אלה החוקים, “these are the statutes;” whenever the Torah commences a paragraph with the word אלה, this means that what follows is not a continuation in some form of what had preceded it. In this case too, the subject of the function of the two mountains Gerizim and Eyval are not connected to what follows. The commandment to be performed on or near these mountains, were one time only commandments. The places near there on which the gentiles had worshipped idols had to be totally destroyed.

אבד תאבדון את כל המקומות, “you are to utterly destroy all the sites, etc.; ”the Torah here speaks of vessels used in the worship of idols, [not the earth itself on which the idol stands. Ed.] Besides, it is impossible to forbid the surface of the earth for use, as if so, the idolaters would be able to turn all habitable surfaces on the globe into forbidden areas. (B’chor shor)

את אלהיהם על ההרים, “their deities on the mountains;” our sages explain that they had not turned the mountains themselves into deities. (Sifri )

את אלהיהם, “this word has the letter ו missing after the letter ל.” In this way it is a continuation of the line: “upon which the gentile nations had served their idols.” The paragraph is a commandment to remove and destroy all idols everywhere the Canaanites had worshipped such socalled deities.

ונתצתם את מזבחותם, “you shall break down all their altars;” the phrase is a repetition as it is needed for the other half, the commandment to wipe out the names of these deities, (at the end of the verse). ואשריהם תשרפון באש, “and burn their asherim by fire.” In Deuteronomy 7,5, the Torah instructed that the asherim ought to be hewn down, מגדעון. Our sages explain this difference by saying that if these trees had been planted before they had been worshipped whatever had grown after that has to be cut down. If they had been planted after on that site idolatry had already been practiced, the entire tree or trees have to be burned.

ופסילי אלהיהם תגדעון, “and the graven images of their deities you must cut down. In Deuteronomy 7,5, we read that ופסיליהם תשרפו באש, “and their carved images you must burn.” This refers to these images having been carved into the trunk of the tree while the tree was still planted in the earth. If a figure had been carved into the trunk after it had been cut down, you must burn the whole trunk of that tree. If he had cut down the image without burning the tree, the tree may remain standing. An alternate interpretation of the differing methods for destroying symbols of paganism: in both instances either cutting down such symbols or burning them is the appropriate method of destroying them.

ואשריהם תשרפון באש, “and their existing asherim you must burn by fire.” Seeing that the Holy Land had been designated as belonging to Israel by G-d, and at the time when the Israelites had said at the time of the golden calf: “these are your deities O Israel,” they yearned for a multiplicity of deities. As a result of this outcry, all the various deities served in the land of Canaan became partially owned by the Israelites. (Talmud, tractate Sanhedrin folio 63) Idols owned by Israelites can never be utterly annulled. (Talmud tractate Avodah Zarah folio 53) They must be destroyed utterly beyond any recognition physically.

ואבדתם את שמם, “you must abolish their names, even.” (Compare Numbers 32,38, their names had been changed)

לא תעשון כן, “You shall not do likewise, etc.” you cannot serve the Lord your G-d and sacrifice offerings to Him at any place that you choose.

כי אם אל המקום אשר יבחר, “except at a place of His choosing.” Moses did not spell out the name of that place, seeing that at different times G-d’s Presence decides to accept homage at different locations. [but never at more than one place at a given time. Ed.]

ואכלתם שם “ you will eat there;” this is a reference to the priests and the Levites. (Ibn Ezra)

אתם ובתיכם, “you and your household members.” The word: “and the Levite,” has not been repeated here seeing that this paragraph had been addressed to the Israelites before the land had been distributed to the tribes, and the Israelites had not yet been warned to give the Levite his due. However, later on, in verse 10, when Moses speaks of the period after the distribution of the land has taken place, as the period in which they will enjoy peace and security, the Torah does warn the Israelite not to neglect the Levites.

לא תעשון ככל אשר אנחנו עושים פה היום, “You are not to act as we are in the habit of doing here at this time;” the Torah connects the prohibition of offering sacrifices on private altars to the building of a central Temple; the reason is that such a Temple cannot be built until all the parts of the country have been conquered. Until such time the people would be afraid to absent themselves for longer periods from their homes for fear of encouraging attacks by the enemy. The Torah therefore links worship at a central Temple to feeling secure from attacks by potential enemies. Such a situation would not arise until four hundred years after the wars fought by Joshua, when we read in Samuel II 7,1 that David told the prophet Natan, that he felt the time had come to provide G-d with a permanent home (in Jerusalem). [We are told in Kings I 6,1 that Solomon’s Temple was not built until four hundred and eighty years after the Exodus from Egypt. David had told the prophet that he felt secure enough to undertake the building of a permanent Temple, seeing that he had vanquished all the enemies surrounding the land of Israel. While agreeing with that statement, the actual building was delayed so that a king who had not had to fight wars, i.e. his son Solomon, would be the symbol of peace, the symbol of G-d’s rule on earth. Ed.]

