parsha re'eh in a nutshellparsha re'eh in a nutshell

[16], In the third reading, Moses warned them against being lured into the ways of the residents of the land, and against inquiring about their gods, for the residents performed for their gods every abhorrent act that God detested, even offering up their sons and daughters in fire to their gods. In his video, "The Strange Laws Of Jewish Slavery," Rabbi Fohrman shows how this law about how to treat a Jewish slave is integrally connected to a story, from earlier in the Torah, about our experience as slaves in Egypt and how you can't understand one without understanding the other. You shall pour blood out on the ground like water. Summary and Commentary Deuteronomy, the Parshah of Eikev ("Because") consists entirely of Moses' final address to the people of Israel, begun on the 1st of Shevat in the year 2488 from creation (1273 BCE), and concluding 37 days later on the 7th of Adar, the day of Moses' passing. . When do find yourself facing the choice between getting a reward or a punishment? 2. If a person is in self-love in those desires, they are a curse because nothing good will come out of them to that person. [113], Rabbi Hananiah ben Iddi read Deuteronomy 11:31 to report Moses bewailing for himself"you are to pass over the Jordan," but I am not. Can following these laws only on the physical, material level award me those corrections? It Disappears (5779), Parshas Reeh Segulos, Kosher and Not (5772), Parshas Reeh The Pitfalls of Private Spirituality (5771), How Long Must The Tzitzis Strings Be? 1. Without atonement, as Leviticus 16:11 says, "And he shall make atonement for himself, and for his house" (implying that one can make complete atonement only with a household). [289] These scholars then posit that the first Deuteronomistic historian (sometimes abbreviated Dtr 1) added the material at the beginning of the parashah, Deuteronomy 11:2632, in the edition of Deuteronomy that existed during Josiah's time. PARSHAT RE'EH IN A NUTSHELL In parshat Re'eh, Moses focuses on specific details of the covenant. [107], The Sifre explained that Deuteronomy 11:2628 explicitly says, "I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you obey the commandments . Rava asked the pauper whether he considered the burden on the community of maintaining such a lifestyle. [39] They were not to neglect the Levite in their community, for the Levites had no hereditary portion of land. In explanation, the Gemara quoted Job 14:4: Who can bring a pure thing out of an impure? Is the state ofEretzYsraelan absolute or is there still more work in it? Alexis de Tocqueville, in Democracy in America, wrote that Liberty cannot be established without morality, nor morality without faith. In his Farewell Address, George Washington wrote, Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.. Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:46, Tosefta Sanhedrin 14:16, and Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin 111b13b interpreted Deuteronomy 13:1319 to address the law of the apostate town. [272], Maimonides taught that the Law correctly says in Deuteronomy 15:11, "You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor." The Mishnah taught that a sukkah must be at least 10 handbreadths high, have three walls, and have more shade than sun. Rabbi Judah deduced from the words "behind the way of the going down of the sun" in Deuteronomy 11:30 that Gerizim and Ebal were far from the east, where the sun rises. One can derive this from Genesis 38:25, where Tamar, who was subject to being burned for the adultery with which Judah had charged her, rather than publicly shame Judah with the facts of his complicity, sent Judah's possessions to him with the message, "By the man whose these are am I with child. Lessons for Former . But before he begins with the specifics, he states a proposal that is the most fundamental one in the book, and one that will be repeated over and over by Israels Prophets: See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you this day; and curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn away from the path that I command you this day and follow other gods, whom you have not experienced.