What the world needs now! | Rabbi Stewart Weiss | Beit Midrash

Torah Portion and Tanach
Re'e

קטגוריה משנית

Our Sedra is truly eclectic: It talks about Life & Death, the supremacy of the Land of Israel, the laws of Kashrut, the Jewish holidays, idolatry, tzedaka, sh’mita & much more. But what connects all these varied topics?

I want to suggest that the key pasuk comes right smack in the middle of the parsha (14:1): "You are children to Hashem your G-d; you shall not cut yourselves nor make a bald spot between your eyes for a dead person." I’m guessing you’re not quite sure why davka this oblique verse is the key to understanding the Sedra. But consider its message: First, we are G-d’s children. He loves us, He cherishes us, He wants us to be whole – not cut up into pieces (extreme body-piercers please take note!).

But the word "titgo’d’du," cut up, has another meaning. We are not supposed to divide ourselves into rival, disparate cliques ("g’dudim") which separate one Jew from another. Our strength lies in our commonality of both dogma & destiny, past & practice, friendship & future. The more we "cut ourselves off" from our co-religionists, the more estranged we become from our Eternal Father, the more our collective family suffers.

We also are warned not to create a "bald spot" between our eyes. One of the most important qualities of a Jew is to have an "ayin tov," i.e. to see others in a benevolent fashion, to look upon our neighbor favorably. The fact that we have 2 eyes, & not just one, metaphorically allows us to see both sides of an issue, & judge favorably.

Our entire Sedra, then, is devoted to bringing the nation together, by establishing standards of proper behavior, including the way we eat & the way we celebrate; by promoting charity, which binds the rich to the poor; by instituting the Sabbatical year, when debts would be forgiven. And by stressing the centrality of the Land of Israel, the Great Equalizer of each & every Jew.

This Shabbat we celebrate Rosh Chodesh Elul, a month symbolized by the mantra: "Ani L’Dodi V’Dodi Li:" I am my Beloved’s & He is mine. The marriage motif is prominent during this time, as we pledge our eternal love to G-d. At a (Ashkenaz) wedding, the kalla circles the chatan 7 times, reminiscent of when Yehoshua circled the walls of Jericho. Through marriage, by sharing our love with another, we break down the barriers of loneliness & isolation, "cut" through the walls which divide us, & see one another - & all the world – with loving eyes.

What better way to insure our blessing for the New Year?

Re'e