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(יב) וְהָיָ֣ה ׀ עֵ֣קֶב תִּשְׁמְע֗וּן אֵ֤ת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים֙ הָאֵ֔לֶּה וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָ֑ם וְשָׁמַר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ 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׃ (יד) בָּר֥וּךְ תִּֽהְיֶ֖ה מִכׇּל־הָעַמִּ֑ים לֹא־יִהְיֶ֥ה בְךָ֛ עָקָ֥ר וַֽעֲקָרָ֖ה וּבִבְהֶמְתֶּֽךָ׃ (טו) וְהֵסִ֧יר יְהֹוָ֛ה מִמְּךָ֖ כׇּל־חֹ֑לִי וְכׇל־מַדְוֵי֩ מִצְרַ֨יִם הָרָעִ֜ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָדַ֗עְתָּ לֹ֤א יְשִׂימָם֙ בָּ֔ךְ וּנְתָנָ֖ם בְּכׇל־שֹׂנְאֶֽיךָ׃

(12) And if you do obey these rules and observe them carefully, your God יהוה 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. (14) You shall be blessed above all other peoples: there shall be no sterile male or female among you or among your livestock. (15) יהוה will ward off from you all sickness; [God] will not bring upon you any of the dreadful diseases of Egypt, about which you know, but will inflict them upon all your enemies.

RA & USCJ, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 1037

12. if Hebrew: eikev; literally, 'on the heels of,' i.e. 'as a consequence of.'...

14. blessed above all other peoples The Hebrew can be read as 'blessed by all other peoples.'

Rambam on Deuteronomy 7:13

(1) VA’AHEIVCHA’ (AND HE WILL LOVE THEE). The meaning thereof is that when you will observe the ordinances [i.e., the judgments] out of a love for G-d, He will love you as well.

(כב) וְנָשַׁל֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ אֶת־הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָאֵ֛ל מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ מְעַ֣ט מְעָ֑ט לֹ֤א תוּכַל֙ כַּלֹּתָ֣ם מַהֵ֔ר פֶּן־תִּרְבֶּ֥ה עָלֶ֖יךָ חַיַּ֥ת הַשָּׂדֶֽה׃
(22) Your God יהוה will dislodge those peoples before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them at once, else the wild beasts would multiply to your hurt.

RA & USCJ, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 1038

22. wild beasts There were too few Israelites to fill the entire land. If all the Canaanites were dislodged at once, some of the land would remain unoccupied and be run over by wild animals. Therefore, God will give the Israelites only as much territory as they can occupy and...will give them the rest when there are enough of them to fill the entire land.

(ב) וְזָכַרְתָּ֣ אֶת־כׇּל־הַדֶּ֗רֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֨ר הוֹלִֽיכְךָ֜ יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ 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־יְהֹוָ֖ה יִחְיֶ֥ה הָאָדָֽם׃ (ד) שִׂמְלָ֨תְךָ֜ לֹ֤א בָֽלְתָה֙ מֵֽעָלֶ֔יךָ וְרַגְלְךָ֖ לֹ֣א בָצֵ֑קָה זֶ֖ה אַרְבָּעִ֥ים שָׁנָֽה׃

(2) Remember the long way that your God יהוה 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 יהוה decrees. (4) The clothes upon you did not wear out, nor did your feet swell these forty years.

Don Isaac Abarbanel, cited in Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Devarim, p. 86

What test was implied in the provision of their deaily break in the form of manna, with a double portion on the Sabbath eve. Surely this was a great kindness, rather than a test?

Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Devarim, p. 86

We may detect, however, in the wording of the text, that the trial had nothing to do with the instructions governing the manna but with the actual enjoyment of the Heavenly food. The life of luxury and ease they would enjoy in virtue of the manna would constitute the greatest trial of all: 'That he might put thee to the test' - if you will do His will, when He grants you sustenance, without suffering. (Sforno). In other words, would the Israelites continue to fear God and keep His commandments in times of prosperity?

Rashi on Deuteronomy 8:4

(1) שמלתך לא בלתה THY RAIMENT DID NOT WEAR OUT — the clouds of Divine Glory used to rub the dirt off their clothes and bleach them so that they looked like new white articles, and also, their children, as they grew, their clothes grew with them, just like the clothes (shell) of a snail which grows with it (cf. Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:11; Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 850).

Ibn Ezra on Deuteronomy 8:4

(1) THY RAIMENT. Some say via a miracle. Others say that the Israelites brought out many garments from Egypt.13The meaning of our clause is that they always had garments to wear. However, it is most likely the nature of manna not to produce sweat.

