Parshas Re'eh: The World's Delight

 A common discussion among those who are just exploring religious observance is whether Judaism follows asceticism, denying oneself worldly pleasures in an effort to achieve holiness. Judaism, however, has a very positive view of worldly things, meaning that Jewish philosophy encourages us to use the physical to uplift ourselves and the world. Bless the food that you are enjoying. Use your home to hosts guests. Enjoy the beauty of nature as a means of praising the Artist. There have, of course, been individuals or groups that have taken upon themselves extra fasting or that which might appear like asceticism, but the underlying philosophy has never been that the physical is bad.

 This week's parsha, Parshas Re'eh, includes a section on the laws of kosher animals. "A-ha!" a skeptical person might argue noting that Judaism frames the physical world in good and bad this way. However, this, again, is only when one looks at Torah through an outside perspective. The non-kosher animals are not bad, they just have roles in the world other than food.

 Because aspects of the physical world are our tools for elevating ourselves, we do not label them good or bad. All of the world is Hashem’s creation; therefore, none of it is bad. However, just because something is good (or isn’t bad) doesn’t mean that it is good for us. This is one of the biggest and most important concepts that we have in Judaism. Just because you can do/have/take something, doesn’t mean you should.

 We are not able to truly understand the chok that underlies the laws of kashrut – why cows are fine to eat but not rabbits – because we are unable to witness the spiritual ramifications of our diet. (Unlike eating cakes and candies without limit, which we do see the results of.)

 Interestingly, the laws of kashrus recorded in Devarim 14 are followed by the commandment to set aside a tenth of all one’s yield from the field and to consume it “in the presence of Hashem your God, in the place where [God] will choose to establish the divine name, so that you may learn to revere Hashem your God forever” (14:24). If, however, a person deems himself too far to bring his tithe, the Torah states: “You may convert them into money. Wrap up the money and take it with you to the place that Hashem your God has chosen, and spend the money on anything you want—cattle, sheep, wine, or other intoxicant, or anything you may desire. And you shall feast there, in the presence of Hashem your God, and rejoice with your household” (14:26-27).

 It is almost easy to miss those words, uvchol asher tishalacha naphshecha – anything that your soul desires. Take the financial value of your tithe, go to this holy place, and enjoy the fruits of your labor – whatever you like (obviously kosher) – and do it with Me (Hashem).

 Hashem gave Adam and Chava dominion over the world and all that is in it. Hashem gave humankind bechira so that we can choose to have a relationship with Him, and one of the ways Hashem shows His love to us is through giving us a physical world with pleasure. We, in return, demonstrate our love and respect for Hashem by taking those gifts in the manner that best enhances our spiritual selves.

 This week, as we enter the last month of the year – the month in which we proclaim that Hashem, the King, is “in the field,” nearby and ready to hear our petitions – let us demonstrate our joy in this relationship by rejoicing in His full Creation.

 Have a good Shabbas.

 

Parshas Ra’eh: Two Interpretations But Not really

For thousands of years, the Jewish people have prided themselves on being unique, on following a different path, on having a mission. In order to, please Hashem soon, fulfill our ultimate goal of being a mamleches kohanim, a nation of priests – a nation that leads the world in matters of spirituality and holiness (and thus ethics) - we need to hold ourselves to different standards; and that is often really very hard. Living in galus, the imperfect state of the world, has forced us to be surrounded and, thus, influenced by nations and peoples who have different goals. It is up to us to navigate that path between.

 

In this week’s parsha, Parshas Ra’eh, there is a seemingly short and simple pasuk that could easily be overlooked as a simple wrap up to the subject being discussed but is far more impactful than might be realized. Pasuk 12:4 states: “Lo ta’asoon ken la’Hashem E-lo-kay’chem. Do not do thus to Hashem your Gd.” The pasuk follows instructions to Bnei Yisrael that upon entering the Promised Land they should make certain to destroy all the places where the other nations had worshipped false gods. Indeed, the pasuk before says: “And you shall tear down their altars, smash their monuments, burn their asherim with fire, cut down the graven images of their gods, and destroy their name from that place.”

 

The preceding pasuk, however, is exactly what makes this pasuk so curious. It seems as if the Torah is telling Bnei Yisrael not to tear down or destroy anything that is part of the avodah to Hashem, but that seems like an obvious statement. The entire focus of the Torah is getting to the Promised Land to fulfill the ultimate means of serving Hashem, so who would even think to tear down Hashem. That would seem to fall under prohibitions against blasphemy and rebellion and the like.

