פרשת עקב תשי"ג - "ועתה ישראל..."

And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul;

Now therefore behold the king whom you have chosen, and whom you have desired! for behold, the Lord has set a king over you.

And now what hast thou to do in the way to Egypt, to drink the waters of Shihor? Or what hast thou to do in the way to Assyria, to drink the waters of the River?

And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul;

Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

And the LORD thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.

Cast away from you all your transgressions, wherein ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.

Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

“And this shall serve you”—There are those who dispute our holy ancestors, and say that “being a sign and a reminder” has the same meaning as: “For they are a graceful wreath upon your head, a necklace about your throat” (Proverbs 1:9). [They] also [suggest] that “tie them as a sign upon your arm” has the same meaning as: “Bind them upon the tablet of your heart always” (Proverbs 6:9). [They] similarly [understand] “write them on the doorposts of your house” as the same in meaning to “Write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3). In that case, what would “a sign” and “a reminder” mean? That it will be flowing in your mouth, “For with a strong arm God brought you out of Egypt.” However, this is an incorrect approach. For at the beginning of the book [of Proverbs] it states “The Proverbs of Solomon.” Therefore, [the readers should expect] that everything mentioned in the book is a proverb [not literal]. However, the Torah is not a book of proverbs—God forbid!—so that this verse must retain its literal meaning, and we will not remove it from its peshat. For its literal meaning doesn’t contradict any logical principle, as is the case for “and you shall circumcise your hearts” (Deuteronomy 10:16), the understanding of which needs to be adjusted…

For the LORD your God, He is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the awful, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.

He doth execute justice for the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.

Having mentioned the haftara read on Yom Kippur, the Gemara cites that which Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Wherever you find a reference in the Bible to the might of the Holy One, Blessed be He, you also find a reference to His humility adjacent to it. Evidence of this fact is written in the Torah, repeated in the Prophets, and stated a third time in the Writings. It is written in the Torah: “For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords” (Deuteronomy 10:17), and it is written immediately afterward: “He executes the judgment of the fatherless and widow” (Deuteronomy 10:18), displaying his humility in caring for even the weakest parts of society. It is repeated in the Prophets: “For thus says the High and Lofty One that inhabits eternity, Whose name is sacred” (Isaiah 57:15), and it is written immediately afterward: “In the high and holy place I dwell with him that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones” (Isaiah 57:15). It is stated a third time in the Writings, as it is written: “Extol Him Who rides upon the clouds, Whose name is the Lord” (Psalms 68:5), and it is written immediately afterward: “A father of the fatherless, and a judge of widows” (Psalms 68:6).