(ז) כִּ֚י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ מְבִֽיאֲךָ֖ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ טוֹבָ֑ה אֶ֚רֶץ נַ֣חֲלֵי מָ֔יִם עֲיָנֹת֙ וּתְהֹמֹ֔ת יֹצְאִ֥ים בַּבִּקְעָ֖ה וּבָהָֽר׃ (ח) אֶ֤רֶץ חִטָּה֙ וּשְׂעֹרָ֔ה וְגֶ֥פֶן וּתְאֵנָ֖ה וְרִמּ֑וֹן אֶֽרֶץ־זֵ֥ית שֶׁ֖מֶן וּדְבָֽשׁ׃ (ט) אֶ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹ֤א בְמִסְכֵּנֻת֙ תֹּֽאכַל־בָּ֣הּ לֶ֔חֶם לֹֽא־תֶחְסַ֥ר כֹּ֖ל בָּ֑הּ אֶ֚רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲבָנֶ֣יהָ בַרְזֶ֔ל וּמֵהֲרָרֶ֖יהָ תַּחְצֹ֥ב נְחֹֽשֶׁת׃ (י) וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ עַל־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָֽתַן־לָֽךְ׃

(7) For your God יהוה is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill; (8) a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey; (9) a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper. (10) When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to your God יהוה for the good land given to you.

RA & USCJ, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 1040

7. good land The phrase 'a good land' occurs no fewer than 10 times in the book [of Deuteronomy].

R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, The Hirsch Chumash: Devarim, p. 170

Nahaley: large or small watercourse flowing from a natural source - springs that together form a stream, or streams that together form a river. Ayanot: are the 'eyes' of the earth, through which the inner contents of the earth come to light: wellsprings. Utiomot: denotes the billowing of the waves of the sea - are great masses of water that form lakes in the midst of the land.

Nehama Leibowitz, Studies in Devarim, p. 88

We are accustomed to regarding this passage as the classic description of the fertility and other wonderful qualities of the holy land. But we must not ignore its other implication. The Torah sings the praises of the land to emphasize too the moral dangers and pitfalls that such gifts might bring with them.

Ramban on Deuteronomy 8:7

(1) A LAND OF BROOKS OF WATER. The meaning thereof is that it is like a watered garden,77Isaiah 58:11. and it is not necessary to irrigate it by foot as the land of Egypt, as it will yet be stated,78Further, 11:10. for it drinketh water as the rain of heaven cometh down.79Ibid., Verse 11. Now he explained [here] that fountains and depths, come out in deep valleys and mountains,80Verse 7 before us. and from there the brooks flow in the Land, the purport of the verse being “fountains and the fountains of the depths, ” like: when the ‘fountains of the deep’ showed their might;81Proverbs 8:28. the fountains of the great deep.82Genesis 7:11. The reason [for referring to both sources: fountains, and fountains of the deep] is that there are some fountains that flow from the very moisture of the mountains which has been absorbed by them from the rains, or from the clouds that ascend upon them, these being called “fountains” [or “springs”] as it is said, unto all the springs of water,83I Kings 18:5. the flint [He turned] into a fountain of waters.84Psalms 114:8. There are other kinds of fountains which come forth from the interior of the depth, these being called “deep waters” that is to say, the fountains of the depths. The verse is thus stating that both [kinds of fountains] come out in deep valleys and mountains.

R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, The Hirsch Chumash: Devarim, p. 176

[The mitzvah of the blessings] in the Torah, has become the model and the prototype of the great institution of brachot which the Sages, seeking to mold the spirit of the Jewish people, have woven into the whole fabric of our lives.

(י) וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ עַל־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָֽתַן־לָֽךְ׃
(10) When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to your God יהוה for the good land given to you.
(יב) פֶּן־תֹּאכַ֖ל וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבָתִּ֥ים טֹבִ֛ים תִּבְנֶ֖ה וְיָשָֽׁבְתָּ׃ (יג) וּבְקָֽרְךָ֤ וְצֹֽאנְךָ֙ יִרְבְּיֻ֔ן וְכֶ֥סֶף וְזָהָ֖ב יִרְבֶּה־לָּ֑ךְ וְכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־לְךָ֖ יִרְבֶּֽה׃ (יד) וְרָ֖ם לְבָבֶ֑ךָ וְשָֽׁכַחְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ הַמּוֹצִיאֲךָ֛ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֥ית עֲבָדִֽים׃ (טו) הַמּוֹלִ֨יכְךָ֜ בַּמִּדְבָּ֣ר ׀ הַגָּדֹ֣ל וְהַנּוֹרָ֗א נָחָ֤שׁ ׀ שָׂרָף֙ וְעַקְרָ֔ב וְצִמָּא֖וֹן אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֵֽין־מָ֑יִם הַמּוֹצִ֤יא לְךָ֙ מַ֔יִם מִצּ֖וּר הַֽחַלָּמִֽישׁ׃ (טז) הַמַּֽאֲכִ֨לְךָ֥ מָן֙ בַּמִּדְבָּ֔ר אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹא־יָדְע֖וּן אֲבֹתֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֣עַן עַנֹּֽתְךָ֗ וּלְמַ֙עַן֙ נַסֹּתֶ֔ךָ לְהֵיטִֽבְךָ֖ בְּאַחֲרִיתֶֽךָ׃ (יז) וְאָמַרְתָּ֖ בִּלְבָבֶ֑ךָ כֹּחִי֙ וְעֹ֣צֶם יָדִ֔י עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י אֶת־הַחַ֥יִל הַזֶּֽה׃
(12) When you have eaten your fill, and have built fine houses to live in, (13) and your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold have increased, and everything you own has prospered, (14) beware lest*lest Heb. pen; moved down from v. 12 for clarity. your heart grow haughty and you forget your God יהוה —who freed you from the land of Egypt, the house of bondage; (15) who led you through the great and terrible wilderness with its seraph*seraph Cf. Isa. 14.29; 30.6. Others “fiery”; exact meaning of Heb. saraph uncertain. Cf. Num. 21.6–8. serpents and scorpions, a parched land with no water in it, who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock; (16) who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your ancestors had never known, in order to test you by hardships only to benefit you in the end— (17) and you say to yourselves, “My own power and the might of my own hand have won this wealth for me.”

