Blessing the Individual and the Klal

Behold (re’eh), I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.                                       Deuteronomy 11:26

            Ba’al haTurim notes that although the verse begins with the singular form, it switches to the plural “you.” He suggests that the singular form is addressed to Moses’ disciple and successor, Joshua, who is instructed to bless the Children of Israel following their entry into the Land of Israel. In the alternative, Ba’al haTurim explains that the switch from singular to plural simply follows the order in which Moses taught God’s words: first to Aaron, then to Aaron’s sons and following that, to the elders.

My father suggested that the verse teaches us the responsibility of the individual to Klal Yisrael, the totality of Israel. The blessing is directed at all Israel, but it behooves each individual to reflect independently upon the blessing and curse, since each individual has a responsibility to the totality, as our Sages teaches us “all Israel are responsible for each other.”

Our Sages teach us that one should always view himself as being in balance between the weight of his sins and his mitzvot. Performance of a single additional mitzva tips the scales of judgment and brings salvation not only to the individual, but to the entire world. Thus Moses addressed the Children of Israel in the singular, for each individual has the ability to bring blessings to the entire people (and the entire world).