Rashi on TanakhDeuteronomy 28

The issue of your cattle. The offspring of your cattle, which the animal sends forth from her stomach.

And the flocks of your sheep. As Targum [Onkelos] renders. The Rabbis comment: Why are they called עַשְׁתָּרוֹת ? Because they enrich their owners and strengthen them, like the palisades, which are powerful cliffs.

Blessed will be your basket. Your fruit. Another interpretation: Your basket — liquids which you filter through baskets.

And your solid foods. Solids, which remain in the utensil without dripping.

You will be blessed at your arrival, and blessed at your departure. For your departure from the world will be without sin, like your arrival into the world.

But by seven roads they will flee from you. This is the way the panic-stricken flee — by scattering in every direction.

Ruin. Disintegration, like “ruinous leprosy.”

Panic. Dismay, the roar of confusion.

With blistering. Whereby the flesh swells and blisters.

Searing temperature. Meaning the same as “For a flame sears my nostrils,” which refers to the fever of the diseased. Malweid in Old French, which is extremely hot.

Raging fever. Hotter than קַדַּחַת — searing temperature. These are various diseases.

With charchur. A disease whereby the fever penetrates throughout the body, causing constant thirst. In Old French, Esardement. This means the same as “My bones have become parched with heat,” “The bellows are shrivelled by fire.”

With the sword. He will incite armed forces against you.

With wind-blight and yellowing. Injury to the crops in the field. Wind-blight. The east wind, Hasle in Old French.

Yellowing. Withering, whereby the produce pales and turns yellow. Cro in Old French.

Until your annihilation. Targum: עַד דְּתֵיבָד, meaning until the annihilation of you, until you are annihilated of yourself.

The heavens above your head will be like copper. These curses Moshe articulated himself, while those at Mount Sinai, by the word of God he (Moshe) pronounced them, as indicated by the text: there, it is said, “If you do not heed ‘Me’.” “If you relate to ‘Me’ in a fickle way.” Here, however, it says, “to the voice of ‘Adonoy, your God’,” “‘Adonoy’ shall attach to you” “‘Adonoy’ shall strike you.” Moshe moderated his curses by expressing them in the singular form. He also moderated this curse, for in the first ones, it states, “your heavens like iron and your land like copper.” The heavens will not secrete moisture, just as iron does not secrete moisture, so that the world will subsequently suffer from drought. But the land will secrete moisture, just as copper secretes moisture, so that its produce will rot. Here, however, it says, ‘Your heavens copper and your land iron,’ the heavens will secrete moisture. Although they will not pour rain, still, there won’t be a ruinous drought in the world. And the land will not secrete moisture, just as iron does not secrete moisture, so that the produce will not rot. Still, this is a curse. Whether it is like copper or like iron, it will not produce fruit. Similarly, the heavens will not pour rain.

The rain of your land into dust and soil. When the wind follows a rainfall. The rain falls, but insufficiently, not enough to settle the dust. The wind follows and lifts the dust, so that it blankets the shoots of the seeds which were moistened by the water. It becomes attached to them and turns to mud, and they wither and rot.

A cause of shuddering. Terror and shuddering. Anyone learning of your injuries will shudder because of you, and exclaim, “Woe to us! Let this not befall us the way it befell them”!

With Egyptian boils. Extremely pernicious, moist outside and dry inside, as stated in [tractate] Bechoros.

With running boils. Wet boils.

Dry boils. Boils that are dry, like ceramics.

And with utter confusion. Stupefaction. Estordison in Old French.

The victim of wrangling. Whatever you do will be subject to altercation.

Will lie with her. The meaning is related to “mistress,” “concubine,” but Scripture prefers a more refined term, “Will lie with her.” This is the kind of refinement made by scribes.

Redeem it. During the fourth year, in order to eat its fruit.

And pine for them. Yearning for them to return, but they shall never return. Any unfulfilled longing is described as “the pining of eyes.”

Stupefaction. Similar to utter confusion, Estordison. Anyone who sees you will be stupefied by you.

Be cited as an example. If a terrible blow befalls a person, they will say, ‘This is like that person’s blow.’

And become the subject of gossip. This means the same as “You shall discuss them.” They will talk about you. Targum’s translation is the same — “ וּלְשׁוֹעֵי,” meaning to relate, “And he related.”

Will demolish it. Will destroy it. For this reason it is called חָסִיל, [lit.] the demolisher, as it destroys everything.

