Commento su Deuteronomio 26:15

השקיפה ממעון קדשך GLANCE DOWN FROM THE RESIDENCE OF THY HOLINESS . . [AND BLESS THY PEOPLE ISRAEL — “We have done what Thou hast laid upon us, do Thou now what has upon Thee to do, because Thou hast said, (Leviticus 25:3, 4) If ye walk in My ordinances … Then I will give you rain in its season etc.

WHICH THOU HAST GIVEN US, AS THOU DIDST SWEAR UNTO OUR FATHERS — “to give it³⁶Rashi adds the phrase “to give it,” for otherwise the two phrases [as Thou didst swear unto our father — a Land flowing with milk and honey] lack a connecting word or phrase. Ramban will point out that “giving” is implicit in “swearing.” to us and Thou hast fulfilled [Thy promise by] giving us A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY.” This is Rashi’s language. If so, the order of the verse is [to be inverted as follows]: “and the Land which Thou hast given us, a Land flowing with milk and honey, as Thou didst swear unto our father.” And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented that the meaning thereof is, may it always be so, that is to say, “and bless the Land which You have given us to be [always] a Land flowing with milk and honey.” But there is no need for all this, for included in the term “speaking” or “swearing” is the act of “giving.” Thus a man may say to his fellow, “You have sworn me your field” [which means: “you have sworn to give me your field”], or “You have told me a hundred” [which means “you have sworn to give me a hundred dinars”]. Similarly, as the Eternal, the G-d of thy fathers, hath spoken unto thee — a Land flowing with milk and honey³⁷Above, 6:3. [the term “hath spoken” means “hath spoken that He would give thee”]. We have already explained it [there].³⁷Above, 6:3. So also, and he gave him a house, and food he told him, and gave him land³⁸I Kings 11:18. [which means “and food he promised to give him”]. Now, do not find it difficult here that in the oaths made to the patriarchs “a Land flowing with milk and honey” is not mentioned. Since at that time the Land was a Land flowing with milk and honey, [it would have been redundant to describe it explicitly. Therefore it was as if] He swore to them by a Land flowing with milk and honey. Or it may be that unto our fathers [here does not mean the patriarchs] but those who came forth from Egypt, for it was to them that it was said, unto a Land flowing with milk and honey,³⁹Exodus 3:8. similar to the expression, and the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and our fathers⁴⁰Numbers 20:15. [which refers to “our fathers” who came forth from Egypt].

וברך את עמך...ואת האדמה אשר נתתה לי, in the same manner as You have sworn to our forefathers, when You swore to them: “I will take you up from the poverty in Egypt to a wide good land, etc.” (Exodus 3,17)

השקיפה ממעון קדשך, "Look down from Your holy abode, etc." Why did Moses repeat his reference to heaven by calling it both "holy abode" as well as "heaven?" If all Moses had wanted was to tell us that G'd's abode is a holy place he should simply have written: השקיפה ממעון קדשך השמים, without the additional word מן.

It is known according to the Midrash Shemot Rabbah perek 41 that every time the Torah uses the word Hashkafa, it has negative connotations. In this case, the word is used to show how great the strength of people who take ma'asrot that they can turn negative language into positive. It is surprising why use negative language and reverse it. What would be lost if the pasuk just used the world "hibitu" [which has a positive connotation]. The language of "From your holy dwelling place, from the heavens" should also be examined since the p'shat is repetAlthough in Chagiga (12) a "ma'on" (dwelling place) is called "shamayim" (heavens), as it quotes [our pasuk] "from your holy dwelling place, from the heavens." The repetition is because of the word "min" (from). The pasuk does not say "from your holy dwelling place the heavens." This teaches two things: The heavens are a place of the planets and stars that emanate blessing onto Earth. Additionally, the gemara in Chagiga (12) explains that me'on is the place where the heavenly angels dwell. And the Maharsha already discussed this in his Chiddushe Aggadot. But the explanation of this verse is that the person who brings bikkurim is glorified in his actions that he did everything to the best of his abilities. He therefore comes to ask for heavenly mercy that God should bless Israel and their land. In truth, a person can not be so certain in his or her deeds that his or her prayers will be heard from on high. For without a doubt this person has made some mistake. Therefore, this prayer was established with the words hashkifa mime'on kodhecha. An explanation: Look down (hashkifa) negatively upon the malachei hasharet. And find in them mistakes. Therefore, look down upon us from the Heavens and bless etc. And, in your mercy, do not focus on any mistakes that were made. In this way everything becomes clear: this is why it is reasonable to say hashkifah etc. But it could have said hashkifah meme'on kodshecha vehabitah min hashamayim, like in Tehillim 102. Instead, it is written as is to teach that "someone who brings ma'asrot" etc. 

