Ilustration Credit: Noa Kelner
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
אֶת ה' הֶאֱמַרְתָּ הַיּוֹם לִהְיוֹת לְךָ לֵאלֹקִים וְלָלֶכֶת בִּדְרָכָיו וְלִשְׁמֹר חֻקָּיו וּמִצְוֺתָיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו וְלִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקֹלוֹ׃
וַה' הֶאֱמִירְךָ הַיּוֹם לִהְיוֹת לוֹ לְעַם סְגֻלָּה…
You have appreciated this day that God is your Lord, that you will walk in God’s ways, that you will observe God’s laws and commandments and rules, and that you will listen to God.
And God has appreciated you this day, that you are God’s treasured people…
Do you notice that the actions go both ways in these pesukim?
Our Rabbis in the Talmud think these pesukim are teaching us that we share a kind of two-way relationship with God. God expresses appreciation for the Jewish people just like the Jewish people express our appreciation for God. And one way we each do that is by wearing tefillin!
The following gemara is based on these pesukim.
אָמַר רַבִּי אָבִין בַּר רַב אַדָּא, אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: מִנַּיִן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַנִּיחַ תְּפִילִּין שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״נִשְׁבַּע ה׳ בִּימִינוֹ וּבִזְרוֹעַ עֻזּוֹ״ (ישעיהו סב:ח). ״בִּימִינוֹ״ — זוֹ תּוֹרָה… ״וּבִזְרוֹעַ עֻזּוֹ״ — אֵלּוּ תְּפִילִּין…
אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק לְרַב חִיָּיא בַּר אָבִין: הָנֵי תְּפִילִּין דְּמָרֵי עָלְמָא מָה כְּתִיב בְּהוּ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ ״וּמִי כְּעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ״ (דברי הימים א יז:כא)...
אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל: ...אַתֶּם עֲשִׂיתוּנִי חֲטִיבָה אַחַת בָּעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה׳ אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה׳ אֶחָד״ (דברים ו:ד), וַאֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה אֶתְכֶם חֲטִיבָה אַחַת בָּעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״וּמִי כְּעַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל גּוֹי אֶחָד בָּאָרֶץ.״
R. Avin bar Rav Adda said in the name of R. Yitzhak: How do we know that the Holy Blessed One wears tefillin? As it says, "God swears an oath with God's right hand and strong arm" (Yeshayahu 62:8). God's right hand is Torah... and God's strong arm is tefillin...
R. Nahman bar Yitzhak asked R. Hiyya bar Avin: These tefillin of the Master of the Universe, what is written in them? He said: "Who is like Your people Israel, a unique nation in the land" (Divrei Hayamim Aleph 17:21)...
The Holy Blessed One said to Israel:... You have made Me something special in the world, as it says, "Listen, Israel, God is our Lord, God is One" (Devarim 6:4), so I will make you something special in the world, as it says, "Who is like Your people Israel, a unique nation in the land?"
Later on, the gemara suggests that the next pasuk in our parashah (Devarim 26:19) is also in God's tefillin. Look it up!
- How do tefillin express our appreciation for God? How might they express God's appreciation for us?
- What could it mean that God might in some way do mitzvot like we do, or fulfill the Torah together with us? What does this teach us about how to view the Torah? How does this idea impact our relationship with God?
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