R' Lord Jonathan Sacks, Covenant and Conversation: Devarim, p. 88, 89, 91

The real challenge is not poverty but affluence, not slavery but freedom, not homelessness, but home...The real test of a nation is not if it can survive a crisis but if it can survive the lack of a crisis...The guardian of conscience is memory.

Rabbi Shai Held, The Heart of Torah, v. 2., location 4425

In many ways conditions in the land will be the very opposite of conditions in the wilderness: Where before the people faced the peril of having too little, now they will face the challenge of having too much.

(ו) וְיָדַעְתָּ֗ כִּ֠י לֹ֤א בְצִדְקָֽתְךָ֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱ֠לֹהֶ֠יךָ נֹתֵ֨ן לְךָ֜ אֶת־הָאָ֧רֶץ הַטּוֹבָ֛ה הַזֹּ֖את לְרִשְׁתָּ֑הּ כִּ֥י עַם־קְשֵׁה־עֹ֖רֶף אָֽתָּה׃ (ז) זְכֹר֙ אַל־תִּשְׁכַּ֔ח אֵ֧ת אֲשֶׁר־הִקְצַ֛פְתָּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ בַּמִּדְבָּ֑ר לְמִן־הַיּ֞וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יָצָ֣אתָ ׀ מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֗יִם עַד־בֹּֽאֲכֶם֙ עַד־הַמָּק֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה מַמְרִ֥ים הֱיִיתֶ֖ם עִם־יְהֹוָֽה׃ (ח) וּבְחֹרֵ֥ב הִקְצַפְתֶּ֖ם אֶת־יְהֹוָ֑ה וַיִּתְאַנַּ֧ף יְהֹוָ֛ה בָּכֶ֖ם לְהַשְׁמִ֥יד אֶתְכֶֽם׃ (ט) בַּעֲלֹתִ֣י הָהָ֗רָה לָקַ֜חַת לוּחֹ֤ת הָֽאֲבָנִים֙ לוּחֹ֣ת הַבְּרִ֔ית אֲשֶׁר־כָּרַ֥ת יְהֹוָ֖ה עִמָּכֶ֑ם וָאֵשֵׁ֣ב בָּהָ֗ר אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יוֹם֙ וְאַרְבָּעִ֣ים לַ֔יְלָה לֶ֚חֶם לֹ֣א אָכַ֔לְתִּי וּמַ֖יִם לֹ֥א שָׁתִֽיתִי׃ (י) וַיִּתֵּ֨ן יְהֹוָ֜ה אֵלַ֗י אֶת־שְׁנֵי֙ לוּחֹ֣ת הָֽאֲבָנִ֔ים כְּתֻבִ֖ים בְּאֶצְבַּ֣ע אֱלֹהִ֑ים וַעֲלֵיהֶ֗ם כְּֽכׇל־הַדְּבָרִ֡ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה עִמָּכֶ֥ם בָּהָ֛ר מִתּ֥וֹךְ הָאֵ֖שׁ בְּי֥וֹם הַקָּהָֽל׃
(6) Know, then, that it is not for any virtue of yours that your God יהוה is giving you this good land to possess; for you are a stiffnecked people. (7) Remember, never forget, how you provoked your God יהוה to anger in the wilderness: from the day that you left the land of Egypt until you reached this place, you have continued defiant toward יהוה. (8) At Horeb you so provoked יהוה that יהוה was angry enough with you to have destroyed you. (9) I had ascended the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, the Tablets of the Covenant that יהוה had made with you, and I stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights, eating no bread and drinking no water. (10) And יהוה gave me the two tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God, with the exact words that יהוה had addressed to you on the mountain out of the fire on the day of the Assembly.

RA & USCJ, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 1042

6. for you are a stiffnecked people Most commentators see this as a negative trait...A few see this characteristic as positive: The stubbornness of Jews in the face of persecution has enabled us to remain Jewish through the centuries.

