Parshat Re'eh

Parshat Re'eh - Where is your antenna pointed?

As a kid, I loved listening to AM radio, especially at night. During the day, I could hear all the Philadelphia stations and sometimes those from New York. If I moved the dial slowly and lifted the antenna towards the ceiling at night, I could tune into baseball games broadcast from St.Louis, about 900 miles away. All it took was turning the dial slowly and paying attention to the signal.

The parsha begins with a famous verse.  Chapter 11, Verses 26-28, says, “Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing, that you will heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today; and the curse, if you will not heed the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn away from the way I command you this day, to follow other gods, which you did not know.

Throughout these drashot, I’ve tried to instill in you the notion that your choices matter, potentially more than just about anything else. Each of you has the opportunity, every day, to make choices to observe mitzvot and treat your fellow humans with respect and empathy. Choice is the most human thing we can do—ultimately, what God wants us to do.

The story behind this verse is that the Jews are about to enter Israel.  Moshe tells the nation they are to choose between blessings and curses, between accepting Hashem and the alternate.

The Rebbe’s Chumash dissects this choice in three ways, with each elevating our observance. First, he says, we can observe mitzvot out of plain obedience. This approach lacks understanding and appreciation of the Torah but does represent a willingness to accept the yoke of Hashem.

Second, an individual builds on her deference to Hashem and performs mitzvot because she understands that mitzvah observance can bring reward. However, this choice is motivated by potential upside.

The third approach to understanding this choice is to use the power of sight (Re’eh). Using this “spiritual vision,” she sees that the core of our spiritual enlightenment is identifying Hashem in everything around us and doing mitzvot to honor Him.

In my search for spiritual vision, I’ve sought out sages, experts, and gurus. Moshe tells us that the key is to see Hashem right before us. It is a choice we can make every day.

One question to consider is whether it is a curse that Moses references. The Rebbe’s Chumash asks the following question. “How could Gd, who is the very essence of good, issue a curse. (After all) aren’t we taught that ‘No evil thing is issued from Above?’” (Midrash Rabah 51:3)

Onkelos is on one side of the debate about the meaning of the verse. He wrote a translation during the downtrodden Babylonian era. He interprets the word “K’Lalah” as a curse, which makes sense, given the horrible conditions and spiritual depths the nation experienced.

However, the Targum Yonasan wrote his commentary during the Temple era when blessings were abundant. He interpreted the word differently, claiming that K’Lalah could be translated as “substitute” instead of a curse.

I prefer the idea that Gd chooses only to bless us, not curse us. One answer to this back-and-forth is that Gd grants blessings we see and can handle. He doesn’t grant curses. Instead, these “substitute” blessings are just ones we can’t access or accommodate. We don't have our antennae in the right direction to receive them because we choose what to prioritize.

The Chumash adds that difficulties, trials, and tests Gd sends us are the means to achieve the ultimate objective - elevating our soul to the highest level possible. These troubles aren’t curses but are all part of Hashem’s system in which we have to work and toil to reach the highest levels of reward and goodness - which we have to earn.

We have a fighting chance to elevate our souls and be attuned to Gds blessings. Isaiah 60:21 says, “Your people are all righteous.”

I take great solace in this quote. I don’t like to think of Hashem as vengeful. I prefer to think of your souls and mine as inherently good. I also want to feel that Gd has given us a playbook and many hints on what he believes will help us grow.

If Gd seeks to offer me blessings and I’m not acting appropriately or in the right headspace, then that’s on me. I’m okay with a Gd that passes judgment, but not one that seeks my downfall.

Rav Hirsch builds on this idea. He looks at the same word, K’Lalah. He says that if a blessing brings progress and prosperity, the curse brings emptiness and a void. Our choice to be disobedient means we are missing something. Our actions will cause a loss of self-worth and a regression to personal nothingness.

He adds that Judaism’s belief in one God is not simply a belief in God’s existence; it is an acknowledgment of His rule over us and one that entails submission to His will. 

Moshe tells us that we will be cursed because we will chase after idols. These words reflect not just actively choosing to worship idols but minimizing the centrality of Hashem in our lives. Hirsch says that Gd revealed himself to us and connected himself with our fate in a thousand different ways.  Can we point to an idol that did the same?

With that rebuke, we reach the crux of what it means to “see” for ourselves. We’ve been given a pure and holy soul. We choose what to believe and how to act. When we are aligned with Hashem, the blessings will flow and be received. When we aren’t, it is not his fault, it is ours, and we’ll miss the signals he sends.

A B'NEI MENASHE FAMILY NARROWLY ESCAPES HEZBOLLAH'S ROCKET ATTACK

Site of impact of the projectile. Photo credits: Akhim Menashe Studio.

