דברים, פרק כ״ז, פסוק י״ב

Upon entering the Land of Israel, the Israelites participated in a dramatic national ceremony to accept the Torah and its covenant. The nation divided into two groups, with six tribes standing on Mount Gerizim and six on Mount Ebal. In the valley between them stood the priests, the Levites, and the Ark of the Covenant. The Levites turned to face Mount Gerizim and declared a blessing, to which the entire nation answered with a resounding "Amen." They then turned toward Mount Ebal to declare the corresponding curse, and the people answered "Amen" once again [רש״י, רשב״ם]. Although the tribe of Levi was assigned to stand on the mountain, a practical division occurred within the tribe itself. The elders and those between the ages of thirty and fifty, who were fit for holy service, remained in the valley surrounding the Ark. Meanwhile, the youth, the elderly, and the women stood on the mountain alongside the other tribes [מזרחי, חזקוני, בכור שור]. The primary approach among commentators is that the tribes on the mountain did not recite the blessings themselves, but rather stood in position while the Levites blessed them. However, others suggest that by answering "Amen," the people were halachically considered to have uttered the blessings themselves [הכתב והקבלה, רשב״ם]. The Levites in the center acted as representatives for the entire nation, meaning the Israelites were essentially blessing and cursing themselves in a profound display of mutual responsibility [רש״ר הירש].

The assignment of specific tribes to Mount Gerizim was highly intentional. Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin were all descendants of the primary matriarchs, Rachel and Leah [רבנו בחיי, רלב״ג]. Because there were eight such tribes, two had to be relocated to Mount Ebal to create an equal balance of six against six. Reuben, the firstborn, and Zebulun, the youngest of Leah's sons, were chosen for this shift. This adjustment was made out of sensitivity, ensuring that the tribes descended from the handmaids, who were stationed on Mount Ebal, would not feel insulted or degraded by their placement [רש״ר הירש, תולדות יצחק].

The presence of Reuben and Zebulun on the mountain of curses served deeper purposes. Reuben's placement was a public exoneration. When the Levites declared a curse upon anyone who lies with his father's wife, and the tribe of Reuben answered "Amen," the entire nation understood that Reuben was innocent of the historical sin involving Bilhah; otherwise, Moses would never have positioned him where he would be directly cursed [רבנו בחיי, צרור המור]. Zebulun was placed there to serve as a spiritual shield. Because Zebulun financially supported the Torah study of his brother Issachar, his merit was intended to draw life and blessing even to the side of the curses [צרור המור, חזקוני]. Meanwhile, Simeon was deliberately placed on the mountain of blessing to soften the harsh attribute of strict justice associated with him. Since Moses did not explicitly bless Simeon before his death, he ensured Simeon stood on the side of blessing here, even establishing exactly eleven curses so that none would align against Simeon's tribe [רבנו בחיי, צרור המור]. The deep connection among the tribes on Mount Gerizim reflects a profound unity and mutual responsibility, serving as a historical healing for the sale of Joseph and the brothers' past animosity [ברכת אשר].

A striking feature of this ceremony is that the curses are detailed individually, while the blessings remain merely implied. Commentators offer several reasons for this contrast. First, the explicit curses serve as a powerful deterrent. If only the blessings were detailed, a person might fulfill a single Commandment, consider themselves fully blessed, and neglect the rest of the Torah. Spelling out the curses makes it clear that violating even one prohibition places a person in spiritual danger [משכיל לדוד, ברכת אשר]. Second, the specific sins mentioned in the curses, such as secret idolatry or moving a neighbor's boundary marker, are typically committed in hiding. Because a human court cannot punish crimes it cannot see, the Torah subjects the hidden offender to a public, divine curse [כלי יקר, תולדות יצחק]. Ultimately, the explicit curses belong to this world as a necessary warning, while the truest, most complete blessings remain hidden, reserved for the World to Come [כלי יקר].