The Covenant of Moav
PARASHAT HASHAVUA
PARASHAT
KI TAVO
The
Covenant of Moav
By Rav
Yair Kahn
I. Chorev
and Moav
The section
of berakhot and kelalot the list of blessings Yisrael will
receive if they abide by the Torah and the curses they will receive if they do
not, found in chapter 28 concludes with the pasuk, These are the terms
of the covenant that Hashem commanded to Moshe to make with Bnei Yisrael
in the land of Moav, aside from the covenant which he made with them at Chorev
(28:69). This pasuk connects the covenant of Chorev (Sinai), documented
in Parashat Bechukotai (Vayikra 26), with the parallel section
found in our parasha. Our study of the covenant of Moav will therefore
begin with a brief review of the Sinai covenant.
In our study
of Parashat Bechukotai, we demonstrated that the list of calamities
recorded follows a clear progression. The Torah begins with disasters that are
not life threatening and continues with worse disasters that cause a loss of
life. Later, the Torah describes an invasion of hostile forces, which not only
brings death, but also compromises Yisraels sovereignty. The Torah ends with
the destruction of the Mikdash and exile from the Land of Israel.
In contrast,
there seems to be no progression in Parashat Ki Tavo. In fact, there
seems to be no order at all. Consider pasuk 36, where, after warning of
various calamities, Moshe mentions exile:
Hashem will
send you and your king that you have placed over you to a nation that you and
your ancestors have not known and there you shall worship other gods of wood and
stone.
Following the
pattern of Bechukotai, the section should end here; in Parashat Ki
Tavo the list of calamities continues, and they have nothing to do with
difficulties Yisrael will face in exile. The subsequent pesukim deal with
agricultural disasters that will occur in Eretz Yisrael, apparently
before the exile:
You shall
take much seed out into the field, but shall gather little; for the locust shall
consume it. You shall plant vineyards and tend to them, but you
shall neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes, for the worm shall eat
them. You will have olive trees throughout your borders, however you shall not
anoint yourselves with oil, for the olives shall fall off. (28:38-40).
Did Moshe
merely record a random list of calamities, lacking rhyme and reason?
Moreover, the
section is repetitive. We have already noted the mention of exile in pasuk
36. Consider the following pasuk that appears at the end of the section:
And Hashem
shall scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other end
of the earth; and there you shall serve other gods of wood and stone, which you
and your ancestors have not known. (28:64)
Similarly,
Moshe mentions that a foreign nation will eat the produce of the land in
pasuk 33:
The fruit of
your land and all your labors shall be eaten by a nation which you do not know
and you shall be only oppressed and crushed all the days.
This same
exact idea is repeated later in the section:
A nation of
fierce countenance that shall not regard the elderly, nor show favor to the
young. He shall eat the fruit of your cattle, and the fruit of
your land, until you are destroyed. (28:50-51)
Instead of
the structured development found in the Bechukotai section, the section
in Parashat Ki Tavo seems to be characterized by repetition and
confusion.
II. The
Berakha Section
Before trying
to make organizational sense out of the kelala section, let us take a
closer look at the berakha section. The section begins as follows:
If you
shall hearken diligently to the voice of Hashem your God, to observe to
do all His commandments which I command you this day, then Hashem your God will
set you on high above all the nations of the earth. And all
these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you shall
hearken unto the voice of Hashem your God. (28:1-2)
Several
commentators were troubled by the redundancy of the opening and closing phrase,
if you shall hearken to the voice of Hashem your God. Since the blessings are
predicated on the condition that Yisrael hearken to Hashems voice, why is it
necessary to repeat that these blessings will come because Yisrael hearkens to
the voice of Hashem? Various suggestions were raised to explain what the closing
phrase adds that was not included in the opening line. (See Nechama Leibowitzs
essays for a discussion of the topic.)
Perhaps,
however, the repetition did not come to add anything that was not included in
the original statement, but rather as a refrain to indicate an inner division
within the berakha section. This assertion is based on the fact that
almost the identical phrase appears twice more in this section. Moshe tells
Yisrael that Hashem will make them a holy people because you will keep the
commandments of Hashem your God, and walk in His ways (28:9). At the end of the
section, Moshe tells Yisrael that they will be placed above and not beneath
because you will hearken to the commandments of Hashem your God, which I
command you this day, to observe and to do them (28:13).
