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Home -> 5756 -> Re'eh

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Re'eh, 5756

“You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt.” (16:12)

Why is it necessary to remember that we were once slaves in Egypt? One would think that remembering the miracle of the Exodus should be the prime focus of remembrance. Horav Shimon Schwab, zl, offers the following rationale. In the Talmud Megillah 4a, Chazal teach that one is obligated to read the Megillah at night and to repeat it the next day. Rashi attributes this halachah to the fact that Klal Yisrael cried out to Hashem at night and during the day. This halachah is perplexing! Are we to celebrate freedom and joy — or are we to remain apathetic,…

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Home -> 5756 -> Re'eh

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Re'eh, 5756

“If there should stand up in your midst a prophet and he will produce to you a sign or a wonder.” (13:2)

Rashi interprets ,ut, sign, as being a supernatural event in heaven, while he suggests that a ,pun, wonder, is a miraculous event on earth. Horav Shlomo Yosef Zevin, zl, takes a practical approach to understanding these two types of “miracles.” Two phenomena may cause one to turn away from Torah: misguided philosophies or base desires. When the Torah admonishes us not to stray after our heart and eyes, it is a reference to the desires of the heart and the confused and false theories of the mind. “The heart lusts and the eyes see,” writes Rashi at the end of…

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Home -> 5756 -> Re'eh

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Re'eh, 5756

“You shall deliver the blessing on Har Gerizim…. Are they not on the other side of the Jordan, far in the direction of the sunset…. across from Gilgal, near the plain of Moreh. Only at the place that Hashem… shall choose …. to place His Name shall you seek out His Presence and come there.” (11:29,30 – 12:5)

The Torah describes in detail the exact location of Har Gerizim. The Torah leaves no room for error, designating the simplest and most direct course to the mountain of blessing. In contrast, in regard to the Bais Ha’Mikdash, the Torah offers no “directions.” The Torah demands that we “seek it out.” We are to search for the Bais Ha’Mikdash. No map, no “trip tik” eases our search. Search and you will find -but no directions are offered. Why? Would it not make sense that the Bais Ha’Mikdash, the spiritual center of our People, the holy place where the Shechinah reposes,…

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Home -> 5756 -> Re'eh

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Re'eh, 5756

“See, I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse.” (11:26)

If Moshe is addressing all of Klal Yisrael, why does he speak in the singular – vtr – “while the word ofhbpk, “before you” is in the plural form? Moreover, why does he tell them to see? Would it not have been just as effective had he said, “I place before you a blessing and a curse?” Horav David Feinstein, Shlita, suggests that the concept of blessing is in the mind of the individual. Some feel that continued good health is a blessing. In contrast, others feel that mild sickness may even be viewed as a blessing, since it encourages…

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Home -> 5756 -> Re'eh

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Re'eh, 5756

“See, I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse.” (11:26)

The Torah is expressing the basic principle of bechirah chafshis, free-will. The blessing, which results from one’s good deeds, is catalyzed by one’s own positive decision. Similarly, one effects the curse by a negative decision. The Sfas Emes posits that there is a bracha for thanking Hashem for the gift of free-will, which distinguishes man from all other creatures. The abilitiy to discern between good and evil and to decide which path to take, raises man above all other creations. Everyday we recite this bracha, vkhk ihcu ouh ihc ihjcvk vbhc hufak i,b rat” Who gave the rooster understanding to…

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