(ו) עֲשָׂרָה דְבָרִים נִבְרְאוּ בְּעֶרֶב שַׁבָּת בֵּין הַשְּׁמָשׁוֹת, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן...וְהַלּוּחוֹת.

(6) Ten things were created on the eve of the Sabbath at twilight, and these are they... [10] and the tablets.

(יז) וָאֶתְפֹּשׂ֙ בִּשְׁנֵ֣י הַלֻּחֹ֔ת וָֽאַשְׁלִכֵ֔ם מֵעַ֖ל שְׁתֵּ֣י יָדָ֑י וָאֲשַׁבְּרֵ֖ם לְעֵינֵיכֶֽם׃
(17) Thereupon I gripped the two tablets and flung them away with both my hands, smashing them before your eyes.
(כ) וּֽבְאַהֲרֹ֗ן הִתְאַנַּ֧ף יְהֹוָ֛ה מְאֹ֖ד לְהַשְׁמִיד֑וֹ וָֽאֶתְפַּלֵּ֛ל גַּם־בְּעַ֥ד אַהֲרֹ֖ן בָּעֵ֥ת הַהִֽוא׃
(20) Moreover, יהוה was angry enough with Aaron to have destroyed him; so I also interceded for Aaron at that time.—
(א) בָּעֵ֨ת הַהִ֜וא אָמַ֧ר יְהֹוָ֣ה אֵלַ֗י פְּסׇל־לְךָ֞ שְׁנֵֽי־לוּחֹ֤ת אֲבָנִים֙ כָּרִ֣אשֹׁנִ֔ים וַעֲלֵ֥ה אֵלַ֖י הָהָ֑רָה וְעָשִׂ֥יתָ לְּךָ֖ אֲר֥וֹן עֵֽץ׃ (ב) וְאֶכְתֹּב֙ עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֔ת אֶ֨ת־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָי֛וּ עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֥ת הָרִאשֹׁנִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר שִׁבַּ֑רְתָּ וְשַׂמְתָּ֖ם בָּאָרֽוֹן׃ (ג) וָאַ֤עַשׂ אֲרוֹן֙ עֲצֵ֣י שִׁטִּ֔ים וָאֶפְסֹ֛ל שְׁנֵי־לֻחֹ֥ת אֲבָנִ֖ים כָּרִאשֹׁנִ֑ים וָאַ֣עַל הָהָ֔רָה וּשְׁנֵ֥י הַלֻּחֹ֖ת בְּיָדִֽי׃ (ד) וַיִּכְתֹּ֨ב עַֽל־הַלֻּחֹ֜ת כַּמִּכְתָּ֣ב הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן אֵ֚ת עֲשֶׂ֣רֶת הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבֶּר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֲלֵיכֶ֥ם בָּהָ֛ר מִתּ֥וֹךְ הָאֵ֖שׁ בְּי֣וֹם הַקָּהָ֑ל וַיִּתְּנֵ֥ם יְהֹוָ֖ה אֵלָֽי׃ (ה) וָאֵ֗פֶן וָֽאֵרֵד֙ מִן־הָהָ֔ר וָֽאָשִׂם֙ אֶת־הַלֻּחֹ֔ת בָּאָר֖וֹן אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֑יתִי וַיִּ֣הְיוּ שָׁ֔ם כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוַּ֖נִי יְהֹוָֽה׃
(1) Thereupon יהוה said to me, “Carve out two tablets of stone like the first, and come up to Me on the mountain; and make an ark of wood. (2) I will inscribe on the tablets the commandments that were on the first tablets that you smashed, and you shall deposit them in the ark.” (3) I made an ark of acacia wood and carved out two tablets of stone like the first; I took the two tablets with me and went up the mountain. (4) After inscribing on the tablets the same text as on the first—the Ten Commandments that יהוה addressed to you on the mountain out of the fire on the day of the Assembly— יהוה gave them to me. (5) Then I left and went down from the mountain, and I deposited the tablets in the ark that I had made, where they still are, as יהוה had commanded me.

Ramban on Deuteronomy 10:1

(1) AT THAT TIME THE ETERNAL SAID UNTO ME: ‘HEW THEE TWO TABLETS OF STONE.’ After I cast myself down in prayer before G-d for forty days and forty nights, He was reconciled with me that He would write the second Tablets. However, the first ones were the work of G-d, and the writing was the writing of G-d,164Exodus 32:16. whereas these [second Tablets] He commanded me that they be hewn by my hands and the writing will be like the writing on the first ones, by the finger of G-d.165Ibid., 31:18.

Don Isaac Abarbanel, cited in Carasik, The Commentators' Torah: Deuteronomy, p. 69

You broke the first ones - you can carve these yourself.

