Rashi on TanakhDeuteronomy 30

Adonoy your God will bring [lit. come] back your returnees. It should have written ‘Bring back’ your returnees. The Rabbis derive from here, that the Divine Presence, with all due reverence, resides with Yisroel in the suffering of their exile, so that, when they are redeemed, He ascribes redemption to Himself — He shall return with them. One may explain additionally: The day of the ingathering of exiles is as momentous and difficult as if He, Himself, would need to carry, literally in His grasp, every individual from his place, as it is said, “You shall be plucked, one at a time, Bnei Yisroel.” And even with regard to the exiles of other nations we find this, “I shall bring [lit. come] back the returnees of Moav,” [“I shall bring [lit. come] back the returnees of Egypt”].

It is not abstruse to you. It is not concealed from you, as it is said, כִּי יִפָּלֵא — “If . . . is concealed from you,” וַתֵּרֶד פְלָאִים — [meaning] “she has plummeted into concealment,” concealed, wrapped in a cover.

It is not in heaven. For if it were in heaven, you would be required to ascend in quest of it so that you could study it.

For [the matter] is close to you. The Torah was presented to you in written and oral form.

Life and goodness. One hinges on the other. If you act with goodness, then you have life, but if you act wickedly, then you have death. Scripture proceeds in explaining how.

For which I command you this day, to love. Here you have goodness. On it, hinges “so that you will live and flourish” — here you have life.

But if your heart strays. Here you have wickedness.

That you shall certainly perish. Here you have death.

I invoke, as witnessess against you, this day, heaven and earth. As they endure eternally, so that when evil befalls you, they will bear witness that I warned you concerning all of this. Another interpretation of “I invoke as witnesses against you this day, heaven etc.” The Holy One, may He be blessed, said to Yisroel, ‘Gaze at the heavens, which I created to serve you, have they, perhaps, altered their prescribed functions? Perhaps the sun failed to rise in orbit from the east to illuminate the whole world, as it is said, “The sun rises, and then the sun sets”? Gaze at the earth, which I created to serve you, has it, perhaps, altered its prescribed functions? Perhaps you planted it, and it failed to produce, or perhaps you planted wheat, and it produced barley? Now take these, which were created neither for gain, nor for loss — if meritorious, they reap no reward, and if sinful, they suffer no punishment — yet they did not alter their prescribed functions; then you, who, if meritorious, reap reward, and if sinful, suffer punishment, most certainly so.’

Choose life. I instruct you to select the portion of life, like a man who tells his son, ‘Select, for yourself, an excellent portion in my estate’; then he guides him to the excellent portion, and says to him, ‘Choose this for yourself.’ Concerning this it is said, “Adonoy is my apportioned share, my drinking cup; You have upheld my lot” — You have placed my hand on the excellent lot, as if to say, ‘Take this for yourself.’