The commandments mentioned in this portion may be divided into three categories. They correspond to the three "pillars" that support the universe, i.e. תורה-עבודה-גמילות חסדים, Torah, service of the Lord and the dispensation of kind deeds. Torah is represented by commandments such as not to add or to deduct from them. In other words, we are ordered to preserve the שלימות, perfection, wholeness of the Torah. Philosophers have already said that it is part of the definition of perfection that one cannot add to it or detract from it. Perfection is indivisible. Torah is totally bound up with the great and Holy Name of G–d i.e. תורת ה' תמימה. I have elaborated on this in my treatise מסכת שבועות, section תורה אור. The Zohar, commenting on Exodus 3,15: זה שמי … זה זכרי, points out that the numerical value of י-ה+שמי=365, whereas the numerical value of ו-י+זכרי=248, together 613, i.e. the number of commandments in the Torah. G–d also describes Himself as אני ראשון ואני אחרון, "I am first and I am last," indicating total perfection.

This is why the Torah warns in 12,4 not to erase the Holy Name of G–d nor to destroy any of the stones of the Holy Temple. The letters of the name of G–d between them make up the house G–d resides in, i.e. the Holy Temple. We perceive of these letters as if they made up the body of the "house," and of the Name as the "soul" of these letters. Anyone destroying the "House" is as though he were destroying G–d Himself, so to speak. This is the mystical dimension of לא תעשון כן לה' אלוקיכם.

Most of the commandments listed in this portion are of the עבודה, service, kind. The Torah therefore legislates that the place for such service must be fixed, i.e. the site G–d has chosen and called בית הבחירה. The Torah (12,5) therefore instructs us לשכנו תדרשו ובאת שמה, "seek out His Presence and come there." The word לשכנו alludes to the שכינה which resides in the Sanctuary as we know from וה' בהיכל קדשו, הס וגו' "And the Lord is in the Sanctuary of His holiness, be silent, etc.!" (Chababuk 2,20). The name of G–d is the reference to the שכינה, Presence; for it is where His glory and the strength of His תפארת, magnificence, unite. This is what the Torah (12,5) means with the words לשום שמו שם, "to place His name there." the Targum renders it as לאשראה שכנתה תמן. The wicked walk outside the holy place because they are the קליפה, the husk. This being so you must be careful not to offer your sacrifices outside the Holy Temple (12,13), lest it be perceived as if you offered them to these forces of impurity.

On occasion, "sparks of holiness" burst out beyond the confines of the Temple precincts. When that happens it is a duty to return them to their proper place. This is the mystical dimension of the legislation that permits animals that have been consecrated as offerings outside ארץ ישראל to be brought to the Temple and to be offered on the altar there. When that (12,26) occurs, the "branch" is considered as having been restored to its trunk. The Torah describes the process as שם תעלה, "There you will elevate it." This means that such animals can be raised to a sacred level only in the Temple.

Since holiness exists only in the Holy Land, we are commanded to "depart from evil," i.e. to destroy all the sites where the Gentiles have worshiped This commandment applies only inside the boundaries of ארץ ישראל. Our sages (Chulin 13b) have alluded to this mystery when they said that Gentiles in the rest of the world are not considered as idol worshipers. This means that idol worshipers who live in the land of Israel which is under the direct rule of G–d serve Him in an inadequate manner, are heretics. This is what is called idol-true worship. The Gentiles who live in the rest of the world – which is under the authority of negative forces, חיצוניות, however – do not reject the authority under which they live. Just as it is a serious sin to destroy even a single stone of the Holy Temple, so it is a great מצוה to destroy – and never to rebuild – an עיר הנדחת, a city within the boundaries of ארץ ישראל the majority of whose inhabitants have turned to idol worship. Its very site has become defiled. Whatever applies to such a city applies to the מסית ומדיח, those that have seduced their fellow-Jews to turn to idol worship. Uprooting such cities or people is equivalent to uprooting the residual pollutant of the original serpent. Just as G–d cursed the serpent immediately (Genesis 3,14) without making any allowances or even asking why the serpent had seduced Eve, so we too have to deal with such phenomena without our customary recourse to finding every possible merit to save the transgressor from judicial execution. The commandment not to love the seducer enjoins us to emulate G–d's conduct in this respect. Since Genesis 3,15, G–d has made the animosity between human beings and serpents a natural phenomenon, something that we need not, or better should not strive to overcome. The false prophet similarly is part of the phenomenon of the pollutant of the serpent rearing its ugly head.

Let us get back to the main subject. The Holy Temple and Jerusalem are the root of sanctity on earth. This is the real reason that the priests are not allowed to consume the בכורים before they have been deposited in the precincts of the Holy Temple. Inasmuch as the בכורים, the first ripe fruit of the year's various crops, are called ראשית, this teaches that great sanctity attaches to them, as we have explained on another occasion. This is why they have to be transported to a sacred place, and why people who are sanctified for their G–d, i.e. the priests, have to consume them inside Jerusalem. The mystical dimension of why similar rules apply to the consumption of קדשים קלים, sacrificial meat of a subordinate degree of sanctity, as well as to the consumption of the second tithes of the grain, oil, and grape harvests is that these represent the basic elements of our food supply. The remains of the sacrificial meat may not be eaten until their blood has been sprinkled on the altar because the blood represents the life of these respective animals. After this "life" has been dedicated to the altar, the body of the animal may be enjoyed. Remember that, just as the service, i.e. the sacrificial animal belongs to G–d as a gift, so does the person performing the service since the main purpose of sacrificial service is to bring oneself close to G–d, i.e. to make a present of oneself to G–d. We have explained the concept of אדם כי יקריב מכם, that man sacrifices himself, many times. The total offering, עולה, is in a class by itself; all of the animal (except the skin) is burned on the altar; this is because it is meant to atone for sinful thoughts as opposed to sinful deeds. When the Torah (Leviticus 6,2) describes it as מוקדה על המזבח כל הלילה, "remaining on the site where it is burned all night long," this is an allusion to sinful thoughts which occupy a person while he lies in bed. The קדשים קלים, on the other hand, allude to the שלימות הגוף, the perfection of one's body.

The mystical dimension of the firstling of the pure male animals is an allusion to the people of Israel who have been described by G–d (Exodus 4,22) as His בכור, His first-born. They are without blemish, a perfect congregation whom G–d (Ezekiel 34,31) has also called צאן מרעיתי "sheep of My pasture." This is why they may only be eaten by the priests. The deeper reason why when such firstlings have become blemished and been redeemed, they may be eaten by ordinary Israelites is, that the Israelites themselves also possess some degree of sanctity, have been called אדם. Adam used to be holy. He would have remained holy had he not sinned. This firstling animal was also holy until it contracted a blemish, the equivalent of sin. Just as sinful man can redeem himself, as we know from Isaiah 43,4: "ואתן אדם תחתיך," | give men in exchange for you," so also can this animal be redeemed. This is the mystical dimension of the Azazel which carries our sins. The Torah (Leviticus 16,22) speaks of ונשא השעיר עליו את כל עונותם, which our Rabbis read as on עונות תם, that the he-goat of the Azazel carries on its head the sins of a firstling animal contracting a blemish. On the other hand, we are forbidden to inflict a blemish on it in order to be able to consume it (after redemption). It is quite obvious that such one must not benefit from such an action. It is also forbidden to use animals consecrated as an offering for any mundane task and to use their hair after it has been shorn. The reason for this is easy to understand when one considers that the tablets which Moses had shattered also retained their sanctity.

