[Par-lite] For Parshat Ki-tavo
Menachem Leibtag
tsc at bezeqint.net
Thu Sep 11 16:20:09 EDT 2014
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THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]
In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag
Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag
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PARSHAT KI TAVO
Saying 'thank-you': Ask any mother -
it's not enough to
'think' it - a child has to say it. For some
reason, a verbal
declaration, be it of gratitude or regret, is
of paramount
importance not only for the listener, but -
even more so - for
the person who utters it.
In Parshat Ki Tavo, we find two such
examples of
obligatory declarations, precisely where the
main speech of
Sefer Devarim reaches its conclusion. In
this week's shiur,
as we study the concluding section of the
'main speech,' we
attempt to explain why.
INTRODUCTION
As usual, we must begin our shiur with a
quick review of
the three basic components of the main speech
in Sefer
Devarim:
* Introduction - the events at Ma'amad Har
Sinai (chap.5)
* The mitzva section - (chapters 6-11)
* The chukim u-mishpatim section -
(chapters 12-26)
Our last several shiurim have focused on
the mitzvot in
the chukim u-mishpatim section, which began
in Parshat Re'eh
with the commandment to establish the
National Center at ha-
makom asher yivchar Hashem, then continued in
Parshat Shoftim
with mitzvot relating to national leadership
and waging war,
and concluded with a wide variety of civil
laws ('mitzvot bein
adam le-chavero") in Parshat Ki Tetzeh.
Now, in Parshat Ki Tavo, we find:
A) Two final mitzvot, which conclude the
chukim &
mishpatim section;
B) Moshe Rabbeinu's concluding remarks
(26:16-19);
C) A special ceremony to take place on Har
Eival (chapter 27);
D) The 'Tochacha' - a lengthy rebuke (in
chapter 28).
Off this backdrop, we will discuss these
topics in three
"mini-shiurim" into which our shiur will be
divided.
PART I - THE TWO LAST MITZVOT OF THE MAIN
SPEECH
Review the opening section of Parshat Ki
Tavo (26:1-15),
noting how it contains two mitzvot:
1) MIKRA BIKKURIM (26:1-11)
A special declaration made upon the
presentation of one's
first fruits.
2) VIDDUI MA'ASER (26:12-15)
A special declaration recited once every
three years, when
'ma'aser sheni' [the second tithe] is
given to the poor
(rather than eating that tithe at the
'makom asher yivchar
Hashem').
Then, review the next short 'parshia'
(26:26-19), noting
once again how it forms the concluding
remarks of the 'main
speech'.
[To verify this point, simply review the
opening psukim of
chapter 27, noting how they are written in
third person
narrative, and hence form the beginning of
a new section.]
Based on this short analysis, it becomes
quite clear that
these two mitzvot were specially chosen to
conclude the chukim
& mishpatim section of the main speech of
Sefer Devarim. In
our shiur, we will attempt to explain why.
WHERE THEY 'REALLY' BELONG!
Before we discuss what is special about
these two
mitzvot, we must first take into
consideration that both of
them should have been recorded earlier in the
speech, back in
Parshat Re'eh. Let's explain why.
Recall how Parshat Re'eh discussed
numerous mitzvot
relating to "ha-makom asher yivchar Hashem"
(note how that
phrase appears over fifteen times in that
Parsha and in the
beginning of Parshat Shoftim, see
12:5,11,14,18,21,26; 14:23;
15:20; 16:2,6,7,11,15,16; and 17:8).
Afterward, that phrase
doesn't appear again until the mitzva of
bikkurim at the end
of the speech (see 26:1-2)!
Furthermore, back in Parshat Re'eh, we
already found laws
relating to bringing other produce to
"ha-makom asher yivchar
Hashem" (see 14:22-23). Hence, it certainly
would have made
more sense to record the laws of bikkurim
back in Parshat
Re'eh.
[In fact, if we compare this to the pattern
established in
Parshat Mishpatim (see Shmot 23:14-19,
especially 23:19),
then the mitzva of mikra bikkurim should
have been recorded
in Devarim chapter 16 (in Parshat Re'eh),
together with (or
immediately after) the laws of shalosh
regalim (compare
Devarim 16:9-12 with Shmot 23:14-19).]
Similarly, the laws of "viddui ma'aser"
also should have
been recorded in Parshat Re'eh, for the
simple reason that
it's where we find all the other laws
pertaining to the three
year cylce of "ma'aser sheni" (see14:22-29).
