Annulling the Bad Days

Art Boris Shapiro

by Rabbi David Hanania Pinto

 "See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse" [Re'eh 11:26]

The word "hayom (today)" appears superfluous. Could the verse not just say, "See, I present before you a blessing and a curse"?

Rabbeinu Yosef Chaim of Bavel zya"a, in his sefer 'Ben Ish Chai', explains:

Hashem gave Am Yisrael five festival days: Rosh Hashana, the first day of Succot, Shemini Atzeret, the first day of Pesach and the festival of Shavuot.

Were Yisrael to observe these five festival days according to the law, they would be saved from the five bad days which are: The fast of Gedalya, the Tenth of Tevet, the Seventeenth of Tammuz, Tisha B'Av and the Tenth of Av (as it is known, the majority of the Beit Hamikdash was burnt on the tenth of Av).

This is the meaning of the verse: "See, I present before you today [הַיּ֑וֹם] refers to the five days, (the letter 'ה' has the numerical value of five). There are five days that are a blessing and a curse, and if you are careful with the five festival days which allude to blessing, then you will be protected from the five 'bad' days which symbolize curse.