(Devarim 11:26-28). Jacob returns to the Holy Land after a 20-year stay in Charan, and sends angel-emissaries to Esau in hope of a reconciliation, but his messengers report that his brother is on the warpath with 400 armed men. The Gemara deduced from the words of Deuteronomy 14:11, "Every bird (, zippor) that is clean you may eat," that some zipparim are forbidden as uncleannamely, birds slaughtered pursuant to Leviticus 14. The house is more than just mans heart. [2] Jews read part of the parashah, Deuteronomy 15:1916:17, which addresses the Three Pilgrim Festivals (Shalosh Regalim), as the initial Torah reading on the eighth day of Passover when it falls on a weekday and on the second day of Shavuot when it falls on a weekday. Learn more about the weekly Torah portion. This will be both material and spiritual reward, but also a blessed life, because a life based on Torah values and practice is a blessed one. Deuteronomy 12:812 explains the new position historically, demanding that the Israelites not act as before. Deuteronomy 16:7 instructed the Israelites to boil the Passover sacrifice. [112], The Tosefta read Deuteronomy 11:30 to report that the Israelites miraculously traveled more than 60 mils, crossing the Jordan River and going all the way to Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal, all in a single day. Rabbi Nehemiah asked him whether he could get by with Rabbi Nehemiah on a diet of lentils. [38] If the distance to that place was too great, they could convert the tithes or firstlings into money, take the proceeds to the place that God had chosen, and spend the money and feast there. Yes. All Rights Reserved, Embark on a Jewish Journey of Transformation. [287], Some scholars who follow the Documentary Hypothesis attribute the parashah to two separate sources. It is each of us as well as all of us together. It is not going to work because it is ourheartsthat need correction, and not acting with our hands and legs. But the House of Hillel said until Shavuot. Rabbi Tanhum deduced from the words "in their ears" (using the plural for "ears") at the end of Deuteronomy 31:11 that one who was deaf in one ear was exempt from appearing at the assembly. . God visited the sickfor Genesis 18:1 says, "And the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre" (after Abraham was circumcised in Genesis 17:26)so should we also visit the sick. [47] The Israelites were not to harbor the base thought that the year of remission was approaching and not lend, but they were to lend readily to their kinsman, for in return God would bless them in all their efforts. . The parashah is the longest weekly Torah portion in the Book of Deuteronomy (although not in the Torah),[1] and is made up of 7,442 Hebrew letters, 1,932 Hebrew words, 126 verses, and 258 lines in a Torah Scroll (Sefer Torah). Text-Based Learning. "Food and Faith: The Ethical Foundations of the Biblical Diet Laws: The Bible has worked out a system of restrictions whereby humans may satiate their lust for animal flesh and not be dehumanized. [283], James Kugel reported that Israel Finkelstein found no pig bones in hilltop sites starting in the Iron I period (roughly 12001000 BCE) and continuing through Iron II, while before that, in Bronze Age sites, pig bones abounded. Covenant means we cannot delegate moral responsibility away to either the market or the state. "The Sukkot/Simhat Torah Anthology." Filed under Torah Portion Deuteronomy, 11:26-16:17 This Week's Torah Portion | Aug 01 - Aug 07, 2021 - 23 Av - 29 Av, 5781 In A Nutshell The other began with thorns but ended in clear ground. Chukat-Balak - Parshah - Weekly Torah Portion - Chabad.org Cholim Prayers for Those in Need, Make a Donation What are the laws mentioned here, such askashrutand tithing? We think not. [251] So as to maintain a logical unit including at least 15 verses, Jews now read Deuteronomy 15:1916:17 on Shavuot. This is the portions main theme. For they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire for their gods. And the sanctity of Shiloh was followed by a period when high places were permitted, while after the sanctity of Jerusalem high places were no longer permitted. [249], Rabbi Joshua maintained that rejoicing on a Festival is a religious duty. Rabbi Simeon objected that if that were the rule, then we would place the law in the hands of each person to decide. Sifra, Aharei Mot, pereq 13, 194:2:11, in, e.g., Jacob Neusner, translator. When using the world in accordance with the wishes of the Creator, we declare the existence of a Creator who has a divine purpose for creating the material world. But the general custom of worship in those days was sacrificing animals in temples that contained idols. Understanding an Ancient Prohibition., "CTH 133 and the Hittite Provenance of Deuteronomy 13. [70] Exodus 34:1820 and Deuteronomy 15:1916:8 indicate that the dedication of the firstborn also became associated with the