Podcasts about parashat re

Welcome to Daily Bitachon . We're on our final pasuk of Bikurim quoted in the Haggadah shel Pesach , "ויוציאנו ה׳ ממצרים" . Finally, God took us out of Egypt . "ביד חזקה" – with a strong hand, " בזרוע נטויה" – with an outstretched arm, " במורא גדול" – with great fear, " באותות" – with signs, and " ובמופתים" – with wonders. The Ba'al Haggadah explains " ויוציאנו ה׳ ממצרים ," with a very long description before proving it. He tells us there was no other force—not an angel, not a "fiery" angel, nor a messenger. Rather, it was " הקדוש ברוך הוא בכבודו ובעצמו" – God Himself took us out of Egypt. This refers specifically to Makat Bechorot , as the pasuk says, " And I passed in the land of Mitzrayim on this night, and I hit every firstborn in Mitzrayim , from man to animal, and with all of the gods of Egypt, I judged, Ani Hashem." This pasuk definitely requires explanation and understanding, as we have to remember Yetziat Mitzrayim every single day. God took us out of Egypt at midnight on that night. Why does it say midnight? There is a discussion about when the main Yetziat Mitzrayim was. Was it at night or by day? The reason we say Kriat Shema both at night and during the day is because there was an aspect of Yetziat Mitzrayim both at night and by day. There are two important lessons based on what happened at that moment. As mentioned previously, the Egyptians worshipped the sheep. The reason they worshipped the sheep was because the sheep was called Bechor Lamazalot . It was the firstborn of all the symbols of the horoscope. Sheep, or Aries as it's referred to in Latin, is why the month of Aviv, springtime when we got out, is called Aviv. It's a contraction of two words, " אב י"ב," the father of 12. The ram symbolizes the father, the first of the 12 symbols. Therefore, the Egyptians worshipped the ram and the sheep, due to their belief that this was the mazal that was in charge of the world. Furthermore, they respected the firstborn children because they were also connected to the horoscope of the sheep. The reason for Yetziat Mitzrayim was to take the Jewish people out from under mazal and have us deal directly with Hashem. This originated with Avraham Avinu. When he didn't have any children, God said, " צא החוצה" / " Go outside". Rashi says this meant, "Go out of the horoscope". We are above the horoscope. In order to portray this concept that God is the only force in nature and all other seeming forces do not have independent power, it was God Himself that wiped out the Egyptian gods and showed the world that the Egyptian horoscope symbol had no force. The reason it happened on the 15th of the month is because that is when the moon is fullest, which is the most powerful time. And Chatzot Laila , midnight, is the "power of the power". So at the point when the sheep was most powerful in the month of Nissan, its own month, we were going to bring her to her knees. And that's what happened. We have to always remember Yetziat Mitzrayim . There is a famous Nefesh HaChaim ( Shaar Gimmel, Perek Yud-Bet ), where he cites the Gemara of a certain witch that was trying to cast a spell on Rav Chanina ben Dosa, and he said, "You're wasting your time. אין עוד מלבדו" – " There is nothing else but Him". The Gemara says, "What do you mean? Kishuf / witchcraft, is able to undo things that seemingly are against God's decree!". To which the Gemara says, Rav Chanina ben Dosa had great zechut . The Nefesh HaChaim says that doesn't mean he had a lot of mitzvot . It means he had the clarity that there's nothing else but HaKadosh Baruch Hu , and he realized that this kishuf was created from God, and nothing exists other than God, and everything here comes from God. With that, he was able to undo any kishuf powers. That's the same Rav Chanina ben Dosa who said, "No problem," when his daughter complained that they had no oil to light the candles, only vinegar. "What's the difference? The One that said oil should light, [can also say] vinegar should light". That means it wasn't a miracle for him; he didn't see a difference between oil and vinegar. It was all Hashem. There are many such stories about Rav Chanina ben Dosa. The Nefesh HaChaim applies this to us and says, "This is inyan gadol v'segulah nifla'ah " – A wondrous segulah to remove all judgments and negative wills of others against you, so that they can't affect you, won't impact you, and won't make an indent at all. If a person says in his heart, "I know Hashem is in charge, and He's the only true force, there's nothing else but Him, and everything in the world only comes from Him," and he annuls in his heart a total annulment and does not pay attention to anything else in the world but God's will, and subjugates himself and connects the purity of his thoughts to God, insofar as he does that, God will annul all those negative forces so they can't impact him at all. This is easier said than done. But the point is that this revelation of " אין עוד מלבדו" ) Ein Od Milevado ) happened at the time of Makat Bechorot . It was totally revealed later on at Har Sinai, where it says, " אתה הראת לדעת כי ה׳ הוא האלקים אין עוד מלבדו" . There they actually saw it. God , it says, split open the heavens and showed them that there's nothing in the world but God. But the beginning, so to say, of God showing us this was at Makat Bechorot at Chatzot Laila . Furthermore, the Nefesh HaChaim in Shaar Gimmel, Perek Gimmel , tells us that it says, " ה׳ הוא מקומו של עולם" – " God is the place of the world," and " ואין העולם מקומו" – " and the world doesn't hold Him". One of God's names is Makom , which means that nothing else exists without Him. He's the place ; everything is within Him. It's interesting that the term Makom is used in the Haggadah shel Pesach , possibly more than any other place, when talking about God. ברוך המקום ברוך הוא. ברוך שנתן תורה לעמו ישראל ברוך הוא". "ברוך המקום ". "ועכשיו קרבנו המקום לעבודתו" – " And now the Makom (God) brought us close to His service" . "כמה מעלות טובות למקום עלינו" – " How many great qualities is it to God," referred to as Makom . "על אחת כמה וכמה טובה כפולה ומכופלת למקום עלינו" – four times it says Makom . Because this is the night that we understood this important lesson. Rav Shimshon Pinkus, in his book Tiferet Shimshon on Devarim , in Parashat Re'eh where it says " בנים אתם לה׳", says that's why, heaven forbid, when someone passes away, the custom in many communities is to say, " המקום ינחם אתכם" / God, who is called Makom , should bring you comfort" . But why is the term Makom used here? Because of this concept that God is Mekomo shel Olam , God holds everything , there's nothing there but Him. And therefore, Lo Alenu , with a problem or without a problem, with a parent or without a parent, HaKadosh Baruch Hu is the constant in their lives, and that concept should bring nechama . May we all hear nechamot from all the tzarot that we go through, and have the ultimate revelation of Makom in the future.

