Commento su Deuteronomio 11:27

את הברכה [I SET BEFORE YOU] THE BLESSING — with the condition that you should obey (אשר תשמעו‎).

את הברכה אשר תשמעון, "The blessing if you will hearken, etc." The word את which frequently means "with" means here that in addition to the blessing which is the result of walking in G'd's paths there would be a bonus, i.e. they would hearken to G'd's commandments. Hearkening to G'd's commandments is perceived as a pleasurable experience by itself. It helps the soul to feel "alive" as we know from Isaiah 55,4: שמעו ותהי נפשכם, "hearken and your souls will come alive." Whenever someone who studies Torah gains an understanding of what the Torah has in mind he experiences a physical and spiritual sense of wellbeing. He owes G'd a debt of gratitude for affording him such pleasure. There is no need to add that such a person cannot demand a reward from G'd for having allowed him to experience such joy.

את הברכה, which would be on Mount Gerizim on condition that 'אשר תשמעו אל מצות ה', וגו, that you will listen, etc.

את הברכה אשר תשמעו, “the blessing, that you will listen, etc.” Interestingly, Moses did not use the conditional אם when speaking about the blessing, in contrast to his using this word when referring to the people not listening, i.e. את הקללה אם לא תשמעו, “the curse if you will not listen.” Seeing that the word אם implies that what follows is doubtful, Moses did not want the blessing to be associated with a word expressing doubt. The word אשר expresses that something is definite. This is why Moses chose to use this word as describing the blessing, i.e. its materializing.

On condition that you listen. Rashi is answering the question: The verse should have said אם תשמעו (if you heed), in the same manner as it is written afterwards, “And the curse — if you do not heed.” For אשר (that) implies that they will definitely obey the commandments. But this is not so, for everything is in the hands of Heaven besides the fear of Heaven (Berachos 33b), and so perhaps they may not obey. Therefore Rashi explains: “That you heed” means, “on condition etc.” Also, this [that אשר and אם are written together] explains why Rashi does not say that אשר (that) means אם (if), as he explains in Bereishis that the verse, “Any children that (אשר) you will have (Bereishis 48:6),” means, “if (אם) you will have more.” For in that verse it is not written אם (if). as it is written here, “And the curse — if (אם) you do not heed.” Therefore [regarding the blessing] Scripture should have written אם, since it is the same matter. But the verse here changes and writes אם regarding the curses, yet it uses the word — אשר — regarding the blessings, perforce we need to explain that אשר means, “on condition that you listen,” even though both words could mean “if.” Also, this [that אשר and אם are written together] answers the question posed by Re”m: Why does Rashi explain that אשר means, “on condition that, etc.,” instead of, “if,” since we find אם in place of אשר [i.e., these two words are interchangeable]?

V. 27. ׳את הברכה אשר וגו, bedeutungsvoll heißt es nicht wie bei קללה des folgenden Verses אם תשמעו, sondern אשר תשמעו. Die Erfüllung der göttlichen Gebote ist schon selbst ein wahrer Bestandteil des Segens, der nicht nur dem Gehorsam nachfolgt, sondern bereits in dem Gehorsam und der treuen Pflichterfüllung seine Verwirklichung beginnt. Die geistige und sittliche Tat, die sich in jeder Gesetzestreue vollzieht, ist selbst bereits ein segensreicher Fortschritt unseres ganzen Wesens, und mit jeder Mizwatat segnen wir uns selbst.

את הברכה, אשר תשמעו את מצות ה'.......ואת הקללה אם לא תשמעו אל מצות ה', “and the curse if you will not hearken to the commandments of the Lord;” our author feels the need to explain this by a parable. An old man sat at a parting of a path. One of the parts continues smoothly but will soon become covered with thorns and thistles making progress almost impossible. The other is strewn with thorns and thistle already immediately, but will become smooth later on. This is what the old man explains to anyone asking him which path to take. The old man, naturally advises a traveler to take the path that has thorns and thistles only initially. Some travelers, seeing that the man is old, do not take his advice, and pay for it dearly as it is most difficult to go back to the junction once one has become embroiled in the thorns and thistles, People who commit trespasses against the Torah in their youth, i.e. in this world, because they choose ease and comfort, will find it almost impossible to retrace their steps once they have become caught in thorns and thistles. People who accept the challenge of Torah laws in their youth, will find it progressively easier, and in the end, their path will ensure that they experience the coming of the Messiah in due course. (Tanchuma section 3 on our portion)

There is yet another aspect to the words את הברכה. We have been taught in Kidushin 40 that the reward for מצוה-performance is divided into "capital and dividends." When Moses uses the word את he refers to the "dividend" aspect of the blessing which is the reward. The word הברכה refers to the world in which the capital is payable, whereas the word את refers to our world in which the dividends of this capital are paid out.

היום ist immer zugleich mit Rücksicht auf die im Momente des Lesens der Gottesworte gegenwärtige Zeit gesprochen, בכל יום יהיו בעיניך כחדשים; jeder Tag bringt die Verpflichtung zum Gesetze aufs neue.

Moses was careful to say אשר. Had he used the customary word אם this would have had a connotation of "if," i.e. that the payment of such dividends was somehow subject to doubt. By saying instead אשר, Moses made sure that this dividend would be perceived as something absolute, not subject to doubt or additional conditions. The Torah made this whole blessing dependent on "listening" rather than on performance of a deed or deeds with one's limbs as it wanted to convey the idea that anyone who listens to the living G'd and His Torah becomes imbued with the elixir of life, something which is guaranteed to bring him back to the fold in case he had strayed (compare introduction of Eychah Rabbati).