Ramban (Nachmanides) on the Torah

THAT THOU MIGHTEST FEAR THE ETERNAL THY G-D. He is stating that G-d commanded [me] to teach you the Torah and the commandment, the statutes and the ordinances that you might perform them in the Land, and so that you might fear the Eternal your G-d, for the main purpose of all the commandments is the fear of G-d. This is Rabbi Abraham [ibn Ezra’s] opinion. But it does not seem correct to me that [the two expressions in the verse before us:] that thou mightest fear the Eternal thy G-d, and that thy days may be prolonged [are referring to two different aspects of the commandments] one being the reason for the commandments — so that you might fear G-d; and the second stating their reward — so that your days may be prolonged! Rather, he is stating, “G-d commanded me that you should learn the commandments and perform them in order that you should merit and fear the Eternal your G-d in order to keep His commandments thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son for all the days that man shall exist upon the face of the earth, forever. For in return for the performance of the commandments you will deserve to have children who fear G-d and they will survive upon the face of the earth forever. So shall your seed and your name remain before Him all the days that thy days may be prolonged in the Land which is the inheritance of G-d. Thus all is for your good, for G-d was pleased to make you righteous and deserving [of His blessings].”

AND THOU SHALT OBSERVE TO DO IT ‘ASHER YITAV LECHA’ (WHICH WILL BE WELL WITH THEE). He is thus commanding you that you should take care to do what will benefit you. “A LAND FLOWING WITH MILK AND HONEY. Although removed from it, this phrase is connected with the expression to possess it [at the end of Verse 1]. Or it may be that the expression [a Land flowing …] lacks the letter beth, [making it equivalent to ba’aretz — ‘in the Land’ flowing with milk and honey, and thus it is not necessary to say that the phrase a Land flowing … refers to Verse 1; instead, the verse before us enjoins Israel to observe the commandments in the Land] just as in the verse, that was found ‘beith’ (House of) the Eternal [which lacks a beth, making it b’veith — ‘in the House of’ the Eternal].” This is the language of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. And if so, there is also lacking in the phrase and that ye might increase mightily the word bo (“in it”) [so that its meaning would be “and that ye might increase mightily ‘in it,’” that is, in the Land flowing with milk and honey]; or [the missing part may be the word] ba’avuro (“because of it”). But there is no need [to interpret the verse as if letters and words were missing]. For [the word l’ma’an (so that) from the phrase in the preceding Verse 2] and ‘so that’ thy days be prolonged, should be drawn here [to Verse 3], and its meaning is as follows: “‘so that’ it may be well with thee.” Or it may be that the word asher (which) [‘asher’ yitav lecha] itself serves the same purpose [meaning “so that” or “because of”], as in the verse, And he removed her from being queen ‘asher’ she had made an abominable image which means “‘because of’ her having made an abominable image.” Similarly, ‘ba’asher’ thou art his wife means “‘because of’ your being his wife.” And so also Scripture states, which I command thee this day ‘asher’ (so that) it may go well with thee etc., and so that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the Land. And the purport of the verse [here] is as follows: “Hear, therefore, O Israel, and take care to do it so that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Eternal the G-d of thy fathers hath promised to give unto thee a Land flowing with milk and honey etc.;” that is to say, in order that He may do good to you when He gives you a good and large Land, as he said further [in Verse 18], so that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good Land. Similarly, and he gave him a house, and said to him victuals, means “promised to give thee.” [means: “and he said to ‘give’ him victuals”].

HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE ETERNAL OUR G-D, THE ETERNAL IS ONE. This too is a commandment that offers explanation. For, already contained in the commandment I am the Eternal thy G-d, is [the principle of] the Unity of G-d. As the Rabbis have said: 5. “Rabbi Nathan says: From here there is a refutation to those heretics who say there are two powers governing the universe. For, when the Holy One, blessed be He, stood on Mount Sinai and proclaimed I am the Eternal thy G-d, who protested against Him?” But here he [Moses] came to explain this commandment [I am the Eternal …] and mentioned it after the Ten Commandments because it is the root of faith, and whoever does not acknowledge it denies the essential principle [of the religion] as if he worships idols. “The Eternal our G-d, the Eternal is One. This means: the Eternal, Who is [now, only] our G-d and not the G-d of the [other] nations, will eventually be acknowledged as the One [and only] Eternal, as it is said, In that day shall the Eternal be One, and His Name One.” This is Rashi’s language. Now you must contemplate [the fact] that Scripture changed [the normal usage] here by saying the Eternal ‘our’ G-d and did not state “thy” G-d as it says everywhere else: Hear, O Israel: thou art to pass over the Jordan this day etc. Know therefore this day, that the Eternal ‘thy’ G-d etc.; Hear, O Israel, ye draw nigh this day unto battle etc. for the Eternal ‘your’ G-d is He that goeth with you., 20:3-4. And so also in all sections where [Moses] spoke to Israel he mentioned “the Eternal your G-d” or “the Eternal thy G-d,” and even here [in this very section] he said, And thou shalt love the Eternal ‘thy’ G-d. However, in this declaration of the Unity [of G-d] Moses said, the Eternal ‘our’ G-d because He had done great and awesome things with Moses to make Himself a glorious Name [therefore Moses said “our G-d,” for had he said “your G-d,” he might have appeared to exclude himself from this declaration of Unity]. Now the letter daleth in the word echad (one) is written [in the Torah] large in order to allude to that which is written, He divided the water before them, to make Himself an everlasting Name. And therefore the Rabbis instituted in the reading of the Sh’ma is used as the title for the group of three portions from Scripture (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21; Numbers 15:37-41) which we must recite twice daily, in the morning and in the evening. See “The Commandments,” Vol. I, pp. 15-16. “Blessed be His Name Whose Glorious Kingdom is for ever and ever” and they further said [there]: “This may be compared to a lord’s daughter who smelled the [sweet] odor of some pudding etc.,”, but should be done quietly (Pesachim 56 a). for Moses stated it in the Torah by an allusion. [of the word echad — “one”] which is written large (Bachya). And then he reverted [to the general usage] and stated, And ‘thou’ shalt love the Eternal ‘thy’ G-d like the expression found in [the other] sections of Deuteronomy.

WITH ALL THY HEART. In the opinion of the Midrash 32; Berachoth 54 a: “With all thy heart — with both your impulses, the good impulse and the evil impulse.” the heart mentioned here is the power of desire, similar to the expressions: Thou hast given him his heart’s desire; lust not after her beauty in thy heart. If so, with all thy soul denotes the intellectual [capacity rather than the sensual capacity of the] soul. Similarly, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life [refers to the rational soul which is immortal]. And according to our Rabbis, who in the Talmud — even if He take away thy soul,” i.e., even at the sacrifice of your life. derived from this [phrase] that one must submit to death and not violate [the Law, the expanded expression] “with all thy soul” is supplementary, by itself indicates that you must suffer martyrdom rather than deny the Law, the question arises, what is signified by the additional word all [‘all’ thy soul], since you cannot speak of half a life? Ramban will offer two answers. for since he said with ‘all’ thy heart … and with ‘all’ thy might [where the intent is to exclude the serving of G-d with only part of the heart’s capacity, or with only part of one’s might or belongings], he also said with ‘all’ thy soul [meaning “your very life,” despite the obvious fact that the command to give “all” rather than “part” of his life is incongruous]. The meaning thereof is that you love Him as your very life, giving up your life with love [for His sake whenever the Law requires you to do so]. Or [another explanation of the word all may be] that suffering or [the loss of body] organs are referred to as “part of the soul,” while martyrdom [death] is termed with ‘all’ thy soul. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “thy soul means the desire, like: enough ‘k’nafshecha’ (at thine own) pleasure; the full soul loatheth a honey-comb; deliver me not over ‘b’nefesh’ (unto the desire of) mine adversaries. With all thy heart refers to knowledge, this being a surname for the rational spirit since [the heart] is its first resting place, and similarly it is stated, The wise in heart will receive commandments. ” Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra’s interpretation of the expression with all thy heart appears likely from that which he stated, And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart. refers to the rational soul, for in that case it is possible to say that these words shall be upon your “heart” meaning your rational soul. But if we are to interpret with all thy ‘heart’ as referring to the desires, as explained earlier, then how can it be said that these words shall be upon your “heart” or your desires?
AND WITH ALL ‘M’ODECHA.’ The meaning thereof is “very exceedingly,” — muchness, abundance. the purport being “love Him mightily.” And in the opinion of our Rabbis it means “with all your wealth,” for the property of a person is called m’od (muchness, abundance) because it is described in terms of great quantity, just as it is called hamon (abundance, multitude): Better is a little that the righteous hath than the ‘hamon’ (abundance) of many wicked; behold, they are as all ‘hamon’ (multitude of) Israel. It is also called chayil (wealth): They carry upon the shoulders of young asses ‘cheileihem’ (their riches); I will give ‘cheilcha’ (thy substance) and all thy treasures for a spoil; ‘eth hachayil hazeh’ (this wealth). The verse here is thus stating, “[Love Him] with all the abundance of your wealth.” Similarly, it is stated, And like unto him [King Josiah] was there no king before him, that turned to the Eternal with all his heart, and with all his soul and with all ‘m’odo’ (his wealth), because they volunteered in the removal of the idols and the observance of the Passover-offering. The purport of “the love [of G-d]” has been explained by our Rabbis, the most explicit of their statements is what they said in the Sifre: 41. “Perhaps you will say ‘I will study Torah in order that I be called wise, in order that I lead an academy, in order that I live long, or in order that I merit the World to Come.’ Therefore, Scripture says, to love the Eternal your G-d etc.”). Now the reason why Moses constantly says to them: that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days, that ye may live, and go in and possess the Land, Verse 1. [when in the light of the exhortation that we are to do the right thing only for the sake of the love of G-d], is that he admonishes them through reproofs to fear G-d, saying that if they will sin they will not possess the Land, or they will not prolong their days upon it. Or [another explanation] may be that the pious person must both love and fear G-d, and the Rabbis have said: “Observe [His law] out of love, and observe it out of fear. Observe it out of love, for a lover does not despise, and observe it out of fear for if you come to reject [His authority], you will not do it.” This has already been explained in the words of the Sages.

AND THOU SHALT TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY UNTO THY CHILDREN etc. These clarified commandments have also been alluded to previously, for, since He enjoined in certain commandments, It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations;. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; This is My covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee — we are thus [obviously] commanded [to see to it] that our children know the commandments, and how shall they know [the precepts] unless we teach them. Similarly, the commandment And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes has already been stated and here he [further] explained and thou shalt bind them meaning that they be placed [upon the arm and head and secured tightly] through tying. It also alludes to the knot [in the strap] of the phylacteries that, according to the tradition received by our Rabbis, is a law declared to Moses on Sinai. He added here the commandment of the Mezuzah — And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates — which is not mentioned there. Perhaps this, too, is [merely] explained [here rather than being an entirely new commandment] since it has been suggested in the commandment, and it be a memorial between thine eyes, that the law of the Eternal may be in thy mouth. is fastened to the upper third of the right-hand door-post, approximately at eye-level, it thus serves as a memorial of the law of G-d, for two portions of the Torah are written on its scroll of parchment. The meaning of the expression and upon thy gates is “and upon the door-posts of the rest of your gates,” such as the gates of cities and countries, similar to within any of ‘thy gates’ [which means “any of ‘your cities’ “].

AND IT SHALL BE, WHEN THE ETERNAL THY G-D SHALL BRING THEE etc. He mentions here that, with the increase of beneficence, Israel [i.e., each individual Israelite] should remember the days of his affliction and of his anguish, when he was a servant in Egypt, and he is not to forget the G-d Who brought him forth out of that bondage to this goodness. Instead he is always to remember His mercies and fear Him and serve Him as a servant does his master. And in the opinion of our Rabbis the verse further alludes [to the law] that anything found in the houses full of all ‘good’ things [that were occupied in the conquest of Canaan] may be used, even if they contained things forbidden by the Torah such as kadli of swine,” which Rashi interprets to mean “dried swine.” See Numbers 31:23 — Vol. IV, p. 367. of swine, or the produce of a vineyard sown with diverse seeds, or fruits of the first three years of a tree., 19:23. Even regarding cisterns, it is possible that in their construction forbidden materials were used in their coat of pitch [such as forbidden wine; hence Scripture mentioned and cisterns hewn out, which thou didst not hew to indicate that they, too, were permitted to them]. Or it may be that the cisterns are mentioned figuratively, to denote the abundance of good things, thus giving them mastery over all that was found in the Land both permissible and impermissible. Thus all forbidden articles were permitted to them except [for those that were forbidden as a result of] the prohibition of idols, as he will yet clarify, thou shalt not covet the silver or the gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee etc. Therefore, he mentions here in the next section, ye shall break down their altars,, Verse 5. to destroy the idols and their appurtenances. But whatever else was found in the Land was permissible. This permission lasted until they consumed the spoil of their enemies., 20:14: and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies. And some Rabbis say that this permission applied [only] to the seven years of [the] conquest [of the Land], and so it appears in the Gemara, in the first chapter of Tractate Chullin. Now the Rabbi [Moshe ben Maimon] wrote in the Laws of the Kings and their Wars: “Armed soldiers, when they enter the border of the nations and loot from them, are permitted to eat n’veiloth and treifoth the flesh of swine and the like if they are hungry and do not find anything to eat except for these forbidden foods [i.e., only in the case of emergency are they permitted to eat these foods]. Similarly they may drink yayin nesech (wine dedicated to an idol). From tradition the Rabbis have learned: ‘And houses full of all good things — the necks of swine and the like.’” But this is not correct. For it is not because of danger to life or of hunger alone in time of war that [forbidden foods] were made permissible; rather, after they captured the large and wealthy cities and settled in them, was the spoil of their enemies permitted to them. And not to all armed soldiers [in any war throughout does this law apply as the Rabbi seems to hold], but only to [those who conquered] the Land which He swore to [give to] our fathers, as is explained in the subject before us. [Rabbi Moshe’s ruling that the dispensation applies to] yayin nesech is also incorrect, for all forbidden articles pertaining to idolatry — the idols themselves, their appurtenances, and their offerings — are all forbidden as it is said, thou shalt utterly detest it, and thou shalt utterly abhor it, for it is a doomed thing. And if the Rabbi’s intent was to permit in wartime only wine which was merely under suspicion of having been dedicated to idolatrous worship [which is a Rabbinic prohibition] — why do we need a Scriptural interpretation for this? If Scriptural prohibitions were permitted [to them], could subjects of a Rabbinic decree be forbidden?!

THOU SHALT FEAR THE ETERNAL THY G-D. The purport thereof is that after he commanded concerning the love of G-d, he mentioned that [one is] to fear Him so that he not sin and be punished.
AND HIM SHALT THOU SERVE — to do whatever He commands you, like a servant who obeys the command of his master. It is possible that this is an allusion to the Service of the offerings to His Name. And so the Rabbis have said in the Sifre 85. on the verse, After the Eternal your G-d shall ye walk, and Him shall ye fear, and His commandments shall ye keep, and unto His voice shall ye hearken, and Him shall ye serve: “Serve Him by [studying] His Torah, serve Him in His Sanctuary.” By this the Sifre meant to explain that after he admonished concerning the observance of all the commandments and hearkening to His voice, the expression and Him shall ye serve means to serve Him in the Sanctuary with offerings, songs and prostrations [that are prescribed] there. This is termed “service” as He said, I give you the priesthood as ‘a service’ of gift, and it further says, And the Levites alone shall do ‘the service.’, Verse 23. Now the service of the Levites was by song. Thus it is clear that song is also a service of G-d. The Rabbis further interpreted [in the above-mentioned Sifre]: “Serve Him through His Torah,” meaning to study the Torah and meditate therein; this, too, is a “service” before Him. Accordingly, and Him shalt thou serve [mentioned in the verse before us] is also a reference to serving Him by the offerings. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra wrote: “Thou shalt fear the Eternal thy G-d — you should not transgress the negative commandments; and Him shalt thou serve — fulfill the positive commandments.” But this is not correct, for he stated in the other verse [mentioned above], and Him shall ye fear, and His commandments shall ye keep … and Him shall ye serve. does not refer to the positive commandments, as Ibn Ezra says, for that charge is included in the phrase, and His commandments shall ye keep.