Bekhor Shor, cited in Carasik, The Commentators' Torah: Deuteronomy, p. 69

2. You shall deposit them in the ark. I do not want you holding them in your hands; you will just break them again.

Howard Schwartz, Tree of Souls: The Mythology of Judaism, p. 266, from multiple sources

Had the first tablets survived, every sorry and calamity would have disappeared from the earth, and the world would have experienced freedom from the Angel of Death...it is said that if the first tablets had not been broken Jews would never have forgotten any Torah they had learned. Some say that all the commandments of the first set were positive, while more than half of those on the second set are negative.

Louis Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, p. 618

It is another of the attributes of the Tablets, that although they are fashioned out of hardest stone, they can still be rolled up like a scroll.

Dr. Avivah Zornberg, The Hidden Order of Intimacy, p, 36

What is shattered with the [first] Tablets? Fetishizing memory, extreme awareness that allows nothing to slip. So, God assents to Moses' instinct to break the Tablets - to make space for the human modality of absence, loss, fragmentation, error.

Mishnah Menachot 99b

This is derived from a verse, as it is written: “And the Lord said to Moses: Hew for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, and I will write upon the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, which [asher] you broke” (Exodus 34:1). The word “asher” is an allusion to the fact that that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: Your strength is true [yishar koḥakha] in that you broke the tablets, as the breaking of the first tablets led to the foundation of the Torah through the giving of the second tablets.

Dr. Avivah Zornberg, The Hidden Order of Intimacy, p. 119

He smashes the Tablets, the mystical wholeness of the stone inscribed with the finger of God. A terrible taboo: what could have inspired him to such an act? In a powerful talmudic midrash, God assures him: Yishar kochacha she-shibarta! - "More power to you that you smashed them!" The violent moment of disruption, of radical disorder, should signify the death of the entire project of Exodus. But, as the. midrash declares, "sometimes the Torah is confirmed by its undoing."

Bava Batra 14b

The broken pieces of the first tablets were placed together with the new ones in the Ark.

Rabbi Deborah Newbrun

The broken pieces of the first Tablets were mostly likely wrapped individually so that they didn't cut into the whole Tablets. Metaphorically, we all have broken Tablets: broken pieces of ourselves we carry forward. We have to figure out how to wrap them, so they don't cut into us, so that we can live full lives. From time to time, the cloth comes loose, and once again the shards can potentially harm us, so we rewrap them, with care, and with love, for we are carrying parts of ourselves, once hurting all the time, now mostly healed.

(ו) וּבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל נָ֥סְע֛וּ מִבְּאֵרֹ֥ת בְּנֵי־יַעֲקָ֖ן מוֹסֵרָ֑ה שָׁ֣ם מֵ֤ת אַהֲרֹן֙ וַיִּקָּבֵ֣ר שָׁ֔ם וַיְכַהֵ֛ן אֶלְעָזָ֥ר בְּנ֖וֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו׃
(6) From Beeroth-bene-jaakan*Beeroth-bene-jaakan Lit. “wells of Bene-jaakan”; cf. Num. 33.31–32. the Israelites marched to Moserah. Aaron died there and was buried there; and his son Eleazar became priest in his stead.

Rashi on Deuteronomy 9:20

(3) .(אחרי מות AND I PRAYED FOR AARON ALSO, and my prayer availed to atone half, so that only two of his sons died, and two remained alive.

(יב) וְעַתָּה֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל מָ֚ה יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ שֹׁאֵ֖ל מֵעִמָּ֑ךְ כִּ֣י אִם־לְ֠יִרְאָ֠ה אֶת־יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ לָלֶ֤כֶת בְּכׇל־דְּרָכָיו֙ וּלְאַהֲבָ֣ה אֹת֔וֹ וְלַֽעֲבֹד֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃ (יג) לִשְׁמֹ֞ר אֶת־מִצְוֺ֤ת יְהֹוָה֙ וְאֶת־חֻקֹּתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם לְט֖וֹב לָֽךְ׃ (יד) הֵ֚ן לַיהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וּשְׁמֵ֣י הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם הָאָ֖רֶץ וְכׇל־אֲשֶׁר־בָּֽהּ׃ (טו) רַ֧ק בַּאֲבֹתֶ֛יךָ חָשַׁ֥ק יְהֹוָ֖ה לְאַהֲבָ֣ה אוֹתָ֑ם וַיִּבְחַ֞ר בְּזַרְעָ֣ם אַחֲרֵיהֶ֗ם בָּכֶ֛ם מִכׇּל־הָעַמִּ֖ים כַּיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ (טז) וּמַלְתֶּ֕ם אֵ֖ת עׇרְלַ֣ת לְבַבְכֶ֑ם וְעׇ֨רְפְּכֶ֔ם לֹ֥א תַקְשׁ֖וּ עֽוֹד׃

(12) And now, O Israel, what does your God יהוה demand of you? Only this: to revere your God יהוה, to walk only in divine paths, to love and to serve your God יהוה with all your heart and soul, (13) keeping יהוה’s commandments and laws, which I enjoin upon you today, for your good. (14) Mark, the heavens to their uttermost reaches*to their uttermost reaches Lit. “and the heaven of heavens.” belong to your God יהוה, the earth and all that is on it! (15) Yet it was to your ancestors that יהוה was drawn out of love for them, so that you, their lineal descendants, were chosen from among all peoples—as is now the case. (16) Cut away, therefore, the thickening about your hearts and stiffen your necks no more.

