I have put away the hallowed things from my house...I have not transgressed any of Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them (Deut. 26:13)
Every year (aside from the Sabbatical year) a Jew is obligated to set aside a tithe of the land's produce; every three years, he must remove them from his possession and give them to the Levites. A special "confessional" is then recited, which includes the above words. But why the apparent redundancy? If a person claims to have "not transgressed any of Your commandments," isn't it obvious that he hasn't forgotten them? The answer is that a person can fulfill a commandment yet "forget" it at the same time - if his mind and thoughts are on something else, other than the mitzva. (Sefat Emet)
Blessed you shall be in the city (Deut. 28:3)
According to the Midrash, "the city" means "in the merit of the mitzvot you do among society," implying the obligation to ensure that one's surroundings are also imbued with Torah and mitzvot. (Divrei Shaarei Chaim)
Reprinted from the Parshat Ki Teitzei 5760/2000 edition of L’Chaim.
