Blessings and Curses – Over Which Commandments/1/he

ברכות וקללות – על איזו מצוות?

הקדמה

הר סיני מול אוהל מועד

Prior to the building of the Tabernacle, most if not all commandments were conveyed to Moshe on Mt. Sinai.  However, following the construction of the Tabernacle described at the end of Sefer Shemot, the locus of Divine revelation naturally shifted to the Holy of Holies.¹  Thus, Sefer Vayikra opens with Hashem speaking to Moshe from the Tent of Meeting ("אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד"):

וַיִּקְרָא אֶל מֹשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר י"י אֵלָיו מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֵאמֹר.

Perplexingly, however, subsequent units of Sefer Vayikra appear to oscillate back and forth between Mt. Sinai and the Tent of Meeting.  Thus, the unit of Vayikra 6-7 concludes²:

(לז) זֹאת הַתּוֹרָה לָעֹלָה לַמִּנְחָה וְלַחַטָּאת וְלָאָשָׁם וְלַמִּלּוּאִים וּלְזֶבַח הַשְּׁלָמִים. (לח) אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה י"י אֶת מֹשֶׁה בְּהַר סִינָי בְּיוֹם צַוֺּתוֹ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לְהַקְרִיב אֶת קׇרְבְּנֵיהֶם לַי"י בְּמִדְבַּר סִינָי.

And while the laws transmitted in the bulk of Sefer Vayikra (Chapters 10-24) were likely transmitted from the Mishkan,³ the heading of the laws of Shemittah and Yovel in פרק כ"ה reverts once again to Mt. Sinai:

וַיְדַבֵּר י"י אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּהַר סִינַי לֵאמֹר.

How should we understand this shifting back and forth between Mt. Sinai and the Ohel Moed?⁴

Conclusion of Which Unit?

Toward the end of Sefer Vayikra, פרק כ"ו presents lengthy lists of blessings and curses which will befall the Children of Israel, depending on whether or not they observe Hashem's commandments.

(ג) אִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תֵּלֵכוּ וְאֶת מִצְוֺתַי תִּשְׁמְרוּ וַעֲשִׂיתֶם אֹתָם. (ד) וְנָתַתִּי גִשְׁמֵיכֶם בְּעִתָּם וְנָתְנָה הָאָרֶץ יְבוּלָהּ וְעֵץ הַשָּׂדֶה יִתֵּן פִּרְיוֹ...

(יד) וְאִם לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ לִי וְלֹא תַעֲשׂוּ אֵת כׇּל הַמִּצְוֺת הָאֵלֶּה. (טו) וְאִם בְּחֻקֹּתַי תִּמְאָסוּ וְאִם אֶת מִשְׁפָּטַי תִּגְעַל נַפְשְׁכֶם לְבִלְתִּי עֲשׂוֹת אֶת כׇּל מִצְוֺתַי לְהַפְרְכֶם אֶת בְּרִיתִי. (טז) אַף אֲנִי אֶעֱשֶׂה זֹּאת לָכֶם...

These verses speak of the observance of "כׇּל הַמִּצְוֺת" and might appear to refer to all of the commandments given in the Torah until this point.  However, the concluding verse of this chapter appears to limit the scope to only the commandments given on Mt. Sinai:

(מו) אֵלֶּה הַחֻקִּים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים וְהַתּוֹרֹת אֲשֶׁר נָתַן י"י בֵּינוֹ וּבֵין בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּהַר סִינַי בְּיַד מֹשֶׁה.

Do the summation and the blessings and curses which precede it relate to only the commandments given on Mt. Sinai or also to the commandments given from Ohel Moed?  If Mt. Sinai, does it refer to the mitzvot given there in Sefer Shemot, Sefer Vayikra, or both?  Additionally, what is the distinction between the various categories of "הַחֻקִּים",‎ "וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים",‎ and "וְהַתּוֹרֹת", and which precepts are included in each?

Relationship to the Covenants of Shemot 24 and Devarim 28

The blessings and curses of ויקרא כ"ו are not the only time the Torah speaks of a commitment to observe Torah laws and lists the rewards and punishment that are to result from observance or violation.  In particular, it is instructive to examine its relationship to two other texts in which a covenant is made over observance of the commandments:

• Shemot 24 – In שמות כ"ד, a covenant is enacted in which the people declare their intent to observe Hashem's commandments.  Is this ceremony related to the blessings and curses in Vayikra 26?  If not, how long passed between the two?  Do they refer to the same or different sets of laws?  Finally, why does Shemot seal the agreement with a covenant and the other with blessings and curses?   
• Devarim 28 – דברים כ"ח, like ויקרא כ"ו, contains an entire series of blessings and curses for observance or lack thereof. In Devarim, it is somewhat explicit that the chapter speaks of observance of the laws of the entire Torah.  What light might this shed on the scope of the mitzvot referred to in Vayikra?  Additionally, the summation of דברים כ"ח:ס"ט, "אֵלֶּה דִבְרֵי הַבְּרִית", refers to a covenant, while Vayikra 26:46 concludes with the words "אֵלֶּה הַחֻקִּים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים וְהַתּוֹרֹת" and makes no mention of a covenant.  Are these parallel or of completely different characters?⁵

¹ On the relationship between Mt. Sinai and the Mishkan, see מטרת המשכן.

² For a discussion of when and where the sacrificial laws discussed in these chapters were relayed and how they relate to the laws of sacrifices in Vayikra 1-5, see היחס בין ויקרא א'–ה' ופרקים ו'–ז'.

³ Curiously, this is never explicitly stated in the verses.

⁴ ויקרא כ״ו:מ"ו וכ"ז:ל"ד also refer to mitzvot given at Mt. Sinai.

⁵ In each case, commentators disagree as to whether the terms refer to the blessings and curses themselves or to the commandments which preceded them.