[Par-reg] Kitavo - questions for self study
Menachem Leibtag
tsc at bezeqint.net
Tue Sep 4 14:58:20 EDT 2012
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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
PART I - QUESTIONS FOR THE 'SHABBOS TABLE'
AM KADOSH / A COVENANT OR OATH?
1. Carefully review 28:9 - "yekimcha Hashem
le-am kadosh
ka'asher nishba lach..." - noting its meaning
and context.
In your opinion, what 'shvu'a' [oath] is
Moshe Rabbeinu
referring to in this pasuk? Also, does the
word 'ki' in the
second half of the pasuk imply 'when', 'for'
or 'because'?
How does the first half of 28:9 relate to
the second half of
that pasuk? How does this 'promise' relate
to the main speech
of Sefer Devarim (i.e. chapters 5 thru 26).
To help you answer the above questions,
review 5:1 and 26:16-
19 (i.e. the 'bookends' of the main speech),
as well as 7:6-9
& 14:1-2. Based on those psukim, what is the
connection
between becoming an 'am kadosh' and the
'oath'? How does this
relate to 'brit avot' as well?
Can you explain why the Torah would
refer to a 'brit' as
an 'oath'? [Relate to Breishit 24:7 in
contrast to Breishit
15:18!]
2. As you review 26:16-19 once again (i.e.
the conclusion of
the main speech that began in chapter 5),
note how these
psukim relate back to Ma'amad Har Sinai. Can
you explain why?
Note both textual and thematic parallels.
In what manner do these psukim echo the
covenant
described in Shmot 19:4-6?
3. In 26:19, note the phrase 'Ii-tehilla
le-shem u-
letif'eret'. In your opinion, whose shem
[name / reputation]
does this refer to: Am Yisrael or God
Himself?
Relate this pasuk to the Torah's
description of the
garments of the kohen gadol as described in
Shmot 28:2! Whose
'tif'eret' [glory] does 28:2 refer to?
To 'help' you answer this question, read
Yirmiyahu 13:1-
11, noting especially the phrase 'le-shem
ve-litehilla' ve-
tif'eret' and its context in 13:11!
To strengthen this point, see also
Yirmiyahu 33:7-9.
In your opinion, could Yirmiyahu's
prophecy in chapter 13
be considered as a type of interpretation of
Devarim 26:19?
Can you explain why this would help
explain why God
decided that it was necessary to destroy the
Bet ha'Mikdash?
4. Review I Divrei Ha-aymim 22:5-7, which
describes David ha-
melech's charge to his son Shlomo - that he
build the bet
ha'Mikdash. Then, read also Divrei Ha-yamim
29:10-13 -
David's speech to Bnei Yisrael regarding the
bet ha'Mikdash
and its purpose!
[In case you didn't recognize them, you say
these last four
psukim every day in psukei de-zimra!
Hopefully, now you'll
understand them a little bit better.]
Relate these psukim in Divrei Ha-yamim to
the theme of 'ha-
makom asher yivchar Hashem' in the main
speech of Sefer
Devarim, and its connection to the concluding
psukim in 26:16-
19.
[Note as well Yeshayahu 66:12-14.]
As usual, relate your answer to the
theme of the main
speech, the concept of 'shem Hashem', and the
purpose of the
'bechira' of Am Yisrael.
Relate your answer to Yeshayahu 42:5-6,
which just so
happen to be the opening two psukim of the
Haftara for Parshat
Breishit!
"KEL ELYON". And / or "AM ELYON"
1. Review once again 26:19, this time noting
the opening
phrase "u-letitcha elyon al kol ha-goyim"
[lit. "to put you
'above' the other nations"]. In your
opinion, what is the
precise meaning of 'elyon' in this pasuk, and
how does this
promise relate to these concluding remarks in
26:16-19?
Based on this pasuk, does it seem as
though the purpose
of these mitzvot are to make Am Yisrael
'better' than everyone
else? If so, why; and how would this relate
to the underlying
theme of the mitzvot of the main speech?
2. Next, review Devarim 4:5-8. How (and
why) do (and should)
these psukim relate to the above question?
[If you are not
sure, relate to 4:1-2 and 5:1-3.]
Then, study 28:1-14, noting the parallel
between these
psukim (and their context) and 26:16-19.
[Try first on your
own; afterward, be sure that you found the
textual & thematic
parallels to just about every word in 28:1
and 28:9-10.]
Note as well the parallel between
28:10-14 and 4:1-8!
Based on these parallels, what would be
the deeper
meaning and purpose of becoming 'elyon'?
3. Now, review Breishit 14:18-22 and its
context, noting how
Malki Tzedek (and later Avraham Avinu) refers
to God as 'kel
elyon'. Can you explain the deeper meaning
of this name,
especially within the context of Sefer
Breishit?