Welcome to our new Haggada series. We started with Ha Lachma Ania and the second stanza is כל דכפין ייתי ויכול, כל דצריך ייתי ויפסח let all those who are hungry come and eat, all those who are in need, come and partake That's a strange statement. We're inviting everyone in to eat. It's a nice, open house, if someone gets stuck last minute. But, how real is this? How honest and sincere are we? If someone were to actually knock at your door, would you let them in? If a family comes, will you let them in? The sefer Hochmat Shlomo by Rav Shlomo Kluger, in his commentary on Shulchan Aruch, siman 429, discusses Minhag L'K'not Hitim / the custom of buying wheat to distribute to the poor for Pesach . It's called kimcha D'Pischa , which literally means kemach/flour for Pesach, flour for the Matzot on Pesach. Why is this more relevant to Pesach than Shavuot or Succot? Succot is an expensive holiday. What's special about this holiday? Rav Shlomo Kluger says that on the night of the Seder, we are going to say Ha Lachma Ania, and we're going to invite in all those who are poor, and say anyone that wants to come in can come in, but will we really take them in? If not, it's like we're lying in front of God. Therefore, he says, the rabbis established to give out Maot Hittim. That way, if someone knocks at the door, you say can " Look, I said anyone that's hungry, anyone that's needy, but you shouldn't be hungry and needy. We have a community pot. If you were aware of it, and we gave you the money, and you spent it, then technically you caused it. I'm ready to take in anybody that didn't do it themselves, " so to say. We want to make sure that we're clean, so we give Kimcha D'Pischa so that the statement shouldn't be a false statement, but we have to go a step further. Why don't we make the same statement on Succot and invite everyone into our Succahs? And if we did that, we'd have to say Ha Lachma then as well. So we shifted the question a little further. We have Kimcha D'Pischa , we're raising funds for the wheat because we don't want to make a false statement when we invite the guests. Well, why don't we invite the guests on Succot also? The answer goes a little further. We go to the שער Shaar Hatziyun, also known as the Mishna Berurah Chafetz Chaim, in the same chapter in letter 10. He says, Pesach is special in that is we call it Zman Herut/ A time of freedom . And everybody sits by their table, הוא וביתו ברוב שמחה, he's there with his household full of happiness. אין זה כבוד לה׳, it's a lack of respect to God that His children, the poor, are hungry and thirsty. And therefore we give them flour, not just day by day, but for the כל ימי פסח, all the days of Pesach , enough to last them through the holiday, that he can also tell the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim B'Simcha. This is important. Not only do I want to be happy at the Seder , but it's my responsibility to make others happy as well. It's interesting that the concept of giving the Kimcha D'Pischa/wheat or flour for the poor, is not necessarily a Sedaka concept. It's not about charity, but it has to do with your responsibility to make people happy. And the Rambam in the laws of Yom Tov , chapter 6, Halacha 18, tells us that when you're eating and happy on the holiday, you also have to make the convert, the widow and the orphan happy along with other poor, unprivileged people. He says that if a person doesn't do that, then his simcha is not truly the simcha of a holiday. It's a simcha of his own stomach. So it ends up that in order for your holiday simcha to be a proper simcha , you have to make the poor people happy as well. Thhat's why the Rambam doesn't mention this in the laws of charity. It's in the laws of the holiday. To properly fulfill your holiday and have the true Simchat Chag, you have to make other people happy. That's why the sefer Mishneh Yaavetz says, an explanation why, if you look at Mishna Berurah, letter 6 this concept of קמחא Kimcha D'Pischa, says that even someone that's exempt from other types of charities has to give this charity . Because this is not a charity law, it's a happiness law. Literally one of the first laws, if you go through volume 5 of Mishna Berurah one of the first laws is this law of making sure to give קמחא דפסחא Kimcha D'Pischa. How does one fulfill this? There are different customs. Kemach means flour . Why flour? Why not money? Why not give them actual Matzot ? I saw an explanation once that it's because in those days it was considered normal and respectable to go to the Matzah bakery, like today you have חבורה מצה. Getting a box of finished matzot was not the way respectable people acted. We want to give him his provisions in a respectable fashion and let him go like everyone else (not stand out) and be able to actually bake his own I matzot . Fascinating. With this, we go a step further. What do we fulfill this mitzva with? Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach in sefer Arichat Shlomo Letter 2 in the laws of Nissan says that it's not only food. He says, כל צרכי החג, all needs, including clothing. Why? Because that's what he needs. And again, דרך חרות, if everyone is sitting around the table with their new clothing, shouldn't he also have new clothing? So when it says anything you need , that doesn't just mean, as we said, whoever's hungry, come and eat. כל דצריך, means whoever has needs , Rav Dovid Feinstein ztl says it means, any Pesach need. That means if you need clothing, come now. But what if I don't have any clothing to give? You can give out clothing cards before the holiday? And with that, we switch gears into our annual Lev Chana appeal. We do this every single year at this time of the year, where we reach out to you to give out clothing cards for families in need. The families receive a card that works like a gift card for multiple stores, so they can shop like everybody else. Not, " Oh, we're going to send you some clothing and see if it fits your children." They can be a person and walk into a clothing store like anybody else, shop in dignity and be happy. And as always, we end off with powerful words of רש״י in Parashat Re'eh , where Hashem says, , אם אתה משמח את שלי, אני משמח את שלך/ If you make My children happy, I'll make your children happy. And that's what we're doing. We're selling happiness insurance. If you want to be insured that you're going to have happiness over the holiday. Rav Chaim Pilaggi says he knows many people who spent a lot of money and the house is full of arguments and contention, because they didn't follow this Rashi. So we're giving you that opportunity to buy happiness insurance. It's very easy. You can: Send an email to Rabbisutton@gmail.com with a pledge and I'll bill you, or send a donation via Zelle to Rabbisutton@gmail.com , or go to https://www.rayze.it/levchanazm/ If you're a JCF person, search CON506. Lastly, if you're a person that likes to write checks, you can send a check to Rabbi David Sutton 1059 East 10th Street, Brooklyn, New York, 11230 and make the check out to Lev Chana Tizke Lemitzvot

Parshat Re'eh:  Choosing The Path of Blessing -  Spanish and English.  Yahweh has commanded us to go the way of blessing, but even so, He allows us to choose between blessings and curses. Let us seek Yeshua, who is the way, the truth, and the life.  Recorded August 31, 2024. Parshat Re'eh:   Escogiendo el camino de la bendición -  Español e inglés.  Yahweh nos ha ordenado a ir por el camino de la bendición,  pero aun asi, nos da la oportunidad de escoger las bendicións o la maldiciones. Busquemos a Yeshua que es el camino, la verdad y la vida.  Grabado el 31 de agosto de 2024.

Parashat Re'eh (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17) invites us to redefine wealth not just in terms of material possessions, but as an abundance of spirit. The Torah emphasizes that true riches lie in the generosity, creativity, and compassion we share with the world. The mitzvah of tzedakah (charity) teaches us that our resources, whether time, talent, or treasure, are meant to uplift others. For artists, this is a call to use our creativity as a force for good—to express and expand the beauty, truth, and justice we seek in the world. By sharing our unique gifts, we cultivate a wealth of spirit that transcends the physical and touches the soul. This portion challenges us to see our artistic work as a form of spiritual wealth, one that can inspire, heal, and transform both ourselves and our communities.

Parashat Re'eh

Parsha Talk with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Re'eh [Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17] is the fourth parashah in Deuteronomy. After a few introductory verses, the parashah begins the lengthy section Jeffrey Tigay entitles “The Laws Given in Moab”, which continues through the next few weeks to parashat Ki Tavo, read on September 21. Deuteronomy is perhaps best known for its commandment to centralize the cult in the Temple in Jerusalem, with the concomitant destruction of all the local sanctuaries. This centralization requires the reformulation of the holidays among other spheres of law. We spent some time discussing this, and the commandment to ושמחת, understood as to rejoice or to celebrate. This is the third of the third of the seven weeks of consolation following Tisha B'Av. Each of the haftarot for these seven shabbatot come from the book scholars call Second Isaiah. This week's haftarah [Isaiah 54:11–55:5] includes the verse which is the basis for the midrash which concludes the first talmudic tractate, Berakhot. It is so popular that it concludes other tractates as well. We discuss both the verse and the midrash as well. We continue to be mindful of the hostages and their families, and the men and women who defend Israel as soldiers in the Israel Defense Force. May the hostages be speedily returned to their loved ones; may the soldiers defending Israel be removed from harm's way. Shabbat Shalom..

In Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17 (Parashat Re'eh), we are called to discern between what we need, what we want, and what we can give. Kashrut, the dietary laws, teaches us mindfulness in consumption—urging us to be conscious of our needs and disciplined in our wants. It's a spiritual practice that elevates the act of eating, transforming a basic need into an opportunity for holiness. When we consider poverty, we are reminded that some struggle even to meet their most basic needs. The Torah commands us to open our hands to those in need, highlighting our responsibility to give. This balance—between self-discipline and generosity—is the heart of a just society. As we navigate our desires, let us remember that true fulfillment comes not just from what we acquire but from what we share, creating a community where everyone has enough.

arashat Re'eh concludes with the command to celebrate the festival of Sukkot. The Torah instructs: "You shall rejoice on your festival… For seven days, you shall celebrate for Hashem your G-d…for Hashem your G-d will bless you with all your grain, and in all your endeavors; and you shall only be joyous" (16:14-15). Twice in these verses the Torah appears to command us to rejoice on Sukkot. It first commands, "Ve'samahta Be'hagecha" ("You shall rejoice on your festival"), and then says, "Ve'hayita Ach Samei'ah" ("you shall only be joyous"). What is the meaning of this dual imperative? Rashi brings two interpretations of these verse. First, he suggests, the Torah adds "Ve'hayita Ach Same'ah" not as a command, but rather as a promise. If we properly fulfill the Misva of Simha (rejoicing) on Sukkot, then we will be assured to experience genuine happiness and joy throughout the coming year. Secondly, Rashi cites the Gemara's understanding of the phrase "Ve'hayita Ach Same'ah," as extending this obligation to the eighth day, the day of Shemini Aseret. The Torah first introduces the Misva to rejoice during the seven days of Sukkot, and then adds that we must joyously celebrate also on the eighth day. Rav Meir Simha of Dvinsk, in his Meshech Hochma, suggests a different explanation of "Ve'hayita Ach Same'ah." He notes that in the first verse, the Torah commands celebrating the year's crop, which is gathered into the warehouses around the time of Sukkot – "You shall rejoice…for Hashem your G-d will bless you with all your grain…" The celebration of Sukkot is integrally linked to the harvest, to the farmer's joy upon completing that year's agricultural cycle, having just now brought all his produce into storage for the winter. However, Rav Meir Simha notes, there are some years when no produce is collected. Every seven years, farmers must observe Shemita, refraining from agricultural work for an entire year, and granting all people free access to their fields. At the end of the Shemita year, the farmer does not harvest anything, because he had not worked the fields, and anything that grew was taken by other people. Rav Meir Simha thus suggests that the additional command "Ve'hayita Ach Same'ah" refers to Sukkot after the Shemita year. The Torah emphasizes that even during this year, when there is no harvest to be thankful for, the farmer must still observe a festive Yom Tob, and celebrate his relationship with Hashem. Baruch Hashem, most of us have "filled warehouses" for which to be grateful to Hashem. The vast majority of us have an income, a home, and the ability to purchase all that we need, and much more. But the Torah here teaches us that even when our "warehouses" are not "filled," even in times of financial uncertainty, we can and must still retain our joy. We must be able to celebrate our relationship with Hashem, and the privilege we have to serve Him, under all conditions, even in times of hardship. No matter what we are going through, we can find comfort and joy in the knowledge that we are Hashem's beloved children, and that He has chosen us as His servants. The command "Ve'hayita Ach Same'ah" calls upon us to experience joy in our connection to Hashem at all times and under all circumstances, even during life's more challenging moments.

