Edited by B. Silberstein
Moshe’s objective in the Book of Devarim was to prepare Bnei Yisrael (Children of Israel) to conquer and settle the land. Adherence to the commandments and ideals of Torah was the most significant factor in securing their enduring success and wellbeing in the land.
The opening theme of this week’s Parsha, Re'eh, is blessings and curses. Upon entering the land, the Tribes would be divided into two groups, one facing Mount Gerizim for the blessings and the other at Mount Eival for the curses.
This Mitzvah made it clear, upon their entry into the land, that their continued residence there would not be contingent on ordinary political and social factors. Rather, G-d Himself would play an active role in determining the fate of the country He had chosen as the “dwelling place" for the Shechina (Divine Presence). Thus, the religious behavior of the people would have great bearing on the quality of their lives.
Reward and Punishment in the Torah
Virtually all religions subscribe to the doctrine of reward and punishment. Even secular people maintain it on some level of consciousness. The notion that there are cosmic consequences for our actions is deeply ingrained in the human psyche.
The human sense of self-importance impels people to believe that their particular deeds somehow affect the “powers" that govern the universe. They unconsciously believe that they are entitled to a reward for their good deeds and intuitively suspect that bad things happen to them because of their sinful actions.
Judaism affirms the tenet of reward and punishment. But we are not privy to the guidelines the Creator utilizes in implementing this principle. Therefore, it is not a good idea to approach this matter simplistically. We should fulfill our religious responsibilities without calculating the practical consequences that may accrue to us, for this can lead to disappointments and heartache.
The Limits of Human Judgment
People are often troubled when negative things befall them despite having performed substantially righteous actions. We may wonder about the usefulness of our religious commitment when, instead of the positive developments we anticipated, unfortunate ones have come to pass.
However, as we have seen, man lacks sufficient knowledge to render judgments concerning Hashem’s Providence. We must approach this matter from the standpoint of faith, cultivating our conviction about Hashem’s absolute trustworthiness. We believe that He is cognizant of all our deeds and governs the world with total justice. However, we should assiduously refrain from calculations about particular outcomes and never second-guess the ways of the Creator.
The Mitzvah Is the Blessing
Another dimension of the concept of blessings and curses is depicted in our Parsha. The opening verses of Re’eh state:
“Behold, I set before you today; a blessing and a curse. The blessing; that you will heed the commandments of the L-rd your G-d, which I command you today. And the curse, if you will not heed the commandments of the L-rd your G-d today and you turn away from the path I command you today…." (Devarim )
Many commentators point out that the verse can be understood as saying that the blessing is that you keep the commandments, and the curse is that you turn from them.
This interpretation reveals an entirely unique dimension of reward and punishment. Most people view the Mitzvot and their reward as two distinct entities. The Mitzvah itself is only the means to earn the reward.
This is not the way it works in Judaism. G-d’s commandments are described as righteous and “for our good always." (Devarim 6:24) They were designed by the Creator to facilitate man’s perfection and enable him to live the best possible life in this world. Thus, the blessings are embedded in the Mitzvot and come as a natural result of observing them in the full context of a genuine Torah lifestyle.
The same is true of transgression. The punishment does not consist exclusively of extraneous disasters. Sin contains its own intrinsic negative consequences. The worship of false gods and the pursuit of unworthy goals naturally lead to great disappointment and despair.
Serving Hashem Out of Love
Because of this, Judaism values the service of love. It does not extol the person who is observant only to avoid the curses or to obtain the rewards.
Our religion praises the person who recognizes the innate good of Mitzvah observance and pursues it without any consideration of practical consequences. He adheres to the Torah because he recognizes its supreme value and treasures it as Hashem’s greatest gift to mankind. This should be the basis of our religious orientation, for it facilitates the service of love.
May we all merit to achieve this.
Shabbat Shalom.
Questions? Comments?
Please reach out to Mitch Rosner on WhatsApp at 054-426-3419 or by email at mitchrosner@gmail.com.