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Copyright 2003 Darche Noam Institutions
All of the Blessings
Before listing the specific
blessings that come upon the people of Israel, the Torah says, "All of these
blessings will come to you and overtake you when you listen to the voice of
Hashem your G-d." (Devarim 28:2)." What are "all of these blessings"?
According to the Sfat Emet "all of these blessings" is not merely a vague reference
to good things, but to "the source of all blessings". What is "the source of
all blessings"?
The Zohar (this selection is printed in siddurim and bentchers before the Shabbat
meals) asks how the Shabbat can be considered blessed by the manna if the manna
did not even fall on Shabbat? It answers that all blessings depend on the Shabbat.
Even though the manna did not actually fall on Shabbat, the blessing behind
all of the manna that fell the whole week came down on Shabbat.
When the Torah here says, "All of the blessings will come to you" it is referring
to the blessing of the Shabbat. It therefore immediately follows with a list
of six blessings: in the city, in the field, children, produce, coming in, and
going out - each one corresponding to one of the days of the week. This might
be the reason why there is a custom to read these verses on Motzaei Shabbat
(as part of Veyiten Lekha - this was also pointed out by Rav Hirtz zt"l in his
siddur).
These blessings only come about to the people of Israel that listen to the Torah
and keep the Shabbat (the two mitzvot limited to Jews) as indicated by the end
of the verse: ". . . . when you listen to the voice of Hashem your G-d."
from
Classic Divrei Torah on Parshat Shavua
Print Version of http://www.darchenoam.org/articles/web/parsha/ar_kitavo.htm.htm
Copyright 2003 Darche
Noam Institutions