Could one suggest any thematic
connection between this
Biblical name of God as the 'Kel elyon' and
the Torah's use of
'elyon' in Devarim 26:19? Relate your answer
to the sources
quoted in the above questions!
SELECTIVE CURSES
1. In 27:15-25, we find a list of 11 curses
for those who do
not obey any one of a list of specific
mitzvot. Review those
specific cases, and attempt to find any
'common denominator'
that makes these mitzvot unique (i.e. in
contrast to other
mitzvot of the Torah). [If you have ample
time, note how the
different commentators dealt with this
question.]
How do these warning relate to
transgressions that are
usually done in private, and why would that
relate to the need
for these curses. [Relate as well to 29:28.]
2. Review 27:15-25 once again, and attempt to
identify the
first time that each of these mitzvot had
been mentioned
earlier in Chumash. [For example, compare
27:19 with Shmot
23:6-9 and Devarim 19:14. and 27:20-23 with
Vayikra 18:6-22.]
When your list is complete, see if you
can identify any
pattern, or if there certain Parshiot in
Chumash from where we
find most of these mitzvot? If so, can you
explain why?
3. Finally, review Devarim 27:26, noting how
this is the
twelfth curse, yet it doesn't deal with a
specific
transgression, but rather with a very general
one. In your
opinion, what does the phrase 'kol ha-Torah
ha-zot' refer to?
[In other words, what does the word Torah in
this pasuk refer
to?]
Would (and should) the word Torah relate in
any manner to
the mitzvot of the main speech of Sefer
Devarim? [In your
answer, relate to 4:8, 4:44-45, 27:1-3 and
27:8! How do these
blessings (or curses) relate to those
mitzvot?
How would this observation relate to
your answer to the
above question regarding the original source
of the mitzvot
mentioned in the first eleven 'curses'?
What common type of mitzvot do we find
in both Parshat
Mishpatim and Parshat Kedoshim that are
similar to the mitzvot
that we find in the 'chukim u-mishpatim'
section of Sefer
Devarim?
A COMMANDMENT - OR A PROMISE?
1. Review 27:9-10. Why are the people told
that specifically
on this day they have 'become a nation for
their God'? Were
they not already a nation when they came out
of Egypt?
In your answer - relate to the mitzvot
of the main
speech!
2. In your opinion, is 27:10 a commandment or
a promise; and
how does it relate to 27:9? [See Seforno!]
PART II - QUESTIONS FOR PREPARATION
[for shiur on Mikra Bikkurim and the
Haggada]
1. Carefully review the first ten psukim of
the Parsha (i.e.
26:1-10). In your opinion (and based on
these psukim), is the
purpose of the mitzva of bikkurim to thank
God for our first
fruits, or are we 'using' our first fruits to
thank God for
giving us the Land? [Be sure that you
understand this
question before you attempt to answer it.]
In your answer, try to explain the
underlying reason for
each line of the declaration in 'mikra
bikkurim', from 26:5-9.
Can you explain the necessity to mention
God's covenant
with the Avot in 26:3 and how it relates to
26:5-7?
2. Which specific covenant (and oath) does
26:3 refer to?
In your answer, relate to Breishit chapter
15; noting the
parallel between Breishit 15:13-18 and
Devarim 26:5-9. Note
as well the Torah's use of the word 'yerusha'
in Breishit
chapter 15. Relate this to the same word in
Devarim 26:1!
3. Note the word 'higgadeti' and the entire
opening phrase of
'higgadeti ha-yom l-Hashem Elokecha ki...'
(see 26:3) - i.e.
the opening pronouncement when one presents
his bikkurim. How
does the declaration relate to what is stated
later in 26:5-7.
Compare these psukim to Shmot 13:8 and its
context, noting
once again the word 'higgadeti'!
Based on this comparison (and you answer
to the above
questions), can you explain why we quote
specifically these
psukim in the maggid section of the haggada?
Is there a thematic reason as well?
4. Quickly review chapter 26 (especially the
end of the
perek), and the first few psukim of chapter
27. While doing
so, note the change from first person (in
chapter 26) to third
person in 27:1! [Recall our explanation that
this change
indicates that the main speech, which began
in chapter 5, now
finishes here at the end of chapter 26.
Then, carefully review 26:16-19. Explain
how and why these
psukim 'conclude' the main speech. How (and
why) do these
psukim relate to Shmot 19:3-6, noting how
Shmot chapter 19
introduces Ma'amad Har Sinai.
Based on the setting of the main speech of
Sefer Devarim
(see introductory shiur), what is the
significance of this
parallel? Relate this to the purpose of the
mitzvot of Sefer
Devarim.