Parashat Re'eh begins with Moshe Rabbenu making the following pronouncement to Beneh Yisrael : ראה אנוכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה. See that I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse. The commentaries explain that every day, Hashem gives us opportunities. Everything He gives us is another opportunity to serve Him, to do something meaningful, and to attain greatness. Everything our community has been blessed with – its shuls, its schools, its programs, its close-knit nature – is an opportunity for us to do great things. Everything we have in our personal lives, too, is an opportunity. And yes, even the challenges that we face are an opportunity for us to grow by overcoming them and persevering. It is up to us to decide whether to turn everything we have into a ברכה or a קללה – a blessing, or, Heaven forbid, the opposite. Moshe here emphasizes that this opportunity is given to us היום , today, right now. Too often, we think to ourselves that only when such-and-such happens, when such-and-such problem is solved, or when something changes, we will be able to achieve and do what we know what we need to do. Moshe tells us that there is no reason to wait. אנוכי נותן לפניכם היום . Today, right now, whatever is going on in our lives, we have the opportunity to choose ברכה , to take all that Hashem has given us, and turn it into a blessing. I was once talking to friend toward the end of the summer, and I asked him how his summer was going. He lamented that he had been eating too much during the summer, and gained weight. "So what are you going to do about it?" I asked. "I'll go on a diet after the summer," he replied. This is the mistake that so many of us make. We decide to wait. We don't realize that already היום , right now, we can bring ברכה into our lives. We don't have to wait for the end of the summer, or for anything else to happen, to enjoy and take advantage of Hashem's blessings. Already today, no matter what is happening in our lives, we have precious opportunities to grow and achieve. There is also something else worth noting in this opening pasuk . The pasuk begins in the singular form, addressing the individual – ראה – but then immediately transitions to the plural form – לפניכם . The explanation might be that in order to find the opportunity for ברכה today, we need to look as individuals, at our own lives, without being distracted by other people's lives. ראה – we have to look by ourselves, individually. One of the greatest obstacles to capitalizing on our opportunities is a phenomenon known today as "FOMO" – the "fear of missing out." Once upon a time, this was something that teenage girls suffered from. But now, it seems, even adults experience FOMO. We see lots of cars parked near a home, and we right away realize that there's some event going on which we didn't know about – and we feel we're missing something. We hear of things happening, and we right away think we need to join. We're always looking around to see what other people are doing, thinking that we should probably be doing that, too. If we are going to live our best lives, then we need to focus on living *OUR* best lives. We have to be able to block out the noise, to ignore what other people are doing, and to focus our attention on the opportunities that Hashem has given us to shine and excel. We don't have to be doing what others are doing – we need to be doing the things that will make our lives the most meaningful, the most fulfilling, and the most accomplished that they can be.

Parashat Re'eh connects us to the cognitive tools that allow a person to see the picture of reality that leads to success. Mind control is the most important weapon in the 3rd world war we are at the beginning of. What gives us victory and what gives us protection? How do you see the real picture behind the distraction, disruption and confusion created by terrorism? Who produces the most effective terrorism, the armed organizations? Probably not. For a short reading about this Parashah: https://livekabbalah.org/reeh Join our course program: https://livekabbalah.org/live-kabbalah-courses Join our Zoom Program: https://livekabbalah.org/weekly-zohar-tree-of-life-study-live Support our efforts to provide you with more materials, donate to Live Kabbalah: https://livekabbalah.org/donations

We are now in our last pasuk of bitachon that starts with a Vav- Devarim 33,8 וַיִּשְׁכֹּן֩ יִשְׂרָאֵ֨ל בֶּ֤טַח בָּדָד֙ עֵ֣ין יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב The Jewish people will dwell alone just like Yaakov When person is safe and secure, he doesn't need to have other people around אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ דָּגָ֣ן וְתִיר֑וֹשׁ אַף־שָׁמָ֖יו יַ֥עַרְפוּ טָֽל׃ to a land of grain and wine, and the dew will come from heaven. This pasuk is describing beautiful tranquil life. How do you get there and what is the secret called BeTach Badad En Yaakov/The bitachon solitude of Yaakov Avinu? I'd like to share a very nice thought from the Bet Aharon, the original Stoliner Rebbe of Karlin, on Parashat Re'eh from his sefer Bet Aharon . He says that on one hand it says, ‘ Eineh Hashem el Sadikim / The eye s of Hashem are to the righteous .' But then it says, ‘ En Hashem al Yereav/The Eye of Hashem is on those that fear Him .' Regarding Yaakov it says One eye , and also, Bet Porat Yosef, Ben Porat Aleh Eyin Why one eye here, two eyes there? He answers that this world has good and bad, represented by the two eyes. You can look at it two ways. But really, everything comes from Above- from the good, from the right side, which represents the good. Each of the Avot had a Middah. Avraham Avinu's is Hessed/kindness, where everything looks good. Then we have the Middat HaDin of justice , strict justice, which is Yitzhak Avinu's Middah, and seems to look only bad. And then we have Yaakov Avinu who's in the middle. He puts it all together and sees everything in the proper, harmonious way. We can't only have good because only good really isn't good. We need the bad, or we can say, the justice to temper the good. Yaakov Avinu works everything out. That's what the eye of Yaakov means. It's really like the Eyin Tova , the good way of looking at things . That's what Eineh Hashem Al Sadikim means. God gave us two eyes. He gave us the ability to look at things in two ways. But our goal is to turn everything around and see that everything is really coming from the right side. That's the bitachon outlook- to able to see and understand everything is ultimately for the good. That's what Yaakov Avinu did. That was his greatness. We say, “ The God of Yaakov should save us.” Because Yaakov Avinu was the one that went through the most trouble, and he was the one that saw everything for the good. He was the one that confessed at the end of his life, “ I made one mistake when I said, ‘Why did you do bad to me? Why did you tell Yosef about another brother to bring down to Mitzrayim? Why'd you do bad for me?'” The Midrash says that was the only thing Yaakov Avinu ever said that was out of place, in his life. God says, “ I'm preparing your son to be the leader in Mitzrayim, and you're saying, ‘Why did I do bad to you? Yaakov Avinu was held accountable on that level because he was able to see everything for the good. He understood that everything is good. He understood that when he wants one wife and it turns to four wives, it's good. It brings him his 12 tribes. Yaakov Avinu is the power to be able to see everything the right way. It's interesting that what is said when you bring the Bikurim is the reading that we say on Pesach. We go back to Yaakov Avinu and say “ Arami Oved Ami, ” Lavan tried to destroy Yaakov, but Yaakov Avinu came out stronger- Four wives…12 children... wealth. We say that at the Bikurim reading because as the man is standing there with his basket, not everyone's so successful. Not everyone had a good year. And yet the Torah commands us, You have to be happy with all the good. That's why we bring in Yaakov Avinu- because he's the one that gave us the ability to look back and see everything was good. Rav Matityahu Salomon says that at the end of Yaakov Avinu's life, he says, “ Elohim HaRoeh Oti/ God (of judgement) was my Shepherd. And the word רעה Ro'eh is written without a Vav, like רעה /evil, to indicate, “ God, that I thought was being just and evil with me, I see was only being my Shepherd at all times. ” We say Shema Yisrael , not Shema Avraham or Shema Yitzhak , because that ability to see there's only one eye, there's one good, that's the Ein Yaakov , the one eye of Yaakov, that sees everything for the good, that flips everything around. The Zohar says something very powerful. There are two words that are ultimate opposites but have the same letters. Nega / נגע which is leprosy, the worst possible disease , and Oneg ענג which is the greatest possible delight . They have the same letters. The difference is that נגע Nega has the ע Eyin at the end and ענג has the ע Eyin at the beginning. And when the Torah is describing the, Tzara'at/leporosy, it says (Vayikra 13, 55) וְ֠הִנֵּ֠ה לֹֽא־הָפַ֨ךְ הַנֶּ֤גַע אֶת־עֵינוֹ֙ / The disease did not change the way it looks ,” but the Chiddushei Harim, quoted in his sefer Imre Shamai, reads it as The נגע nega didn't move its ע Eyin. If it would've taken the ע Eyin from the end of נגע Nega and put it the beginning, it would've spelled ענג Oneg . So you have to flip it and put the Eyin in the right place. That's what we're saying here. You could have Oneg and Nega total opposites, but if you have the right Eyin / eye , the right way to look at it, you could took take Nega / Leprosy, the worst disease and turn it into the greatest of pleasures. If you just look at it right. Nachum Ish Gamzu used to say Gam Zu LeTovah/This too is for the best, because he looked at it right . He turned it around. That's the En Yaakov/ the Eye of Yaakov. It's the Eye of Bitachon. Yaakov symbolizes bitachon. Have a wonderful.

The Torah in Parashat Vayelech (Debarim 31:12) commands that the entire nation – men, women and children – must assemble in Jerusalem for a special ceremony, called “Hakhel” (“assemble”), every seven years. This ceremony, which featured the public reading of certain sections of the Torah by the king, would take place after the conclusion of the Shemita year, on the first day of Hol Ha'moed Sukkot. The Gemara in Masechet Kiddushin (34) comments that as Hakhel constitutes a Misvat Aseh She'ha'zman Gerama – an affirmative command which applies at a particular time – it should, in principle, apply only to men. As a general rule, women are exempt from these kinds of Misvot. However, Hakhel marks an exception to this rule, as the Torah explicitly commands assembling the men, women and children. In explaining the reason behind this Misva, the Sefer Ha'hinuch writes that the entire essence of the Jewish Nation lies in the Torah. It is the Torah that distinguishes us from all other peoples. Other nations perform acts of kindness, and have houses of prayer, but the Torah is unique to Am Yisrael. And, it is the Torah that enables us to earn eternal life and the unprecedented delights of the next world. Therefore, the Sefer Ha'hinuch explains, it is worthwhile for the nation to come together at certain times in order to reaffirm its identity, to be reminded that the core essence of Am Yisrael is our commitment to the Torah. Once in seven years, a major assembly is held, and everybody will know that this assembly is being held for the purpose of conducting a public Torah reading. This will leave a profound impression on the people, reminding them of the primary importance of Torah in our lives. This awareness will arouse within the people a fierce desire to learn the Torah, and as a result of this desire, they will commit to learn the Torah intensively, thus becoming worthy of Hashem's blessings. The king would read the Torah at Hakhel in the Ezrat Nashim section of the courtyard of the Bet Ha'mikdash. He was permitted to read the Torah while sitting, though he was deemed praiseworthy if he stood for the reading. He would read from the beginning of the Book of Debarim through the first paragraph of Shema, in Parashat Va'et'hanan, and then skip to the second paragraph of Shema, in Parashat Ekeb. He would then read from the section of “Aser Te'aser” in Parashat Re'eh through the end of the sections of the blessings and curses. Trumpets would be sounded throughout the city of Jerusalem announcing the event of Hakhel, and a large wooden stage would be erected in the middle of the Ezrat Nashim. The king would step up onto the stage, where he would be visible to the entire crowd, and everyone would assemble around the stage. The Sefer Torah would be passed around the nation's leaders (from the “Hazan Ha'kenesset,” to the “Rosh Ha'kenesset,” to the deputy Kohen Gadol, and then to the Kohen Gadol), until it was finally handed to the king. This was done as an expression of honor for the king. The king opens the Sefer Torah, recites the Berachot, and reads the aforementioned sections. After the reading, he recites seven additional Berachot. A man or woman who was able to attend Hakhel and failed to do so, or a king who refuses to read the Torah at Hakhel, transgresses this affirmative command. The Sefer Ha'hinuch writes that those who neglect this Misva are liable to grave punishment, because Hakhel constitutes a “strong pillar” that upholds our religion, and thus failing to fulfill this Misva threatens the perpetuation of our faith. The Misva of Hakhel, as mentioned, is linked to the Misva of Shemita, as it is conducted during Sukkot after the conclusion of the Shemita year. As such, it applies only when the Misva of Shemita applies, meaning, when the majority of the Jewish Nation resides in the Land of Israel. A number of writers raised the question of why the Sages did not enact any commemoration of the Misva of Hakhel. Many other laws that apply during times of the Bet Ha'mikdash are required even nowadays, at least in some form, in commemoration of the Misva that was observed in the times of the Bet Ha'mikdash. Hakhel is an exception, as the Sages did not require any form of ceremony for us to conduct to commemorate this Misva. The Aderet (Rav Eliyahu David Rabinowitz-Teomim, 1845-1905) suggested that the Rabbis instituted commemorations for Misvot that applied during the times of both the first and second Bateh Mikdash. The Misva of Hakhel, however, requires a king, and thus it was not observed in the latter part of the Second Commonwealth, after the Jews lost sovereignty and they did not have a king. Therefore, the Sages did not enact a commemoration of Hakhel. Another explanation is that the custom observed in some communities to remain awake on the last night of Sukkot (Hoshana Rabba) reading the Book of Debarim commemorates Hakhel, the king's reading of Debarim during Sukkot. Yet a third theory is that the custom of “Hatan Torah,” calling a distinguished member of the congregation for the reading of the final section of the Torah on Simhat Torah, commemorates Hakhel. We might add that in a certain sense, the concept of Hakhel is commemorated each and every Shabbat, when Jews congregate in the synagogue and hear the Torah reading and the Rabbi's speech. Like during Hakhel, a large assembly gathers for the purpose of hearing and learning Torah, which reinforces our appreciation of the importance of Torah, and its centrality in our lives. The children see the tumult and excitement, as everyone has come together in the synagogue, and they understand that all this is done for the purpose of learning the Torah. They thus grow up recognizing and appreciating the singular significance of Torah, which is the core essence of Jewish identity.

Featuring:Rabbi Avraham HayounBrooklyn, NY Rabbi Avraham Hayoun shares some really powerful thoughts on this weeks Parashat Re'eh.Thank you Rabbi Hayoun for taking the time to carry us through the week! Shabbat Shalom!Show less

Parashat Re'eh 2023Living within Your MeansKosher and Self-DisciplineCharity Refreshing Your SoulThanks for listening! Please subscribe to the podcast and the YouTube channel for more content:https://www.youtube.com/@adamstorah

Parashat Re'eh:  Blessings and Curses  -  English and Spanish.   Recorded August 12, 2023. Parashat Re'eh:  Bendiciones y Maldiciones - Inglés y Español.   Grabado el 12 de agosto de 2023.

This week we discuss two pivotal Psukim (verses) where Moshe eloquently articulates our nation's mission statement - בנים אתם לה׳ אלוקיכם... כי בך בחר ה׳ להיות לו לעם סגולה - we are defined as the chosen sons of Hashem, entrusted with a unique purpose in the world. Strikingly, our mission statement is linked to commandments that may initially appear unrelated. Very unrelated! As Moshe articulates our mission, he intriguingly associates it with specific commandments pertaining to the practices of refraining from deep scratching and shaving hair during mourning for the deceased. This initial connection may perplex, as these commandments seem distant from the core essence of a nation's purpose. Join us in exploring the depths of this connection! Uncover the hidden wisdom behind Moshe's coupling of these apparently disparate commandments with our overarching mission statement! Dive with us into the Hebrew language the Torah uses, as understanding the Hebrew reveals an incredibly deep meaning & understanding in these commandments - in our mission as a nation - and for our daily lives today!

Recording Available Via Telephone Dial: (605) 475-4799 | Access ID: 840886# | Reference #: 2203 The pasuk says in this week's parasha Re'eh, עשר תעשר, which the Gemara explains to mean, give ten percent of your earnings to charity and you will become wealthy. Although the pasuk is speaking to a landowner giving ten percent of his crops to charity, Tosafot bring from the Sifreh that the same applies to a businessman giving ten percent of his earnings. The Tur writes in Yoreh De'ah, siman 247, it has been tried and tested, when a person gives tzedaka, he does not lose, rather the opposite happens, he gains wealth and honor from it. Furthermore, it nullifies harsh decrees and saves the person from death. The Rama is posek that giving tzedaka brings a person wealth and this is the only area in which a person is allowed to tell Hashem he is waiting to see the fruits of his labor. The Chafetz Chaim in his sefer Ahavat Chesed writes the halacha is like this Rama. As with all mitzvot, there are exact details on how to perform them and in order to reap their full rewards, they must be done correctly, and therefore, a person must learn all of the halachot of giving maaser to ensure that he is doing it correctly to reap its benefits A woman once sent a question to the Imreh Emet regarding maaser. She wrote, my husband makes a minimal parnasa and he is still careful to separate maaser. That maaser, however, comes at the expense of us being able to buy shoes and clothing for our children. Is my husband still obligated to give maaser under those circumstances? The Rebbe replied, when one gives maaser, he must give it with an open heart and when he knows that the money going to tzedaka is not really his, it's much easier to give it with joy. Strictly speaking, you are not obligated to give but there is a segula if you give with an open and happy heart, with a true desire to give, then you fulfill what it says in the pasuk ‘let your heart not feel bad when you give' and that pasuk continues and says, because of that type of giving, Hashem will bless you in all of your deeds and in every undertaking. We see from here, one of the requirements to merit the blessing is to give with a happy heart. Moreover, if we do find somebody giving maaser and not becoming wealthy, there is for sure a great reason that we are not capable of understanding at this point. But we must trust that Hashem is doing it for the absolute best of the person giving. A wealthy man who started becoming careful in giving maaser began losing his wealth at the same time. He went to Rav Eliashiv, z”l, asking how such a thing could happen. The Rabbi replied, it seems that some of your money was earned in a non-kosher way. So long as you were not giving maaser, you did not have the zechut to become cleansed from that severe sin. But now that you began giving, you have become worthy. Hashem is now giving you kapara for all the dishonesty you had in business and that is the greatest chesed He could possibly do for you. Giving tzedaka is wondrous. It benefits us in both worlds. Let us not only give, but give with a happy heart. Shabbat Shalom.

We've all seen televangelists captivate the world with apparently supernatural abilities. Signs & wonders, miraculous healings or physical manifestations that defy human reasoning. Prophetic utterances that come to pass just as they were spoken. Aren't all of these signs of a true prophet? Maybe… or maybe not. Let's take a look at this concept together in this week's 5 Minute Torah.

