A Thought on Parshas Ki Savo

"...es HaShem he'emarta ha'yom...HaShem he'emircha..." (16:17-18) "...today you declared yourselves to HaShem...HaShem declared Himself to You..." There is something about this word he'emarta/he'emircha which is atypical. Many great sages have offered interpretations and translations. What is the word's meaning? Is it an uncommon conjugation of the word "omer" which means "to say" or "to declare", and does it mean that "today you are declaring (something) to or about HaShem, and He is doing the same to or for or about us"? The Panae'ach Raza brings three interpretations. He begins with the notion that the word is a derivative of the word emer which means to exchange. We find in Tehillim 94:4 the phrase "yis'amru kol poal'ae aven" which in context suggests that this word has something to do with deception or substitution. On that idea, the Panae'ach Raza suggests that our verse means that "today you have switched from allegiance to the world's idols and have chosen HaShem, so too has HaShem set aside the multitude of the world's nations and chosen you as His people." The second interpretation used by the Panae'ach Raza is that this word is a conjugation of the word "amar" which means to speak. In context, the verse means that "today you have proclaimed that HaShem is your G-d, so too has He proclaimed that you are His." The third angle is that word comes from "emir" which means to elevate or exalt (I associate this word with the university where I was a professor for decades, where the campus was owned by the Emir of Kuwait. In Arabic, the word refers to a chief or a high official, and it has a similar connotation in Hebrew)(the United Arab Emirates are provinces which are owned and ruled by individual emirs, hence their land is known as an emirate.) With this third interpretation, the verse now would mean "you have exalted HaShem above all else, so too has He raised you above all the nations." The first interpretation, then, refers to the definitive move that we Jews make as a nation upon serving HaShem: we are making it known that we recognize His One-ness and are thereby rejecting all substitute faiths, doctrines and life systems which would cast a shadow on the purity of our religious beliefs. We have made a total exchange by buying in to Torah. The verse is speaking about that absolute and exclusive contract which has been constructed with HaShem. In the second interpretation, the reference is to the intimacy of our communication with HaShem. We speak of Him. We speak to Him. He speaks to us, designating the Jewish people as His own. The verse is speaking about reciprocity and attachment. The third interpretation addresses symbiosis: when we place HaShem before all else and we distinguish Him through sanctifying His name and law, we distinguish ourselves as well. We become elevated and amplify our spiritual stature when we value HaShem's law by making our world His Kingdom. When we place HaShem above all else, we transcend above all else as well. Wishing you a good Shabbos. D Fox