ALL THE COMMANDMENT. This means, if you want to keep the commandments so that you may live then remember all the way (v. 2).¹ (and thou shalt remember) is to be rendered, then thou shalt remember.

footnotes: ¹ In other words, verse 1 and 2 are not independent statements. Furthermore, ve-zakharta

THAT HE MIGHT AFFLICT THEE, TO PROVE THEE. I have already explained it.²

footnotes: ² How to understand “to prove thee.” The point is, since God knows the future, what point is there in testing people. I.E. explains divine tests in his comments on the “binding of Isaac.” He writes, “The reason God tested Abraham was to reward him.” See I.E. on Gen. 22:1 (Vol. 1, pp. 221-223).

AND HE AFFLICTED THEE. On the way.

AND SUFFERED THEE TO HUNGER. Before the coming of the manna.³ Or via the manna itself, for it was light and did not satisfy their heart’s desire.⁴ However, this is not so.⁵ It most probably refers to other desires.⁶

footnotes: ³ Before the manna descended, Israel suffered hunger. See Ex. 16:3. ⁴ See Num. 21:5. ⁵ For Moses goes on to speak positively of the manna in verse 3. ⁶ Which they could not fulfill in the wilderness (Weiser).

KNOW. Yade’un (know) is spelled with a nun.⁷. So too the word tzakun (poured out)⁸. Be that as it may, the nun is not part of the normal form of this word. See I.E. on Is. 26:16. in Silently they poured out a prayer (Is. 26:16) and va-yachanun (and they pitched)⁹. in and they pitched on the other side of the Arnon (Jud. 11:18).

footnotes: ⁷ The usual form of this word is yade’u ⁸ The usual form of the word is yatzeku ⁹ The usual form of the word is va-yachanu

THAT HE MIGHT MAKE THEE KNOW. Hodi’akha¹⁰ plus a pronominal suffix.(make thee know) is an infinitive.

footnotes: ¹⁰ Hodi’a

BREAD. Which people always eat.

EVERY THING THAT PROCEEDETH OUT OF THE MOUTH OF THE LORD. It means that which God has decreed. Compare, As the word went out of the king’s mouth (Esth. 7:8). The meaning of our verse is, man does not live by bread alone but by the power,¹¹ or with the power, which comes from on high¹² refers to the power to nourish which God placed in all foodstuffs. According to the second interpretation the verse refers to divine providence. The latter was demonstrated by the manna which came from on high. by the command of God. This is the meaning of that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord. The fact that you did not eat bread and you lived is proof of this.

footnotes: ¹¹ In the nature of the food. In other words, God created the world in such a way that man can exist on all types of food. For I.E.’s use of the word “power” in the sense of nature, see I.E. on Deut. 5:26. ¹² See I.E. on Deut. 5:26: “The power and nature of all that is found beneath the heavens is determined by the upper arrangement.” According to I.E.’s first comment, everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord

THY RAIMENT. Some say via a miracle. Others say that the Israelites brought out many garments from Egypt.¹³ However, it is most likely the nature of manna not to produce sweat.¹⁴ them.

footnotes: ¹³ The meaning of our clause is that they always had garments to wear. ¹⁴ Hence their garments waxed not old upon

NEITHER…SWELL. The word batzekah (swell) is related to the word batzek (dough)¹⁵ in And they baked…the dough (Ex. 12:39). It is usual for the feet of a wayfarer who walks great distances to swell. It is possible that God gave the Israelites strength or that he led them slowly.¹⁶

footnotes: ¹⁵ Dough swells. ¹⁶ Hence their feet did not swell.

AND THOU SHALT CONSIDER IN THY HEART.¹⁷ You shall know by believing in your heart.¹⁸ The latter is what counts most.¹⁹, p. 91). God will reward you by bringing you into the good land, because you obeyed the God who chastens you. You obeyed God even though in order to chasten you, He afflicted you with thirst and made you suffer hunger.

footnotes: ¹⁷ Literally, you shall know in your heart. Hence I.E.’s interpretation. ¹⁸ What you claim to know should be what your heart believes. ¹⁹ True belief. I.E. says, “If belief is lacking, then the observance of the commandments is meaningless and serves no purpose” (The Secret of the Torah

A LAND OF WHEAT. Moses makes mention of the foods which produce blood.²⁰

footnotes: ²⁰ I.E. believed that the seven types of food mentioned in our verse increase the blood supply.

AND HONEY. I have already explained this.²¹

footnotes: ²¹ See I.E. on Lev. 2:11.

SCARCENESS. Be-miskenut (scarceness) means in poverty and impoverishment. Compare, misken (poor) in a poor and wise child (Eccles. 4:13).

MULTIPLY. The yod in yirbeyun (multiply) is in place of a heh.²² is resh, bet, heh. Compare the word yirbeh (multiplied) later on in the verse. This is not the opinion of Rabbi Mosheh Ha-Kohen the Spaniard.²³ in yirbeyun is a root letter.

footnotes: ²² For the root of yirbeyun ²³ Who believes that the yod

THEN THY HEART BE LIFTED UP. And you will forget that you were a slave and your heart was downcast. You will forget the affliction and the hunger which you experienced in the wilderness and even so the Lord sustained you.²⁴

footnotes: ²⁴ Even though you were insignificant, God took pity on you.

WILDERNESS. The word midbar (wilderness) is to be read as if written twice, that is, through the great wilderness in length and width and [through] a dreadful wilderness of fiery serpents.²⁵

footnotes: ²⁵ Our verse literally reads: who led thee through the wilderness and the dreadful wherein were serpents, fiery serpents. I.E. believes that our verse should be interpreted as if written, who led thee through the wilderness, a dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, etc.

OF FLINT. Tzur ha-chalamish (the rock of flint) means the mighty rock.

THIS WEALTH. Chayil means wealth. Compare, the word chelam (their wealth) in And leave their wealth to others (Ps. 49:11). Chelam refers to that which they acquired by their efforts and strength.²⁶ means strength. Hence I.E. explains that it also refers to that which a person acquires by his efforts.

footnotes: ²⁶ Chayil

BUT THOU SHALT REMEMBER. This means if the thought My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth should enter your mind, then remember the One who gives you power.

BECAUSE. The word ekev (because) refers to payment at the end. It refers both to reward²⁷ and to punishment.

footnotes: ²⁷ See I.E. on Deut. 7:12.