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Aikev Blessed shall you be above all the nations; there shall not be a barren male or female among you (7:14) The Torah considers the Jewish soul the most precious commodity in the world. The proliferation of Jewish people, therefore, is the highest blessing that can be bestowed upon them. (R' Shimshon Refael Hirsch) "When you will say in your heart - these nations are too numerous for me, how will I be able to drive them out - Do not fear them!..." (7:17-18). In other words-Only when you understand that through your own ability, and without the help of Hashem, you will not be able to overcome the nations-then you have nothing to fear at all. But if you imagine that you will be able to drive out the nations by your own power, then you should start to worry, because then Hashem won't provide the needed support. (Ma'asey Hashem) You shall not be broken before them, for Hashem, yourGod is among you, a great and awesome God (7:21). If a person loves his fellow man and gives him respect, in no way does this detract from his love and respect for Hashem. However, if a person fears mere flesh and blood, this is a sure sign that his feeling of awe for Hashem is less than perfect. If a person is genuinely "God-fearing", then he fears no man. Thus, the Torah tells us here "You will not be broken (Don't be afraid) in front of them" - in front of the nations - "because Hashem.... is great and awesome" - Only Hashem is great and awesome, and if you fear them, you cannot be "God-fearing". (HaKsav V'HaKabbalah in the name of The Maharil Margolios z"l) As a man chastens his son, so does the L-rd your G-d chasten you (Deut. 8:5) A father's heart is heavy when he is forced to strike his son. Similarly, G-d suffers with us when punishment is meted out. (Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev) A land whose stones are iron (Deut: 8:9) Rabbi Abba said: A Torah scholar who is not as tough as iron is no Torah scholar, as it states, "whose stones are iron." Do not read "avaneha" (stones), but "boneha" (her builders). This Talmudic homily teaches us an important lesson in how to protect the land of Israel: Although it is certainly necessary to possess "iron" weapons in the literal sense-an army and ammunition to deter our enemies-we must always remember that the true "iron" and strength of the Jewish people is their Torah learning and observance of mitzvos. (The Lubavitcher Rebbe Zt"l) "For Man does not live on bread alone, rather on all that comes from the mouth of Hashem man lives" (8:3). How is it possible for the soul whose very essence is spiritual to be sustained by something as physical as food? The answer is that in reality, the whole of Creation exists only as a result of the power of Hashem's original utterance at the time of Creation (as it says in Bereishis "By the word of Hashem, the heavens were created"). It is this same power of Hashem's word wrapped inside the food which nourishes the soul. When a Jew takes an apple and makes a bracha on it, he awakens the latent spiritual power implanted in the fruit at the time of the Creation of the world, and it is this that is the real "soul-food"! (Adapted from The Arizal) They have quickly turned aside from the way...they have made a molten image (Deut. 9:12) Not every transgression causes a Jew to immediately abandon the straight and narrow and forfeit his connection to the Jewish people. The sin of idol worship, however, is so elemental and consequential that the very first step in its direction tears the Jew away from everything that is holy. As it states in the Talmud (Hulin): "An apostate who commits idolatry thereby rejects the entire Torah." (Reb Heshel) With seventy persons...as the stars of the heaven for multitude (Deut. 10:22) This verse begins and ends with the Hebrew letter beis, alluding to Yaakov's exhortation to his children that they remain attached and devoted to their households ("beis" means "house" in Hebrew) and not assimilate amongst the Egyptians; it is for this reason that the Jews are known as "Beis Yaakov." (Baal HaTurim) |
