דָּבָר אַחֵר, רְאֵה אָנֹכִי, אָנֹכִי שֶׁבָּחַרְתִּי בַּטּוֹבָה, רְאֵה הֵיאַךְ אָנֹכִי מְשֻׁנֶּה מִכָּל הָעוֹלָם. שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמְרוּ הַבְּרִיּוֹת, כְּשֶׁבָּא מֹשֶׁה לְבָרְכֵנוּ, מְעַט בֵּרְכָנוּ. וּכְשֶׁבָּא לְקַלְּלֵנוּ, הַרְבֵּה קִלְּלָנוּ. כֵּיצַד, הַקְּלָלוֹת שֶׁבְּתוֹרַת כֹּהֲנִים, שְׁלֹשִים פְּסוּקִים חָסֵר אֶחָד, וְהַבְּרָכוֹת אַחַד עָשָׂר. אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל, מִי שֶׁמַּבִּיט בָּהֶן, מוֹצֵא הַבְּרָכוֹת יְתֵרוֹת עַל הַקְּלָלוֹת. כֵּיצַד, בַּבְּרָכוֹת פָּתַח בְּאָלֶ״ף, אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ, וְסִיֵּם בְּתָי״ו, וָאוֹלֵךְ אֶתְכֶם קוֹמְמִיּוּת, שֶׁהַבְּרָכוֹת בָּאוֹת עֲלֵיהֶם מֵאָלֶ״ף וְעַד תָּי״ו. וְהַקְּלָלוֹת פָּתַח בְּוָא״ו, וְאִם לֹא תִּשְׁמְעוּ, וְסִיֵּם בְּהֵ״א, בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה. בֵּין וָא״ו וְהֵ״א, אֵין כְּלוּם. אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי, מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיָה לוֹ בֵּן, הִכְנִיס אוֹתוֹ לְפַלְטְרִין שֶׁלּוֹ וְהֶרְאָה לוֹ תַּמְחוּי מָלֵא כָּל טוּב, וְהֶרְאָה לוֹ פַּלְטְרִין חֲרֵבוֹת. אָמַר הַבֵּן לְאָבִיו, הַתַּמְחוּי הַזֶּה לְמִי. אָמַר, לְאוֹתוֹ שֶׁמְּקַלְּסֵנִי. וְהַחֲרֵבוֹת לְמִי. לְאוֹתוֹ שֶׁמּוֹרֵד בִּי. כָּךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַרְאֶה לָהֶם בְּרָכוֹת וּקְלָלוֹת, וְהֵן רוֹאִין הַבְּרָכוֹת מוּעָטוֹת, וְהַקְּלָלוֹת מְרֻבּוֹת. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אִם תַּעֲשׂוּ רְצוֹנִי, אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי לָכֶם בְּרָכוֹת מוּעָטוֹת, אֲנִי מַרְבֶּה אוֹתָן לָכֶם, וְלֹא אָבִיא עֲלֵיכֶם הַקְּלָלוֹת. מָשָׁל לַמֶּלֶךְ שֶׁלָּקַח עֶבֶד בָּאֳנִי, וְכָתַב בְּתוֹךְ הָאֳנִי, אִם תִּהְיֶה עוֹשֶׂה רְצוֹנִי וּמְשָׁרֵת אוֹתִי כָּרָאוּי, אֲנִי מַאֲכִילְךָ וּמַשְׁקְךְ וּמַלְבִּישְׁךָ כִּשְׁאָר עֲבָדַי. וְאִם אֵינְךָ עוֹשֶׂה רְצוֹנִי, אֵינִי מַאֲכִילְךָ וְאֵינִי מַשְׁקְךָ, אֶלָּא אֲנִי כּוֹבֶלְךָ וְנוֹתֶנְךָ בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִין. נִכְנַס הָעֶבֶד וְעָשָׂה רְצוֹנוֹ יוֹתֵר מִמַּה שֶּׁהִתְנָה עִמּוֹ. מֶה עָשָׂה הָעֶבֶד, חָזַר מֵעֲשׂוֹת רְצוֹן רַבּוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ רַבּוֹ, הִתְנֵיתִי עִמְּךָ שֶׁאֲנִי כּוֹבֶלְךָ וְהוֹרֶגְךָ. חַיֶּיךָ, אֲנִי עוֹשֶׂה לְךָ פְּשָׁרָה. כָּךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל, כָּתַב לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ, אֲנִי מֵבִיא עֲלֵיכֶם הַבְּרָכוֹת הַלָּלוּ. וְאִם לָאו, אֲנִי מֵבִיא עֲלֵיכֶם הַקְּלָלוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לֹא נָפַל דָּבָר אֶחָד מִכָּל דְּבָרוֹ הַטּוֹב (יהושע כא, מג). וּכְשֶׁחָטְאוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּימֵי יִרְמְיָהוּ, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, הִתְנֵיתִי עִמָּהֶם לְהָבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם קְלָלוֹת. אֲנִי יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁאֵין בָּהֶם כֹּחַ לַעֲמֹד בָּהֶם, אֶלָּא פְּשָׁרָה אֲנִי עוֹשֶׂה עִמָּהֶם. אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר רַבִּי יִרְמְיָה, עָשָׂה ה' אֲשֶׁר זָמַם, בִּצַּע אֶמְרָתוֹ (איכה ב, יז). בִּצַּע, עָשָׂה עִמָּהֶם פְּשָׁרָה. לְכָךְ כְּתִיב: רְאֵה אָנֹכִי וְגוֹ'. אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, סִדַּרְתִּי לִפְנֵיכֶם בְּרָכוֹת וּקְלָלוֹת, הַטּוֹבוֹת וְהָרָעוֹת. לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, אֲנִי מַעֲבִיר מִכֶּם הַקְּלָלוֹת וְהָרָעוֹת וַאֲבָרֵךְ אֶתְכֶם. וְכָל מִי שֶׁרוֹאֶה אֶתְכֶם, יֹאמַר שֶׁאַתֶּם עַם בְּרוּכִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְנוֹדַע בַּגּוֹיִם זַרְעָם וְצֶאֶצְאֵיהֶם בְּתוֹךְ הָעַמִּים כָּל רוֹאֵיהֶם יַכִּירוּם כִּי הֵם זֶרַע בֵּרֵךְ ה' (ישעיה סא, ט). Another interpretation: "See I" (Deuteronomy 