You have seen everything that Hashem did as you watched in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh and to all his attendants and to his entire land. The great miracles that you witnessed, those great signs and wonders. Yet Hashem did not grant you a heart to know and eyes to see and ears to hear until this day. I have led you 40 years in the wilderness, your garments have not worn out on you and your shoes have not worn out on your feet. Bread have you not eaten, neither fresh nor aged wine have you drunk in order that you know that Hashem is your God. (Devarim 29: 2-5)

What does Moses mean in Parshas Ki Savo that the Israelites didn’t have the ability to hear, see, or even think until “this day”? That they didn’t have free will? That they couldn’t trust their own senses or their ability to make decisions? What happened on “this day” and why would it be more powerful of a message than the miracles displayed in Egypt?

The Lubavitcher Rebbe said that, “A heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear: These three aspects of perception refer to the three components that correspond to the three Divine sefirot. Chochma, Binah, and Da’as.” “Ears to hear,” refers to binah, or understanding. In order to understand you have to listen. It’s more than just hearing as you then must build an understanding (binah is connected to boneh which is the Hebrew word to build.) “Eyes to see” refers to chochma, or wisdom. Seeing is believing and it is certainly a stronger experience than simply hearing about an event. But to have wisdom means that a person can “see” or anticipate the future consequences from actions and decisions. 

Finally we have, “heart to know.” This phrase is also translated as “a knowledgeable mind” as in Jewish thought the heart and the mind can sometimes be considered the same. Da’as is the most deeply physical way of understanding. To experience something first hand, tasting ice cream for the first time, falling in love, etc. It is also when the character traits you are working on stop becoming theory or aspirational and become part of your behavior. So my interpretation of what the Lubavitcher Rebbe is saying is that not only did Hashem give the Jewish people the building blocks to have knowledge or da’as of Hashem (via learning about Him and seeing His miracles firsthand), He also gave them an experiential relationship to fundamentally influence the heart. 

But a relationship doesn’t happen overnight. There’s something about the relationship “today” that changed. The verse specifically outlines 40 years. 40 is a very well known number in Judaism. 40 days of Noah’s flood. Moses went up to learn the Torah for 40 days (and then another 40 days after the Golden Calf fiasco.) We believe that a fetus receives its soul after 40 days.  And there is the famous notion that when a person turns 40 they are finally ready to learn the mystical concepts of Kabbalah. 40 is understood to be the necessary time frame for development and maturity. 

The Israelites wandering in the wilderness for 40 years was also a time of development. The Lubavitcher Rebbe also commented on the 40 years saying…

Moses here meant that now that 40 years had elapsed since the people had first been exposed to the Torah and the worldview it ensconces, and they had had the opportunity to observe God’s ways for all these intervening years, they were now “mature” enough to be expected to live their lives in full accordance with the Torah’s intentions and to be held responsible for their actions. (Likutei Sichot, vol. 14)

So the Israelites finally achieved a special relationship with Hashem and it was all just based on persistence? Was it all just a time commitment? You might think so, but Rashi brings in a story that complicates that idea. 

“I have heard that on the day when Moses gave the Book of the Law to the sons of Levi, all Israel came before Moses and said to him: ‘Teacher Moses, we, too, stood at Sinai and accepted the Torah, and it was given to us. Why, then, do you give the people of your tribe [the Levites] control over it, that they may tomorrow say to us, ‘Not to you was it given, but to us was it given’”? Moses rejoiced at this matter and in reference to this he said to them, ‘This day have you become the people [of Hashem your God]’ (Deuteronomy 27:9) meaning, ‘Only this day have I come to understand that you are attached to and have a desire for the Omnipresent.’”

So when Moses decided to give the written Torah to the priests, the rest of the Israelites protested, demanding as much involvement as the tribe that would be doing most of the religious services. Similarly at Mt. Sinai, the Israelites demanded to hear Hashem speak themselves, not just relying on Moses. But that was literally an Earth shattering event. But 40 years later, after the spectacle has dissipated, the relationship has become routine, for the Israelites to still demand more out of the relationship, that was the turning point. 

It was one thing to see the miracles of Egypt. Then the next generation heard about them while their miracles became the daily status quo ( clothes that didn’t wear out, no need for bread because of the manna, etc). To achieve the heart of da’as takes further exertion, otherwise the daily service (prayers, blessings, Tehillim) can become stagnant with virtually no kevanah ( one’s attention and intention). When you’ve achieved a mastery of the basics and you decide to go deeper, that’s when everything can open up. 

As we begin a New Year, it can be difficult to stay engaged. I recently entered my 40s and a lot is going on in my life. My family has grown, but there are also emergent health concerns. Balancing a household, a job, and everything in between, I don’t bring my A game so much anymore, especially not to mincha and maariv. Thirteen years ago I started this journey to rediscover my Judaism and the rewards have been incalculable. But it’s not the transcendental learning and spiritual awakening it was back then. What do you do? It seems that at this point, the key is deciding to still want it. Even if you don’t have the time to involve yourself in the way you once did. 

A relationship is only as meaningful as what it took to achieve it. A relationship is only as strong as the weakest link. As long as you decide to be in the relationship, still wanting the connection, Hashem will always meet you where you are. Because He’s never the weakest link and we decide how meaningful we want it to be. That’s what Moses meant by ‘this day.’ Every day can be that turning point, if we still want it.