Based on this
suggestion, we might divide the berakhot section into three segments. The
first segment, from the beginning of the chapter until pasuk eight, is
prefaced by the general blessing that Hashem will set us elyon (high)
above all other nations. After a list of generic berakhot dealing with
prosperity and well-being (28:3-6), Moshe mentions victory over foreign enemies
(28:7). Perhaps, then, the berakha of elyon refers to
political supremacy. The Ibn Ezra also interprets elyon as a general
berakha, but he explains it as referring to the singularity and uniqueness
of Yisrael.
The second
segment, pesukim 9-11, begins: Hashem will establish you for a holy
people unto Himself
And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name
of Hashem is called upon you; and they shall be afraid of you. This subsection
deals with the sanctity of Yisrael, which is distinct from the idea of political
superiority. In fact, the distinction of these two concepts is stated
explicitly: To make you high (elyon) above all nations that He has made
and that you may be a holy people unto Hashem your God, as He has spoken
(26:19). Sanctity is rooted in the fact that Yisrael is Hashems nation.
Therefore, this section not only stresses observance of mitzvot, but also
emulating the divine traits, as it were: And you shall walk in His ways (28:9,
see Rambam, Sefer Ha-Mitzvot, mitzva 8).
The third
segment, pesukim 12-14, deals with economic independence and eminence:
Hashem will open for you His good treasure the heaven to give the rain of your
land in its season and to bless all the work of your hand; and you shall lend
unto many nations, but you shall not borrow. And Hashem will make you the head,
not the tail
.
Thus, the
berakhot section can be divided into three subsections that reflect three
separate aims:
-
Political
supremacy: Because you will hearken unto the voice of Hashem your God (28:2).
-
Sanctity: Because you shall keep the
commandments of Hashem your God and walk in His ways (28:9).
-
Economic
eminence: Because you will hearken to the commandments of Hashem your God,
which I command you this day, to observe and to do them (28:13).
In other
words, the organization of the berakhot section is based on three broader
goals. The specific berakhot, such as timely rainfall and military
victory, are means to achieve those broader aims.
With this in
mind, we are ready to take a closer look at the kelalot section and see
whether a parallel division can be detected there as well.
3. The
Kelala Section
The analysis
of the berakhot section is simpler because of its relative brevity.
Discerning divisions within the lengthy kelalot section will be a more
difficult and complicated task; if you have not done so yet, it would be helpful
to open a Chumash.
In order to
illustrate a parallel between the organizational structure of the berakha
section and the kelala section, we must take note of the phrase "because
you will not hearken to the voice of Hashem your God," parallel to refrain
"because you will hearken unto the voice of Hashem your God," which indicated
the division of the berakha section.
The kelala
section begins:
But it shall
come to pass, if you will not hearken unto the voice of Hashem your God,
to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command you this
day; that all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you (28:15).
Later in this
section, Moshe says:
And all these
curses shall come upon you and shall pursue you and overtake you, till you are
destroyed; because you did not hearken unto the voice of Hashem your God,
to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you (28:45).
This
redundant phrase appears once again towards the end of the section:
And you shall
be left few in number, whereas you previously were numerous as the stars of
heaven; because you did not hearken unto the voice of Hashem your God.
(28:62).
I would like
to suggest that this repeated phrase is the refrain of the kelala section
and indicates a three part division, parallel to the division we observed
regarding the berakhot.
The first
segment spans pesukim 15- 37. The section begins with a list of
kelalot that mirror the berakhot at the beginning of the first
section. The subsequent list of kelalot begins with calamities that will
befall Yisrael in the Land of Israel, including defeat at the hand of enemies
and suffering the torments of the invading forces. The segment ends with exile.
I suggest
that this segment, which details the military defeat and the exile, mirrors the
segment of political superiority found in the berakhot section, which
stressed victory. In fact, this kelalot segment concludes by describing
how terribly Yisrael is perceived by the nations they are exiled to "And you shall become an [object of]
astonishment, an example, and a topic of discussion, among all the
peoples whither Hashem shall lead you" (28:37) which counters elyon
over all the nations of the berakha section.