איש כל הישר בעיניו, “everyone whatsoever was right in his eyes;” Rashi is at pains to make sure that we do not understand these words literally, but that it refers to offering sacrifices in his backyard, instead of bringing the animals concerned to the Tabernacle or its successor, such as Shiloh where a permanent structure, but without a solid roof, functioned as the central place of worship for over three hundred and fifty years. [The fact that Rashi is correct is proved, when in verse fourteen, Moses spells out that all sacrifices will have to be offered in a place designated by G-d Himself, or they would not be welcome, and the person doing so would instead be punished with the most severe punishment available, karet, being excised posthumously from membership in the Jewish people. (Leviticus 17,9) Ed.]

אל המנוחה, “to the rest;” you will not experience such a feeling until your enemies all around you have been thoroughly defeated.

ואל הנחלה, “and to the inheritance;” this will not be the case until after you have crossed the Jordan and have taken possession of the west bank.

השמר לך פן תעלה עולותיך בכל מקום, “Take heed not to offer your burnt offerings at any place;” the reason why the Torah is so insistent that offerings not be brought other than at a central location, is that seeing the Israelites are supposed to make at least three pilgrimages a year to the Temple in Jerusalem, if they were legally able to offer the sacrifices that they need to offer also on private altars, many would use that as an excuse not to make the pilgrimages to Jerusalem. Once they would get into the habit to offer sacrifices to Hashem on private altars, it would be a small step to also offer some sacrifices, such as calves, to other “deities.” [As we saw once Jerobam erected these calves by blocking the highways to Jerusalem to pilgrims. (Compare Kings I chapter 12) Ed.]

תזבח ואכלת בשר, “you will slaughter and proceed to eat meat;” Rashi comments on this that the Torah does not speak about animals raised for food, but about animals raised to be offered as a sacrifice on the altar. What the Torah actually comes to approve here is the killing for food of animals raised for a holy purpose. According to Rashi, based on Sifri, the Torah speaks here of an animal that had been raised by its owner to be offered as a sacrifice. Before it could be sacrificed however, it developed a blemish that disqualified it as the sacrifice it had been intended for. This animal may now be slaughtered and its meat be eaten, though its wool may not be shorn nor may it not be milked for its milk to be drunk. The word: רק, “only, except,” is the hint of what is the true meaning of the verse. An animal destined as a sacrifice, when disqualified through a permanent blemish, may be used by its owner secularly only as food, but not for any other mundane purpose. However, if it had been shorn by someone other than the owner, the wool is not subject to any restrictions just because it had originally grown on the back of an animal that had been sanctified. The subject and its ramifications are discussed in the Talmud tractate Meilah folio 12. [Since, unfortunately for the last 2000 years this subject is not of practical significance, I have not given some more details mentioned in the Talmud there. Ed.]

הטמא והטהור יחדיו “the ritually pure and the ritually impure, may eat it together.” Prior to that animal’s disqualification by its blemish, the ritually impure person would have been forbidden to eat of its meat. The penalty for doing so knowingly, is karet, posthumous separation from the Jewish people.

רק הדם לא תאכלו, “only the blood you must not eat.” Even though the Torah permits every Jew to eat the meat through a process of redemption, i.e. paying compensation to the Temple treasury for the one time sanctified animal, plus a small premium, its blood had been forbidden already prior to this animal having been sanctified, so how could it possibly be released through redemption? The same rule applies to the forbidden fat parts of any animal slated as a sacrifice. The reason why the Torah singled out blood as its example, is that blood of any animal, whether fit to become a sacrifice or not, is forbidden, whereas the fat of those animals not suitable as sacrifices were never forbidden. (Compare Talmud tractate Chulin folio 117)

לא תוכל לאכול, “you cannot eat;” Rashi quotes Rabbi Joshua son of Korchah as saying that the words לא תוכל, do not mean that the Levites are physically unable to eat the tithes in their homes or towns, but that they are forbidden to do so. [What applies to the first tithe given to the Levite also applies to the “second” tithe that the Israelite during the respective years may consume himself but only in Jerusalem, or other designated town housing the Tabernacle at the time. If such second tithe has been redeemed by the farmer, then the money received must be spent in Jerusalem or its equivalent, for food, drink or clothing and such for the farmer and his family. The same applies to other gifts given to the priests, such as the firstlings of the harvest each year. The “gift” known as t’rumah, from the grain fields, may be eaten in the priest’s home by himself and his family and household.] According to Rashi on Joshua 15,63, the words ולא יכלו בני יהודה להורישם, “and the members of the tribe of Yehudah were unable to dislodge the Jebusite from their city (Jerusalem)” are also to be understood as a prohibition. i.e. the covenant made between Avraham and Avimelech for four generations, had not yet expired, so that G-d had not yet given permission for the Israelites to conquer that part of the land of Israel. The inhabitants of that city at that time were not Jebusites, i.e. Canaanites, to whom that covenant did not apply, but were Philistines to whom it did apply.)