Richard Elliott Friedman, Commentary on the Torah, p. 2648

10:14. the skies of the skies. Meaning, presumably, that if one were in the sky and looked up, one would see a farther portion of the sky. So the phrase means the farthest reaches of the sky.

(ח) הִגִּ֥יד לְךָ֛ אָדָ֖ם מַה־טּ֑וֹב וּמָֽה־יְהֹוָ֞ה דּוֹרֵ֣שׁ מִמְּךָ֗ כִּ֣י אִם־עֲשׂ֤וֹת מִשְׁפָּט֙ וְאַ֣הֲבַת חֶ֔סֶד וְהַצְנֵ֥עַ לֶ֖כֶת עִם־אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ {ס}

(8) “You have been told, O mortal, what is good,

And what GOD requires of you:

Only to do justice

And to love goodness,

And to walk modestly with your God;cto walk modestly with your God Or “it is prudent to serve your God.”

(ג) וְהָאִ֥ישׁ מֹשֶׁ֖ה עָנָ֣ו מְאֹ֑ד מִכֹּל֙ הָֽאָדָ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָֽה׃ {ס}

(3) Now Moses himself*Moses himself Lit. “the participant whose involvement defines the depicted situation, Moses”; trad. “the man Moses.” See the Dictionary under ’ish. was very humble, more so than any other human being on earth.
וְאָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: הַכֹּל בִּידֵי שָׁמַיִם, חוּץ מִיִּרְאַת שָׁמַיִם. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְעַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל מָה ה׳ אֱלֹהֶיךָ שׁוֹאֵל מֵעִמָּךְ כִּי אִם לְיִרְאָה״.
Tangentially, the Gemara cites an additional statement by Rabbi Ḥanina concerning principles of faith. And Rabbi Ḥanina said: Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except for fear of Heaven. Man has free will to serve God or not, as it is stated: “And now Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you other than to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all of His ways, to love Him and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 10:12). The Lord asks man to perform these matters because ultimately, the choice is in his hands.

R' Samson Raphael Hirsch, The Hirsch Chumash: Devarim, p. 208

Oppose the intractibility and insubordination of your. heart; gain. mastery over your heart, over its thoughts and desires; make sure your heart will be obedient to you.

Rabbi Mark Borowitz, Finding Recovery and Yourself in Torah, p. 315

What does “the foreskin of our hearts” mean? It is the thin membrane that many of us have separating our hearts from clear connection with others and with God. Like a cataract obscures our physical sight, this membrane clouds our spiritual, emotional, and intellectual vision. It enables us to be self-absorbed without noticing it. Torah is telling us that we have this tendency to protect our hearts, and we need to be proactive in removing it from our being... It means to surrender to God’s will and God’s teachings rather than just follow our own ways and means.

Rabbi Shai Held, The Heart of Torah, v. 2., location 4269

To circumcise the heart, then, is to open it, and thereby to become genuinely receptive to God and God’s command.

ורב יהודה שליף מסאני ואתא מטרא ואנן צוחינן וליכא דמשגח בן אלא הקב"ה ליבא בעי דכתיב (שמואל א טז, ז) וה' יראה ללבב
But nevertheless, when Rav Yehuda would remove one of his shoes the rain would immediately fall, whereas we cry out and no one notices us. Rather, the Holy One, Blessed be He, seeks the heart, and the barometer of greatness is devotion of the heart and not the amount of Torah that one studies, as it is written: “But the Lord looks on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).
(ו) וּמָ֨ל יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ אֶת־לְבָבְךָ֖ וְאֶת־לְבַ֣ב זַרְעֶ֑ךָ לְאַהֲבָ֞ה אֶת־יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ בְּכׇל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכׇל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ לְמַ֥עַן חַיֶּֽיךָ׃
(6) Then your God יהוה will open up*open up Others “circumcise.” your heart and the hearts of your offspring—to love your God יהוה with all your heart and soul, in order that you may live.

Rabbi Shai Held, The Heart of Torah, v. 2, location 4307

A tension between the two verses still remains: Who will circumcise Israel’s hearts, God or the people themselves? Note that Deuteronomy 30 implies very clearly that Israel will be able to fully live up to the mandate of the shema—“to love God with the whole of your hearts and your being” (Deut. 6:5 and 30:6)—only when God will intervene to make it possible. What is at stake here is critical. Modern Jewish thinkers often write as if human beings have the capacity for limitless self-transformation... But Deuteronomy is skeptical. It teaches something quite subtle and nuanced: It takes both strenuous human effort and profound divine blessing to transform the human heart. Try as we might, we are not our own redeemers—and certainly not in any ultimate way. In order for the human heart to open and soften, both will and grace are necessary.

