CONNECTION BETWEEN FIRST FRUITS AND YAACOV AND LAVAN
דברים פרק כו, ה אֲרַמִּי אֹבֵד אָבִי
T.T. Many commentators on the Torah and on the Hagadah comment on this connection between the offering of the first fruits and the special saying that begins with Yaacov and Lavan. Yet none seem to explain clearly.
Perhaps, a little bit of understanding begins with the concept that Hashem just promised the Jews the Land of Israel. This gift is to occur against the natural order of the world, that a nation that has escaped servitude and wandered for 40 years, should now depose the many strong nations that occupy the land, and then the Jews would live in peace and tranquility afterwards. This example begins from the era of Yaacov and all the travails of his life, symbolized from his conflict with Lavan. Yaacov left his father’s house and moved to Lavan’s house and faced many types of conflict there. And even after returning to Israel, he was constantly on the move and then the entire nation ending up moving to Egypt. Nevertheless, his children now stood on the brink of reentering the land of Israel - overturning of the natural order of the world.
TEFILLIN OF THE HEAD
דברים פרק כח, י וְרָאוּ כָּל-עַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ כִּי שֵׁם ה' נִקְרָא עָלֶיךָ וְיָרְאוּ מִמֶּךָּ:
מסכת מנחות דף לה/ב ר"א הגדול אומר אלו תפילין שבראש
The Tefillin have the majority of G-d’s name, the Shin and the Daled (without the Yud). Tosfos explains that the word לטטפת is a expression indicating power, as if to say that the Tefillin are witness for plus a reproach from HaShem that He is revealed through the Tefillin and people would see the Tefillin and fear G-d. In Brachos, the derasha is made that Tefillin are a source of strength for the Jews. Similarly, the verse in Yeshayahu, G-d swore with His right hand (this is Torah) and with His (other) strong arm (this is Tefillin that is a source of strength to the Jews). In reality, the left hand symbolizes the weak arm. Thus, even though the left hand is not the source of power, yet the left hand is the place of the source of strength (Tefillin which rest on the left arm).
PROPERLY STANDING UP THE TORAH
דברים פרק כז, כו אָרוּר אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יָקִים אֶת-דִּבְרֵי הַתּוֹרָה-הַזֹּאת
ירושלמי מסכת סוטה פרק ז הלכה ד וכי יש תורה נופלת. שמעון בן יקים אומר זה החזן שהוא עומד
Many attempt to explain this saying. Most say it refers to the lifting of the Sefer Torah after its being read in public, that all should see the words that were written in the Sefer Torah. However, the Ramban explains this refers to the Chazan (gabbai) that does not properly secure the Sefer Torah in the Aron upon its return, so that it may fall. Others wish to explain this refers to the teachers of young children (sometimes called Chazan-director) and the language of עומד indicates guidance; thus, the teacher that fails to properly guide the students is the one subject to this curse.