<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><span style="font-size: 20px;" class="">The central topic of Parashat Ki-Tavo is the blessings and curses. These blessings and curses involve the establishment of a treaty between Israel and the Almighty: [29:11-12]<br class=""> <br class="">Some may find the following fascinating!<br class=""> <br class="">The curses in chapter 28 contain 676 letters. The word <i class="">ra-ot</i> (reish, ayin, vov, tav) which can mean evil occurrences has the value of 676. Now note that God's holy four letter Name has the value of 26; and 26 squared is 676. <br class=""> <br class="">According to the <i class="">Itture Torah</i>, Vol. Vl, p.165, the hidden meaning is that the Torah threatens with raot, but from all of them HaShem will rescue us. Any gift from God can be used for good or evil. When used for evil we have the word<i class=""> ra-ot</i>. However, when utilized for good, we can take the same letters: (reish, ayin, vov, tav) and we now have <i class="">ray-ut</i> (friendship). <br class=""> <br class="">Another commentary by the Ari regarding the pasuk in Devarim: <i class="">Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse</i>. [11:26] The Ari questioned this: <i class="">But there is no curse in the heavenly realm</i>! He then explained it as follows: Take the word<i class=""> k'lalah</i>, and write it backwards. Then instead of <i class="">kuf lamed lamed hay</i>, we have <i class="">hay lamed lamed kuf</i>, which gives us <i class="">hallel</i> followed by the letter <i class="">kuf</i>. This simply means that if we say 100 <i class="">(kuf</i>) blessings every day which praise (hallel) the Almighty, then any curse (against us) is reversed and converted into a blessing. <br class=""> <br class="">You will also note that if you rearrange the English word <i class="">curse</i> by just switching the last two letters, you have <b class=""><i class="">cures</i></b>. So if we sincerely praise the Almighty, the <i class="">curse</i> becomes the <b class=""><i class="">cures</i></b>.</span></body></html>