Shishi
- Your enemies will flee from you. They will approach you on one road and flee in seven directions.
- Hashem will bless the storehouses and all your actions.
- All the nations will see that the name of G-d hovers over you and they will fear you.
- The heavens will give rain at their proper time.
- You will lend the nations and will not need to borrow from them.
- Hashem will place you at the head and not the tail, and you will be only on top and not on bottom.
- The curses:
- If you do not listen to Hashem and his Torah, all the following curses will befall you:
- You will be cursed in the city and field.
- Your fruits and dry goods will be cursed.
- Your children and animals and land will be cursed.
- You will be cursed when you enter and when you leave.
- You will be stricken with curse in everything you do until you are destroyed.
- You will be stricken with disease until you are destroyed.
- You will be stricken with fever and illness until you are destroyed.
- The heavens will be like copper and the earth like iron.
- The heavens will rain dust and ash until you are destroyed.
- You will flee from your enemies in seven different directions.
- Your corpses will be food for the birds and animals.
- You will be stricken with Egyptian boils and hemorrhoids that cannot be healed.
- You will be stricken with insanity.
- You will be like a blind man who can’t see and nothing you do will be successful.
- You will be robbed and swindled without anyone to help you.
- You will marry, and another man will take your wife.
- You will build a house and vineyard and another man will live there.
- Your cattle will be taken by the enemy.
- Your children will be taken captives by other nations.
- Other nations will capture all your work and use it.
- You will go insane from witnessing all this.
- You will be struck with boils throughout your entire body.
- You will be taken captives by other nations and serve idolatry there.
- You will be a mockery amongst all the nations.
- Locusts will eat your produce.
- Worms will eat your vineyard.
- Your olives will fail to produce oil.
- Your children will not be yours as they will be taken captive.
- Your trees and produce will be inherited by locusts.
- The nations will be elevated, and you will be demoted.
- You will borrow from them and they will not borrow from you.
- You will be a tail and they will be a head.
- You will receive all these curses until you are destroyed.
- This is all coming upon you due to the fact that you did not serve Hashem with joy of all the abundance that you have.
- You will work hard for your enemy.
- Hashem will bring upon you a foreign nation who has no mercy.
- They will take all your crops and belongings.
- Your fortresses will be taken down.
- You will eat the flesh of your children.
- The pampered amongst you will have to do the most gross of acts.
- You will be stricken with other illnesses and tragedies not written in this book.
- You will remain very few instead of the many that you once were, being you did not listen to Hashem. Just as Hashem rejoiced by doing good to you, so too He will rejoice to destroy you.
- You will be scattered across the earth and serve other gods. You will not be tranquil there. In the morning you will say, “If only it was the night before” and in the evening you will say “If only it was the morning.”
- You will be returned to Egypt on ships and sold as slaves, but no one will buy you.
- These are the words of the covenant that Hashem commanded Moshe to make with the Jewish people, aside for the covenant that was made in Chorev.
Q&A on Rashi
Parsha Bee – Devarim 28:7–69 (Rashi)
- When enemies flee in seven directions, what does that show?
Answer: They are fleeing in fear and scattering in all directions. - Where will Hashem place His blessing according to verse 8?
Answer: In the granaries and all of one’s endeavors. - What will happen if Israel keeps Hashem’s commandments and walks in His ways?
Answer: Hashem will establish them as His holy people. - What will the nations see that causes them to fear Israel?
Answer: That the Name of Hashem is called upon Israel. - What blessing is promised regarding rain?
Answer: Hashem will open His good treasury and send rain at the proper time. - What financial blessing is promised?
Answer: Israel will lend to many nations and not need to borrow. - What does it mean that Israel will be “the head and not the tail”?
Answer: They will lead and not follow other nations. - What condition is attached to all these blessings?
Answer: Obeying Hashem’s commandments. - What causes all the curses to come upon a person?
Answer: Not obeying Hashem and His commandments. - What does הַמְּאֵרָה (the curse of shortages) mean?
Answer: Shortage and loss. - What does הַמְּהוּמָה mean?
Answer: Confusion and panic. - What is שַׁחֶפֶת (consumption)?
Answer: A disease that wastes away the flesh. - What is קַדַּחַת (fever)?
Answer: A burning fever. - What is דַּלֶּקֶת?
Answer: An even more intense fever. - What is חַרְחֻר?
Answer: A disease causing intense thirst and internal heat. - What do “blast” and “yellowing” affect?
Answer: The grain in the field. - What is שִׁדָּפוֹן (blast)?
Answer: Damage caused by an east wind. - What is יֵרָקוֹן (yellowing)?
