Komentaryo sa Deuteronomio 29:17: Tze'enah Ure'enah, Rashi, Chizkuni & Da'at Zekenim

“Perchance there is among you some man or woman … whose heart is even now turning” [29:17]. This means, perhaps there will be a man or woman who will turn their heart to commit sins. Afterwards, the verse says, “the Lord will never forgive him” [29:19]. This means, God will not want to forgive the sins. Here one asks a question. When somebody does not repent, then it is just that God does not forgive. However, when he does repent, how is it possible that the Holy One should not forgive him? The explanation is that He first says, “whose heart is even now turning away” [29:17]. This means, his heart desires to commit sins, and when he repents, the Holy One forgives him because the evil inclination incited him and brought forth his desires. However, afterwards the verse says, “I follow my own willful heart” [29:18]. This means, the person says, I will commit sins willfully and afterwards he wants to repent for it.⁵Toldot Yizhak, Deuteronomy, 29:17–19.

Through repentance I will have more reward than if I had always been righteous, as the Talmud says, “the place where penitents stand, even completely righteous people cannot stand.”⁶B. Berakhot, 34b. This means, in the Garden of Eden, where the penitents stand, even the most righteous will not have such a good place. Therefore, the verse tells us here that when the person would willingly commit sins, expecting that he would do penance so that he would have a good place in the Garden of Eden, the Holy One will not forgive that person his sins, as the Talmud states, “the one who says, I will sin and repent, he is not forgiven the opportunity to repent.” ⁷M. Yoma, 8.9. This means, the one who will commit sins expecting that he will repent, God does not forgive him.

פן יש בכם means PERHAPS (שמא = פן) THERE IS AMONG YOU,