|
|
||
HOME
|
|
Drash for Shabbat Re'eh By Ruth Halter - August 10, 2007 Today's Torah portion, Parashat Re'eh, defines a covenant, a set of rituals, an agreement between God and the Israelites as they are at the cusp of returning to the Promised Land. As preparations are made to enter the Holy Land, God bestows blessings at Mount Gerizim for the descendants of the slaves freed from Pharaoh. The blessing will be realized if the Israelites follow God's commandments and Torah. In contrast, if the Israelites fail to keep their covenant with God, a curse is placed at Mount Ebal for those who are unwilling to comply with the commandments. The rituals prescribed in Re'eh are specific, they delineate and differentiate the Israelites from the Canaanites, they set rules that prohibit diluting the covenant and sanctity of their relationship to God, and they provide a framework which defines the physical, moral, and spiritual components of Judaism. A commandment for a Temple, a holy place where the Lord's name will dwell and a place where offerings and sacrifices are offered, is requisite. Warnings, and the consequences of worshiping false deities and succumbing to false prophets, are delineated. The rules of Kashrut are defined and we are given instructions for preparation and consumption of animals that populate the land, air, and sea. A commandment, a mitzvah of charity, to forgive loans, tithing of community resources, and freeing indentured servants after seven years is required. Re'eh provides an opportunity for a fresh start, acts as a moral mechanism to prevent a permanent underclass of debtors, and instructs us to be aware, sensitive, and supportive of the less fortunate and poorer members of our community. The Parshah concludes with the laws surrounding the three pilgrimage festivals, Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot when all should travel to see, and be seen by God at the Holy Temple. The essence of Parasha Re'eh is that our faith and adherence to God and Torah is voluntary, subject to the character of free will bestowed upon men and women by God, and offers a choice that will be made by every individual who collectively forms the "Chosen People." While birthright may be sufficient for earthly matters of inheritance of wealth, power, or familial dynasties, God and Torah have higher demands and higher obligations. To experience and receive the blessings offered by God at Mount Gerizim we must follow both God's commandments and the law of Torah. Denying Torah and God's commandments, despite the birthright of being a descendant of Abraham and Sarah, will yield no rewards and leave one subject to the curse made at Mount Ebal. We live in an era where those who commit evil, all too often, invoke the righteousness of their actions by acting as a servant of God Almighty. These individuals and groups attempt to promote agendas of twisted and malignant transformations of peaceful and moral Abrahamic religions. Sacred locations, synagogues, churches, mosques, have become all too frequent targets for attacks. The very places that should inherently never require God's protection, locations where His name dwells, are being destroyed and His congregants are senselessly wounded, maimed, and killed while traveling to or attending holy places. Parashat Re'eh is quite clear and specific in defining rules, rituals, and festivals that are the foundation of some of the most recognizable core components of Judaism to both Jews and non-Jews. The Torah portion begins with offering the choice of receiving God's blessings or his curse, how to go about achieving the former and how to avoid the latter. As concrete and specific as Re'eh is, it ends with a component of ambiguity, possibly another test by God for assessment of human will, sensibility, and our devotion to the Lord. For those who follow his law, leave their homes while they travel to Temple for the festival holidays, God promises to protect the worshipers' homes while they are away. Curiously, or perhaps purposely, in Re'eh He does not offer this protection at his Temple. The willful targeting and attacks against houses of worship, holy sites, and congregants to promote ill-conceived human agendas demonstrates the moral turpitude and spiritual inadequacy of those who commit these acts. Perhaps this is His way of saying that to obtain His blessing, simply following the rules is not enough, there also has to be a willful decision and respect for the sanctimony of his Temple, the holy place where the Lord's name dwells and a place where offerings and sacrifices are made. I'd like to make a special thank you to all of the people who have traveled to be here today and to all of the people who make our lives safer and protect our freedom of religion and worship. Shabbat Shalom. |
