## Sforno on Deuteronomy Chapter 27

###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:1:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:1:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/27:1:1)

**וַיְצַו מֹשֶׁה וְזִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.** שִׁתֵּף עִמּוֹ הַזְּקֵנִים, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵם יִהְיוּ בַּמַּעֲמָד בְּעָבְרָם הַיַּרְדֵּן.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ויצא משה וזקני ישראל, G’d co-opted the elders seeing it was they who would stand at Mount Gerizim and Mount Eyval, and not Moses.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:7:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:7:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/27:7:1)

**וְשָׂמַחְתָּ לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ.** עַל שֶׁתִּכָּנֵס אָז עִמּוֹ לִבְרִית בְּהַר גְּרִזִים וּבְהַר עֵיבָל.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ושמחת לפני ה' אלוקיך, over the privilege of entering a covenant with G’d at Mount Gerizim and Mount Eyval.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:9:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:9:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/27:9:1)

**וַיְדַבֵּר מֹשֶׁה וְהַכֹּהֲנִים הַלְוִיִּם.** שִׁתֵּף עִמּוֹ הַכֹּהֲנִים לְהַזְהִיר עַל הָעִיּוּן בַּתּוֹרָה, בִּהְיוֹת מוּטָל עַל הַכֹּהֲנִים לְלַמֵּד דַּעַת אֶת הָעָם, כְּאָמְרוֹ (דברים לג:י) ״יוֹרוּ מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ לְיַעֲקֹב״.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
וידבר משה והכהנים הלוים, Moses co-opted the priests to caution them on the importance of studying the Torah in depth. This was because it was their primary duty to teach the Torah to the people. [service in the Temple occupied only a few days’ a year of each priest’s time. Ed.] (compare Deut. 33,10 יורו משפטיך ליעקב, “they shall teach Your laws to Yaakov.”)


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:9:2
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:9:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/27:9:2)

**הַסְכֵּת.** צַיֵּר בְּמַחְשַׁבְתְּךָ, כְּמוֹ ״אֵת סִכּוּת מַלְכְּכֶם״ (עמוס ה:כו).

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
הסכת, illustrate the concepts for you in your mind, as in Amos 5,26 את סכות מלככם, “they even named the idol ‘image’.”


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:9:3
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:9:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/27:9:3)

**וּשְׁמַע.** וְהִתְבּוֹנֵן.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:10:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:10:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/27:10:1)

**וְשָׁמַעְתָּ בְּקוֹל ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ.** כְּשֶׁתְּצַיֵּר זֶה וְתָבִין, תִּשְׁמַע בְּקוֹלוֹ בְּלִי סָפֵק.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ושמעת בקול ה' אלוקיך, you will hearken to the Lord your G’d as a result of carrying such a vivid image of your duties in your mind.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:15:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:15:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/27:15:1)

