Ki Savo – Page 12 – Peninim on the Torah

“It shall be that when you cross the Yarden you shall erect these stones…” (27:4)

The two mountains clearly symbolize the concept of life and death, good and evil, for the people. Har Gerizim in full bloom, the symbol of viridity and life, stood in stark contrast to the barren peak of Har Eival, the symbol of desolation and death. The tribes were split into two groups, each taking its position on one of the mountains. The tribes listened to the choices, the blessings and curses, the consequences of good and evil. The people’s acceptance and affirmation of Hashem’s doctrine was, essentially, a renewal of their acceptance of the Torah on Har Sinai. Horav Eli…

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“And you do not turn away… right or left to follow gods of others and to worship them.” (28:14)

There seems to be an inconsistency in the Torah‘s text. The pasuk begins by admonishing us not to turn away from Hashem ever so slightly to the right or to the left. Immediately following this statement, the Torah concludes its admonition by saying “to follow gods of others.” To whom are we referring? All that these individuals did was to turn “aside” briefly and indulge themselves. Is this considered full-blown idol-worship? Sforno interprets “to follow gods of others” as being a reference to one who performs mitzvos by rote, out of habit, or as a response to peer pressure. He…

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“And you will grope at midday, as a blind man gropes in the darkness.” (28:29)

In the Talmud Megillah 24b Chazal offer a profound insight into this pasuk. They question whether a blind man discerns day from night. They recount that Rabbi Yosi had an experience that provided him with an answer to this question. He once met a blind man walking in the dark, holding a torch. “Of what use is the torch to you?” asked Rabbi Yosi of the blind man. He replied, “When the torch is in my hand, people see me and keep me from falling into the pits.” Rabbi Yosi then understood the pasuk’s message. It predicts a time when…

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“You will go mad from the sight of your eyes that you will see.” (28:33)

Rav Akiva Eiger, zl, interprets “your eyes,” as alluding to the “eyes” of the nation, the spiritual leadership of Klal Yisrael. Hence, the curse is that we will be dumbfounded by the behavior and the rhetoric which will emanate from some of our people’s own leadership. The mar’ei einecha, image, presented by these “leaders” will be humiliating and degrading. They will act in a manner unbecoming a Torah Jew, let alone a spiritual leader. This is our thrice daily prayer to Hashem “Return (to us) our judges as before,” we pray to Hashem that our leaders be worthy of their…

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“Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid gladness and goodness of heart, when everything was abundant.” (28:47)

The Torah emphasizes that the underlying reason Klal Yisrael fell prey to the many curses that Moshe enumerated was their lack of joy in mitzvah observance. This is enigmatic! Imagine that one is careful to observe the mitzvos, even punctilious in their observance. Yet, if he lacks “gladness of heart” in performing the mitzvos, he might be subjected to terrible curses. Is this right? Horav M.D. Soloveitchik, Shlita, distinguishes between two types of sin. The first is represented by the sinner who transgresses and is remorseful about it. He is aware that he did something wrong, that he fell into…

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“And now, behold I have brought the first of the fruit of the land which you have given me, Hashem.” (26:10)

Chazal interpret the word v,guw and now,” as meaning “immediately”. Behold, with obvious joy I immediately come to share my fruits with Hashem. Is there any doubt that he is offering his fruits to Hashem? What chiddush, new idea, is he stating by emphasizing his prior ownership of the fruit? Horav Yosef N. Kornitzer, z.l., explains that clearly everything belongs to Hashem. Indeed, nothing which we give Hashem is ours; it really belongs to Him. Consequently, what portion of our own belongings do we personally possess in mitzvah performance? He offers the following response. We do not have possession of…

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“I have not eaten of it in (during my period of) mourning, neither have I put away while (I was) unclean, nor have I given of it to the dead.” (26:14)

This seems to be a three part statement. Horav M. Swift, z.l., applies this pasuk to three types of Jews whose distorted sense of (Jewish) values preclude their proper observance of Torah and mitzvos. The first type is the Jew whose religious life centers around his period of mourning. His observance of Judaism is manifest through his expression of grief. In modern times, shiva has been diminished by the “enlightened Jew” from seven days to one night. Next, we find the Jew whose mixed sense of values distorts his perspective. He can no longer discern between “kodesh,” holy, and “tamei,”…

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“These shall stand to bless the people . . . and these shall stand for the curse . . . and the Leviim shall speak and say . . . ” (27:12,13,14)

Rashi cites the Talmud in Sotah 32a that describes the procedure for giving the blessings and curses. Six tribes ascended to the summit of Har Gerizim, and six tribes ascended to the summit of Har Eival. The Kohanim and Leviim stood below in the middle. The Leviim turned toward Har Gerizim and recited the blessing, while both groups responded with Amen. Afterwards, this same procedure was followed reciting the curses, but this time they faced Har Eival. Horav M. Shternbuch, Shlita, suggests a profound lesson to be derived from this pasuk. The tribe of Levi received no portion in Eretz…

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“Cursed (be he) that confirms not the words of this Torah to do them.” (27:26)

As translated above, this pasuk is ambiguous. How does one “confirm” the words of the Torah? The Ramban offers various interpretations of the word oheh from which we may derive important lessons. First, the Ramban states that the word “yakim” means to “uphold and accept” the validity of the Torah in all generations. Consequently, the curse applies to anyone who denies the relevance of any part of the Torah. Accordingly, it is our obligation to impress upon all Jews the Torah’s relevance as a living source of guidance for modern society. Second, the Ramban cites the Yerushalmi in Sotah 7:4,…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5753

“Because you did not serve Hashem your G-d with joy and gladness of heart.” (28:47)

This pasuk implies that the source of all the punishment is serving Hashem with a lack of joy. The Arizal states that precisely because Klal Yisrael served Hashem in a lackluster manner, without vitality and joy, they would ultimately serve their enemies. Joy is an essential component of avodas Hashem, serving Hashem. Indeed, if we would not have failed to serve Hashem with joy, we would not have been exiled. The Yalkut Me’am Loez explains this idea with a simple, but profound analogy. The king of a certain country had a son that was not controllable, His unrestrained acts of…

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“It shall be that when you cross the Yarden you shall erect these stones…” (27:4)

“And you do not turn away… right or left to follow gods of others and to worship them.” (28:14)

“And you will grope at midday, as a blind man gropes in the darkness.” (28:29)

“You will go mad from the sight of your eyes that you will see.” (28:33)

“Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid gladness and goodness of heart, when everything was abundant.” (28:47)

“And now, behold I have brought the first of the fruit of the land which you have given me, Hashem.” (26:10)

“I have not eaten of it in (during my period of) mourning, neither have I put away while (I was) unclean, nor have I given of it to the dead.” (26:14)

“These shall stand to bless the people . . . and these shall stand for the curse . . . and the Leviim shall speak and say . . . ” (27:12,13,14)

“Cursed (be he) that confirms not the words of this Torah to do them.” (27:26)

“Because you did not serve Hashem your G-d with joy and gladness of heart.” (28:47)

YEARS

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