Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Commentary פַּרְשָׁנוּת
כִּי הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם לֹא נִפְלֵאת הִוא מִמְּךָ וְלֹא רְחֹקָה הִוא׃
לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִוא לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲלֶה לָּנוּ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה׃
וְלֹא מֵעֵבֶר לַיָּם הִוא לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲבׇר לָנוּ אֶל עֵבֶר הַיָּם וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה׃
כִּי קָרוֹב אֵלֶיךָ הַדָּבָר מְאֹד בְּפִיךָ וּבִלְבָבְךָ לַעֲשֹׂתוֹ׃
This mitzvah which I am commanding you this day is not too mysterious for you, and it’s not far away.
It’s not in heaven that you should say, “Who can go up to heaven and get it for us and teach it to us so that we may do it?”
It’s not across the sea that you should say, “Who can cross the sea and get it for us and teach it to us so that we may do it?”
Rather, it is so close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.
These pesukim describe a mitzvah that is so close, it’s “in your mouth and in your heart” already, and we’re told we really are able to do it! But what is it, exactly? What is “הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת (ha-mitzvah ha-zot, this mitzvah)”?
"כִּי קָרוֹב אֵלֶיךָ" – הַתּוֹרָה נִתְּנָה לָהֶם בִּכְתָב וּבְעַל פֶּה.
“It is so close to you” – the Torah was given to you both written down, and spoken.
"הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת" – עַל הַתְּשׁוּבָה הַנִּזְכֶּרֶת.
“This mitzvah” – this is about the teshuvah (returning to God) that was mentioned before.
Ramban explains “this mitzvah” by connecting our pesukim to the ones that come just before, which are all about teshuvah (Devarim 30:1-10).
- Are there parts of teshuvah that can be described as close by and easy to do? Which ones?
- How does it make sense to say that teshuvah is “in your heart”?
Rashi thinks “this mitzvah” refers to the entire Torah.
- In what ways is Torah “very close” to you?
- What does it mean for Torah to be “in your mouth and in your heart”?
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