The general rule we can derive from all that we have said so far is that the "inner" i.e. most sublime, sacrifice is אדם. This explains our tradition (Chagigah 12) that after death the archangel (High Priest) Michael offers up our souls on the Celestial Altar. This is all part of the great mystery of man having been created in the image of G–d. In view of all these considerations we can understand the Torah warning us repeatedly how careful we must be not to take human life before the most exhaustive interrogations of the witnesses and before a thorough examination of all the circumstances surrounding the accusation leveled against someone accused of a capital crime. When an execution is ordered after all these precautions not to commit judicial murder had been taken, such a death of the accused may be viewed as death at the hands of Heaven. Just as G–d is a true witness and a true judge, so the members of the Supreme Court, Sanhedrin, must be as clear about the guilt of the accused before they convict him as G–d is clear in His mind about the guilt of people He decides to kill. Once these procedures have been followed, the verse in Psalms 116,15: "Death is precious to G–d," has been fulfilled.

In view of the fact that "death is precious to G–d," seeing that Israelites are holy (due to their divine soul which is fit to be a sacrifice to G–d after the death of their bodies), the Torah commands us not to inflict cuts and incisions on our bodies as a sign of mourning for someone who has died. After all, we are "children of the Lord our G–d," and not like the Caananites. Those nations are quite right in performing such incisions as signs of mourning; when they lose a near and dear one, he is lost forever for he, like them, has no share in the World to Come. On the other hand, when an Israelite dies he joins his Father in Heaven, surely not something to be marked by disfiguring our bodies. Death, in our case, simply means trading a temporary home for a permanent one.

To return to our main subject, that the person presenting the offering is in fact the real sacrifice, something we derived from the wording of Leviticus 1,2: אדם כי יקריב מכם. This has an additional mystical dimension. It can happen that man is "sacrificed" even in our world [not only when the soul is sacrificed by the archangel Michael on the Celestial Altar. Ed.]. This happens as a result of the transmigration of souls as we have explained earlier (Torah Ohr on Eikev). It is the reason why we are commanded to slaughter animals even when we consume them as חולין, non-consecrated meat. Extreme care has to be taken in the performance of ritual slaughter so that we do not wind up eating נבלה. When this happens the verse from Genesis 34,7: נבלה עשה בישראל, "he committed an outrage in Israel," would apply. No one knows whose soul the animal in question harbored. By not having been slaughtered in the most meticulous way a great injustice may have been done. According to the directive ואהבת לרעך כמוך, "Love your neighbor like yourself," the obligation to kill the animal in such a way that its death elevates it spiritually is included. Should the animal die of natural causes (any cause other than approved ritual slaughter) the spirit of impurity which was contained in that animal will not have been released but will suffuse it. On the other hand, if it is healthy and contains some spark of sanctity, and is killed by means of ritual slaughter the soul will exit in purity.

You will now understand that if someone eats tissue from a living animal (one that is not completely dead) he may possibly be practicing a form of cannibalism, i.e. eating tissue of a fellow human being whose soul was re-incarnated in that animal. This is the mystical dimension of the Torah telling us : "Do not eat the soul with the flesh" (12,23). The entire legislation about domestic animals, free roaming beasts, or even birds which are "impure," is connected to the possibility that such animals harbor a spark of holiness by being host to a soul which had once inhabited a human body, a soul which had originated in the Celestial Spheres. It is irrelevant in this respect whether the soul in question originated in the "left" or the "right" side of the emanations. I have written more about the latter aspect in my commentary on פרשת שמיני. It is when the Israelites conduct themselves in a spirit of sanctity that the promise of Exodus 25,8: "They shall make a Sanctuary for Me and I will dwell among them," will be fulfilled. The people themselves are the Sanctuary within whom G–d promises to reside provided that they lead consecrated lives. Man's three major parts, i.e. the head, the heart and the bowels, correspond to the קדשי קדשים, Holy of Holies, the היכל, Sanctuary, and the חצר הקודש the Holy Courtyard surrounding the Temple, respectively. We have discussed this at length in פרשת תרומה. When a Jew consumes consecrated food he is considered as if he were the sacrifice offered on the Altar. Concerning this aspect of our lives, the Rabbis have said that nowadays our table serves as the altar.

The commandment to rejoice on the festivals and to make the pilgrimages to Jerusalem on the respective festivals of פסח, שבועות, סוכות, applies to every male Israelite. Our sages (Chagigah 2a) have said: כדרך שבא לראות כך בא ליראות, "Just as a person comes to ‘see,’ so he is seen." If he wants to be seen in the Holy Temple, in the residence of G–d's glory, then he first must fulfill סור מרע ועשה טוב, "Abandon evil and do good" (Psalms 34,15). How could one failing to comply have the effrontery to show himself to G–d and offer total offerings and festival offerings? As a sinner he is even forbidden to show himself i.e. to look upon the faces of רשעים! Having mended his ways, however, he himself becomes the sacrifice by means of the offering he has brought in the Temple.

When the Torah (16,16) commands that these pilgrimages have to be made on three occasions annually, this is an allusion to Isaac, an unblemished total offering. In connection with the עקדת יצחק the Torah mentions the word Yireh or Yera'eh three times (Genesis 22, 8-14-14). "Three times a year every male of yours shall be seen by the Lord your G–d in the place G–d will select," corresponds to Genesis 22,8: "G–d will select for Himself the lamb as the total offering my son." This is because the words in Exodus 34,23 "את פני האדון ה' אלוקי ישראל" are an expression of a decree by G–d the "Master" Who decreees that He wants to see them together in one spot. "Three times as year every one of your males shall be seen by the Lord your G–d" (Exodus 23,17), corresponds to the second time the word is used in connection with the עקדה. The third directive to make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem is in our verse here and corresponds to the third time the Torah used the expression יראה in connection with the binding of Isaac. It is a reference to the Mountain of G–d, Moriah. The warning השמר לך (12,13) in this portion not to offer sacrifices anywhere else, corresponds to similar words used by Abraham in his instructions to Eliezer (Genesis 24,6) not to bring Isaac back to Ur Kasdim whence Abraham had emigrated to the land of Canaan. The common denominator to all this is that Isaac, as an unblemished total offering, was not allowed to leave ארץ ישראל.

