LAND AND TABLETS PARASHAT EKEV Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25

Rabbi Charles Feinberg Boker Ohr

Reading between the lines of Moses words in Parashat Ekev, I believe the reader can sense Moses anxiety of what will befall the people without him. He is concerned about the people reverting to the idolatrous practices of the Canaanites (see 7:12-26). Moses is worried that people will not be grateful for all the good that God has done and will do for them (see 8:1-16) or that they will become arrogant and forget God (8:17-20). At the center of the Parasha, Moses uses up a considerable number of words reviewing the incident of the Golden Calf (9:1-10:11). In the last third of the Parasha Moses exhorts the people to fear and love God, to circumcise their hearts, to love the stranger, and to cling to God (10:12-11:1). Moses reminds the people that the present generation do not have any first hand knowledge of the events that occurred in Egypt and in the wilderness, but if they go astray God will punish them (11:2-9). Finally the Parasha concludes with the warning that is the second paragraph of the Shma (11:13-21) and a promise that if the people are faithful God will help them drive out nations that are mightier than they (11:22-25). I ask everyone to read over the Parasha at home or online. The first three Midrashim are commentaries on the opening verse of the Parasha. I have inserted the verse at the beginning or end of the first three Midrashim. Here are some questions about the first three: What Hebrew word in the first sentence is problematic for the rabbis? It is a word that is not usually translated. What is difficult about this word? And how do the rabbis understand it? How does the first Midrash (III:1) understand the Sabbath? In the second Midrash (III:4), how does the parable of the orphan and his guardian illustrate the idea the rabbis are teaching? In the third Midrash (III:7), how can spiritual values such as justice or mercy be considered a gift? The fourth Midrash (III:8) asserts that all the major miracles in the Torah occurred near, with, or by means of water. Why do you think water is a favored vehicle for a miracle in the Torah? The fifth Midrash (III:11) gives an interpretation to why Moses chose to remind the next generation about the golden calf incident. According to the Midrash, what was Moses ostensible and ulterior motives for recalling that painful incident? In the sixth Midrash (III:12), what is the rabbis attitude toward Moses breaking the tablets? Do you think Moses was justified in breaking the tablets? Do you think that God was upset that he broke them? What is the lesson of the parable of the middleman? . Midrash Rabbah - Deuteronomy III:1
1. Halacha: Is it permissible for a Jew who possesses a candelabrum fitted together from separate parts to move it about on the Sabbath? The Sages have learnt thus: One who puts together the parts of a candelabrum on the Sabbath renders himself liable for a sin-offering.1 And under what counts is he liable? R. Abbahu said in ) Because he desecrated the Sabbath by building, which is one of the 39 primary types of work forbidden on the Sabbath. (Cf. Shab. 73a.)
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the name of R. Yohanan: He who puts together a candelabrum is like unto a man who builds on the Sabbath, and one who builds on the Sabbath is liable [for a sin-offering]. R. Jose b. Hanina said: Israel first observed the Sabbath in the proper manner when it was given to them at Alush.2 Whence this? For it is said, So the people rested on the seventh day (Ex. XVI, 30). [Said God to Israel]: ' You might perhaps think that I have given you the Sabbath to your disadvantage (because of all the restrictions); I have surely given the Sabbath to you only for your own advantage. How? R. Hiyya b. Abba said: [God said to Israel]: ' You sanctify the Sabbath with food and drink and clean clothes, deriving physical enjoyment from it, while I give you reward.3 Whence this? [Scripture says], And call the Sabbath a delight, etc. (Isaiah 58:13), and after this is written, Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord (ibid. 14); that is to say, He will grant you the desires of your heart. Israel asked God: When will You grant us the reward of the mitzvoth which we observe? God replied: As for the mitzvoth which you observe, you eat of their fruits now, but their full reward shall give you in the end [i.e. after death]. Whence [can this be inferred]? From what we read in our text, And if you do obey (literally, hear) these rules and observe them carefully, the Lord your God will guard faithfully for you the covenant and the mercy that He made an oath on with your fathers (7:12)

