The Choice of a Lifetime

(15) See, I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and adversity. (16) For I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, to walk in God's ways, and to keep God's commandments, God's laws, and God's rules, that you may thrive and increase, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land that you are about to enter and possess. (17) But if your heart turns away and you give no heed, and are lured into the worship and service of other gods, (18) I declare to you this day that you shall certainly perish; you shall not long endure on the soil that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. (19) I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day: I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life—if you and your offspring would live— (20) by loving the LORD your God, heeding God's commands, and holding fast to God. For thereby you shall have life and shall long endure upon the soil that the LORD swore to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them.

See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil. For if life is what you request, you should forsee good and to do what is good in the eyes of God. And, if you say, why did the text not place the word "good" before (the word life) for it is through the good deed that one comes to merit life? An answer is that this thing comes to warn one not to request to do what is good in God's eyes in order to live, rather live in order to do the good. That one shouldn't request corporeal life except if one requests life in order that one will be able to serve in their days their Creator, as it is written in Psalms 34:13, "Who is the man who is eager for life, who desires years of good fortune?" That way one loves the days (of their life) in order to be able to see in them God's good in Torah and its commandments, as it is written near each other, "to love God, your God," and, "to cleave to God for God is your life." What this means to say is that this is the purpose of your life, for God does not give you life except for this purpose, and this is what is written here, "to love God, your God, etc." and "Thus, you shall live and thrive." Here, love for God is written before "you shall live and thrive," and nearby it is said, "In order that you and your descendants shall live... to love God." Life is written before love of God, because in truth both this and this are dependent, for love of God brings life, and in any case, one should not request life for one's own needs, rather to love God.

You are standing... One needs to know the intention in this phrase, and more so why it was necessary to explicitly list your heads, etc... your children, etc... and not enough to say in a general way, all of you...

It seems that Moses's intention in this covenant was to make them responsible this one to the other, in order that they would make efforts, each one for their friend, to not cross the mouth of God and be caught this one with the other... and this, that each one was obligated for their Hebrew siblings according to the ability that was in each's hand.

And from here we have come to understand the phrase, "You are standing," that the intention is towards the one saying it... "All of you," is explained as all have upon them this burden, each one according what they are. In Massechet Shabbat 54b it says, "Anyone who had the capability to effectively protest the sinful conduct of the members of their household and did not protest, they are apprehended for the sins of the members of their household and punished. If they are in a position to protest the sinful conduct of the people of their town, and they fail to do so, they are apprehended for the sins of the people of their town. If they are in a position to protest the sinful conduct of the whole world, and they fail to do so, they are apprehended for the sins of the whole world.

...The more Torah, the more life. The more sitting [and studying], the more wisdom. The more counsel, the more understanding. The more charity, the more peace. One who has acquired a good name has acquired for oneself. One who has acquired words of Torah has acquired for oneself the life of the World to Come.

This refers to the righteous who are called living even in their death

Another thing: This life is Torah, as it says (Deut 30:19) "You will choose life," and it is written there in verse 20, "For it is your life and the length of your days." One who wants to merit it should become sick of pleasure of the body and tolerate the burden of mitzvot. And if hardships befall them, them will accept them with love, and will not say, "Behold, I uphold the will of my Creator and I learn Torah every day, why have these hardships befallen me?" Rather, they accept them in love, and thus merit the path of complete life. For who can know the knowledge of God?

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