Deuteronomy Chapter 29

29:9-10] Renewal of the Covenant

Fear of admonition (98 curses)

N Here is where the sealing of the covenant by the entry into the land of Israel occurs. It is as if the previous narrative is preparation for this. With all the promises, and many hundreds of years in its coming to fruition, finally the moment of entry is at hand. (The land of) Israel represents the secular/mundane/manifest life, whereas what occurred previously was a spiritual story.

n29:9] אתם נצבים—You are standing. Moses stressed that they were standing before G-d, Who cannot be deceived. (Sforno)

Moses divided the people into categories to suggest that everyone is responsible according to how many others he or she influences. Leaders may be able to affect masses of people; women, their immediate families and neighbours; children, only a few friends and classmates; common labourers, hardly anyone. G-d does not demand more than is possible, but he is not satisfied with less. (Or HaChaim)

n29:10] טפכים— Your small children. The future of the (Jewish) people depends on the education of its children, and the halacha provides that even before building itself a synagogue, a community must provide for the (Torah) education of young.

29:11] Covenant and imprecation

Q Why does It say: “This day?” Did we not already enter into the “covenant of the Lord”? Perhaps, from here, we take that every day we enter into our covenant anew.

n29:11] בברית ובאלתו—Covenant and imprecation (invoke curse). This refers to the curse that will come upon those who defy the covenant.

כּורת—seals
ובאלתו—imprecation: curse of defying the covenant
אָלָה—שֵם נ’ ־קללה נמרצת; שבועה חמורה (תוך איום בקללה למי שיָפֵר אותה).
Biblical meaning: curse, oath, covenant. However, the modern meaning is club, stick, bat.

N The translation given here is the Chabad translation. Most other translations are similar. However, that is not what it seems to be saying here. It seems more like “If you pass over/ignore the Covenant of G-d and His curses, on that day you will be cut off from G-d (or G-d will cut (Himself) off from you.)” But I just could be crazy.

29:13-14] Future generations

Whoever is not here with us…

n29:14] וְאֵ֨ת אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵינֶ֛נּוּ פֹּ֖ה—And with whomever is not here

The covenant was binding even on unborn generations … because parents and children are like trees and their seeds. Just as the potential of all saplings is contained in the parent tree, so future generation are contained, in the parents who will give birth to them.

N But it could also refer to all those who have not heard the call, and were not at Sinai or amongst the people who crossed over the Jordan. It may be speaking of the nations that were not there, for G-d could see the whole world, and know of the people that lived in distant lands that maybe the Jews about to enter the land of Israel did not even know about. But He would know and would care.

29:15-18] Warning against idolatry

The passage warns against an astounding and sobering aspect of human behaviour. Having lived in Egypt and soon to live in Canaan, Israel would know first hand of the abominable and vain nature of idolatry—yet people might still be tempted to experiment with the “philosophies” and life-styles of its followers. So it still is. People know right from wrong, yet they devise rationalisations to legitimize the enjoyment of evil and immorality.

N I would like to extend this further, including all those who are willing to follow the covenant with G-d, a spiritual path laid out in our guidebook, the Torah. The Torah, as the foundation, based on the acceptance of G-d’s Oneness, in addition to His Mercy, the practice being to be quiet long enough to hear His Word.

n29:18] שָׁל֣וֹם יִֽהְיֶה־לִּ֔י — Peace will be with me

N It is more likely “God’s peace be upon (or for) me.” Or, to place in in a masculine and feminine context, it could be “I walk as my heart sees fit” (feminine) or “I walk according to my covenant (with G-d)” (masculine).

n29:18] למען סְפות הרַווה את־הצמאַה—Thereby adding the watered upon the thirsty. “Watered” is a metaphor for שׁוגג, unintentional sin, because when a person has had too much to drink and becomes intoxicated, he may sin without being aware of what he is doing. N So we can label the sin as a lessor one, but it is overridden by the sin of becoming intoxicated in the first place, perhaps in order to behave in a sinful manner. “Thirsty” is a metaphor for מזיד, intentional sin, because a thirsty person is rational and seeks means of satisfying his craving. Thus, the sense of the verse is that only under normal circumstances does G-d treat unintentional sins leniently, but when a person falls prey to the delusion that he is free to do as he pleases — peace will be with me — G-d holds him responsible even for his unintentional sins (watered), since they are the result of indifference to the gravity of a transgression. (Rashi)

29:19] Your Name

Your name is of heavenly origin.

n29:19] וּמָחָ֤ה יְהֹוָה֙ אֶת־שְׁמ֔וֹ מִתַּ֖חַת הַשָּׁמָֽיִם—Hashem will erase his name from under the heavens.

A person’s name is of heavenly origin. The name symbolises the spiritual forces that a bearer can release if he acts properly, but when he becomes mired in sin that name is erased from its lofty source under the heaven (Or HaChaim).

N Just to meditate on the implications of that statement: “Erase your name…” so that you will be forgotten. Is that not what we do to people who are eradicated - often for opposing the regime? “But to remove your name from heaven…” Does that imply that you carry your name to heaven? Is that your Hebrew name?

29:28] Hidden things

Your hidden sins are for G-d.