The instruction in 12,19: השמר לך פן תעזוב את הלוי כל ימיך על אדמתיך, "Be careful not to neglect the Levite as long as you live on your land," is similarly based on the perception of the Levite as the sacrifice. We know that Isaac represents the מדת הדין, the attribute of Justice, i.e. a person whom G–d could deal with on the basis of his near-perfection. We know that the Levite was not allowed to offer the sacrifices on the altar; yet he is repeatedly referred to as performing עבודה. In connection with the sacrifices the Torah always uses the Ineffable four-lettered Name, an allusion to the attribute of Mercy. There is the further fact that the Torah describes the Levites as put at the disposal of Aaron the Priest and his sons (Numbers 8,19); the latter represented the מדת החסד, the attribute of Mercy. However, this is an indication that in this instance the attribute of Justice is used to "sweeten" the attribute of Mercy by uniting with it. עבודה and תורה go hand in hand; we know this from Deut. 33,10 where the task of the Levites to teach Israel the Torah is outlined. In practical terms, the sacrificial service, עבודה, was always accompanied by readings from the מעשה בראשית (Taanit 27). The members of the tribe of Levi were the principal teachers of Torah amongst the people. The gifts the Torah sets aside for the Levites are designed to free the Levites from the burden of having to earn a living. They then can devote themselves to their principal task of disseminating Torah knowledge. We have explained two of the three "pillars" on which the continued existence of the universe depends, i.e. תורה ועבודה.

The third such "pillar," namely גמילות חסדים, which includes the dispensing of charity, is also dealt with in our portion at length. The Torah especially emphasizes that such charitable deeds are not to be one-time donations, but that: "you must repeatedly open your hand" when the need arises (15,5). This is accompanied by the prohibition to "close your fist" (15,7).

The following is a quote from the commentary of the Rekanati on the subject of צדקה: "It is well known that a great many commandments are bound up with the commandment to give charity. The matter is similar to the number of organs in man's body which all depend on the soul for his survival. Some of man's organs more than others depend on the health of the central life-sustaining force. Were it not for the dispensation of charity, the poor would be forced to engage in thieving, robbery and a host of other transgressions. We have pointed out on numerous occasions that when good deeds are performed "down here" in our world, positive forces are created in the Celestial Regions. Even a small coin donated to charitable causes in our world is called צדקה. This enables the צדיק to unite with the emanation צדק [otherwise known as מלכות. Ed.] and to establish harmony with it. This is the meaning of Isaiah 32,18: והיה מעשה הצדקה שלום, ועבודת הצדקה השקט ובטח עד עולם, "For the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness calm and confidence forever." The prophet Hosea 10,12 also states: זרעו לכם לצדקה, קצרו לפי חסד, "Sow righteousness for yourselves; reap the fruits according to goodness." We have other verses such as וצדקה תציל ממות, "And (the performance of) righteousness saves from death" (Proverbs 10,2). When people sin and the earth dies out (as a result), then the "feet" of the emanation מלכות descend towards "death" and anyone who causes any damage [in the sense of spiritually undermining the basis. Ed.] to the feet of this "מלכות" will die without mercy and pity. Woe to such a time! When someone, however, causes the צדיק to be united with צדק, beneficial rainfall for the earth will result bringing life in its wake. From this we learn that he who donates to charity in our world causes acts of righteousness to be performed in the Celestial Regions. This is the mystical dimension of the statement in Proverbs 10,2 that "righteousness saves from death." Were it not for the union established with the emanation מלכות, anyone who would do something prejudicial to it would die. This is the meaning of Proverbs 16,12: כי בצדקה יכון כסא, "For a throne is firm if based on righteousness;" we have other verses in the same sense such as Isaiah 1,27: ושביה בצדקה, that the repentant sinners will be redeemed through righteousness. A similar thought is expressed in Isaiah 54,14: בצדקה תכוננו, "You shall be established through righteousness." The secret of domestic peace and harmony is also anchored in the practice of צדקה.

This is the meaning of Psalms 106,3: "Happy, i.e. אשרי are those who act justly, who do right, עשה צדקה at all times." The word אשרי is used only in connection with people who through their actions manage to bring about a unification of several ספירות, emanations. This is the reason that the word only occurs in the genitive, i.e. as attached to someone or something else. When the Psalmist in 106,3 mentions שומרי משפט, he refers to the preservation of the "center line," קו האמצעי, which is called משפט. One must try to prevent this "line" from coming within the domain of טומאה, impurity. The words עושה צדקה בכל עת refer to the idea –which I have already mentioned – that the union of the צדיק with צדק is called צדקה. When צדקה is missing one is עני, "poor," so to speak. We have an example in Psalms 102,1: תפלה לעני כי יעטוף, "A prayer of the lowly man when he is faint." This is the mystical dimension of צדקה wherever it appears." Thus far the Rekanati on the subject.

The commandment to provide a Jewish servant [generally someone who has worked for the master for six years. Ed.] who leaves one's employment with a stake, as per 15,14 falls under the heading of both צדקה and גמילות חסדים. The remission of outstanding debts at the end of the Shemittah year as well as the generosity displayed towards a servant leaving one's employment allude to the reward G–d will pay to those who serve Him faithfully. The whole subject of the שמטה, seventh year, legislation alludes to a world which is totally based on the concept of the Sabbath, the period when the reward for מצות performed in this world will be collected. G–d will יגוש, "dun" us for what we owe Him. He will instead pay us a generous reward because we have fulfilled our duties towards others as outlined in the legislation in this chapter.

The overwhelming number of מצות recorded in this portion of the Torah do not apply in our times and can be fulfilled only during periods when the Temple is functioning. Even such commandments as פתוח תפתח, "keep opening your hand, to the poor," can only be fulfilled by people who are economically capable. A person who hardly has enough to get by cannot even fulfill this commandment. Even when the Temple was standing one could not fulfill the directive to give tithes and consume the second tithe in Jerusalem unless one owned a farm and grew crops. How then can a person attain his perfection when we have said that fulfillment of the 613 commandments of the Torah is the key to such perfection? When the Torah begins this portion by saying in 11,32: "Observe all these statutes and social laws which I place before you this day," and goes on to say in the same breath: "These are the statutes, etc., which you are to observe to do in the land," the Torah clues us in to the answer. In 11,32 the Torah mentions first שמירה and עשיה of the respective statutes and social laws, whereas in 12,1 the Torah mentions the statutes and social laws before the directive to observe and perform them. This is similar to the way the Torah (Genesis 26,5) describes Abraham as having observed G–d's various types of commandments. Clearly, Abraham could not have done this (in the form of fulfilling an obligation) as the commandments had not yet been revealed.

The word שמירה has two meanings. One is that one "keeps" i.e. observes commandments which have been given. The second meaning is "waiting." One is constantly looking forward to a certain event occurring. Abraham waited for an opportunity to observe these various מצות, The expression ושמרתם לעשות means that a person should be in a frame of mind where he looks forward to fulfilling the various commandments which he has not yet had an opportunity to fulfill. In the meantime, he observes those commandments which he has found an opportunity to observe. When he relates to all of G–d's commandments in this way, the Torah promises him an equal reward for the commandments which he has not had an opportunity to fulfill. Chapter 11,32 refers to the commandments which can be fulfilled, whereas 13,1 refers to all those that cannot yet be fulfilled for one reason or another.