In pasuk
38, Moshe describes Yisrael as still being on their land, and I therefore
suggest that this is the beginning of the second segment. This subsection
mirrors pesukim 12- 13 of the berakhot section, which deal with
economic eminence, and it is therefore reasonable that this segment describes an
economic downfall. As we saw above, one of the concluding pesukim of this
segment is almost an exact repeat of the opening line of the kelalot
section "All these curses will befall you, pursuing
you and overtaking you to destroy you because you did not obey Hashem your God,
to observe His commandments and statutes which He commanded you"
(28:45) and this repetition is an
additional indication that we are in a new subsection.
I believe
that the final segment begins at pasuk 47. This subsection focuses on the
dehumanization of Yisrael. There is a detailed description on the subhuman
conditions during the siege. People who were noble and aristocratic are driven
to act like animals, selfishly devouring the flesh of their own children. This
subsection counters the promise of sanctity found in the berakha section;
it describes not only the defilement of kedushat Yisrael (the sanctity of
Yisrael), but the desecration tzelem Elokim (the divine image) as well.
The segment
ends with the chilling prophesy:
And Hashem
will bring you back to Egypt in ships, through the way about which I had said to
you, you will never see it again. And there, you will seek to be sold to your
enemies for slaves and handmaids, but there will be no buyer (28:62).
The fact that
Jews are not even worthy to be bought is a subtle reference to the total
desecration and profanation of Yisrael, which eventually justifies annihilation.
It is reminiscent of Esther's statement: "For we have
been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish; now had
we been sold for slaves and bondswomen, I would have kept silent, for the
adversary has no consideration for the king's loss" (Esther 7:4). We are
also reminded of the Nazis, who considered Jews to be vermin earmarked for
extermination. Slavery, despite the economic advantages, was an inappropriate
solution to the Jewish question.
IV. Means
and Ends
We have
suggested an organization of the Moav covenant based on an inner division
between three overarching aims: political supremacy, sanctity and economic
eminence. What is the significance of these three ideas?
Political
supremacy should be connected to divine sovereignty, since malkhut
Yisrael is an earthly representative of malkhut Hashem. In
fact, the term elyon, which Moshe uses to express the supremacy of
Yisrael, is often used as a reference to Hashem (see Bereishit 14).
Consider the tefilla of Rosh Hashana:
Reign over
the entire world in Your glory and rise above the land in Your splendor and
appear in the glory of Your majestic might to all the inhabitants of the world
and everything that has been made shall know that You made it and every creature
shall understand that You created it and all that breathe shall proclaim:
Hashem the God of Yisrael is king and His reign is over all."
Since
universal recognition of malkhut Hashem is one of the aims of
creation, the overarching significance of the political supremacy of malkhut
Yisrael is obvious as well.
As opposed to
the universalistic significance of malkhut Yisrael, kedushat
Yisrael (the sanctity of Yisrael) in a large part relates to the intimate
relationship between Hashem and Yisrael. In order to achieve this sanctity, we
must not only observe the mitzvot, but also emulate the divine attributes
(28:9). Moreover, we must live a life of sanctity and holiness, as it sees, "You
shall be Holy, for I Hashem your God Am holy (Vayikra 19:2). This
intimate relationship between Hashem and Yisrael, is one of the major themes of
Yom Kippur, when the kohen gadol (high priest) enters the inner sanctum
to achieve penitence for all of Yisrael. In any event, the view of kedusha
as an overarching goal is clear.
However, we
are a bit perplexed by the importance the Torah awards to economic eminence.
Moreover, consider the pesukim that precede and perhaps introduce the
covenant: "And Hashem has selected you this day to be
His treasured people
And to make you elyon above all the nations that
He made
and to make you a holy people to Hashem your God, as He spoke
(26:18-19). Elyon and kedusha are mentioned, while economic
prosperity is left out.
Perhaps, the
overarching importance of economic eminence is as a means, not as an end. In
Hilkhot Teshuva (chapter 9), the Rambam was troubled by the emphasis the
Torah placed on worldly rewards. He suggests that these rewards are a means
necessary to create an environment that will allow one to achieve the spiritual
goals that are the ultimate goal. Similarly, we can suggest that the Torah, with
its focus on reality, notes the overarching importance of economic prosperity,
but only as a means to enable Yisrael to realize its destiny as a holy people
and an earthly representative of malkhut Hashem.