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Model of The Temple in Jerusalem

One of the methods the Torah uses to get our attention is to place certain passages in surprising contexts. The beginning of this week’s parsha is a good example of that. After having spent five chapters discussing the need for complete allegiance to God, Moshe now moves to the various laws that need to be given over to the Jewish people. But before doing this, the Torah feels it important to interject that the Jews will be enacting a ceremony of blessing and curse upon their entering the land. Yet this ceremony will be recounted more fully towards the end of the book in Parshat Ki Tavo, where it seems to belong. As such, we are surprised to find mention of it here as well.

Sforno (12:30) makes an incisive comment, which though not directly related to our question may answer it as well. In dealing with the need to have this ceremony immediately upon entering the land, he says that the Jews will right away need to know that the land of Israel only operates on the level of blessing and curse – it does not operate upon the possibility of just getting by. In other words, God’s providence is more strongly felt – if the Jews act properly, the land will know great bounty, but if not, the land will not produce very much at all. While this is in contrast with all other countries, it is in particular opposition to Egypt, which was always able to get by, due to the constancy of the Nile. As we know from the various Biblical stories of droughts and from ancient history texts as well, Egypt was the place to find food when everyone else was experiencing famine.

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In our volume on Shemot (Redeeming Relevance in the Book of Exodus) we explain the marked contrast between Israel and Egypt. Here, suffice it to say that God’s favor does not at all imply always getting more than others. The greatest favor God can do for the person who wants to grow and come closer to Him is to give him a great deal of feedback, and that is what the land of Israel is set up to do. It is designed to work as a great litmus test to gauge the Jews’ religious performance. And as we know from Mishlei (9:8), this is to our benefit, as the wise man appreciates rebuke. This, because he always wants to improve – rebukes helps us to know weaknesses that we may otherwise be unaware of.

So why was it necessary to mention this before going on to the laws? Several commentators point out that the laws discussed in the Book of Devarim are the laws most important for the creation of a morally and spiritually advanced state in the Jews’ new homeland. Regardless of their importance, however, we all know that when we hear a large list of laws, we often think about picking and choosing. If not picking which ones we will do and which ones we will not do, we, at least, think about which ones we will perform well and which ones we will only do half-heartedly. Hence before Moshe gives the Jews the list of laws, he needs to bring his flock into the right state of mind. He needs to tell them that the attitude of pick and choose may work in Egypt, but that Israel speaks to a completely different reality – a reality where the Jews will be pushed to be the best that they can be. That being the case, they must now listen with new ears and – even more importantly – with a new stronger will.

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Rabbi Francis Nataf (www.francisnataf.com) is a veteran Tanach educator who has written an acclaimed contemporary commentary on the Torah entitled “Redeeming Relevance.” He teaches Tanach at Midreshet Rachel v'Chaya and is Associate Editor of the Jewish Bible Quarterly. He is also Translations and Research Specialist at Sefaria, where he has authored most of Sefaria's in-house translations, including such classics as Sefer HaChinuch, Shaarei Teshuva, Derech Hashem, Chovat HaTalmidim and many others. He is a prolific writer and his articles on parsha, current events and Jewish thought appear regularly in many Jewish publications such as The Jewish Press, Tradition, Hakira, the Times of Israel, the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Action and Haaretz.