(August 26, 2024) In a much delayed (and much anticipated) response to Israel's elimination of Hezbollah's terror commander Fuad Shukr, the Lebanon based terror organization launched 320 rockets into Israel's northern region early yesterday morning. Most of these projectiles were intercepted by Israeli air defense system, which consists of the already well-known Iron Dome. There were no reports of significant casualties on the Israeli side except for one navy personnel killed and two other injured. The two wounded are stated to be in moderate to light condition. In the same rocket attack, a B'nei Menashe home in the northern city of Acre belonging to Gershom Mate suffered a near miss when it landed on an open ground adjacent to the building where his family resides. This latest round of escalation was due to two incidents which occurred within days of each other, where Fuad Shukr was killed by an airstrike by the IAF, followed in quick succession by the assassination of Hamas chief, Ismail Haniyeh a few days later, Israel has admitted to targeting Shukr but has

A fragment of the rocket sits on the bush fencing at Acre.

kept a stoic silence on Haniyeh's assassination. Israel is still bracing itself for an Iranian response which they have clearly stated they intend to carry out a revenge attack against the 'Zionist Regime'. However, it is an open question if they will be able to, given the volatile situation and risk an upsurge that might lead to a war in the region. Or will they let one of their proxies, like the Hezbollah, to carry it out? The Iranian economy is in shambles, crippled by decades long sanctions by the U.S. and its allies, notably the European Union, furthermore, the growing dissent by the common people who are disillusioned by the economic plight coupled with the rigorous interpretations of Islam they have been subjected to by the ruling mullahs. It is a tight balance the regime will have to contend itself with. Our readers may be reminded of the early April 2024 attack on Israel launched by Iran, supported by the Houthis. (It may be noted that both the Iranians and the Houthis share a similar denomination within Islam, Shi'ism) This was in response to an Israeli Air Force raid on Iranian embassy in Damascus where two senior Iranian generals were killed. The attack comprised of over 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles and 120 ballistic missiles. According to reports, 99 percent of all incoming projectiles were destroyed by the lesser known second and third tier Israeli air defense systems such as David's Sling and Arrow 3. They were supported by American, British, French and even Jordan which shot down a few of them. The attack inflicted a very minor damage to the Nevatim Air Force base and about 32 people suffered minor injuries, including a 7-year old Bedouin girl.

Gershom's Akhim Menashe Studio lays waste after rocket lands nearby.

Gershom Mimin Mate and his family had a narrow escape as a Hezbollah grad missile landed and exploded in an open ground narrowly missing the apartment building where he lives with his wife and two children. "If the missile had landed a few meters more, that would have been the end for all of us" he relates to our newsletter, clearly shaken to the core. Gershom has been a long time resident of Acre ever since their family came on an aliya about 8 years ago. He is an entrepreneur, par excellence, having opened a photo studio in Acre itself and

A copy of "Lives Of the Children of Manasia" sits on a pile of rubble.

had a thriving business till covid destroyed it in 2020-21. The road to recovery was slow and painful, he explained to us. But it has been worthwhile, in the aftermath of covid he set up a sound studio, Akhim Menashe Studio or simply AMS a few years back in his home. He has been promoting various B'nei Menashe artistes and has had a modicum of success, considering the size of the the community's population in Israel.

He told us of that fateful morning on a Sunday morning, a little after 5 am when the silence was shattered by the sirens. He and his wife got their two young children out of bed, clutching them in their arms in an attempt to rush down the stairs from their second floor apartment toward the shelter on the ground floor. While barely out of their apartment, they heard a deafening sound accompanied by a very bright flash of light, outside their building. Luckily for them they were still on the stairs, inside. Miraculously, the rocket did not hit the building. It fell on an open ground making a crater around it. He is glad that they are all safe, especially the children. "The children are in a

The Mates in happier times.

bit of a shock, dazed but my wife and I have been trying to soothe them. It will take sometime but it will heal with time" he says emphatically. The impact of the explosion, however did cause some serious damages. There were shards of shattered window panes, blinds scattered all over the ground and off course the tell-telling crater.

Gershom looks back at the years that have unfolded philosophically and says that there are always important lessons to be drawn from it. "Life is precious and it must be used in the best way possible." Even though his studio has been rendered unworkable, there is a glint of hope in him. He will strive to rebuild it, that was something that gave, not only him but many people, a joy, a fulfillment. "There are lives to be rebuilt, not just a studio", he adds. The family has been evacuated to a nearby hotel along with other residents of the building, until a more permanent solution can be found.

Prior to the fateful attack on Sunday morning, over a hundred IAF warplanes had made a pre-emptive strike on Hezbollah's rocket batteries that were pointed towards Israel. If that had not been done the number of rockets and the damage inflicted on Israel would have had a far more serious consequences than seen now. Quite reminiscent of a similar attack on the Egyptian airbases in 1967.

If anyone would like to open their hearts and their wallets to help this family, you can direct your donations to this bank account:

Name: Elisheva Mate

Account No: 04730741

Branch No.: 960

Bank Leumi, Akko (Acre)

Phone No.: 050 7420451.

