The Weekly Sicha of the Rebbe – Parshas Re’eh

The Rebbe says:

1. The first verses of this week’s Torah portion simply reads, “See! I am giving to you today a blessing and a curse… The blessing is being given on the basis that you will listen to the commandments of G-d, your G-d…And the curse will come if you do not listen to the commandments of G-d, your G-d…”.

The Targum Onkelos translates the Hebrew word “Kllalah” in these first few verses and in the future verses as “curse”. The Targum Yonasan however translates the Hebrew word “Kllalah” in these first few verse as “its substitute”, so that the verse reads, “See! I am giving to you today a blessing and its substitute”; whereas in the future verses in this Torah portion the Targum Yonasan changes his interpretation and interprets the Hebrew word “Kllalah” as “curse” just like the Targum Onkelos always does.

2. The Rebbe asks three questions on this:

Question one: Why do these two masters of interpretation translate the word “Kllalah” differently in the first few verses?

Question two: Why does the Targum Yonasan change his interpretation of the word “Kllalah” from “its substitute” to “curse”?

Question three: One would only use the word “substitute” with two similar things, not with two opposite things. If so, how can the Targum Yonasan translate the word “Kllalah” as the “substitute” of a blessing if a blessing and a curse are two totally opposite things?

(3. The Rebbe now suggests an answer but then rejects it).

4. The Rebbe explains:
The word “Targum” means “translation”. The need for a Targum arose when the Jewish people were put into exile and the Beis Hamikdash (the Holy Temple) was destroyed and the Jewish people lost their center of Judaism. However there were two different ways to translate the Torah:

The Targum Onkelos, which was written in Babylonia and therefore felt the brunt of the concealment and pain of exile, translates the Torah simply as it is. Therefore the word “Kllalah” is translated as “curse”.

However the Targum Yonasan, which was written in Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel) and therefore did not feel the concealment of exile as much, translated the Torah according to its deeper meaning. Therefore the word “Kllalah” is translated as “its substitute”.

The Targum Yonasan, who translates “Kllalah” as “its substitute”, is saying that only the form of this blessing has been substituted for another form; however the intention and purpose of this energy is the same- it is for the good.

As the Torah says elsewhere, “He (Hashem) afflicted you and let you go hungry…. Just as a man reprimands his son, so too G-d, your G-d, will reprimand you (so that) you should keep the commandments of G-d, your G-d… Because G-d, your G-d, is bringing you to a good land (the Land of Israel)…”. In other words, the form in which the good energy came down looked bad- the Jewish people were being afflicted and starving, however this was in order for the Jewish people to be cleansed and ready to enter the Land of Israel.

We have now answered the first and third questions:

The reason why these two masters of interpretation translate the word “Kllalah” differently, (the first question), is because they were living in different parts of the world and experienced exile differently and therefore they saw the world and Torahs impact on it differently.

The explanation as to how the Targum Yonasan can translate “Kllalah” as the “substitute” of a blessing if a blessing and a curse are seemingly two totally opposite things, (the second question), is that once you understand how the Targum Yonasan sees curses we see that curses and blessings are not two totally opposite things, and therefore they can be “substituted”.

The only thing left to understand is why the Targum Yonasan changes his translation from “substitute” to “curse” later on? (The second question).

5. The Rebbe finishes off and answers the second question:

In the beginning of this week’s Torah portion the Torah gives us a general summary of the portion which is all about how to serve Hashem. In other words, in the beginning of this week’s Torah portion the Torah tells us the general idea of our service to Hashem.

Therefore, at this point when the Torah mentions “Kllalah – a curse”, the Targum Yonasan wants to give us a deeper understanding of what a “Kllalah” really is; it is only a “substitute” in form of what a blessing really is. However later on in the portion, when the Torah tells us what we should do so that “G-d, your G-d, will bring you to the Land which you are going to come and take possession of”, the Targum Yonasan translates “Kllalah” simply as “curse” because now we need to win over and influence our evil inclination to listen to Hashem.

Translated and adapted by Shalom Goldberg. Taken from Likutei Sichos volume nineteen, first Sicha.