 

Perhaps it is this conundrum that has led a great number of wise scholars to interpret this pasuk as meaning that one should not worship Hashem in any way that is similar to the worship of Avodah Zara. It isn’t as simple as don’t carve images or designate holy trees. Taking Jewish worship and shaping it to reflect modern standards is a slippery slope. Just look at where the introduction of an organ led… And it is tempting. Seeing outsiders in the throes of their own faith could very well lead one to wanting to bring that passion or joy to Jewish prayer. If you’ve ever seen gospel, it is full of energy and joy that is aimed at God. But it is not for us. We can be inspired by that to inflect more energy and joy into our own avodah, but we should not transform our avodah to mimic theirs.

 

Don’t worship like the others and don’t destroy the places or vehicles of avodas Hashem - one verse with two very different understandings, and yet they are both relevant comments on life in our modern day galus. These two instructive interpretations merge in that much of popular culture seems to thrive on erasing religion. For thousands of years of history, one could not have imagined a world where so much secularism reigned. Jews avoided the ways of worship of other nations – to the point that it is common to avoid even giving directions using a church as a landmark – but now we must be wary of the penchant for the world around us to diminish, if not erase all together, the Creator of the Universe.

 

There is one more powerful aspect to this verse: “Lo ta’asoon ken la’Hashem E-lo-kay’chem. Do not do thus to Hashem your Gd.” The power is in our hands. Hashem instructed us on how to connect to Him, and He commanded us what to do or not do according to His “Creator’s Manuel,” His omniscient view of all things. The word La’asot, as in ta’asoon, means to do or make. It is a powerful word that implies just how much bechira, free will, each of us has. Hashem gave us control over our relationship with Him, because, ultimately, that is the only way we will be able to fulfill our role as a mamleches kohanim.

 

I wish you all a beautiful Shabbas, a good start to the new school year, and an upcoming chodesh tov.

Parshas Re’eh – The Source of the Evyon

Shemita, the seventh year, is known as the year when the Promised Land is to lie fallow. Of equal significance, Shemita is the year in which all debts between Jews must be forgiven. This remission is described in Parshas Re’eh, in Devarim 15, where the word evyon is used six times. Evyon, which is translated as destitute (by Artscroll), is not a common term. The term usually used for someone in need is Oni.

 

The first use of Evyon in Devarim 15 is in the fourth pasuk, right after the Torah states that one may collect from a foreigner but not from one’s brethren (meaning fellow Jews). Devarim 15:4-5 states: “There shall be no destitute among you – since Hashem will bless you in the land that Hashem our God is giving to you as an inheritance; if only you heed Hashem your God and take care to keep all these mitzvos that I command you today.”

 

The last use of the word Evyon in Devarim 15 is in the eleventh pasuk, right after the Torah instructs the people not to hesitate to lend money to their fellow Israelites even if it is close to the Shemita year. Devarim 15:11 states: “For there will never cease to be destitute in your land, which is why I command you: open your hand to your poor and your destitute in your land.”

 

How is it possible that Verse 4 states that there will be no destitute and verse 11 states that there will always be destitute? The commentators (and I apologize for not noting which ones) describe the juxtaposition of verse 4 and 11 as the ideal and what will be reality. If Bnei Yisrael were to keep all of the mitzvos, as stated in pasuk 5, then the nation would have absolute balance and bracha. Alas, the chances that all of the generations would manage to live up to this ideal were predictably low. Therefore, Moshe reproves the people against their own human nature, warning them not to withhold help. “Rather, open your hand to him and lend whatever is sufficient to his need” (15:8). Giving with an open heart, Moshe assures the people, is the path to bracha.

 

There is little to question over the fact that giving with an open heart, without hesitation or worry over one’s own well-being, is a very difficult standard to achieve. It is a way of thinking, a way of being, that comes from deep felt bitachon, a complete trust in Hashem’s management of the world. That in itself could be the lesson of Devarim 15: 1-11, but…

 

It is interesting to investigate the use of this word evyon; perhaps all the more so because it is used in conjunction with the word oni in 15:11. Rashi, quoting Leviticus Rabbah 34:6, states that the term evyon “denotes one who longs for everything (because he lacks everything).” This is not just poor, not just needing a hand up. The evyon has nothing, and it is a very sad state of society when there are people who reach that level of destitution.

Rather than reading 15:4 and 15:11 as juxtapositions of the ideal and the realistic, perhaps these seemingly contradictory verses offer an important insight into the justness of Torah law. If Bnei Yisrael were to keep all of the mitzvos, then society should operate in a way that everyone’s basic needs are met. It isn’t just a bracha from Hashem. It is the very mechanism of the mitzvos bein adam l’chavero functioning properly. Neighbors should be looking after neighbors. People should be living v’ahata l’reicha kamocha. If they live in such a fashion, no one should slip through the cracks and reach rock bottom.

 

But while the Torah is perfect, people are not. When Bnei Yisrael does not live up to the Torah ideal, then there will be people in deep and dire need. When we help them, we are rectifying a situation that we ourselves have created.

