“And all the substance that was at their feet.” Rashi explained this as a person’s wealth that establishes them upon their feet. But is a person without wealth lame in their feet? Does not all their wisdom and other human virtues support them? It seems that this is speaking in criticism of the acquisition of wealth, as it is the least of the four virtues enumerated by Rambam [in Eight Chapters], which are wisdom, strength, character traits, and wealth. All of these are attached to a person, but wealth is external to them. For wisdom has its source in the head, brain, and heart; strength has its source in the heart, as one who is faint-hearted is not strong. But wealth is attached to their feet, for the profit of the earth is for all (Ecclesiastes 5:8), and the earth is trodden by their feet. Logically, wealth should be the least of all virtues and should be under a person’s control to do with their money as they wish. But ultimately, the situation is reversed — their wealth overpowers them, turning them wherever it desires. It rises from the earth, from its lowly position, as when a man rises against his fellow — so too their wealth rises against them, controls them, and causes them to transgress their own principles and the will of their Creator. Therefore, Scripture calls it the substance that was at their feet, because this despised idol, held in contempt and placed under the soles of their feet, is the very thing that rises against them to rule over them, as when a man rises against his fellow and slays him (Deuteronomy 22:26). Similarly, this acquisition brings its owner into many dangers, and it is what killed Korach, for he trusted in his wealth and fell. Therefore, Scripture calls the wealth of Korach and his assembly the substance that was at their feet.“

“And it shall come to pass, if you earnestly listen [to My commandments],” Rashi explains: “If you listen to the old, you will continue to listen to the new,” as our Sages said (Avot 4:2): “The reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah,” and listening leads to more listening, that is, from the old to the new. And regarding what is written with all your heart and with all your soul, but “with all your might/substance” [meodkhem] is not mentioned — according to Rashi’s explanation that with all your might/substance is written [in the first paragraph of Shema] because “you have a person who values their money more than their bodies.” By saying “you have a person,” this implies that this attitude is uncommon, found only in one person or a few individuals whose opinion is dismissed by everyone else, but not in the public at large, as it is unlikely that many would agree with this flawed perspective. And according to Rashi’s [other] interpretation that with all your might means “with every measure that He measures out to you, whether for good or bad,” this passage [in our parasha] speaks about the time of receiving reward, which is a time of love, and the blessing concerning accepting adversity is not relevant here, as it does not fit the time period being discussed. Furthermore, it seems unnecessary to say here that one should serve God with every measure He metes out, even in times of receiving hardship, because this concept is already expressed in this passage where it says: And you shall quickly perish from the good land, etc. [and then] You shall place these words of Mine upon your heart. This means that even in a time when the sheep are lost, nevertheless they should serve God regardless and place His words upon their hearts, as Rashi explains (11:18). Since this matter is explicitly stated, there was no need to say with all your might.

The passage is written in plural form except for “and you shall gather your grain,” because it says And you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread (Exodus 23:25). The early commentators explained that serving God is better done as a community, as it says Behold, God is mighty and does not despise (Job 36:5) [read here as, Behold, God will not despise the mighty ones]. But eating is better when each person eats their bread alone and does not increase in feasts with companions. Therefore it says here, and to serve Him with all your heart, etc., [in plural] and you shall gather your grain [in singular]. For it is good when each person gathers their grain for themselves, and similarly when they sit in their house alone, as it says, when you sit in your house, when you walk on the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. For all these matters are not appropriate to say about the community as a whole.

In order that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied upon the land. In Tractate Berakhot (8), they said to Rabbi Yochanan, “There are elderly people in Babylon.” He was astonished and responded, “But it is written, In order that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied upon the land, implying that in lands outside of Israel, this is not the case.” They told him, “They rise early and stay late in the synagogue.” He said, “That is what has benefited them.” However, this answer is difficult because the original question still remains, since this verse simply states upon the land without any distinction. From where did he learn to say that this verse specifically refers to times when they do not go to the synagogue, to say that only then is the blessing diminished?

