Understanding the blessings and curses outlined in Parshat Ki Tavo is challenging. At first glance, it appears Hashem is simply demanding obedience, offering rewards for listening and threatening a severe punishment for disobedience.

דברים כח

(א) וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־שָׁמ֤וֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע֙ בְּקוֹל֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ לִשְׁמֹ֤ר לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ אֶת־כׇּל־מִצְוֺתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּ֑וֹם וּנְתָ֨נְךָ֜ יְהֹוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ עֶלְי֔וֹן עַ֖ל כׇּל־גּוֹיֵ֥י הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ב) וּבָ֧אוּ עָלֶ֛יךָ כׇּל־הַבְּרָכ֥וֹת הָאֵ֖לֶּה וְהִשִּׂיגֻ֑ךָ כִּ֣י תִשְׁמַ֔ע בְּק֖וֹל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ׃

Devarim 28

1 And it will be if you obey the Lord, your God, to observe to fulfill all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord, your God, will place you supreme above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings will come upon you and cleave to you, if you obey the Lord, your God.

However, a closer read of the text requires a further explanation. Verse 1 and 2 seem to repeat the same theme. In verse 2 the word “Ki” is often translated as “if” or “when”, but as Rabbi Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg in his commentary on the Torah known as “HaKetav v’Hakabalah” points out, this point would be superfluous.

הכתב והקבלה דברים כח:ב

כי תשמע – אין מלת כי תנאי (ווענן) כמו כי תפגע שור אויבך, דכבר הזכיר התנאי אם שמע תשמע, אבל טעם כמלת אשר (דאס) שהמשפט הקודם סבה למשפט הבא כמו מי אנכי כי אלך, ויודיע בזה התכלית המכוין בברכות אלה, שעל ידיהם תהיה דעתכם פנויה לשמוע בקול ה' לשמור מצותיו, כי בזמן שאדם טרוד בחולי ורעבון וכדומה מן הדברים המטרידים את הנפש אין דעתו פנויה להתעסק בתורה ולשמור המצות כראוי לכן יבטיח בזה שכאשר יהגה בחכמת התורה ויעשה המצות בשמחה ובטיבת נפש יוסרו ממנו כל הדברים המונעים אותו מלעשותה וישפיע לנו כל הטובות המחזיקות את ידינו לעשות התורה ולא נהיה טרודים בדברים שהגוף צריך להם, כי אין טוב כל הברכות האלה סוף מתן שכרן של מצות, דשכר מצוה בהאי עלמא ליכא, אבל הם סבות גורמות לחיי עד.

HaKetav v’Hakabalah Devarim 28:2

That you listen - the word “Ki” is not a condition (when), as “when you encounter the ox of your enemy”, for this condition has already been mentioned in “if you will surely listen” (28:1). Rather, the connotation of the word “Ki” is that, for the previous sentence is a reason for the sentence that follows, as in “who am I that I should go”. And we understand from this the intended objective of these blessings, that through them our minds will be free to listen to the voice of Hashem, to keep his mitzvot. For when a person is preoccupied with sickness and hunger and similar troubles that distract the soul, his mind is not free to engage in Torah and to keep the mitzvot appropriately. Therefore [Hashem] guarantees that when we engage in the wisdom of Torah and perform mitzvot with joy and in good spirits, all those things that might prevent us from its performance are removed. And we are granted all the benefits which strengthen our ability to perform Torah, not distracted by the needs of the body. For these blessings are not the reward for mitzvot, for the real reward of mitzvot is not in this world. Rather they are the cause that bring us life beyond.

Rabbi Mecklenburg helps contextualize the blessings and curses through explaining their objective. These worldly blessings are not an end to themselves. Rather, they are a commitment from God that when we pursue Torah and Mitzvot, God will remove worldly obstacles and provide us with the freedom and means to fully benefit from Torah.

