Core Jewish Values: Week #8-- B'rit/ Covenant

(1) When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Walk in My ways and be blameless. (2) I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will make you exceedingly numerous.” (3) Abram threw himself on his face; and God spoke to him further, (4) “As for Me, this is My covenant with you: You shall be the father of a multitude of nations. (5) And you shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I make you the father of a multitude of nations. (6) I will make you exceedingly fertile, and make nations of you; and kings shall come forth from you. (7) I will maintain My covenant between Me and you, and your offspring to come, as an everlasting covenant throughout the ages, to be God to you and to your offspring to come. (8) I assign the land you sojourn in to you and your offspring to come, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting holding. I will be their God.” (9) God further said to Abraham, “As for you, you and your offspring to come throughout the ages shall keep My covenant. (10) Such shall be the covenant between Me and you and your offspring to follow which you shall keep: every male among you shall be circumcised. (11) You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and that shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. (12) And throughout the generations, every male among you shall be circumcised at the age of eight days. ... (13) Thus shall My covenant be marked in your flesh as an everlasting pact. ... (15) And God said to Abraham, “As for your wife Sarai, you shall not call her Sarai, but her name shall be Sarah. (16) I will bless her; indeed, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she shall give rise to nations; rulers of peoples shall issue from her.” ... (19) God said, “Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac; and I will maintain My covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring to come. ... (21) My covenant I will maintain with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year.”

(1) להיות לך לאלוקים ולזרעך אחריך, to accept Me as your exclusive deity, without any intermediary, just as G'd is the solo G'd of all the enduring phenomena in the world (the planets, stars, etc.) The terms of this covenant were concluded with G'd directly, not with an intermediary

(1) ואתה AND AS FOR THEE — This ו (of ואתה) connects this verse with the preceding matter (v. Genesis 17:4, thus setting ואתה of here in contrast with the ואני of there): “As for Me, behold My covenant is with thee” — “and as for thee, thou shalt be careful to keep it”. And what constitutes the “keeping” of it? THIS IS MY COVENANT WHICH YE SHALL KEEP… EVERY MALE AMONGST YOU [SHALL BE CIRCUMCISED].

(2) כי שרה שמה, her name will henceforth be Sarah [meaning "princess"], just as in the parallel verse G'd had said to Avraham "your name will be Avraham. Once you will be heard calling her "Sarah," others overhearing you will follow suit. The significance of the name change from Sarai to Sarah had the same connotation as that of Avram being changed to Avraham. Our sages phrase this as "originally she was a princess only for her own people, now she was a princess for all nations." (Berachot 13).

(3) סגלה means a cherished treasure, the same as (Ecclesiastes 2:8) “and treasures (וסגלת) of kings” — costly vessels and precious stones which kings store up. In the same manner shall ye be unto Me a cherished treasure more than other peoples (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 19:5:2).

(3) And you will be a treasure among all peoples - even though all types of humans are important to me, still, you will be treasured among them. (4) ... and the Righteous of the Nations are important to Me without a doubt.

(2) סגולה מכל העמים, “more treasured than all the other nations.” Seeing that the entire earth belongs to Me, I am able to raise your stature above that of all the other nations.

(1) והייתם לי סגולה, “you shall be My treasured possession;” any treasure which is hidden is called סגולה, it is the kind of treasure which is most dear and beloved to a king and something which he constantly keeps under his personal control. They are matters which the king does not entrust even to his closest ministers or officials. Kohelet 2,8 speaks of such a situation, i.e. “and the treasure of kings and the provinces.” The reason G’d said מכל העמים in our verse is to contrast the other nations whose entire fate is being monitored by G’d’s agents rather than by G’d Himself with the Jewish people whose fate is monitored by G’d Himself. The Torah is even more outspoken about the fact that the fate of the 70 nations has been delegated to His agents in Deut. 4,19-20 “which Hashem has apportioned to all the peoples,....but Hashem has taken you and withdrawn you from the crucible of Egypt to be a nation of heritage to Him.” (2) כי לי כל הארץ, “for the whole earth is Mine,” and I have not chosen any other nation except you.

(1) ואתם תהיו לי ממלכת כהנים, this will make you special for only you will be a kingdom of priests, something that will be understood by all of mankind. This is because all of you will call on the holy name of G’d and serve Him simultaneously. This was to be a forerunner of what will happen in the distant future as predicted by the prophet Isaiah 61,6 “and you will be proclaimed ‘priests’ of the Lord.” This is also the true meaning of כי מציון תצא תורה, “the Torah emanates from Zion.” (Isaiah 2,3) [This statement is attributed to the nations of the world at that time.] (2) וגוי קדוש, never to disappear from the stage of history.

(31) For the LORD your God is a compassionate God: He will not fail you nor will He let you perish; He will not forget the covenant which He made on oath with your fathers.

(1) abandon you; fail you i.e., weaken you

(1) בך בחר ה' אלוקיך להיות לו לעם סגולה, “Hashem has chosen you to be for Him a nation a treasured people.” This status as a treasured people is evident by the fact that instead of appointing one of His angels to be your guardian angel, as He has done for all the other nations, He Himself acts as your guardian.

(2) For you are a people consecrated to the LORD your God: the LORD your God chose you from among all other peoples on earth to be His treasured people.

(1) כי עם קדוש אתה FOR THOU ART AN HOLY PEOPLE — You are holy — your actual holiness comes to you from your ancestors, but, in addition, ובך בחר ה׳ THE LORD HAS CHOSEN YOU [so that you are for two reasons bound to keep away from these foreign customs] (cf. Sifrei Devarim 97:1).

(5) Moses was pursued by Pharoah, and the Holy One chose Moses. David was pursued by Saul, and the Holy One chose David. Saul was pursued by the Philistines, and the Holy One chose Saul. Israel is pursued by the nations, and the Holy One chose Israel, as it is written: "the LORD your God chose you from among all other peoples on earth to be His treasured people." (Deut. 14:2)

(1) האמרה, האמירך (You have spoken) are words for the meaning of which there is no decisive proof in Scripture. It seems to me, however, that they are expressions denoting “separation” and “selection”: “You have singled Him out from all strange gods to be unto you as God — and He on His part, has singled you out from the nations on earth to be unto Him a select people”.

(1) את ה׳ האמרת היום, “you have avouched the Lord this day;” you have singled out the Lord today; by accepting G-d’s commandments you, Israel, have adopted the Lord your G-d as your only deity. He has reciprocated by making you His special people, as He demonstrated by all the miracles He performed for your sake. (2) אמרת, according to Rash’bam, “you have become as if betrothed;” An alternate interpretation: you traded, exchanged; you have abandoned all other powers in nature by accepting Me as comprising all those forces combined. (seeing that I created all these forces.) He, in turn, has abandoned all attempts to directly educate the other nations by concentrating on you as His pilot project. [Some of these words are mine Ed.]

(1) את ה' האמרת היום להיות לך לאלוקים....וה' האמירך היום להיות לו לעם סגולה, “You have affirmed this day that the Lord is your G–d.....and the Lord has affirmed to you this day that you are His special people, etc.” Concerning the precise meaning of these two verses, we read the following in the Talmud tractate B’rachot, folio 6: “The Holy One Blessed Be He said: “you have declared Me as unique in the universe, by declaring “hear o Lord the Lord our G–d the Lord is unique.” Therefore I have reciprocated by declaring you as a unique people for Me.” (Compare Chronicles 1 17,21: ומי כעמך ישרך גוי אחד בארץ, “and who is comparable to Your people Israel, a unique nation on earth.” An alternate interpretation of our two verses: The word האמרת, means: “an exchange of something.” G–d credits the Jewish people with having traded in any other deities in favor of the invisible Creator, Who had revealed Himself to them at Mount Sinai. In response to that act, the Creator traded all the other 70 nations on earth as His potential favorite and chose us instead.

(1) וה' האמירך היום, by entering into the covenant with you, a distinction He has not accorded to any other nation. (2) להיות לו לעם סגולה, so that He may achieve with you what He hoped to achieve with mankind when He created man, saying: “let us make man in our image, etc. (Genesis 1,26). (3) ולשמור כל מצותיו, He accorded you an additional distinction in having chosen you to observe all of His commandments; by comparison the other nations have not been rated important enough in His eyes to warrant these commandments. All other nations have been given only seven commandments to observe. (The Noahide Laws)

(1) to elevate you in praise … is the reward for the above mentioned mutual dedication.