**אָרוּר הָאִישׁ.** הִנֵּה כָּל הָאֲרוּרִים אָמְרוּ תְּחִלָּה בִּלְשׁוֹן בָּרוּךְ, כְּמוֹ שֶׁבָּא בַּקַּבָּלָה, וְלָזֶה אָמַר ״אֵלֶּה יַעַמְדוּ לְבָרֵךְ אֶת הָעָם״ (דברים כח:יב). אַמְנָם הִזְכִּירָם הַכָּתוּב בִּלְשׁוֹן אָרוּר בִּלְבַד, כִּי עִקַּר הַכַּוָּנָה בְּאֵלּוּ הָאֲרוּרִים הָיָה לְקַלֵּל אֶת הָעוֹבְרִים עַל אֵלֶּה, כְּדֵי שֶׁהֵם לְבַדָּם יִשְׂאוּ עֲוֹנָם וְלֹא יִהְיוּ שְׁאָר הָעָם עֲרֵבִים לָהֶם. וְזֶה כִּי הַחוֹטְאִים הָאֵלֶּה הָיוּ עַל הָרֹב רָאשֵׁי הָעָם, שֶׁלֹּא הָיָה עַל הַהֶדְיוֹטוֹת לִמְחוֹת בְּיָדָם, כְּמוֹ שֶׁהֵעִיד יְחֶזְקֵאל בְּאָמְרוֹ (יחזקאל כב:ו-ז) ״נְשִׂיאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ לִזְרֹעוֹ הָיוּ בָךְ לְמַעַן שְׁפָךְ דָּם, אָב וָאֵם הֵקַלּוּ בָךְ כוּ׳״. וּבְאוֹתָהּ הַפָּרָשָׁה הִזְכִּיר הַנָּבִיא רֹב אֵלֶּה הָאֲרוּרִים אוֹ כֻלָּם, וְאָמַר שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ אֵלּוּ הָעֲוֹנוֹת בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, לֹא שֶׁהָעִיר כֻּלָּהּ חָטְאָה בָּזֶה, אֲבָל הַנְּשִׂיאִים הֵם חָטְאוּ בְּכָמוֹ אֵלֶּה. אַמְנָם בְּהַזְכִּירוֹ שָׁם עֲוֹנוֹת הַצִּבּוּר, הֶאֱשִׁים אֶת הָעִיר בְּאָמְרוֹ (יחזקאל כב:ח) ״קׇדָשַׁי בָּזִית וְאֶת שַׁבְּתוֹתַי חִלָּלְתָּ״.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
ארור האיש, all of the “cursed be” mentioned here had first been intoned as a blessing for all the people refraining from becoming guilty of the sins that are mentioned here. (compare Sotah 32) This is also the reason why the Torah commences the paragraph with the words אלה יעמדו לברך את העם, “these are the people who take up position to bless the people.” The principal reason for these lines is to curse the sinners who violate these commandments, so that they alone will bear the burden of their guilt, the people at large not sharing in that responsibility. The reason is that the sinners referred to were in the main the leaders of the people, so that the ordinary Israelite did not have the power to protest the carrying’s on of their leaders. This thought has been stated clearly by Ezekiel 22,6-7 “every one of the princes of Israel in their midst used his strength for the shedding of blood, etc. etc.” In that same chapter the prophet specifically singled out most of the (12) sins listed in our paragraph here. These obscenities were all carried out in Jerusalem; however, this does not mean that all the inhabitants of the city were guilty of these iniquities, mostly it was the highly placed members of society who were guilty of them. When the sins of the population at large are mentioned, these sins are generally attributed to the city in which these sins have been carried out. Compare verse 8 in that chapter of Ezekiel. [the reference to the “city “ as the place where all this had taken place is found in verse 3 of that chapter. Ed.]


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:25:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:25:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/27:25:1)

**לוֹקֵחַ שֹׁחַד לְהַכּוֹת.** כְּעִנְיַן דּוֹאֵג הָאֲדוֹמִי (שמואל א כב) וְהַזִּיפִים (שמואל א כג) לִמְצוֹא חֵן בְּעֵינֵי שָׁאוּל אוֹ לְהַרְוִיחַ.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
לוקח שוחד להכות, as in the case of Doeg the Edomite (Samuel I, chapter 22), whose accusation was intended to win him favours from the king. Compare also chapter 23 about the Ziphites. Tale-bearing is such a type of interest mentioned in our verse.


###### Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:26:1
[Sforno on Deuteronomy 27:26:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sforno%20on%20Deuteronomy/r/27:26:1)

**אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָקִים אֶת דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת לַעֲשׂוֹת אוֹתָם.** שֶׁלֹּא יְקַיֵּם וְיוֹדֶה שֶׁרָאוּי לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת כֻּלָּם, אֲבָל תִּהְיֶה אֵיזוֹ מִצְוָה מֵהֶם לְבַטָּלָה אֶצְלוֹ, וְהוּא הֶחָשׁוּד לְדָבָר אֶחָד.

**Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009:**
אשר לא יקים את דברי התורה הזאת לעשות אותם, who neither observes nor admits that they are all worth observing. but, who in his arrogance, considers some commandment or commandment of the Torah not worth his while observing. In the Talmud such a person is considered a “heretic because he rejects a single one of G’d’s commandments.”