Will be discarded. Will discard its fruit, meaning the same as “And the iron discards.”

The cicada will impoverish. The cicada will render it impoverished of fruit.

Will impoverish. Will make destitute.

The cicada. A species of locusts. But it is not feasible to interpret יְיָרֵשׁ as inheritance, for, if so, it should have written יִירַשׁ . Nor, as expulsion and ejection, for, if so, it should have written יוֹרִישׁ .

In total affluence. While you had every benefit.

As the eagle soars. Suddenly, travelling successfully, with fleet steeds.

Whose language you will not hear. You will not recognize their language. Similarly, “You listen to a dream so as to interpret it.” Similarly, “That Yoseif was listening.” Entendre in Old French.

Until mastering your ramparts. The meaning is mastering, conquering.

You will eat . . ., the flesh of your sons, etc., in the siege. Because they will lay siege to the city, resulting in torment there — the agony of starvation.

The delicate among you, and the fastidious. The delicate is the same as the fastidious, meaning pampered. “Out of fastidiousness and softness” indicates conclusively that both are the same. Although pampered, and revolted by anything disgusting, he will savor, in his starvation, the flesh of his sons and daughters, so that he will begrudge his remaining children, and refuse to give any of them the flesh of his children — their siblings — which he has eaten. Another interpretation. The compassionate among you. The merciful and tender hearted, being extremely famished, will become brutal, and refuse to give the flesh of their slaughtered children to their remaining children.

Her eye will begrudge the husband of her bosom, and her son and daughter. The grown ones.

And her infant. Young children. She will begrudge all of them, when eating one, and refuse to give those remaining with her any of the flesh.

Adonoy will strike you with prodigious blows. Prodigious, classified separately from other blows.

And dependable. To torment you, thus fulfilling their mission.

Which you dreaded. The plagues. For, when the Israelites saw the extraordinary plagues visited on Egypt, they were fearful of them, lest they be visited on them as well. The proof is that the following is written: “If you obey, etc., all of the diseases which I visited upon Egypt, I will not visit upon you.” One does not threaten a man except with something he dreads.

Will raise up. The connotation is rising up.

You will remain numerically few, instead, etc. Few instead of many.

So will Adonoy bring joy. To your enemies, concerning you, to annihilate, etc. [However, the Holy One, may He be blessed, will not rejoice Himself. From here [we derive that] the Holy One, may He be blessed, does not rejoice at the downfall of the wicked. For, it is not said, “will rejoice,” but, rather, “will bring joy.” He brings joy to others, but does not rejoice. However, with the benefit of the righteous, He rejoices Himself, as it is said, “just as Adonoy rejoiced over you.”]

You will be uprooted. The word denotes uprooting. Similarly, “The house of the haughty, Adonoy shall uproot.”

You shall serve there [those who serve] other gods. As Targum [Onkelos] renders. Not literally idolatry, but, rather, paying income or poll taxes to the priests of idolatry.

You will not be tranquil. You will not rest, as in, “This is the tranquility.”

A fearful heart. A trembling heart, as Targum [Onkelos] renders, “fearful.” Like, “The nether world trembles towards you,” “Peoples heard and trembled,” “The foundations of the firmament tremble.”

Pining eyes. Yearning for salvation, but it shall not come.

Your life will dangle before you. In suspense. All suspense is considered dangling — ‘Perhaps I shall die today, by the sword visited upon us.’ The Rabbis expound: This refers to one who purchases produce at the marketplace.

You will have no faith in your living. This refers to one who depends on the bakeshop.

In the morning you will say, ‘Would that it were evening.’ That it were last evening.

And in the evening, you will say, ‘Would that it were morning.’ This morning, for the tribulations constantly increase, with every minute’s curses exceeding the previous one’s.

On ships. By ship, as captives.

There you will attempt to sell yourselves to your enemies. You will attempt to be sold to them as slaves and maidservants.

But no one will buy. For they will sentence you with death and destruction.

You will attempt to be sold. In Old French, Eporwendrez wos. But it is unfeasible to interpret וְהִתְמַכַּרְתֶּם as ”you will be sold,” through other sellers, because of the statement following, “but no one will buy.”

To ratify with Bnei Yisroel. Whereby they were to accept the Torah by imprecation and oath.

Beside the covenant. The imprecations in Toras Kohanim pronounced at Sinai.