אשר נתת לנו כאשר נשבעת לאבותינו, “that You have given to us as You had sworn to our forefathers.” Rashi understands this as if the Torah had written: “as You have sworn to our forefathers to give to us, and you thus kept Your promise.” It also includes the acknowledgment that the land in question does indeed flow with milk and honey. Nachmanides writes that if we were to accept Rashi’s interpretation, the words ואת האדמה אשר נתתה לנו ארץ זבת חלב ודבש וקיימת, would mean: “that the land that You have given us is a land flowing with milk and honey, and You kept Your promise.” [Rashi wanted to avoid the impression that the promise of giving us the land was the substance of G’d’s blessing for which the farmer prays in this verse. Ed.] Ibn Ezra writes that the thrust of the farmer’s prayer is that G’d should bless the land to continue to give its generous yield also in the future, just as it had done up until that year. There is no need for all of these explanations as G’d’s oath included the realization of it, i.e. the giving of the land to the generation G’d had selected for this. He had promised to Moses in Exodus 3,8 that the land of the Canaanites, which would be given to the Jewish people, was at that time a land flowing with milk and honey. [It could hardly have been less, as the Torah had described it in Genesis 13,10 already as comparable to “the garden-like nature of the land of Egypt.” Ed.]

Now You fulfill what is incumbent upon You, etc. Otherwise, what relevance has this prayer over here? Therefore [it means], “Because we have fulfilled, etc.” it is fitting for You to fulfill what You promised. At any rate it is a prayer, and not as Re”m and Devek Tov write.

V. 15. עשינו מה שגזרת עלינו אף אתה עשה מה :השקיפה ממעון קדשך שהבטחתנו (Maaßer scheni daselbst 13). Haben, wir unsere Pflicht getan, so dürfen wir auch hoffen, dass du uns den Segen gewährest, den du uns verheißen. השקיפה: senke deinen prüfenden Blick herab auf unser Tun und Lassen (siehe Bereschit S. 266). Daher im Jeruschalmi: בוא וראה כמה גדול כוחן של עושי מצות שכל השקפה שבתורה לרעה וזו לשון ברכה.

ואת האדמה, “and the soil,” in order that You will provide the rain at the appropriate time so that I can continue to serve You with the same fervor next year, and fulfill all the commandments connected with ownership of this land.

אשר נתתה לנו כאשר נשבעת לאבתינו [BLESS THY PEOPLE ISRAEL, AND THE LAND,] WHICH THOU HAST GIVEN US, AS THOU SWAREST UNTO OUR FATHERS, to give it unto us, and indeed Thou hast kept Thy promise, giving us ארץ זבת חלב ודבש A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY.

To give to us, and You fulfilled, etc. By adding the words “to give to us,” Rashi is answering the question: The oath does not mention “a land flowing with milk and honey,” so how is it written here, “As You swore, etc.”? Therefore Rashi explains “to give to us.” That is, [You gave to us] as You swore to our forefathers you would give us, “and [also] You fulfilled” the promise you made to those who went out of Egypt to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, [which was] more than You had sworn to our forefathers.

