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From: Ephraim Frank
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Parashat Ki Te'tzeh

Hebrew Insights into Parashat Ki Te'tzeh - Deuteronomy: 21:10 - 25:19

Parashat Ki Te'tzeh - "when you go out"... consists of lists of commandments, some of which we have encountered earlier on in the Torah, others are presented in a modified form, while quite a few are mentioned here for the first time. It should be noted that even though at first glance the various injunctions seem to be placed randomly, a closer study reveals them to be organized in clusters wherein there is a common theme, or some other link, which ties together the injunctions within each respective group. To cite one example: the Parasha begins with a ruling regarding desiring and marrying a foreign woman taken captive in war but losing interest in her at a later stage. The next ruling focuses on the rights of the firstborn son of (again) an unloved wife, whose husband has another, favored, wife. From the firstborn son we are taken to an injunction regarding a rebellious son (whom some of the sages believe to be the offspring of the foreign wife mentioned above), whose behavior makes him culpable, and is therefore to be stoned, while the following ruling has to do with a criminal who is sentenced to hanging (ref. 21:10-23). At the very end of the Parasha, to mention another example, we read in 25:14-16 about unjust weights and measures which are detestable in YHVH' sight. The concomitant ruling is in reference to the Amalekites, who are to be completely wiped out because of their treatment of Israel, for which they fall under the category of: "Anyone doing these things is hateful to YHVH your God, everyone acting evilly" (25:16), even though "these things' is actually in reference to using unjust weights. Parashat Ki Te'tzeh illustrates the extent of YHVH's involvement in the life of the Israelites and shows how every aspect of the life of the individual, as well as that of the community, is to be lived and expressed in a manner worthy of God's people.

The stubborn and rebellious son, of 21:18, 20, according to his own parents' admittance, "will not listen to his father's voice, or his mother's voice; even though they discipline him, he will not listen to them". "Stubborn and rebellious" is "sorer u'moreh". "Sorer" is of the root s.r.h (samech, resh, hey) and means "turn aside, defect, or withdraw". "Moreh" is of the root m.r.h (mem, resh, hey) meaning, "contentious, or rebellious". It is from the heart that this conduct issues forth, as we read in Yirmiyahu (Jeremiah): "To this people there is a revolting and a rebellious - sorer u'moreh - heart" (5:23). This son is further described as "a gluten and a drunkard". The latter noun is "soveh", the root being s.v.h. (samech, vet, alef), recalling, "sovah" (sin/shin, vet, ayin), which is not only close in sound but also in meaning (albeit employs different spelling). In Parashat Vayera (see Gen. 21:27-31), we examined this root, and found that "satisfaction," or to "have had enough" (especially in reference to food) is "sovah", relating to the number "seven" - "sheva". By calling the week "shavua", the language points to the fullness and completeness of what God has done, and to its guaranteed fulfillment. "In Your presence there is fullness ("sova") of joy; I will be satisfied ("es'be'ah") with Your likeness when I awake", (Ps. 16:11; 17:15). Thus, if one is not 'satisfied' with being "saveh'a", and overindulges, he becomes a "soveh". By making use of similar sounds Hebrew, typically, points to life's fine demarcation lines. The rebellious son was to be executed by stoning (ref. V. 21), which is the verb "ragom". Another stoning was to occur in the event of a young woman who, upon marriage, was found not to be a virgin (ref. 22:21), as well as when "there is a girl that is a virgin, betrothed to a man, and a man finds her in the city, and lies with her" (v. 23). In these cases the stoning is "sakol" (s.k.l, samech, kof, lamed), which means not only to "hurl rocks", but also to "gather rocks", such as in Yishayahu (Isaiah) 5:2: "My Beloved has a vineyard in a fruitful horn. And He dug it, and cleared it of stones" (italics added). This illustrates again the close proximity extant between what appear to be contradictions, of which we shall see another example later on.

Following the prodigal son, the text goes on to speak of "a man [who] has committed a sin worthy of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree" (v. 22), adding, "He who is hanged is accursed of God" (v. 23). This is, of course, how Yeshua "redeemed us from the curse of breaking the Torah laws, having become a curse for us" (Gal. 3:13).

