Parasha: Shoftim · Aliyah: Third (Tiferet)

Deuteronomy 18:6–18:13
י"ח:ו׳ וְכִֽי־יָבֹ֨א הַלֵּוִ֜י מֵאַחַ֤ד שְׁעָרֶ֙יךָ֙ מִכָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־ה֖וּא גָּ֣ר שָׁ֑ם וּבָא֙ בְּכָל־אַוַּ֣ת נַפְשׁ֔וֹ אֶל־הַמָּק֖וֹם אֲשֶׁר־יִבְחַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃
18:6 If a Levite would go, from any of the settlements throughout Israel where he has been residing, to the place that the LORD has chosen, he may do so whenever he pleases.
18:6 And if a Levite come from any of thy gates out of all Israel, where he sojourneth, and come with all the desire of his soul unto the place which the LORD shall choose;
י"ח:ו׳ וַאֲרֵי יֵיתֵי לֵוָאָה מֵחֲדָא מִקִּרְוָיךְ מִכָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל דִּי הוּא דָּר תַּמָּן וְיֵיתֵי בְּכָל רְעוּת נַפְשֵׁיהּ לְאַתְרָא דִּי יִתִּרְעֵי יְיָ:
י"ח:ז׳ וְשֵׁרֵ֕ת בְּשֵׁ֖ם יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהָ֑יו כְּכָל־אֶחָיו֙ הַלְוִיִּ֔ם הָעֹמְדִ֥ים שָׁ֖ם לִפְנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
18:7 He may serve in the name of the LORD his God like all his fellow Levites who are there in attendance before the LORD.
18:7 then he shall minister in the name of the LORD his God, as all his brethren the Levites do, who stand there before the LORD.
י"ח:ז׳ וִישַׁמַּשׁ בִּשְׁמָא דַּיְיָ אֱלָהֵיהּ כְּכָל אֲחוֹהִי לֵוָאֵי דִּמְשַׁמְּשִׁין תַּמָּן (בִּצְלוֹ) קֳדָם יְיָ:
י"ח:ח׳ חֵ֥לֶק כְּחֵ֖לֶק יֹאכֵ֑לוּ לְבַ֥ד מִמְכָּרָ֖יו עַל־הָאָבֽוֹת׃ (ס)
18:8 They shall receive equal shares of the dues, bMeaning of Heb. uncertain.without regard to personal gifts or patrimonies.-b
18:8 They shall have like portions to eat, beside that which is his due according to the fathers’houses. .
י"ח:ח׳ חֳלָק כָּחֳלָק יֵיכְלוּן בַּר מִמַּטַּרְתָּא דְּיֵיתֵי בְשַׁבַּתָּא דְּכֵן אַתְקִינוּ אֲבָהָתָא:
י"ח:ט׳ כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ בָּ֣א אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֣ן לָ֑ךְ לֹֽא־תִלְמַ֣ד לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת כְּתוֹעֲבֹ֖ת הַגּוֹיִ֥ם הָהֵֽם׃
18:9 When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations.
18:9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations.
י"ח:ט׳ אֲרֵי אַתְּ עָלֵל לְאַרְעָא דַּיְיָ אֱלָהָךְ יָהֵב לָךְ לָא תֵילַף לְמֶעְבַּד כְּטַעֲוַת עַמְמַיָּא הָאִנּוּן:
י"ח:י׳ לֹֽא־יִמָּצֵ֣א בְךָ֔ מַעֲבִ֥יר בְּנֽוֹ־וּבִתּ֖וֹ בָּאֵ֑שׁ קֹסֵ֣ם קְסָמִ֔ים מְעוֹנֵ֥ן וּמְנַחֵ֖שׁ וּמְכַשֵּֽׁף׃
18:10 Let no one be found among you who consigns his son or daughter to the fire, or who is an augur, a soothsayer, a diviner, a sorcerer,
18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer,
י"ח:י׳ לָא יִשְׁתְּכַח בָּךְ מַעֲבַר בְּרֵיהּ וּבְרַתֵּיהּ בְּנוּרָא קָסֵם קֻסְמִין מְעָנֵן וּמְנַחֵשׁ וְחָרָשׁ:
מנחש. פִּתּוֹ נָפְלָה מִפִּיו, צְבִי הִפְסִיקוֹ בַדֶּרֶךְ, מַקְלוֹ נָפַל מִיָּדוֹ (ספרי; סנהדרין ס"ה):
י"ח:י"א וְחֹבֵ֖ר חָ֑בֶר וְשֹׁאֵ֥ל אוֹב֙ וְיִדְּעֹנִ֔י וְדֹרֵ֖שׁ אֶל־הַמֵּתִֽים׃
18:11 one who casts spells, or one who consults ghosts or familiar spirits, or one who inquires of the dead.
