Ki Savo – Page 5 – Peninim on the Torah

ולא נתן ד' לכם לב לדעת ועינים לראות ואזנים לשמוע עד היום הזה

But Hashem did not give you a heart to know, or eyes to see, or ears to hear until this day. (29:3)

Moshe Rabbeinu tells the people that only now, after forty years of miraculous sojourn in the wilderness, with danger at every turn, were the people finally able to acknowledge the all-encompassing gratitude they owed Hashem. It takes common sense, wisdom and insight to appreciate fully the debt of gratitude we owe those who have helped us in our achievements. Sadly, many of us refuse to engage our common sense, either because it then behooves us to show our gratitude to others – which is difficult for some – or because a festering bitterness makes us angry and resentful of anything…

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Sruly Schnair In Ki Savo, 5754

“And the Egyptians dealt ill with us and afflicted us.” (26:6)

Most commentators translate the word osanu as lanu, to/with us, referring to the harsh treatment to which we were subjected at the hands of the Egyptians. Horav Mordechai Gifter, Shlita, suggests that the literal meaning is a more propitious definition. When the Egyptian leadership sought to enslave and ultimately destroy the Jewish people, they realized it would be difficult to convince the average Egyptian citizen to participate in this blatant anti- semitism. They understood that first they must perform a successful campaign of vicious character assassination against the Jewish people. This negative propaganda would veil their virulent hatred of the…

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Sruly Schnair In Ki Savo, 5754

“And you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground… and you shall speak up and say before Hashem your G-d… When you make an end of the tithing of all the tithe… and you shall give unto the Levi, the ger, the orphan and the widow. And you should say before Hashem your G-d.” (26:12,13,25)

The parsha refers to two mitzvos which applied only when Klal Yisrael occupied Eretz Yisrael. They are the mitzvos of bikurim, the bringing of the first fruits, and maaser, the giving of tithes to the Levi, the widow and the orphan. Another tithe was maaser sheni, which was brought to Yerushalayim to be eaten among family and friends in joyful celebration. The fulfillment of each of these mitzvos was accompanied by a tefillah, prayer. One was known as mikra bikurim, the reading of pesukim of thanksgiving for the first fruits; the other was known as viduy maaser, the confession of…

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Sruly Schnair In Ki Savo, 5754

“Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field.” (28:3)

The Midrash adds to this pasuk. “In the merit of the mitzvos that you perform in the city you will be blessed therein; and in the merit of the mitzvos which you perform in the field, you will be blessed in the field.” What is this message and what are the mitzvos of the city and the field? Horav Mordechai Rogov z.l. interprets this Midrash homiletically. The city is an analogy for rest and solitude, peace and tranquility. It alludes to life in a structured, secure environment. The field, on the other hand, represents a place fraught with danger and…

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Sruly Schnair In Ki Savo, 5754

“You shall plant vineyards and dress them but you shall not drink of the wine… for the worm shall eat them. You shall have olive trees throughout all your borders but you shall not anoint yourself (with the) oil, for your olives shall drop off.” (28:39,40)

These pesukim which represent the tochechah, curses, present a question. The curses concerning the wine/grapes and those relating to the olives/oil are distinct. Regarding the wine, the Torah states that the grapes will be ruined and therefore there will be no wine. Regarding the olives, on the other hand, the Torah apparently states that we will have olives, but we will not be able to use their oil. Consequently, it would seem that the curse regarding the wine/grapes was greater than that of the oil/olives. This concept, however, is inconsistent with Rabbi Yochanan’s statement in the Talmud, Bava Basra 8…

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Sruly Schnair In Ki Savo, 5754

“And observe the words of this covenant.” (29:8)

Rashi explains that after forty years of travel in the desert, Klal Yisrael had attained a sublime level of dignity. They perceived gadlus Ha’Boreh, the greatness of Hashem, and appreciated the boundless beneficence He had showered upon them. They realized that their remarkable military prowess, as well as their continued success and well-being could only be attributed to Hashem’s generosity. At this juncture, Hashem chose to make an agreement (covenant) with Klal Yisrael so that they would not forget all that transpired these forty years. He wanted them to reflect upon their source of strength and not take personal credit…