The next set of injunctions in chapter 22 focuses on concern for one's fellowman's property and welfare, as well on sensitivity toward YHVH's creation. "You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep driven away, and hide yourself from them. You shall surely turn them back to your brother" (v. 1). "Hide" here is "hit'a'lamta", of the root a.l.m (ayin, lamed, mem), and means "hidden or concealed", and in this context also "disregard, neglect or pretend not to see". It is from this root that we obtain "olam", which in Biblical Hebrew speaks mostly of "eternity" (future but also past), which, from the human point of view, is indeed concealed and uncharted (e.g. Gen. 17:7; Ex. 12:24; Ps. 77:5). At the other end of this cluster of injunctions we read: "If a bird's nest happens to be before you in the way in any tree, or on the ground, with young ones, or eggs; and the mother is sitting on the young, or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. But in every case you shall let the mother go, and take the young for yourself, so that it may be well with you, and you may prolong your days" (22:6,7 italics added). This somewhat obscure command holds a great promise, much like that of the 5th Commandment, which says: "Honor your father and your mother, as YHVH your God has commanded you, so that your days may be prolonged" (Deut. 5:16). This promise common to both of these injunctions has puzzled the sages all the way back to Talmudic literature. Some of them concur that YHVH's ways are higher than ours, and therefore various precepts are "passed finding out", while others maintain that one should not even try and discover whether the Divine commands have reasons or not. On the other hand, Professor Yitzchak Heinemann contends that "it is incumbent on us to detect the finger of God in the wonders of nature and the events of our life, though they will still remain unsolved mysteries, so we must endeavor, as far as possible, to appreciate the wisdom and justice of His commands". 1 The identical reward for honoring parents and for shooing the mother bird before taking her young, may serve as a clue to a principle which applies to every word spoken in the Torah: "kala ka'cha'mura", meaning that each precept (and/or word), whether insubstantial or weighty, is to be treated equally. Thus, all the way from the weightiest precept to the least esteemed, through those that are 'in between', obedience is equally required, with the result (of so doing) being the same. Our Parasha, to cite another such example, also exhorts us to "have a perfect and just ephah; so that they prolong your days in the land" (25:15 italcis added).

In 23:8-9 we read: "You shall not despise an Edomite, for he is your brother. You shall not despise an Egyptian, for you were an alien in his land, sons of the third generation that are born to them may enter into the assembly of YHVH." This direction is in opposition to the one relating to the Ammonites and Moabites, who were not to enter the assembly of YHVH for ten generations. Da'at Mikra ponders: "Why is it that the Torah deals this way with the Edomites, not demanding from them what was demanded of the Moabites and Ammonites, which was to greet Israel with bread and water when they had passed by these peoples' territories? Because Ya'acov tricked Esav and had wrested from him the birthright and the blessings; while for having chased Ya'acov, Esav and his progeny have already been punished, by having been held off from the assembly of Israel for two generations. The Egyptians are also forgiven for their treatment of Israel, because they were afraid lest Israel would join their enemies." 2

Several rulings are laid concerning the purity of Israel's camp and assembly. One of them is: "None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cult prostitute" (23:17). The word used here for "female prostitute" is "k'desha", while "male prostitute" is "kadesh". Here is one more example of words of the opposite meaning being closely linked in the Hebrew language and mind, since the word for "holy" is "kadosh" (and in feminine gender - "kdosha"). In verse 18 we read: "You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of YHVH your God for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to YHVH your God". This type of "wage" is "et'nan", an unusual form of "natan" (noon, tav, noon), which is "give". When Yehuda of Krayot - Judas Iscariot - upon repenting for betraying Yeshua, returned the 30 pieces of silver to the priests, "the chief priests said, 'It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood'. And taking counsel, they bought of them the potter's field, for burial for the strangers" (Mat. 27:6). In this case the priests acted as they did based on the ruling we have just looked at.

