Ten Lessons from Know Therefore This Day

The Torah tells us that this knowledge should be today, on this day, they should know that Hashem is the only G-d. What is it that people should know about on this day rather than on any other day?

The Ohr Hachaim explains that the Torah refers to ten pieces of information that a person needs to keep in mind in order to subjugate his Yetzer Hara properly:

1. Reminding oneself of the day of death: The Gemara says: if the Yetzer Hara attacks a person, he should first ‘drag him to the Beis Hamedrash’. If this does not work, a person should try other tricks until the final ace in his set, which is to remind himself of his upcoming death. This will subjugate a person’s heart and prevent him from performing a sin. The meaning of this possuk is now clear – וידעת, and you shall know היום – the day. You should remind yourself of the day, meaning the day of death. With this, he will והשיבות אל לבבך – lay it into your heart – that he will not succumb to the wiles of his evil urge.
2. The day Hashem will slaughter the Yetzer Hara: The Gemara says that in the future, Hashem will slaughter the Yetzer Hara in front of all of Klal Yisroel. Moshe Rabbeinu was now telling Klal Yisroel that they should make sure to know that day, the all-important day on which Hashem will slaughter the evil one. This is a way for a person to internalize the message that his Mitzvos are eternal, whereas his aveiros are not.
3. The day of judgment: Another message for a person to internalize and learn is that day. There is a day coming, a day of judgment for all of mankind, and each person’s actions, thoughts, and effect on the world will be adjudicated. Every person has to give a reckoning to Hashem for all that he has done, and that day will be difficult. How embarrassing will it be if we cannot provide an adequate explanation and justification for our actions?
4. The sun as a reminder of retribution: The Gemara says that the sun appears so reddish in the morning and evening because it passes by the gates of hell before rising and setting, and the fires of Hell make it red. If a person were to take a look at the sun every day, he would be reminded of what happens to a person when he violates Hashem’s Torah. The reddish appearance of the sun is a reminder of where this retribution is handed out. Moshe is advising people to ponder what happens each day – היום. Know the day, and its attributes, and be reminded of your purpose in the world.
5. Daytime as a metaphor for closeness to Hashem: Another hint that Moshe is alluding to in this possuk is based on the words of the Mekubalim. Shlomo Hamelech writes that sixty strong people surrounded his bed ‘for fear of the nights.’ The nighttime is when the evil ones rule, and the daytime is prone to holiness and correct behavior. Daytime is a euphemism for a situation of closeness to Hashem, whereas nighttime is the expression used to hint at times of alienation from Hashem. Moshe hints to Klal Yisroel that a person should keep in mind the idea of daytime, the notion of closeness to Hashem.
6. The masters of reckoning: The Zohar writes about the ‘masters of reckoning.’ Who are these ‘masters of reckoning’? They are those who spend time each night to reckon their activities and check what they do with each minute. They then ponder their actions and repair that which needs fixing. Only if a person makes sure to act like this will he be able to discern his incorrect actions and do Teshuva for his misdeeds and confess them. If a person does not do so, he will not recognize his aveiros, and they will pass him by unrecognized. Even when he ends up doing Teshuva, he won’t cover everything because he won’t be conscious of his actions. This is what Moshe commanded the people. He was telling them to make sure to become aware of their actions on a daily basis, i.e., היום, this very day; do not wait until Yom Kippur to confess your sins and to rehabilitate yourselves. If you do this, והשבות אל לבבך, you will ensure that your heart remains conscious of and sensitive to your shortcomings.
7. The day the Neshama was placed in the body: This possuk alludes to the day the Neshama was placed in a person’s body. According to the Zohar, on that day, Hashem exhorts the soul which has come from the celestial regions to observe the commandments of the Torah while on earth, threatening him with a variety of penalties for non-observance but also promising reward for observance. When Moses said היום in our verse, he referred to the day when the soul began its journey on earth. By remembering that day, he will remind himself of the truth in his heart and act as he should.
8. This world as night, the next world as day: The Gemara in Chagiga writes that the present world is called ‘night’ whereas the next world is called ‘day.’ Life in this world is sometimes contradictory. We find evil people enjoying life when good people suffer terribly. Sometimes this confuses people, and they find it difficult to continue following the Torah when they cannot understand how this could happen. Moshe is advising people to concentrate on ‘the day’. People should remember that the other world is the important one. Although things look bleak and wrong in this transient world, we can rest assured that the righteous will inherit a significant portion in the ‘daytime.’ Those that act incorrectly will suffer in the next world, even though we cannot see that in this world. People should internalize the message that there is a daytime awaiting us, and they should imprint on his heart that Hashem has the answer to all perversions of justice that we can see during the night time of this world.
9. The sixth day of Sivan and the giving of the Torah: At the end of the Creation of the world, the possuk says וַיְהִּי עֶּׁרֶּׁב וַיְהִּי בֹקֶּׁר יוֹם הַשִּשִּי – and it was evening, and it was morning on the sixth day. This time, the Torah adds a ה to the word ששי, to denote that this sixth day is the one that is referred to elsewhere. The Gemara understands this to be referring to the sixth day of the month of Sivan, the day on which the Torah was given. Hashem conditioned His ending the world’s creation and allowing it to survive on the Torah that Klal Yisroel will accept. If they refuse, the world will be destroyed. The Torah is now telling us וידעת היום – you should know the day. The critical, exciting, epic day of Hashem’s revelation on Har Sinai. This day was the day on which the entire creation depended, and our fulfillment of His mitzvos keeps this world going. We will therefore imprint this on our hearts, and we will know כי ה' הוא האלוקים – that Hashem is the G-d. Through remembering this day, the entire world will know the truth – there is no one and nothing in charge but Him. As Chazal explain on the possuk לֹא מֵרֹאש בַסֵתֶּׁר דִּבַרְ תִּי מֵעֵת הֱיוֹתָהּ שָם - From the beginning I have not spoken in secret. From the time that it was, there I am. Hashem announced His presence and Torah in public without hiding anything, and the world could have learned this lesson. Klal Yisroel should know that day and imprint it on their hearts, and they will win against their Yetzer Hara.
10. Shabbos as the day worth the entire Torah: One last explanation of this possuk is offered by the Ohr Hachaim. Chazal tell us that the Mitzvah of keeping Shabbos is similar to keeping the entire Torah. Sometimes a person’s Yetzer Hara tells him that he is incapable of keeping the entire Torah; his abilities are too limited. Especially when the person has spent some time following his Yetzer Hara and has sullied his actions and Neshama, he will find it hard to believe in his own powers of doing Teshuva, returning to Hashem, and fulfilling His entire Torah. Moshe Rabbeinu told Klal Yisroel you should know the day – he should know that day of Hashem’s, which is Shabbos and is worth as much as the entire Torah. Even if a person believes that the entire Torah is beyond his reach, one Mitzvah is certainly within his reach. If he keeps Shabbos as he should, he would have kept the entire Torah, even if he has done many aveiros in the past and has dirtied his Neshama. He will then not give up on his plan to perform a perfect Teshuva and fulfill all of the Torah.