~ One Hundred Words on the Parsha - Ki Savo

"ובאו עליך כל הקללות האלה והשיגוך"

“And all these curses will come upon you and they will reach you”

The words “and they will reach you” imply the possibility of curses coming upon one but not actually affecting him. For example a person may be forced, through the curse of extreme poverty, to live in a very dangerous neighborhood. Yet, he is never attacked or harmed in any way. At the in-between stage, of a curse being pronounced by ה but before the damage actually occurs, a person can still do תשובה and avoid the effect. The manifestation of the curse which has not yet wreaked devastation serves as a strong warning giving the person time to repent.

Only B’Simcha Parshas Ki Savo

ארור אשר לא יקים את דברי התורה הזאת וכו'

“Cursed is he who does not uphold the words of this Torah…” (Devarim 27:26)

Chazal explain this verse as teaching us that learning and keeping the Torah is not enough. One must also support the study of Torah.

R’ Shlomo Chaim Gruskin of Detroit used to help many Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbis who came to Detroit to raise money for their yeshivos. One of his biggest donors was a local metal vendor named Moshe Zaks. One day, Mr. Zaks offered R’ Gruskin a job as a salesman with a yearly salary of $50,000. At the time, right after World War II, this was a fortune of money, and R’ Gruskin couldn’t understand why Mr. Zaks was making such an offer.

Mr. Zaks explained that many times he had not wanted to donate but R’ Gruskin had always succeeded in convincing him to do so. He therefore believed that R’ Gruskin would be a great salesman. R’ Gruskin turned down the offer, saying that when it comes to Torah, he felt passionately that everyone has to have a part in supporting it, but he did not feel that way about metal.