Before examining the next cluster, let us pause to look at a term that even though may be new to us, is not very different from another one, which conveys a similar idea, that we have encountered in Parashat Va'yishlach (Genesis: 32:3 - 36), where we read that Ya'acov sent [va'yishlach] messengers - "mala'chim" before him to his brother Esav..." (32:3). In our Parasha, we read in 23:20: "...that YHVH your God may bless you in all that you set your hand to in the land where you go to possess it" (emphasis added). "Set your hand to" is literally the "sending of your hand" - "mish'lach yadeh'cha". Here the connection is not only to Ya'acov's "sending" (which is of the same root as "mishlach" here before us: sh.l.ch), but mainly we want to focus on the ""mal'achim", the "angels, messengers or emissaries" that Ya'acov sent. The root of "mal'ach" (singular form) is "la'a'ch" (lamed, alef, chaf), meaning to "send". It is from this verb (which is not in use) that we get the noun: "mla'cha" - "occupation, work, workmanship" (such as the kind that was preformed in the Tabernacle), possession and more. Thus, both "mishlach yad" and "m'lacha" convey the idea, to quote from the comments on Parashat Va'yishlach, that the concept of "work" or "occupation" speaks of a type of accomplishment or product which does not remain in confinement, or within one's immediate vicinity. Rather, it is something which is rendered or performed for the community. Work that is looked upon as a mission (by its very definition), cannot be considered incidental or merely self-serving, but is preformed with a certain goal in mind. The content of the one and only proverb containing the word "m'lacha" validates what the etymology of the word itself reveals. Thus, Mish'ley (Proverbs) 24:27 reads, "prepare your work ("m'lacha") outside, and make it ready for yourself in the field; afterwards, then, build your [own] house".

In the previous Parashaa, of R'eh, we discussed the noun "makom" - "place" and the verb "kum" - "to rise or go up", which it emanates from. In this Parasha we encounter another derivative of the same root (kof, vav, mem). In 23:25 we read: "When you come into your neighbor's standing grain, then you may pluck heads with your hand; but you shall not move a sickle into your neighbor's standing grain." The "standing grain", which are the ripe sheaves ready for harvesting are called "kama", such as we also encountered in Sh'mot (Exodus) 22:6. "Plucking heads" is "m'lilot", the verb being "malol" (m.l.l. mem, lamed, lamed) and means to "scrape or to break into crumbs". And so we read in Luke 6:1: "And it happened on the second chief Sabbath, He passed along through the sown fields. And His disciples plucked the heads and were eating, rubbing with the hands." The rabbis' discussion, as to whose right it is to partake of the above-mentioned, is followed by a concluding comment by Nechama Leibowitz, spanning more than just this particular commandment: "From all the opinions we have surveyed it seems apparent that the Torah was not concerned with favoring one side or according privileges to the other. It does not underwrite the privileges of a particular class but is concerned with human welfare. It does not approve of man conducting his life on the principles of strict justice alone, but calls for consideration and lovingkindness in human relations". 3

Interestingly, the "moving of the sickle", (which one is forbidden to do in a neighbor's field, 23:25), recalls an act of "felling" or "cutting off", which in Hebrew is "k'ritut", and indeed "k'ritut" is what the next chapter (24:1) takes us to. "When a man has taken a wife and married her, and it happens that she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found a thing of uncleanness in her, and he writes her a bill of divorce and puts it in her hand, and sends her out of his house". "A bill of divorce" is "sefer k'ritut", literally "a book of cutting off". This bill, therefore, becomes an instrument of severing the relationship, much like a hatchet. Having found "a thing of uncleanness in her" is "ervat davar", literally meaning the "exposing [erva] of something". In a marriage relationship, whatever has been covered up is naturally exposed and revealed just prior to the time of severance. The root of "erva" - nakedness, a.r.h (ayin, resh, hey), also means to "pour out", and is used in Yishayahu (Isaiah) 53:12, when describing the Messiah: "And with the strong He shall divide the spoil; because He poured out [he'era] His soul to death" (italics added).

In 24:19 we come to a precept that has caused quite a bit of stir in rabbinical polemics.

