Chapter 26
Ritual of the First Fruits - בּכּוּרים
26:2]
NOTE: This line is interesting, as it appears many times in this book. “Go to the place that Hashem, your G-d, will choose…”. The place is not specified. It will still be chosen. That Jerusalem was eventually designated as the site of the temple, does that mean that it cannot change? Perhaps the temple that is to be built might not be the brick and mortar one which we are hoping for in Jerusalem…
n26:2-11] בּכּוּרים—First Fruits. The gift of his first fruits, or Bikkurim symbolises that he dedicates everything he has to the service of G-d. For a Jew to say that his every accomplishment—no matter how much sweat he invested in it—is a gift from G-d, is one of the goals of our teaching.
Come to the Kohen and say (v26:3):
"I declare this day to the Lord, your God, that I have come to the land which the Lord swore to our forefathers to give us."
Then, upon the Kohen laying the basket on the altar of the Lord, call out and say before the Lord, your G-d (v26:5-10):
"An Aramean [sought to] destroy my forefather, and he went down to Egypt and sojourned there with a small number of people, and there, he became a great, mighty, and numerous nation. And the Egyptians treated us cruelly and afflicted us, and they imposed hard labor upon us. So we cried out to the Lord, God of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And the Lord brought us out from Egypt with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm, with great awe, and with signs and wonders. And He brought us to this place, and He gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground which you, O Lord, have given to me."
Then, you shall lay it before the Lord, your God, and prostrate yourself before the Lord, your God. Then, you shall rejoice with all the good that the Lord, your God, has granted you and your household…(v26:11)
n26:11] ושׂמחתַּ—You shall be glad. This assurance that we will be happy is juxtaposed with the following passage, commanding that the tithes be distributed properly, to teach that Jews can be sure of happiness if they provide for the Levite, the poor and the helpless (Baal Ha-Turim).
Year of the Tithe
Note: Every year is a tithing year to the Lord where you will eat the tithe in the presence of the Lord, in the place where [G-d] will choose, (Deut. 14.28–29) but every 3rd year is the tithe to be distributed in your settlements for the poor, the Levite, the orphan and the widow. Remember, there are no unmarried mothers in the community.
Also, here you will declare the conditions of this tithe—these, I assume, also apply to the tithes of the preceding two years:
”I have removed the holy [portion] from the house, and I have also given it to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow, according to all Your commandment that You commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten [them]. I did not eat any of it [second tithe] while in my mourning, nor did I consume any of it while unclean; neither did I use any of it for the dead. I obeyed the Lord, my God; I did according to all that You commanded me. Look down from Your holy dwelling, from the heavens, and bless Your people Israel, and the ground which You have given to us, as You swore to our forefathers a land flowing with milk and honey.” (v26:13-15)
n26:15] השׁקיפה ממעון—_Gaze down from Your holy abode. “We have done what You have decreed upon us, now You do what behooves You,” by blessing Israel (Rashi)… When we give to the poor the Attribute of Judgement (דין) is transformed into the Attribute of Mercy (חסד) (Rashi to Genesis 18:16).
n26:16-19] God and Israel are inseparable. Moses exhorted the people to observe the commandments and his teachings with all their heart and soul (Ramban), and always to think of the Torah as fresh and exciting; as if it had been given today (Rashi).
v26:16] You shall observe G-ds laws and rules faithfully with all your heart and your soul.
This day. This phrase is repeated three times
This day, the Lord, your God, is commanding you to fulfill these statutes and ordinances, and you will observe and fulfill them with all your heart and with all your soul. You have selected the Lord this day, to be your God, and to walk in His ways, and to observe His statutes, His commandments and His ordinances, and to obey Him. And the Lord has selected you this day to be His treasured people, as He spoke to you, and so that you shall observe all His commandments. (v26:17-19)
Thereupon, the Lord will place you above all the nations… and that you shall be a holy people to Hashem, your G-d. (v26:19).
Note: The living torah!
n26:17-18] הֶאֶמרתָ … הֶאְֶמירךָ—Distinguished. Because Israel accepted the Torah and committed itself to observe its commandments no matter what, the nation and G-d have mutually exalted one another. Israel distinguished HaShem as its only G-d, and He distinguished Israel as His only people (Rashi). These two verses constitute mutual pledges of allegiance between G-d and Israel.
Note: His decrees, commandments and statutes, as laid down in the Torah, and interpreted and enhanced and clarified by the Rabbis through the ages. Even today there are disagreements (or differing opinions as to the meaning of some of these decrees, statutes and commandments)—which is a good thing, as it opens up the possibility for new interpretations, which I think is essential for the continuation and evolution of our faith.
But, the line of “Hearken to His voice” is fascinating. What is His voice? Is it the same one that spoke at Mt. Sinai? If it is expressing the Infinite Source of Being, what would that voice sound like? How would I hear it? Is it in the song of the birds, or the roar of the lion; the howling wind and the drumbeat of the rain? Is not everything that exists an expression of that Voice? Or is it only sometimes and in some ways? Or is that our restricting HaShem? Or is the voice only expressed in the Torah, constrained to the Books of Moses?
Chapter 27
27:3] Inscribe the words of Torah on great stones
Note: This is (another) example where what is referred to as Torah is unclear. Some say that it is only the Ten Commandments, some say it had been written in all seventy languages of the nations. If we take it literally (פשׁת), it would be a huge task to carve the Torah in stone in one language, let alone seventy. So it is taken as a “miracle”—and what does that mean? Did G-d write it in stone… again? There is also the question if Moses was reiterating what had been already written in the four previous books, and now was telling the people to carve out the Torah, it would not be a writing of the five books of the Torah.
These concerns bring me to think of Torah as a living thing—an ongoing, living, expression of Torah as the “Word of G-d”, and the Torah as received, i.e. as written, as a guide to the way we need to live, and an expression of our relationship with G-d.
n27:3] דברי התורה—The words of the Torah… Their crossing of the Jordan would be miraculous (see Joshua 3), and, as soon as they were in the land, they would inscribe the entire Torah in the seventy languages something that would not be possible without a miracle. This is done through a miracle (see v27:8). Thus it would be clear to them that they had crossed the Jordan because of G-d, and that only their obedience to the Torah could preserve them in their new house (Alshich).
Note: Plaster Set up these stones on Mt. Ebal, and cover them with plaster and inscribe all the words of the Torah. (v27:2-3)
n27:4] ושַׂדְתָּ אותם בשׂיד—And you shall coat them with plaster. After the Torah was inscribed on the stones, they were to be coated with a new covering of plaster, to protect the writing. Anyone wishing to copy the text of the Torah from the stones afterwards could easily remove the soft plaster (Sotah 35b).
Note: The verses first say, place the stones, cover them with plaster, and inscribe all the words of the Torah. (v27:2) Then, place them on Mt. Ebal, and coat them, again, with plaster.
27:5] Whole stones for the altar – no iron is to be raised upon them – לא תניף עלהם ברזל.
Note: It is interesting that only iron is mentioned. Was it because all masonry tools were fashioned from iron in those days? Was there no other metal that they could be made from?
n27:8] Every word of this Teaching shall be inscribed on the stones.
v27:9] Today you have become people of the Lord.
v27:10] All commandments and decrees which I command you "this day".
Note: Again, this day. These are not new decrees, so why add “this day”?
n27:11-26] Twelve commandments. Abhor secretly committed sins. There is to be no contradiction between private and public morality, which will produce erosion of national integrity. Corruption of those the people cannot restrain.
n27:18] Blind to the truth or the proper course of action.
n27:20-23] Incest is on the level of bestiality.
n27:26] Accept the Torah in full and support Torah study
27:15-26] Accursed is the man who: - makes a graven or molten image, and emplaces it in secret; - degrades his father or mother; - moves the boundary of his fellow; - causes a blind person to go astray on the road; - perverts the judgement of a proselyte, orphan or widow; - lies with the wife of his father; - lies with an animal; - lies with his sister; - lies with his mother-in-law; - strikes his fellow stealthily; - takes a bribe to kill a person of innocent blood; - will not uphold the words of this Torah, and perform them.
NOTE: All good advice, each one can be discussed separately.
First in relation to G-d (graven image). Then in relation to his father and mother; then in relation to his community (boundary, and blind person).
Chapter 28
n28:2] כי תשׁמא בקול—allusion to Torah and its study.
n28:9] כי תשׁמור
n28:10] Inspire awe
n28:13] Subservient to no-one.
n28:15] בקול ה’ … לשׁמור ולאשׂות—study, transmit and observe.
n28:24,29,30,32] curses
n28:47] failure to server gladly.
n28:64] work to serve gods of others.
n29:3] G-d’s servants.
29:3] Did not give heart to know or eyes to see or ears to hear (until this day)**NOTE**: If we did not have the senses to receive the Words of G-d until this day, how could we have expected to have the ability to carry out His commandments previously?