Pisqa’ 40¹

1

“A Land after which HASHEM your God inquires of it” (Dt.11:12).

Now, does He inquire after this Land alone?

Doesn’t He in fact inquire after all lands?

For it is said:

“To rain down on uninhabited land . . .

to saturate the desolate wasteland” ( Job 38:26-27).

So, what does the Teaching mean by

“A Land after which HASHEM, your God, inquires of it?” (Dt.11:12)

So to speak—

He inquires only after this Land.

But for the sake of

comprehensive inquiry after this Land,

He incidentally inquires after other lands as well.

2

Making a similar point, you can say:

“Indeed, the Guardian of Israel neither dozes nor sleeps” (Ps.121:4).

Now, does He guard Israel alone?

Doesn’t He in fact guard everyone?

For it is said:

“In Whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the spirit of all human flesh.” (Job12:10).

So, what does the Teaching mean by

“Guardian of Israel?”

So to speak—

He only guards Israel.

But for the sake of

comprehensive guardianship over them,

He incidentally guards all others along with them.

Making a similar point, you can say:

“My eyes and My heart will ever be there” (1 Ki.9:3).

Now isn’t it already stated:

“The eyes of HASHEM, ranging over all the earth”? (Zech.4:10).

And He says:

“The eyes of HASHEM are everywhere, seeking out the good and the evil” (Prov.15:3).

So, what does the Teaching mean by

“My eyes and My heart will ever be there”? (1 Ki.9:3)

So to speak—

My eyes and heart are nowhere but there.

Making a similar point, you can say:

“The voice of HASHEM trembles the wasteland;

HASHEM trembles the wasteland of Kadesh” (Ps.29:8).

So, what does the Teaching mean?

Here, more than elsewhere!

3

“After which HASHEM your God inquires of it” (Dt.11:12).

The Land is subject to inquiry

in the matter of separating its

Dough-offering,² Threshing-floor-offering³,

and the Tithes.⁴

Or, perhaps,

other lands are subject to inquiry

in this matter as well?

The Teaching states:

“Of it” (Dt.11:12)—

[the superfluous it implies that the Land of Israel]

is subject to inquiry,

[in the matter of these agricultural offerings].

but other lands are

not subject to inquiry.

Another word:

“After which HASHEM . . . inquires of it” (Dt.11:12)—

this explains that the Land is given

as a reward for inquiry [into the Torah].

For it is said:

“And you shall teach them to your children, to speak of them . . .

so that your days and the days of your children will be extended” (Dt.11:19-21).

And He says:

“And He gave them lands of nations in return for observing His statutes”

(Ps.105:44-45).

4

“On which HASHEM, your God, always keeps his eye” (Dt.11:12).

One verse says:

“On which HASHEM . . . always keeps his eye” (Dt.11:12).

But another verse says:

“Who glances at the Land and it shakes” (Ps.104:32).

How can the two scriptural usages be reconciled?

When Israel performs the will of the All-Present,

we apply the verse:

“On which HASHEM . . . always keeps His eye” (Dt.11:12),

and they suffer no harm.

When Israel does not perform the will of the All-Present,

we apply the verse:

“Who glances at the Land and it shakes” (Ps.104:32).

When the good is appropriate, He applies this verse—

“On which HASHEM . . . always keeps His eye” (Dt.11:12).

When the bad is appropriate, He applies this verse—

“Who glances at the Land and it shakes” (Ps.104:32).

5

When the good is appropriate—how so?

If the community were to be counted

among the Wicked on New Year’s Day,

[for ineffective penitence,]

and a lack of rain was decreed for them,

but they recanted their wicked deeds—

it would be impossible to add more rains

[in violation of the original decree].⁵

However, the verse:

“On which HASHEM . . . always keeps His eye” (Dt.11:12)

is applied so that

[the diminished rains nevertheless]

fall at their season,

and that a blessing is sent along with them,

and that they fall on the Land where it needs them.

But when the bad is appropriate—how so?

If the community were to be counted

among the Righteous on New Year’s Day,

and an abundance of rain was decreed for them,

but they recanted their righteous deeds—

it would be impossible to reduce the rains

[in violation of the original decree].⁶

However, the verse

“Who glances at the Land and it shakes” (Ps.104:32)

is applied so that

[the increased rains nevertheless]

fall out of season,

and that a curse is sent along with them,

and that they fall on the Land where it doesn’t need them—

such as bodies of water and deserts.

For it is said:

“May drought and heat snatch away their snow run-off . . .

And may Sheol take their sinners” (Job24:19).

[This teaches that]

the deeds you committed against Me in the summer—

such as failing to separate the Threshing-floor-offerings and Tithes—

have withheld the rains from you!

6

“From the beginning of the year till the end of the year” (Dt.11:12).

This explains that

from the beginning of the year, there is decreed upon the Land

the quantity of the rains and the dew,

how much sun will shine upon it,

how much the winds will blow upon it.

Another word:

“From the beginning of the year till the end of the year” (Dt.11:12).

This explains that

I will bless you in commerce,

in building and planting,

in betrothals and weddings.

And in all that your hands endeavor to do,

will I bless you.

Another word:

“From the beginning of the year till the end of the year” (Dt.11:12).

Now, is fruit found in the fields from the beginning of the year till its end?

Rather: this teaches that

it falls within My power to bless them in the house,

just as I bless them in the field.

For it is said:

“HASHEM will ordain blessings for you upon your barns

and all the endeavors of your hands” (Dt.28:8).

