Comentário sobre Levítico 26:18

ואם עד אלה means AND IF, WHILE THESE ARE YET with you,לא תשמעו YOU WILL NOT HEARKEN,

לא תשמעו לי, "you do not listen to Me." Teshuvah is made conditional on "listening" to G'd, i.e. studying Torah. True repentance is impossible without Torah study.

שבע על חטאתיכם; meaning that you will be struck with many afflictions for your sins. The expression is similar to the use of the word שבע by Solomon in Proverbs 24,16 שבע יפול צדיק וקם, “the Just will fall seven times, (many times) and each time he will rise up again.” Compare also Isaiah using the word שבעתים, literally, “sevenfold,” to compare the light of the sun in the future. He means it will be immeasurably stronger than in the pre-messianic times. (Compare Isaiah 30,26) The same prophet also employs the word “seven” as meaning “many,” In Isaiah 4,1 when saying that many women will beg to be just allowed to use the name of a chosen man, asking not to be supported by him but just to be allowed to be known as belonging to that man.

שבע על חטאתיכם, “seven ways for your sins.” According to Ibn Ezra the number seven here is not to be taken at face value, but it is a number representing some whole unit, some indivisible unit, such as Bileam asking Balak to build for him “seven” altars (Numbers 23,28), or Hannah’s prayer in Samuel I 2,5 claiming that the barren woman had given birth to “seven” children. [At that time, at least, she had given birth only to one child. Ed.]

And if while these [are happening]. Rashi is answering the question: ואם עד אלה (lit. if until these) implies that there is a time limit and the verse is saying that if the time passes and you still do not listen to Me, then I will increase your punishment. However, it is impossible to say that Hashem would set for them a time [until when they] transgress the commandments. Therefore he explains that עד is like עוד (while), because if not, the verse should have said, “If, you still do not listen to Me because (על) of these [catastrophes].”

ואם עד אלה, “if, as Rashi understands the word בעד, as בעוד, “still not,” we find a similar construction using this expression in Job 2,4: עור בעד עור, “skin for skin!” Compare also: ויסגור ה' בעדו, “G-d closed the door (of the ark) on his behalf.” (Genesis 7.16)

ויספתי — This together with ליסרה means, THEN I WILL ADD still other afflictions,

Still other sufferings. Not that ‘I will once again increase to bring the first sufferings onto them a second time’, since the second sufferings are not the same as the first.

שבע על חטאתיכם "sevenfold for your sins." The Torah does not mean that G'd will exact seven retributions for each sin but that G'd will exact retribution for the sins of the Jewish people which number seven. The punishment will fit the crime both qualitatively and quantitatively. The seven sins consist of the following: 1) failure to listen; 2) failure to perform; 3) relating to the statutes with disdain; 4) loathing of G'd's social laws; 5) preventing others from performing the commandments; 6) breaking G'd's covenant; 7) remaining unaffected by G'd's penalties and thereby closing the gates of repentance. This explains what the sages meant when they said in Rosh Hashanah 16 that three books are open in front of G'd on New Year's Day; one contains the names of the totally wicked; one contains the names of the totally righteous, and one contains the names of the "average" people (the ones whose merits and demerits are in balance). The latter are given until the Day of Atonement to see if they will repent. If they fail to do so they will automatically be inscribed in the book of the confirmed sinners.

ויספתי ליסרה אתכם, “I will continue to discipline you.”

שבע על חטאתיכם SEVEN punishments FOR THE seven SINS which were mentioned above (Sifra, Bechukotai, Chapter 5 1).

Seven punishments. Rashi is answering the question: The verse implies that the Holy One will punish them seven times for their sins, yet this cannot be as He does not punish a person more than he transgressed against Him.

שבע, on account of the seventh year (sh’mittah) during which you did not release your hold on material possessions, especially by working the land. In the event you consider this interpretation far fetched, compare what the Torah writes in verse 34, where it describes the soil of the land of Israel making up during their exile for the years when its owners did not observe the shmittah legislation.

על חטאתיכם, “for your (various) sins.” Compare Psalms 44,23 where the psalmist writes: כי עליך הורגנו כל היום, “since for Your sake we are being killed all day long.” (the word על being used in the same sense) Also compare Psalms 69,8:כי עליך נשאתי חרפה, “for on Your account I have been reviled.”