Rabbi Shefa Gold, Torah Journeys, p. 182, 183

The Torah portion Ekev gives us meaning to the difficulties of our journey. we are afflicted and tested so that God will know what is in our heart, which means that we will come to know the depths of our own hearts and there find the gift of being human. Our hearts hold the key to making all of our life into a blessing. The Blessing of Ekev can be found in its words that say 'You shall eat and you shall bless, and you shall be satisfied.' From this text we derive the mitzvah of Birkat Hamazon, the blessing after the Meal...It is possible to eat everything in sight and to say 100 blessings a day in perfect Hebrew, and yet remain unsatisfied...How do I discern between self-destructive greed and a true, healthy appetite for pleasure that allows the blessing of satisfaction to manifest?

(א) וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁמַרְתָּ֣ מִשְׁמַרְתּ֗וֹ וְחֻקֹּתָ֧יו וּמִשְׁפָּטָ֛יו וּמִצְוֺתָ֖יו כׇּל־הַיָּמִֽים׃
(1) Love, therefore, your God יהוה, and always keep God’s charge, God’s laws, God’s rules, and God’s commandments.

Gersonides, cited in Carasik, The Commentators' Torah: Deuteronomy, p. 75

11:1 always. We learn that the Torah is eternal.

(ב) וִֽידַעְתֶּם֮ הַיּוֹם֒ כִּ֣י ׀ לֹ֣א אֶת־בְּנֵיכֶ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־יָדְעוּ֙ וַאֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־רָא֔וּ אֶת־מוּסַ֖ר יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֑ם אֶת־גׇּדְל֕וֹ אֶת־יָדוֹ֙ הַחֲזָקָ֔ה וּזְרֹע֖וֹ הַנְּטוּיָֽה׃
(2) *Syntax of Heb. uncertain. Take thought this day that it was not your children, who neither experienced nor witnessed the lesson of your God יהוה —God’s majesty, mighty hand, and outstretched arm;
(א) וידעתם היום. תְּנוּ לֵב לָדַעַת וּלְהָבִין ולְקַבֵּל תּוֹכַחְתִּי: (ב) כי לא את בניכם. אֲנִי מְדַבֵּר עַכְשָׁו, שֶׁיּוּכְלוּ לוֹמַר אָנוּ לֹא יָדַעְנוּ וְלֹא רָאִינוּ בְּכָל זֶה:
(1) וידעתם היום AND KNOW YE THIS DAY — Set your heart to know and comprehend, and to accept my reproof. (2) כי לא את בניכם FOR NOT WITH YOUR CHILDREN am I now speaking who might say, “We do not know nor have we seen all this” (all that God did for you, and what He did to Egypt, and for you in the wilderness, and to Dathan and Abiram, as related in vv. 2—6).
(ז) כִּ֤י עֵֽינֵיכֶם֙ הָֽרֹאֹ֔ת אֶת־כׇּל־מַעֲשֵׂ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה הַגָּדֹ֑ל אֲשֶׁ֖ר עָשָֽׂה׃
(7) but that it was you who saw with your own eyes all the marvelous deeds that יהוה performed.
(א) כי עיניכם הראת. מֻסָּב עַל הַמִּקְרָא הָאָמוּר לְמַעְלָה – כִּי לֹא אֶת בְּנֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדְעוּ כִּי אִם עִמָּכֶם אֲשֶׁר עֵינֵיכֶם הָרֹאֹת וְגוֹ':
(1) כי עיניכם הראת BUT YOUR EYES HAVE SEEN — This is to be connected with the verse mentioned above (v. 2), thus: (2) For not with your children am I speaking who do not know, but with you whose eyes have seen, etc.
(יג) וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־שָׁמֹ֤עַ תִּשְׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־מִצְוֺתַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם לְאַהֲבָ֞ה אֶת־יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙ וּלְעׇבְד֔וֹ בְּכׇל־לְבַבְכֶ֖ם וּבְכׇל־נַפְשְׁכֶֽם׃ (יד) וְנָתַתִּ֧י מְטַֽר־אַרְצְכֶ֛ם בְּעִתּ֖וֹ יוֹרֶ֣ה וּמַלְק֑וֹשׁ וְאָסַפְתָּ֣ דְגָנֶ֔ךָ וְתִירֹֽשְׁךָ֖ וְיִצְהָרֶֽךָ׃ (טו) וְנָתַתִּ֛י עֵ֥שֶׂב בְּשָׂדְךָ֖ לִבְהֶמְתֶּ֑ךָ וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָֽעְתָּ׃ (טז) הִשָּֽׁמְר֣וּ לָכֶ֔ם פֶּ֥ן יִפְתֶּ֖ה לְבַבְכֶ֑ם וְסַרְתֶּ֗ם וַעֲבַדְתֶּם֙ אֱלֹהִ֣ים אֲחֵרִ֔ים וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶ֖ם לָהֶֽם׃ (יז) וְחָרָ֨ה אַף־יְהֹוָ֜ה בָּכֶ֗ם וְעָצַ֤ר אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ וְלֹֽא־יִהְיֶ֣ה מָטָ֔ר וְהָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה לֹ֥א תִתֵּ֖ן אֶת־יְבוּלָ֑הּ וַאֲבַדְתֶּ֣ם מְהֵרָ֗ה מֵעַל֙ הָאָ֣רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה נֹתֵ֥ן לָכֶֽם׃ (יח) וְשַׂמְתֶּם֙ אֶת־דְּבָרַ֣י אֵ֔לֶּה עַל־לְבַבְכֶ֖ם וְעַֽל־נַפְשְׁכֶ֑ם וּקְשַׁרְתֶּ֨ם אֹתָ֤ם לְאוֹת֙ עַל־יֶדְכֶ֔ם וְהָי֥וּ לְטוֹטָפֹ֖ת בֵּ֥ין עֵינֵיכֶֽם׃ (יט) וְלִמַּדְתֶּ֥ם אֹתָ֛ם אֶת־בְּנֵיכֶ֖ם לְדַבֵּ֣ר בָּ֑ם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ֤ בְּבֵיתֶ֙ךָ֙ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ֣ בַדֶּ֔רֶךְ וּֽבְשׇׁכְבְּךָ֖ וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ׃ (כ) וּכְתַבְתָּ֛ם עַל־מְזוּז֥וֹת בֵּיתֶ֖ךָ וּבִשְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃
(13) If, then, you obey the commandments that I enjoin upon you this day, loving your God יהוה and serving [God] with all your heart and soul, (14) I*I That is, יהוה; Samaritan reads “He.” will grant the rain for your land in season, the early rain and the late. You shall gather in your new grain and wine and oil— (15) I*I See note at v. 14. will also provide grass in the fields for your cattle—and thus you shall eat your fill. (16) Take care not to be lured away to serve other gods and bow to them. (17) For יהוה’s anger will flare up against you, shutting up the skies so that there will be no rain and the ground will not yield its produce; and you will soon perish from the good land that יהוה is assigning to you. (18) Therefore impress these My words upon your very heart:*very heart Lit. “heart and self.” bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead,*symbol on your forehead See notes on 6.8. (19) and teach them to your children—reciting them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up; (20) and inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates—