18:11 or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer.
י"ח:י"א וְרָטִין רְטָן וְשָׁאֵל בִּדִּין וּזְכוּרוּ וְתָבַע מִן מֵתַיָּא:
י"ח:י"ב כִּֽי־תוֹעֲבַ֥ת יְהוָ֖ה כָּל־עֹ֣שֵׂה אֵ֑לֶּה וּבִגְלַל֙ הַתּוֹעֵבֹ֣ת הָאֵ֔לֶּה יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ מוֹרִ֥ישׁ אוֹתָ֖ם מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃
18:12 For anyone who does such things is abhorrent to the LORD, and it is because of these abhorrent things that the LORD your God is dispossessing them before you.
18:12 For whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the LORD; and because of these abominations the LORD thy God is driving them out from before thee.
י"ח:י"ב אֲרֵי מְרָחָק יְיָ כָּל דְּיַעְבֵּד אִלֵּין וּבְדִיל תּוֹעֲבָתָא הָאִלֵּין יְיָ אֱלָהָךְ מְתָרַךְ יָתְהוֹן מִקֳּדָמָךְ:
י"ח:י"ג תָּמִ֣ים תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה עִ֖ם יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃ (ס)
18:13 You must be wholehearted with the LORD your God.
18:13 Thou shalt be whole-hearted with the LORD thy God.
י"ח:י"ג שְׁלִים תְּהֵי בְּדַחַלְתָּא דַּיְיָ אֱלָהָךְ:
י"ח:י"ג אור החיים
1תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה עִם ה׳. פֵּרוּשׁ, לְפִי שֶׁצִּוָּה עָלָיו בְּסָמוּךְ לְבַל יְעוֹנֵן וִיכַשֵּׁף וּלְבַל יִשְׁאַל בָּאוֹב וְגוֹ׳, אָמַר תָּמִים וְגוֹ׳, פֵּרוּשׁ כְּלוֹמַר טַעַם כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הוּא לָדַעַת הָעֲתִידוֹת וּלְהִתְנַהֵג עַל אֲשֶׁר יוֹרוּ וּלְתַקֵּן הַחִסָּרוֹן כַּאֲשֶׁר יוּכַל עֲשׂוֹת. אִם תִּהְיֶה עִם ה׳ תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה, לֹא יֶחְסַר לְךָ דָּבָר וְאֵין מַה שֶׁיַּגִּיד הַמַּזָּל עָלֶיךָ תִּתְקַיֵּים לְרָעָה. וְזֶה לְךָ הָאוֹת – אַבְרָהָם שֶׁהִתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵי ה׳, הֲגַם שֶׁהֶרְאָה הַמַּזָּל עָלָיו שֶׁלֹּא יוֹלִיד, נִתְהַפֵּךְ וְיָלַד (שבת קנו:). וּכְפִי זֶה תֵּיבַת תִּהְיֶה נִמְשֶׁכֶת לְמַעְלָה וּלְמַטָּה עַל זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ: תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה אִם תִּהְיֶה עִם ה׳, אוֹ עַל זֶה הַדֶּרֶךְ: תָּמִים תִּהְיֶה כְּשֶׁאַתָּה עִם אֱלֹהֶיךָ.
תמים תהיה עם ה׳ אלוקיך,"You shall be wholehearted with the Lord your G'd." Inasmuch as the previous verses dealt with people who engage in a variety of magic mixed with their religious tenets, the Torah has to emphasise that our relationship with G'd must be predicated on mutual exclusivity. The difference between Judaism and other religious beliefs is that those beliefs are based on a variety of terrifying phenomena in nature. As a result of the Gentiles' fears and traumas they resort to means which would foretell them what to expect and to try and take precautions against any disaster the stars foretell. We, who are convinced that G'd always has our best interests at heart, do not need to be terrified [except of our sinful conduct, Ed.]. You may therefore best translate this verse as meaning: "you will be complete i.e. תמים and at ease with the Lord your G'd provided תהיה עם השם אלוקיך, that you are on the same wavelength as the Lord your G'd. Any evil in store for you which you would find by consulting your horoscope is not bound to happen anyway. Our patriarch Abraham is the best example of this. He thought that because his horoscope told him that he would not have any children that G'd could not give him a meaningful reward; G'd taught him that he could overcome what he thought would happen (Shabbat 156). The word תהיה belongs both with the word תמים as well as with the words עם ה׳ אלוקיך. "You will be whole when you are on the side of your G'd."

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