1. Tilting the Scales
The Parsha begins with Moshe setting out in clear and unequivocal terms the choice being put before the Jewish people ? that of obeying G-d and receiving His blessing, or disobeying His commandments and being cursed. The opening verse states, ?See [?Re?eh? in Heb., singular] I present before you [?Lifneychem? in Heb., plural] today a blessing and a curse (Chap. 11, verse 26).?
The Question:
Why does the verse begin in the singular (?Reeh?) and then switch to the plural (?Lifneychem?)?
The Answer:
The Torat Moshe offers a beautiful explanation. He cites the Talmud in Tractate Kiddushin (40), which says that ?a person should always see himself as if the entire world were equally balanced [on the scales of cosmic justice], between innocence and guilt, and that if he performs a mitzvah, it will tip the balance positively in the world?s favor; whereas, if he sins it will tip the balance negatively.? Therefore, says the Torat Moshe, our verse begins in the singular to teach us that everyone should realize the significance of his own actions and the power that he has in his hands to effect change, as the Talmud says. Every person has the ability to do good and to make a difference, not only on the individual level but on the communal level as well. Thus, the second half of the verse is in the plural to show that the blessings which a person brings to the world can truly reverberate beyond himself and have an impact on all of those around him.
The Lesson:
As Israel continues to suffer from ongoing Palestinian terrorism, many people feel a mounting sense of frustration, wanting desperately to assist Israel yet feeling powerless to do so. People can easily descend into despair, thinking there is not much of importance they can do to help. But as we saw above, the Torah takes an entirely different approach, stressing the powerful impact that each person can have. We should never underestimate our ability to influence events and effect change. Whether combating anti-Israel media bias, organizing protests, contacting representatives or including Israel in your prayers, there is plenty of work to go around and plenty that remains to be done. Frustration is neither healthy nor productive. We need to channel our energies, our abilities and our talents, whatever they may be, into helping Israel through this difficult period. Because, as the Talmud so vividly put it, the fate of the world itself may very well hang in the balance.
2. Life and Death Decisions
As noted above, the two options presented to the Jews are ?the blessing and the curse,? with the choice being one of serving G-d and keeping His commandments or straying from the path and being punished as a result.
The Question:
Why does the Torah state that the only two options before the Jewish people are those of ?blessing? and ?curse?? Isn?t there a middle ground as well?
The Answer:
No. The Midrash in Devarim Rabbah, commenting on this verse, says, ?Our rabbis taught: The Holy One Blessed is He said, ?It was not for their detriment that I gave them the blessings and the curses, but rather to inform them regarding the good path they should choose so that they can receive their reward.? Rabbi Levi said, ?To what is this similar? To a servant whose master tells him, ?you have before you a bracelet of gold, but if you do not desire it, then there are also chains of iron. This is what G-d was saying to Israel: there are two paths before you. If you fulfill my will, then you will have the good and the blessing, but if you do not, then it shall be the curse.?? Thus, according to the Midrash, G-d was presenting the Jewish people with a clear and stark choice between good and evil, between following in G-d?s ways and ignoring them. And that is why the verse states quite bluntly that it is a choice between ?the blessing and the curse.?
The Lesson:
Life often presents people with difficult choices and painful dilemmas, many of which are far from being black and white questions. Indeed, in our daily lives we are frequently confronted with scenarios that force us to grapple with tricky issues of morality and ethics. Nevertheless, there are also cases where the choice between good and evil is obvious and compelling. It may be difficult at times to make this choice and stick to the path of good, which frequently demands dedication and sacrifice, but the fact is that equivocation and indecisiveness only prolong the dilemma, making matters worse. This is true not only for individuals, but also for nations. For nearly a year, Israel has found itself in just such a position, faced with an inveterate foe bent on murdering as many Jews as possible. This presents Israel with a difficult, if somewhat painful decision, one that it has spent months doing its best to avoid: whether or not to treat the Palestinian Authority as the ?enemy?. Fearful perhaps of the reaction, Israel has refrained from striking back overwhelmingly against Palestinian violence. But as that violence intensifies, ducking the question grows increasingly difficult, as the death toll in Israel mounts. The time has come for Israel to confront the question head on and to act accordingly. If the PA is behaving like an enemy, then it should be treated as such. As complicated as questions of international diplomacy might be, when it comes to saving Jewish lives there can be no room for evasion or delaying. Israel faces a life or death decision. There is no time to waste. Israel has to act.
