Tuesday, July 23, 2013

The general and specific of Hashem's love

In Ekev, Devarim 7:13:
יג  וַאֲהֵבְךָ, וּבֵרַכְךָ וְהִרְבֶּךָ; וּבֵרַךְ פְּרִי-בִטְנְךָ וּפְרִי-אַדְמָתֶךָ דְּגָנְךָ וְתִירֹשְׁךָ וְיִצְהָרֶךָ, שְׁגַר-אֲלָפֶיךָ וְעַשְׁתְּרֹת צֹאנֶךָ, עַל הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר-נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ לָתֶת לָךְ.13 and He will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee; He will also bless the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy land, thy corn and thy wine and thine oil, the increase of thy kine and the young of thy flock, in the land which He swore unto thy fathers to give thee.
Note the etnachta on וְהִרְבֶּךָ. The etnachta marks the midpoint of a pasuk:
This is a nice example of how the parse of the pasuk and the trup of a pasuk interrelate.

In Netivot HaShalom, Rambeman writes:

וַאֲהֵבְךָ, וּבֵרַכְךָ וְהִרְבֶּךָ -- for it is characteristic of one who loves (אהב) to rejoice in the joy of the beloved, and to do good for him as much as he is able.

וּבֵרַכְךָ וְהִרְבֶּךָ -- is the klal, the general. Therefore it is marked with an etnach [trup symbol].

וּבֵרַךְ פְּרִי-בִטְנְךָ etc. -- is the perat, the specifics [of that klal]

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Thus, this is the appropriate place to break the verse in two.

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