And it seems to me, according to what our Sages of blessed memory said (Megillah 29a) that in the future, synagogues and houses of study in the Diaspora will be affixed in the Land of Israel, etc. And if so, the ground on which all synagogues outside the Land of Israel stand is actually the ground of the Land of Israel, because in the future, God will affix these synagogues — both the buildings and the land in their entirety — in the Land of Israel. Therefore, certainly that ground is holy ground and a part of the Land of Israel. And one who arrives early and stays late every day in synagogues is like one who stands every day on the ground which God swore to their forefathers. And thus is fulfilled the promise that your days and the days of your children may be prolonged upon the land which the Lord swore to your forefathers to give to them. It does not say “to you” but rather to them. Rashi explains this as evidence for the resurrection of the dead from the Torah. But what is the relevance of this here? Rather, it is because specifically at that time the synagogues of the Diaspora will be affixed in the Land of Israel. And it could be that this refers back to the beginning of the section, which states, And to serve Him with all your heart — this refers to prayer, as Rashi explains. And from the fact that it says with all your heart, we can learn that it speaks of many people gathering in synagogues to pray, and for this the reward is promised: that your days and the days of your children may be prolonged upon the land.

And why it specifically depends on arriving early and staying late, you will find explained beautifully in our work Olalot Ephraim in the Gate of Prayer, discourse 503, regarding the verse To watch at my doors day by day, to keep the posts of my entrances (Proverbs 8:34). You shall seek His dwelling and come there, and you will find the entire matter explained thoroughly.

“See, I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse.” See is spoken in the singular, before you is spoken in the plural, because our Sages said (Kiddushin 40b): “A person should always view himself as if the entire world is evenly balanced between merits and transgressions. If he performs one mitzvah, he tips himself and the entire world to the side of merit.” Therefore, He said to each individual, See — that they should see with their mind’s eye that all their actions will return before you [plural] — to all of you. And He mentioned this matter in this section which deals with Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, because there all of Israel became guarantors for one another, and due to this mutual responsibility, many are held accountable for the sin of the individual. There is a hint to this in what the Yalkut (475) concludes at the beginning of this section with a parable about someone sitting at a crossroads, with two paths before him, etc. He began with paths that are trodden by many, and ended with paths that are trodden by individuals. But he presented this parable regarding the verse that begins in singular form and ends in plural form, for the reason that was explained. And it uses the language today even though the appointed time for accepting the oath was when the Lord your God brings you into the land. Nevertheless, it uses the expression today to indicate that from today until that time, you have an opportunity to reconsider, so they would not say “we were coerced,” as is customary with any oath where time is given lest the person regret it. Similarly, He gave them time so they wouldn’t say that He confused and rushed them, and if they had been given time to reconsider, they wouldn’t have done it.

Another interpretation of the word “today” alludes to the daily cycle of the celestial sphere, and links it to blessing and curse to tell you that just as the sun, which is singular, produces two opposite effects: it melts wax and congeals eggs, it darkens the face of the launderer, and whitens the garment. All these changes do not come from the sun itself but rather from the recipients. Similarly, the blessings and curses that come from the Blessed One do not necessitate any change in Him, as it is written I am the Lord, I have not changed (Malachi 3:6), but rather the change comes from the recipients, and from the mouth of the Most High comes neither evil nor good (Lamentations 3:39), as appears in the Midrash quoted by the Akeidah in this portion, and I decided to affix this interpretation on the word today.

Another explanation is according to what our Sages of blessed memory taught, that they said (Nedarim 8b): There is no Gehinnom in the future, rather the Holy One, blessed be He, will remove the sun from its sheath, etc., as it is said And the coming day will scorch them (Malachi 3:19). And the day refers to the sun, but regarding the righteous it is written But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will shine with healing in its wings (Malachi 3:20). Therefore, it is said today [are set before you] blessing and curse — from the daily cycle will extend blessing and curse, for in this world there is no reward for commandments. And therefore He gave a sign, after the way of the sunset, etc. In this verse He gives signs and boundaries more detailed than one who sells his field. And why do I need [the phrase] the way of sunset? Rather, it comes to hint that the main receiving of reward and punishment is through the setting of the sun.