"When you cut down your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not turn back to take it. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan and for the widow; so that YHVH your God shall bless you in all the work of your hand." It would hardly seem plausible that this could be a source of relief and provision for the needy. Additionally, this injunction also raises another query. In the Tosefta, Peah 3, 8 it says:

..."The Omnipresent has given all the other precepts in the Torah to be observed consciously. But this one is to be unconsciously observed. Were we to observe this one of our own deliberate freewill before the Omnipresent, we would have no opportunity of observing it". The conclusion therefore is that, "if a man has no deliberate intention of performing a good deed it is nevertheless reckoned to him as one," and thus, consequently: "he who deliberately performs a good deed, how much more so [is it reckoned to him]!" 4 Verse 20 follows on the heels of 19 and is similar to the former: "When you beat your olive tree, you shall not search the bough behind you. It shall be for the alien, for the orphan, and for the widow." The word for "bough" is "pu'ara", of the root "pe'er" (p.e.r, pey, alef, resh), which is "beauty or glory". Yishayahu (Isaiah) 60:21 is very appropriate in this connection, reading as it does: "And your people shall all be righteous; they shall possess the earth forever, a branch of My planting, a work of My hands, to beautify [lehit'pa'er] Myself" (italics added). And although the boughs have been broken through the generations, yet the Olive Tree of Israel, when fully redeemed, is destined to be a glory unto YHVH (ref. Is. 44:23), especially if, with the Torah inscribed on the heart, the people of Israel will follow the above injunction of generosity and kindness to the alien, orphan and widow.

Thus, when dried up and dead, even as Israel's stick was, the collective outcry went forth: "Our bones are dried, and our hope is perished; we are cut off to ourselves" (Ez. 37:11). But through redemption Israel is to be resurrected. This principle is captured in the precept delineated in 25:5-10, where if a man dies leaving no offspring his widow is to marry his brother and together they are to raise up ... the dead brother's name, and his name shall not be wiped out of Israel" (v. 5). We have already studied the word "kum" for "rise". Here its mention, as the "raising up" of a name for the dead brother, connotes "resurrection", as indeed "tkuma" (of the same root) has come to mean in Modern Hebrew.

1. New Studies in Devarim, Nechama Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh Newman. Eliner Library, Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora. Hemed Books Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.

2. Dvarim with Daat Mikrah Commentary, Pub. Mossad Harav Kook, Jm. 2001.

3. New Studies in Devarim, Nechama Leibowitz, trans. Aryeh Newman. Eliner Library, Department for Torah Education and Culture in the Diaspora. Hemed Books Inc., Brooklyn, NY.

4 Ibid.

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From: Ephraim Frank
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Parashot Nitzavim and Va'yelech

Hebrew Insights into Parashat Nitzavim - Deuteronomy 29:10 - chapter 30.

This week's Parashat Nitzavim (which is read together with Parashat Va'yelech) may be subtitled "The Hebrew People - A Testimony of the Covenant and of the Promises". Although Nitzavim is translated, "You stand...", it actually means "standing in position, standing firmly, or taking a stand," the root being tz.v.v (tzadi, vet, vet), which according to Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsh means "cover while moving".1 Embodied in this Parasha (as well as in the next, Parashat Va'yelech) is the definition of the nation, as well as the ultimate promise of grace.

Two of the terms, which 'pop up' more than once, are the verb "avor" (which we have examined previously) - to pass, go through, go over, enter, and the noun and verb forms of "witness or testimony" ("ed"). The Hebrew people, YHVH's witnesses, are characterized, as we know, by 'crossing' or 'passing over', with different aspects of this act being presented here.

First, the people are standing "in position" or "formation". Why? "That you may enter ("la'avor") the covenant with YHVH your God, and enter into His oath which YHVH your God is making with you today, in order that He may establish you today as His people and that He may be your God, just as He spoke to you and as He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Now not with you alone am I making this covenant and this oath, but both with those who stand here with us today in the presence of YHVH our God and with those who are not with us here today" (29:12-15). Thus, being Hebrews, means first and foremost, to "cross over", with the emphasis here being on passing the threshold, into the covenant. Notice also the far reaching aspect of the covenant, to those "not with us today" (29:15), thus pointing to the continuity of the people of Israel and to generational unity within the boundaries of the covenant. "Covenant" - "brit" - is of the root b.r.t (bet, resh, tav), meaning to "cut". "Making a covenant" - "karot"- is another verb for to "cut" (a tree, for example). Hence, in making the covenant there is a double cutting at it were, which is an emphatic separation, both naturally and spiritually (and signified literally by physical circumcision). By the same token, transgression is also a "cutting (again, k.r.t, e.g. Lev. 7:20)... away" from the boundaries prescribed by the covenant.