Midrash Rabbah - Deuteronomy III:4

4. Another explanation: And if you do obey (literally, hear) these rules and observe them carefully, the Lord your God will guard faithfully for you the covenant and the mercy that He made an oath on with your fathers (7:12). What is the force of, the Lord your God will guard faithfully for you the covenant? R. Samuel b. Nahmani said: All [the good] that Israel enjoys in this world is a result of the blessings with which Balaam the wicked blessed them, but the blessings with which the Patriarchs blessed them are reserved for the time to come, as it is said, the Lord your God will guard faithfully, etc.4 Another explanation: R. Helbo said: It is like the case of an orphan who was brought up in the house of a certain man, was fed and clothed by him, and was taught a trade by him. The orphan said: The man will deduct from my wages the cost of my food, of my drink, and of my clothing. But the man answered him: By your life! your food and clothing are paid for by the service you rendered me in filling a cask of water and in chopping for me one log of wood; your full reward is stored up and reserved for you. Likewise all that the people Israel enjoy in this world is a reward for the sufferings which befall them, but their full reward is stored up and reserved for them for the time to come, as it is said, the Lord your God will guard faithfully [THE COVENANT AND THE MERCY]. What is meant by, THE COVENANT AND THE MERCY? R. Hiyya said: Israel are possessed of the following three fine characteristics: they are bashful (capable of shame), merciful, and benevolent. They are bashful: for it is said, And that His fear may be before you (Ex. XX, 17); merciful: for it is said, And He shall give you mercy5; and have compassion upon you (Deut. XIII, 18); benevolent: for it is said, the Lord your God will guard faithfully for you the covenant and the mercy that He made an oath on with your fathers.6

Midrash Rabbah - Deuteronomy III:7

7. Another explanation: THAT the Lord your God will guard faithfully for you the covenant and the mercy that He made an oath on with your fathers. R. Simeon b. Halafta said: This may be compared to a king who married a noble lady, who brought with her into the house two gems,7 and the king too had two corresponding gems set for her. The lady lost her gems, whereupon the king took away his. After some time she arose and set herself right with him by bringing back the two gems. Thereupon the king too restored his.

A station of the Israelites in the wilderness. Cf. Num. XXXIII, 13 f Though you benefit materially by its observance 4 He will keep them in store. 5 The Midrash interprets: And He shall give thee the quality of mercy- towards others. 6 Rendered: He shall keep for you the reward for the mercy (or, rather, the benevolence) which you display. 7 Mishnah. Berachoth. VI:8; Er. 14b (where the words is added.
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The king decreed that a crown should be made of both sets of gems and that it should be placed on the head of the noble lady. So you find that Abraham gave his children two gems [to guard], as it is said, For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him... to do righteousness and justice (Gen. XVIII, 19). God too set up corresponding to them two gems, namely, loving-kindness and mercy, as it is said, the Lord your God will guard faithfully for you the covenant and the mercy that He made an oath on with your fathers and it further says, And He will give you mercy, and have compassion upon you (Deut. XIII, I8). Israel lost theirs, as it is said, That you have turned justice into gall, and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood (Amos VI, 12). God thereupon took away His, as it is said, For I have taken away My peace from this people, says the Lord, even mercy and compassion (Jer. XVI, 5). Israel then arose and set themselves right [with God] and restored the two gems. Whence do we know this? For so it is written, Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and they that return of her with righteousness (Isa. I, 27). God too restored His. Whence this? For so it is written, For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord that has compassion on you (ibid. LIV, 10). And after Israel have restored theirs and God has given back His, God will say, Let both pairs be made into a crown and be placed on the head of Israel, as it is said, And I will betroth you unto Me for ever, yea, I will betroth you unto Me in righteousness and in justice, and in loving-kindness, and in compassion. And I will betroth you unto Me in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord (Hosea II, 21).

Midrash Rabbah - Deuteronomy III:8

8. HEAR, O ISRAEL: YOU ARE ABOUT TO CROSS OVER THE JORDAN THIS DAY (IX, 1). Halacha: A Jew who drinks water to sate his thirst recites the benediction, ' Blessed be He by whose word all things exist. R. Tarfon says: He recites, ' He who creates many living beings with their wants.8 The Rabbis say: Come and see how all the miracles which God wrought for Israel He wrought only through water.9 How? While they were still in Egypt He wrought miracles for them through the river. R. Isaac said: The Egyptians and the Israelites went to drink water from the river; the Egyptians drank blood, but the Israelites drank water. And when Israel came out of Egypt He wrought miracles for them only through water. Whence this? For it is said, The sea saw it, and fled (Ps. CXIV, 3). What did it see? R. Nehorai said: It saw the Tetragrammaton engraved upon [Moses] staff and it parted. R. Nehemiah said: It saw, if one may say so, God's hand, and it parted, as it is said, The waters saw You, they were in pain (ibid. LXXVII, 17). After they came out from the sea they arrived at Marah where the waters were bitter, and He wrought for them miracles. Whence this? For it is said, And the Lord showed him a tree, etc. (Ex. XV, 25). At the Rock he wrought miracles for them through water. Whence this? For it is said, And speak unto the rock, etc. (Num. XX, 8). At the Well He wrought miracles for them and they sang a song, as it is said, Then sang Israel (Num. XXI, 17). Moses said to Israel: Know that all the miracles which God wrought for you, He wrought only through water, and also when you pass over the Jordan to take possession of the land God will also work miracles for you through the waters of the Jordan. (Joshua, chapter 3).

