Thursday, May 30, 2019
Bechukotai #2- Mitzvot x2
ויקרא פרק כ״ו פסוק ג: אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֖ם אֹתָֽם׃
If you follow My laws and faithfully observe My commandments,
What is the purpose of saying “בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י” and “מִצְוֺתַ֣י”? Rashi says that “אִם־בְּחֻקֹּתַ֖י תֵּלֵ֑כוּ” means that one should diligently study Torah and “וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתַ֣י תִּשְׁמְר֔וּ” means that you should study Torah with the intention to fulfill all of the commandments.
What other interpretations are there of these words?
Why is pasuk ג the first pasuk in בחוקותי and where else in the Torah do we see things like this?
Is there a difference between a Mitzvah and a Chok?
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The Ibn Ezra says that these words mean you must study the mitzvot, teach them, as well as do them. I like this answer because it’s very simple telling us what we must do with Hashems commandments but on the other hand He doesn’t tell us which words of the pesukim go with teach, study and do them.
ReplyDeleteThe chezkuni translates the words “if you walk in my statutes” to mean that if you follow what hashem told you to do then the trees and clouds and soil with behave in the way that hashem created them that will be best for us. He also says that all of these have been made for us. I like this answer because it’s the same idea as if we daven and behave well then it will rain.
ReplyDeleteWhat other interpretations are there for these words? The Sforno says that בחקתי are like Royal decrees, or something that a person has to be guided by if he wants his achievements in life to prosper. And he says that מצותי is specifically hashems commandments. I don’t love this answer because it doesn’t really differentiate the two words or show a significance as to why we state both of them.
ReplyDeleteRabbeinu Bahya: The law referred to here are the laws about Shemittah and Yovel which were mentioned in the previous parsha. Now the Torah adds that if we observe these laws will provide rain at the appropriate time and will bless our harvests and all the growth of the earth in order to provide us with abundance of physical and material blessings
ReplyDelete^^^ Tovi Malek
ReplyDeleteA Chok is a Mitzvah without any apparent reason. Some Mitzvos, like kindness, Tzadaka, and not killing are commandments that could have emerged in any thinking society. Other mitzvos, like Shofar and Lulav, are Mitzvos that we do just because Hashem told us to do them. - Neima fine
ReplyDeleteOr hachaim says that words mean that one has to work really hard to get Torah knowledge and sometimes they may even have to study something several times in order to know it. I like this answer because it is simple and to the point
ReplyDelete