From: Netvort@aol.com
Sent: Friday, August 18, 2006 4:37 AM
To: JoshHoff@aol.com
Subject: Netvort : parshas Re'eh, 5766





                                                  Seeing Straight
                  
                     By Rabbi Joshua (perspectively known as The Hoffer) Hoffman


  This week’s parsha begins with Moshe’s reference to the blessing and the curse that will come about for, respectively, observing the mitzvos or transgressing them. The people are told, "See, I place before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing, that you hearken to the commandments of the lord your God, that I command you today. The curse, if you do not hearken to the commandments of the Lord your God…" (Devorim 11:26-28). Many commentators have pointed out that the first word here, ‘Re’eh', 'to see,’ is written in the singular, even though the message is directed to the nation, as the word ‘ilfneichem,’ or ‘before you, ‘ indicates. Why is this so? Rav Dovid Feinstein, in his Kol Dodi, suggests that since each person has his own notion of what a blessing is and what a curse is, the blessing that is promised will be particularly fit for each person. Moreover, says Rav Dovid, even though what a person considers a blessing may, in reality, be a curse for him, God gives each person His blessing in a way that that he personally sees that it is what he truly needs.


  Perhaps we can add to Rav Dovid’s explanation the observation of Rabbi Eliezer Azkiri, author of the Sefer Charedim, on the first verse in the parsha. He notes that the second word in the first verse, ’anochi’ - I - that is used here, instead of the more common word for ’I,’ ‘ani,’ serves as a hint to the first word in the Decalogue, anochi, which is a reference to God, " I (anochi) am the Lord your God…." The message here, says Rav Azkiri, is that in order for a person to observe all the mitzvos properly, he must imagine God as standing before him at all times. Based on Rav Dovid’s comment, we can explain that, since the midrash, in parshas Yisro, says, that God spoke to each person separately, on his own level, and according to his needs and his relationship with Him. Seen from this perspective, the definitions of blessing and curse change relative to each person and his own relationship with God. Perhaps, then, this is why the word ’re’eh’ here is in the singular, to show  that each person will be able to see that the blessing of God that he will receive constitutes the biggest blessing for him, notwithstanding whatever his own opinion may have indicated before.


  We still need, however, to understand why the plural form of lifneichem, or ‘before you,’ is used in the verse. The Torah, in this week’s  parsha, speaks at length of the many good features of Eretz Yisroel that the nation will enjoy after they enter it, as long as they observe God’s commandments. A unique feature of Eretz Yisroel, as the Zohar to parshas Emor points out, is that it unifies the Jewish nation. From this perspective, we can say that what constitutes a blessing for each individual can only be determined properly when one adds to the equation the fact that he is part of a larger nation. Therefore, we can explain that the use of the singular followed a few words later by the use of the plural indicates this interaction of interests. Perhaps, then, the message is that each person needs to view even his own personal relationship with God, and what constitutes a blessing within that context, from the wider perspective of the nation. In the long run, the nature of a person’s blessing is determined by the way his own personal needs intersect with those of the wider nation.

                  

  Please address all correspondence to the author (Rabbi Hoffman) with the following address - JoshHoff @ AOL.com.

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