Likkutei Sichos Vol. 14 – Ki Savo 2
1. At the conclusion of the parsha, it is stated: "And Moses called to all Israel and said to them, 'You have seen... the great trials... Yet G‑d has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear until this day.'" Rashi quotes from the verse, "Yet G‑d has not given you a heart to know," and explains: "to recognize the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He, and to cleave to Him."
We need to understand:
a) From where does Rashi derive that "to know" encompasses two aspects: 1) to recognize the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He, and 2) to cleave to Him?
b) Why does Rashi also quote the words "Yet G‑d has not given you"? After all, he only explains "a heart to know" — to recognize the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He, etc.
c) Regarding the phrase "Yet G‑d has not given... to know," it seems to refer to the previously mentioned "the great trials... the signs and wonders." If so, why does Rashi refer to them as "the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He"? After all, "miracle" and "kindness" are two different concepts, as there is kindness that is not in the form of a miracle, and not every miracle is for the sake of kindness.
2. Rashi then quotes the words "until this day" and explains: I heard that on that day Moses gave the Torah scroll to the sons of Levi, as it is written in Parshas Vayelech, "And he gave it to the priests, the sons of Levi." All of Israel came before Moses and said to him, "Moses, our teacher, we too stood at Sinai and received the Torah, and it was given to us. Why do you give authority over it to the sons of your tribe?"
And they said to us, "Tomorrow it will not be yours; it was given to us." Moses rejoiced over this matter, and because of this, he said to them, "This day you have become a people... This day I understood that you are cleaving and desiring G‑d."
We need to understand: The expression "until this day" is already found several times in the Torah: "Therefore the name of the city is Be'er Sheva until this day"; "Therefore the children of Israel do not eat the sinew of the thigh... until this day"; and similarly, at the end of the Torah, it is stated, "No one knows his burial place until this day" — and in all these cases, "until" includes "this day." Why does Rashi here interpret it as "until" but not including "this day," because "this day I understood that you are cleaving and desiring G‑d"?
Especially since Rashi prefaces and emphasizes that this explanation is only "I heard," meaning he did not find this in the words of our Sages but heard it from his teachers, etc.
3. Later in the continuation of the parsha, it is stated: "And I led you forty years... your garments did not wear out... you did not eat bread... and you came to this place, and Sihon went out... and we struck them and took their land... and you shall keep the words of this covenant..."
Rashi quotes from the verse, "and you came to this place," and explains: "Now you see yourselves in greatness and honor; do not kick against the place, and let not your heart become haughty, and you shall keep the words of this covenant."
We need to understand:
a) What is difficult about "and you came to this place" that Rashi seeks to resolve with his explanation "now you see yourselves, etc."?
b) On the other hand: In all the preceding verses, miracles that occurred to the children of Israel are discussed; and similarly, in this very verse, it continues with the miraculous victory in the war against Sihon and Og — how is it possible that together with the mention of the miracles they witnessed, the verse describes them in a state that requires warning, "do not kick against the place, etc."?
c) Why is it only "now you see yourselves in greatness and honor, etc." more than at any other time during their stay in the desert?
d) What are the two matters of "greatness and honor"?
4. Rashi then continues and explains: a) What is stated three verses earlier (and which he already explained there, adding here): "Another explanation: And G‑d did not give you a heart to know — a person does not grasp the full understanding of his teacher's wisdom until forty years, and therefore G‑d did not hold you accountable until this day, but from now on He will hold you accountable, and therefore you shall keep the words of this covenant..."
b) It is known that when Rashi provides two explanations on one verse, it is because each has a difficulty not present in the other, but the first is primary and closer to the simple meaning of the verse. In our case (in the explanation "And G‑d did not give... to know"): What is the difficulty in each of the two explanations, and why is the first closer to the simple meaning of the verse than the second?
c) In both explanations on the phrase "and you came," Rashi concludes with the words of the verse at the end of the parsha, "and you shall keep the words of the covenant," but in the second explanation, he adds "etc." — what is the reason for this change?