I believe the Torah wants to make us privy to a secret, i.e. that G'd has prepared two distinct sources in the celestial spheres from which to exert His benevolent influence on mankind. One source is the reservoir of spiritual input into man, i.e. the source from which the holy souls are despatched to inhabit our bodies. The other reservoir is that which provides us with physical goodness, i.e. the sustenance enabling His creatures to stay alive by means of food, etc. In the language of the Zohar, the combination of these two are called זווג, coupling, pairing (as in marriage). This term is applicable whenever one of the two of the pair in question is active, i.e. provides the input, and the other is the recipient of that input. According to our Kabbalists the input of holy souls which used to originate from the celestial spheres has been interrupted ever since the day the Temple was destroyed, so that nowadays we receive input only from the source which provides the material goodness G'd has to offer. Moses, i.e. the Jewish farmer in our chapter, prays that G'd should provide the spiritual input, i.e. ממעון קדשך, "from Your holy abode." This input originates in the highest celestial region, hence the Torah describes that abode as קדש, holy. Kabbalists have already revealed (Zohar volume two page 121) the difference between a level called kadosh, and the level in the celestial spheres called kodesh. The latter level is higher than the former as every intelligent student will appreciate. The words מן השמים "from the heavens," refer to the lower of the above-mentioned levels within the celestial spheres. The pairing, זווג which results when the input originates only in the spheres called kadosh is inferior to that which results when the input from heaven includes input from the part known as kodesh. Concerning the first request, that G'd should provide input from the highest regions, the farmer asks that "Your people will be blessed," i.e. with sons and daughters whose souls originate in מעון קדשך. Concerning the heavenly input into our world of material blessings i.e. food, the blessings originating in the sphere called השמים, the farmer asks the blessing for the אדמה, the earth on which the Israelite dwells (compare Maaser Sheyni 5,13).

Mit dieser Institution וידוי מעשר schließt die ganze eigentliche spezielle Gesetzgebung. Es folgen nur noch die auf die Erhaltung des nun abgeschlossenen Gesetzes im Ganzen in dem Volkesbewusstsein sich beziehenden beiden מצות הקהל :מצות (K. 31, 10 u. 11) und כתיבת התורה (daselbst 19).

Bedenken wir dabei, wie die מעשר-Gebote die einzigen in der ganzen göttlichen Gesetzgebung sind, für deren pflichtgetreue Erfüllung ein so förmliches rückblickendes Bekenntnis vor Gott vorgeschrieben ist: so muss den durch diese מעשר-Gebote gepflegten Grundsätzen und Gesinnungen und deren Betätigung eine ganz besondere Bedeutsamkeit für die durch das ganze Gesetz angestrebten Ziele innewohnen.

Wie wir wiederholt erkannt und in dem eigentlichen מעשר-Kapitel (Kap. 14, 22 f,) eingehend entwickelt haben, soll durch die dreifachen Maaßerpflichtleistungen die Verwendung unserer materiellen Güter für die ihnen von Gott gesteckten Ziele des aus der תורה zu erleuchtenden Geistes (מעשר ראשון), des in sittlicher Reinheit zu pflegenden Leibes (מעשר שני), und der aus hingebendem Pflichtgefühl zu fördernden Nächstenwohlfahrt (מעשר עני) gelehrt und übend zum praktischen Bewusstsein gebracht werden. Unter die Verwirklichung dieser drei Ziele dürfte aber wohl überhaupt die Summe unserer Gesamtaufgabe sich begreifen lassen, und ein Volksleben, dessen materielle Bestrebungen in die Verwirklichung dieser Ziele aufgehen, dürfte in der Tat — losgelöst von allem Egoismus und aller sittlichen Entartung — ein so gesundes und menschlich vollendetes sein, dass es mit dem Aufruf השקיפה sich den die materiellen Mittel zu einem solchen Volkesstreben gewährenden Gottessegen erbitten darf.