Nehama Leibowitz notes that this position is closely based on the opinion of the Rambam in his commentary on the mishna:

פירוש המשנה לרמב"ם סנהדרין י:א

אבל ההבטחות והפכן האמורים בתורה ענינן כמו שאבאר לך, וכך הוא, שהוא אומר לך אם תקיים את המצות הללו אעזרך על קיומן והשלמות בהן, ואסלק מעליך כל המעצורים לפי שאי אפשר לאדם לעבוד [את ה'] לא חולה ולא רעב ולא צמא ולא במצב של מלחמה, ולכן הבטיח בהסרת כל אלה ושיהיו בריאים ושלוים כדי שתשלם להם הידיעה ויזכו לחיי העולם הבא. נמצא שאין תכלית התורה שתדשן האדמה ויאריכו ימים ויבריאו הגופות, אלא ייעזרו על קיומה בכל הדברים הללו. וכן אם עברו יהיה עונשם שיבואו עליהם כל אותם המעצורים עד שלא יוכלו לעשות טוב וכמו שאמר תחת אשר לא עבדת את ה' וכו' וכאשר תתבונן התבוננות נפלאה זו תמצא שהוא כאלו אמר אם עשית מקצת אלו המצות באהבה וחריצות אעזרך על כולם בהסירי מעליך כל העוצרים והמעכבים, ואם הזנחת מהם מקצתם מתוך זלזול אביא עליך מעכבים שיעכבוך מכולם עד שלא תשיג שלמות ולא קיום, וזהו ענין אמרם עליהם השלום שכר מצוה מצוה ושכר עברה עברה.

Rambam - Commentary on the Mishnah - Sanhedrin 10:1

As to the promises and the warnings which are written in the Torah, they are to be understood as I will now explain, and that is the following: It says to you: "If you fulfill these commandments, I will help you to fulfill them and to achieve perfection in them. And I will remove from you all obstacles. For it is impossible for a person to serve God when he is sick or hungry or thirsty or at a time of strife. Therefore, it promises to remove all those obstacles and to keep people healthy and tranquil until they achieve perfection of know|edge and merit the life of the world to come. Thus, the ultimate goal of the Torah is not for the earth to be fertile and for people to live long lives and for bodies to be healthy. Rather, it assists one in fulfilling it by (promising) all these things. Similarly, if people transgress, their punishment will be that all those obstacles will come about so as not to allow them to do good, as it is said: “Because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things; therefore shalt thou serve thine enemy whom the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger and in thirst and in nakedness, and in want of all things; and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee” (Devarim 28:47-48). If you delve thoroughly into this matter, you will find that it is as if God is saying to you: "If you fulfill some of these commandments with love and diligence, I will assist you to perform all of them by removing from you all the obstacles and hindrances. But if you omit some of them out of disdain, I will bring upon you hindrances which will hinder you from performing all of them so that you cannot achieve either perfection or (eternal) existence. This is what the Sages, of blessed memory, meant when they said: "The recompense of a commandment is a commandment, and the recompense of a transgression is a transgression."

The Rambam makes it clear that the divine blessings discussed in Ki Tavo are to be viewed as a means to achieving further perfection and development. The blessings of the physical world are valuable, but they are not the ultimate goal of the Torah. The curses are correspondingly viewed as impediments to benefiting from Torah. He further adds that we need not be flawless in our observance to receive these benefits. If we properly observe even some of the mitzvot, we will receive divine assistance for the remainder. The worldly reward for engaging in Mitzvot is not physical blessings, but the opportunity to take full advantage of the Torah’s system of perfection.

References

Leibowitz, N. (1996). New Studies in Devarim (Deuteronomy). Brooklyn, NY: Lambda Publishers.

Maimonides M. & Rosner F. (1981). Maimonides' Commentary on the Mishnah Tractate Sanhedrin. Sepher-Hermon Press.

Rosenberg, A. (1980). A new English translation of the Hebrew Bible text and Rashi, with a commentary digest. New York: Judaica Press. Retrieved from: https://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/

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