Ki Savo

The passuk states ארור אשר לא יקים את דברי התורה הזאת לעשות אותם “cursed is the person who is not יקים the words of this Torah to fulfill them.” What does יקים refer to, and for what will a person be punished with a curse?

Rashi explains that this curse includes the entire Torah which they accepted upon themselves with an ארור and a שבועה. If a person will not be יקים-fulfill a mitzvah, he will receive a punishment of an ארור. Also Onkelos translates לא יקים, as לא יקיים- not to fulfill.

The Ramban is bothered: If a person will have the desire to eat a bug thereby transgressing issurim, or he is lazy and doesn’t fulfill the mitzvah of sitting in a sukkah or taking a lulav, will he receive such a stringent punishment of an ארור? Also, the passuk states אשר לא יקים that which he does not stand up or does not establish, and not אשר לא יעשה that which a person will not fulfill?

The Ramban explains that ארור… לא יקים refers to a person who does hagbah, picks up the Sefer Torah, and does not show the words to all the people around him to enable them to see it and bow, saying וזאת התורה…. Or, this refers to a person who was able to support Torah and help the wicked return to the truth. He could have stood up the Torah by bringing back lost souls to the light. One who is not יקים, he does not stand up the Torah by hagbah to show people or to help bring them to the truth, will receive this ארור.

The Rabeinu Yonah explains that לא יקים refers to one who does not accept. A person needs to confirm every single mitzvas aseh and lo saseh which the Torah commands and know that they are true. He needs to believe that there is reward and punishment for each one. If a person will not accept all of the mitzvos, even a light one, by denying or saying a mitzvah is irrelevant, he will receive this ארור. This is comparable to a servant who says to his master, “I will fulfill everything that you command me besides for one thing.” This servant has already broken the yoke of servitude from himself; he left himself room to do what he wants as a free person. This person will receive the ארור for not accepting Hashem’s ruler ship.

May we be zoche to stand up the Torah, fulfill all the mitzvos and accept upon ourselves the complete yoke of Hashem and be blessed with ברוך אשר יקים את דברי התורה הזאת לעשות אותם.