(א) וַיְצַ֤ו מֹשֶׁה֙ וְזִקְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶת־הָעָ֖ם לֵאמֹ֑ר שָׁמֹר֙ אֶת־כָּל־הַמִּצְוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם הַיּֽוֹם׃
(1) Moses and the elders of Israel charged the people, saying: Observe all the Instruction that I enjoin upon you this day.
Why is it not God doing the charging?
(ב) וּבָ֧אוּ עָלֶ֛יךָ כָּל־הַבְּרָכ֥וֹת הָאֵ֖לֶּה וְהִשִּׂיגֻ֑ךָ כִּ֣י תִשְׁמַ֔ע בְּק֖וֹל יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃
(2) All these blessings shall come upon you and take effect, if you will but heed the word of the LORD your God:
Why the sudden change?
"Perhaps it is simply that Moses, and his cohorts, are... taking the law into their own hands, so to speak. To his credit, even in the midst of this diatribe, Moses manages to sputter out a key spiritual concept. He says that it is God’s voice that we should be listening to, that we must hear the commands that God is giving us (in spite of Moses’ interpretation).
Might Moses have been trying to tell us that we have to fine tune our spiritual hearing so that we can know what it is that God wants from us, rather than what other people want from us? Similarly Moses seems to be implying that God speaks to us as [individuals] and if we let someone else do our channeling for us the price we pay will be high." (Maggid Jhos Singer, 2014)
"Perhaps it is simply that Moses, and his cohorts, are... taking the law into their own hands, so to speak. To his credit, even in the midst of this diatribe, Moses manages to sputter out a key spiritual concept. He says that it is God’s voice that we should be listening to, that we must hear the commands that God is giving us (in spite of Moses’ interpretation).
Might Moses have been trying to tell us that we have to fine tune our spiritual hearing so that we can know what it is that God wants from us, rather than what other people want from us? Similarly Moses seems to be implying that God speaks to us as [individuals] and if we let someone else do our channeling for us the price we pay will be high." (Maggid Jhos Singer, 2014)
Rashi:
"every day, they [the mitzvot] should seem new to you, as though on that very day you were commanded regarding them."
"every day, they [the mitzvot] should seem new to you, as though on that very day you were commanded regarding them."
"...while the mitzvot come from an age long gone, there is an existential sense in which we must make them fresh with each new encounter. Rather than considering the commandments some ancient inheritance, they can become electric vessels for an encounter with God and a deeper wisdom if we recognize them as newly issued for each new opportunity. Whenever we face the chance to do a mitzvah, it is as though that mitzvah is presented for the very first time. Just as we are sometimes able to see a sunset as though for the first time, we need to open our souls to perceive a
holy act in that same, original way. Rather than having to vary our routine, we can cultivate our capacity to be surprised, delighted, and enriched by actions we have performed in the past." (Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson)
holy act in that same, original way. Rather than having to vary our routine, we can cultivate our capacity to be surprised, delighted, and enriched by actions we have performed in the past." (Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson)