29 Av 5778 | August 10, 2018
Parshat Re’eh
Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe
Class of 2017
The last few chapters in Devarim have - appropriately - been all about listening while Moshe is delivering his final sermon to Bnei Yisrael. Here are some quotes:
(א) וְעַתָּ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל שְׁמַ֤ע אֶל־הַֽחֻקִּים֙ וְאֶל־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים...
And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and unto the ordinances…
(ד) שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יקוק אֱלֹקֵ֖ינוּ יקוק ׀ אֶחָֽד׃
Hear O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.
(א) שְׁמַ֣ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אַתָּ֨ה עֹבֵ֤ר הַיּוֹם֙ אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֔ן...
Hear, O Israel: you are about to pass over the Jordan on this day…
So it is curious that Moshe uses a different verb to present the next part of his speech:
(כו) רְאֵ֗ה אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם בְּרָכָ֖ה וּקְלָלָֽה׃
(26) See, this day I set before you blessing and curse:
The Netivot Shalom asks this question on the opening verse in Parshat Re’eh:
Why does the Torah use the word see?
It would be more logical to use: listen or know!
The Tur offers this explanation:
The verb ‘see’ is similar to what we found at the experience on Mount Sinai:
(טו) וְכׇל־הָעָם֩ רֹאִ֨ים אֶת־הַקּוֹלֹ֜ת וְאֶת־הַלַּפִּידִ֗ם וְאֵת֙ ק֣וֹל הַשֹּׁפָ֔ר וְאֶת־הָהָ֖ר עָשֵׁ֑ן וַיַּ֤רְא הָעָם֙ וַיָּנֻ֔עוּ וַיַּֽעַמְד֖וּ מֵֽרָחֹֽק׃
And all the people saw the sounds, the flames, the blast of the ram’s horn and the mountain smoking; the people saw and trembled and stood from afar.
On Har Sinai, our hearing was heightened and elevated to the level of seeing. What does this mean?
Hearing is done linearly, in one-dimension. We hear a sound; we put it together with other sounds, which then make up a word. We put the words together and we get to a sentence, then a paragraph, a concept, a plot, a story and so on. Listening is done sequentially – not in parallel. If two people speak at once, typically one cannot understand either of them. Hearing is made up of disparate pieces of information that we may or may not put together into a larger piece.
Seeing, on the other hand, is done three-dimensionally. We take a snapshot with our eyes and see a multitude of details: color, depth, close-up, far away, straight ahead and peripheral vision. We see many tiny details yet we also integrate them into a big picture.
During the revelation on Har Sinai, God gave us the ability to hear the way we see, the ability to take in a multitude of details through our hearing and make sense of it. This is why we could hear זכור ושמור בדבור אחד - "remember and guard at the same time". On one level we could hear both words being spoken at the same moment; on another level we could assimilate those disparate pieces into the broader concept of Shabbat.
One way of understanding this is likening it to a musical symphony. Each instrument adds to the orchestration and plays a necessary role, yet the overall fusion of the music is what brings the beauty of the notes and the chords to life. There is something magical about the way the different sections blend together to create a sum that is greater than each of its parts. From the lowly triangle to the grand piano, each adds to the acoustic harmony that transcends and fills the air.
The Torah is comprised of many, many details that we hear. There are stories, laws, traditions and chronicles of our history. Moshe is asking us and tasking us to take a step back from all the details and see a bigger picture that will allow us to choose our path forward wisely.
Moshe has spent much time teaching the nation all the details and mitzvot strewn along their path ahead. Now he says: “There is something greater than each individual piece in the Torah! Put all these mitzvot together to see the whole picture so that you may choose your path towards blessing.”
Looking at the Torah as a symphony of mitzvot, what themes do you see?
Do you connect with the emphasis placed on family values?
Are there ethical or moral codes that speak to you?
Perhaps it is the emphasis on community or social justice that pulls you in?
Or maybe the way chessed (acts of kindness) are an integral part of being Jewish?
This Shabbat, let us take a step back from the details and tap into the grand symphony called Torah.