(1) ולתתך עליון על כל הגוים, (set you high above all the nations) in your ability to understand the meaning of life on earth and to teach it. This is the meaning of Exodus 19,6 “you shall be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

(1) ולתתן עליון, “and to place you supreme;” where is the source for G-d doing this? Compare Deut. 28,13: 'ונתנך ה לראש ולא לזנב, “and the Lord will make you the head and not the tail.”

(1) ולתתך עליון וגו', “and to make you supreme, etc.;” to set you up as an example that all the other nations praise and wish to emulate. They do so because they realize that you evoke immediate responses when you call upon Hashem. (2) ולשם, “and for renown,” to enhance your reputation all over the world. (3) ולתפארת, “and for splendor;” you will be able to boast that whatever enterprise you are embarking on will be crowned with success. (4) ולהיותך עם קדוש, “and for you to be a holy nation.” You will have attained the דבקות, close attachment, a state of relationship with your G’d which is the ultimate level of closeness to Hashem that man is capable of attaining.

(9) You stand this day, all of you, before the LORD your God—your tribal heads, your elders and your officials, all the men of Israel, (10) your children, your wives, even the stranger within your camp, from woodchopper to water drawer— (11) to enter into the covenant of the LORD your God, which the LORD your God is concluding with you this day, with its sanctions; (12) to the end that He may establish you this day as His people and be your God, as He promised you and as He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (13) I make this covenant, with its sanctions, not with you alone, (14) but both with those who are standing here with us this day before the LORD our God and with those who are not with us here this day.

(1) לעברך בברית, you are all arranged in this order in order to signal your acceptance of the forthcoming covenant. It is clear from Moses’ addressing all the assembled, that they were of one mind at the time, all willing and eager to accept the covenant. (2) 'אשר ה' אלוקיך כורת עמך היום, למען הקים אותך וגו, G’d’s objective in concluding this covenant with you this day is to reaffirm that you are His people and that He is your G’d. Seeing that the purpose of the covenant is of such importance, is of so elevated a nature, it is necessary that you embrace it wholeheartedly.

(1) לעברך, “so that you will participate,” (note the singular mode; the verb is in the singular) i.e. all as if you were one single person. (2) כורת עמך היום, “which He concludes with you this day.” No one can ever claim that he had not been present at that time and had confirmed accepting the covenant. This was the last time the entire nation would be present at the same spot simultaneously, as after the land had been distributed to the tribes, the elderly and the mothers who had just given birth, as well as any sick people, could not be expected to come to Jerusalem on the festivals designated for the annual pilgrimages.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak asked Rav Ḥiyya bar Avin: Is the Holy One, Blessed be He, glorified through the glory of Israel? Rav Ḥiyya bar Avin answered: Yes, as indicated by the juxtaposition of two verses; as it is stated: “You have affirmed, this day, that the Lord is your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His laws and commandments, and listen to His voice.” And the subsequent verse states: “And the Lord has affirmed, this day, that you are His treasure, as He spoke to you, to keep His commandments” (Deuteronomy 26:17–18). From these two verses it is derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Israel: You have made Me a single entity [ḥativa] in the world, as you singled Me out as separate and unique. And because of this, I will make you a single entity in the world, and you will be a treasured nation, chosen by God. You have made Me a single entity in the world, as it is stated that Israel declares God’s oneness by saying: “Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). And because of this, I will make you a single entity in the world, unique and elevated with the utterance: “Who is like Your people, Israel, one nation in the land?” (I Chronicles 17:21)

R. Simeon ben Yohai began his discourse with the verse “He stood, and measured the earth” (Habakuk 3:6). That is, the Holy One took the measure of all peoples and found no people other than Israel worthy of receiving the Torah. The Holy One took the measure of all generations and found no generation other than the generation of the wilderness worthy of receiving the Torah. The Holy One took the measure of all mountains and found no mountain other than Sinai worthy of having the Torah given on it. The Holy One took the measure of all cities and found no city other than Jerusalem worthy of having the Temple built within it. The Holy One took the measure of all lands and found no land other than the Land of Israel worthy of being given to Israel....