Man's position in this world is no more than that of a laborer who collects his wages on a daily basis as long as he lives. His is not the responsibility to complete a certain task; all he has to do is to work faithfully at the task he has hired himself out for. If he dies before he has completed the whole task, the master rewards him as if he had; that part of the task he had failed to complete was due to the "Master's" decision to remove the worker from this earth.

את הברכה אשר תשמעו . We may ask why the Torah (11,27) uses the preposition אשר when describing the blessing, whereas in connection with the curse the Torah (28,15) uses the preposition אם. Some commentators explain that we can understand this when we understand the saying of our sages in Avot 4,2 that שכר מצוה מצוה, "the reward of performing one מצוה is another מצוה" The meaning would be that "once you start listening to G–d's commandments your reward will be that you will feel the urge to observe still more of the commandments." This would be analogous to והיה אם שמוע-תשמעו, (11,13 et al). The difficulty with this explanation is that we find a similar construction used in the Torah when the opposite attitude is described, i.e. והיה אם שכח תשכח (8,19).

There are, however, some differences in the nuances of the expressions used by our sages when describing the Heavenly assist that is held out for people who try to do the right thing. The Talmud says: הבא לטהר מסייעין לו, "He who undertakes to purify receives direct help." When describing the opposite, the sages phrased it: הבא לטמא מוצא לו פותחין, "When someone sets out to defile., one gives him the opportunity" (Shabbat 104a). In other words: no direct assistance is provided to the sinner. This is in accordance with the principle מדה טובה מרובה ממדת פורענות, that when both positive and negative attributes are present, the positive attribute is always in the ascendancy, (cf. Rashi on Exodus 34,7 that the reward outranks the punishment by a ratio of 500 to 1, et al). [There is another wording of the quote הבא לטמא which describes apparent direct help, namely פותחין לו, "one opens the 'door' for him." Ed.] Whereas there is no problem with the first version, the second version appears to conflict with the rule that the מדה טובה is preponderant. Another difficulty in our text is that the Torah commences using the singular, i.e. ראה, whereas it continues with the plural לפניכם.

Basically, the Torah speaks about blessings and curses. In the Celestial Regions both blessings and curses originate in the same domain. There is total unity, i.e. there really is no curse. Whatever originates in the most remote recesses of the Celestial Regions is only blessing. Curses occur only when the recipient or intended recipient of the blessings has forfeited them through his behavior. A blessing is a sign of a normal development, i.e. blessing is channeled from Heaven earthwards. The evil some people experience, and which they ascribe to an outpouring of curses from Heaven, is merely a blessing which these people are not able to cope with due to their faulty disposition. This approach helps us to understand Lamentations 3,38: מפי עליון לא תצא הרעות והטוב, that this is not the order in which blessings and curse emanate from above. On the contrary, the order is הטובות והרע, first the good and then the evil. Everything emanating from G–d is originally good. Not everything which is evil originates from G–d. עוז וחדוה במקומו, (Chronicles I 16,27) "Strength and joy are in His place." This tells us that what is good remains inviolate. Only evil is subject to evolution. One of the reasons that we the Jewish people are called ישראל, is because due to our origin in Heaven we are part of the Divine, though on earth we have become separated from the Divine because of the fact that we now possess bodies. The opening words of the פרשה, i.e. ראה אנכי, are in the singular because they point to our Divine origin. When the Torah switches to the use of the plural, i.e. לפניכם, this is in recognition of the fact that we have become composed of a great variety of differently oriented beings. The same applies to the way the Torah prefaces the blessings in the singular before switching to the plural. The curse will happen only אם לא תשמעו, "If you (pl) will not listen," an allusion to the lack of unity.

Another difficulty in the text is the Torah's use of the expression נתינה, "giving," when speaking about the blessing and the curse. Blessing is something intangible; how can one apply the expression נתן to it?

There is an interesting comment by Yalkut Shimoni on 11,13 item 863. We note that the word כל is missing when the Torah speaks about our collective observance of its commandments. The Torah writes: והיה אם שמוע תשמעו אל מצותי אשר אנכי מצוה אתכם היום, "It will come to pass when you will surely listen to My commandments which I command to you this day." The Yalkut explains that the wording is designed to forestall our argument that we cannot fulfill all the commandments, that "its measure is longer than the earth" (Job 11,9). We may compare the situation to a king who possesses a deep pit, so deep that no one has probed its exact depth. He tells a member of his staff to hire workers to fill up the pit; he does so. One of the more foolish of the workers takes a look into the pit and asks: "Will I ever finish filling up this hole?" The intelligent worker relates quite differently to the task at hand He is not concerned with the time it may take to complete the task but reasons that, since he is a day laborer and gets paid for the amount of time he puts in, he is happy to have found work which may assure him of a continued livelihood for an indeterminate period. This is what G–d says here to the Jewish people. He tells us not to worry about the immensity of the task but to view ourselves as day laborers and to be happy that we will receive a reward for every day that we keep observing His commandments. Thus far the Yalkut. This Yalkut presents a difficulty. We can understand the comparison offered when we adopt the viewpoint expressed by Rabbi Yochanan in Sanhedrin 111 in connection with Isaiah 5,14: "Sheol has opened wide its gullet and parted its jaw in a measureless gap." Rabbi Yochanan differed from Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish; the latter applied this verse to the consignment to purgatory of people who have omitted only a single statute in their observance. Rabbi Yochanan did not agree that G–d is so demanding and therefore preferred the opposite interpretation, i.e. that observance of a single statute is enough to save a person from being consigned to purgatory. How can we reconcile the view of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish with that of the Yalkut?

Another difficulty is that the Yalkut's interpretation contradicts such verses as 28,1 which seems to emphasize observance of את כל מצותיו אשר אנכי מצוך היום, "all His commandments which I command to you this day?" A further difficulty in the parable mentioned in the Yalkut is the worker claiming "I am happy that I have found work for myself." How can the filling up of the pit be compared with the performance of all of the Torah laws? It is possible to fill the pit completely, though it may take time. No Israelite, however, can observe all the 613 commandments by himself! However, the comment by the intelligent worker answered the worry of the foolish worker that he would not receive any pay until he had completed the entire task of filling in the pit.

We find a basic discussion about the relative merit of Torah study and performance of the commandments in Kiddushin 40b. Rabbi Tarfon said that performance, i.e. practice, outranks study, i.e. theory in its ethical/moral value. Rabbi Akivah thought that study is of greater moral/ethical value. Thereupon the other sages present said that study is greater because it leads to performance of the commandments. Most commentators are puzzled by this. The very reason cited in the last statement implies that since the objective of study is performance, performance must be more important! Rabbi Yitzchak Arama in his Akeidat Yitzchak (chapter 47 on פרשת משפטים) deals with this problem at length. The subject is also discussed by Joseph Albo in his Ikkarim third treatise, introduction to פרקי משה to Song of Songs. I, too, feel entitled to offer my own contribution on this subject.

