לֹא תֹסִפוּ וְלֹא תִגְרְעוּ - Subtraction by Addition - פרשת ואתחנן
Jul 24, 2026 · 15 min · 8 segments
See source here In this shiur we explore the biblical prohibitions of Bal Tosif and Bal Tigra…
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Jul 24, 2026 · 15 min · 8 segments
See source here In this shiur we explore the biblical prohibitions of Bal Tosif and Bal Tigra…
David SaltzmanHostIt's a huge shift in perspective.
We are unpacking the biblical command from the book of Deuteronomy chapter 4, which explicitly dictates, quote, do not add to the word and do not subtract.
Yeah.
And we are going to look at this through the lens of a stack of classic Jewish commentaries.
A really heavy hitting lineup.
And our mission today is to break down the profound psychology behind this rule for you.
Like, why are we as humans endlessly tempted to improve instructions? And why does trying to do more so often result in doing less? It
is honestly a phenomenal tension to explore.
Yeah.
Because it hits at the very core of how we interact with people.
authority and structure.
On one hand, you have human creativity, right? The innate desire to contribute and elevate.
Exactly.
But on the other hand, you have the demand for strict obedience.
And what these sources reveal layer by layer is that our good intentions, our desire to be extra pious or extra thorough or, you know, extra inspired are very often just this elaborate trap we set for ourselves.
Okay, let's unpack this because we should start with the actual parameters of the rule.
It's a huge shift in perspective.
We are unpacking the biblical command from the book of Deuteronomy chapter 4, which explicitly dictates, quote, do not add to the word and do not subtract.
Yeah.
And we are going to look at this through the lens of a stack of classic Jewish commentaries.
A really heavy hitting lineup.
And our mission today is to break down the profound psychology behind this rule for you.
Like, why are we as humans endlessly tempted to improve instructions? And why does trying to do more so often result in doing less? It
is honestly a phenomenal tension to explore.
Yeah.
Because it hits at the very core of how we interact with people.
authority and structure.
On one hand, you have human creativity, right? The innate desire to contribute and elevate.
Exactly.
But on the other hand, you have the demand for strict obedience.
And what these sources reveal layer by layer is that our good intentions, our desire to be extra pious or extra thorough or, you know, extra inspired are very often just this elaborate trap we set for ourselves.
Okay, let's unpack this because we should start with the actual parameters of the rule.
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