AND BY HIS NAME SHALT THOU SWEAR. This is not a commandment to swear [by His Name], but it is an admonishment that [in the event one is required to take an oath] he should swear only by His Name and not by the name of another deity. After this [injunction to swear only by the name of G-d] it is written, Ye shall not go after other gods, meaning that you should not follow them in any of these matters: that you not fear them, that you not serve them, and that you not swear by their names. However, in the Gemara of Tractate Temurah the Rabbis interpreted this verse to teach that a true oath is permissible. Thus they said: “Why did the Merciful One state and by His Name shalt thou swear? Since it cannot refer to the oaths administered by the judges, because they have already been derived from the verse the oath of the Eternal shall be between them, apply it to indicate that other oaths are permissible. And since it cannot refer to an oath by which one binds himself to perform a commandment, as that is derived from the expression, and to Him shalt thou cleave, then apply it to an oath about a non-sacred [i.e., a permissible, but non-obligatory] matter.” Now, I have further seen the following text in the Tanchuma: 7. “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: Do not think that it has been made permissible to you to swear by My Name. You are not permitted to swear by My Name even truthfully unless you possess all these qualities: Thou shalt fear the Eternal thy G-d, that you will be like those who were called ‘men who fear the Eternal G-d,’ such as Abraham, Job, and Joseph. And Him shalt thou serve, that you will devote yourself to [the study of] Torah and [the observance of] the commandments and you will have no other preoccupation. Therefore it is stated, and Him thou shalt serve. And to Him shalt thou cleave — but is it possible for a human being to cleave to the Divine Glory? Has it not been stated, For the Eternal thy G-d is a devouring fire? But this statement is intended to teach you that whoever gives his daughter in marriage to a scholar who learns Torah and studies Mishnah, and who trades on his behalf and who benefits him from his wealth — of this He says, and to Him shalt thou cleave. If you possess all these virtues, you may swear [by My Name] and if not, you may not swear.” Thus far is the text of this Agadah. Thus, the interpretation of the verse [before us], and by His Name shalt thou swear, in the opinion of the Rabbis, is a grant of permission, that He allows us, as an expression of esteem, to do so. It is as if he had said, “Thou shalt fear the Eternal thy G-d; nevertheless you may swear by His Name and you need not fear doing so.” And because this permission is placed after the commands to fear G-d and to serve Him, the Rabbis inferred that there is no authorization to swear until after these virtues have been attained. Or Scripture may be stating Thou shalt fear the Eternal thy G-d and His awe will be so great upon you that His very Name will be an oath to you, so that even when you wish to confirm something you will swear by His Name even to your disadvantage and you will not misrepresent. And in the opinion of the Rabbis, the meaning of the expression and Him shalt thou serve is that you should act toward him at all times like a bondsman constantly in service before his master, considering the work of his master as primary and his own needs as casual, until, [resulting] from this [attitude] he attains what the Rabbis have said, “And let all thy deeds be done for the sake of Heaven.” For even bodily needs should be for the purpose of G-d’s worship. Thus a person should eat and sleep and attend to his needs to assure the existence of the body to serve G-d. This is similar to what the Rabbis have said, “And G-d saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good — this refers to sleep. Is sleep good? [It is ‘good’] because, if a person sleeps a little, he rises and engages in the study of Torah.”, Vol. I, pp. 58-59. Thus, in satisfying bodily needs, one should concentrate upon the verse I will praise the Eternal while I live; I will sing praises unto my G-d while I have my being. This is a correct interpretation.

YE SHALL NOT TRY THE ETERNAL YOUR G-D, meaning AS YE TRIED HIM IN MASSAH. You are not to say “If the Eternal is among us to perform miracles on our behalf or, if we succeed when we worship Him and we have plenty of food, and are well, then we will observe His Torah.” For that was the intent of the people there [in Massah] that they would see that if G-d would provide water for them through a miracle from Himself, they would follow Him in the wilderness, and if not, they would forsake Him. This was considered a great sin on their part, for, after it had been confirmed to them with signs and wonders that Moses was a prophet of G-d and that the word of the Eternal in his mouth was truth, it was no longer proper to do anything as a test. Whoever does it, is not testing [the credibility of] the prophet, it is only G-d blessed be He, whom he is testing to determine whether the Eternal’s hand waxed short. He prohibited for all generations to test the Torah or the prophets because it is not proper to worship G-d by being skeptical or by requesting a wonder or some test, since it is not G-d’s will to perform miracles for all men at all times. Nor is it fitting to serve Him in order to receive a reward. Instead, should one find suffering and misfortune [as a result of] serving Him and walking in the ways of the Torah, it is proper that he accept everything as a just judgment and he should not say, as the wicked ones of our people said, And what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked mournfully, because of the Eternal of hosts? Scripture states here Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the Eternal your G-d, and His testimonies, [alluding] that these are the miracles which He did for you of old in order that they be a testimony for you, such as the Passover, the Unleavened Bread, and the Booth. And you should keep His statutes even though you do not know their purpose for, in truth, He will benefit you in the end. There is no need for verification of the Torah and the commandments since it has been confirmed to you that it is from Him, blessed be He. Similarly, if any prophet has [previously] been tested and confirmed as a true prophet with signs and wonders in accordance with the law of the Torah, 7:7. you must not challenge his words regarding any reward or punishment he tells you about, and have no doubt about His power, exalted be He, [to bring it about]. Rather, you are to believe in His Torah and believe in His prophets and you will prosper. Thus he has assured us that ultimately the honor will surely come through possession of the Land and triumph over the enemies, for this was the great beneficence that was necessary for that generation. Thereafter he said that for future generations there was no need for testing [the reward for] the observance of the commandments; instead, they are to inquire of their fathers and their elders and they [the fathers and elders] will tell them of the veracity of the Torah and the commandments, as he will explain [in the verse], When thy son asketh thee — up to the conclusion of the section.