This covenant, being therefore two-sided, is like a two-edged sword. Abba laid down the conditions, but knowing the heart of His children, which would turn away from Him, He built into the covenant also the promise of grace. In other words, ultimately it will be Him only who will make possible its fulfillment, as is seen so vividly in 30:3-10. All the verbs in these eight versed are in the first person, future tense, that is to say, in the 'active causative form', signifying that all the action is and will be initiated by YHVH.

Not only does He take it upon Himself to make it possible for the covenant to be fulfilled, by carrying all of our afflictions and sufferings, here it also says that "YHVH your God [is He] who will cross (la'avor) ahead of you" (31:3). God is truly the God of the Hebrews! He goes ahead of them by "crossing over" Himself! And indeed, we see Yeshua crossing - "over" - ahead of us, entering within the veil giving us a hope which is sure and steadfast - "yatziv" (ref. Heb. 6:19, 20, Hebrew translation of the Greek, being also of the root tz.v.v, which lends the name to our Parasha). Thus, with a "yatziv" (sure) hope, we are enabled to be "y'tzivim" (steadfast, stand firmly).

In the meantime, this drama of the covenant nation, its unfaithfulness, and the grace granted it, is to unfold in front of the entire universe and God's creation. The testimony - witness -"ed" - is
being established by calling upon heaven and earth (ref. 30:19). The Song of Moses (referred to in 31:21, and presented in chapter 32, and/or Ex. 15) is the written record which serves as a witness, as does the Torah too (31:26), which is to be kept in the ark in the Holy of Holies.

The desolate land (29:23-28) also bears witness to the unfaithfulness of the people, both before their own sons' eyes, and before the foreigners, as does their banishment from it. All this is with view to the end that the Hebrew people themselves will become a witness and a testimony nation: "You are my witness, declares YHVH" (Is. 43:10), to the fact that He is the Elohim of Israel, the Elohim of creation, and the Elohim of the universe.

The covenant here mentioned was made with us (see 29: 14,15), just as much as it was made with those who lived back then, and therefore we/you are "standing in position" today, and forever, to be a covenant people and a witness to the God of the covenant, the God of Israel, the God of the Hebrews - the God of grace. "Standing" ("nitzavim") in this awesome moment is what enables us eventually to "walk it out" ("vayelech"), to "cross over" and make a stand, now more than ever before - and thus exhibit the identity of the Hebrew nation!

Hebrew Insights into Parashat Va'yelech - Deuteronomy Chapter 31

Although Parashat Va'yelech starts with Moshe's (Moses) statement about his approaching death, and with the instating of Yehoshua (Joshua) in his position, the rest of chapter 31 echoes some of what we just read in Parashat Nitzavim. "And Moses went - "va'yelech" - and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them, I am a hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in. Also YHVH has said to me, 'You shall not go over this Jordan'" (31:1,2). Notice Moshe's words, "I can no more go out and come in", which in Hebrew is: "la'tzet ve-lavo" [literally "to go out" and "to come in"). The pervious Parashot, Ki Tetze, "when you go out", and Ki Tavo, "when you come in" seem to be related to these words of Moshe about "going out to war" (Deut. 21:10), and "coming into the land" (26:1). Paraphrased, Moshe is saying the following: "I am not able to lead you in war, and neither am I able to enter the land". But whereas Moshe will not be accompanying the people, he consoles them saying: YHVH will "go before you" - which is again the familiar "over" (a.v.r - the root of "Hebrew"), and "will destroy these nations from before you", and in addition Yehoshua will also "go - pass, cross - "over" - before you" (v. 3). Verses 6 and 8 summarize all of the above: "YHVH your God is He who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you". The latter expression is, "lo yar'pecha, ve-lo ya'az'vecha". "Yar'peh" - translated "fail" - is of the root r. p/f. h (resh, pey/fey, hey), meaning to "become weak, let go, be negligent, or remove". In Psalms 46:10 it says, "Be still and know that I am YHVH". However, in Hebrew it says, "be still and harpu, which literally means, "let  go" or alternatively, "be made weak". Because YHVH will not "let go" of His people, they are the ones who must do the "letting go" and become "weak" before Him, and in doing so they will know that He is God. Rav Shaul echoes this sentiment when he says: "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of the Mashiach may overshadow me" (2 Corinthians 12:9 italics added). The next verb, azav (ayin, zayin, bet/vet), "leave, abandon or forsake" is used here and elsewhere in our Parasha; although in the other references it is presented in a different connotation, as we shall see right now.