3. More Important than You Thought
After spelling out the choice facing the Jewish people, Moshe tells them that once they enter the Land of Israel, they are to gather at Mount Gerizim and Mount Eval (near Shechem), where they will hold a convocation and proclaim the blessing and the curse. Moshe then says, ?For you are crossing the Jordan to come and possess the Land that the L-rd your G-d gives to you; you shall possess it and you shall settle therein. And you shall be careful to perform all the decrees and the ordinances that I present before you today (Chap. 11, verses 31-2).?
The Question:
Why is the verse ?and you shall settle therein? immediately followed by ?And you shall be careful to perform all the decrees and the ordinances?? What is the connection between the two?
The Answer:
The Sifri states that the verses are adjacent to teach us about the importance of living in Israel. ?As our sages say: The mitzvah of living in the Land of Israel is equivalent to all the mitzvot in the Torah,? says the Sifri. Similarly, the Yalkut Shimoni cites the adjoining verses to make the same point: ?Rabbi Yehudah ben Beteira and Rabbi Matya ben Charash and Rabbi Hanina the nephew of Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Yonatan were all departing [Israel] to go abroad. When they reached Platinus [name of a place], they remembered the Land of Israel. They raised their eyes and their tears poured forth and they rent their garments, and they recited the verse ?and you shall settle therein ? and you shall be careful? ? for dwelling in the Land of Israel is equivalent to all the mitzvot in the Torah.? Hence, the two verses adjoin one another to emphasize that the commandment to live in Israel is as important as all of the other Torah commandments put together.
The Lesson:
When we think of Jewish observance, we often focus on issues such as keeping kosher, observing the Sabbath and studying Torah as the primary barometers for a person?s level of religious commitment. Obviously, these are all important components of living a Jewish life. And yet, for some reason (convenience, perhaps?), we fail to include living in Israel on the list. As we saw above, this ?oversight? is not only a simple omission, it is in fact gravely mistaken. For the Torah views living in Israel as so significant that it equates it to all of the other mitzvot combined! Yes, there are other commandments (such as studying Torah) that are spoken of in similar terms, but there can be no denying that making aliyah and residing in the Land of Israel are far more central to Jewish life than many Jews realize. One can only hope that more Jews, and particularly those who define themselves as observant, will finally come to accept this basic, fundamental truth.
The Parsha begins with Moshe setting out in clear and unequivocal terms the choice being put before the Jewish people ? that of obeying G-d and receiving His blessing, or disobeying His commandments and being cursed. The opening verse states, ?See [?Re?eh? in Heb., singular] I present before you [?Lifneychem? in Heb., plural] today a blessing and a curse (Chap. 11, verse 26).?
The Question:
Why does the verse begin in the singular (?Reeh?) and then switch to the plural (?Lifneychem?)?
The Answer:
The Torat Moshe offers a beautiful explanation. He cites the Talmud in Tractate Kiddushin (40), which says that ?a person should always see himself as if the entire world were equally balanced [on the scales of cosmic justice], between innocence and guilt, and that if he performs a mitzvah, it will tip the balance positively in the world?s favor; whereas, if he sins it will tip the balance negatively.? Therefore, says the Torat Moshe, our verse begins in the singular to teach us that everyone should realize the significance of his own actions and the power that he has in his hands to effect change, as the Talmud says. Every person has the ability to do good and to make a difference, not only on the individual level but on the communal level as well. Thus, the second half of the verse is in the plural to show that the blessings which a person brings to the world can truly reverberate beyond himself and have an impact on all of those around him.
The Lesson:
As Israel continues to suffer from ongoing Palestinian terrorism, many people feel a mounting sense of frustration, wanting desperately to assist Israel yet feeling powerless to do so. People can easily descend into despair, thinking there is not much of importance they can do to help. But as we saw above, the Torah takes an entirely different approach, stressing the powerful impact that each person can have. We should never underestimate our ability to influence events and effect change. Whether combating anti-Israel media bias, organizing protests, contacting representatives or including Israel in your prayers, there is plenty of work to go around and plenty that remains to be done. Frustration is neither healthy nor productive. We need to channel our energies, our abilities and our talents, whatever they may be, into helping Israel through this difficult period. Because, as the Talmud so vividly put it, the fate of the world itself may very well hang in the balance.
2. Life and Death Decisions
As noted above, the two options presented to the Jews are ?the blessing and the curse,? with the choice being one of serving G-d and keeping His commandments or straying from the path and being punished as a result.