לאכול בשעריך מעשר דגנך, “you may not eat in your gates tithes of your grain harvest.” After noting that Levites and their families may eat the First Tithe in their homes, Moses addresses the Israelites and instructs them that the second tithe (or food bought with the money used to redeem the second tithe) must not be eaten in their homes but only in Jerusalem.

ובכורות בקרך וצאנך, nor the firstlings of your cattle or flocks. Seeing that the firstlings may only be eaten by the priests, this verse appears to present a difficulty; why would it be addressed to the Israelites as a whole? It could not refer to firstlings that had been born blemished. Apparently, the farmers would set aside two “firstlings.” The first would be given to the priest, and the second would be treated as sanctified also, and therefore be consumed only in Jerusalem, as if it were part of a second tithe. An alternate interpretation of this phrase: the verse speaks of firstling animals that had been born as females and thus did not have to be given to the priests. The farmers would eat these female firstborns in Jerusalem, voluntarily. In the Jerusalem Talmud there is a dispute concerning the accuracy of this version. One opinion treats the verse as applying to a regular male firstling animal, in which case Moses would have been addressing only the priests, whereas the second opinion claims that there is no problem as the priests are also Israelites and Moses did not need to address them separately. [Seeing that this quotation from the Jerusalem Talmud has not been found by Rabbi Chavell on whose annotations I base myself, I may be forgiven for feeling a little confused. Ed.] לפני ה' אלוקיך, “in the presence of the Lord your G-d, i.e. on sacred ground in the Temple precincts,” Moses addresses whoever this applies to, without spelling out who they are.

כל ימיך, “as long as you live.” This includes even the years of sh’mittah and Jubilee years when no crops are harvested. (Sifri)

על אדמתך, “on your soil.” Seeing that only the ordinary Israelites possess ancestral land in Israel, as distinct from the Levites, the Israelites are obligated to look after the needs of the Levites as long as they are on their own land, but not when all the Jews are in exile, and the ordinary Israelites do not enjoy the advantage of owning ancestral land.

כי ירחיב, “when He will expand, etc.” the content of this paragraph has already been written in verses 15-16 of our chapter. Why was it repeated? The reason is verse 27, in which Moses emphasises that the law to offer sacrificial offerings only in the Temple designated by G-d, i.e. Jerusalem is not affected by the size of country. An alternate interpretation: seeing that the laws Moses speaks about apply daily, he repeats them so that the people will be thoroughly familiar with them.

כאשר דבר לך, “as He has said to you (promised);” We find this promise in Exodus 23,31, 'ושתי את גבולך וגו, “I will set your borders, etc.;” [an area far in excess of the Israel of King Solomon. Ed.]

ואמרת אוכלה בשר, and you say: “I wish to eat meat” (other than sacrificial meat) from this verse we see that one should not eat without first having prepared it ritually. [You do not eat meat as you eat an apple or a pear. Meat must be soaked and salted to remove all traces of blood before it is fit to be eaten. Ed.]

כי תאוה נפשך, “when you experience a true craving for meat.” The word כי in this verse is used as an alternative for the word אם, “if” or “when.”

כי ירחק ממך המקום, “for the place (the Temple) is located far distant from you.” The Torah here addresses Israelites who dwell beyond the borders of the Holy Land. In spite of this, the same law applies to them as to those who dwell within it.

הטמא והטהור יחדו, “the ritually impure together with the ritually pure.” Moses does not suggest that they both eat from the same bowl, as that would result in the ritually pure person becoming contaminated with a degree of the impurity of the ritually impure person. But they can both eat meat which was duly slaughtered etc., but not offered as a sacrifice, at the same table. Another example of the word יחדו, “together,” being used in this sense is Exodus 19,8: ויענו כל העם יחדו, “all the people responded together.”

תשא ובאת אל המקום, “you shall take and go to the place;” when we pray on the festivals we say in our mussaph prayer: והשיאנו ה' אלוקינו את ברכת מועדיך, “cause us O Lord our G-d to take with us the blessing of Your festivals, etc.”

ודם זבחיך, “and the blood of your meat offerings,” this is a reference to the socalled sh’lamim, “peace offerings,” (consumed in the main by the donors)

והבשר תאכל, “and the meat you may eat;” [as opposed to the blood and the fat parts. Ed.] the meat will be consumed by the priest on duty at that time according to the priestly roster, or the common Israelite, depending on the type of offering and the parts of the animal designated for either priest or laymen. (Ibn Ezra).

כי יכרית ה' אלוקיך, “when the Lord your G-d will cut off, etc.” this paragraph has been inserted here, as unless G-d cuts off the gentile nations, how is He going to widen the boundaries of your Land?

לרשת אותם מפניך, “and to dispossess them on your account;” the word מפניך actually is the continuation of the beginning of the verse, i.e. כי יכרית.

אשר שנא, “which He hates;” He hates these rituals even if you employ them in order to serve Him;” it would enrage him.