It is quite true that one can answer that when the sages said that study leads to performance they did not mean to imply that study is part of the objective and what precedes it, but they meant to say that the relationship of study and performance is similar to the relationship of cause and effect. Study is viewed as the cause, performance as the effect. It is generally accepted that the cause is superior to the effect. Our sages (Sukkah 52) illustrated this when they advised that if one encountered Satan i.e. the evil urge, one should drag him to the house of study. This is because the Torah is called תושיה, i.e. something that weakens the flesh. This in turn will enable him to better follow the dictates of his brain and to serve his Creator and perform the commandments. This is the meaning of: "study leads to performance."

I believe that I have found a better meaning of the statement in Kidushin (that study leads to action). It is something I have discussed in connection with the tradition that our 248 limbs correspond to the 248 positive commandments of the Torah and that the 365 sinews correspond to our 365 negative commandments. One can achieve perfection of one's body by performing all the 613 commandments. In that connection we raised the question that such perfection is impossible to achieve in view of the many commandments which simply cannot be fulfilled by any individual, however pious he may be. Some can be fulfilled only by priests, others can only be fulfilled in consequence of the committing of certain sins, something which is certainly not desirable. We wrote that Rabbi Meir solved this apparent difficulty by saying that people who study Torah לשמה, for pure motives, without ulterior design, will merit many things (Avot 6,1). He did not specify what precisely these "many things" were. It seems clear that he who preoccupies himself with Torah for Torah's sake, i.e. learns in order to observe and carry out the Torah's precepts to the extent he is able to, will merit many things; this although he might not actually have had the chance to practice what he had studied. We have further proof from the Talmud (Berachot 6a) that the intention to perform a מצוה is rated as equivalent to the deed.

We are told in Berachot 58a that Ben Zoma once saw a large gathering of Jews on the approaches of the Temple Mount and recited the benediction ברוך חכם הרזים, "Blessed be the One who understands the secrets; and blessed be He Who created them all to serve me." How could Ben Zoma make such a presumptuous sounding statement? The fact is that the world was created for the sake of man so that he could study and perform the laws of the Torah. In view of the fact that the vast majority of people do not live up to what is expected of them it is easy to query why G–d bothers to have such a large human population. Ben Zoma answered this question by pronouncing a blessing that G–d had created all the other human beings to serve those who – like himself – devoted themselves to Torah. Unless there were armies of people whose occupation it is to maintain civilization, how would the few who dedicate themselves to Torah study and מצוה performance even come close to what they were able to achieve by having been relieved of more mundane tasks? The chance for perfect man to achieve his goal of perfection is made a great deal easier by this army of people labouring in other fields. The subject is also discussed by Maimonides in his introduction to סדר זרעים, in connection with the well-known statement that nowadays all that G–d has in this universe are the four cubits of Halachah.

We now understand why the Talmud, after quoting Ben Zoma's benediction, continues to quote Ben Zoma describe the tremendous physical difficulties encountered by Adam before he was able to eat the first loaf of bread. The Talmud details 10 stages, commencing with plowing, seeding, harvesting, etc. etc. Ben Zoma contrasts this with his own lifestyle. He gets up early in the morning and finds all his physical needs provided for. The Talmud continues in the same vein by describing the many steps needed before clothing is made, whereas Ben Zoma finds garments practically ready to wear. The gist of all this is to illustrate that Torah (Proverbs 3,18) is indeed עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בה, "the tree of life for all those who strengthen it and hold on to it." Midrash Tanchuma points out that Solomon did not say that Torah is a tree of life for those who toil with it, but only "for those who cleave to it." When Moses blessed the tribes prior to his death, he said to Zevulun and Issachar (33,18): "Rejoice Zevulun when you go out, and Issachar in your tent." Issachar can remain in his tent, isolated from the problems of earning a livelihood far from home because his brother Zevulun shoulders that particular burden on his behalf. When Ben Zoma recited the benediction in which he acknowledged G–d's being privy to all our secrets, i.e. being חכם הרזים, he alluded to the fact that only He knows which of the commandments we have not fulfilled because we were unable to for one reason or another. Only G–d knows which ones we compensated for through exhaustive study of their meaning instead.

My father of blessed memory (author's), explained a Rashi on Deut. 3,26, in which the word רב is understood as "G–d has a great deal more in store for you, more than merely crossing the Jordan." At first glance Rashi's comment seems quite unrelated to the text. My father explained Rashi's description of the conversation between G–d and Moses as follows: G–d to Moses: "You surely did not think that by not crossing the river Jordan you will merely be denied to taste the fruit of the Holy Land, but what you aimed for was fulfilling the commandments which can only be fulfilled in that land. If this is your concern, רב לך, there are many more commandments which you would not be able to fulfill even if I allowed you to cross the river Jordan. You cannot fulfill the string of commandments applicable only to priests, etc. You cannot fulfill the commandment of the levirate marriage, neither many other commandments." Rashi therefore means that G–d reassured Moses: "just as you will receive credit for fulfilling the commandments relating to residence in the Holy Land, so you will also receive credit for all the other commandments you have not fulfilled in practice but have studied." This whole subject matter has been discussed at length in קול בוכים on Lamentations 4,16: פני ה' חלקם, "The Lord's countenance has turned away from them." The author claims that just as terrestrial man's body has 248 limbs so his soul – which represents Torah study – has 248 parts. This is the meaning of רב טוב אור הגנוז, "there is a wealth of good light stored up in the heavens for Moses", and this is why the sages described the face of Moses as comparable to the "face" of the sun, whereas the face of Joshua was as the "face" of the moon. The difference was due to the fact that Moses received the Torah directly from its Source. It was a relatively easy matter for Moses to understand all parts of the Torah and therefore to fulfill the requirements of residence in the land of Israel on a spiritual plane employing all 248 parts of his soul. Joshua, on the other hand, observed those commandments in practice. The fulfillment of the commandments on a spiritual plane seems of still greater value. In Proverbs 6,23 Solomon speaks of נר מצוה ותורה אור, that the relationship between individual commandments and the totality of Torah is like the relationship between a single candle and a luminary.

[At this point the author – basing himself on Pardes Rimonim in his chapter שער הנשמה where he describes how things were before man sinned – describes that originally the body was equipped with intelligence and that this is why Adam was called אדם instead of איש or גבר. Then performance of G–d's commandments was basically a totally spiritual activity. It will be so again in the World to Come. Meanwhile, most commandments can be fulfilled primarily by our bodies, which by now are to the soul as the moon is to the sun. The moon is basically dark, does not have any light of its own. Only when the sun shines on it does it reflect light. The same applies nowadays to the performance of a מצוה. The "dark" body receives its instructions, i.e. illumination from the soul, and only in this way can the body perform G–d's commandments. The body only reacts. This explains why physical performance of G–d's commandments can be viewed as inferior to study of these commandments (in certain circumstances). All of this will be changed in an ideal world. The body is like a נר, a lamp which is the receptacle for the light, whereas the soul is the light itself. All the aggadic tales about the moon and the sun can be understood in this vein. We have stated elsewhere that the study of "a great matter" refers to the study of מעשה מרכבה, whereas "a small matter" refers to the discussions in the Talmud between Abbaye and Rava; the relative importance of these matters is seen from the vantage point of Adam prior to his sin. Originally then, there was a time when study (by itself) was great. The importance of study nowadays lies only in the fact that it leads to animation of the body, i.e. performance of the commandments by the inferior body. Ed.]

