parshat Re'e

A Shiur by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks for the weekly Torah reading of "Re'eh"

A weekly Shiur by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks for the weekly portion "Re'eh".

Our parasha begins: “See (singular), I am placing before you (plural) today a blessing and a curse” (Devarim 11:26). Why does the pasuk start with a singular verb and switch to a plural pronoun? Apparently, it is to teach us about the double nature of service of Hashem, which applies both to the service of the individual and to the service of the public.

“See, I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse” (Devarim 11:26). On the one hand, even today, despite the past, whatever will be, there is a blessing before you. Even if in the past there was heavy fog and yesterday was gloomy, do not give up.