The blessing when you listen, etc. In every place where listening is mentioned, it is followed by doing and keeping, or serving, such as And it shall come to pass, if you listen, etc., you shall keep and do, or And it shall come to pass, if you listen, etc., to serve Him with all your heart. This is because listening itself only involves accepting things in thought alone, committing oneself to do them, but this is not enough — one also needs to actually perform the actions. This is stated in and the curse if you do not listen, etc., and you turn away from the path. If so, it is difficult: it should have said “the blessing if you listen, etc., and you walk on the path.” Is listening alone sufficient without action?

And behold, please lift your eyes and see what we have written above in the portion “Lech Lecha,” regarding what was said I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse — that the reason [God’s] blessing precedes [the phrase,] those who bless [whereas His curse comes after the phrase, those who curse] is because a good thought is considered by Scripture as if it were actually done, but an evil thought is not combined with action by the Holy One, blessed be He. According to this principle, no explanation is needed here, because the curse will certainly not take effect until after you do not listen and actually turn away from the path, but the blessing will take effect immediately after merely hearing [the commandments], so that receiving the blessing will help him to actualize his good thoughts by removing obstacles.

And what it says “when you will listen” and not “if you will listen,” was said out of honor for Israel, as if they are not suspected in His eyes that they would not listen and not accept upon themselves to do God’s commandments even in thought. That far, they would not be defiant. So presumably every person from Israel will consider doing the commandment because thought is very easy. But in actual doing, He was doubtful about them, because perhaps the work would be too heavy for them and they would become negligent in doing it. Therefore, He said the blessing when you will listen, because God certainly knows that you will listen and accept in your hearts to do them, and then God will send the blessing so that through it, all external obstacles will be removed from you, and you will be able to bring the thought into action. For the person begins and God completes for him, as it says to God who completes for me (Psalms 57:3). Therefore, it says et the blessing — every “et” [Hebrew grammatical marker] comes to include, because the blessing comes to include the action that can come through it. But regarding the curse, the language of if is used, because of and you will turn aside from the way in action, which is said after you will not listen, because in this He was doubtful whether it would happen or not, as it is possible that they would become negligent in action, for and you will turn aside from the way explains you will not listen — that the intention is not just listening in thought alone, but listening that includes action.

And some say that for this reason the blessing was placed before the action, because all the blessings were Blessed is the man who does not make a carved image or molten image, and so at every moment he stands without doing it. For if you say, “Perhaps he will do it later,” then there would be no end to the matter, and when would the blessing take effect? This agrees with the opinion of those who say that anyone who says “on condition” is as if saying “from now” (Kiddushin 8a). And the word that you listen means “on condition that you listen,” and it indicates that the reward precedes the action. As it is said And He gave them the lands of the nations, and they inherited the labor of the peoples, in order that they might keep His statutes (Psalms 105:45). And adjacently the word when [asher] will be explained in another way.

“The blessing when you obey the commandments of the Lord, etc.” One must examine why it says regarding blessings when you obey the commandments of the Lord which I command you today — one time attributing the commandments to the Lord, and another time to himself [Moses]. And in the curses, it separates between them with the phrase and you turn aside from the way. It seems to me according to what is concluded in the Jerusalem Talmud of Tractate Shabbat (Chapter 6, Halakhah 9): Rabbi Berekhiah said, “In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will make a partition for the righteous beyond the partition of the ministering angels, and the ministering angels will ask them, ‘What has God wrought?’ as it is said At this time it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, ”What has God wrought“ (Numbers 23:23).” From here we learn that in the future, Israel will hear directly from the Almighty that which He commands, unlike in this world where they said, If we continue to hear the voice of the Lord our God any longer, we will die (Deuteronomy 5:22), and they needed an intermediary. But in the future, their strength will be so enhanced that they themselves will be intermediaries between Him, blessed be He, and the ministering angels. This is the main reward of the righteous and the hope of all who wait to behold the pleasantness of the Lord and to visit His Temple (Psalms 27:4). However, the punishment of the wicked is not merely that they will not merit to behold the pleasantness of the Lord, as is the opinion of Maimonides, but they will receive great punishment in actuality, according to the opinion of Nachmanides.

