In Parashat Ki-Tavo Moshe presents his detailed description of the berakhot and kelalot – the blessings and curses he promises will befall Benei Yisrael depending on their obedience to the Torah’smitzvot. In the middle of his presentation of the berakhot (blessings), Moshe declares, “The Lord will establish you as a sacred nation, as he swore to you, for you will observe the commandments of the Lord your God and follow His ways” (28:9).
The Netziv, in his Ha’amek Davar, raises a simple question regarding this verse. Moshe had already established the condition for Benei Yisrael’s receiving these blessings, in the introductory remarks to this section: “It shall be, if you heed the voice of the Lord your God, observing and performing all His commandments that I enjoin upon you today…” (28:1). Once this condition has already been expressly stipulated, why must Moshe then explain that the nation will earn these blessings “for you will observe the commandments of the Lord your God and follow his ways”? Hadn’t he already hinged the success and prosperity described in this section on Benei Yisrael’s faithful obedience to God and his Torah?
The Netziv answers this question by suggesting a novel reading of the opening word in this verse – ki (“because,” or “for”). According to the Netziv, Moshe here promises that God will make Israel His “sacred nation” even when they “observe the commandments of the Lord your God and follow His ways.” The Netziv explains this sentence based on Chazal’s understanding of the final two words of this verse – “ve-halakhta bi-drakhav” (“walk in His ways”). The Rambam (Sefer Ha-mitzvot, asei 8; Hilkhot Dei’ot 1:6) cites this phrase as the Biblical source for the obligation to follow God’s example in one’s daily conduct. As the Rambam cites from earlier sources (e.g. Sota 14; Sifrei to Devarim 11:22), Chazalunderstood “walking in God’s ways” to mean that we, like the Almighty, must act kindly and compassionately. Accordingly, as the Netziv explains, the verse here speaks of involving oneself in the needs of others, community service, and other forms of work in the realm of social activity.
Often, the Netziv writes, involvement in communal affairs and offering personal assistance to those in need, to which the verse’s second clause refers, might appear to conflict with the ideal mentioned in the verse’s opening clause: “The Lord will establish you as a sacred nation.” “Holiness” is generally perceived as attainable only through a degree of withdrawal from social involvement, through isolation, which enables one to focus on his spiritual development without the interference of the more mundane issues that arise in the context of community service. Moshe therefore guarantees Benei Yisrael the ability to reach the exalted level of am kadosh – a “sacred nation” – even when they “follow God’s ways,” when they take time from their lofty spiritual pursuits to involve themselves in communal needs. Even while tending to the needs of the poor, by rejoicing with brides and grooms, by caring for the ill, comforting the bereaved and looking after the dead, Benei Yisrael can achieve the spiritual greatness we often and erroneously associate with lives and seclusion and isolation.
Courtesy of Yeshivat Har Etzion - www.etzion.org.il