festival. [36], In the fifth reading, Moses instructed that the Israelites were to set aside every year a tenth part of their harvest. So God did not command the Israelites to give up those manners of service, but allowed them to continue. The portion of Re'eh in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy)is read this Shabbat in synagogues around the world. A Midrash catalogued the wide range of additional capabilities of the heart reported in the Hebrew Bible. The test of a society is not military, political, economic or demographic. Beit ha Mikdash(The Temple House) is entirely outside of us. What's going on here, and what accounts for the gap between the world as Moses describes it and the world as we know it? This is in fact the condition for the reception of the Torah. This is why Kabbalah is called the internality of the Torah, and The Torah (law) of truth.. In the bonding between us we will discover the whole Torah, we will resolve all our troubles and problems, and we will be given the great respect that the people of Israel deserve. Machar Chodesh Haftarah in a Nutshell for Shabbat Preceding Rosh Toggle In inner-biblical interpretation subsection, Toggle In early nonrabbinic interpretation subsection, Toggle In classical rabbinic interpretation subsection, Toggle In medieval Jewish interpretation subsection, Toggle In modern interpretation subsection, Readings according to the triennial cycle, For more on inner-Biblical interpretation, see, e.g., Benjamin D. Sommer, "Inner-biblical Interpretation," in. (There is, however, one part of the animal that canneverbe eaten, and this applies whether the animal is fit for sacrifice i.e. What are the blessing and the curse in our generation? The Parsha in a Nutshell In parshat Re'eh, Moshe focuses on specific details of the covenant. In his last speech to the Israelites, Moses warns them, "If you follow God's laws, you will be blessed more than all the peoples of the earth. > What Is the Most Important Characteristic of a Leader? Only moral and spiritual acts and values motivate this. Uniquely it had God as its liberator and lawgiver, its sovereign, judge and defender. It is written that the Creator appears only in the land of Israel, in a desire that is directed only by equivalence of form. The instructions to centralize the cult sprang from the conviction that the cult in the different country shrines could no longer be reincorporated into the ordinances of a pure faith in God. saying: Let us go and serve other gods there.'" PDF CandC-Family - Re'eh - FINAL - Rabbi Sacks 3) What does it mean that in the promised land God will choose a place to give Gods Name habitation? Deuteronomy 12:15, however, allows killing and eating meat in any place. EretzYsrael:EretzmeansRatzon(desire), andYsrael(Israel) meansYasharEl(straight to God). In the Torah, the consolidated Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread thus commemorate the Israelites' liberation from Egypt.[74]. We can begin to place them under the governance of mutual bestowal and mutual love. But by the timewe enter the land of Israel, God is intent that His chosen peoplenotdo that and perhaps this is a part of God's wider concern that His nascent nationseparateitself from the nations around it. [267], Maimonides acknowledged that one might ask: Since God knows everything that will occur before it comes to pass, does God not know whether a person will be righteous or wicked? As Moshe says at the end of the book: This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. And Ezra 6:1922 reports that the Israelites returned from the Babylonian captivity observed Passover, ate the Passover lamb, and kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks discusses simcha (you can see discussion of Re'eh in previous years here. Parashat Re'eh calls our attention to our ability to choose the directions of our lives. ", Gregg Drinkwater. [121], The Sifre derived from the command of Deuteronomy 13:1, "All this word that I command you, that shall you observe to do; you shall not add thereto, nor diminish from it," that a minor religious duty should be as precious as a principal duty. Analogously, if God singles out a person for special favor, that person is under an obligation of increased service as an expression of gratitude for that favor. It is in our connections with others, in our desires toward others, and we dedicateMalchutto that. This is implied by Lamentations 3:40, "Let us search and examine our ways and return [to God]. Interested in learning more about the upcoming Parshiyot? So, said