 

Living an upstanding Jewish life requires constant perseverance in rejecting human natures more self-centered motivations, which stem from an instinct for survival but are excellent tools of the yetzer harah (evil inclination). It is not easy to give with a smile, without hesitation or suspicion. Hashem knows this. The Torah is giving us an ideal to strive for, and it is up to us to take the steps (large or small or even baby-steps) to achieve it.

 

Wishing you all a beautiful Shabbas.

 

 

 

 

Parshas Ra’eh: The Deeper Purpose of Shamor

Being an observant Jew requires vigilance. It requires constant consideration of one’s actions and whether those actions reflect the standards of Jewish law and the spirit of Torah morality. One of the most commonly repeated words of command in the Torah is the term shamor, which is translated most frequently as either guard or observe. The most famous usage of the term shamor is the mitzvah of Shabbas, as part of the duality of shamor v’zachor, guard and remember, in which the lo ta’aseh, the prohibitions of Shabbat that enforce “rest” are the means of guarding the holy day while the positive actions fulfill the instruction of remembering it.

Devarim 12:28, in parshas Re’eh, has a different, and rather interesting, pairing of the word shamor: “Shmor v’shamata es kol hadevarim haeleh…Guard and you shall hear all these commandments that I command you in order that it will go well for you and your children after you forever, because you will do what is good and what is right in the eyes of Hashem your God.”  Some commentators connect this statement solely to the section in which it is contained, to the discussion of the permission to eat [kosher] meat freely, the prohibition against eating blood, and the reminder that any animals designated for sacrifice must be brought upon the altar. However, the fact that the pasuk refers to kol hadevarim haeleh and that the verse promises that “it will be good for you and your children after you forever because you will do what is good and what is right in the eyes of Hashem your God” lead many commentators to see this as a separate statement – independent and pertaining to both mitzvos and the way in which one leads one’s life. The goal of guarding and hearkening to the mitzvos is to lead a life in which one does hatov v’hayashar, what is good and what is right.

According to the Tur HaAruch, Moshe used shmor v’shamata because “he wanted to include matters which go beyond legislated mode of behavior and which fall under the category of ‘do what is fair and good,’ to go beyond what is demanded of them in order to demonstrate that they act in the spirit of the Torah voluntarily and not under compulsion and threat of penalty” (Sefaria commentary translations). In order to live properly, one must do more than observe the mitzvos, one must observe the mitzvos in order to “hear” the deeper ways of the law, in order to find the spirit of the law that leads one to a moral, upstanding life.

The Ramban hints at this idea as well, saying that the verse is talking about more than static laws: “He [Moshe] did not mention here the statutes and ordinances, nor His testimonies and His commandments, but said all those words in order to include in this observance the good and the right” (ibid). Indeed, Rashi is even more specific in what is being discussed in this pasuk when he explains that “Hatov, what is good, refers to action that is proper in the eyes of the Heavenly father, while hayashar, what is right, refers to an action that appears proper in the eyes of men” (ibid).

Let us step back a moment and reflect on shamor’s other famous pairing in order to gain a deeper understanding of how guarding leads to hearing and how they, together, lead to a good and upright life for all one’s generations. In the dual commandments of Shabbas, shamor v’zachor - guard and remember, zachor refers to all of the positive mitzvos of the day – to making kiddush and motzei, to lighting candles, and etc. These are the beautiful actions that fill our neshamos with joy, that are passed down from generation to generation with personal flourishes, but that also, all too often have faded away when not powered by shamor. Guarding the prohibitted actions of Shabbas can, from the outside, seem fussy and difficult. One must understand, however, that in order to remember Shabbas, we must observe it, guard it. In order to pass on the beautiful tradition of candles and kiddush, one must guard the entire day. 

So too is the pairing of shmor v’shamata. In order to live a life that is good and proper, and to pass it on to one’s children, one must begin by guarding/observing the mitzvos. In so doing, one will then come to “hear” them, to understand the impact that they have on one’s life and to connect with them on a deeper level. For instance the mitzvos discussed in Devarim 15, which review the laws of shemitah as it pertains to loans, also delves into how one should treat the poor. Knowing that the Torah says “Give to him readily and have no regrets when you do so, for in return the Lord your God will bless you in all your efforts and in all your undertakings” (15:10), one can move beyond the letter of the law of giving without hesitation to creating organizations that seek out ways in which to give and to improve the lives of those in need. One mitzva explored, heard, understood…leads to more. It leads to bigger and better. It leads to leading an upright life.