Midrash Rabbah - Deuteronomy III:11

11. Another explanation: HEAR, O ISRAEL: YOU ARE ABOUT TO CROSS OVER THE JORDAN THIS DAY (IX, 1).. Moses said to Israel: When you shall have passed the Jordan, a number of things will be different; do not think that it will be just like when you were in the wilderness where I prayed for you whenever you sinned. He further said unto them: Did I not plead in your defense when you did that [unspeakable] act and God desired to destroy you? Whence this? For it is said, And I prayed unto the Lord, and said: Lord God, destroy not Your people, etc. (Deut. IX, 26). R. Hiyya b. Abba said: When God said to Moses in heaven: Arise, go down hastily from here ' (ibid. 12), five angels of destruction overheard this and they sought to harm him. These are they: Af, Hemah,.Kezef,

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The Rabbis therefore instituted a special grace for water

Mashhith, and Mekaleh.10 When, however, Moses made mention of the merits of the three Patriarchs, as it is written, Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel Your servants (Ex. XXXII, 13), Kezef, Mashhith, and Mekaleh fled and only the two fiercer ones, Af and Hemah, were left. Whereupon Moses exclaimed before God: ' Master of the universe, I made mention of the three [Patriarchs] and three [angels] have fled: rise up, also, against Af. Whence this? For it is said, Arise, O Lord, against Your Af (Psalm. VII, 7). Hence the proof that God rose up against Af. And whence do we know that Moses rose up against Hemah? For it is said, Had not Moses His chosen stood before Him in the breach, to turn back His wrath (Hamatho from hemah, `wrath)) lest He should destroy them (Psalm.106: 23). Moses came down from heaven with the Tables in his hand, but he did not break them until he saw with his own eyes what they had done. Whence this? For it is said, And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the Calf (Ex. XXXII, 19). At that moment Moses anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands (ibid.). The Holy One, blessed be He, thereupon said to Moses: You would not believe Me that they had made a Calf unto themselves, as it is said, They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them (ibid. 8). The Rabbis say: From this expression Moses seized a hint how to find some defense for Israel. He said before God: Master of the universe, I have received commands, have I then transgressed any one of them? They have received no commands and therefore they did not know. God thereupon exclaimed: ' Moses, have they not been commanded? ' He replied: No. What did You declare at Sinai?11 Did You not say, " I am the Lord your (plural)God," but I am the Lord Your (singular) God (Ex. XX, 2). Did You not say, " You (plural) shall have no other gods," but You (singular) shall have no other gods (ibid. 3). Hence, O Lord God, destroy not Your people and Your inheritance (Deut. IX, 26). R. Hiyya b. Abba said: Moses left no corner in heaven upon which he did not prostrate himself in prayer.12 And what did he say? What can the closed mouth say?13 Another explanation: O Lord God, destroy not Your people and Your inheritance. R. Hiyya b. Abba said: When the defender [Moses] had finished, the Holy Spirit pleaded on their behalf and spoke thus to Israel: ' Be not a witness against your companion (E.V. "neighbor") without cause, and deceive not with your lips (Proverbs.24: 28). Be not a witness against your companion without cause: this refers to Israel who are called Companions of God, as it is said, For my brethren and companions sake, etc. (Ps.122:8). And deceive not : [this refers also to Israel] of whom it is written, But they deceived Him with their mouth (Psalm 78:36). Although you declared at Sinai, We will do, and obey, yet you did not fulfill this. To God [the Holy Spirit] said: ' Say not: I will do so to him as he has done to me (Proverbs 24:29), but "O Lord God, O Lord God, destroy not Your people and Your inheritance". Therefore, when they came to pass over the Jordan, Moses reminded them of every plea that he had made on their behalf, because he thought that they would pray on his behalf that he should enter the land with them. What is the force of HEAR, O ISRAEL: YOU ARE ABOUT TO CROSS OVER THE JORDAN THIS DAY (IX, 1).? R. Tanhumah said: Moses prostrated himself before Israel and said to them: You are to pass over, but not I, and he gave them the opportunity to pray for him, but they did not grasp it. This can be compared to a king who had many children by a noble lady. The lady was undutiful to him and he resolved to dismiss her. He said to her: ' Know that I am going to marry another wife. She replied: Yes, but will you not tell me whom it is that you intend to marry. He replied: So-and-so. What did the noble lady do? She summoned her children and said to them: Know that your father intends to divorce me and to marry So-and-so; could you bear being subjected to her? They replied: Yes. She then said to them: Know what she will do to you. She thought that perhaps they would understand what she meant and would intercede with their father on her behalf, but they did not understand. As they did not understand, she said: I will command you only for your own sake, be mindful of the honor of your father.

Lit., Anger, Fury, Wrath, Destroyer, and Devourer Cf. Ex. R. XLIII, 5; the singular form implies that the commands were spoken to Moses only. 12 I.e. he used every conceivable argument ( E.J.). 13 Moses felt himself incapable of further prayer. The present reading may be retained rendering: What can a mouth even gifted with understanding say further?
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So it was with Moses. When God said to him: 'Take Joshua the son of Nun, etc. (Numbers 27:18); For you shall not go over this Jordan (Deuteronomy 3:27), Moses said to Israel, And it shall come to pass, when the Lord your God shall bring you into the land which you will possess it (ibid.11:29); he stressed [the words], HEAR, O ISRAEL: YOU ARE ABOUT TO CROSS OVER THE JORDAN THIS DAY (IX, 1). not I, [He thought] that perhaps Israel would understand. As they did not understand, he said: I will command you only for your own sakes, be mindful of the honor of your Father in heaven. Whence do we know this? For it is said, That you, your children, and your childrens children might fear the Lord your God and follow, as long as you live, all His laws and commandments that I enjoin upon you, to the end that you may long endure. (ibid.6:2). God said: ' In this world all yearn for Eretz Israel, and because of your sin you have been exiled from it. But in the time to come, when you will be free from sin and iniquity, I will plant you therein to flourish as an undisturbed plant. Whence this? For it is said, And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land (Amos IX, 15).

Midrash Rabbah - Deuteronomy III:12

12. AT THAT TIME THE LORD SAID UNTO ME: CARVE OUT TWO TABLETS OF STONE LIKE THE FIRST, AND COME UP TO ME ON THE MOUNTAIN; AND MAKE AN ARK OF WOOD (X, 1). Halacha: When a Jew betroths a woman, who has to pay for the writing of the document of betrothal? Our Rabbis have learnt thus: Documents of betrothal and marriage14 are written only with the consent of the two parties, and the bridegroom pays the fee. And this we learn from God from His betrothal of Israel at Sinai, as it is written, And the Lord said unto Moses: Go unto the people and betroth15 them to-day and to-morrow (Exodus 19:10). And who wrote this document? Moses. Whence do we know this? For it is said, And Moses wrote this law (Deut. XXXI, 9). And what reward did God give him? A lustrous countenance, as it is written, That Moses knew not that the skin of his face sent forth beams (Ex. XXXIV, 29). To what time does While He talked with him (ibid.) refer?16 Resh Lakish said: When Moses wrote the law he acquired a lustrous appearance. How [did this come about]? Resh Lakish said: The scroll that was given to Moses was made of a parchment of white fire, and was written upon with black fire and sealed with fire and was swathed with bands of fire, and whilst he was writing it he dried his pen on his hair, and as a result he acquired a lustrous appearance. R. Samuel b. Nahman said: Moses acquired a lustrous appearance from the Tablets; whilst the Tablets were being passed to him from [God's] hands to his own hands he acquired a lustrous appearance. When Israel did that deed of shame [the Golden Calf] he took hold of the Tablets and broke them. Whereupon God said to him: ' When you arranged [the Tablets] for Israel I gave you as your reward a shining face, and now you have broken them. R. Isaac said: Our Rabbis have learnt: When a cask is broken [before delivery to the buyer] it is the middleman who bears the loss. God said to Moses: ' You were the intermediary between Me and My children; you broke the Tablets, and you must replace them. Whence this? For so it is written, And the Lord said unto Moses: Carve out two tablets of stone like the first; and I will write upon the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which you did break. And be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning unto the Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to Me on the top of the mount. And no man shall come up with you, neither let any man be seen throughout all the mount; neither let the flocks nor herds feed before that mount (Exodus 34: 1 ff).

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) In former times marriage was divided into two stages- [1] Erusin or Betrothal. This was a proper marriage, in so far as the woman would henceforth not be free to marry another unless she were divorced. Yet cohabitation was forbidden until Nesu'in or ' Marriage , i.e. taking home the bride. A considerable interval might elapse between the two. Nowadays they are combined. 15 The Midrash takes the M.T in the later, technical sense of writing the betrothal document. E.V. sanctify. 16 God spoke many times to Moses. What was the first time at which his face sent forth beams? 5