RA & USCJ, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 1050

"Petuchowski said that a Jew reads the Torah not as one reads a novel or a newspaper but as one reads a love letter, eager to extract every bit of meaning from it

Love is mentioned in Exodus twice, in Numbers never, in Leviticus twice, and in Deuteronomy twenty-three times. Justice is mentioned in Exodus four times, in Numbers never, once in Leviticus, and in Deuteronomy eighteen times.

RA & USCJ, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, p. 1052

This [second] passage is phrased in the plural, unlike the first passage (Deut. 6:5-9) [recited after Sh'ma Yisrael in services of prayer], which is phrased in the singular. Righteous individuals may not always prosper, and wicked individuals may not always suffer the consequences of their wickedness...Righteous communities, however, will tend the thrive and bestow blessings on all their members, the good and the less good alike. And wicked communities will bring misfortune on all their inhabitants.

(ב) ואבדתם מהרה. שיגלו ממנה כאובדים ברעב אחר שהיתה הארץ טובה על כן אתם חייבים שתשימו אלה הדברים על לבבכם:
(2) AND YE PERISH QUICKLY. They will be exiled from the land like those who perish in hunger.27In other words, you will be driven from the land by hunger. Now, since the land is good, you are therefore obligated to take these words to heart.28So that you are not exiled from the land.
(א) יבולה. פירשתיו: (ב) ואבדתם מהרה. שיגלו ממנה כאובדים ברעב אחר שהיתה הארץ טובה על כן אתם חייבים שתשימו אלה הדברים על לבבכם:
(1) HER FRUIT. I have previously explained the meaning of yevulah (her fruit).26See I.E. on Lev. 26:4. (2) AND YE PERISH QUICKLY. They will be exiled from the land like those who perish in hunger.27In other words, you will be driven from the land by hunger. Now, since the land is good, you are therefore obligated to take these words to heart.28So that you are not exiled from the land.

Berakhot 40a, 1

Rav Yehuda said that Rav said: One is prohibited from eating before feeding his animals, as it is stated: “And I will give grass in your fields for your animals” first and only then: “And you shall eat and be satisfied” (Deuteronomy 11:15). In the verse, preparation of food for one’s cattle precedes preparation of his own food. Consequently, it is considered part of the preparation for one’s own meal.