The Question:
Why does the Torah state that the only two options before the Jewish people are those of ?blessing? and ?curse?? Isn?t there a middle ground as well?
The Answer:
No. The Midrash in Devarim Rabbah, commenting on this verse, says, ?Our rabbis taught: The Holy One Blessed is He said, ?It was not for their detriment that I gave them the blessings and the curses, but rather to inform them regarding the good path they should choose so that they can receive their reward.? Rabbi Levi said, ?To what is this similar? To a servant whose master tells him, ?you have before you a bracelet of gold, but if you do not desire it, then there are also chains of iron. This is what G-d was saying to Israel: there are two paths before you. If you fulfill my will, then you will have the good and the blessing, but if you do not, then it shall be the curse.?? Thus, according to the Midrash, G-d was presenting the Jewish people with a clear and stark choice between good and evil, between following in G-d?s ways and ignoring them. And that is why the verse states quite bluntly that it is a choice between ?the blessing and the curse.?
The Lesson:
Life often presents people with difficult choices and painful dilemmas, many of which are far from being black and white questions. Indeed, in our daily lives we are frequently confronted with scenarios that force us to grapple with tricky issues of morality and ethics. Nevertheless, there are also cases where the choice between good and evil is obvious and compelling. It may be difficult at times to make this choice and stick to the path of good, which frequently demands dedication and sacrifice, but the fact is that equivocation and indecisiveness only prolong the dilemma, making matters worse. This is true not only for individuals, but also for nations. For nearly a year, Israel has found itself in just such a position, faced with an inveterate foe bent on murdering as many Jews as possible. This presents Israel with a difficult, if somewhat painful decision, one that it has spent months doing its best to avoid: whether or not to treat the Palestinian Authority as the ?enemy?. Fearful perhaps of the reaction, Israel has refrained from striking back overwhelmingly against Palestinian violence. But as that violence intensifies, ducking the question grows increasingly difficult, as the death toll in Israel mounts. The time has come for Israel to confront the question head on and to act accordingly. If the PA is behaving like an enemy, then it should be treated as such. As complicated as questions of international diplomacy might be, when it comes to saving Jewish lives there can be no room for evasion or delaying. Israel faces a life or death decision. There is no time to waste. Israel has to act.
3. More Important than You Thought
After spelling out the choice facing the Jewish people, Moshe tells them that once they enter the Land of Israel, they are to gather at Mount Gerizim and Mount Eval (near Shechem), where they will hold a convocation and proclaim the blessing and the curse. Moshe then says, ?For you are crossing the Jordan to come and possess the Land that the L-rd your G-d gives to you; you shall possess it and you shall settle therein. And you shall be careful to perform all the decrees and the ordinances that I present before you today (Chap. 11, verses 31-2).?
The Question:
Why is the verse ?and you shall settle therein? immediately followed by ?And you shall be careful to perform all the decrees and the ordinances?? What is the connection between the two?
The Answer:
The Sifri states that the verses are adjacent to teach us about the importance of living in Israel. ?As our sages say: The mitzvah of living in the Land of Israel is equivalent to all the mitzvot in the Torah,? says the Sifri. Similarly, the Yalkut Shimoni cites the adjoining verses to make the same point: ?Rabbi Yehudah ben Beteira and Rabbi Matya ben Charash and Rabbi Hanina the nephew of Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Yonatan were all departing [Israel] to go abroad. When they reached Platinus [name of a place], they remembered the Land of Israel. They raised their eyes and their tears poured forth and they rent their garments, and they recited the verse ?and you shall settle therein ? and you shall be careful? ? for dwelling in the Land of Israel is equivalent to all the mitzvot in the Torah.? Hence, the two verses adjoin one another to emphasize that the commandment to live in Israel is as important as all of the other Torah commandments put together.
The Lesson:
When we think of Jewish observance, we often focus on issues such as keeping kosher, observing the Sabbath and studying Torah as the primary barometers for a person?s level of religious commitment. Obviously, these are all important components of living a Jewish life. And yet, for some reason (convenience, perhaps?), we fail to include living in Israel on the list. As we saw above, this ?oversight? is not only a simple omission, it is in fact gravely mistaken. For the Torah views living in Israel as so significant that it equates it to all of the other mitzvot combined! Yes, there are other commandments (such as studying Torah) that are spoken of in similar terms, but there can be no denying that making aliyah and residing in the Land of Israel are far more central to Jewish life than many Jews realize. One can only hope that more Jews, and particularly those who define themselves as observant, will finally come to accept this basic, fundamental truth.