Diese Betrachtungen dürften, wie wir glauben, eine Einsicht in die Motive eröffnen, welche eben dem Bekenntnis der erfüllten Maaßerpflichten die Stelle als Schlussstein der ganzen Gesetzgebung angewiesen haben mögen.

Unter diesen Maaßerpflichten stellt aber das auf die Erfüllung rückblickende Bekenntnis, wie wir gesehen haben, in augenfälliger Weise das dem Selbstgenuss verbleibende מעשר שני, — obgleich es in der Reihenfolge der Erfüllungen erst die zweite Stelle einnimmt und nicht vor מעשר ראשון ausgeschieden gewesen sein darf, wenn überhaupt das Bekenntnis soll gesprochen werden können, — mit Entschiedenheit in den Vordergrund, so sehr, dass nicht nur der größte Teil des Bekenntnisses sich nur auf dieses מעשר bezieht und beziehen kann, sondern dass nach der Halacha (Jeruschalmi Bikurim II, 2) das ganze מעשר-Bekenntnis entfällt, wenn jemand wohl תרומה und andere מעשרות, aber nicht מעשר שני gehabt hat — er wäre z. B. erst im dritten oder sechsten Schemitajahre zu Acker und, Feld gelangt —. Wir sehen daher hier wieder, wie die Heiligung der sinnlichen Leiblichkeit als der das ganze jüdische Pflichtleben tragende Grundstein begriffen wird, eine Wahrheit, die sich, wie wir gesehen haben, von der grundlegenden Milahinstitution an die ganze Gesetzgebung hindurch verfolgen lässt. In der Ausübung der Maaßerpflichten geht allerdings immer מעשר ראשון voran. Denn nur der durch den Levitenstamm zu pflegende Geist der תורה bringt die Aufgabe der durch Heiligung zu erhebenden sinnlichen Leiblichkeit (מעשר שני) und der aus Liebespflicht zu fördernden Nächstenwohlfahrt (מעשר עני) zum lebendigen Bewusstsein. Ohne תורה-Erleuchtung bleibt der genießende Mensch nur Tier und der besitzende Egoist. Allein in dem die Erhebung des Menschen zu dem jüdischen תורה-Ideal bewirkenden Einfluss steht die מעשר שני-Heiligung des sinnlichen Lebens mit Entschiedenheit oben an. Erst wenn auch der genießende Mensch nicht vor Gott und seinem Heiligtum zu erröten hat, erst wenn auch der genießende Mensch — ebenso fern von sittlicher Unfreiheit (טומאה), wie von Trauerverkümmerung und Unterschätzung der irdischen Lebensfreude (אנינות und נתינה למת) — mit seinem Genuss als sittlich heiliger, Gott dienender Tat in dem Umkreis seines Gesetzesheiligtums weilt, mit dieser Gottheiligkeit auch des sinnlichen Lebens jeder dualistische Gegensatz aus dem Wesen des Menschen gewichen, und der sittlich geheiligte Leib zu einem Träger des göttlichen Geistes geadelt ist: erst dann wird der jüdische Mensch fähig, aus dem reinen Geistesborn der תורה Wahrheit zu schöpfen, erst dann seine Brust weit genug, um auch die Nächstenwohlfahrt in freudiger Selbstlosigkeit wie die eigene zu umfassen. Heißt es ja oben Kap. 14, 23 von diesem מעשר שני-Genuss in der Tempelstadt: ואכלת לפני ד׳ אלקיך במקום אשר יבחר לשכן שמו שם וגו׳ למען תלמד ליראה את ד׳ אלקיך כל הימים!

Darum schließt die ganze spezielle Gesetzgebung mit dem מעשר שניBekenntnis ganz so wie תורת כהנים, das große Buch der priesterlichen Lebensheiligung, das Wajikra, mit der מעשר שני- und der ganz gleichen מעשר בהמה Institution geschlossen hat (siehe daselbst zu Kap. 27, 30 - 33).