Welcome to the short, practical Lelamed Weekly Dvar and Daily Aliyah. As always, you can Order The Daily Aliyah <https://mosaicapress.com/product/the-daily-aliyah/> and receive your hard copy of these daily practical and relevant Torah thoughts (all proceeds go to Daily Giving), or join this Whatsapp group <https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaXjlYD47Xe8qetMzj3P> to receive one per day. I hope you find this meaningful... _______________________________________________ Moshe sets before the people a blessing and a curse (with regard to keeping the commandments) and states, “The blessing that you will heed the commandments” (11:27). Would it not be more apropos to use the conditional, “If you keep the commandments,” since both the blessing and the curse are presented as possible outcomes? Rav Hirsch suggests that observing God’s commandments is itself a blessing. If we start with a foundation of faith, then our actions become natural expressions of that faith, instead of commandments, we must simply obey. Our attitude frames the act, not just with the observance of GodG-d’s laws, but with all our relationships, both with GodG-d (bein adam laMakom) and with each other (bein adam l’chaveiro). If our interpersonal relationships lead us to express love, gratitude, and faith, how much more so can our relationship with God inspire similar emotions and ideals. Starting from a place of faith and trust in God and in each other can lead to beautiful expressions of love with every act. Shlomo Ressler _____________________________________________ Quotation of the week: “Faith transforms commandments into opportunities.”