Inleiding op parasha Re'eh, Deut.11:26 – 16:17, Johannes 4:4-30 en Jesaja 66.Waar zou dan het huis zijn, dat gij Mij zoudt bouwen, en waar de plaats mijner rust? Met die vraag vangt Jesaja 66 aan. In het parasha-gedeelte wordt 16 keer genoemd dat: De plaats, die JaHWeH, uw Godverkiezen zal, uit het gebied van al uw stammen, om daar zijn naam te vestigen, om daar te wonen, die zult gij zoeken en daarheen zult gij gaan. Op de plaats die de HEERE verkoos moest een altaar gebouwd worden van onbewerkte stenen om daarop de brand- en slachtoffers te brengen. Op diverse manieren maakte de Heilige Israëls duidelijk op welke plaats Hij woning wilde maken. Keer op keer moest Hij Zijn eigen huis verlaten vanwege de afgoderij van Zijn volk. Aan hen die daarover konden treuren beloofde Hij vertroosting en herstel, want nog zal Hij Jeruzalem verkiezen om daar te verblijven. Daarom zei Jesjoea zalig de treurenden want zij zullen vertroost worden. Jeruzalem is niet de enige plaats, overal waar men Hem aanbidt in Geest en in waarheid, daar zal Hij wonen. 1 Korintiërs in 6:19 Weet gij niet, dat uw lichaam een tempel is van de Heilige Geest, die in u woont, die gij van God ontvangen hebt, en dat gij niet van uzelf zijt? In wezen zei de Heilige Israëls dat al in Jesaja 57:15: “In den hoge en in het heilige woon Ik en bij de verbrijzelde en nederige van geest, om de geest der nederigen en het hart der verbrijzelden te doen opleven”. Naar de woorden van Psalm 51 “de offeranden Gods zijn een gebroken geest en een verbrijzeld hart” daarmee bouwt Hij de muren van Jeruzalem. Robert Berns, 12-08-2023Support the show

Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. Our Thursday sessions are hosted by Mishkan's Founding Rabbi, Lizzi Heydemann. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.In our August 10th  session, Rabbi Lizzi led us through Parashat Re'eh meditating on the theme of choice. The opening song in this episode was "Wonder / Asher Yatzar" by Rabbi Josh Warshawsky. ****For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.Transcript

Parashat Re'eh begins with Moshe telling Beneh Yisrael, “See that I am presenting you today with a blessing and a curse.” He then proceeds to explain that the people will earn G-d's blessings by fulfilling His commands, and they will be subject to the opposite, Heaven forbid, if they disobey. The Or Ha'haim Ha'kadosh (Rav Haim Ben-Attar, 1696-1743) raises a number of questions regarding this verse. First, he asks why Moshe begins his address with the word “Re'eh” – “See,” instead of telling the people to “listen” to what he was telling them. Secondly, Moshe here uses the word “Anochi” for “I,” instead of the more common word, “Ani.” Normally, the word “Anochi” is used to emphasize exclusion, as though saying, “Specifically I,” or, “I and nobody else.” Why would Moshe use the word “Anochi” in this context? The Or Ha'haim answers that when a person seeks to urge his audience to choose spiritual engagement over indulgence in physical and material pleasures, they will not likely pay attention to him unless he is familiar with both the delights of spiritual achievement, as well as physical enjoyments. It is not enough for him to have acquired spiritual excellence; he must also have experienced worldly delights, so that he can confidently tell his audience that the joy of spiritual engagement exceeds that of worldly pleasures. Otherwise, they will dismiss his words of admonition, claiming that he urges them to forego worldly delights for the sake of spirituality only because he has not had opportunities to indulge in worldly pleasures. Moshe therefore begins his address to the people by telling them to “see” that it is he, Moshe, who is urging them to choose the blessing of spirituality over the curse of exclusive focus on worldly delights. Moshe enjoyed honor, prestige and wealth – but also unparalleled spiritual greatness, even spending forty days and nights atop Mount Sinai without food or water, receiving the Torah. He was well acquainted with both realms – the physical and the spiritual – and so he, more than anybody else, could be trusted to tell us which of the two realms we should choose. The Or Ha'haim adds that this explanation of the verse also answers a third question – why Moshe here uses the singular form, “Re'eh,” even though he was addressing the entire nation. Normally, the Or Ha'haim writes, when somebody speaks to a large audience, each person understands the presenter's words in a different way, or comes away with a different perspective on the words that were spoken. Sometimes, however, the speaker presents an idea so clearly, compellingly and effectively, that there is only one way to understand his words, and everybody walks away with the same message. Moshe's point in this verse was perfectly clear – that he, more than anybody else whoever lived, was in a position to urge us to choose spirituality over excessive indulgence in worldly delights. This message was so compelling that all the people heard and understood it the precise same way. And so Moshe says to them, “Re'eh” – as though they were seeing this message as a single individual. We might find it difficult to sacrifice convenience and comfort for the sake of Torah study, prayer, and Misva observance. The benefits of the physical and material world are clear and obvious, whereas the benefits of Torah and Misvot are not readily discernible. But we must remember that we can take Moshe Rabbenu's word for it. We can trust him that there is no greater or more precious privilege than devoting ourselves to the service of our Creator. The sacrifice of our time, money and convenience for learning and Misvot is well worth it, because the blessings we stand to gain by committing ourselves to Hashem far exceed any benefits that the physical world can possibly offer us.

Parsha Talk, with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Barry Chesler and Jeremy Kalmanofsky. Parashat Re'eh [Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17] is a family favorite because it was the parashah for both my daughters' synagogue Bat Mitzvahs [albeit 11 years apart; they each also celebrated a camp Bat Mitzvah the year before]. Re'eh, like every other amazing parashah, is chock full of good conversation material. There is the opening scene, setting before the people a blessing and a curse, the beginning of the Deuteornomic core of laws, which goes through 26:15, including the discussion of the false prophet, the dietary laws, the sabbatical year, and the holidays, among other things. I am always surprised that the half hour passes so quickly when so much is left unsaid. But there is always next year! Shabbat Shalom!!

Parashat Re'eh begins with Moshe Rabbenu telling the people, ראה אנוכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה – “See that I give you this day a blessing and a curse.” He then explains that if we follow the mitzvot , we earn blessing, and if we don't, then we receive the opposite, G-d forbid. The Kedushat Levi raises the question of why Moshe first says he is presenting ברכה וקללה , a blessing and a curse, and then goes back to explain the ברכה and the קללה . Seemingly, it would have made more sense for him to say, “I am presenting to you a ברכה , if you follow the mitzvot , and a קללה if you do not.” Why was it important for Moshe to first mention the words ברכה and קללה together? The Gemara (Berachot 40a) says that human beings have the quality of כלי ריקן מחזיק מלא אינו מחזיק – “an empty vessel contains, a full vessel cannot contain.” Meaning, if a utensil is full, it cannot contain anymore, but if it is empty, more can be added to it. The Noam Elimelech explains what this means that how this applies to people. We can be “filled,” we can grow, only if we recognize that we are “empty,” that we are incomplete, that we have a lot more to learn and we have much to improve. If a person feels he is מלא , that he is already complete, that he is already the person he is supposed to be, then אינו מחזיק – he cannot be “filled” anymore, he will never grow. We can grow and change only when we recognize that we need to grow and change. So many have us have bad habits that we know we should change, but we don't. People have bad eating habits, bad sleeping habits, and so on. We tell ourselves that we need to change, but we don't, because we've managed ok until now. A person knows he goes to sleep too late, but then he stays up late again because he got through that day, and the day before, and the day before, despite going to sleep late, so he'll get through tomorrow, too. Sadly, this is why people fall into addictions. They know they need to stop, but they see that they've managed somehow despite the addiction, so they continue. When does an addict realize he needs help, that he can't continue? When he hits rock bottom. When his wife threatens to leave him, when he loses his job, when his life is about to unravel. Failure can be the greatest blessing, because it is a powerful motivator to change. When a person fails, he becomes a כלי ריקן , an empty vessel, which can be filled. Failure facilitates growth like nothing else. So often, it is specifically when a person fails miserably that he begins the road that leads to greatness and success. This is why Moshe Rabbenu told the people, אנוכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה – that he is presenting with them “with a blessing and a curse,” together. Because very often, they are one and the same – the curse turns out to be a blessing. When we experience a קללה , when we fail terribly, we recognize our “emptiness,” and this recognition allows the growth process to begin, bringing us the ברכה . Let us all have the strength, the courage, the honesty and the humility to acknowledge our “emptiness,” to realize that we need to change, and to then make those changes. Let us not wait until we hit rock bottom. If there's any area in our lives that we know requires fixing – let's pick ourselves and get to work fixing it, so that our lives will be filled with ברכה in every way.