The Ohr HaChaim points out about Devarim 12:28: “Our verse may also remind a person who is in the habit of fulfilling a particular commandment and is fully aware of what it entails not to say that he does not need to study this commandment. Moshe tells us that study even of commandments which we fulfil as a matter of routine is a separate mitzvah and is not to be neglected” (Sefaria). Shmor v’shamata is both a philosophical and a practical mitzvah. Just as we must always guard/observe the mitzvos of the Torah, so too must we always be seeking to understand the mitzvos and their impact on us, as well as the importance of using the mitzvos to lead a life that is truly hatov v’hayashar, what is good and what is right.

 

Behold (Ra'eh)

The first word of this week’s parsha “ra’eh,” is often translated into English as the dramatic Behold! “Behold I put before you-all this day a blessing and a curse” (Devarim 11:26). Hebrew, alas, does not have such exclamatory terms, and the most basic translation of this word is the imperative “See!”

See! Look! Behold! This may actually be one of the most common commands in modern language. Look at this mess! See the show! Perhaps this is because, for most people, seeing is one of the most concrete ways of gaining accurate input – together with the sense of touch. When we can see something, we can begin to feel as if we can understand it. As they say, “Seeing is believing!”

Ra’eh is an interesting word, especially if one likes to think of words creatively. For instance, is there a connection between ra’eh (reish - aleph – hey) and ro’eh (reish - vav - ayin - hey), which means shepherd? Perhaps it is that the job of a shepherd is to continually have his flock in his sights and to be keeping his sight ever-alert for threat or wandering lambs.

While Moshe might have been the quintessential shepherd, when he addresses the people in Devarim 11, he is not asking them to look at something physical and concrete. He is asking them to see something greater. This too can have a correlation to a play on the root of the basic verb. The conjugations of liroat are often confused with the conjugations of lirah, to be in awe of/fear. Lirah is not fear as in afraid or terrified (pachad) but rather fear in a sense of feeling as if one is in a situation that is beyond them. In the proper context, it is a positive attribute, for one is meant to have yiras Hashem, awe/fear of God. Only when one can see with one’s inner, spiritual eye can one begin to truly comprehend the significance of yiras Hashem.  

“Behold I put before you-all this day a blessing and a curse.” One can’t technically see a blessing or a curse, but one can use one’s “inner eye” to perceive how actions lead to situations, good and bad. Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch writes: “Ra’eh, see, it is not on faith and belief in the teachings which you have to accept from others, but out of everything you yourselves have experience up to now and what has been recalled to your minds by the retrospective view that you have just been given, you must have formed your own conviction that God has placed the making of your future fate most blessed or most accursed entirely in your own hands by His Torah which He has sent you through Moses.

The use of the imperative is not the only interesting feature of the word Ra’eh. The verse says:   

Ra’eh Behold (singular imperative)

anochi I (in its more formal form)

noten put (literally give)

lifneichem before you all (in the plural second person form)

hayom this day...

Technically, if Moshe was speaking to a large crowd, ra’eh should have been ra’u, the plural form. Moshe, however, was not talking to a crowd. He was talking to Jashub and Elon and Nemuel and… to each individual Jew who stood ready to enter the Promised Land. The Kli Yakar, a medieval commentator explains: “’See’ is singular. ‘Before you’ is plural. This is what our Sages teach us: A person must always view things as if the entire world is half righteous and half wicked. If he performs a single mitzvah he tips himself and the entire world to the side of merit. Therefore Moshe spoke to every individual, ‘See’ that he should see in his thought that every single action affects all of them.

Perhaps “Behold” is the best translation for the use of ra’eh in Devarim 11. Merriam-Webster defines the word as “to perceive through sight or apprehension.” Moshe wants the people to do more than just see. He wants them to behold, to take in and understand everything that has befallen them, everything that they have been taught and that they have witnessed, and everything that they think will and can influence their behaviour.

This level of perception is not easy. In the “Age of Information” society seems to believe that humanity can make better decisions because we have all of the facts so easily accessible. The internet and social media provide all of the facts and all of the opinions, but obscures the ability of individuals to behold, to take it all in and reflect. Finding the clarity of mind to really understand the blessing of Torah and the curse of leaving it behind is incredibly difficult. But it can be done.

Indeed, according to the commentary of the Ohr Hachayim, inspiration for the ability to choose blessing comes straight from Moshe and is alluded to in his use of the word Anochi. “Moses had something else in mind when he said ראה אנכי, "look at me!" Maimonides explains in his treatise Hilchot Teshuvah chapter 5 that every person has the potential to become the equal of Moses. This is precisely what Moses meant. He said: "Take a good look at me! Everything that I have accomplished you are able to accomplish for yourselves!" Whenever a person aspires to serve the Lord he is not to look at people who have been under-achievers compared to himself and to use such a comparison in order to pat himself on the back on his relative accomplishment, but he is to train his sights on those who have achieved more than he himself and use this as a challenge to set his spiritual sights ever higher.”