YHVH's promise is couched in verses 16 and 17: "And YHVH said to Moses, Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. And this people shall rise up and go lusting after the gods of the strangers of the land into which they are going, into their midst. And they will forsake Me- ve'azavani - and break My covenant which I made with them. Then My anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them - ve'azavtim..." (Italics added). Verse 5 reveals to us that there is a condition for being preserved by YHVH: "...do to them [the nations in Cna'an - Canaan) according to all the commandments which I have commanded you," and not "go lusting after [their] gods", and thereby forsaking the true One.

In the above (v. 16) we also read that in conjunction with following the idols: "This people shall rise up...", which is "ve'kam". In Parashat Nitzavim we just read in 29:13: ..."that He may establish you today for a people to Himself...", which is literally "that He may raise you up... - hakim". Thus it is the very people which YHVH was raising up, that "shall rise up and go lusting after the gods of the strangers..." In both the above examples (and in many similar ones throughout the Tanach), we see the usage of the very same word, or a derivative of the same root, for conveying contrasting messages. This method highlights or enhances an idea, and at times also adds a touch of irony.

In verse 14 YHVH is commanding Moshe to call Yehoshua to "present" himself in the Tabernacle, which command is designated by the imperative "(ve-hit)yatzvu", of the root tz.v.v, which we saw in "Nitzavim". In presenting himself, therefore, Yehoshua is to make a "firm stand". Further connection to Parashat Nitzavim is evident in the concept of "witness" - testimony " - "ed", masculine, and "eda", feminine. As we noted above, there are several witnesses mentioned here: the "Song" (which constitutes the next Parasha), the book of the Torah, and heaven and earth. The "song", in particular, is mentioned as "testifying" against the people "when many evils and troubles have found them," (v. 21). Testifying is "an'ta" (of the root anah, a.n.h - ayin, noon, hey), meaning to "respond or answer", as according to verse 19 the song will be, "in the mouths of the Children of Israel". Thus their own words, when they recite this song, shall "respond" to their evil actions, and become a testimony against them. This brings to mind, Nitzavim's "the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may do it" (30:14 italics added). Another usage of "ta'aneh", "respond", in relationship to "witness", is found in Sh'mot (Exodus) 20:16 and Dvarim (Deuteronomy) 5:20: "You shall not bear - "ta'aneh"- respond" - a false witness against your neighbor." In view of this, are the things that we say and do mere responses, or answers to a 'primary cause'?

In verses 10 and 11 we read: "And Moses commanded them, saying: "At the end of seven years, at the set time of the year of release, in the Feast of Tabernacles, when all Israel has come to appear before YHVH your God in the place which He shall choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their hearing." The whole Torah is to be read before all Israel once every seven years, at the completion of the year of "release - shmita" (ref. Parashat R'eh Deut. 15:1-3), on the Feast of Succot (Tabernacles). The word for "read" is "kara" (k.r.a, kof, resh, alef), meaning to "read, recite, call". At the end of the Parasha, in verse 29, it says: "For I know that after my death you will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And evil will happen to you in the latter end of the days...". Moshe predicts that "evil" will "happen to you", which is rendered here ve'kar'ata, and shares the same root as the "kara", that we have just looked at. The customary term, however, for "happen", albeit of the same sound, is spelt differently, and therefore has another root. But that is not the case here, where the special rendering and spelling of "happen" incorporates, as it were, "read", making plain the conclusion, that having read the Torah, evil will befall or happen to those who will turn away from it and from its Giver.

1. Etymological Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew, Rabbi Matityahu Clark, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem. New York.

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