Wednesday, August 4, 2021

The Path To Blessing

The Targum Onkelus translates the first possuk of the parsha חֲזוֹ דַּאֲנָא יָהֵיב קֳדָמֵיכוֹן יוֹמָא דֵין בִּרְכָן וּלְוָטִין.  The Targum Yonason says .אמר משה נביא חמון דאנא סדר קדמיכון יומא דין בירכתא וחילופה.  Onkelus translates the word קללה literally as a curse while the Yonason translates it as the opposite (of beracha.)  Why does the Yonason deviate from the simple translation and why is there a deviation between the two Targumin? 

The Targum of Onkelus is written in the dark galut of Bavel where the pains and suffering of exile are all too clear.  In such an existence one feels the curses as curses.  The Yonason, written in Eretz Yisroel, was not experiencing the curses of goult in the most extreme form.  He is able to take a step back and understand that the curses are merely to bring a person closer to Hashem.  The curses are also berachot but they are perceived as klelalot because of the lack of ability of the recipient to take in such spiritual energy as discussed here. (Based upon Likutay Sichos volume 18 sicha 1.) 

The Midrash (4:1) says לִמְדוּנוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ לָמָּה אֵין מַפְסִיקִין בַּקְּלָלוֹת, אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּא בַּר גַּמְדָא לְפִי שֶׁכָּתוּב (משלי ג, יא): מוּסַר ה' בְּנִי אַל תִּמְאָס וְאַל תָּקֹץ בְּתוֹכַחְתּוֹ. אַל תַּעַשׂ אֶת הַתּוֹכָחוֹת קוֹצִין קוֹצִין, אֶלָּא אֶחָד קוֹרֵא אֶת כֻּלָּן.  The Shem Mishmuel brings from his father that one can't stop in the middle because the קללות are just the pathway to come to teshuva.  It is a long journey but one doesn't get off in the middle.  He adds that is the comparison to קוצין, small, insignificant pieces that have no point unto themselves.  The קללות are a חילוף of beracha which leads one to the beracha itself. 

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