Re'eh

Re’eh

The parsha is called “seeing” which I thought was pretty cool. After the last couple weeks where we’ve been given a recap of what has happened after the Exodus from Egypt, this week we get an extended moral lesson on what is expected from the Jewish people (behavior-wise) as we finally prepare to enter Eretz Yisrael. What is it that we are seeing exactly? I like to think of the eyes as always looking forward and that’s exactly what is happening in this parsha. We’ve gone over the past and now it is time to set the groundwork for what exactly it means to a Jew living in the promised land.

So what do we learn about? We learn about kashrut. Kind of a big deal. Just how we eat which dictates our way of life as a people. We learn which animals are okay to eat and even where we should eat and how much to give as a sacrifice. Any observant Jew (that wasn’t previously observant) today can tell you how life changing keeping kosher is. Being mindful of the food that you put in your body is a 24/7 reminder of your commitment to Judaism. However, that wasn’t even the part of the parsha that I was most intrigued by…

This week we also learn how to behave towards fellow Jews. Moshe tells the people “Do not harden your heart or shut your hand against your brother the destitute. Rather you must open your hand repeatedly.” The context here is in reference to giving charity but there are other ordinances in this week’s parsha with a similar message; remember your fellow Jew and make sure they are all taken care of. Whether a Levite who has no inherited portion or a ger that you do not know. Even if you don’t trust him you must help him out if he is needy. What a principle! What other people have such moral obligations? It is a beautiful idea and would lead to a highly sympathetic and loving community… if it were actually followed.

What I see in the Jewish community is not just “community” but rather “communities” which isn’t always a bad thing. People are capable of having different thoughts about everything. The problem is that there is such mistrust and even hatred between the communities. We exclude each other, even sometimes hate each other so much as to turn our backs on a particular group and/or hope that something bad happens to them to justify our own thoughts. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not saying I have all the answers on how varying groups of people can love and accept each other. I’m not even saying that I don’t hold reservations and prejudices against certain Jews. However, if we all worked to love every Jew for exactly who he is then think of what a community we could be, think of all that we could accomplish together. That was the original idea so maybe we can all work towards it even if it seems unrealistic and difficult.