with joyfulness and with gladness of heart for the abundance of all
things, you shall serve your enemies whom YHVH shall send on you, in
hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in lack of all things. And he
shall put an iron yoke on your neck until he has destroyed you” (italics
added). Verse 64 takes us even further: “And YHVH shall scatter you among all
people, from one end of the earth even to the other, and you shall serve
[of the root a.v.d again] other gods there, wood and stone, which you have not
known, nor your fathers” (italics added).
Becoming
“a proverb and a byword – ma’shal u’shneena - among all the
peoples” (28:37) is another outcome of not heeding YHVH’s voice, as opposed to
“all the peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of
YHVH, and they shall fear you” (v. 10). In Parashat Chayey Sarah (Gen. 23-25:18,
in reference to 24:2), we examined the noun “ma’shal” extensively. We found
that one of the verbs for “to rule” – mashol – shares its root (m.sh.l) with
words such as “proverb, parable and example.” Thus, a ruler who
represents his higher authority, as he is meant to do in YHVH’s kingdom,
becomes a fit example of the latter. Here Yisrael is warned against
misrepresenting YHVH and becoming an object lesson exemplifying what happens to
those who betray trust. In Yoel (Joel) 2:17 the prophet laments: “And
do not give Your heritage to reproach, that the nations should rule
(“lim’shol”) over them. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their
Elohim?'"
The second term
used in the above “proverb and byword” - “sh’neena”
- stems from the root sh.n.n. (shin, noon, noon) and means to “sharpen, whet,”
and by implication “repeat.” Thus, if Yisrael should set a negative
example, that fact will be told repeatedly, over and over and in every place.
However, if they obey the word, “vesheenantam… “teach repeatedly” YHVH’s
Word to their children (Deut. 6:7), not only will they not become a “sh’neena”
- “a byword”- among the nations,
rather they will be at the “head” of all
the nations (ref. 28:13).
The last
phase of the fulfillment of the curses is a scattering among the nations. This
entails unbearable conditions: “And among these nations you shall find no ease,
nor shall the sole of your foot have rest – ma’no’ach…” (28:65). In
Parashat No’ach we read: “The dove was sent to see if the water
had abated and, found no resting place – again ma’no’ach - for the sole of her
foot….” (Gen. 8:8-9). But the suffering, anguish and dread only continue: “And your life shall hang in doubt before you, and you shall
fear day and night, and shall have no assurance of your life. In the morning
you shall say, Oh that it were evening! And in the evening you shall say, Oh
that it were morning! For the fear of your heart with which you fear, and for
the sight of your eyes which you shall see” (28:66-67). Indeed, one Holocaust
survivor chose to name the book he wrote about his experiences, Oh That It
Were Evening. “Evening” as we noted several times already is “erev”
of the root e.r.v (ayin, resh, bet/vet), with its numerous derivations such as,
mix, pleasant, raven and guarantee (at the end of the day “erev” is a guarantee
of the coming morning). In the present case, the Guarantor of the ‘coming day’
is involved in the circumstances of those to whom He has pledged His guarantee.
Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah) chapter 30, for example, contains tremendous (and
guaranteed) promises to Yisrael. In verse 21 we read the following: “Their
leader [“moshel” which we just encountered above] shall be one of them and
their ruler shall come forth from their midst [remember Parashat Shoftim and
the leader who was to be raised from “among their brethren”?]. And I will bring
him near and he shall approach Me; For who would dare to risk his life to
approach Me?”. “Dare to risk (his life)” is once again from the same familiar
e.r.v - “a’ra’v.” The answer to the question is quite clear, as no one else but
Elohim’s Son could risk His life, as indeed He has, by “sacrificing” (which is identical
to “approach” above) Himself!
Finally
(in 28:68), “And YHVH shall bring you into Egypt Egypt Egypt
Verses 1-9 of chapter 29, which form the epilogue of our Parasha, serve
to remind the Israelites, once again, of the miracles that they had experienced
in this Egypt
[1] Karaite Korner http://www.karaite-korner.org.
[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.
Hebrew Tools for Everyday Use
Our
Hebrew Tools this week will not echo the Parasha’s extremely sober tone.
Rather, we will look at some of the words we encountered above, but in their
most simple and common form, which should be useful. The verb for selling
(masculine gender) – mocher – in Hebrew is identical to the noun for “seller”
or “vendor” (masculine), which is also “mocher” (this is also true for the
feminine gender, “mocheret”). Also notice that in Hebrew the verb for ‘to love’
is used in instances where in English “like” would be used instead. Above we examined “surplus”, being the same
as “that which remains”. It is from that same word that we get “more” or
“better” – yoter - which we will be using here.
Good
Morning
Boker
Tov (lit. morning good)
Good
Evening
Erev
Tov (lit. evening good)
What do
you (masculine) sell? I sell good things
Ma
ata mocher? Ani mocher dvarim tovim (lit. things good)
What
do you (feminine) sell?
Ma at
mocheret?
In
the morning the vendor hears better (lit. ‘good more’)
Ba’boker
ha’mocher sho’me’ah tov yoter
I
like (masculine) the morning
Ani
ohev et ha’boker
I
like (feminine) the evening
Ani
ohevet et ha’erev