5. The explanation of all this:
The ultimate purpose of the words of this parsha is explicitly stated at its conclusion: "And you shall keep the words of this covenant and do them, so that you may prosper in all that you do," meaning they are words of rebuke and warning to strengthen the children of Israel in the observance of the Torah and mitzvos.
Since we find earlier in the Torah that Moses rebuked them many times — and yet here it begins with "And Moses called all of Israel and said to them," starting with what happened while they were still in Egypt, etc. — it must be said that this rebuke contains a significant novelty not present in the previous ones.
This is the foundation for Rashi's explanations in this parsha:
Rashi quotes the words "And G‑d did not give you (a heart to know)" — which are seemingly not understood at all in the simple meaning of the verse: How is it possible that the children of Israel did not have "a heart to know" the miracles of G‑d — after all, it is explicitly stated in the verses that the children of Israel acknowledged the miracles performed for them, through which they believed in G‑d, sang songs, etc.? To the extent that people from the children of Israel who could not perform the Passover — a remembrance of the Exodus — argued, "Why should we be deprived?"
Therefore, Rashi explains "to recognize the kindnesses of G‑d," to emphasize that this "did not give... to know" is not regarding what was stated earlier ("the great trials, etc."), but continues with what is written later, "And I led you forty years... your garments did not wear out... bread, etc.," which are the kindnesses of G‑d (even though they were also miraculous).
The explanation: A miracle is an event that deviates from the natural order, beyond nature and the ordinary, but when a certain miraculous conduct continues for a long time and a person becomes accustomed to it, it is no longer felt as a miraculous matter, but as something natural, and by habit, it becomes nature. Similarly, in this case, since it continued "forty years" — what was felt and revealed to everyone was (only this) that they were "the kindnesses of G‑d."
5. Rashi adds, "and to cleave to Him" — this explains the novelty in this admonition: the recognition of the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He, should specifically lead to "cleaving to Him."
A miracle induces awe (whether simple awe or awe of exaltedness), faith (that He is omnipotent), and similar feelings. However, kindness (influence, closeness, love) induces closeness. And if these are the kindnesses (in the plural) of the Holy One, blessed be He (of the greatest magnitude) — then it is the greatest closeness — cleaving.
And since "the L‑rd has not given you a heart to know — to recognize the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He," and consequently, the "cleaving to Him" is also lacking, therefore, they need to be warned, "and you shall observe the words of this covenant."
6. However, according to this, that the meaning of "and the L‑rd has not given, etc." is "to recognize the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He (and thereby) to cleave to Him" — it is no longer possible to interpret "until this day" as including "this day" (that even "this day" they did not recognize, etc., and did not cleave, etc.), for it is explicitly stated earlier, "But you who cleave to the L‑rd your G‑d are alive, all of you, this day."
Although it can be forced to say that even though the wording in the verse is "cleave" in general — it comes in continuation to what is adjacent to it, as is evident from what is written, "But you" (with a vav) "the man who followed Baal Peor," whereas you are the opposite of this and from one extreme to the other: 1) did not follow, etc., 2) follow the L‑rd, 3) moreover, "cleave" to the L‑rd —
And still, this does not include the fulfillment of mitzvos, etc.
And above this is the level of cleaving to Him, "cleave to the disciples and sages, and I will consider it as if you cleaved to Him," etc. Another level of cleaving that is mentioned in Rashi here, which comes through the recognition of great kindnesses (similar to the matter of the first fruits, which declares that one is not ungrateful).
And up to the level of "and to Him you shall cleave," which comes after "after the L‑rd your G‑d you shall walk... and His commandments you shall keep and His voice you shall obey and Him you shall serve."
Therefore, Rashi explains that the intention of the verse is: on the contrary, "this day" they began to recognize the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He. But according to this, the question arises: what novelty did Moses see "this day" that he did not see before? Therefore, Rashi explains, "I heard that on that day, etc."