Yet for some reason, Sefer Devarim
prefers to 'uproot'
these mitzvot from where they seem to
'belong' in Parshat
Re'eh, and records them instead in Parshat
Ki-tavo to form the
finale of the entire speech.
MATCHING BOOKENDS
One could suggest that the relocation of
these mitzvot
yields a chiastic structure for the entire
chukim u-mishpatim
section of the main speech. In other words,
the mitzvot of ha-
makom asher yivchar Hashem serve as
'bookends' for the entire
chukim u-mishpatim section (chapters 12-26),
as it both begins
and ends with mitzvot relating to this theme.
[In a previous shiur, we offered a similar
explanation for
the structure of the earlier mitzva section
of Moshe's main
speech. We suggested that the parshiyot of
shma and ve-haya
im shamo'a serve as 'bookends' for this
section (i.e.
chapters 6-11), thus emphasizing the
section's overall
theme, 'ahavat Hashem' (see shiur on
Parshat Va-etchanan).]
Nonetheless, a more basic question
remains: i.e. Why were
specifically these two mitzvot - mikra
bikkurim and viddui
ma'aser - selected (over all the others) to
form this closing
'bookend'?
To answer this question, we must show
how both of these
mitzvot relate to thanking God for the Land
of Israel - the
very land that has emerged as a primary theme
at key points in
the main speech.
To support this, let's begin by simply
noting how both
"mikra bikkurim" and "viddui maser" contain
declarations of
gratitude for the 'fertile land' granted by
God to the nation
of Israel:
1. MIKRA BIKKURIM
"You shall then recite: ...and God
brought us to this
place and gave us this land, a land
flowing with milk and
honey. Therefore, I now bring my first
fruits of the soil
which You have given me" (26:9-10).
2. VIDDUI MA'ASER
"When you set aside your ma'aser...you
shall declare
before Hashem: I have [fulfilled all my
obligations]...
Look down from heaven and bless Your
people Israel and the
soil You have given us, a land flowing
with milk and
honey, as You swore to our fathers"
(26:12-15).
Note as well how both declarations thank
God not only for
the Land but also recall His covenant with
the Avot [the
forefathers], which included God's original
promise of the
Land to their offspring.
Even though this connection between the
land and God's
covenant is stated explicitly only in regard
to "viddui
ma'aser" (see quote above / 26:15), it is
also alluded to in
mikra bikkurim, albeit more subtly, as that
proclamation
reflects thanksgiving for God's fulfillment
of his covenant at
'brit bein ha-btarim' - when the land was
promised to
Avraham's offspring (see Breishit 15:18 /
also compare
Breishit 15:13-16 w/ Devarim 26:5-8!.
[See Further Iyun section for a more
complete
explanation.]
However, the most explicit connection
between the laws of
this speech (from chapter 5 thru 26) and the
land of Israel is
found in Moshe Rabeinu's introduction to
these laws. Recall
the beginning of his speech, as he re-told
the story of how
and when these laws were first given to him
by God. In that
intro Moshe stated explicitly:
"And these are the mitzva, chukim
u-mishpatim that God has
commanded me to impart to you, to be
observed in the land
that you are about to enter and
conquer..." (6:1).
[See also 5:28 and our introductory
shiur to Sefer Devarim.]
In other words, the primary purpose of the
main speech was
to teach Bnei Yisrael the various laws which
they must keep
and follow as they conquer the land and
establish their
nation.
Based on these observations, on could
suggest that Sefer
Devarim intentionally 'saved' these two
'declarations' for the
conclusion of the main speech - because both
of these mitzvot
relate to the need for Am Yisrael to
recognize why God has
given them the land of Israel. Hence, it
becomes most
appropriate that the final mitzvot of this
speech include
expressions of gratitude to God for the land
He has given us.
In this sense, one could understand the
mitzva of mikra
bikkurim in a slightly different light.
Instead of viewing
this mitzva as a yearly thanksgiving to God
for our fruits, it
should be viewed instead as a yearly
thanksgiving to God for
the Land of Israel. In other words, the
purpose of "mikra
bikkurim" is first and foremost to thank God
for the Land and
our covenant with Him; while bringing a
sampling of our first
fruits should be viewed as a 'token of our
appreciation'! [To
verify this, carefully read 26:3-8 once
again.]
[This may also explain why we quote mikra
bikkurim in the
Haggada on Pesach as part of the mitzva of
retelling the
story of Yetziat Mitzrayim and thanking God
for His
fulfillment of brit bein ha-btarim.
