"See [re'eh] this day I set before you a blessing and a curse: A blessing when you listen [tishme'u] to the commandments of the Lord your G-d... and a curse if you do not listen to the commandments.... [Y]ou shall give the blessing on Mt. Gerizim and the curse on Mt. Eyval...." (Deuteronomy 11:26-29)


This rather momentous exhortation contains a number of linguistic and conceptual problems. First of all, the very

These stones would graphically demonstrate our message to the whole of human civilization.

opening word, "see" (re'eh in Hebrew), is an imperative in the singular form; the verse goes on to state "when you listen" (Hebrew: tishme'u) which is in second-person plural. Why the change?
 
Secondly, the text goes on to say that there will be a blessing "when you listen" (Hebrew: asher tishme'u) and a curse "if you don't" (Hebrew: im lo tishme'u). Here again, why the change? Thirdly, why the necessity of the two high mountains surrounding Shechem (modern-day Nablus)? What do these mountains signify? And, finally, the content of the blessings and curses come later on in the Bible (Chapter 27:11) with the concluding words being, "These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to conclude with the children of Israel in the Land of Moab in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb (Mt. Sinai)." (Deuteronomy 28:69) What is the significance of this added covenant just prior to their entry into Israel?


The two majestic mountains just outside of Shechem symbolize the difficult climb necessary for the Israelites to take in order for them to even begin to fulfill their G-d-given mandate of becoming a holy nation and a kingdom of priest-teachers to the world; and indeed this is the third covenant we entered into with G-d just prior to our entry into the Land of Israel. In addition to the Covenant at Sinai, the religious covenant of the Ten Commandments and the 613 laws of our Torah, we have a mission to become a light unto the nations of the world, at the very least to teach the seven universal laws of morality to all of the people of the globe (Maimonides, Laws of Kings 10, 8).


Once the Israelites cross over the River Jordan, at the place from which the Israelites first entered their land and the logical place at which representatives of the world would later enter and exit the Jewish land, they were commanded to set up large stones coated with plaster and write upon them these laws of morality "in a very clear manner of explanation" (Hebrew: be'er heitev; and the midrashic explanation: translated into all seventy languages; Deuteronomy 27:1-8). These stones would graphically demonstrate our message to the whole of human civilization.


Such a taxing and daunting universal task will seem less daunting when we consider the words of Dr. Martin Luther King who used the metaphor of the mountain in his great "I Have a Dream" speech to the American people in 1963: "I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight."


Essentially, the way to bring the exalted and distant mountain within our grasp is to climb it, step by step, for each step of our ascent makes the mountain seem lower and lower. In order for us to begin to carry out our mission to the world, we must first become a holy nation ourselves. The Bible tells us that the blessing will come when we keep the commandments, in an immediate fashion. After all, "the reward of a commandment is the commandment itself," the satisfaction we receive from helping a person in distress, the familial cohesiveness and inner peace we take with us as we observe the Sabbath day. If, G-d forbid, we do not listen to the commandments, then retribution may not come immediately, but eventually evil bears its own destructive fruits.


The great Hassidic sage known as the Shpole Zeide expressed this truth in a very memorable way. He tells how, as a child, he would go to a shvitz (steam bath, or less sophisticated sauna) with his father, who would pour freezing cold water upon him just as he would begin to perspire profusely. "Ooh," he would inadvertently scream

Eventually, evil bears its own destructive fruits.

as the cold water contacted his burning hot flesh, but - after cooling down a bit - would exclaim happily, "Aah."


"Remember my child, the lesson of the ooh and aah," the Shpole would hear from his father. "Before (and often even during) the commission of a transgression, you have physical enjoyment - aah. But afterwards, when you ponder your sin and suffer its consequences - ooh! In the case of a mitzvah, however, you might cry 'ooh' when you have to get up early for prayers or for a lesson of daf yomi, but in reflection of your religious accomplishment, you will always exclaim 'aah' afterwards. Make sure you conclude your life with an 'aah'."


Why is the first opening word, re'eh - "see", in the singular? Two summers ago, Hizbullah, agents of Iran and Syria, were shooting Katyusha rockets into northern Israel, making the lives of the residents virtually impossible. Many inhabitants of more southern areas opened their hearts and homes to their embattled fellow citizens while our soldiers fought the enemy on the ground and from the air in Lebanon. In Efrat, we opened our Neveh Shmuel High School dormitories, kitchen, and dining hall, and many families opened their homes to temporary refugees from Karmiel and Bar Yohai. These groups included Sefardi haredim together with Russian immigrants, some of whom came with their Christian, cross-bearing spouses. Almost miraculously, the spirit of one nation Israel conquered all differences and everyone got along famously.


One of my neighbors, who hosted six individuals for six weeks, breakfast, lunch and dinner, invited my wife and I to a special Friday evening meal at their home cooked by their guests (under supervision of the hostess). Before the hostess lit Shabbat candles, the three women (one of whom was wearing a cross) asked if they could join their hostess in the kindling of the Shabbat lights; I ruled in the affirmative. That entire Shabbat I was certain that the Messiah would come - and I know that he made significant headway in his journey. In order to truly climb the mountain, we must all take the upward trudge, collectively, as one.