Parshat Eikev

Be Like Mike - By Dan Cohen

Written in conversation with Rav Mikey Sunshine

What if Gd gave us a formula of how to emulate him?  And what if we ignored it?  If there’s one thing I’d like to make sure you understand this week is how simple being a Jew can be. I’m as guilty as anyone of overcomplicating it. 

Michael Jordan was the ultimate professional basketball player. His talents were transcendent. He was awesome. I, along with many other basketball fans and his competitors, was in awe of him.

He was so worthy of awe that Gatorade even made a commercial stating the obvious. The chorus repeats, “Like Mike, If I could Be Like Mike.” You can see the commercial here, initially released in August of 1991.  https://youtu.be/b0AGiq9j_Ak?si=6vQO5MZHOo_mPXKC

We all wanted to be like Mike. We all wanted to fly like Mike, dunk like Mike, and win like Mike. Being like Mike meant practicing like crazy, pushing yourself to become great, inspiring your teammates, climbing past adversity, and leaving the game of basketball fundamentally different from how you found it.

R. Mikey and I talk about Michael Jordan a lot. We talk about his competitive fire, how he worked harder than his competitors, and how he was a role model for the players who came into the league after him.

This time, however, we were focused on Michael Jordan and the Parsha. Thinking about what it takes to be great on the court helped us understand a keyword featured in this week’s edition of Moses’ extended speech: Yira. 

Per Moses, Chapter 10, Verse 12 lays out precisely what Gd wants from us. It says, “And now, O Israel, what does the Lord, your Gd, ask of you? Only to fear (Yira) the Lord, your Gd, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to worship the Lord, your Gd, with all your heart and with all your soul.”

The word “fear” above in Hebrew is Yira. Sometimes, it’s translated as fear and sometimes as awe. In Judaism, this 'fear' is not about being scared of punishment but about having a deep reverence and respect for Gd. Gd tells us we are to fear and/or be in awe of him. To emulate the things he likes, he gave us the manual, our 613 mitzvot, and our oral law on how to be like him.

Our awe of Hashem is one of the most human actions we can take. So much so that the Gemara, in Berachot 33b, teaches that the whole world and everything in it are in Gd's hands except our Yira of Hashem. The awe is in our hands.

In an unattributed piece at Chabad dot org, they wrote. “The Torah liberates us by declaring there is only one thing to fear—not failure, not others, not even death itself. The only thing to fear is the One who stands beyond and yet within all things, the one we call Gd.”

With this newfound “freedom” from fear, we can focus on a reality beyond our own that defines and directs all we do.

I struggle with the idea of a Gd that I am supposed to fear and prefer a quote from the 14th-century Rabbi Nisim of Gerona. He said, “The best attitude is not fear of punishment, but ‘fear of the exalted’: trembling awe at the vast majesty of Gd.”

Rabbi David Kasher at Parshanut added to Rabbi Nisim’s idea, saying, “So we stand in awe of the majesty and grandeur of Gd, and we are overcome with a trembling. It is actually pleasant feeling - even an ecstatic one - although it is surely a little scary. We marvel at the vastness of the universe and are immediately struck by a sense of our own smallness. There is a fear there, one born of vulnerability. But there is also a sense of gratitude that comes in recognition of our ability - despite our insignificance - to exist and to partake in the wonder of it all.”

It's powerful to focus on Hashem's vast majesty and how everything around us, past, present, and future, is in his hands. Gd is infinite. He is everything. He cannot only administer justice but also offer abundant mercy and kindness. In 1980s parlance, Gd is “totally awesome.”

Rav Hirsch offers insight to help us practice our awe (Yira). He says our requirements to love Gd and to walk in his ways are the consequences of our awe/fear of him. Our fear and awe are supposed to lead us to walk in his ways, leading us to love him. 

Yira keeps Gd at the forefront of our minds, conscious of his greatness and majesty at all times. From that attention will come a desire to act according to his will. Walking in His ways could mean being kind, just, and merciful, as Gd is. It should also, he adds, induce us to strive for the goals Gd has set for us. 

Hirsh adds, Gd has set this formula for us. He set the goals, he taught us his ways, and in doing so, we will be happy. After all, these ways suit our nature, as Gd designed us this way. When we accomplish our life’s purpose—to fear him, to perform mitzvot, and to walk in his ways—the natural outcome leads to a love of Gd.

According to Rav Soloveitchik, following Gd’s mitzvot and walking in his ways provides a central link between love and awe. He added that we imitate the deeds of the creator and adopt his attributes to show our love and awe. 

One of the things that made Michael Jordan awe-worthy was how he guided and inspired his teammates to work harder than they ever imagined possible. Awe of Gd is a recipe and a driving force that encourages us to be our best selves. Gd asks us to hold him in awe and offers us a clear pathway to emulate his greatness.