Parshas Reeh
Having a Few Pairs of Glasses
The fist word of the parsha itself - re'aih - see - is the key to the
entire understanding of the book of Devarim. Moshe speaks to the Jewish
people not so much as to faith and belief as he does as to experience and
history. Moshe asks that Israel recall all of the experiences of the
desert and of Egypt. By remembering they will be able to see their
responsibilities and their destiny much more clearly. Moshe speaks against
wishful thinking, placing hope over reality, of the tragedy of ignoring
lessons of history and those of bitter experience. So Moshe speaks not of
esoteric matters but rather exhorts Israel to see clearly the realities
and its relationship to God and His covenant. Moshe really states
that "seeing is believing," for by seeing the world, past and present,
clearly and honestly, one can thereby come to greater heights of belief
and inspiration. The prophet scolded Israel by stating: "See your path in
the valley; see your past immoralities." If we would only see the past and
not merely acknowledge its existence in a superficial manner, how much
greater our commitment to achievement and future greatness would be!
The entire book of Devarim concentrates on this weakness of sight of the
Jewish people. There are those who are very near-sighted and never see
past their nose. There are those who are far-sighted but because of that
they are not realistic about the present. Moshe demands of Israel to be
clear-sighted, balanced, farsighted and realistic all at the same time.
There are aids to help us achieve this tricky goal. Therefore this week's
parsha also contains the holiday cycle of the Jewish year. The holiday
cycle reminds us of Egypt and the Exodus, of Sinai, and our commitment, of
the sojourn in the desert and our arrival in the Holy Land. It paints for
us a complete picture of the Jewish past and the Jewish future. It is a
corrective lens through which we see clearly how to behave and achieve in
our current world. The gift of sight is one of the wonders of the human
body. The gift of spiritual and historic sight, the type of sight that
Moshe speaks of in this week's parsha is also of inestimable value. We can
thank God for this gift of both spiritual and physical sight by renewing
our loyalty to Torah and Israel and setting our goals according to the
vision of Moshe as expressed here in the book of Devarim.
Shabat Shalom.
Rabbi Berel Wein
Visit www.rabbiwein.com for a complete selection of Rabbi Wein's books and tapes.
