(כו) רְאֵ֗ה אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם בְּרָכָ֖ה וּקְלָלָֽה׃ (כז) אֶֽת־הַבְּרָכָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר תִּשְׁמְע֗וּ אֶל־מִצְוֺת֙ יְיָ אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם הַיּֽוֹם׃ (כח) וְהַקְּלָלָ֗ה אִם־לֹ֤א תִשְׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־מִצְוֺת֙ יְיָ אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶ֔ם וְסַרְתֶּ֣ם מִן־הַדֶּ֔רֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם לָלֶ֗כֶת אַחֲרֵ֛י אֱלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־יְדַעְתֶּֽם׃ {ס} (כט) וְהָיָ֗ה כִּ֤י יְבִֽיאֲךָ֙ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה בָא־שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּ֑הּ וְנָתַתָּ֤ה אֶת־הַבְּרָכָה֙ עַל־הַ֣ר גְּרִזִ֔ים וְאֶת־הַקְּלָלָ֖ה עַל־הַ֥ר עֵיבָֽל׃ (ל) הֲלֹא־הֵ֜מָּה בְּעֵ֣בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֗ן אַֽחֲרֵי֙ דֶּ֚רֶךְ מְב֣וֹא הַשֶּׁ֔מֶשׁ בְּאֶ֙רֶץ֙ הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֔י הַיֹּשֵׁ֖ב בָּעֲרָבָ֑ה מ֚וּל הַגִּלְגָּ֔ל אֵ֖צֶל אֵלוֹנֵ֥י מֹרֶֽה׃
(26) See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: (27) blessing, if you obey the commandments of Adonai your God that I enjoin upon you this day; (28) and curse, if you do not obey the commandments of Adonai your God, but turn away from the path that I enjoin upon you this day and follow other gods, whom you have not experienced.* (29) When Adonai your God brings you into the land that you are about to enter and possess, you shall pronounce the blessing at Mount Gerizim and the curse at Mount Ebal.— (30) Both are on the other side of the Jordan, beyond the west road that is in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the Arabah—near Gilgal, by the terebinths of Moreh.
I.e., who have not proved themselves to you; cf. Hos. 13.4.
ונתתה את הברכה על הר גרזים
אלא פירושו כי אני נותן לפניכם דרך ברכה ודרך קללה וטעם לפניכם שתבררו לכם מהן מה שתרצו ואודיע שתהיה לכם הברכה כאשר תעשו המצות והקללה אם לא תקיימו אותן וזה כאשר אמר עוד (דברים ל׳:ט״ו) ראה נתתי לפניך היום את החיים ואת הטוב ואת המות ואת הרע וגו'
YOU SHALL PRONOUNCE ‘ET HABRACHAH’ AT MOUNT GERIZIM. Rather, the meaning of the verses is as follows: “I have set ‘before you’ a way [to attain] blessing and a way [to attain] curse. And the expression before you signifies that you are to choose for yourselves what you desire, and I inform you that the blessing will be yours when you perform the commandments, and the curse if you do not fulfill them.” This is similar to what [God] further said. See, I have set before thee this day the life and the good, the death and the evil etc.