Re'eh | Banim Atem - Why Here, Why Now? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The turning point in Parashat Re'eh is at the beginning of Chapter 14. Having completed the presentation of Mitzvot related to idolatry and the special place where "Hashem will choose to cause His Name to reside," Mosheh's speech turns to issues of ritual sanctity, including a prohibition against cutting oneself as a funerary act. This prohibition is introduced with a declaration that "You are children of Hashem, your God." The connection between this powerful statement and the prohibitions which ensure is explored. Five different approaches suggested by the Rishonim are presented, followed by a sixth... What is the immediate implication of the address "You are children of Hashem your God" (בנים אתם לה' אלקיכם) which bisects Parashat Re'eh?  Source sheet >>

To follow along with this study, visit: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/503845.1?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Re'eh, Reeh, R'eih, or Ree (רְאֵה‎—Hebrew for "see", the first word in the parashah) is the 47th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה‎, parashah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the fourth in the Book of Deuteronomy. It comprises Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17. In the parashah, Moses set before the Israelites the choice between blessings and curses. Moses instructed the Israelites in laws that they were to observe, including the law of a single centralized place of worship. Moses warned against following other gods and their prophets and set forth the laws of kashrut, tithes, the Sabbatical year, the Hebrew slave, firstborn animals, and the Three Pilgrim Festivals (Shalosh Regalim). The parashah is the longest weekly Torah portion in the Book of Deuteronomy (although not in the Torah),[1] and is made up of 7,442 Hebrew letters, 1,932 Hebrew words, 126 verses, and 258 lines in a Torah Scroll (Sefer Torah). Jews generally read it in August or early September. To support Eliyahu Jian's work, visit https://vitaltransformation.org/donate To join the online community, visit https://vitaltransformation.org Follow Eliyahu Jian: • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eliyahujianofficial/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/eliyahujian • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eliyahujian Follow Vital Transformation: • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vital_transformation/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/TransformVital • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vitaltransformation.org

Parsha Talk: with Rabbis Eliot Malomet, Jeremy Kalmanofsky and Barry Chsler. Parashat Re'eh [Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17] is the beginning of the legislative core of Deuteronomy, which will extend over the next few weeks until the beginning of Parashat Ki Tavo [read this year on September 17]. One might look at it as the foundation of Israelite religious life, with laws calling for the centralization of cultic life “to the site that the Lord your God will choose” [12:5], the dietary laws [ch. 14], צדקה (charity) [ch. 15], and holidays [ch. 16]. We spent a lot of time talking about the centralization of the cult: what did it mean for our ancestors in ancient Israel, and in what ways it might be applicable or desirable today. This did not leave a lot of time to discuss other things, but there is always next year! Comments, questions, and criticisms may be directed to parshatalk@gmail.com. Shabbat Shalom!

** This week's Parasha dedicated L'iluy Nishmat Natan ben Shoshana ** In the Haftara for Parashat Re'eh – the third of the special Haftarot of comfort and consolation – the prophet Yeshayahu (54:17) promises Beneh Yisrael, "Every instrument that will be created to oppose you will not succeed, and every tongue that arises against you in court – you shall expose as evil." Although our enemies persistently lie and spread false accusations against us, we are promised that in the end, we will prevail over our adversaries, and their falsehoods will be exposed. This verse is cited in a passage in the Midrash (Bereshit Rabba 32:10) which tells the fascinating story of Rabbi Yonatan, who was traveling to Jerusalem to pray. Along his journey, he met a Samaritan – a follower of a sect which regards Mount Gerizim in the Samaria region as a sacred site, instead of Jerusalem. The Samaritan asked Rabbi Yonatan where he was headed, and he replied that he was traveling to Jerusalem to pray. The Samaritan argued that Rabbi Yonatan should pray on Mount Gerizim, which, he claimed, was a more sacred site than the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. He proved his contention by stating that during the flood in the times of Noah, the floodwaters didn't cover Mount Gerizim. Rabbi Yonatan had no response to this Samaritan's argument. Then Rabbi Yonatan's donkey rider requested permission to speak and respond to the Samaritan. He pointed to the verse in Parashat Noah (Bereshit 7:19) which tells that "all the high mountains" were covered by the floodwaters – thus disproving the Samaritan's claim. Rabbi Yonatan promptly switched positions with the rider, and had him sit on the donkey as he walked in front, showing him respect. He then proceeded to cite a number of verses relevant to this episode, one of which is the aforementioned verse from Yeshayahu's prophecy: "…and every tongue that arises against you in court – you shall expose as evil." The rider's response to the Samaritan's argument represented the fulfillment of this prophecy – that all arguments which will be brought to challenge our faith will ultimately be refuted and proven wrong. Even the simple, unlearned drivers will be able to refute these arguments. This story should serve to bolster our faith and conviction, reminding us that although there are people who challenge and ridicule our beliefs and lifestyle, these challenges will never succeed, and authentic Torah Judaism will always prevail. But additionally, Rav Avraham Pam (1913-2001) noted that we have much to learn from Rabbi Yonatan's reaction to his driver, which serves as a beautiful example of the Mishna's famous teaching, "Who is wise? He who learns from all people" (Abot 4:1). Although he was an outstanding scholar, Rabbi Yonatan showed respect to a simple, ignorant donkey rider because of a single verse which he – Rabbi Yonatan – had forgotten and the rider recalled for him. True passion for Torah means relishing each and every piece of Torah knowledge, every insight and every thought, regardless of from whom it was heard. Rabbi Yonatan had such respect for this driver because he understood the great value of each and every word of Torah, such that the driver deserved respect for recalling a verse from the Torah. Rav Pam observed that there have been many Torah scholars who did not have an exceptional memory, but they attained vast amounts of knowledge because of their thirst and desire for knowledge. They cherished each and every word of Torah, and so they remembered each and every word they learned. When we truly love something, we never forget it; and so if we truly love Torah, we will remember what we learn. It is told that once, while Rav Mordechai Gifter (1915-2001) was delivering a class in his yeshiva – the Telz Yeshiva in Cleveland – he arrived at a new insight, a new way to explain a certain Halacha. He was so overjoyed that he had all the students stand up and dance with him in the Bet Midrash. Rav Gifter became the outstanding scholar that he became because of this love and passion for each and every word of Torah. When somebody erupts in joyous dancing over a new insight, he never forgets what he learns. Let us appreciate the sanctity and inestimable value of each and every word of Torah, so that the passion for learning will fuel our lifelong quest to acquire Torah's knowledge and a thorough understanding of its eternal teachings.

Parashat Re'eh begins: ראה אנוכי נותן לפניכם היום, ברכה וקללה – “Behold, I am presenting before you today a blessing and a curse.” Moshe Rabbenu proceeds to explain to the people that they have the choice between two paths – the path of mitzvah observance, which brings blessing, and the path of disobeying the Torah, which brings the opposite. The Sifri makes what I believe to be a crucially important comment about these two paths. It gives an analogy to a man who is traveling and reaches a fork in the road. He must choose between two routes. The first is full of thorny branches at the beginning, but clear and smooth at the end, while the other is clear in the beginning, but full of thorns at the end. This analogy is relevant to virtually anything good in life. When it comes to anything valuable which we want to achieve, we have this choice to make – to take the easy route, which leads to hardship, or to struggle and work hard, and then enjoy the great benefits that our hard work yields. If a young person who is just starting out takes an easy job, he might enjoy the comfort of not having to work hard, but he will later suffer the consequences of not having built a career. However, if he begins with a difficult job, which requires long hours and probably doesn't pay very much, he will walk through “thorns” for a while, but he treads along a path that ultimately leads to success. When a couple first gets married, they can choose the easy way – doing whatever they want, saying whatever they want, and ignoring the other's needs. But then the marriage becomes full of “thorns.” If they put in the hard work to be attentive, flexible, compromising and sensitive to each other, then they will later enjoy the unparalleled benefits of a beautiful marriage. Many alcoholics and drug addicts start out happy. It's a fun and exciting life, filled with parties, laughter, and good times – until they reach the “thorns,” and their lives are in shambles. Torah life is just the opposite. Yes, it has its “thorns.” It can feel restrictive having to observe Shabbat every week, to keep a kosher kitchen, to eat only at kosher restaurants, and to maintain the prayer schedule. But ask anyone who has been doing it for many years, and they'll tell you that they would never give it up. People who observe Shabbat love it. They see it as the greatest and most precious gift. Yes, there are “thorns,” it can be complicated and difficult – but when we get past the “thorns,” we reach the beautiful experience of Shabbat. It is important not to be misled by the “clear” and “thorny” paths that we see in front of us. Even if the path of Torah appears “thorny,” we need to remember that the path is beautiful at the end – and this is the path which we want to follow.

Parashat Re'eh Agosto 27 2022

The pasuk says in this week's parasha Re'eh , עשר תעשר , which the Gemara explains to mean, give ten percent of your earnings to charity and you will become wealthy. Although the pasuk is speaking to a landowner giving ten percent of his crops to charity, Tosafot bring from the Sifreh that the same applies to a businessman giving ten percent of his earnings. The Tur writes in Yoreh De'ah , siman 247, it has been tried and tested, when a person gives tzedaka , he does not lose, rather the opposite happens, he gains wealth and honor from it. Furthermore, it nullifies harsh decrees and saves the person from death. The Rama is posek that giving tzedaka brings a person wealth and this is the only area in which a person is allowed to tell Hashem he is waiting to see the fruits of his labor. The Chafetz Chaim in his sefer Ahavat Chesed writes the halacha is like this Rama . As with all mitzvot , there are exact details on how to perform them and in order to reap their full rewards, they must be done correctly, and therefore, a person must learn all of the halachot of giving maaser to ensure that he is doing it correctly to reap its benefits A woman once sent a question to the Imreh Emet regarding maaser . She wrote, my husband makes a minimal parnasa and he is still careful to separate maaser . That maaser , however, comes at the expense of us being able to buy shoes and clothing for our children. Is my husband still obligated to give maaser under those circumstances? The Rebbe replied, when one gives maaser , he must give it with an open heart and when he knows that the money going to tzedaka is not really his, it's much easier to give it with joy. Strictly speaking, you are not obligated to give but there is a segula if you give with an open and happy heart, with a true desire to give, then you fulfill what it says in the pasuk ‘let your heart not feel bad when you give' and that pasuk continues and says, because of that type of giving, Hashem will bless you in all of your deeds and in every undertaking. We see from here, one of the requirements to merit the blessing is to give with a happy heart. Moreover, if we do find somebody giving maaser and not becoming wealthy, there is for sure a great reason that we are not capable of understanding at this point. But we must trust that Hashem is doing it for the absolute best of the person giving. A wealthy man who started becoming careful in giving maaser began losing his wealth at the same time. He went to Rav Eliashiv, z”l , asking how such a thing could happen. The Rabbi replied, it seems that some of your money was earned in a non-kosher way. So long as you were not giving maaser , you did not have the zechut to become cleansed from that severe sin. But now that you began giving, you have become worthy. Hashem is now giving you kapara for all the dishonesty you had in business and that is the greatest chesed He could possibly do for you. Giving tzedaka is wondrous. It benefits us in both worlds. Let us not only give, but give with a happy heart. Shabbat Shalom.

