Parshas Ki Savo 5784

Before the Torah starts the Tochecha, the listing of curses that will befall the Jewish people if they do not listen to the word of Hashem, it first sets forth the berachos that will be bestowed upon the Jews if they listen to Hashem. Included with the berachos is the following: (Devarim 28:9). “The Lord shall establish you as a holy people to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your G-d, and walk in his ways.” The blessing seems to be that Hashem will establish the Jewish people as a holy people, and the Jews will have a special relationship with Hashem. However, the second part of the pasuk does not seem to fit. It seems to make this blessing conditional, “if (כי) you shall keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in his ways.” The other blessings are not conditional. Why would this blessing be conditional? Moreover, Hashem had already promised, earlier in the same parsha (26:19), that the Jewish people will be a holy people. Why does it seem to repeat that promise?

The Netziv explains that the Torah is not repeating what it said earlier but is indeed telling us something new. Hashem will bless the Jewish people with special individuals who will strive to achieve spiritual heights and connect to Hashem. However, there is an apparent difficulty in achieving such spiritual heights. Hashem gave us many commandments, especially involving other people, that are very down to earth and may even distract from connecting to Hashem. Some examples might be visiting the sick, building a “maakeh”, a safety fence on the roof or to prevent someone from falling down, and having to help a neighbor who is struggling to load up his donkey. These may be important mitzvos, but they would seemingly distract from one’s Torah studies and detract from one’s ability to concentrate on achieving purity and saintliness in coming close to Hashem.  

The Netziv says that this is a false idea. The Torah tells us that saintliness is achieved precisely by doing those mitzvas involving others. The word כי could be translated as “when” or “because”,  so the pasuk would read that Jews  would be established as a holy people “when” or even because they observe Hashem’s mitzvos and walk in his ways. The very act of doing good deeds for others entails growth in one’s level of spirituality and holiness. The Torah in Beraishis (18:3, see Rashi) provides a stunning example of this. Avraham, while conversing with Hashem, interrupted the conversation and asked Hashem  to wait while Avraham ran out to offer hospitality to the three passers-by. How could Avraham have the chutzpa to tell Hashem to wait for him? But we see that the very act of offering hospitality leads to becoming closer to Hashem, and therefore Hashem certainly approved of Avraham when he ran off to greet the passers-by.

The Torah concludes the pasuk with the blessing that we will “walk in His ways.” How is this understood? How does a human being walk in Hashem’s ways? The Netziv says we walk in Hashem’s ways when we treat others with compassion mirroring how Hashem treats us with compassion. Similarly, if we desire that Hashem gives us the benefit of the doubt, then we should readily give others the benefit of the doubt. We should endeavor to emulate Hashem’s kindness to us, and provide that kindness to others. In that way, we can raise our own level of holiness and be zoche for a Kisiva V’Chasima Tova, to be written and sealed for a good year.