Whereas the primary
purpose of this mitzva is to thank God for
fulfilling His
covenant, this declaration is appropriate
as well for
maggid, in which we thank God for His
fulfillment of brit
bein ha-btarim. (See Shmot 13:8 and
compare with Devarim
26:3, noting the use of 've-higgadeti' in
both contexts!)]
Recalling God's covenant with the Avot
serves another
purpose, as well. The farmer not only thanks
God for
fulfilling His promise to our forefathers,
but also reminds
himself of the reason why God gave us the
land - to become a
great nation to represent Him before the eyes
of the nations
of the world. [See Breishit 12:1-3 and our
shiur on Parshat
Lech Lecha.]
As such, these declarations are
significant in that they
emphasize the reason for keeping all the
mitzvot of the main
speech in Sefer Devarim - that Bnei Yisrael
become an 'am
kadosh' (a holy nation), a model for all
nations to follow.
[See Devarim 4:5-8.]
PART II / THE FINALE - MOSHE'S CONCLUDING
REMARKS
This same theme continues in Moshe
Rabbeinu's concluding
remarks of the main speech (which follow
these two mitzvot):
"On this day, God commands you to observe
these chukim u-
mishpatim... God has affirmed this day
that you are His
'am segula' (treasured nation) and He
will set you high
above all the nations, that you shall be,
as He promised,
a 'goy kadosh' (a holy nation)..." (see
26:16-19)
Moshe concludes the main speech by
reiterating the
primary purpose behind keeping these mitzvot:
that Am Yisrael
becomes an am kadosh, a holy nation, worthy
of representing
God.
BACK TO HAR SINAI
Moshe's concluding remarks also feature
a striking
parallel to God's original charge to Bnei
Yisrael at Har
Sinai. Recall that when Bnei Yisrael first
arrive at Har
Sinai, God summons Moshe to the mountain and
proposes a
special covenant with Bnei Yisrael:
"And now, if you will listen to my voice
and keep my
covenant, then you shall become for Me a
'segula' amongst
all the nations...and you shall be for Me a
kingdom of
priests and a goy kadosh..." (Shmot
19:5-6).
This proposal, which actually forms the
prelude to the
Ten Commandments, explains the central
function of Matan Torah
- that Am Yisrael will become a "goy kadosh"
- a nation set
aside [designated] to represent God.
Now, at the conclusion of the main
speech - in which
Moshe Rabbeinu repeats those mitzvot which
were originally
given at Har Sinai (immediately after the
dibrot - see our
introductory shiur to Sefer Devarim) - this
very same theme
must be re-iterated:
"And God has affirmed this day that you
are, as He promised
you [at Har Sinai!], His am segula who
shall observe all of
His commandments, and that He will set you,
in fame and
renown and glory, high above all the
nations that He has
made; and that you shall be, as He promised
[at Har
Sinai!], a goy kadosh..." (26:18-19).
Moshe's concluding remarks thus
appropriately close his
presentation of the mitzvot that will
facilitate Bnei
Yisrael's development into a am segula and an
am kadosh, just
as He had originally promised at Har Sinai!
THE PROPER BALANCE
Moshe's concluding remarks also
beautifully tie together
the two sections of the main speech. Recall
that the mitzva
section, whose primary topic is ahavat
Hashem, opened with the
commandment to love God - 'be-chol levavcha
u-vechol
nafshecha' - with all your heart and soul.
Now, at the
conclusion of the chukim u-mishpatim section,
Moshe explains
how these two sections relate to one other:
"The Lord your God commands you this day to
keep these
chukim u-mishpatim; observe them faithfully
- 'be-chol
levavcha u-vechol nafshecha' - with all
your heart and with
all your soul..." (26:16).
In other words, the numerous specific
mitzvot recorded in
the chukim u-mishpatim section must be
observed with the
proper attitude, as explained in the mitzva
section. Thus,
Moshe's speech has come full circle. The
general values of
faith and love of God outlined in the mitzva
section must
combine with the practical, day-to-day
details and guidelines
of the chukim u-mishpatim section, to form a
mode of behavior
capable of producing God's special nation in
His special land.
PART III - THE COVENANT AT ARVOT MO'AV AND
HAR EIVAL
The thematic and textual parallel to
Ma'amad Har Sinai at
the conclusion of the main speech continues
in the next
parshia as well:
"Moshe and the elders charged the people,
saying: Observe
everything that I command you today... for
when you cross
the Jordan, you must erect large stones and
coat them with
plaster [in order that] you shall write on
them all the
words of this Torah [the mitzvot of Sefer
Devarim]... erect
these stones on Har Eival... And you shall
build there a
mizbeiach... (note parallel to Shmot
20:22), and you shall
offer upon it olot and shlamim..." (Devarim
27:1-8).
