Of the 200 Mitzvot listed in the Book of Deuteronomy, 55 appear in Parashat Re’eh: 17 positive and 38 negative.
The Book of Deuteronomy actually contains far more than 200 Mitzvot, and Parashat Re’eh contains more than 55; but most are restatements of Mitzvot which have already been recorded in earlier Books, so they are not counted in Deuteronomy. So it is more accurate to say that of the 200 Mitzvot in the Book of Deuteronomy which had not previously been recorded, 55 appear in Parashat Re’eh.
Among these Mitzvot is the obligation to bring offerings solely “in the place which Hashem your G-d will choose to make His Name dwell therein” (Deuteronomy 12:11).
A time there was when anyone could build a private altar anywhere and bring sacrifices to G-d upon it: Noah built an altar for sacrifices (Genesis 8:20), as did Abraham (12:7, 12:8, 13:18), Isaac (26:25), and Jacob (33:20, 35:1, 35:7) in several places in Israel.
However, as soon as Moshe had constructed the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) in the Sinai Desert, burnt offerings were permitted solely on the communal Altar in the Mishkan.
Nevertheless, there was no restriction on where the Mishkan could be erected: as a portable structure, it could be erected anywhere in the world.
But as soon as we crossed the River Jordan into Israel, it became forbidden to remove the Mishkan from Israel. It could still be erected anywhere in Israel – but nowhere else.
And as soon as King Solomon built the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, it became forbidden to construct any Mishkan or Holy Temple anywhere else in the world (Rambam, Hilchot Beit he-Bechirah/Laws of the Holy Temple 1:3).
And so, at the time when Parashat Re’eh was happening, “the place which Hashem your G-d will choose to make His Name dwell therein” was the Mishkan in the desert.
The phrase הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה' אֱלֹקֵיכֶם בּוֹ לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם (“the place which Hashem your G-d will choose to make His Name dwell therein”) appears six times in the entire Tanach – five times in Parashat Re’eh, and once in Parashat Ki Tavo:
“It shall be that the place which Hashem your G-d will choose to make His Name dwell therein – to there shall you bring everything that I command you: your burnt-offerings and your festival-offerings, your tithes and your donations and the choicest of your vow-offerings which you vow to Hashem” (Deuteronomy 12:11).
-“You shall eat the tithe of your grain, your wine, and your oil, and the firstborn of your cattle and your flocks, before Hashem in the place that He will choose to make His Name dwell therein” (14:23).
-“You shall slaughter the Pesach-sacrifice – the flock and the cattle – to Hashem your G-d, in the place that Hashem will choose to make His Name dwell therein” (16:2).
-“Only at the place that Hashem your G-d will choose to make His Name dwell therein shall you slaughter the Pesach-sacrifice towards evening, as the sun is setting” (16:6).
-“And you shall rejoice before Hashem your G-d – you and your son and your daughter, and your servant and your maid-servant, and the Levite who is in your gate – in the place that Hashem your G-d will choose to make His Name dwell therein” (16:11).
-“It will be, when you come to the Land which Hashem your G-d gives you as a heritage, and you will inherit it and dwell in it, then you will take from the first of every fruit of the ground that you will bring from your Land which Hashem your God gives you. You shall put it in a basket and you shall go to the place that Hashem your G-d will choose to make His Name dwell therein” (Deuteronomy 26:1-2).
I suggest that these six references to the place which Hashem will choose to make His Name dwell therein correspond to the six places which G-d chose throughout the generations:
-The Mishkan in the Sinai Desert;
-Gilgal;
-Shiloh;
-Nov;
-Giv’on;
-Jerusalem.
Ever since the yearly cycle of Torah readings was standardised towards the end of the Second Temple era, and the fixed calendar as calculated by Hillel II (Hillel ben Yehudah, Nasi or head of the Sanhedrin) was adopted in 4119 (359 C.E.), Parashat Re’eh has invariably been read either on the Shabbat of Rosh Chodesh Ellul (as this year) or on the Shabbat immediately preceding Rosh Chodesh Ellul.
Rosh Chodesh Ellul is invariably 2 days, 30th Av and 1st Ellul. The way our calendar is designed, Rosh Chodesh Ellul can only fall on Shabbat-Sunday, Sunday-Monday, Tuesday-Wednesday, or Thursday-Friday. Hence Shabbat Parashat Re’eh can only fall on the 25th, the 27th, the 29th, or the 30th of Av.
And this means that Shabbat Parashat Re’eh is often Shabbat Mevar’chin ha-Chodesh, the Shabbat on which we bless the coming month of Ellul.
This suggests that there is some connexion between Parashat Re’eh and the month of Ellul.
And so, in this context, I note the events at the very beginning of the second redemption, the redemption from Babylon and Persia-Media, when Zerubavel led the Jews back to Israel from Babylonian and Persian exile, and several years later Ezra and Nehemiah continued his mission.