And the explanation of this (and according to it, the above-mentioned precisions in section 2 will also be understood):
The reason that the Torah scroll was given to the children of Levi, and not to all of Israel, is understood simply: the children of Levi were separated from all of Israel to serve in holiness, it was said to them that they would not have a portion and inheritance in the land, and they are the legion of the King (the Holy One, blessed be He), etc. — and therefore they are the legion that will protect the observance of His Torah, and therefore they will also teach the children of Israel Torah, etc.;
And it is explicitly stated in the verses that Rashi cites here — that the Torah scroll was given to the Levites, the bearers of the Ark of the Covenant of the L‑rd — and the argument is only "why do you impose your tribe upon it, etc.": it is true that the children of Levi are the ones who teach the Torah to the children of Israel, and in this, they "rule" over the children of Israel, but "why do you, etc., impose upon it" — upon the Torah.
And the practical difference and concern in this is that "they will say to us tomorrow, it was not given to you, etc.": after entering the land and beginning the distribution of the "portion and inheritance" and afterwards in the work of the land, etc., then "the children of Levi will say to us, 'it was not given to you' — even though you have a connection to the Torah and are obligated in Torah and mitzvos, nevertheless, it was not given to you (and therefore you do not rule over it — since we rule over it, it is proof that) it was given to us.
And the response to this claim is "we too stood at Sinai — beginning from the first of Sivan — and (afterwards in the declaration 'all that the L‑rd has spoken we will do,' which came in response to 'and now, if you will accept upon yourselves, etc.') we received the Torah" and afterwards "it was given to us."
And when Moses heard these words, "he rejoiced, etc., and said, this day I understood that you...
6. "Cling and desire to be with the Omnipresent": Not only do the Israelites thank the Holy One, blessed be He, for His miracles, etc., as mentioned earlier, but they also recognize the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He, and therefore "cling and desire to be with the Omnipresent."
7. In continuation of this, Rashi quotes "And you came to this place" and explains "Now you see yourselves, etc.":
The explanation: Seemingly, the words "And you came to this place" are superfluous. If the intention of the verse is to continue the narrative of the miracles of the Holy One, blessed be He — the victory over Sihon and Og, which is immediately detailed — why precede it with "And you came to this place"?
What compels Rashi to interpret that the intention of the verse is (not to continue the narrative of the miracles, but rather) to begin a new matter — an explanation of why Moses needed to warn the children of Israel now to cling to the Omnipresent:
Until now, the children of Israel were dependent on the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He, day by day (and the manna did not remain for the next day), and there was not much reason for them to rebel against the Omnipresent, etc.; but when "And you came to this place" — the edge and end of their time in the desert and entering a settled land — where there would no longer be a need for manna, etc. — "Now you see yourselves in greatness and honor," and therefore there is a concern that over time, as the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He, would not be as apparent and the children of Israel would engage in livelihood matters in a natural way, gathering your grain, wine, and oil, "you will rebel against the Omnipresent and your heart will be lifted," as explained in the verse earlier "And your heart will be lifted, and you will forget, etc., and you will say, etc., 'My strength and the might of my hand have made me this wealth.'"
[Rashi specifies "greatness and honor" to emphasize the concern that their hearts will be lifted: Greatness pertains even to a person himself, who considers himself significant; "honor" is what others consider and respect him. This is the doubling of "greatness and honor": not only do they see themselves in greatness (which might be diminished upon entering a settled land among the nations, as "you are the fewest of all peoples"), but they also had "honor" from the surrounding nations.]
Therefore, when they came "to this place" and began a natural conduct, there is a particular need to warn "and you shall keep the words of this covenant."
8. But it is difficult: After "And you came to this place," it immediately says "And Sihon went out, etc.," the narrative of the war with Sihon and Og — a narrative of a miracle (and also a kindness) that occurred to the children of Israel, in continuation of the miracles and kindnesses previously mentioned. How is it fitting to interrupt before this narrative with "And you came to this place," which comes to emphasize the end of the previous period and the beginning of their coming to a settled land and natural conduct?
The explanation is: According to this, the intention here in the narrative of the war with Sihon and Og is not to emphasize the miracle involved, but on the contrary — something in which the Israelites could see themselves in greatness and honor — the conquest of the land of Sihon and Og, which was (as the continuation of the verse states) "as an inheritance for the Reubenites, etc."
