Saadia's Tafsir on Devarim 29 (Parashat Ki Tavo)

Devarim 29:1

וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה אֶל-כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם אַתֶּם רְאִיתֶם אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְהוָה לְעֵינֵיכֶם בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לְפַרְעֹה וּלְכָל-עֲבָדָיו וּלְכָל-אַרְצוֹ

. . . .

Then Moses called together all the house of Israel, and said to them: 'You have witnessed all that God did in your presence in the land of Egypt — with Pharaoh, and with all his officers, and with the rest of the people of his land;

Devarim 29:2

הַמַּסּוֹת הַגְּדֹלֹת אֲשֶׁר רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ--הָאֹתֹת וְהַמֹּפְתִים הַגְּדֹלִים הָהֵם

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the great signs which your eyes beheld, and those wonders and the great proofs —

Devarim 29:3

וְלֹא-נָתַן יְהוָה לָכֶם לֵב לָדַעַת וְעֵינַיִם לִרְאוֹת וְאָזְנַיִם לִשְׁמֹעַ עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה

. .

yet God has not given you a heart to know the like of them, nor do you see with your eyes, nor hear with your ears, unto this our day.

Devarim 29:4

וָאוֹלֵךְ אֶתְכֶם אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה בַּמִּדְבָּר לֹא-בָלוּ שַׂלְמֹתֵיכֶם מֵעֲלֵיכֶם וְנַעַלְךָ לֹא-בָלְתָה מֵעַל רַגְלֶךָ

. .

And I led you forty years through the wilderness; your garments did not wear out upon you, and your sandals upon your feet;

Devarim 29:5

לֶחֶם לֹא אֲכַלְתֶּם וְיַיִן וְשֵׁכָר לֹא שְׁתִיתֶם--לְמַעַן תֵּדְעוּ כִּי אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם

. . .

and the food which you were accustomed to — you did not eat it; and wine and strong drink you did not drink — so that He might say to you: so that you may know that I am God your Lord.

Devarim 29:6

וַתָּבֹאוּ אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה וַיֵּצֵא סִיחֹן מֶלֶךְ-חֶשְׁבּוֹן וְעוֹג מֶלֶךְ-הַבָּשָׁן לִקְרָאתֵנוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה--וַנַּכֵּם

. . .

Until you arrived at this place; and Sihon king of Heshbon and Og king of the Bashan came out to meet us for battle — and we slew them both.

Devarim 29:7

וַנִּקַּח אֶת-אַרְצָם וַנִּתְּנָהּ לְנַחֲלָה לָראוּבֵנִי וְלַגָּדִי--וְלַחֲצִי שֵׁבֶט הַמְנַשִּׁי

. . .

And we took their lands, then gave them as a possession to the Reubenites and the Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh.

Devarim 29:8

וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם אֶת-דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם--לְמַעַן תַּשְׂכִּילוּ אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשׂוּן

. . .

So keep all the words of this covenant, and act by it, so that you may succeed in all that you do.'

Devarim 29:9

אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם זִקְנֵיכֶם וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶם כֹּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל

. . . .

You are standing today, all of you, before God your Lord — your chiefs and your tribes, and your elders and your overseers, and the rest of the men of the house of Israel;

Devarim 29:10

טַפְּכֶם נְשֵׁיכֶם--וְגֵרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶיךָ מֵחֹטֵב עֵצֶיךָ עַד שֹׁאֵב מֵימֶיךָ

. . .

your children and your women, and the stranger who is in the midst of your camp, from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water —

Devarim 29:11

לְעָבְרְךָ בִּבְרִית יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ--וּבְאָלָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ כֹּרֵת עִמְּךָ הַיּוֹם

. .

to enter you into the covenant of God your Lord, and into His obligation, which He is making with you today;

Devarim 29:12

לְמַעַן הָקִים-אֹתְךָ הַיּוֹם לוֹ לְעָם וְהוּא יִהְיֶה-לְּךָ לֵאלֹהִים--כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר-לָךְ וְכַאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב

. .

so that He may establish you today as a nation for Him, and He may be your God, as He promised you and as He swore to your fathers — to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.

Devarim 29:13

וְלֹא אִתְּכֶם לְבַדְּכֶם--אָנֹכִי כֹּרֵת אֶת-הַבְּרִית הַזֹּאת וְאֶת-הָאָלָה הַזֹּאת

. .

And it is not with you alone that I am making this covenant and this obligation —

Devarim 29:14

כִּי אֶת-אֲשֶׁר יֶשְׁנוֹ פֹּה עִמָּנוּ עֹמֵד הַיּוֹם לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה עִמָּנוּ הַיּוֹם

. . .

but with whoever is present with us today, standing before God our Lord, and with whoever is not present with us today, since it is being transmitted to him.

Devarim 29:15

כִּי-אַתֶּם יְדַעְתֶּם אֵת אֲשֶׁר-יָשַׁבְנוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר-עָבַרְנוּ בְּקֶרֶב הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עֲבַרְתֶּם

. . .

And you are well aware of what we dwelt through in the land of Egypt, and how we journeyed among the nations through whom you passed;

Devarim 29:16

וַתִּרְאוּ אֶת-שִׁקּוּצֵיהֶם וְאֵת גִּלֻּלֵיהֶם--עֵץ וָאֶבֶן כֶּסֶף וְזָהָב אֲשֶׁר עִמָּהֶם

. . .

and you have seen their abominations and their idols — of wood and stone, of silver and gold — which are with them.