(טו) רְאֵ֨ה נָתַ֤תִּי לְפָנֶ֙יךָ֙ הַיּ֔וֹם אֶת־הַֽחַיִּ֖ים וְאֶת־הַטּ֑וֹב וְאֶת־הַמָּ֖וֶת וְאֶת־הָרָֽע׃ (טז) אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָנֹכִ֣י מְצַוְּךָ֮ הַיּוֹם֒ לְאַהֲבָ֞ה אֶת־יְיָ אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ לָלֶ֣כֶת בִּדְרָכָ֔יו וְלִשְׁמֹ֛ר מִצְוֺתָ֥יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֖יו וּמִשְׁפָּטָ֑יו וְחָיִ֣יתָ וְרָבִ֔יתָ וּבֵֽרַכְךָ֙ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ בָּאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־אַתָּ֥ה בָא־שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃ (יז) וְאִם־יִפְנֶ֥ה לְבָבְךָ֖ וְלֹ֣א תִשְׁמָ֑ע וְנִדַּחְתָּ֗ וְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוִ֛יתָ לֵאלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִ֖ים וַעֲבַדְתָּֽם׃ (יח) הִגַּ֤דְתִּי לָכֶם֙ הַיּ֔וֹם כִּ֥י אָבֹ֖ד תֹּאבֵד֑וּן לֹא־תַאֲרִיכֻ֤ן יָמִים֙ עַל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר אַתָּ֤ה עֹבֵר֙ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן לָב֥וֹא שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃ (יט) הַעִדֹ֨תִי בָכֶ֣ם הַיּוֹם֮ אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֒רֶץ֒ הַחַיִּ֤ים וְהַמָּ֙וֶת֙ נָתַ֣תִּי לְפָנֶ֔יךָ הַבְּרָכָ֖ה וְהַקְּלָלָ֑ה וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙ בַּחַיִּ֔ים לְמַ֥עַן תִּֽחְיֶ֖ה אַתָּ֥ה וְזַרְעֶֽךָ׃ (כ) לְאַֽהֲבָה֙ אֶת־יְיָ אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֥עַ בְּקֹל֖וֹ וּלְדׇבְקָה־ב֑וֹ כִּ֣י ה֤וּא חַיֶּ֙יךָ֙ וְאֹ֣רֶךְ יָמֶ֔יךָ לָשֶׁ֣בֶת עַל־הָאֲדָמָ֗ה אֲשֶׁר֩ נִשְׁבַּ֨ע יְיָ לַאֲבֹתֶ֛יךָ לְאַבְרָהָ֛ם לְיִצְחָ֥ק וּֽלְיַעֲקֹ֖ב לָתֵ֥ת לָהֶֽם׃ {פ}
(15) See, I set before you this day life and prosperity, death and adversity. (16) For I command you this day, to love Adonai 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 Adonai 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 Adonai 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 Adonai swore to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them.
(1) SEE, I HAVE SET BEFORE YOU THIS DAY LIFE AND PROSPERITY, AND DEATH AND ADVERSITY. [God] returns to exhort them yet again, to tell them that there are two courses in their hands and it is in their power to walk in whichever they desire, and there is no power below or above that will withhold them or stop them. And [God] calls heaven and earth to bear witness against them a second time (in verse 19), after [God] had said, I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that you shall soon perish (in 4:26), for now [God] said, I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have put before you life and death (in verse 19) which are the blessing and the curse, and that I have counselled you that you should choose life, if you and your offspring would live (in verse 19). Thus [God] is now like someone who has the witnesses sign at the end of all his words.
(ט"ו א) את החיים ואת הטוב. זֶה תָּלוּי בָּזֶה — אִם תַּעֲשֶׂה טוֹב הֲרֵי לְךָ חַיִּים, וְאִם תַּעֲשֶׂה רַע הֲרֵי לְךָ הַמָּוֶת, וְהַכָּתוּב מְפָרֵשׁ וְהוֹלֵךְ הֵיאַךְ:
(ט"ז א) אשר אנכי מצוך היום לאהבה. הֲרֵי הַטּוֹב, וּבוֹ תָלוּי וחיית ורבית, הֲרֵי הַחַיִּים:
(י"ז א) ואם יפנה לבבך. הֲרֵי הָרָע:
(15:1) את החיים ואת הטוב LIFE AND PROSPERITY— the one is dependent upon the other: if you do good, behold, there is life for you, and if you do evil, behold, there is death for you. Scripture goes on to explain how this is: (16:1) אשר אנכי מצוך היום לאהבה FOR I COMMAND YOU THIS DAY TO LOVE [ADONAI YOUR GOD] — You have here a description of the “good”, and upon this depends וחיית ורבית THAT YOU MAY THRIVE AND INCREASE — here you have life. (17:1) ואם יפנה לבבך BUT IF YOUR HEART TURNS AWAY — here you have evil,
When you walk into the land,
when you cross that sacred stream,
be careful where you stand
at Ebal or at G'rizim
When you come into the valley
Bring your best, expect the worst.
Listen for the tally
Is it blessing? Is it curse?
When you plant your meager offering,
When you sow your precious seed,
As you gather up the blessing
Luck and labor have decreed
You must as yourself this question:
Are things better? Are they worse?
What is it I have gathered-
Is it blessing? Is it curse?
Things are seldom the way they seem.
Yesterday's promise is tomorrow's dream.
Dreams become the glue that binds the universe.
They can help us tell the difference
Between the blessing and the curse.
And the mountains scream their thunder and the rivers greet the roar
And the force can pull you under as the crowd screams out for more.
Yes, the moon will get you thinking and the sun may quench your thirst.
Be careful what you're drinking-
Is it blessing? Is it curse?
When you walk into the land,
when you cross that sacred stream,
be careful where you stand
at Ebal or at G'rizim...