Va’eschanan 4:2 · unit 1

TT #6 · Parashas Va’eschanan · First Aliyah · Passuk 4:2

The Complete Passuk

לֹ֣א תֹסִ֗פוּ עַל־הַדָּבָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אָנֹכִי֙ מְצַוֶּ֣ה אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תִגְרְע֖וּ מִמֶּ֑נּוּ לִשְׁמֹ֗ר אֶת־מִצְוֺת֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י מְצַוֶּ֥ה אֶתְכֶֽם׃

You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor shall you diminish from it, to keep the commandments of Hashem your God that I command you.

Chabad.org — 4:2

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to the baraisa that a kohen may not invent additional berachos of his own when ascending the duchan (and parallel discussions of the prohibition of adding to the Torah).

Sefaria — related sugya

See also the parallel in Re’eh 13:1.

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
תַּנְיָא, מִנַּיִן לְכֹהֵן הָעוֹלֶה לַדּוּכָן שֶׁלֹּא יֹאמַר הוֹאִיל וְנָתְנָה לִי תּוֹרָה רְשׁוּת לְבָרֵךְ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹסִיף בְּרָכָה מִשֶּׁלִּי... תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר לֹא תוֹסִיפוּ עַל הַדָּבָר.

English: It was taught: From where do we know that a kohen who ascends the duchan may not say, “Since the Torah gave me permission to bless Israel, I will add a berachah of my own…”? From the verse “You shall not add to the word.”

On the daf / in context: The prohibition of adding (and subtracting) is applied both to the body of mitzvos and to the fixed liturgical forms that the Torah or the Sages have established. A kohen may not invent extra formulas beyond the biblical blessing.

Type of Learning

Custom (application of the lo-tosifu prohibition to the birkas kohanim).

What Is Learned

One may not add personal inventions to the fixed forms of mitzvah or berachah that the Torah has already prescribed; the duchan blessing is a concrete example.