Answer: A pale, drought-like disease affecting crops. - What is the difference between the curses in Vayikra and those in Devarim?
Answer: The curses in Vayikra were spoken by Hashem through Moshe, while those in Devarim were spoken by Moshe himself. - How are Moshe’s curses somewhat milder?
Answer: They are stated in the singular form and contain less severe imagery. - What does “your skies will be copper and your earth iron” mean?
Answer: Rain will not fall properly and crops will not grow. - What does “rain into powder and dust” describe?
Answer: Weak rain followed by wind and dust that ruin the crops. - What will happen when Israel faces its enemies under the curse?
Answer: They will flee in seven directions. - What does “a terrifying example” mean?
Answer: Other nations will tremble when they hear what happened. - What was unique about the boils of Egypt?
Answer: They were moist inside and dry outside. - What are oozing sores?
Answer: Wet boils. - What are dry lesions?
Answer: Dry boils like shards. - What does bewilderment of heart mean?
Answer: Mental confusion and emotional distress. - What does “oppressed” mean in verse 29?
Answer: Experiencing constant disputes and troubles. - What does “redeem the vineyard” refer to?
Answer: Redeeming fourth-year fruit (Neta Revai). - What does כִּלְיוֹן עֵינַיִם mean?
Answer: Hoping for something that never comes. - What does לְשַׁמָּה mean?
Answer: An object of astonishment. - What does לִשְׁנִינָה mean?
Answer: A topic that people constantly discuss. - Why is the locust called חָסִיל?
Answer: Because it consumes everything. - What happens to the olive trees under the curse?
Answer: They shed their fruit. - What does the cicada do to the trees?
Answer: It leaves them devoid of fruit. - What happens to the stranger living among Israel?
Answer: He rises higher while Israel sinks lower. - Why do the curses pursue and overtake Israel?
Answer: Because they did not obey Hashem. - What reason does verse 47 give for the curses?
Answer: Not serving Hashem with joy and gladness when blessings were abundant. - What comparison is made about the invading nation?
Answer: It swoops down like an eagle. - What does “whose language you will not understand” mean?
Answer: You will not recognize or understand its language. - What will happen to the fortified walls?
Answer: They will be conquered and brought down. - What causes the terrible famine during the siege?
Answer: The enemy’s blockade and pressure. - What does Rashi’s first explanation of “the tender and delicate man” emphasize?
Answer: Even a pampered person will descend into cruelty because of hunger. - What does the second explanation emphasize?
Answer: Even the merciful will become cruel from starvation. - Why will the woman begrudge her children?
Answer: Because of the extreme famine and siege. - What does אֱמוּנוֹת (“unyielding”) plagues mean?
Answer: Plagues that faithfully carry out their mission. - Why did Israel fear the diseases of Egypt?
Answer: They had witnessed how severe they were. - What does יַעְלֵם mean in verse 61?
Answer: He will bring them up or add them. - What will happen to Israel’s population?
Answer: They will be reduced from many to few. - Does Hashem Himself rejoice over punishment?
Answer: No. Rashi says He causes others to rejoice but does not personally rejoice over the downfall of the wicked. - What does וְנִסַּחְתֶּם mean?
Answer: You will be uprooted. - According to Onkelos, what does serving other gods in exile mean?
Answer: Paying taxes and tribute to idolatrous rulers and priests. - What does לֹא תַרְגִּיעַ mean?
Answer: You will not find rest. - What is a trembling heart?
Answer: A fearful, constantly anxious heart. - What are dashed hopes?
Answer: Constant hope for salvation that never arrives. - What does “your life will hang in suspense” mean according to the Rabbis?
Answer: Living day-to-day dependent on the marketplace. - What does “you will not believe in your life” mean according to the Rabbis?
Answer: Depending on a shopkeeper even more precariously. - Why will people wish it were evening in the morning?
Answer: Because conditions keep getting worse. - Why will people wish it were morning in the evening?
Answer: Because each hour is worse than the previous one. - What does “in ships” mean?
Answer: Ships of captivity. - What does “you will seek to be sold” mean?
Answer: You will want to sell yourselves as slaves. - Why will there be no buyer?
Answer: Because the enemy will seek destruction rather than slavery. - What was accepted in the covenant in the land of Moav?
Answer: The Torah together with a curse and an oath. - What covenant is this besides?
Answer: The covenant and curses given at Sinai.
Bonus: According to Rashi, what is the root cause of all these curses?
Answer: Not obeying Hashem and not serving Him with joy and gratitude despite having abundant blessings.