Deuteronomy Chapter 30

N This is a litany as to the good things that will happen if (and when) we "accept G-d and love Him with all our heart and all our soul. It is a lovely piece in many ways, but what I find particularly interesting is the turn of phrase(s) used to describe this abiding love we should arouse in ourselves. What stands out for me is the continuous “listen to His Voice”. It has caused me to spend many hours meditating on what is meant by “His Voice”. The majority of Rabbi’s seem to look at it as “the reading/study of the Torah”, but, postmodernist that I am, I wander. If G-d is everywhere and everything… would not His Voice be everywhere and in everything? Those Words uttered in the creation of the world would still be reverberating today, and, even more so, if, according to Kabbalah, the creation is happening continuously.

30:1-20]

30:1-3] Gathering

n30:1] והשָׂבות אל־לבבךָ — then you will take it to heart. It is not enough to know intellectually that the service of G-d is right. One must feel it emotionally as well — take it to heart.

n30:3-4] ושׁב ה’ ־ — Then G-d … will bring back.

The better word for bring back is ושׁיב. The word ושׁב means literally return with, implying that G-d Himself, as it were, as in exile and will return from exile together with the Jewish people. (Rashi)

30:6] Circumcise your heart

Q Why would it require a circumcision of my heart to love G-d?

n30:6] וּמָ֨ל יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ אֶת־לְבָֽבְךָ֖ וְאֶת־לְבַ֣ב —Will circumcise your heart.

Once you repent, G-d will help you by “circumcising your heart”, meaning that he will help you overcome the hurdles the Evil inclination always places in the way. Unlike the physical foreskin, which must be removed by people, G-d will remove the spiritual impediment for total repentance (Ibn Ezra).
This Divine assistance follows the principle “if one comes to purify himself, he is assisted [by G-d]” (Shabbos 104a)… Throughout history, people struggle with conflicting desires to do good and evil… The “foreskin” is the spiritual barrier that prevents goodness from dominating the (Jew’s) heart… (Ramban)

30:10-14] He is not far away

n30:11-14] Torah is close by. The goal of knowing and fulfilling the Torah may seem to be beyond human attainment, but this is actually not so… Far from requiring superhuman efforts or supernatural revelations to be equal to G-d’s expectations, that goal is very much with reach — if you but make a sincere effort to grasp it.

n30:12] לא בשׁמום הוא — It is not in heaven, but even if it were, you would be expected to try and scale the heavens to study the Torah (Rashi); even if knowledge of the Torah were so elevated as to be beyond your capacity, you would still be required to make the attempt to master it, to whatever extent you can (Maharasha, Eruvin 55a).

The repentance spoken of is within your capacity; you do not need a prophet to bring you heavenly messages before you can become close to G-d (Sforno).

n30:13] לא מעביר לים הוא — Nor is it across the sea, i.e., one should not feel that the physical effor of adequite Torah study is as difficult as an impossible journey. Sforno points out that it is not necessary to seek out the greatest scholars in the world, who may be across distant seas.

n30:14] כי קרוב אליך — Rather the matter is very near to you. You have been given both a written and an oral Torah (Rashi).

The verse speaks of mouth, heart and deed. G-d wants primarily the sincerity of the heart; some commandments involve speech, which inspires the heart; and some involve deeds which inspire speech (Sforno).

The Sages teach that a fetus is taught the Torah in the womb, and is caused to forget it at birth (Niddah 30b). But if he is not to remember it, why was it taught to him? Thanks to this prenatal teaching, every Jew has an affinity for the Torah, and even someone who never had the privilege of studying the Torah may be inspired with intuitive wisdom. When such such a person is given the opportunity to study, the Torah will not be something foreign to him but something he once knew.(R’ Yosef Dov Solevetchik)

30:15-20] Choose life – Obey

n30:15-20] The Sidrah ends with an exhortation. The choice between the Torah and a diametrically opposed way of life is no less than a choice between life and death.

n30:15] אֶת־הַֽחַיִּ֖ים וְאֶת־הַטּ֑וֹב וְאֶת־הַמָּ֖וֶת וְאֶת־הָרָֽע—The life and the good, and the death and the evil. R’ Yochanan said of this verse … goodness and evil did not emanate from His mouth; rather evil comes of its own accord to one who does evil, and good comes to one who does good (Rashi to Lamentations 3:38).

n30:19] אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֒רֶץ֒—Heaven and earth. Heaven and earth exist eternally. God wants Israel to draw a lesson from heaven and earth. Heaven and earth are not rewarded nor punished, but they never deviate from the functions G-d ordained for them.

n30:20] לְאַֽהֲבָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֥עַ בְּקֹל֖וֹ וּלְדָבְקָה־ב֑וֹ—To love G-d. The Sages teach that we should study Torah without any ulterior motive, such as a desire to be honoured as a rabbi. By definition, love means that one cares only to be attached to the object of one’s love, without any selfish concerns… Someone who studies the Torah with other motives loves himself, not the Torah, and therefore will not come to love G-d (Maharal to Nedarim 62a).

Haftorah p1202; 61:10-11 - exalt; 62:1-2 - silent.