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ולקחת מראשית פרי האדמה... אשר ד' אלקיך נתן לך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5773

That you shall take of the first of every fruit of the ground… which Hashem, your G-d, gives you. (26:2)

The parsha of Bikurim is unique, in presenting the celebration and pomp that accompanies bringing the Bikurim to Yerushalayim. In vivid detail, Chazal relate how everyone was caught up in this mitzvah. Of course, any act of hakoras hatov, gratitude, should be publicized, so that more people will acknowledge the vital role of our benefactor, Hashem, in everything that we do. The Mishnah in Meseches Bikurim describes how the farmer would enter his field and notice a fig tree that had bloomed. He would immediately pick its first fruit and set it aside for Bikurim. The Te’einah, fig tree, is…

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ובאת אל הכהן... ואמרת אליו הגדתי היום לד' אלקיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5773

You shall come to whomever will be the Kohen… and you shall say to him, “I declare today to Hashem, your G-d.” (26:3)

The individual who brings the Bikurim makes a declaration: “I have come to the land that Hashem swore to our forefathers to give to us.” Rashi comments concerning the necessity of making a declaration which underscores our gratitude to the Almighty for giving us the land, She’eincha kafui tovah, “That you are not an ingrate.” It is a requirement for the landowner to express his gratitude. As a result of human nature, people do not want to be beholden to anyone. They look for any and every opportunity or excuse not to express their gratitude. The mitzvah of Bikurim serves…

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הסכת ושמע ישראל היום הנה נהיית לעם לה' אלקיך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5773

Be attentive and hear, O’ Yisrael: This day you have become a people to Hashem, your G-d. (27:9)

Something seems out of place. We are standing forty years after the Revelation, forty years after Klal Yisrael’s resounding acceptance of the Torah amid a resonating declaration of Naase v’Nishma, “We will do and we will listen!” Why does the Torah say that hayom – “this day,” you became a nation? Had this not occurred forty years earlier? The Talmud Brachos 63b asks this obvious question. Chazal respond that while the Torah had actually been given forty years earlier, it is so valued and appreciated by those who study it, it is as if they had just received it today….

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ארור האיש אשר יעשה פסל ומסכה... ושם בסתר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Ki Savo, 5773

Cursed is the man who makes a graven or molten image… and sets it up in secret. (27:15)

Hypocrisy is a moral failing, which, upon being added to sinful behavior, makes the act even more repugnant, thus deserving of a curse. The Torah enumerates a group of sins which, as a rule, elude the attention of human courts of justice. These sins, upon which the added curse has been placed, are of a kind that remains covert due to their nature. Horav S.R. Hirsch, zl, observes that the Torah adds the word ba’seisar, in secret, in the beginning and end of the series of curses, to emphasize that it is especially the undisclosed character of these particular offenses…

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ולא נתן ד' לכם לב לדעת ועינים לראות ואזנים לשמוע עד היום הזה

But Hashem did not give you a heart to know, or eyes to see, or ears to hear until this day. (29:3)

“And the Egyptians dealt ill with us and afflicted us.” (26:6)

“Blessed shall you be in the city and blessed shall you be in the field.” (28:3)

“You shall plant vineyards and dress them but you shall not drink of the wine… for the worm shall eat them. You shall have olive trees throughout all your borders but you shall not anoint yourself (with the) oil, for your olives shall drop off.” (28:39,40)

“And observe the words of this covenant.” (29:8)

ולקחת מראשית פרי האדמה... אשר ד' אלקיך נתן לך

That you shall take of the first of every fruit of the ground… which Hashem, your G-d, gives you. (26:2)

ובאת אל הכהן... ואמרת אליו הגדתי היום לד' אלקיך

You shall come to whomever will be the Kohen… and you shall say to him, “I declare today to Hashem, your G-d.” (26:3)

הסכת ושמע ישראל היום הנה נהיית לעם לה' אלקיך

Be attentive and hear, O’ Yisrael: This day you have become a people to Hashem, your G-d. (27:9)

ארור האיש אשר יעשה פסל ומסכה... ושם בסתר

Cursed is the man who makes a graven or molten image… and sets it up in secret. (27:15)

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