Since we are already on the subject of the relative importance of the sun and the moon, I will now proceed to explain the discussion in Chulin 60b described as having taken place between the moon and G–d. So many commentators, and especially Kabbalists, have written on this subject that all I want to do is deal with it on the most fundamental basis, i.e. the פשט. I believe that the sun and moon in the story are to be accepted at face value; they may, however, be symbols of the relationship between study and performance at the same time. Just as the moon depends on the sun, so performance depends on the knowledge of what is to be performed, when it is to be performed, and where it is to be performed. The wording of the statement of Rabbi Shimon ben Pezzi in the Talmud illustrates this point. The Rabbi questioned the verse in Genesis 1,16 according to which G–d made "two large luminaries, the great luminary to dominate by day and the small luminary to dominate by night." In order to deal with the apparent contradiction of there being two great luminaries, the Rabbi tells us a parable in which the moon complained to G–d about two kings not being able to wear one single crown (to rule simultaneously). G–d thereupon invited the moon to reduce itself in size. The moon replied that it could not see why it should be punished for having made a valid observation. Thereupon G–d told the moon to dominate (shine) by day as well as by night. To this the moon replied that there was no point in shining by day since its light would not be noticed (after the sun already shone by day). G–d then consoled the moon by telling it that in the future Israel would base its calendar on the lunar cycles. The moon responded that Israel would not count its days according to the lunar cycles because the Torah already stated in Genesis 1,14 that the luminaries would determine the seasons, i.e. solstices. G–d then told the moon that the righteous, i.e. Jacob would share its adjective "small" also with Samuel and David, all of whom would be called "small" in the Bible, (cf. Amos 7,5, and Samuel I 17). When G–d realized that the moon was still not satisfied He told the Jewish people to offer a sin-offering on His behalf on every New Moon in order to expiate for His having reduced the moon in size.

The whole story is extremely puzzling. There are other difficulties in the story. The moon's retort that it could not see why it should suffer for having made a valid observation is strange. Did the moon want the sun to diminish its size for similarly invalid reasons? After all, one of the two had to diminish its size! Why would the moon consider its blood as redder than that of the sun?

We may simply answer this by saying that all the moon asked for was to retain its size, implying that the size of the sun could be increased. I have explained Deut. 28,43: הגר אשר בקרבך יעלה עליך מעלה מעלה ואתה תרד מטה מטה, "The stranger in your midst will keep rising higher and higher above you, whereas you will sink lower and lower" in a similar vein.

Another difficulty is that at the end of the discussion the impression is left with us that the moon remained victorious in a debate with G–d, and that G–d having been defeated in a verbal encounter, decided to pacify the moon for His not reversing His decision. This is surely an intolerable outcome!

Another puzzling statement is the reference to "Jacob the small one," "Samuel the small one", "David the small one," in that order. We are forced to assume that the prophet Samuel is meant here so as to justify the order in which the names are listed. Some people say that the reason Samuel is referred to as the "small" one is, because his mother made a "small" robe for him when he was a little boy (Samuel I 2,19). This surely is a very forced explanation.

The fact is that the luminaries were of the same size, but that G–d foresaw the "fall" of man. One of the luminaries had to be reduced in size to symbolize this "fall" of man. This is the reason that in the story in the Talmud the moon (לבנה) is called ירח, something unusual. Whenever the Bible refers to the moon before its diminution or after its rehabilitation in the Messianic age, it always refers to the light of the לבנה, not to the light of the ירח. The basic difference between the two names for the moon is that the name לבנה cannot be pluralized, just as the name אדם, or שמש cannot be pluralized. We do find plural endings for the name ירח however, i.e. ירחים. The important thing to remember is that the moon only asked a question, it did not express an objection to having to reduce itself. The moon only hinted that instead of one of the parties having to reduce itself there might be a different solution. The moon may have hinted that, in view of G–d's decision, it was up to itself (inasmuch as it symbolizes Israel) to engage in good deeds which ultimately would refine its body to enable it to regain its lost size. The argument was that used in Avot 3,22: כל שמעשיו מרובים מחכמתו למה הוא דומה לאילן ששרשיו מרובים וגו' "'that anyone whose good deeds exceed his wisdom…. such deeds are firmly planted like a tree with many roots," proving that performance outranks study in importance.

G–d's reply hinted that the reverse was true, giving the reason we gave earlier, that under the given circumstances there was no room for comprehensive performance. Performance needs a certain set of conditions. Study can occur at all times, under any set of conditions. G–d invited the moon to become a practical example of this by physically reducing the range of its מעשה. If, in spite of a much smaller size, i.e. physical ability to perform deeds, the moon would ultimately regain it size, this would surely show that study is all-important because only through study would the moon have achieved this goal.

The moon did not understand the hint. It countered: "because I made a valid point before You I should reduce myself in size?" It added the word לפניך to allude to the present state of affairs. This shows that the opening remarks of the moon need not be understood at face value but as an allusion, as we explained. Had this conversation taken place between the moon and any of G–d's creatures, the moon would have been quite specific. However, since the conversation took place with G–d Who knows all that each one of His creatures feels and thinks, the moon is portrayed as having merely hinted.

When G–d said: "Go and rule by day and by night," this is equivalent to G–d saying: "I have told you already that from the standpoint of study you can perform all the commandments even as of now." This means that you can confer merits on others by means of study which otherwise you could confer on them only through action. There is an allusion here to the fact that מצוה performance sometimes is possible both by day and by night, whereas some commandments can be performed only either by day or by night. In other words, performance is tied to the domain of time, subject to the sovereignty of "time." The concept is similar to מצות עשה שהזמן גרמה, "positive commandments triggered by a certain time." The very term "time" is an allusion to transience, implies both something "before" and "after." Not so with eternity. Torah and the soul are eternal, i.e. beyond the restrictive limitations imposed by the reference to "time." This is what G–d had in mind when He counseled the moon to shine by day as well as by night (shining as a reference to study).

Although it was aware that G–d was clarifying what He had said at the beginning, the moon did not understand what G–d had in mind. The moon understood G–d as having said that by reducing its size, i.e. diminishing the material part of itself it would be able to concentrate on the spiritual part, i.e. study. Having done so, the result would be intelligent and spiritually uplifting performance of the Torah's commandments. The moon failed to understand G–d's meaning that it could have regained its original size by the performance of a מצוה of this kind. This is why it responded that there was no need for such illumination at a time when the sun shone anyways, i.e. when it was possible to perform the commandments by deed, and not only by learning about them.

