כו:ב] הלצתה אל המקום אשׁר יבחר יהיה אלוהיך לשׁכן שׁמו שׁם.26:2] "Go to the place that **HaShem**, your G-d, will choose..."
{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? Remember, for me, the temple that is to be built might not be the brick and mortar one which we are hoping for in Jerusalem...}
26:17] You shall observe them will all your heart and your soul. Distinguished **HaShem** as your G-d. Walk in His ways, observe His decrees, commandments and statutes. Hearken to His voice.
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?
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27:3] Inscribe the words of Torah on great stones
These concerns bring me to question deeply what it means when G-d or Moses refer to the Torah. It brings me to think of the 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.
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?}
27:10] All commandments and decrees which I command you "this day".
{NOTE: These are not new decrees, so why add today?}
27:15-26] Accursed is the man who: - make a graven or molten image, and emplace it in secret; - degrades his father or mother; - moves the boundary of his fellow; - causes the 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).}
23:3-14] Blessings – if you behave. 23:15-68] Curses – if not.
{NOTE: There is a strange conundrum here. This is a classic system of reward and punishment. Thus there is a certain amount of coercion here, which is never addressed. I believe that either one awakens (or is awoken) to faith in G-d, and the other elements, the decrees, etc., then become a part of your life, or you do not have faith, and do not believe, and then it requires coercion to force the unbeliever to "behave" accordingly.}
29:3] Did not give heart to know or eyes to see or ears to hear (until this day)
{NOTE: So 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.}
n26:1-11] 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 Creation.
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).
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). Or HaChaim comments that the two expressions holy abode and heaven refer to two kinds of blessing: The first is the spirit of purity that G-d infuses into people and the second is temporal blessing of prosperity. This explains the verse's later reference to Israel and the ground.
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).
{NOTE: The living torah!}
n26:17-18] הֶאֶמרתָ ... הֶאְֶמירךָ—Distinguished. Because Israel accepted the Torah and committed itself to observer 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.
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 (see v.8 below), something that would not be possible without a miracle. This is done through a miracle (see v8). Thus it would be clear to them that they had crossed the Jordan because of G-d, adn that only their obedience to the Torah could preserve them in their new house (Alshich).
—.
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: Could the words be read with the plaster on it? If not, what was the use of the plaster to protect the writing that we cannot see? Then, was the plaster then replaced after removal?}
n27:8] All commandments, not entire text, is inscribed on the stones.
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
n28:2] כי תשׁמא בקול— allusion to Torah and its study.
{NOTE: Needs to evolve}
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.