"...Anyone who says they are a prophet with further instructions from God is to be treated as a liar and put to death, no matter how many tricks they perform." Magicians — you're on notice. Produced by Mishkan Chicago.  Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss. See our upcoming Shabbat services and programs here, and follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates. Check out Shabbat Replay on Contact Chai for more from Rabbi Deena.Transcript

Sermon by Rabbi Dan Ross, "Parashat Re'eh: A Blessing for Y'all"August 26, 2022

Valerie and Shoshana (and cat Sumi) discuss both the Netflix and Hulu documentaries featuring Billy McFarland and Fyre Festival in comparison with Parashat Re'eh. Don't worry, they don't think Moshe scammed us... Or do they? Also, Valerie weighs in on festival experiences in general and Shoshana claims that Glee created COVID to avoid a plot hole.

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The connection between Rosh Hodesh Elul and Parashat Re'ehHearing the eternal sounds of the shofar. Support the show

Parashat Re'eh speaks of “desire” multiple times. From a religious perspective, we often think of desire in terms of how we may control it, or even completely suppress it. But actually religious life without desire is flat and one-dimensional. Ultimately, the richness and depth of our religious experience hinges on appreciating, valuing, and even cultivating desire.In Parashat Re'eh, we can trace an approach that embraces human craving and desire as a powerful mechanism to fully live a life of mitzvot, meaning and integrity.

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Parashat Re'eh - Jerusalem Lights Podcast # 130: Lost Generation This week's Torah portion of parashat Re'eh calls upon Israel to develop a deep sensitivity to all of creation. But what about the Divine image of man and woman in which we were all created? What about the Creator's purpose for humanity? This week's Jerusalem Lights podcast examines our generation's unprecedented obsession with Gender Dysphoria and the growing demand for gender reassignment surgery…even for little children. What is a Torah perspective, and a proper Torah response? _ Rabbi Chaim Richman Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow: Paypal: infojerusalemlights@gmail.com or: https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc... In the USA: Jerusalem Lights Inc. Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490 In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395 Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com

In this week’s Pardes Parsha Podcast, Aviva Lauer joins Rabbi Michael Hattin to discuss parashat Re’eh. As the people of Israel prepare for their entry into the land of Israel, Moses teaches them that God will choose the place for … Read the rest The post Parashat Re'eh: The Place that Good Will Choose first appeared on Elmad Online Learning. Continue reading Parashat Re’eh: The Place that Good Will Choose at Elmad Online Learning.

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The Misva of Birkat Kohanim requires the Kohanim to bless the congregation each morning, raising their hands toward the congregation and reciting the special blessing text dictated by God to Moshe (Bamidbar 6:24-26).The Gemara establishes in Masechet Ketubot (24b) that if somebody who is not a Kohen participates in Birkat Kohanim, giving the blessing like a Kohen, he is in violation of an affirmative Biblical command. The question thus arises as to whether it is permissible for somebody to bless somebody privately with this special Beracha. Many parents have the custom every Friday night to place their hands on the head of each child and bless him with Birkat Kohanim, and it is also customary at weddings for parents and grandparents to bless the bride and groom with Birkat Kohanim. Some Rabbis bless their students with this blessing, as well. Is this permissible if the person giving the blessing is not a Kohen?The Kaf Ha'haim (Rav Yaakob Haim Sofer, Baghdad-Jerusalem, 1870-1939) writes (Orah Haim 128:8) that the prohibition applies only when a non-Kohen grants this blessing with the intention of blessing the people like the Kohanim. If his intention is simply to bless someone with these words, without usurping the role of a Kohen, then it is entirely permissible to bless with Birkat Kohanim. Likewise, the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in Parashat Re'eh (17), notes that in Baghdad, it was customary for the leading Rabbis to place their hands on a boy's head at his Bar-Misva and recite Birkat Kohanim. This was done even by Rabbis who were not Kohanim.Indeed, the Pahad Yishak (by Rav Yishak Lampronti, Italy, 1679-1756), in the "Beracha" section, emphatically supports the practice of blessing one's children or students with Birkat Kohanim while placing both hands on their head. He adds that this is a proper practice according to the Sod (Kabbalistic teaching). The Yabetz (Rav Yaakob Emden, Germany, 1697-1776), in his commentary to the Siddur, also supports this practice, emphasizing that parents should bless their children with both hands, and adding that this was the custom of his father, the Hacham Sevi (Rav Sevi Ashkenazi, 1656-1718).It is thus entirely permissible, and appropriate, for even a non-Kohen to bless someone with Birkat Kohanim, so long as he does not intend to bless like a Kohen.Summary: It is forbidden for a non-Kohen to participate in the Birkat Kohanim in the synagogue. However, a non-Kohen is allowed to privately bless somebody – such as a student, a child or a grandchild – with the text of Birkat Kohanim, while placing both hands on the person's head.

At the end of Parashat Re'eh ( 16,11) It says, “ A person, on the holiday, has to be happy in front of Hashem his God. You, your son, your daughter, your male and female servants, the Leviim ( which today is the rabbis) the convert, the orphan and the widow….” As we have said in the past, Rashi says that Hashem says My four correspond to your four… Your four are your son, daughter, your male and female servant. And God says, “ If you make My four happy, I'll make your four happy.” It's a guarantee from God: If you want to be happy on the holiday you have to take care of God's four, and He will make sure that yours are happy . Rav Chaim Palagi says that he has seen many people who were not happy on holidays, although they had all the money they needed. He says that he sent them this Rashi, to show them that you need to make sure other people are happy. Aside from being a general rule, it's specifically connected to the Seder night. This thought was a gift that Hashem sent me this year: As we should all know, Maggid is based on the four pesukim that we read in Bikurim . In Devarim chapter 26, pasuk ה, it says,” With Bikurim in hand, say in out loud., in front of Hashem your God….” And it goes through the four pesukim that we read at the Seder. Then, at the end, in the Bikurim statement, it says, “ Now I have brought the Bikurim, and I have placed it in front of my God and I am bowing down…. ” Then Hashem gives an additional command: “ And you shall enjoy, together with the family, all the bounty…” It's not enough to just walk in with the Bikurim and make the proclamation. You have to come out full of happiness and gratitude . This is also part of the Seder. Then, at the end of that Bikurim statement, it says You, the Levi and the convert… ( if anyone can look up why the orphan and widow aren't listed here as well, please get back to me) After the discussion of Bikurim, there is something called Viddui Ma'aser, when you make a confession that you've done everything right with your tithes. And I noticed this year that it says “ I gave to the Levi, the convert, the orphan and the widow. I did everything you told me to do.” Rashi says that this means I am happy and I made others happy. The Sfat Emet says that this is all God wants us to do. That's the whole story. The whole Torah is, you be happy and make others happy. That is our story. It's the story of Ahavat Yisrael, it's the story of Yom Tov, and it's the story of Lev Chana- we are trying to make ourselves happy, and make other people happy at the same time. The clock is ticking. The money has been spent. After the holiday, the stores send in their bills and we have to cover them. There is song about this concept of, If you make mine happy, I'll make yours happy… Sing it over Chol Hamoed. Because the more you believe in it, the more it works.. Ask yourself, “ What can I do for my family and children to make them happy?” We can make others happy. That's why I like to say I sell happiness insurance. We never really want to use our insurance. We don't want to go to the hospital has v'shalom, and we don't want our cars to be smashed. People take out warrantees that they hope they never need. Well, this is happiness insurance. Take out a big, wraparound holiday policy. B'ezrat Hashem, we should all have happiness for ourselves and others. Amen.

All of the fasts throughout the year can fall out on Shabbat, except for Asara B'Tebet. When that happens, the fast is postponed to Sunday, except for Yom Kippur, which is observed on Shabbat. On the other hand, the other fasts cannot fall on a Friday, except for Asara B'Tebet, which is observed on that day into Shabbat. Som Gedaliah, as well as Asara b'Tebet and Shiva Asar B'Tamuz, begin at Alot Hashachar (dawn). The Shulhan Aruch rules that if one stipulated before he went to sleep the previous night that he intends to wake up and eat before the fast begins, he may do so. According to Maran, this condition is necessary even if one only wants to wake up and drink, not to eat. The Rema is lenient with regard to drinking and does not require an explicit stipulation. The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in Parashat Re'eh, rules in accordance with the Shulhan Aruch.Hacham Bension in Or Lesion Vol.3 31:2 rules that if a person accepts upon himself a personal fast, he may stipulate to eat before dawn in his thought alone. However, for a Ta'anit Sibbur (public fast), such as Som Gedaliah, he must verbally articulate the condition.SUMMARYIf someone wants to eat or drink before dawn on a fast day, he must verbally stipulate that he intends to do so the previous night, before going to sleep.