11:26). I who have chosen goodness, see how different I am from the whole world, such that the creatures should not say, "When Moshe came to bless us, he blessed us a little, but when he came to curse us, he cursed us a lot." How is this? The curses in [Leviticus] were one less than thirty verses, whereas the blessing were [only] eleven. Rabbi Shmuel said, "The one who looks at them finds that the blessing are more than the curses. How is this? With the blessings, it opens with [the first letter of the alphabet,] alef [of] 'Eem bechukotai telechu' (Leviticus 26:3), and it ends with [the last letter,] tav, [of] 'veolech eetchem kommemiut' (Leviticus 26:13), as the blessings come to you from alef to tav. But the curses open with [the letter,] vav [of] 'Ve'em lo tishmaau' (Leviticus 26:14), and ends with [the letter,] hay [of] 'beyad Moshe' (Leviticus 26:46), and between vav and hay, there is nothing (as they are adjacent in the alphabet)." Rabbi Levi said, "There is a [relevant] parable about a king that had a son. He brought him into his palace and showed a kitchen full of good things, and he showed him a palace full of swords. The son said to his father, 'For whom is this kitchen?' [The father] said, 'For the one who praises me.' [The son continued asking,] 'And for whom are the swords?' [The father answered,] 'For the one that rebels against me.' So [too,] the Holy One, blessed be He, shows them blessings and curses, and they see that the blessings are few and the curses are many." Another interpretation: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "If you do My will - even though the the blessings are few - I will increase them for you, and I will not bring the curses upon you. There is a [relevant] parable about a king who took on a servant with a contract. And he wrote in the contract, "If you do my will and serve me as is fit, I will give you food, drink and clothing like the rest of my servants. But if you do not do my will, I will not give you food and I will not give you drink, but I will rather put you in shackles and put you in prison." [So] the servant entered [into the contract] and did his will more than he stipulated. What did the servant do [afterwards]? He stopped doing the will of his master. His master said to him, "I stipulated with you that I would shackle you and kill you. By your life, I will make a compromise with you." So is it with Israel. The Holy One, blessed be He, wrote about them (Leviticus 26:3), "If you walk in my statutes," I will bring you these blessings. But if not, I will bring the curses upon you, as it is stated (I Kings 8:56), "Not one thing of all of His good word shall fail." And when Israel sinned in the days of Yirmiyahu, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "I stipulated with you that I would bring the curses upon you. [But] I know that you do not have the ability to withstand them. Rather I will make a compromise with you." Rabbi Abba said that Rabbi Yirmiyah said, "'The Lord has done what He purposed, He has carried out His word' (Lamentations 2:17). 'He has carried out,' He has made a compromise with them." Hence it is written (Deuteronomy 11:26), "See I, etc." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "In this world I have ordered in front of you blessings and curses, the good and the bad. But in the world to come, I will remove the curses and the bad from you and I will bless you. And all who shall see you shall say that you are a blessed people, as stated (Isaiah 61:9), 'Their offspring shall be known among the nations, their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall recognize that they are a stock the Lord has blessed.'"