Based on this, we can understand the change in the narrative of this war in our parsha compared to the narrative of this same war earlier in the parsha of Devarim (and similarly in the Prophets): There, the verse emphasizes "And the L‑rd our G‑d delivered him before us, and we smote him, etc.," and "And the L‑rd our G‑d delivered him into our hands, etc., and we smote him" — emphasizing that the victory was from the L‑rd. However, here the verse states "And we took, etc." without mentioning that it was from the L‑rd. As mentioned above: Here, the intention of the verse is to emphasize the possibility that the Israelites would see themselves in greatness and honor — "My strength and the might of my hand" — and "we took, etc."
9. And yet it is difficult:
a) In the explanation "And the L‑rd did not give you a heart to know — to recognize the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He, etc.": From the wording of the verse "And the L‑rd did not give you, etc." it implies that the hindrance in this was (not from the Israelites, but) from the Holy One, blessed be He.
2. Regarding the explanation "until this day" — it refers to the day when Moses gave the Torah scroll, etc.:
(a) According to this, the phrase "until" means "up to but not including" — unlike its usual meaning.
(b) Based on this, the giving of the Torah scroll to the priests, etc., mentioned in the parsha of Vayelech, occurred before what is stated in our parsha, "And Moses spoke, etc., this day you have become a people, etc."
3. "And you came to this place — now you see yourselves in greatness, etc."; if the intention of the verse is to indicate a change in their status upon arriving at a settled place and beginning a natural way of life (to the extent that there is a concern they might rebel, etc.), why mention the story of the war with Sihon and Og, which was an open miracle — as explicitly stated earlier in the verses at the end of the parsha of Chukat? It should have only stated "And you came to this place" (a settled place), and therefore it is necessary to warn them "And you shall observe, etc."?
Therefore, only after we have learned the explanation of "And you came, etc." does the previous explanation of "And the L‑rd did not give you a heart to know" become difficult. It must be said: "Another explanation: 'And the L‑rd did not give you a heart to know' — a person does not stand, etc., until forty years, and therefore the Omnipresent did not hold you accountable until this day, but from now on He will hold you accountable, therefore 'And you shall observe the words of this covenant, etc.'"
According to this explanation, all the difficulties in the first explanation are resolved:
(a) "And the L‑rd did not give, etc." — because G‑d created man and gave him a heart, etc., in a manner that he does not stand, etc., until forty years.
(b) "This day" was within and the conclusion of the forty years, and therefore they did not have "a heart to know." The explanation of "until this day" is up to and including, as in many places, and He does not hold them accountable — but "from now on He will hold them accountable."
(c) The story of the war with Sihon and Og follows the miracles mentioned in the previous verses.
And now that you have a heart to know, etc., you must contemplate all these miracles, and therefore "And you shall observe the words of this covenant, etc."
10. Based on this, it is understood why in this explanation Rashi adds "etc." whereas in the first explanation he does not: According to the first explanation, Moses' warning was to negate the possibility that they might rebel, etc., and for this, the details in the verse "And you shall observe" are not so relevant, only the general point "And you shall observe the words of this covenant" — the opposite of rebelling, etc.; but according to the second explanation, Moses' warning comes because from now on they have reached the understanding of their teacher and the wisdom of his teachings — now He will hold them accountable, and therefore "And you shall observe, etc." (and do — since they know the understanding of their teacher — they will act wisely in all that they do — since they know the wisdom of his teachings).
However, according to the second explanation, it is difficult what is stated "And you came to this place": (a) These words are entirely superfluous, for the change "from now on" is not dependent on their coming to "this place," but rather on the time of forty years. (b) Why interrupt with "And you came, etc." between the previous miracles and the miracle of the war with Sihon and Og?
Therefore, Rashi brings this explanation only as the second one, while the first is the primary and closer to the simple meaning of the verse.
11. The wine of Torah in Rashi's commentary:
The first explanation clarifies the necessity to recognize the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He, as mentioned above, even in miracles that have become accustomed to and have become like nature, and specifically through this recognition one comes to cleave to the Holy One, blessed be He. Based on this, Rashi's precision in saying "the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He" (and not the name of the L‑rd mentioned in the verse) is understood: the L‑rd…
12. The term "the L‑rd" indicates His G‑dliness, which is beyond nature, existing past, present, and future simultaneously. "The Holy One, blessed be He" means "the Holy" — that which is sacred and separate from the worlds, and "blessed" (from the term drawing down) — drawn down below within the worlds. This refers to the kindnesses and miracles of the L‑rd as they manifest within the conduct and nature of the world.
