Choose Life

Moshe relays that he has today set before them “life and good” and “death and evil”. Juxtaposing these things is in order to illustrate that doing good grants one life, while doing evil grants one death. This works as follows:

The “good” refers to loving G-d, walking in His ways and observing His commandments, statues and ordinances. Doing so will cause them to “live and increase” and G-d will bless them in the land of Israel.

The “evil” refers to them not listening and bowing down to and serving other gods. If they do this, they will not live long in Israel.

Moshe says that he calls upon the heaven and earth that day as witnesses to all of this, as they are eternal and thus will bear witness when evil comes upon them. An alternate explanation to Moshe calling upon the heaven and earth as witnesses, is to demonstrate that the heaven and earth obediently act as G-d wills them to despite not receiving reward or punishment for this, so all the more so should the Israelites who do receive reward and punishment obey G-d.

Moshe beseeches them that in spite of the fact that they have free choice, they are to choose life. Rashi explains that this is like a man who tells his son to choose a nice portion of his estate and then shows him the best portion and tells him to choose that one.

Living in the land that G-d promised to their forefathers is their life, which they are choosing when they obey G-d.

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