AND MOSES…COMMANDED. By the dictate of God.

AND THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL. He¹ said this to lighten his load.² There are many such instances.³ I have previously noted them.⁴

footnotes: ¹ Moses. ² Moses directed the elders to deliver the message to Israel in order to lighten his own load. ³ Where Moses asked the elders in assisting him in delivering his message to Israel. ⁴ See I.E. on Deut. 12:21.

KEEP ALL THE COMMANDMENTS. Namely, that thou shalt set thee up great stones to contain the entire Torah. The Gaon,⁵ of blessed memory, said that the commandments⁶ were listed upon the stones, as in the Halakhot Gedolot.⁷ was the first to enumerate the 613 commandments. Rabbi Saadiah Gaon uses the Halakhot Gedolot as an illustration of a list of the 613 commandments, for it was the first work to provide such a list. Rabbi Saadiah Gaon interprets thus because he does not believe that the stones were large enough for the entire five books of the Torah to have been written upon. They were listed in a manner similar to the azharot.⁸ (exhortation) is 613. He explained well.

footnotes: ⁵ Rabbi Saadiah Gaon. ⁶ The 613 commandments of the Torah. ⁷ A Geonic compendium by Rabbi Simon Kayyra (ninth century) of Talmudic law arranged according to the order of the tractates of the Talmud. The Halakhot Gedolot ⁸ Liturgical poems devoted to the enumeration of the 613 commandments. The numerical value of the Hebrew letters of azharot

[WITH PLASTER] Plaster was employed so that it⁹ would last.¹⁰

footnotes: ⁹ The monument of stones. ¹⁰ SeeRabbi Joseph Bekhor Shor on this verse. He explains that the Torah was written on a number of stones held together by plaster. Without the plaster the stones would fall apart. I.E. apparently interpreted similarly.

THAT THOU MAYEST. For God will aid you¹¹ if you begin to observe His commandments. This first precept upon entering the Land of Israel, namely, the command to build a new altar, was to give thanks to God for their starting to inherit the land.

footnotes: ¹¹ In conquering the land.

VERY PLAINLY. The reference is to the writing.

AND MOSES AND THE PRIESTS THE LEVITES. This is in keeping with Scripture’s statement, and the elders of Israel (v. 1).¹² and the Levites assisted Moses. Moses was the main one.¹³ and the Levites.

footnotes: ¹² The kohanim ¹³ He was the one who received the revelation from God and related it to the kohanim

KEEP SILENCE. The meaning of the word hasket (keep silence) can only be known from its context, for it has no neighbor.¹⁴

footnotes: ¹⁴ The word is not found again in Scripture.

THIS DAY THOU ART BECOME A PEOPLE. For God will make a covenant with you.

THOU SHALT THEREFORE HEARKEN. Today, to His voice.

AND DO HIS COMMANDMENTS. In the future.

Scripture mentions the priests and the Levites (v. 9), for they are the ones who said, Cursed be the man (v. 15). The children of the main wives¹⁵ stood over the blessings,¹⁶ while the children of the handmaids¹⁷ stood over the curse.¹⁸ Now if the latter lacked two,¹⁹ the sons of Leah were numerous,²⁰ and her oldest²¹ and youngest²² were taken.²³

footnotes: ¹⁵ The tribes descended from Rachel and Leah. See verse 12. ¹⁶ On Mount Gerizim (v. 12). ¹⁷ The tribes descended from Bilhah and Zilpah. See verse 13. ¹⁸ On Mount Ebal (v. 13). ¹⁹ Tribes. Only four tribes were descended from the handmaids. However, six tribes were commanded to stand over the blessing and six over the curse. ²⁰ Leah had six sons. ²¹ Reuben. ²² Zebulan. ²³ From the tribes that stood on Mount Gerizim and added to the ones on Mount Ebal.