And He says:

“While the seed is still in the granary,

and the vine, fig, pomegranate, and olive have yet to bear—

from this day onward I will send blessings” (Hag.2:19).

7

How do I know that

[the promise of blessing applies]

even to produce in storage?

For it is said:

“Blessed you shall be in the city, blessed shall you be in the field” (Dt.28:3)

How do I know that

[the promise applies]

even to dough?

For it is said:

“Blessed shall be your basket and kneading trough” (Dt.28:5).

How do I know that

[the promise applies]

even to entering and leaving the Land?

For it is said:

“Blessed shall you be upon your entering,

and blessed shall you be upon your leaving” (Dt.28:6).

How do I know that

[the promise applies]

even to eating and satisfaction?

The Teaching states:

“You shall eat, and be satisfied, and shall bless” (Dt.8:10).

How do I know that

[the promise applies]

even after the food enters your belly?

The Teaching states:

“And I will remove sickness from your innards” (Ex.23:25).

It falls within My power to bless them in the house,

just as I bless them in the field—

neither pests nor rot in the produce,

and no soured wine, and no rancid oil.

8

Or, perhaps:

Since His capacity for good

exceeds His capacity for retribution

is it possible for Him to say:

it doesn’t fall within My power

to place a curse upon them in the house,

as I can place a curse upon them in the field?⁷

The Teaching states to the contrary:

“When you brought it [your produce] home, I blew upon it” (Hag.1:9)!

And He says:

“HASHEM will send upon you a curse—calamity and frustration” (Dt.28:20).

How do I know that

[the promise of a curse applies][

even to produce in storage?

The Teaching states:

“Cursed shall you be in the city” (Dt.28:16).

How do I know that

the curse applies]

even to dough?

The Teaching states:

“Cursed shall be your basket and kneading trough” (Dt.28:17).

How do I know that

[the curse applies]

even to entering and leaving the Land?

The Teaching states:

“Cursed shall you be in your entering and your leaving” (Dt.28:19).

How do I know that

[the curse applies]

even to eating and satisfaction?

The Teachings states:

“You shall eat but not be satisfied” (Lv.26:26).

How do I know that

[the curse applies]

even after the food enters your belly?

The Teaching states:

“There is a gnawing at your innards” (Mic.6:14).

It falls within My power to place a curse upon them in the house,

just as I place a curse upon them in the field—

pests and rot in the produce,

soured wine, and rancid oil.

9

R. Shimon b. Yohai says:

There is an analogy—

A king of flesh and blood had many children and slaves.

They were fed and maintained by his hand.

But the keys to his store-room

remained in his possession.

When they performed his will,

he would open the store-room

and they would eat and be satisfied.

But when they did not perform his will,

he would lock the store-room

and they would die of hunger.

Just so is Israel—

when they perform the will of the All-Present,

“HASHEM will open to you his store-room of goods, the Heavens” (Dt.28:12).

But when they do not perform the will of the All-Present,

”Then HASHEM will be angered against you,

and He will close up the Heavens, and there will be no rain” (Dt.11:17).

10

Shimon b.Yohai says:

A loaf and a rod descended,

bound together, from the Heavens.

He said to Israel:

If you perform

the commandments of the Torah,

here is bread to eat.

But if not, here is a rod to beat you.

Now, where in Scripture is this matter explained?

“If you consent to obey,

you will eat from the goodness of the Land;

but if you refuse and rebel, you will taste the sword—

for the mouth of HASHEM has spoken” (Is.1:19).

R. Elazar of Modi’in says:

A book and a sword descended,

bound together, from the Heavens.

He said to Israel:

If you perform

the commandments of the Torah

written in this book,

you will surely be spared from this sword.

But if not, you will surely be struck by it.

Now, where in Scripture is this matter explained?

“Then He expelled the Adam,

and He stationed, to the east of the Garden of Eden,

the winged guardians and the flame-revolving sword,

to protect the way to the Tree of Life” (Gn.3:24).

1. H:79-82; JN1:117-120.
2. Heb: khallah; lit., “loaf”. “From the finest of your dough, give to HASHEM a portion, for all your generations.” (Nu.15:21). Rabbinic tradition stipulates the measure of dough to be 1/24th of the total batch (M. Hal. 2:7). The priests distribute the Dough-offering among themselves.
3. Heb: terumah. In biblical sources, terumah, normally refers to a donation of food or property placed at the disposal of the priests for the sanctuary (e.g., Ex.25:1ff.).In the rabbinic usage, terumah –commonly rendered in English as “Heave-offering”– is the name of one of the gifts of grain, oil, or wine that is set aside from the general harvest for the consumption of priests. Cf. Nu.18:11-12, M. Ber.1:1, Ter.4:3. Priests may claim it from the time that the produce has completed its processing for food. i.e., from the time of threshing. Hence I render it in English: “Theshing-floor offering.”
4. Heb: ma`aserot. A gift of produce constituting a tenth of the harvest of that produce. It comes due at the time the produce is piled on the threshing floor and prepared for sale or domestic use. The Tithe is given to Levites, who may use it after separating a tenth of the tithe for the priests. Cf. Nu.18:21-24; M. Maas.1:5.
5. Cf. T. RH.1:13, which acknowledges that New Year’s Day is not the final opportunity for divine judgment.
6. See the above note.
7. Cf. T. Sotah 4:1; Mechilta Ishmael, paskha’ 7. See also: Mechilta Ishmael, wayiss`a, 3; mishhpatim 18. and parallels cited in F:83, n.1