Behold, I set before you this day... The Hebrew word for "behold," re'eh, is in the singular. This is to teach us an important lesson. Should a person say to himself, "As everyone else is wicked, why should I be any better?" he is told, "Behold!" Do what is proper and ignore what everyone else does. If he then says, "How am I to resist all the temptations placed before me by the Yetzer Ha'ra, know that "I" - God - will help you, for as our Sages tell us (Kiddushin 30), "Man's Yetzer Ha'ra would overcome him each day had God not helped him." Furthermore, a person should not think to himself, "Since I once chose an evil path, there is no hope for me any longer." The Torah, therefore, stresses "I set" in the present, to teach us that man always have the choice of doing good or evil, "and until the day of his death You wait for him to repent, and if he repents, You immediately accept him." "Before you" - If a person says: "How am I to know which path is good and which is not" the answer is"before you" - if you study carefully the history of the Jewish people, it will become clear to you. Should a person say: "What hope is there for me, for I am a sinner, and what about all my sins until now?" the Torah states, "Today" - that each day should be to you as a new experience, and each day you have the opportunity of a fresh start. Indeed, a person who has repented is like a newborn child.
Gaon of Vilna
The Hebrew word for "behold," re'eh, is in the singular, while the word for "before you," lifneichem , is in the plural. Why the change in number? The Kotzker explained that while the Torah was indeed given to everyone - it was placed before you all - each person only beholds in it that which he is capable of seeing.
(4) Do not worship the LORD your God in like manner,
You shall not do so to Adonai your God... Your worship of God shall not be "so," as a monotonous routine - one simply meant to fulfill your obligation - but for the sake of God and with a feeling of holy reverence.
R. Menahem Mendl of Kotzk
(5) It is your God Adonai alone whom you should follow, whom you should fear, whose commandments you should observe, whose orders you should heed, whom you should worship, and to whom you should hold fast.
It is your God Adonai alone whom you should follow, whom you should fear, whose commandments you should observe, whose orders you should heed, whom you should worship, and to whom you should hold fast... The same sentiment is mention in the previous parashah, but, while the present verse is in the plural form, in Parashat Ekev it appears in the singular: "You (singular) must fear Adonai: only your God shall you worship, to [God] shall you hold fast, and by God's name shall you swear" (Deut 10:20). Why, then, is this repeated here in the plural? The reason is that in normal times each person can be God-fearing by themselves, within their own home; at a time of disturbances, though, when heresy and anarchy prevail in the world, the power of the individual is insignificant, and there is need for the pious to combine and to form a mighty force which will defend Judaism against its detractors. Therefore here, where the Torah talks of false prophets and others who preach against Judaism, it repeats the same sentiments in the plural form, to indicate the need for the God-fearing to unite against those who would destroy Judaism.
R. Avraham Mordechai of Gur
(7) If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kin in any of your settlements in the land that your God Adonai is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kin.
Nor shut your hand from your poor brother... R. Yaakov David of Amshinov came to a rich man to ask him to help support one of his - the man's - poor relatives. The rich man wished to get out of the obligation, and claimed that the poor man was only a very distant relative. R. Yaakov David asked him: "Do you pray every day?" "What type of question is that, rabbi?" the man asked indignantly. "Of course I pray every day." "How does the Amidah begin?" persisted the rabbi. " Not wishing to insult so great a rabbi, the wealthy man began: "Nu - God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob." "And who were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?" asked the rabbi. "Our forefathers!" "And when did they live?" "More than three thousand years ago," said the wealthy man angrily. "You are right," said the rabbi. "They lived thousands of years ago, and yet you mention them every day and ask God to help you because of the merits of those very distant relatives. Yet I am coming to ask you to help a relative who is living right near you, and you tell me he is too distant?"