(יב) וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן אֵ֤ת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְשָׁמַר֩ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֜יךָ לְךָ֗ אֶֽת־הַבְּרִית֙ וְאֶת־הַחֶ֔סֶד אֲשֶׁ֥ר נִשְׁבַּ֖ע לַאֲבֹתֶֽיךָ׃(יג) וַאֲהֵ֣בְךָ֔ וּבֵרַכְךָ֖ וְהִרְבֶּ֑ךָ וּבֵרַ֣ךְ פְּרִֽי־בִטְנְךָ֣ וּפְרִֽי־אַ֠דְמָתֶ֠ךָ דְּגָ֨נְךָ֜ וְתִירֹֽשְׁךָ֣ וְיִצְהָרֶ֗ךָ שְׁגַר־אֲלָפֶ֙יךָ֙ וְעַשְׁתְּרֹ֣ת צֹאנֶ֔ךָ עַ֚ל הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־נִשְׁבַּ֥ע לַאֲבֹתֶ֖יךָ לָ֥תֶת לָֽךְ׃
(12) And if you do obey these rules and observe them carefully, your God ה׳ will maintain faithfully for you the covenant made on oath with your fathers:(13) [God] will favor you and bless you and multiply you—blessing your issue from the womb and your produce from the soil, your new grain and wine and oil, the calving of your herd and the lambing of your flock, in the land sworn to your fathers to be assigned to you.
(יט) וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־שָׁכֹ֤חַ תִּשְׁכַּח֙ אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ וְהָֽלַכְתָּ֗ אַחֲרֵי֙ אֱלֹקִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וַעֲבַדְתָּ֖ם וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִ֣יתָ לָהֶ֑ם הַעִדֹ֤תִי בָכֶם֙ הַיּ֔וֹם כִּ֥י אָבֹ֖ד תֹּאבֵדֽוּן׃
(19) If you do forget your God ה׳ and follow other gods to serve them or bow down to them, I warn you this day that you shall certainly perish;
1. Is reward and punishment an effective way of educating or inculcating values? Why/why not?
2. Is the reward and punishment presented here individual or group/national? Is collective punishment/reward a moral system? Is it an effective system? Why/why not?
(ב) וְזָכַרְתָּ֣ אֶת־כׇּל־הַדֶּ֗רֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הוֹלִֽיכְךָ֜ ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֛יךָ זֶ֛ה אַרְבָּעִ֥ים שָׁנָ֖ה בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר לְמַ֨עַן עַנֹּֽתְךָ֜ לְנַסֹּֽתְךָ֗ לָדַ֜עַת אֶת־אֲשֶׁ֧ר בִּֽלְבָבְךָ֛ הֲתִשְׁמֹ֥ר מִצְוֺתָ֖ו אִם־לֹֽא׃(ג) וַֽיְעַנְּךָ֮ וַיַּרְעִבֶ֒ךָ֒ וַיַּאֲכִֽלְךָ֤ אֶת־הַמָּן֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־יָדַ֔עְתָּ וְלֹ֥א יָדְע֖וּן אֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֣עַן הוֹדִֽיעֲךָ֗ כִּ֠י לֹ֣א עַל־הַלֶּ֤חֶם לְבַדּוֹ֙ יִחְיֶ֣ה הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֛י עַל־כׇּל־מוֹצָ֥א פִֽי־ה׳ יִחְיֶ֥ה הָאָדָֽם׃
(2) Remember the long way that your God ה׳ has made you travel in the wilderness these past forty years, in order to test you by hardships to learn what was in your hearts: whether you would keep the divine commandments or not.(3) [God] subjected you to the hardship of hunger and then gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your ancestors had ever known, in order to teach you that a human being does not live on bread alone, but that one may live on anything that ה׳ decrees.
1. What is the test of the manna from heaven?
2. What does it mean that "a human being does not live on bread alone"?
(ג) למען הודיעך כי לא על הלחם לבדו. ולא תשים בטחונך על הלחם ועל המזונות כי על כל מוצא פי ה׳ יחיה האדם על כל מצותיו וחקיו שיצאו מפיו יחיה האדם והם יתנו לך חיים בעולם הזה ולעולם הבא:
(3) למען הודיעך כי לא על הלחם לבדו יחיה האדם, “in order to make you realise that man does not live by bread alone.” כי על כל מוצא פי ה׳ יחיה האדם, “but by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord, does man live.” All His decrees and commandments emanating from Him are what enable man to live. They enable you to live on earth and in your afterlife.
(ג) אמנם –
וַיְעַנְּךָ וַיַּרְעִבֶךָ, ועם זאת –
וַיַּאֲכִלְךָ אֶת הַמָּן, שהוא מאכל
אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַעְתָּ וְלֹא יָדְעוּן אֲבֹתֶיךָ, לְמַעַן הוֹדִיעֲךָ כִּי לֹא עַל הַלֶּחֶם לְבַדּוֹ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם, כִּי אם
עַל כָּל מוֹצָא פִי ה׳ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם.
וַיְעַנְּךָ וַיַּרְעִבֶךָ, ועם זאת –
וַיַּאֲכִלְךָ אֶת הַמָּן, שהוא מאכל
אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַעְתָּ וְלֹא יָדְעוּן אֲבֹתֶיךָ, לְמַעַן הוֹדִיעֲךָ כִּי לֹא עַל הַלֶּחֶם לְבַדּוֹ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם, כִּי אם
עַל כָּל מוֹצָא פִי ה׳ יִחְיֶה הָאָדָם.
(3)He afflicted you, and starved you, and then He fed you the manna, which is a food that you did not know, and your fathers did not know; in order to impart to you that man does not live by bread alone; rather, it is by everything that emanates from the mouth of the Lord that man lives.
(יב) וְעַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מָ֚ה ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ שֹׁאֵ֖ל מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ כִּ֣י אִם־לְ֠יִרְאָ֠ה אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֜יךָ לָלֶ֤כֶת בְּכׇל־דְּרָכָיו֙ וּלְאַהֲבָ֣ה אֹת֔וֹ וְלַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֔יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃
(12) And now, O Israel, what does your God ה׳ demand of you? Only this: to revere your God ה׳, to walk only in divine paths, to love and to serve your God ה׳ with all your heart and soul,
1. Is it better to do something because you fear the consequences of not doing it or because you are excited about/love the action itself?
2. Is God a God to fear or a God to to love?
(יט) וַאֲהַבְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־הַגֵּ֑ר כִּֽי־גֵרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(19) You too must befriend the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.
(ה) וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת ה׳ אֱלֹקֶ֑יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃
(5) You shall love your God ה׳ with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
(יח) לֹֽא־תִקֹּ֤ם וְלֹֽא־תִטֹּר֙ אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י עַמֶּ֔ךָ וְאָֽהַבְתָּ֥ לְרֵעֲךָ֖ כָּמ֑וֹךָ אֲנִ֖י ה׳׃
(18) You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against members of your people. Love your fellow [Israelite] as yourself: I am ה׳.
1. Can you be commanded to love? Can such a commandment be successfully undertaken?