The moon believed that G–d wanted it forever more to be just like them in Proverbs 6,23, to the נר. It believed that the שרגא at best is the receptacle which – after suitable preparation – serves as the dispenser of טיהרא, original, as opposed to reflected, light. It did not think it would ever regain its original size. This is why the moon – metaphor for the experience of Israel in our world – seemed discontented.

The reference to Israel counting its days according to the solar calendar, etc., is simply a hint to the moon that it had misunderstood G–d and that a whole lifetime of seventy years may on occasion be telescoped into merely days, all depending on the opportunities that presented themselves to G–d's creature, (in this case the Israelite) to perform the commandments. In other words, under certain circumstances G–d will consider the intention as equivalent to the actual performance. In terms of the debate about the relative value of study versus peformance, this means that study is superior. Study is almost always לשמה, whereas performance may often be merely by rote, without even the intention to perform G–d's will.

When the moon mentioned that Israel counts its days according to the solar cycle, it implied that performance of the commandments under suitable conditions does not automatically bring about penetration to their deeper meaning. The Rosh in a responsa (quoted in Tur Orach Chayim 58), dealing with the benedictions we recite, states that one discharges one's duty even if the words are spoken without the requisite thoughts. If the same person relies on the Reader, שליח צבור, to discharge his duty in this regard for him and he only answers "Amen," he will only be relieved of his duty if he had listened carefully to every word. We may similarly understand the moon's question as referring to the supposed superiority of study over performance, if study itself is not always something that has been done with the proper thoughts.

G–d therefore told the moon that the adjective "small" that would be used for the righteous, such as in the case of Jacob, Samuel and David, would serve as assurance that the moon was not considered inferior. By the same token, there is no point in calling someone "small" unless this is in contrast to something else that is called "big. Here, the Jewish people as a whole may be considered "big," for G–d had referred to it as בני בכורי ישראל, "My firstborn son Israel." The three examples of "small" people selected were Jacob, Samuel and David because these three people are also described on occasion as the equivalent of "big". The prophet Samuel is described as שמואל הרמתי, "at home in an elevated place," (similar to Samuel I 8,4). The Talmud describes that Samuel "the small one" [a scholar in the third century] was of such a caliber that, had his personal merits only been the determining factor, the spirit of G–d would have come to rest on him. The prophet Samuel i.e. the "big" Samuel, was ranked equal to Moses in many respects. Taanit 25 relates that the "small" Samuel only had to decree a fast in order to pray for rain when rain would already materialize without the people having commenced their fast even. The fact that David was described on occasion as the "small one," suggests that there must also have been a "big" David. The "big" David will be David when he re-emerges as the Messiah. It is said of him (Psalms 72,8) : וירד מים עד הים ודוד שמו, "Let him rule from sea to sea, etc." The Psalmist means that whereas initially the domain of David would be small, eventually it would encompass the whole globe. The message is that "small" and "big" will combine, i.e. study and performance of Torah commandments together will bring about the ideal state, will make a "big one" out of a formerly "small one." This is different from דבור, words of Torah, which will be graciously received by G–d even if they do not reflect penetration to the deeper meaning of the Torah. In other words, words of Torah do not require to be supported by full understanding, whereas mere study, i.e. listening to someone else's discourse on Torah does. When we view the conversation in this light, we find that G–d certainly had the "last word," i.e. was not "defeated" in this verbal encounter. Nevertheless, when G–d saw that the moon was unhappy although it had been shown that it was wrong, He decided to assuage its feelings since He wants His creatures to be happy and content with the fate assigned to them.

This is why he instructed Israel to offer a male goat as a sin offering each New Moon in compensation for having reduced the moon's size (i.e. Israel's size in this world). The Rekanati, in his commentary on Exodus 12,2, explains at length that the function of this sin-offering on the New Moon is very similar to the function of the scapegoat which is tendered to Azzazel on the Day of Atonement. Allegorically speaking, the reduction in size symbolizes the diminution of the forces of holiness due to Adam's sin. This results in the powers we call חיצוניות experiencing an uplift, increased strength. By sacrificing the male goat on the New Moon as a sin-offering to G–d we are symbolically sacrificing the קליפה, the symbol of negative influences which in turn undermines the influence of this קליפה. By doing this we re-convert some of the forces that though they originated in a holy domain had become active as negative forces. Such a positive act results in atonement. Rashi describing Genesis 32,2,1 explains Jacob's motive in sending gifts to Esau with the words: אכפרה פניו, to mean קנוח, "wiping clean." Atonement then is a way of "wiping the slate clean." Sin is considered to be a stain on our soul or character. Atonement is the removal of the stain in question. We follow this procedure every month whenever the moon renews itself. This process will continue until the קליפה has been reduced so much that the moon can regain its former size and its light equals that of the sun. At such a time, when the world will be filled with knowledge of G–d, the physical part of our bodies as well as matter in the universe will be imbued with sanctity similar to that intangible part of man, his soul.

If anybody mistakenly thought that the scapegoat is an offering to the Azzazel, the parallel with the goat-offering on New Moon should make it abundantly clear that this is not the case. In both instances the animal is offered as a sacrifice to G–d, though in the case of the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement the form of the offering is unusual. When in the Mussaf service of the New Moon we recite the specific function of ראש חודש as a time for atonement, and we add the words ותשועת נפשם מיד שונא, "and as a salvation of their soul from the one who personifies hatred," we continue by referring to a "new altar." The "altar" referred to in this prayer is the one in the Celestial Regions, the one on which the archangel Michael offers the souls of the righteous.

[I am condensing the continuation of this particular discourse from this point on. Ed.]

Let us go back to the parable from the Yalkut which we quoted on pages earlier. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish who demanded fulfillment of every single commandment in the Torah can hardly reconcile this with the parable of the pit in the Yalkut. We have divided the commandments into 248 positive ones and 365 negative ones. The sages use the number 365 as signifying the concept "day" as in the solar year which comprises 365 days. The pit may be compared to man. When the pit is not filled with “commandments performed,” it is empty, but just as in the case of the pit the brothers threw Joseph into, this does not mean that it did not contain potentially lethal creatures such as dragons and scorpions (cf. Rashi on Genesis 37,24). The "scorpions" mentioned are a metaphor for the forces of the קליפה, forces created by our sins. Only when the pit has become filled and does not leak a drop (of the commandments performed which have filled the pit) have these forces of the קליפה become totally neutralized. When the foolish laborer described in the parable expressed his chagrin that he would never be able to fill the pit, he referred to the negative commandments. He knew that performance is of paramount significance. He also knew that 365 of the 613 commandments are incapable of being "performed," since observing them consists of lack of activity, i.e. שב ואל תעשה, refraining from violating the commandment. He therefore could not understand how one could receive rewards for what one did not do! This foolish worker did not understand that the 365 negative commandments are performed by consciously abstaining from committing acts which would be transgressions. In other words, our thoughts play a key role in מצוה observance. This is the "joy" that the other labourer referred to when he said "I am happy that I have found work for myself." The "happiness" is an allusion to the "performance" of negative commandments by deliberately refraining from eating pig because G–d had forbidden it, not because there was none to be had. This kind of attitude is regarded just as the deed of handing out charity, for instance. We see that there are many commandments which are "performed" by thought rather than deed, something that Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish was aware of and agreed with. We have proof of this in Psalms 119,3: אף לא פעלו עולה בדרכיו הלכו, "They have done no wrong, but have followed His ways." This means that when one foregoes the opportunity to violate a negative commandment this is considered as if one had performed a commandment. The same principle applies when one cannot perform a positive commandment for one reason or another. When the Torah states in the opening line of our portion: את הברכה אשר תשמעו, "The blessing when you listen, etc.," the message is that from the moment we undertake to study the commandments with a view to fulfilling them, the blessing, i.e. the reward is already due us. Should we be prevented from performance by some accident, this does not diminish the merit we have already acquired.

