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Orchard of Delights Re’eh

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Speaking about the Torah and the mitzvot, Moses tells the people, The first verse in Re’eh tells us to quite literally “see” that a blessing
“You will safeguard and perform them, for it is your wisdom and and a curse have been placed before us. Why does the Torah tell us
understanding in the eyes of the nations, who will hear all these to see, when it could have used another verb such as “know”? Are
decrees and say: ‘Surely a wise and understanding people is this great blessings and curses really visible to the naked eye? At times, the
nation’” (Deuteronomy 4:6). After over four millennia of Jewish blessings and “curses” in our lives seem so clear that we can answer
history, there are still only between twelve and thirteen million Jews, this question in the affirmative. At other times, though, what at first
so what could this verse possibly mean when it refers to the Jewish seemed like a blessing turns out to be quite the opposite, while what
people as a “great nation”? at first appeared to be a “curse” turns out to be a blessing in disguise.
Both scenarios present themselves quite frequently.
When pollsters asked their respondents in various countries how
many Jews they thought there were in the world, they typically The type of vision that the Torah is referring to transcends the
responded by saying that there were hundreds of millions. The physical. Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach called this ability to truly
inordinate influence Jews have had all over the world and the understand the meaning of life “seeing with Mashiach eyes” –
contributions they have made in every field of human endeavor possessing the keen prophetic sight that enables one to see the whole
gives people the impression that there must be hundreds of millions forest and not just the individual trees. Our Sages taught that the
of Jews. Indeed, the Jewish people’s enormous contribution to wise person is “one who sees that which is born” (Tamid 32a); a
medicine, science, literature, media, philosophy, economics, and wise person discerns all the potential consequences of his actions. To
so forth only pales in comparison to the global influence the Torah attain the level of introspection necessary to succeed in the month of
has had on religion, law, morality and ethics. Thus, when the verse Elul, one must strive to activate this type of sight.
refers to the Jewish people as a “great nation,” it is referring not to
quantity but to quality.
The verse has no doubt that in the eyes of the nations the Jewish
people are intrinsically connected to the Torah and its wisdom. £This Is Also For the GoodThis Is Also For the GoodThis Is Also For the Good
Although this was literally true for thousands of years, in the last ££
few hundred years the truth of this perception has faded as many
Jews have become Jewishly illiterate and even openly adopted We discussed early in the portion of Va’etchanan why the Torah only
lifestyles that are contrary to Jewish law. Nonetheless the universal
perception still remains that Jews and the Torah are intrinsically reveals the Shema after God denies Moses permission to enter the
Promised Land. We suggested that sometimes our knowledge of and
linked. This is a powerful message for both those Jews who have
strayed from the Torah and those who have not. faith in God is strengthened precisely through hardships or crises.
This message is hinted at in a remez found in Re’eh as well. The initial
I heard Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach tell two short stories to illustrate letters of the Hebrew words for “blessing” (berachah) and “curse”
this point. Once after Rabbi Carlebach gave a concert in Germany, (kelallah), a beit and a kuf, have the numerical value of 102, the same
the sponsors invited him to a special reception. He could not eat as the numerical value for the Hebrew word for “faith” (emunah).

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