כִּי֩ אִם־שָׁמֹ֨ר תִּשְׁמְר֜וּן אֶת־כָּל־הַמִּצְוָ֣ה הַזֹּ֗את אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָנֹכִ֛י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶ֖ם לַעֲשֹׂתָ֑הּ לְאַהֲבָ֞ה אֶת־יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֛ם לָלֶ֥כֶת בְּכָל־דְּרָכָ֖יו וּלְדָבְקָה־בֽוֹ׃
너희가 만일 내가 너희에게 명하는 이 모든 명령을 잘 지켜 행하여 너희 하나님 여호와를 사랑하고 그 모든 도를 행하여 그에게 부종하면
Midrash Tanchuma
Similarly, Moses declared: For if ye shall diligently guard (Deut. 11:22); that is, if you guard diligently the students of Torah, then you shall be guarded in turn. Hence Scripture states: For them that honor Me I will honor, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed (I Sam. 2:30). This verse alludes to those who honor the students of the Torah.
Devarim Rabbah
Another matter, what is written prior to this passage? “For if you will observe [this entire commandment]” (Deuteronomy 11:22). What is “this entire commandment”? Rabbi Levi said: This is the recitation of Shema. The Rabbis say: This is Shabbat, which is equivalent to all the mitzvot in the Torah.
Another matter, “for if you will observe [this entire commandment]” – bar Kappara said: The soul and the Torah were likened to a lamp. The soul, as it is written: “The soul of man is the lamp of the Lord” (Proverbs 20:27). And the Torah, as it is written: “For a mitzva is a lamp, the Torah is light” (Proverbs 6:23). The Holy One blessed be He said to man: ‘My lamp is in your hand and your lamp is in My hand. My lamp is in your hand – this is the Torah. Your lamp is in My hand – this is the soul. If you observe My lamp, I protect your lamp. If you extinguish My lamp, I extinguish your lamp.’ From where is this derived? As it is written: “Only beware, and protect yourself greatly, [lest you forget the matters that your eyes saw]” (Deuteronomy 4:9). That is, “for if you will observe.”3The verse states “if you will observe [shamor tishmerun],” with a double usage of the Hebrew term for “observe.” The midrash reads the verse as though it says “if you will observe [tishmor], you will be guarded [tishamerun]” (Matnot Kehuna).
Another matter, Rabbi Shimon said: To what is the matter comparable? To two people; one of them had a vineyard in the Galilee, and one….4A fuller version of this analogy appears in other midrashic texts. One man lived in Judah and had a vineyard in Galilee, and one lived in Galilee and had a vineyard in Judah. One day they met, and one said to the other: ‘Guard mine and I will guard yours. If you ruin mine, I will ruin yours’ (Yalkut Shimoni, Tehillim 671). So the Holy One blessed be He said to man: ‘My Torah is in your hand and your soul is in My hand – if you observe mine, I protect yours. If you ruin mine, I will ruin yours.’ That is, “for if you will observe.”
Another matter, Rabbi Yehuda bar Sima said: If you observed two hundred and forty-eight…until “will be broken.”5The reference here is possibly to a statement in a different midrash (Tanḥuma, Buber ed., Kedoshim 6): “Be careful about reciting Shema, for it has two hundred and forty-eight words, corresponding to the limbs of a man…the Holy One Blessed be He said: ‘If you observe mine, reciting it properly, I will guard yours.’”
Another matter, what is “for if you will observe”? The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘If you observe the words of the Torah, I will protect you from the demons.’ Rabbi Abba bar Ze’ira said: There is no beit rova6This is a small space, defined as the area required for sowing one-quarter of a kav of seed. According to Rav Avraham Ḥayyim Naeh, it amounts to 24 square meters. of space in the world in which there are not thousands of demons. Each one has a mask on its face so it will not look at a person and harm him. But when a person’s iniquities warrant it, it removes the mask from its face, and it looks at him and harms him. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “He redeemed me unharmed from the battle against me” (Psalms 55:19). When? [When He protects me, as in the verse:] “For there were many with me” (Psalms 55:19). Who are they? They are the angels that protect a person. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: An image goes before a person,7Human beings are created in the image of God (see Genesis 1:27). The meaning here is that man’s divine image is noticeable to the demons as the man approaches. and the heralds proclaim before him. What do they say? ‘Make room for the image of the Holy One blessed be He.’ See how many guards are protecting you. When [is this so]? When you observe the words of the Torah. I have placed two paths before you – blessing and curse; blessing, if you heed My words, curse, if you do not heed My words.
Another matter, “for if you will observe [this entire commandment]” – bar Kappara said: The soul and the Torah were likened to a lamp. The soul, as it is written: “The soul of man is the lamp of the Lord” (Proverbs 20:27). And the Torah, as it is written: “For a mitzva is a lamp, the Torah is light” (Proverbs 6:23). The Holy One blessed be He said to man: ‘My lamp is in your hand and your lamp is in My hand. My lamp is in your hand – this is the Torah. Your lamp is in My hand – this is the soul. If you observe My lamp, I protect your lamp. If you extinguish My lamp, I extinguish your lamp.’ From where is this derived? As it is written: “Only beware, and protect yourself greatly, [lest you forget the matters that your eyes saw]” (Deuteronomy 4:9). That is, “for if you will observe.”3The verse states “if you will observe [shamor tishmerun],” with a double usage of the Hebrew term for “observe.” The midrash reads the verse as though it says “if you will observe [tishmor], you will be guarded [tishamerun]” (Matnot Kehuna).