Similarly, in the conclusion of the subsequent statement, "I understood that you desire and cleave to the Omnipresent": the children of Israel had a recognition of His G‑dliness even as it is drawn into the "place" of the world, the L‑rd within the natural order, and it was decreed upon them that they should "desire and cleave to the Omnipresent."
However, as long as the Israelites were in the desert, there was not much opportunity for the trial and lack of recognition of the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He. But upon their entry into the land — a settled land, with the cessation of the manna, etc., and they began the conquest of the land and engagement in worldly matters in general through natural means, it was possible that they might rebel against the Omnipresent, etc. Therefore, Moses warned, "And you shall keep the words of this covenant": despite the concealment and hiding within the natural order, etc., one must keep the covenant, which is the service of accepting the yoke.
Yet, it is still difficult: since the world was created in such a way that the concealment and hiding of nature obscure the revelation of His G‑dliness, how can people overcome this?
To this, Rashi continues in his second explanation, "A person does not fully grasp his teacher's understanding, etc., from here on, etc.": At the end of forty years, before they entered the land, there was an addition in the children of Israel that they would grasp the full understanding of their teacher, etc., and through this, there was also an increase in their strength in their service — "a heart to know, etc." through which "you will act wisely in all that you do" — the depth of comprehension in His G‑dliness (and since it says all — perhaps it can be said that they will understand to the extent that they can grasp even the details of the mitzvos) and until — "all your deeds for the sake of Heaven."
This is the connection between the two explanations in Rashi: the granting of the power to break the concealment and hiding until recognizing the kindnesses of the Holy One, blessed be He, even within the natural order, is through the additional light — knowledge and wisdom, etc. — that was drawn to Israel at the end of the forty years when they then grasped "the full understanding, etc., and the wisdom of his teachings."
On the other hand, for the comprehension to be as it should, there must be the preface of accepting the yoke (emphasized in the first explanation) — "And you shall keep the words of this covenant," that even in a situation where it is necessary to negate "that they should not rebel against the Omnipresent, etc.," nevertheless, due to accepting the yoke — one keeps the words of the covenant.
12. Another aspect in the wine of Torah:
In his commentary on the Torah, Rashi writes "A person does not fully grasp his teacher's understanding and the wisdom of his teachings," whereas in his commentary on the Talmud, he writes "the full understanding and his insight" — and it needs to be understood the reason for the change, and also: the hint in the verse to all these details?
13. The explanation of this is as follows: "A heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear" correspond to the three intellectual faculties of Chochmah, Binah, and Daas. "To see" refers to the faculty of Chochmah, which involves the vision of the intellect. "To hear" refers to the faculty of Binah, as hearing is associated with understanding. "To know" refers to the faculty of Daas.
In this context, Rashi writes in his commentary on the Torah, "the full understanding and the wisdom of his teachings": "the full understanding" corresponds to Daas, "wisdom" corresponds to Chochmah, and "his teachings" corresponds to learning with comprehension, which is Binah.
Rashi is precise in saying "the full understanding": the ultimate goal of this comprehension is as the verse concludes, "And you shall keep... and do... you shall understand all that you do" — that it should lead to action. This is "the full understanding" — comprehension that reaches the "end" and the conclusion of the law, which results in action.
However, in his commentary on the Talmud, Rashi only writes "his insight" (and not "the wisdom of his teachings"): In the Gemara, the verse is also explained regarding Moshe Rabbeinu, who also did not fully grasp his teacher's understanding until forty years. It is not possible to say that until then Moshe was not granted wisdom, for Moshe Rabbeinu's level is the Sefirah of Chochmah. Therefore, Rashi only writes "the full understanding and his insight" — referring to Binah and Daas.
(From the talks of Shabbat Parshat Ki Tavo, 5725 and 5727)