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Sruly Schnair
In Re'eh, 5754

“Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.” (11:26)

The Sforno asserts that this pasuk clearly differentiates Klal Yisrael from the other nations.  The fate of other nations is not measured in dichotomies. They are not in a position to be either fully prosperous, on the one hand, or totally devastated on the other.  Klal Yisrael, in contrast, is different.  Being Hashem’s people means that there is no middle road; Bnei Yisrael will either be blessed or cursed! This, states the Sforno, was Moshe’s message to them. “Behold, see and reflect upon your distinctiveness.” These choices are “before you.” The unique fate of Klal Yisrael is inextricably intertwined with…

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Sruly Schnair
In Re'eh, 5754

“That you shall set the blessing on Har Gerizim and the curse on Har Eival.” (11:29)

Why was it necessary to confer blessing and curse on two disparate mountains? Would it not have been just as effective to have used a single mountain for demonstrating both blessing and curse?  This same question arises in Parashas Ki Savo, when the Leviim were told to face Har Gerizim for blessing and to face Har Eival when they articulated curse.  Horav Tzvi Hirsch z.l.  M’Vilna suggests that Hashem teaches us a profound lesson with this distinction between blessing and curse. This separation is made in order to emphasize that the source of blessing must always be distinguished from the…

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Sruly Schnair
In Re'eh, 5754

“You are children of Hashem your G-d, you shall not cut yourselves, nor make a bald patch between your eyes for the dead.” (14:1)

The juxtaposition of topics in this portion of the parsha begs elucidation. The previous perek dealt with the false prophet who instigated people to worship idols.  This is followed by the laws concerning an ir ha’nidachas, a place in which an entire population of a city defected from Hashem and committed themselves to idol worship. The Torah goes on to emphasize our unique relationship with Hashem as analogous to the relationship between children and their parents.  This unparalleled relationship precludes our unusual out-pouring of grief at the death of a parent. What connection is there between these various laws? What…

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Sruly Schnair
In Re'eh, 5754

“You shall surely give him… (because) (that for) this thing that Hashem your G-d will bless you in all your work.” (15:10)

Man must realize that his wealth is bequeathed to him for a specific purpose, so that he will use it to to help others.  One should not think that giving tzeddakah, charity, decreases his financial assets. On the contrary, the greatest merit for attaining financial security is to give charity to others.  This is the pasuk’s message. The Dubna Maggid offers a parable to elucidate this idea.  A man went to the market with a hundred dollars in his pocket, which he later lost. The next day he returned to the market and found a wallet with two hundred dollars…

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ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Re'eh, 5773

See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse. (11:26)

There are no grey areas in Judaism. One either listens to the word of G-d and is blessed, or he is cursed for refusing to listen. Moshe Rabbeinu seems to underscore the significance of the word, ha’yom, “today.”  Does it really make a difference if it is “today” or “tomorrow”? The message is the same. If you listen – blessing; you do not listen – curse! Why does he emphasize that he is presenting it “today”? In the Likutei Moharan, Horav Nachman Breslover, zl, is quoted as saying: “A man has in this world only ‘that day,’ ‘that hour,’ ‘that…

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כי יקום בקרבך נביא או חלם חלום... לא תשמע אל דברי הנביא... אחרי ד' אלקיכם תלכו ואותו תיראו ואת מצותיו תשמרו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Re'eh, 5773

If there should stand up in your midst a prophet or a dreamer of a dream… do not listen to the words of that prophet… Hashem, your G-d, you shall follow and Him shall you fear; His mitzvos shall you observe. (13:2, 4, 5)

The Torah admonishes us not to listen to the false prophesies of a prophet who encourages us to turn away from Hashem. While the prophet’s message might be very subtle, the heresy is still present. Regrettably, the common man might not see through the beautiful picture that he paints, but false remains false, regardless of the presentation and background. We are told to follow only Hashem, to fear Him and observe His mitzvos. This is the only protection against those who would do us harm. A similar posuk is found in Parashas Eikev, “Hashem, your G-d, shall you fear, Him…

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הכה תכה את ישבי העיר לפי חרב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Re'eh, 5773

You shall smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword. (13:16)

There are a number of halachos pertaining to Ir Hanidachas, the wayward city, and to the testimony of the witnesses who attest to the guilt of its inhabitants which do not seem to be consistent with one another.  The people living in a city in which most of its inhabitants have been persuaded to worship idols are put to death. This includes all inhabitants of the city – including women and children, who might otherwise be innocent of the charges. The Torah demands that the testimony of the witnesses must be eidus she’atah yachol l’haazimah, a testimony of witnesses that…

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ונתן לך רחמים ורחמך והרבך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Re'eh, 5773

And He will give you mercy and be merciful to you and multiply you. (13:18)

Being designated as agents of destruction can take its toll on people. We read horror stories about young high school graduates who enlist in the military, and, after a tour of duty, become hollow, often depraved individuals. This is what death and killing can do to the mind. Of course, this is especially true when the victims are one’s own people. The inhabitants of the Ir Hanidachas, wayward city, have committed a most egregious crime, for which they are duly and rightfully punished. The ones carrying out the punishment, however, might become affected by it. They might develop a callousness…

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Home -> 5772 -> Re'eh

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Re'eh, 5772

“You shall not eat any abomination.” (14:3)

When the cemetery in Kovno was emptied, the Chevra Kadisha found two bodies that were untouched by time; the bodies of the Kovno Rav, z.l., and that of a Jewish soldier upon whose tombstone was engraved, “Here lies the kosher/proper Jewish soldier.” These were the two bodies that had defied the natural process of decomposition. What merit catalyzed this miracle? It is told that this soldier, who was conscripted into the Polish army, absolutely refused to eat non-kosher food. He would not eat the army’s rations, sustaining himself on vegetables alone. One day a group of anti-Semitic soldiers decided to…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In Re'eh, 5772

“And you shall eat it before Hashem, your G-d… the tithe of your grain, your wine, and your oil… so that you will learn to fear Hashem…” (14:23)

Daas Zekeinim emphasize the “your” part of the grain, wine and oil. They explain that the pasuk conveys a profound message: If you give Maaser, if you tithe your grain, oil, and wine, then it is yours. In other words, Hashem grants us these possessions because we listen to His command and either share it with the Levi or the poor man, or we eat it in Yerushalayim. Giving Maaser does more than fulfill a mitzvah, it creates our ownership, it grants us license to claim these possessions as our own. Whatever Hashem created is for a purpose – to…

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