Devarim 29:17

פֶּן-יֵשׁ בָּכֶם אִישׁ אוֹ-אִשָּׁה אוֹ מִשְׁפָּחָה אוֹ-שֵׁבֶט אֲשֶׁר לְבָבוֹ פֹנֶה הַיּוֹם מֵעִם יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ לָלֶכֶת לַעֲבֹד אֶת-אֱלֹהֵי הַגּוֹיִם הָהֵם פֶּן-יֵשׁ בָּכֶם שֹׁרֶשׁ פֹּרֶה רֹאשׁ--וְלַעֲנָה

. . . .

Lest there be found among you a man or a woman, or a clan or a tribe, whose heart is turning away today from God our Lord, to go and worship the objects of worship of those nations — lest there be among you a root bearing poisonous or bitter fruit.

Devarim 29:18

וְהָיָה בְּשָׁמְעוֹ אֶת-דִּבְרֵי הָאָלָה הַזֹּאת וְהִתְבָּרֵךְ בִּלְבָבוֹ לֵאמֹר שָׁלוֹם יִהְיֶה-לִּי--כִּי בִּשְׁרִרוּת לִבִּי אֵלֵךְ לְמַעַן סְפוֹת הָרָוָה אֶת-הַצְּמֵאָה

. . .

And if such a one hears the words of this obligation, he reckons within himself, saying: 'I shall have nothing but peace' — though he walks in the desire of his heart — so that he passes through in satiety while others thirst.

Devarim 29:19

לֹא-יֹאבֶה יְהוָה סְלֹחַ לוֹ--כִּי אָז יֶעְשַׁן אַף-יְהוָה וְקִנְאָתוֹ בָּאִישׁ הַהוּא וְרָבְצָה בּוֹ כָּל-הָאָלָה הַכְּתוּבָה בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה וּמָחָה יְהוָה אֶת-שְׁמוֹ מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם

. . . . .

God will not will to pardon him for that; rather, at that time God's anger and His wrath shall intensify against him, and all the obligation written in this book shall cling to him — until God blots out his name from beneath the sky.

Devarim 29:20

וְהִבְדִּילוֹ יְהוָה לְרָעָה מִכֹּל שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל--כְּכֹל אָלוֹת הַבְּרִית הַכְּתוּבָה בְּסֵפֶר הַתּוֹרָה הַזֶּה

. . .

And God shall set him apart for evil, from among all the tribes of Israel, according to all the obligation of the covenant written in the book of this Torah.

Devarim 29:21

וְאָמַר הַדּוֹר הָאַחֲרוֹן בְּנֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר יָקוּמוּ מֵאַחֲרֵיכֶם וְהַנָּכְרִי אֲשֶׁר יָבֹא מֵאֶרֶץ רְחוֹקָה וְרָאוּ אֶת-מַכּוֹת הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא וְאֶת-תַּחֲלֻאֶיהָ אֲשֶׁר-חִלָּה יְהוָה בָּהּ

. . . .

And the later generation — from your children who shall arise after you, and the stranger who comes from a distant land — when they look upon the plagues of that land and its diseases with which God afflicted it,

Devarim 29:22

גָּפְרִית וָמֶלַח שְׂרֵפָה כָל-אַרְצָהּ--לֹא תִזָּרַע וְלֹא תַצְמִחַ וְלֹא-יַעֲלֶה בָהּ כָּל-עֵשֶׂב כְּמַהְפֵּכַת סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה אַדְמָה וּצְבֹיִים אֲשֶׁר הָפַךְ יְהוָה בְּאַפּוֹ וּבַחֲמָתוֹ

. . . . .

all its soil being burned with fire and brimstone, so that it is not sown, and does not grow, and nothing of grass springs up from it — like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which God overturned in His anger and His wrath —

Devarim 29:23

וְאָמְרוּ כָּל-הַגּוֹיִם עַל-מֶה עָשָׂה יְהוָה כָּכָה לָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת מֶה חֳרִי הָאַף הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה

. . .

then all the nations shall say: 'For what cause did God do thus to this land? What is the reason for the intensity of this great anger?'

Devarim 29:24

וְאָמְרוּ--עַל אֲשֶׁר עָזְבוּ אֶת-בְּרִית יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתָם אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת עִמָּם בְּהוֹצִיאוֹ אֹתָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם

. . .

And they shall answer: 'It is because they forsook the covenant of God, the God of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them out of the land of Egypt;

Devarim 29:25

וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיַּעַבְדוּ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יְדָעוּם וְלֹא חָלַק לָהֶם

. . . .

and they went and worshipped other objects of worship and bowed down to them — objects of worship that they did not know, and that had not been appointed as a portion for them.'

Devarim 29:26

וַיִּחַר-אַף יְהוָה בָּאָרֶץ הַהִוא לְהָבִיא עָלֶיהָ אֶת-כָּל-הַקְּלָלָה הַכְּתוּבָה בַּסֵּפֶר הַזֶּה

. .

And God's anger intensified against that land, and He brought upon it all the curse written in this book.

Devarim 29:27

וַיִּתְּשֵׁם יְהוָה מֵעַל אַדְמָתָם בְּאַף וּבְחֵמָה וּבְקֶצֶף גָּדוֹל וַיַּשְׁלִכֵם אֶל-אֶרֶץ אַחֶרֶת כַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה

. . .

And He uprooted its inhabitants from their land, with anger and wrath and great indignation, and cast them into another land — as it is this day.

Devarim 29:28

הַנִּסְתָּרֹת--לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְהַנִּגְלֹת לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ עַד-עוֹלָם--לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת-כָּל-דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת

. . . . .

And they shall take heed and say accordingly: 'The hidden things belong to God our Lord; but all the revealed things — which belong to us and to our children forever — are that we should do all the words of this Torah.'