You might recall that an almost
identical ceremony was
conducted some forty years earlier, at
Ma'amad Har Sinai,
immediately after Moshe taught Bnei Yisrael
the laws he was
taught after the Ten Commandments:
"And Moshe came [down from Har Sinai] and
told the people
all of God's commandments and the
mishpatim... Moshe then
wrote down all of God's commandments.
Then, he woke up
early in the morning and built a
mizbeiach at the foot of
the mountain and erected twelve large
stones... and they
offered olot and shlamim..." (Shmot
24:3-8).
Furthermore, the requirement that a
tochacha be read as
part of the ceremony on Har Eival (see
Devarim 27:11-28:69)
parallels the tochacha delivered at Har Sinai
(Vayikra 26:3-
46, see also 25:1).
Thus, this ceremony on Har Eival, which
consists of the
writing and teaching of the mitzvot of Sefer
Devarim, the
construction of a mizbeiach and offering of
olot and shlamim,
parallels the covenantal ceremony at Ma'amad
Har Sinai, when
Bnei Yisrael proclaimed 'na'aseh ve-nishma'
(see Shmot
24:3-11).
The reason behind this parallel is
simple. As this
generation (which stands on the brink of
entry into the Land
to fulfill these mitzvot) was not present at
the original
ceremony, a new ceremony is required for the
new generation to
reaffirm their commitment to the covenant.
This ceremony will take place on Har
Eival, where Bnei
Yisrael will gather to 'relive' the
experience of Har Sinai by
studying the mitzvot of Sefer Devarim, which
will guide them
towards the establishment of their new
nation.
TODAY
It is not often in our history that a
generation is
granted the opportunity to fulfill a destiny
originally
intended for an earlier generation. Aware of
the immense
potential latent in such an opportunity,
Moshe encourages the
new generation in the desert to rise to the
challenge of
establishing an am kadosh in the Promised
Land, as God had
originally planned for their parents.
Although this challenge by Moshe
Rabbeinu to Am Yisrael
is some three thousand years old, it takes on
additional
significance today, as our own generation has
been granted the
opportunity to fulfill this very same
destiny, a privilege
that had remained but a dream for so many
years.
shabbat shalom,
menachem
===========================
FOR FURTHER IYUN
A. Carefully compare the declaration in
mikra bikkurim with
God's covenant with Avraham Avinu at brit
bein ha-btarim
(Breishit 15), the original covenant with
Avraham, which
includes God's promise of the Land to his
offspring.
Pay particular attention to Breishit
15:7-21 and relate
these psukim to Devarim 1:7-11, Moshe's
opening remarks in his
introductory speech. Note the use of the
word 'yerusha'
and/or shoresh y.r.sh. in both contexts, and
specifically 've-
rishta' in 26:1!
Also, note the historical process
described in Breishit
15:13-16 and how it relates to 26:5-8.
Relate this as well to
Shemot 6:2-8.
Finally, see the dispute among the
mefarshim as to whom
the introduction to mikra bikkurim - 'Arami
oved avi' refers.
See Rashi and the Haggada, as opposed to Ibn
Ezra, Chizkuni
and Seforno - these are the two most common
interpretations.
Then look at Rashbam's peirush (which appears
as well in the
commentary of Rabbenu Yosef Bechor Shor).
Explain why
Rashbam's explanation fits best into our
reading of mikra
bikkurim. If 'arami' does refer to Lavan,
could we still
associate 'arami oved avi' with brit bein
ha-btarim? Compare
Breishit 15:13 and 31:40-42. See also 'Da'at
Mikra' on
Breishit 15:13 and the Netziv's peirush
('He'amek Davar') on
Dvarim 26:5.
B. Regarding the importance of a verbal
declaration, see
Rashbam on 26:13 and Sefer Hachinuch on both
mikra bikkurim
and viddui ma'aser.
C. In terms of the connection between viddui
ma'aser and the
bet hamikdash: Several Rishonim maintain that
viddui ma'aser
must take place in the bet hamikdash - see
Sefer Hachinuch,
Tosfot Sota 33a 'birkat' and Ra'avad Hilchot
Ma'aser Sheni
11:4. How would the other Rishonim (Rambam
and others)
explain the clause 'lifnei Hashem Elokecha'
in 26:13?
