15Behold, I have set before you today life and good on the one hand and death and evil on the other, |
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טורְאֵ֨ה נָתַ֤תִּי לְפָנֶ֨יךָ֙ הַיּ֔וֹם אֶת־הַֽחַיִּ֖ים וְאֶת־הַטּ֑וֹב וְאֶת־הַמָּ֖וֶת וְאֶת־הָרָֽע: |
אֶת־הַֽחַיִּים וְאֶת־הַטּוֹב - Life and good. One is dependent on the other: If you do good, you will have life, but if you do evil, you will have death. Scripture continues to explain how: |
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אֶת־הַֽחַיִּים וְאֶת־הַטּוֹב.
זֶה תָּלוּי בָּזֶה — אִם תַּעֲשֶׂה טוֹב הֲרֵי לְךָ חַיִּים, וְאִם תַּעֲשֶׂה רַע הֲרֵי לְךָ הַמָּוֶת, וְהַכָּתוּב מְפָרֵשׁ וְהוֹלֵךְ הֵיאַךְ:
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16inasmuch as I command you today to love God, your God, to walk in His ways, and to safeguard His commandments, rules, and ordinances, so that you live and increase in number, and God, your God, bless you in the land that you are entering in order to possess. |
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טזאֲשֶׁ֨ר אָֽנֹכִ֣י מְצַוְּךָ֘ הַיּוֹם֒ לְאַֽהֲבָ֞ה אֶת־יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ לָלֶ֣כֶת בִּדְרָכָ֔יו וְלִשְׁמֹ֛ר מִצְוֹתָ֥יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֖יו וּמִשְׁפָּטָ֑יו וְחָיִ֣יתָ וְרָבִ֔יתָ וּבֵֽרַכְךָ֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בָּאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה בָא־שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ: |
אֲשֶׁר אָֽנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם לְאַֽהֲבָה - Inasmuch as I command you today to love… This being “good,” and upon it depends – |
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אֲשֶׁר אָֽנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם לְאַֽהֲבָה.
הֲרֵי הַטּוֹב, וּבוֹ תָלוּי:
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וְחָיִיתָ וְרָבִיתָ - So that you live and increase - this being “life.” |
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וְחָיִיתָ וְרָבִיתָ.
הֲרֵי הַחַיִּים:
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17But if your heart deviates from this path and you do not listen, and are drawn astray, prostrating yourself to other peoples’ deities and serving them, |
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יזוְאִם־יִפְנֶ֥ה לְבָֽבְךָ֖ וְלֹ֣א תִשְׁמָ֑ע וְנִדַּחְתָּ֗ וְהִשְׁתַּֽחֲוִ֛יתָ לֵֽאלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִ֖ים וַֽעֲבַדְתָּֽם: |
וְאִם־יִפְנֶה לְבָֽבְךָ - But if your heart deviates - this being “evil.” |
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וְאִם־יִפְנֶה לְבָֽבְךָ.
הֲרֵי הָרָע:
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18I declare to you this day that you will certainly perish. You will not endure in the land that you are crossing the Jordan River in order to enter and possess. |
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יחהִגַּ֤דְתִּי לָכֶם֙ הַיּ֔וֹם כִּ֥י אָבֹ֖ד תֹּאבֵד֑וּן לֹא־תַֽאֲרִיכֻ֤ן יָמִים֙ עַל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אַתָּ֤ה עֹבֵר֙ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן לָב֥וֹא שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ: |
כִּי אָבֹד תֹּאבֵדוּן - That you will certainly perish - this being “death.” |
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כִּי אָבֹד תֹּאבֵדוּן.
הֲרֵי הַמָּוֶת:
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19I invoke heaven and earth today as witnesses for you. I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. You should choose life, in order that you and your offspring will live, |
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יטהַֽעִדֹ֨תִי בָכֶ֣ם הַיּוֹם֘ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֒רֶץ֒ הַֽחַיִּ֤ים וְהַמָּ֨וֶת֙ נָתַ֣תִּי לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הַבְּרָכָ֖ה וְהַקְּלָלָ֑ה וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙ בַּֽחַיִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן תִּֽחְיֶ֖ה אַתָּ֥ה וְזַרְעֶֽךָ: |
הַֽעִדֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ - I invoke heaven and earth today as witnesses for you - as they exist forever, and when the evil befalls you, they will be witnesses that I warned you about all this. Another explanation of הַעִדֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וגו׳: – The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: Look at heaven, which I created to serve you. Did it ever stray from its function? Did the sun ever fail to rise from the east to illuminate the world, as it says: “the sun rises and the sun sets”? Look, furthermore, at the earth, which I created to serve you. Did it ever stray from its function? Did you ever sow seeds that did not sprout? Did you ever sow wheat and it produced barley? If these creations, which were created neither to receive reward for obedience nor to suffer loss for disobedience – for if they achieve their mission they receive no reward and if they fail to do so they receive no punishment – do not stray from their function, all the more so should you, who receive reward if you are worthy and receive punishment if you sin, remain true to your obligation. |
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הַֽעִדֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם אֶת־הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת־הָאָרֶץ.
