Rashi Studies (Advanced)
Tribal Quirks

Cursed be the man who makes a graven or molten image—an abomination to G‑d—the handiwork of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret!" Then all the people should respond, and say, "Amen!" …

-- Devarim 27:15

Classic Questions

Why are eleven curses mentioned here? (v. 15-25)

Rashi: I saw in the treatise of Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan that there are eleven curses here, corresponding to eleven of the [twelve] tribes. But in connection with Shimon, [Moshe] did not write "Cursed be the man...," because he did not have it in his heart to bless him before his passing, when he blessed the other tribes. Therefore, he did not wish to curse him (Rashi on v. 24).

Rashbam: The sins listed here are things done in private. Two sins —idol worship (v. 15) and hurting one's fellow (v. 24)—are sometimes done in public too, so in these cases the Torah adds: "...in secret."

The Rebbe's Teachings

The Eleven Curses (v. 15-25)

What is the reason why these eleven specific sins in verses 15-25 were singled out to be the subject of the curses? The vast majority of the topics chosen here are not of a general nature, which begs the question: Why they were singled out in particular?

Since Rashi does not appear to address this question, which requires explanation at the literal level, we can assume that Rashi felt that the reader could work the matter out for himself with simple logic and knowledge of Rashi's previous comments.

The Explanation

Rashi explains that the eleven curses listed here correspond to eleven of the twelve tribes (with the exclusion of Shimon). At first glance, Rashi appears to be indicating only why the number eleven was chosen, and not offering any explanation about the content of the curses.

In fact, however, Rashi is also indicating the solution to our above problem: The reason why these eleven sins were picked is because each sin has a connection with one of the tribes. Rashi does not explain the matter any further, since he has already provided sufficient information in his prior comments:

1. "Cursed be the man who makes a graven or molten image..." (v. 15). Which tribe is associated in particular with idol worship? In Parshas Lech Lecha, on the verse, "Avraham...pursued them as far as Dan" (Bereishis 14:14), Rashi writes: "There he became weak, seeing prophet­ically that his children were destined to erect a [golden] calf there." Thus the tribe of Dan is associated with "a graven or molten image."
   
   
2. "Cursed be the one who disgraces his father and mother!" (v. 16). In Parshas Ki Seitzei the reader learned of the rebellious son who disgraces his parents by being "a binger and a boozer" (Devarim 21:20), indicating that the child's rebellion arose from physical luxuries. Which tribe was blessed with the greatest abundance of luxuries? "From Asher['s land] will come rich food, and he will provide royal delicacies"(Bereishis 49:20). Therefore, the tribe of Asher needed to be warned especially about honoring parents.
   
   
3. "Cursed be the one who moves his neighbor's landmark!" (v. 17). Who would be suspected of moving landmarks? One who is frequently found at the borders. Thus, this is a warning addressed to the tribe of Yissachar, who were "[Like a donkey that journeys day and night,] resting [temporarily] between the city borders" (ibid. 49:14).
   
   
4. "Cursed be the one who misdirects the path of a person who is blind [to a certain matter]!" (v. 18). In Parshas Pinchas, Rashi relates that there was a plot by a group of seven families to return to Egypt. Of these seven, five families belonged to the tribe of Binyamin (Rashi on Bamidbar 26:13). Here we see that the tribe of Binyamin in particular needed to be warned about misleading others.
   
   
5. "Cursed be the one who perverts the judgment of the convert, the orphan, or the widow!" (v. 19). This is addressed to the tribe of Yehudah, who provided the vast majority of judges for the Jewish people.
   
   
6. "Cursed be the one who lies with his father's wife, uncovering the robe of his father!" (v. 20). This is addressed to the tribe of Re'uvain, who sinned by moving his father's bed: "You interfered with your father's bed" (Bereishis 49:4).
   
   
7. "Cursed be the one who lies with any animal!" (v. 21). This is addressed to the tribe who possessed a large number of animals. This could be either Re'uvain or Gad (see Bamidbar 32:1), and since the previous curse was addressed to the tribe of Re'uvain, it follows that this one corresponds to the tribe of Gad.
   
   
8. "Cursed be the one who lies with his sister..." (v. 22). This is addressed to the tribe of Naftali, as indicated by the verse said upon Naftali's birth, "I have become connected with my sister" (Rashi, Bereishis 30:8).
   
   
9. "Cursed be the one who lies with his mother-in-law!" (v. 23). This is addressed to the tribe of Yosef, since the wife of Potifar (who later became Yosef's mother-in-law) attempted to lie with him (Bereishis 39:7ff.; ibid 41:45 and Rashi).
   
   
10. "Cursed be the one who hurts his fellow [by maligning him] in secret!" (v. 24). This refers to Shimon and Levi, who misused their powers of speech (see Bereishis 49:5). And since Rashi writes that there is no curse corresponding to Shimon, it follows that this must be addressed to the tribe of Levi.
    
    
11. "Cursed be the one who takes a bribe to put an innocent person to death!" (v. 25). Such an act is most likely to be done by a businessman. Thus this is addressed to the tribe of Zevulun, who were businessmen (See Rashi on Bereishis 49:13).

Here we see, once again, how Rashi's commentary is a comprehensive study of scripture at the literal level, which is neither lacking in necessary information, nor superfluous in any detail.

(Based on Sichas Shabbos Parshas Ki Savo 5733)