With this suggestion it comes well to resolve the difficulty: Are not the blessing and the curse mentioned here the same as those spoken of regarding Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal? And why are all the curses mentioned in Parashat Ki Tavo, Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol, etc., but the blessings are not mentioned? The answer must be that the blessing mentioned here primarily refers to the World to Come, for there God has commanded the blessing. The verse explicitly explains the nature of the blessing, saying the blessing, this is the blessing that you will hear in the future regarding the commandments of the Lord your God, because in this world I stand between the Lord and you. This is what it means by which I command you today — in this world. But in the future, you will merit to hear for yourselves, as mentioned. But regarding the curse, it did not want to say that there is no other curse except not meriting this perfection, because this is not enough; rather, an actual curse will befall the heads of the wicked, and these are those curses mentioned in Parashat Ki Tavo. And that curse will take effect if you do not listen to accept the commandments of the Lord your God. And so that you will not mistakenly interpret if you do not listen as being similar to when you will listen, it says and you turn aside from the way. For when I said if you do not listen, it refers to turning aside from the way in this world, and it is not like when you will listen, which speaks of the reward in the World to Come.

And what it says: “which I command you today.” Since I am and You shall have no other were heard directly from the Almighty (Makkot 24), therefore he made two divisions and said that the curse will take effect if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, namely I am and You shall have no other which you heard with your own ears directly from the Almighty. And regarding these, it is obvious that the curse will take effect if you do not listen to fulfill them. But even if you turn away from the path which I command you and trust in emptiness, saying that I made them up from my heart, nevertheless you will not be exempted from punishment by this. And he has not yet specified what are the commandments that they heard directly from the Almighty, therefore he said to go after other gods, etc. For this corresponds to I am and You shall have no other, and it refers back to the beginning of the verse which stated if you do not listen to the commandments of the Lord your God. And with this, all the questions which the commentators raised regarding this section will be resolved.

“After the way of the setting of the sun, etc.” All these signs and landmarks seem unnecessary, since these mountains which were mentioned by name were recognizable and well-known. And in the tractate Sotah (33b), it concludes: which dwell in the plain — but were they not dwelling among hills and mountains? Opposite Gilgal — but they could not see Gilgal. Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov says: The verse only comes to show them the way the second time, just as it showed them the way the first time. In the way — go by the road and not through fields and vineyards. Which dwell — go through settlements and not through deserts. In the plain — go through level ground and not through hills and mountains. But this is difficult according to his words: what does this have to do with Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal? And as a hint, one could say that it indicates that the blessings will rest upon the heads of three groups of Israel when they go on the straight path.

The first group, they are the righteous of the way who walk in God’s Torah, the teachers of instruction in Israel. To them he said “Go on the path” and not in fields and vineyards, just as the priests had no portion in fields and vineyards so that they would not be preoccupied with working the land, but rather the lips of a priest shall preserve knowledge, and they shall seek Torah from his mouth (Malachi 2:7). And we find that the entire Torah is called “way” as is stated in Kiddushin (2b), similarly all those who walk in the way of God’s Torah should not occupy themselves with fields and vineyards.

The second group consists of the householders who engage in settling the world and support Torah scholars. To them he said, “Go to settlements,” meaning that you should always be occupied with matters that contribute to the settlement of the world, not with idle matters or meaningless things like the wilderness, which is a place of chaos. This is why he says “and not in wildernesses,” unlike those who sit at street corners, whose entire discourse consists of idle matters and slander, which is included in the term “wildernesses.”

The third group, they are the officials, the kings of Israel and the leaders of each generation and their guides, to them he said that their hearts should not be lifted up, but rather they should walk in the plain, on level ground and not on mountains and hills, not to pursue big things and extravagances, but rather on a middle path, just as the plain is intermediate between mountain and lowland. And although this entire verse speaks literally about travelers, for the Scripture never departs from its simple meaning, and as Rashi explained, that he commanded them to go by way of the Canaanites because it is a level and settled land, as he had first shown them. Nevertheless, Moses did not needlessly repeat and encourage them a second time about the conduct of the journey, but rather so that they would learn from this general path about the way to conduct themselves on God’s path in Torah and commandments, through which they would merit the blessings mentioned on Mount Gerizim in this world, and to the reward of the world to come, which comes after the setting of the sun, after the setting of a person’s sun in this world, where they will shine with eternal light. And even if all this is by way of homiletical interpretation, nevertheless, the matter itself is correct and reasonable to hear; the wise will hear and increase learning (Proverbs 1:5).