(from Sfat Emet on Ki Tavo, year 5657, “Pasuk Uva’u”, pp.58a, b )
All of the Blessings
Before listing the specific blessings that come upon the people of Israel, the Torah says, “All of these blessings will come to you and overtake you when you listen to the voice of Hashem your G-d.” (Devarim 28:2).” What are “all of these blessings”?
According to the Sfat Emet “all of these blessings” is not merely a vague reference to good things, but to “the source of all blessings”. What is “the source of all blessings”?
The Zohar (this selection is printed in siddurim and bentchers before the Shabbat meals) asks how the Shabbat can be considered blessed by the manna if the manna did not even fall on Shabbat? It answers that all blessings depend on the Shabbat. Even though the manna did not actually fall on Shabbat, the blessing behind all of the manna that fell the whole week came down on Shabbat.
When the Torah here says, “All of the blessings will come to you” it is referring to the blessing of the Shabbat. It therefore immediately follows with a list of six blessings: in the city, in the field, children, produce, coming in, and going out – each one corresponding to one of the days of the week. This might be the reason why there is a custom to read these verses on Motzaei Shabbat (as part of Veyiten Lekha – this was also pointed out by Rav Hirtz zt”l in his siddur).
These blessings only come about to the people of Israel that listen to the Torah and keep the Shabbat (the two mitzvot limited to Jews) as indicated by the end of the verse: “. . . . when you listen to the voice of Hashem your G-d.”
[prepared by Eliezer Kwass]