5. Recall the theme of ha-makom asher
yivchar Hashem, that
was developed in chapters 12-17. Review
26:1-2, noting how
this topic returns once again!
In your opinion, would it not have been
more logical for
the Torah to have included this mitzva within
that section?
Review as well Devarim 14:28-29 (regarding
the topic of
'ma'aser ani' in the third year), and then
note how this
relates to the laws of 'viddui ma'aser' that
are detailed now
in 26:12-15.
Would it not have made more sense to
include these laws in
26:12-15 back in chapter 14?
Do these two mitzvot (mikra bikkurim &
viddui ma'asrot
share anything in common?
[Relate to 'declarations' of any type
found in Chumash.]
Can you suggest any reason why the Torah
may have preferred
to 'save them' for the conclusion of the main
speech?
THE CEREMONY AT HAR EIVAL
6. Review chapter 27, noting how it
describes a ceremony that
is to take place at Har Eival (after Bnei
Yisrael cross into
Eretz Canaan). Review especially 27:1-8, and
based on those
psukim, explain how (and why) this ceremony
relates to the
main speech in Sefer Devarim (i.e. chapters
5-26)?
7. Compare the national gathering and
ceremony described in
27:1-8 to the events at Ma'amad Har Sinai, as
detailed in
Shmot 24:3-10. Note the rather obvious
textual and thematic
parallels.
What is similar, and what is different?
Can you explain the reason for (and
significance) of this
parallel? [As usual, relate to topic of the
main speech.]
8. Later on in Sefer Devarim (see 31:9-13),
we find the
ceremony of hakhel that is to take place once
every seven
years. Compare the details of that ceremony
to the ceremony
at Har Eival. What is similar and what is
different?
Can this help you understand the reason
for hakhel?
9. NOTE THE 'tochacha' which follows in
chapter 28. Can you
explain how it relates to chapter 27, and to
the main speech
of Sefer Devarim? [Relate to 28:1 and
28:15.]
Return to the parallel (noted above)
between the ceremony
at Har Eival and the ceremony at Har Sinai in
Shmot 24:3-10.
Did you find any parallel in Devarim to the
'sefer ha-brit'
that was read in public (see Shmot 24:7)?
If not, can you explain why?
Review the tochacha once again, noting
its final pasuk
(at the end of chapter 28). Does this
explain the 'missing
link'? How does this parallel help you
understand the reason
for the tochacha after the main speech in
Sefer Devarim?
10. In relation to a tochacha that follows a
lengthy set of
mitzvot, in what manner is this tochacha in
Parshat Ki Tavo
similar to the tochacha in Sefer Vayikra
(chapter 26 / Parshat
Bechukotai)?
Note how each tochacha is similar and
how they are
different. Can you relate the differences to
the
corresponding theme of each book?
For example, why does the tochacha in
Bechukotai warn
about the destruction of the mikdash, while
the tochacha in Ki
Tavo warns about exile from the Land?
PART III - PARSHANUT
1. In 27:1, Moshe commands Bnei Yisrael to
'keep this entire
mitzva that I am commanding your today'.
In your opinion, according to pshat,
what mitzva is Moshe
Rabbeinu referring to: 1) the mitzvot of the
main speech;
or 2) the mitzva which follows (i.e.
27:2-4)?
[In other words, is it going backwards
or forwards?]
Now, see Ibn Ezra and Ramban!
What is the reason for this dispute?
2. Next, see 27:3. Note that Bnei Yisrael
are instructed to
write down 'et kol divrei ha-Torah
ha-zot...'. In your
opinion, what specifically does the word
Torah in this pasuk
refer to?
* to the entire Torah (all five books)?
* just Sefer Devarim? [Relate to 1:5 and
4:44.]
* or, just the 'brachot u-klalot' in
27:11-26 / and / or
chp.28?
Again, see Ibn Ezra & Ramban (his entire
peirush to this
pasuk!)
Finally, see 27:8. What is the meaning of
the word 'torah' in
this pasuk? See Rashbam's explanation of
what was written.
3. In your opinion, what does 'be'er heitev'
mean (see 27:8)?
See Rashi & Ibn Ezra.
In your opinion, which peirush is pshat,
and which is
drash?
Can you suggest a reason for this drash?
Relate to 26:16-19 & Shmot 19:5-6 (&
Breishit chap.10).
[try also Breishit 12:1-3!]
4. Note that we find twelve curses in
27:15-26. Can you
explain why there are specifically twelve?
Relate to the
number of tribes who witness these curses in
27:11-14.
Then see Rashbam's peirush on 27:15.
5. Note as well how the tribes are divided
into two groups of
six each in 27:11-3. Can you find any logic
in this division?
If so, how does it relate to the blessing and
curse?
See Ibn Ezra and Chizkuni on 27:12.
be-hatzlacha,
menachem
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