Hagaon
Rav Levi Yitzchak of
Berditchov zt”l on Parshat Re'ei
(from
Kedushat Levi on Devarim)
"Today's Blessing"
The Parsha opens with, "See that today I place before
you a blessing and a curse." The word "today", asks the Kedushat Levi, seems superfluous.
Why didn't the Torah say, "See that I place before you. . . "?
The Parsha opens with, "See that today I place before you a blessing and a curse."
The word "today", asks the Kedushat Levi, seems superfluous. Why didn't the Torah
say, "See that I place before you. . . "?
The explanation lies in clarifying our conception of the reward for keeping the
commandments. The Sages teach us that the real reward and punishment for following
G-d's commandments lies in the World-to-come. However, they also teach us in Pirkei
Avot that the reward for a mitzvah is a mitzvah. This means, in the Kedushat Levi's
words, that "there is no need for any more reward, for there is no greater reward
than the mitzvah itself - having the merit ('zechut') of being able to give pleasure
to the Creator through following his commandments."
This explains the wording of the verse. The blessing itself is that you are able
to fulfill the Divine commandments. That is why the Torah uses the word "that"
instead of "if". The Torah is not only speaking of a future blessing that is contingent
on fulfilling the commandments, but about the blessing that is inherent in fulfilling
them right now.
That is the "today" of the first verse of the Parsha. The "today" in the sentence
"See that today I place before you a blessing and a curse," is not only the day
that Moshe Rabbeinu spoke to the people of Israel, but every day that any Jew
fulfills a mitzvah. As we are doing the mitzvah today we are experiencing the
blessing.
[prepared
by Eliezer Kwass]
from
Classic Divrei Torah on Parshat Shavua
Print Version of http://www.darchenoam.org/articles/web/parsha/ar_re'ei.htm
Copyright 2003 Darche
Noam Institutions