D. Many people have questioned why the
declaration after
distributing ma'aser is called viddui ma'aser
- the
"confession" of ma'aser. The expression
viddui usually has to
do with confession of wrongdoing. Here, the
individual does
just the opposite - he declares, "I have done
everything You
have commanded me." Why, then, do Chazal
refer to this
declaration as viddui? See Rashi and
Metzudat David in Divrei
Hayamim II 30:22 who translate the word
'mitvadim' as
'expressing gratitude'. (See the two
versions of the Targum
there, as well.) Relate this to viddui
ma'aser and the above
shiur.
D. How many stones are taken from the Yarden
in Sefer
Yehoshua (4:1-10)? What is done with these
stones?
How does this relate to Shmot 24:3-10?
What other parallels exist between Sefer
Yehoshua and the
generation of Yetziat Mitzrayim?
As you answer this question, pay
particular attention to
chapters 3 & 5 in Sefer Yehoshua!
See Yehoshua 8:30-35. Is this the
fulfillment of the
mitzva in Devarim 27:1-11? Why is this
mitzva performed only
after the battle against Ha-Ai? [Or is it?
Three opinions
exist as to when this ceremony actually took
place. See Sota
36a (quoting the Tosefta) that Bnei Yisrael
performed this
ceremony immediately upon crossing the
Yarden, as opposed to
Rabbi Yishmael's view in Yerushalmi Sota 7:3,
that this
occurred only after the 14 years of 'kibbush
ve-chiluk'
(conquest and settlement). In 'pshat,' of
course, this
ceremony occurred after the war with Ha-Ai,
and this is the
shitta of Abarbanel and the Malbim.]
E. If the blessings and curses of Har Grizim
and Har Eival
serve as a reenactment of Ma'amad Har Sinai,
then we would
perhaps expect the blessings / curses to
correspond to the Ten
Commandments. While some of them are more
obvious than
others, it might just work. Let's give it a
try:
1) "Cursed be anyone who makes a
sculptured or molten
image. " A clear parallel to the first two
dibrot
('Anochi' and 'lo yihyeh lecha').
2) "Cursed be he who insults his father or
mother" -
honoring parents.
3) "Cursed be he who moves is fellow
countryman's
landmark" - stealing (see Rashi here).
4) "Cursed be he who misdirects a blind
person on his way"
- a bit more tricky. Rashi explains this
as referring to
intentionally misleading someone with bad
advice, which
seems to relate to Rashi's interpretation
of 'lifnei iver'
- see Vayikra 19:14. There, Rashi explains
the case as
involving one who persuades another to sell
property in
order to acquire it himself. If so, then
this curse may
correspond to 'lo tachmod', excessive
desire for the
property of others.
5) "Cursed be he who subverts the rights
of the stranger,
the orphan and the widow." Take a careful
look at the
Torah's presentation of the mitzva of
Shabbat in Shmot
23:12, and consider the role played by
Yetziat Mitzrayim as
a basis for this mitzva (Dvarim 5:15) and
Seforno there in
Shmot and in Dvarim 5:12. See if this
curse could thus
correspond to at least one element of the
fourth
commandment - Shabbat.
6) "Cursed be he who lies with his
father's wife" who lies
with any animal" who lies with his sister"
who lies with
his mother-in-law" - 'lo tin'af'.
7) "Cursed be he who strikes down his
fellow countryman in
secret" - 'lo tirtzach'.
8) "Cursed be he who accepts a bribe" -
"lo ta'aneh be-
re'acha" (dishonesty in the courtroom).
9) "Cursed be he who will not uphold the
terms of this
Torah" See Rashi's comment that this curse
constitutes
an oath to keep the Torah, perhaps
corresponding to 'lo
tisa'.
F. The ceremony at Har Grizim & Har Eival
may have served
another purpose, beyond the reenactment of
Ma'amad Har Sinai.
Note the geographic location of these
mountains as described
in Parshat Re'eh (Dvarim 11:30) and compare
closely with
Breishit 12:6. Now see Rashi there in
Breishit, as well as
the next pasuk (12:7 - note especially the
mizbeiach!!).
Explain why this parallel takes on particular
significance
according to the view of the Gemara in Sota
cited above (in
B). [See also Da'at Mikra on Yehoshua,
introduction to 8:30-
35.] Is this necessarily a different
explanation from the one
presented in the shiur?
G. A note regarding methodology: Throughout
our series on
Parshat Ha'shavua, we have seen numerous
examples of how a
specific parsha can be better understood by
studying not only
its content but also its location within the
framework of an
entire Sefer. Use the above shiur on Parshat
Ki Tavo to
support this approach.
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