Another matter, Rabbi Shimon said: To what is the matter comparable? To two people; one of them had a vineyard in the Galilee, and one….4A fuller version of this analogy appears in other midrashic texts. One man lived in Judah and had a vineyard in Galilee, and one lived in Galilee and had a vineyard in Judah. One day they met, and one said to the other: ‘Guard mine and I will guard yours. If you ruin mine, I will ruin yours’ (Yalkut Shimoni, Tehillim 671). So the Holy One blessed be He said to man: ‘My Torah is in your hand and your soul is in My hand – if you observe mine, I protect yours. If you ruin mine, I will ruin yours.’ That is, “for if you will observe.”
Another matter, Rabbi Yehuda bar Sima said: If you observed two hundred and forty-eight…until “will be broken.”5The reference here is possibly to a statement in a different midrash (Tanḥuma, Buber ed., Kedoshim 6): “Be careful about reciting Shema, for it has two hundred and forty-eight words, corresponding to the limbs of a man…the Holy One Blessed be He said: ‘If you observe mine, reciting it properly, I will guard yours.’”
Another matter, what is “for if you will observe”? The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘If you observe the words of the Torah, I will protect you from the demons.’ Rabbi Abba bar Ze’ira said: There is no beit rova6This is a small space, defined as the area required for sowing one-quarter of a kav of seed. According to Rav Avraham Ḥayyim Naeh, it amounts to 24 square meters. of space in the world in which there are not thousands of demons. Each one has a mask on its face so it will not look at a person and harm him. But when a person’s iniquities warrant it, it removes the mask from its face, and it looks at him and harms him. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “He redeemed me unharmed from the battle against me” (Psalms 55:19). When? [When He protects me, as in the verse:] “For there were many with me” (Psalms 55:19). Who are they? They are the angels that protect a person. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: An image goes before a person,7Human beings are created in the image of God (see Genesis 1:27). The meaning here is that man’s divine image is noticeable to the demons as the man approaches. and the heralds proclaim before him. What do they say? ‘Make room for the image of the Holy One blessed be He.’ See how many guards are protecting you. When [is this so]? When you observe the words of the Torah. I have placed two paths before you – blessing and curse; blessing, if you heed My words, curse, if you do not heed My words.
Shir HaShirim Rabbah
“His left is under my head and his right embraces me” (Song of Songs 2:6).
“His left is under my head,” these are the first tablets; “and his right embraces me,” these are the second tablets. Alternatively, “his left is under my head,” these are ritual fringes; “and his right embraces me,” these are phylacteries. Alternatively, “his left is under my head” this is the reciting of Shema; and his right embraces me,” this is the Amida prayer. Alternatively, “his left is under my head,” this is sukka; “and his right embraces me,” this is the cloud of the Divine Presence in the future. That is what is written: “The sun will no longer be for you the light of day and the glow of the moon will not illuminate for you” (Isaiah 60:19). Who illuminates for you? “The Lord will be for you an eternal light” (Isaiah 60:19). Alternatively, “his left is under my head,” this is mezuza.” Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house” (Deuteronomy 6:9), when you enter from the marketplace to your house.77It is on the right of the person entering the house, which is the left of the person exiting.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It is written: “You shall position the table outside the curtain [and the candelabrum opposite the table, on the side of the Tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side]” (Exodus 26:35).78Since the Divine Presence emanated from the Holy of Holies, the candelabrum was to its right and the table was to its left. But that is not the case; a person places a candelabrum on the left so it will not restrict the right. A person does not place the left under the head and embrace with the right.79The unusual placement of the candelabrum and the table reflect the fact that God’s embrace of Israel is not, as it were, for His comfort, but rather in order to support them (Midrash HaMevoar; cf. Matnot Kehuna).
Rabbi Aḥa said: Rabbi Yoḥanan cites it from this verse: “To love the Lord your God…and to cleave to Him” (Deuteronomy 30:20). What is this cleaving? “His left is under my head.”
“His left is under my head,” these are the first tablets; “and his right embraces me,” these are the second tablets. Alternatively, “his left is under my head,” these are ritual fringes; “and his right embraces me,” these are phylacteries. Alternatively, “his left is under my head” this is the reciting of Shema; and his right embraces me,” this is the Amida prayer. Alternatively, “his left is under my head,” this is sukka; “and his right embraces me,” this is the cloud of the Divine Presence in the future. That is what is written: “The sun will no longer be for you the light of day and the glow of the moon will not illuminate for you” (Isaiah 60:19). Who illuminates for you? “The Lord will be for you an eternal light” (Isaiah 60:19). Alternatively, “his left is under my head,” this is mezuza.” Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house” (Deuteronomy 6:9), when you enter from the marketplace to your house.77It is on the right of the person entering the house, which is the left of the person exiting.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It is written: “You shall position the table outside the curtain [and the candelabrum opposite the table, on the side of the Tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side]” (Exodus 26:35).78Since the Divine Presence emanated from the Holy of Holies, the candelabrum was to its right and the table was to its left. But that is not the case; a person places a candelabrum on the left so it will not restrict the right. A person does not place the left under the head and embrace with the right.79The unusual placement of the candelabrum and the table reflect the fact that God’s embrace of Israel is not, as it were, for His comfort, but rather in order to support them (Midrash HaMevoar; cf. Matnot Kehuna).
Rabbi Aḥa said: Rabbi Yoḥanan cites it from this verse: “To love the Lord your God…and to cleave to Him” (Deuteronomy 30:20). What is this cleaving? “His left is under my head.”