AND THOU SHALT DO THAT WHICH IS RIGHT AND GOOD IN THE SIGHT OF THE ETERNAL. In line with the plain meaning of Scripture the verse says, “Keep the commandments of G-d, His testimonies, and His statutes, and, in observing them, intend to do what is right and good in His sight only.” And [the expression in the verse before us] that it may be well with thee is a promise, stating that, when you will do that which is good in His eyes, it will be well with you, for G-d does good unto the good, and to them that are upright in their hearts. Our Rabbis have a beautiful Midrash on this verse. They have said: “[That which is right and good] refers to a compromise and going beyond the requirement of the letter of the law.” The intent of this is as follows: At first he [Moses] stated that you are to keep His statutes and His testimonies which He commanded you, and now he is stating that even where He has not commanded you, give thought, as well, to do what is good and right in His eyes, for He loves the good and the right. Now this is a great principle, for it is impossible to mention in the Torah all aspects of man’s conduct with his neighbors and friends, and all his various transactions, and the ordinances of all societies and countries. But since He mentioned many of them — such as, Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer; Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge;, Verse 18. neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbor; Thou shalt not curse the deaf;, Verse 15. Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, Verse 32. and the like — he reverted to state in a general way that, in all matters, one should do what is good and right, including even compromise and, going beyond the requirements of the law. Other examples are the Rabbis’ ordinances concerning the prerogative of a neighbor, and even what they said [concerning the desirability] that one’s youthful reputation be unblemished, and that one’s conversation with people be pleasant. Thus [a person must seek to refine his behavior] in every form of activity, until he is worthy of being called “good and upright.”

WHEN THY SON ASKETH THEE IN TIME TO COME, SAYING: ‘WHAT MEAN THE TESTIMONIES, AND THE STATUTES, AND THE ORDINANCES etc.?’ The meaning thereof is that first he will ask, “These commandments called testimonies — to what do they testify?” For they are a memorial to His wonders and witnesses thereof, such as the Unleavened Bread, the Booth, the Passover, the Sabbath, the phylacteries, and the Mezuzah. [Then he will ask] “What are the statutes?,” for their reasons are hidden in the Torah. Of the ordinances he will inquire: “What are the ordinances that we enforce in these commandments — stoning him who does work on the Sabbath, burning him who has intercourse with a woman and her mother, and administering forty lashes to him who sows mixed seeds?” For the ordinances pertaining to the social order of countries — such as the laws of the ox, the pit, the guardians, and the rest of the laws of the Torah — are righteous and good, all that see them acknowledge them, [and of these they do not ask]. Now concerning the answer to this question, he commanded that we relate to the inquirer the whole subject of the exodus from Egypt, the intent thereof being as He stated in the Ten Commandments, Who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, directing us that we inform the inquiring son that the Eternal is the Creator [through Whom everything has come into existence] by His will and power, as has been made clear to us by the exodus from Egypt. This is the sense of the expression [And the Eternal showed signs …] ‘before our eyes,’ for it is we who know and are witnesses of the signs and wonders, for we saw there that the Eternal is our G-d, He is the G-d in heaven above and upon the earth beneath, and there is none else. All this was made known through the departure from Egypt, as I have explained in the first commandment. Thus it befits us to give honor to His Name, for He is our Creator, and [He] has magnified His mercy upon us, and He commanded us to do all these statutes mentioned in the testimonies, statutes, and ordinances [about which the son had asked]: to fear Him by performing [commandments known as] the testimonies which are a memorial to His wonders; for our good through performance of [commandments known as] the statutes for they are good, there being no statute which contains any evil, although their reasons have not been clarified to all people; that He might preserve us alive through [the commandments called] the ordinances. For we shall live by all [three kinds of commandments] together as they are all good, containing nothing harmful at all, but instead they all ultimately result in good life. Thus we are obliged to do the will of the Creator Who is our G-d, and we are His people, and the flock of His hand, and there is nothing but good in all of His commandments. And what is more, it shall be accounted virtue unto us before the Eternal our G-d and He will give us good reward for observing all these commandments. The verse refers to the reward for the observance of the commandments as “righteousness” [in the sense of charity] for the bondsman who was bought by his master is obliged to serve him [and has no claim to payment for his service]. If the master gives him payment for his service, he does an act of righteousness with him.