Deuteronómio 28:68 Halajá: Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars, Sefer HaMitzvot, Kitzur Shulchan Arukh & Sefer HaChinukh

It is permissible to live anywhere in the world, except for Egypt, defined as the area extending west of the Mediterranean Sea, 400 Parsangs by 400 Parsangs, in the direction of Ethiopia and in the direction of the desert. The Torah warned us in three places not to return to Egypt, “and do not return in this way again” (Deut. 17:16), and “and you shall no longer see it” (Deut. 28:68), and “And you shall not ever again see it” (Exodus 14:13). Alexandria is included in this prohibition.

That we have been prohibited from dwelling in the Land of Egypt forever, so that we not learn from their practices and not follow their disgraceful ways. And that is His saying, "You must not return that way again" (Deuteronomy 17:16). And this prohibition was already repeated three times: They said in the Gemara (Yerushalmi Sukkah 4:1 ), "In three places did the Holy One, blessed be He, warn Israel not to return to Egypt; and at three times did they return and get punished from them." Indeed one of the three places is that which we mentioned. The second is, "by a route which I told you, you should not see again" (Deuteronomy 28:68). And the third is, "for Egypt which you have seen this day - you will never again see them" (Exodus 14:13). Even though it appears from the words that it is narrative, the tradition comes [to teach that] it is a prohibition. And it has already been explained in the Gemara, Sukkah (Sukkah 51b), that Alexandria is from the cities in which it is forbidden to dwell. And [from the Sea of] Alexandria, the measurement of the perimeter of Egypt is four hundred parasangs by four hundred parasangs - and that is the total of the Land of Egypt in which it is forbidden to dwell. But it is permissible to travel in it for business, or to pass through to a different land. And in explanation, they said in the Yerushalmi (Yerushalmi Sanhedrin, Chapter 10 at the end), "You may not return for living, but you may return for business and to conquer the land." (See Parashat Shoftim; Mishneh Torah, Kings and Wars 5.)

The curses contained in parshas Bechukosai,⁷Leviticus 26: 14–43. and in parshas Ki Savo⁸Deuteronomy 28: 15–68. should be read without interruption.⁹Maseches Megillah 31. Interrupting would make it appear as though we do not wish to accept Divine admonition. (Meleches Shelomoh—Midrash Rabbah.) [Also see Shoeil Umeishiv (5 Resp. 9) and Elef Lecha Shelomo Resp. 63—Sofrim (12).] Shulchan Aruch rules that not interrupting the curses contained in Ki Savo is a custom, but not interrupting in Bechukosai is a Halachah. The reading of these curses must be preceded by one verse of the preceding chapter.¹⁰See Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Chapter 23 for details. But in order not to begin the parshah with less than three verses, the reading must begin with the three verses preceding the curses. At the conclusion also, we must read at least one verse after the curses, but care should be taken not to end at less than three verses from the beginning of a parshah. In parshas Ki Sisa, we read for the Levi, the whole chapter of the golden calf until the words Umeshareso Yehoshua¹¹Exodus 33: 11. [and his servant Yehoshua]. And the reason is because the Levites did not participate in making the golden calf.¹²Maseches Yoma 66a. It is customary to read in a low voice [the portion beginning with] Vayittein el Moshe kechaloso [and He gave Moses as He had finished]¹³Exodus 31: 18. until Vayechal Moshe [and Moses beseeched].¹⁴See Exodus 32: 11 Rashi (Maseches Megillah 31b). The verse beginning with Vayechal is read in a loud voice until Vayifen vayeired Moshe, [And Moses turned and descended]. And the verse beginning with Vayifen is read in a low voice until uMoshe yikach es ha'ohel, [And Moses took the tent].¹⁵Exodus 33: 7. The reading is then resumed in a loud voice until the end of the parshah. And also the curses in parshas Bechukosai and parshas Ki Savo should be read in a low voice. However, the verse, Vezacharti es brisi Yaakov [And I will remember the covenant with Jacob]¹⁶Leviticus 26: 42. is read in a loud voice. The following verse, Veha'aretz tei'azeiv [And the land will be forsaken] is read in a low voice. From the verse: Ve'af gam zos [and with all this]¹⁷Leviticus 26: 44. [the reading is resumed] in a loud voice until the end. And in parshas Ki Savo, [the verse] Leyira es Hashem hanichbad [to fear the honored Name]¹⁸Deuteronomy 28: 59. until the end of the verse should be read in a loud voice and thereafter in a low voice until Ve'ein koneh [and there is no one to buy].¹⁹Deuteronomy 28: 68. Also in parshas Beha'alosecha it is customary to read in a low voice from Vayehi ha'am kemisonenim [and the people were as murmurers]²⁰Numbers 11: 1. until Vehaman kizra gad [and the manna was like the coriander seed]²¹Numbers 11: 7. and the reason is to show that they were regretful. Whatever is read in a low voice should be read at least [loud enough] for the congregation to hear the voice, otherwise they have not fulfilled their duty of reading [the Torah]. [In the reading of] the forty-two journeys in parshas Masei no interruption should be made,²²Magein Avraham 428: 8—Tzeror Hamor. We also do not interrupt during the last eight verses in the Torah [Maseches Menachos 30, Shulchan Aruch 428: 7], nor in the Ten Commandments in Yisro and in Va’eschanon, nor during Az Yashir [Avudraham]. for they represent the [Divine] Name of forty-two [Letters].²³One of the holy Names of Hashem.