שֶׁהֵם קַיָּמִים לְעוֹלָם, וְכַאֲשֶׁר תִּקְרֶה אֶתְכֶם הָרָעָה יִהְיוּ עֵדִים שֶׁאֲנִי הִתְרֵיתִי בָכֶם בְּכָל זֹאת; דָּבָר אַחֵר — העדתי בכם היום את השמים וגו', אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הִסְתַּכְּלוּ בַשָּׁמַיִם שֶׁבָּרָאתִי לְשַׁמֵּשׁ אֶתְכֶם, שֶׁמָּא שִׁנּוּ אֶת מִדָּתָם? שֶׁמָּא לֹא עָלָה גַּלְגַּל חַמָּה מִן הַמִּזְרָח וְהֵאִיר לְכָל הָעוֹלָם כָּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (קהלת א') "וְזָרַח הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וּבָא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ"? הִסְתַּכְּלוּ בָאָרֶץ שֶׁבָּרָאתִי לְשַׁמֵּשׁ אֶתְכֶם, שֶׁמָּא שִׁנְּתָה מִדָּתָהּ? שֶׁמָּא זְרַעְתֶּם אוֹתָהּ וְלֹא צָמְחָה אוֹ שֶׁמָּא זְרַעְתֶּם חִטִּים וְהֶעֶלְתָה שְׂעוֹרִים? וּמָה אֵלּוּ שֶׁנַּעֲשׂוּ לֹא לְשָׂכָר וְלֹא לְהֶפְסֵד, אִם זוֹכִין אֵין מְקַבְּלִין שָׂכָר וְאִם חוֹטְאִין אֵין מְקַבְּלִין פֻּרְעָנוּת, לֹא שִׁנּוּ אֶת מִדָּתָם, אַתֶּם שֶׁאִם זְכִיתֶם תְּקַבְּלוּ שָׂכָר וְאִם חֲטָאתֶם תְּקַבְּלוּ פֻּרְעָנוּת, עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה (ספרי דברים ל"ב):
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וּבָֽחַרְתָּ בַּֽחַיִּים - You should choose life. I instruct you to choose the portion of life, like a person says to his son, “Choose yourself a superior portion of my property!” and then directs him to the superior portion, saying to him, “Select this for yourself.” About this situation, it says: “God is my allotted portion and my cup. You support my lot,” i.e., by giving us the Torah, You placed my hand on the good lot, saying: “Take this one for yourself.” |
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וּבָֽחַרְתָּ בַּֽחַיִּים.
אֲנִי מוֹרֶה לָכֶם שֶׁתִּבְחֲרוּ בְּחֵלֶק הַחַיִּים, כְּאָדָם הָאוֹמֵר לִבְנוֹ, בְּחַר לְךָ חֵלֶק יָפֶה בְנַחֲלָתִי, וּמַעֲמִידוֹ עַל חֵלֶק הַיָּפֶה וְאוֹמֵר לוֹ אֶת זֶה בְּרֹר לְךָ, וְעַל זֶה נֶאֱמַר (תהילים ט"ז) "ה' מְנָת חֶלְקִי וְכוֹסִי אַתָּה תּוֹמִיךְ גּוֹרָלִי" — הִנַּחְתָּ יָדִי עַל גּוֹרָל הַטּוֹב לוֹמַר אֶת זֶה קַח לְךָ:
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20to love God, your God, to obey Him, and to cleave to Him, for He is your source of life and the source of your length of days, and He enables you to dwell in the land that God swore to your forefathers—to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—that He would give them.” |
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כלְאַֽהֲבָה֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֥עַ בְּקֹל֖וֹ וּלְדָבְקָה־ב֑וֹ כִּ֣י ה֤וּא חַיֶּ֨יךָ֙ וְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמֶ֔יךָ לָשֶׁ֣בֶת עַל־הָֽאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁר֩ נִשְׁבַּ֨ע יְהֹוָ֧ה לַֽאֲבֹתֶ֛יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֛ם לְיִצְחָ֥ק וּלְיַֽעֲקֹ֖ב לָתֵ֥ת לָהֶֽם: |