Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

80
בלה תובשחמ
… a person should always complete his (own) parsha (learning)
together with the tzibbur reading the pesukim twice and the Targum
(Aramaic translation) once – even (the words) Atarot and Divon
(names of cities)… for anyone who completes the parsha with the
tzibbur ‘will merit a long life’.
The statement of the Gemara has two parts: a) The scope of the obligation and,
b) The reward for its fulfillment.
Regarding its scope – one must even include ןובידו תורטע! The mefarshim argue
why these two words were chosen: According to Rashi, even though there is no
Targum, one must read the words a third time in Hebrew.
Tosefot argue that if Rashi is correct, the Gemara should have simply chosen
Reuven and Shimon as examples of words without a Targum. Rather, Atarot and
Divon were chosen since there is a lesser known Targum (Yerushlami) that exists
and should be used instead of our Targum. (In fact, it appears that in our version
of Onkelos, the Targum Yerushalmi has already been substituted…)
The Aruch Ha-Shulchan quotes Rabbeinu Bachya that the original names of
the cities are names of avoda zara. Therefore, we may have thought not to read
the Targum at all, so the Gemara tells us that, nevertheless, their translation must
be read as well.
The Torah Temima returns to the text of the Gemara and asks on everyone else –
why assume that the Gemara is focusing on the ’םוגרת דחא‘ of Atarot and Divon?
The chiddush is that we need to do ’ארקמ םינש‘! The entire pasuk beginning
with the words ןובידו תורטע is not at all necessary to understand the flow of the
narrative, and therefore it must be taught that the pasuk is in included in ת“ומש.
Regarding the Gemara’s ‘segula’ for a long life the Kaf HaChaim writes (265/4):
A person should not read ת“ומש in order to receive a long life. Rather, to fulfill a
mitzvah, read ת“ומש as it says