“In the second year of King Daryavesh [Darius], on the first day of the sixth month [meaning Ellul], the word of Hashem came through Haggai the Prophet to Zerubavel son of Shealtiel, the Governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Yehotzadak the High Priest, saying:
“Thus says Hashem, Master of Legions, saying: This nation has said, The time has not yet come! But it is time for Hashem’s Temple to be built” (Haggai 1:1-2).
The “second year of King Daryavesh” refers to King Daryavesh II. The first King Daryavesh was Daryavesh the Mede, who succeeded Belshazzar, king of Babylon, when he was assassinated (Daniel 5:29-6:1); he reigned for two years.
Daryavesh II was the son of King Achashverosh (Ahasuerus) of Persia (Daniel 9:1); according to the Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 13:5, Esther Rabbah 8:3 et al.) he was the son of Achashverosh and Esther.
He ascended the throne of Persia-Media in 3407 (353 B.C.E.), 16 years after Daryavesh I had died. Daryavesh II was the king who granted permission to the Jews to complete construction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, after his predecessor Koresh (Cyrus) had ordered a construction-freeze on the Temple Mount which had lasted for 18 years (Ezra 4:24).
Hence this event, with which the Book of Haggai opens, occurred on 1st of Ellul 3409 (351 B.C.E.), 2,373 years ago this Sunday.
The prophecy of Haggai is among the shorter of the Prophetic messages – just 38 verses long, 601 words in all. And his message is entirely about the obligation to rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Then, as now, the Jewish nation was returning en masse to Israel. Then, as now, a large proportion of the nation preferred not to get involved with rebuilding the Holy Temple. Then, as now, a common refrain was: The nation isn’t ready for the Holy Temple.
The generation of the time had one major advantage over us today: They had Prophets to lead them.
But the generation of today has two major advantages over the generation of then:
First, we are independent, whereas Israel of 2,373 years ago had, at best, local and limited autonomy under the rule of the Persian Empire. Rebuilding the Holy Temple needed permission from a ruler 1,250 km (770 miles) away. Today, all we need is our own decision.
And second, we have the benefit of all the precedents, the prophecies which had not yet been written in the second year of King Daryavesh II. Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi had not yet received their prophetic calls, the generation had no precedent of rebuilding a Holy Temple to rely on.
The Prophet Haggai’s words speak to us even as they did to the Jews in Israel of his generation:
“Is this your time for you to dwell in your securely-roofed houses, while this Temple remains destroyed? … Consider your ways: You have sown a lot, yet brought in so little! You have eaten, without being satiated!... Consider your ways: Ascend the [Temple] Mount, bring wood and build the Temple. I will be pleased with it and I will be glorified – says Hashem” (Haggai1:4-8).
And the Prophet continues by promising G-d’s bounty on the Land – rain, plentiful produce, generous harvest – if the generation but builds the Holy Temple.
And indeed history bore out this Divine promise. As soon as the Jews set their determination to rebuild the Holy Temple, King Daryavesh II gave his royal assent to rebuilding it.
We are now in the final few weeks of the year, on the final approach to Rosh Hashanah. It is a time when the Haftarot (the Prophetic readings which follow the Torah-reading on Shabbat morning) are germane to the time of year, not to the Torah-reading.
The Haftarah is usually a Reading from the Prophets which somehow echoes or complements the theme of the Torah-reading. But the final ten weeks of the year follow a different paradigm:
The Haftarot of the three Shabbatot of the Three Weeks, from the 17th of Tammuz to the 9th of Av, are called the תְּלָתָא דְּפֻרְעָנוּתָא , the Three of Castigation (Aramaic), chilling prophecies of destruction from Jeremiah and Isaiah.
And then, from the first Shabbat after the 9th of Av until the final Shabbat of the year are the שֶׁבַע דְּנֶחֱמָתָא, the Seven of Comforting (Aramaic), some of the most beautiful and inspiring and magnificent prophecies from Isaiah depicting the glorious and majestic future that awaits us.
This is the time of year, especially on the 1st of Ellul, to begin – at the very minimum – to increase our awareness of the tragic lack of the Holy Temple, and to increase our determination to rectify this desperate defect.
We pray, three times every day:
תְּקַע בְּשׁוֹפָר גָּדוֹל לְחֵרוּתֵינוּ
“Blast the Great Shofar for our freedom…”.
On Sunday 1st of Ellul, we will indeed begin to blow the shofar every day in Synagogues throughout the world. This should be, all too literally, our national clarion call to begin clearing the Temple Mount in preparation for rebuilding the Holy Temple.
And G-d Himself has promised us, through His Prophet Haggai, that if we take the first few simple and painless steps, then He will be pleased with us and our actions and will send His blessings on us and our future endeavours.
Daniel Pinneris a veteran immigrant from England, a teacher by profession and a Torah scholar who has been active in causes promoting Eretz Israel and Torat Israel.