The author views our rehabilitation process as linked to our souls having stood at Mount Sinai and having witnessed the revelation. The major organs involved were the ears which had heard the commandments. When later generations tune in their ears to what is written in the Torah, it is as if they were trying to make up for generations or individuals who had closed their ears to Torah instructions. The very word נעשה "we shall do," which the Jewish people said prior to the revelation was an allusion to the beginning of creation when G–d had said נעשה אדם בצלמנו. Once our ears are involved in this process of rehabilitation the other organs will become involved also and general מצוה performance will result.

Rabbi Yochanan looks at the chain reaction which follows performance of the first מצוה and deems it as sufficient to attract blessings from G–d. He presumably took his cue from Job 33,23: אם יש עליו מלאך מליץ אחד מני אלף להגיד לאקדם ישרו, "If he has a representative (angel), one advocate against a thousand, to declare the man's uprightness." In line with the tradition that every מצוה performed results in the creation of a "good" angel, Rabbi Yochanan feels that such an advocate is already something substantive. When the Torah speaks about the curse in 11,28, it makes certain that the words לא תשמעון are followed immediately by the words וסרתם מן הדרך, "you depart from the path," a reference to action. While G–d grants blessing for a good intention even when it could not be translated into action, He does not curse for the mere failure to listen to the commandments, to Torah lectures. Only once such non-study and non-preparedness to listen results in violation of the commandments will the punishment take into account the attitude displayed which led to the violation. Midrash Shmuel on Avot 3,1 "then you will not commit a sin," points out that Akavyah does not speak about the sin coming to you but about you coming to the sin. With the right attitude you can stop yourself even when the sin has come quite close to you. The Torah uses the word ראה in the singular, instead of ראו, plural which would have matched the rest of the verse, in order to underline the importance of the performance of even a single commandment.

We must not question this exegesis by saying that the "path" the Torah speaks about some people forsaking is the adoption of idolatry instead of Judaism, because of a rule that the only time G–d considers the mere contemplation of a sin as already culpable is when the sin in question is idol worship. This is based on the expression (11,28) ללכת אחרי אלהים אחרים, "To prepare to go after other deities." Clearly, the Torah, by not writing "when you have followed other deities," warns you that we are culpable for the mere intention. In all other instances the Torah does not threaten punishment for the mere contemplation of a sin.

והיה כי יביאך ה' אלוקיך אל הארץ אשר אתה בא שמה לרשתה . "When the Lord your G–d will bring you to the land to which you will come in order to inherit it." The Torah speaks of terrestrial ארץ ישראל which is similar to its celestial counterpart. The word הארץ refers to the "earth" after one's death in which one "sleeps," i.e. refines the body through metamorphosis in order to be able to take one's place in one's original inheritance, the one intended for Adam before the sin. Just as on our earth there are two mountains, Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival, which symbolize blessing and curse respectively, so there are two parallel mountains in the Celestial Regions. One is generally known in our scriptures as ההר הטוב, or הר ה', "the Mountain of ‘good,’ or the Mountain of G–d," the one which can be climbed only by people who have complied with the criteria set down in Psalms 24,4. The other Mountain is known as הר שעיר, the Mountain of Se'ir, symbolizing darkness exuded by the evil urge. Our rabbis describe it as a "Mountain" because they view the overcoming of the evil urge as similar to the scaling of a mountain. The wicked, on the other hand, consider the evil urge as something they can easily control and therefore the evil urge appears to them merely as high as an hair, hence the name הר שעיר, "the mountain no higher than an hair." Were it not for the "good angels" created by our various מצות, our access to the Mountain of G–d would be severed completely. G–d in His great mercy decided to pay more attention to the "voice" of what these good angels relate about us than to the foul deeds we commit with our hands, i.e. הקול קול יעקב והידים ידי עשו, "though the hands are the hands of an Esau, the voice is that of Jacob." [A homiletical explanation by Midrash Shmuel of Genesis 27,22 applied to Akavyah's statement in Avot 3,1. Ed.] The words ואין אתה בא לידי עברה mean that if you have קול יעקב going for you you are in no danger at the hands of Esau, the hands of Satan. The meaning of the name הר גריזים is similar to the meaning of Psalms 31,23: ואני אמרתי בחפזי נגרזתי לפניך, "I said in my haste I am thrust out of Your sight." The Psalmist goes on to say that David learned that he had not been cast out by G–d after all. The function of Mount Gerizim then is to reassure us that Paradise lost is recoverable. Our deeds create the "good angels" whose pleas reach the throne of G–d. there are also barriers in the heavens between the different categories of צדיקים. Every righteous person occupies a station appropriate to his conduct while he lived on earth. Our Rabbis (Tanchuma Beshalach 10) explained that G–d made separate lanes when the tribes of Israel crossed the Sea of Reeds. They base this on Psalms 136,13: "Who divided the Sea of Reeds into גזרים, sections." The same happened when the Jewish people crossed the river Jordan into the Holy Land. This was one of the reasons twelve stones were erected in the river-bed; they marked where each tribe crossed.

[The author digresses here to explain the symbolism of different kinds of water, and how the "wrong" kind of "water," or water which has not been put in the service of the right side of the emanations, will prove destructive, fatal. He also refers to the river Dinor a river of fire mentioned in the Book of Daniel which, according to Kabbalistic teachings, serves as a ritual bath for the souls once they emerge from judgment in purgatory. I am skipping most of this excursion into deep mysticism. Ed.]

The author does not see a duplication in verses 29 and 31 respectively, but views the first verse as addressing itself to removal of impediments to Torah observance, such as the sites of pagan worship still extant in the land of Canaan when the Israelites would invade the land. The words אשר אתה בא שמה לרשתה in verse 29 describe a different reality from the reality referred to by the words לבא לרשת את הארץ in verse 31. The first verse is an introduction to the sources of curse still in that land, whereas the second verse addresses itself to a time when blessings will prevail. At that time there will be all kinds of Heavenly assists, which is not the case when one is guided or driven by the evil urge.

The מקומות in 12,2 which have to be destroyed are a reminder that there is only one מקום, "one place" i.e. G–d who is not confined by space but has created it." The entire passage is understood as a reference to what went wrong in גן עדן and how to go about repairing the damage that had occurred at that time.