AND THE LEVITES SHALL SPEAK. Ve-anu (shall speak) is similar to ve-anita (and thou shalt speak) in And thou shalt speak and say (Deut. 26:5).²⁴ Our rabbis, of blessed memory, said that the meaning of to bless²⁵ 31a: “They turned their faces towards Mount Gerizim and opened with the blessing: blessed is the man who does not make a graven or molten image, and both parties respond amen. They then turned their faces towards Mount Ebal and opened with the curse: Cursed is the man who maketh a graven or molten image, and both parties respond amen.” is to say, blessed is the man who does not make a graven or molten image, and similarly all of them.²⁶ However, according to the plain meaning of the text, the blessing refers to Blessed shalt thou be in the city (Deut. 28:3).²⁷, that is, Deut. 28:3-13. The curse is the reverse of this.²⁸ Proof of this is found in the Book of Joshua.²⁹ are not mentioned in the Torah.

footnotes: ²⁴ See I.E. on Deut. 26:5 and the notes thereto. ²⁵ Scripture lists only curses in verses 16-21 Blessings are not mentioned. However, the rabbis say that each one of the curses had its blessing counterpart. See Sotah ²⁶ All of the curses have their blessing counterpart. ²⁷ That is, the blessing beginning with Blessed shalt thou be in the city ²⁸ The curse recorded in Deut. 28:16-68 is the reverse of the blessing recorded in Deut. 28:3-13. ²⁹ See Josh. 3:35. Joshua speaks of the blessings and curses recorded in the Torah. These can only refer to chapter 28, for the blessings spoken of by the rabbis in Sotah

Scripture mentions these eleven sins³⁰ because an individual can commit them in secret. And setteth it up in secret (v. 15) is proof, for if one commits this crime³¹ in the open he is put to death.³² He that smiteth his neighbor in secret (v. 24) is similar. Scripture begins with the most important, namely, that which concerns a person and his creator.³³ It then speaks of a person and his parents,³⁴ for who knows if he dishonors them.³⁵

footnotes: ³⁰ Mentioned in verses 15-25. ³¹ Making a graven or molten image. ³² By a court of law. ³³ Making a graven or molten image. ³⁴ Dishonoring one’s parents. ³⁵ In the privacy of their home.

DISHONORETH. The word makleh (dishonoreth) means to dishonor. It is a transitive verb.

CURSED BE HE THAT REMOVETH HIS NEIGHBOR’S LANDMARK. For it is done in secret. [MAKETH THE BLIND TO GO ASTRAY.] Likewise it is not possible for the blind person to identify the one who led him astray.

CURSED BE HE THAT PERVERTETH THE JUSTICE DUE TO THE STRANGER, FATHERLESS. For they have no one to help them. Look, this too is done in secret.³⁶ Scripture mentions the stranger as well as the orphan and the widow because if the judge perverts the justice due others, they will accuse and publicize him. The stranger, the orphan, and the widow are powerless. Sleeping with one’s father’s wife, with a sister, or with a mother-in-law is an act that is committed in secret, for one is not suspected when he is alone with any one of them. It is not so with other sins.³⁷

footnotes: ³⁶ No one knows why a judge ruled the way he did. ³⁷ Hence only these eleven sins are specifically mentioned in Scripture.

CURSED BE HE THAT LIETH WITH ANY MANNER OF BEAST.³⁸ is feminine. Our verse could thus conceivably be translated, cursed be he that lieth with any manner of female beast. Hence I.E.’s comments. Male or female, for neither have a mouth with which to cry out and protest. Thus, a female animal is like a male animal;³⁹ therefore Scripture does not mention the male.

footnotes: ³⁸ Hebrew, behemah. Behamah ³⁹ As neither can cry out and protest verbally.

HE THAT TAKETH A BRIBE. According to many the reference is to the judge. According to my opinion the reference is to a false witness.

THAT CONFIRMETH NOT. Some say that the reference is to the entire Torah. Others say that it refers to the specifically mentioned sins.⁴⁰ However, what they say is meaningless, for Scripture says, to do them.⁴¹ However, it appears to me that Scripture cursed the violators of the precepts which are mentioned.⁴² It also cursed the one who secretly does not observe the positive commandments. Scripture therefore reads, to do them.

footnotes: ⁴⁰ The sins mention in verse 15-25. ⁴¹ The verse curses those who fail to observe positive practices, not only those who violate certain laws. ⁴² In verses 15-25.