the Sifre, Moses told Israel that one might see the wicked flourish in this world for a short time, but in the end they will have occasion to regret. Parashat Re'eh has several further subdivisions, called "closed portions" (, setumah) (abbreviated with the Hebrew letter (samekh)) within the open portion divisions. And Jews read a larger selection from the same part of the parashah, Deuteronomy 14:2216:17, as the initial Torah reading on the eighth day of Passover when it falls on a Sabbath, on the second day of Shavuot when it falls on a Sabbath, and on Shemini Atzeret. We test all our desires to see whether they are a blessing or a curse. A moral state that sees this as an important value will encourage and find ways to support these grassroot initiatives. The pauper told Rava that he had been used to eating fattened chicken and aged wine. The Gemara asked how Mar Ukba could have given away so much, when Rabbi Elai taught that when the Sanhedrin sat at Usha, it ordained that if a person wishes to give liberally the person should not give more than a fifth of the person's wealth. [124], Deuteronomy 13:26 addresses a "dream-diviner" who seeks to lead the Israelites astray. [71], Sommer saw in Exodus 12:9 and Deuteronomy 16:7 a case in which one Biblical author explicitly interpreted another Biblical text. There, before God, shall you eat with family and servants and the Levites, who have no portion or inheritance. Is it against human nature to ask people to love everyone? You shall not eat anything that has died a natural deathgive it to the stranger in your community to eat or you may sell it to a foreigner. If we begin to connect, we will immediately feel that there is a force among us that is putting things in order. They are all corrections of the will to receive. Finding gifts worth 7,000 Sijan gold denarii recorded therein, he exclaimed that the provisions were scanty and the road was long, and he forthwith distributed half of his wealth to charity. "Justice, justice shall you pursue," he commands them, and you must administer it without corruption or favoritism. How do you think the strength of a society can be measured? What. By that we will become a light for the nations.. For Genesis 21:2 uses the term set time (, mo'ed), and Deuteronomy 16:6 uses the same term when it reports, At the season (, mo'ed) that you came forth out of Egypt. As Exodus 12:51 can be read, And it came to pass in the middle of that day that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, we know that Israel left Egypt at midday, and thus Deuteronomy 16:6 refers to midday when it says season (, mo'ed), and one can read season (, mo'ed) to mean the same thing in both Deuteronomy 16:6 and Genesis 21:2. We each of us, separately and together make or break society. Without good, as Genesis 2:18 says that "it is not good that the man should be alone." How is following the voice of God the opposite of following instinct and desire? What is the work of the Creator, theTemple? "Neither Adding nor Taking Away: Parashat Re'eh (Deuteronomy 11:2616:17)." (7) Monoyahwism, to avoid the suggestion that there were several deities named YHVH. However, if one would say that despite God's knowledge that the person would be righteous it is possible for the person to be wicked, then God's knowledge would be incomplete. As for the child who does not know how to ask, the Mekhilta taught that we take the initiative, as Exodus 13:8 says (without having reported that the child asked), "You shall tell your child on that day. Exodus 12:1819, 23:15, and 34:18, Leviticus 23:6, and Ezekiel 45:21 direct the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" to take place over seven days and Leviticus 23:6 and Ezekiel 45:21 direct that it begin on the fifteenth of the month. If you act badly, things will turn out badly. Their choices are often couched in these terms, as adults use a system of reward and punishment as motivation for action and correct behaviour. [43], In the sixth reading, Moses described "the Lord's Release", stating that every seventh year, the Israelites were to remit debts from fellow Israelites, although they could continue to dun foreigners. For this reason Moses admonished the Israelites in Leviticus 11:2, "This is the animal that you shall eat. [157], The precept of Deuteronomy 14:26 to rejoice on the Festivals (or some say the precept of Deuteronomy 16:14 to rejoice on the festival of Sukkot) is incumbent upon women notwithstanding the general rule that the law does not bind women to observe precepts that depend on a certain time.