The Morning Scroll is your weekly, bite-sized parsha study with Rabbi Deena Cowans.  This week, we read Parashat Re'Eh, or "See!?."Check out upcoming Shabbat services and programs here.  Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook. And be sure to like and subscribe to our podcast for updates on new episodes!Want more torah? Check out Shabbat Replay on Contact Chai with Rabbi Lizzi.Produced by Mishkan Chicago.  Music composed, produced, and recorded by Kalman Strauss.

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The Torah in Parashat Re'eh discusses the basic laws of the three Regalim – the holidays of Pesach, Shabuot and Sukkot, when Beneh Yisrael would assemble in the Bet Ha'mikdash. In presenting the obligations relevant to the celebration of Sukkot, the Torah famously commands that on this day, "Ve'hayita Ach Same'ah" – "You shall be only joyous" (16:15). Rav Baruch of Mezhbizh (1753-1811), a grandson and disciple of the Ba'al Shem Tob (d. 1760), taught that the greatest Segula ("charm") for earning a livelihood is joy, living with happiness and contentment. Indeed, the Mishna in Abot (4:1) famously teaches, "Who is wealthy? He who is joyous with his lot." Rav Baruch explained that wealth comes through Simha – experiencing genuine joy, without worrying about the future and without feeling distressed over what one does not have. This concept is alluded to in the verse cited above – "Ve'hayita Ach Same'ah." The final letters of these words – "Tav," "Chaf Sofit," and "Het" – are the letters of the divine Name "Hatach" (spelled "Het," "Tav," "Chaf Sofit"), which, as the Arizal (Rav Yishak Luria, 1534-1572) taught, is the Name which brings livelihood and sustenance. The Arizal instructed that when we recite in our prayer service the verse, "Pote'ah Et Yadecha U'masbia Le'chol Hai Rason" ("You open Your hands and willfully satiate all living creatures" – Tehillim 145:16), he should have in mind the final letters of the first three words of this verse – "Het," "Tav," "Chaf Sofit," which spell this Name. This Name is alluded to in the verse, "Ve'hayita Ach Same'ah" to teach that experiencing joy is the means to earning a livelihood. This concept seems counterintuitive. We might have assumed that to achieve financial success, one must feel constantly dissatisfied with his current state, and continually work and strive to achieve more. We would have thought that it is specifically through discontent and anxiety about money that one is driven to succeed and thus becomes wealthy. But the precise opposite is true – we achieve Parnasa (livelihood) through happiness, by feeling content and joyful over all we have. This is why the special Misva of "Ve'hayita Ach Same'ah" applies specifically to Sukkot, the holiday when we move outside our large, furnished homes and live in a temporary, crude structure. One of the messages of the Sukka is that life is temporary, and we do not keep our material possessions forever, and so we must feel joyous and content with whatever lot we have received. This is the true key to Parnasa – maintaining our joy and sense of fulfillment regardless of our circumstances, finding meaning and happiness in our performance of Misvot, irrespective of finances. If we live this way, then we will, please G-d, be worthy of G-d's unlimited blessings and enjoy much joy and success.

Parashat Re'eh begins with Moshe Rabbenu making the following statement to Beneh Yisrael : ראה אנוכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה. את הברכה, אשר תשמעו אל מצוות ה' אלוקיכם... ואת הקללה אם לא תשמעו אל מצוות ה' אלוקיכם... See that I am placing before you today a blessing and a curse – the blessing if you listen to the commands of Hashem your G-d, and the curse if you do not listen to the commands of Hashem your G-d… The commentators point out that Moshe does not speak about “doing ” the mitzvot , but rather about “listening” to the mitzvot . Why? Shouldn't the blessing – or the opposite – depend on our fulfilling the mitzvot ? Why does Moshe here emphasize listening to the mitzvot ? The answer is because listening is the most important – and most difficult – part. To understand why, let's imagine we're walking in midtown Manhattan in the middle of a workday. In just ten minutes of walking, it is amazing how many people and things we see and hear. Hundreds and hundreds of people, vehicles and buildings, and sounds of all kinds. But how many of them will we remember? Very, very few. This is because we all – all of us, without exception – have selective hearing. We cannot focus on everything, because that would be way too overwhelming. And so we focus selectively, on the things that we instinctively know are important to pay attention to. This isn't true only in Manhattan. It's true of life generally. We are all limited. We can only focus on so many things. We can't pay attention to EVERYTHING. We need to prioritize. And we do this intuitively. We pay attention to the things that we feel are most important, and we block out the rest. This is why Moshe says את הברכה אשר תשמעו – that the blessing comes when we “listen.” This is the most important step – to make mitzvot a priority, so that it becomes something that we “listen” to,” that we pay close attention to, and not something that gets blocked out. This concept is also very relevant to our family relationships, as well. Since we're all limited, and we can only pay attention to a number of things at a time, we do not always pay attention to what family members need. Parents frequently complain that their grown children do not help out enough at home, either while they're still living at home or when they come to visit. The parents need to realize that it's not that the children don't care, it's that they're not aware. With so many things to worry about in their own lives, they might not realize the needs of the people around them. This is something we all do. We can't be attuned to everything and everyone at all times. And therefore, many things simply don't register on the radar in our minds – not because we're selfish, but because we're limited. Parents need to calmly and respectfully express to their children that they need to help. The solution isn't anger – it's simply bringing these needs to their attention, opening up their eyes to realize that this is something they need to pay attention to. When King Shlomo became king, Hashem appeared to him and offered to grant him any request he had. Shlomo asked, ונתת לעבדך לב שומע – “You shall give Your servant a ‘listening heart'” (Melachim I 3:9). Listening begins in the heart, with what we feel is important, and therefore becomes a priority. My Hashem grant all of us a לב שומע , a heart which understands what's important for us and for others, so we are always “listening” and paying attention to what Hashem expects from us and to what all the people around us need from us.

Parashat Re'eh with Rav Dovid Gottlieb #1 - Classical Commentators - The False Prophet - If He's "False" Then How is He a "Prophet"? #2 - Contemporary Commentators - The Highest of the High & the Lowest of the Low: Appreciating the Uniqueness of the Jewish People #3 - Machshava / Jewish Thought -What's the Jewish Ideal: Unity or Uniformity? #4 - Sparks of Chassidus & Mussar - Kosher Fish, "Kosher Jews": The Shared Vision of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and Rav Elyashiv #5 - Halacha from the Parsha - The Mitzvah of Tzedakah

Que significan los simanim (señales) de los animales, aves y peses kasher?

Parashat Re'eh [Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17] is a special one in my family (BC)because it was the parashah when both my girls became Bat Mitzvah in the synagogue, 11 years apart. It is special in the book of Deuteronomy because it is the beginning of the core of the book, according to modern scholars, which extends into Parashat Ki Tavo, in another 3 weeks. One of the tropes of Deuteronomy is the centralization of worship, where our conversation begins. It ends somewhere down the road a piece. Shabbat Shalom!

Parashat Re'eh This week's Torah portion of Parashat Re'eh (‘See') presents a call for the Children of Israel to become a just, sensitive society in the land promised to the forefathers, always to remain focused on the presence of G-d in their midst. The whole Torah is about developing a heightened sensitivity to ‘avodat Hashem'…serving G-d through everything that we do. And in our Torah portion this week, the concept of the permanent location of the Holy Temple begins to emerge and take shape: for the first time we are told about ‘The place that Hashem your G-d will choose from among all your tribes to place His Name, there shall you seek out His presence and come there.' (12:5) In this week's Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman examine the challenge of ‘seeing the blessing and curse' presented in parashat Re'eh, connecting these timeless truths with the fabric of our contemporary reality. ___ Rabbi Chaim Richman Jerusalem Lights | Torah for Everyone Please support the work of Jerusalem Lights, a USA recognized 501 ( c ) 3 non-profit organization to enable these productions to continue and grow: Paypal: infojerusalemlights@gmail.com or: https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?loc... In the USA: Jerusalem Lights Inc. Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490 In Israel: Tel. 972 54 7000395 Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel Subscribe to our newsletter at https://www.rabbirichman.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpV... Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiChaimRi...

We have been discussing loving your fellow man. In the Sefer Darchei Mussar, by Rabbi Neiman, on Parashat Re'eh , he quotes the Elder of Kelm, who says, regarding Sedaka , that if you give Sedaka but don't feel like it hurts you that the man is suffering, and only do it because you are a God fearing man and want to fulfill the Mitzvah, that is not considered Sedaka B'Shelemut - a complete Mitzvah. The goal and focus of Sedaka is when you reach the level that you forget it's a Mitzvah. You give Sedaka because your friend is hungry, and so you feel like you yourself are hungry, and therefore you give him. That's what Veahavta LeRe'echa Kamocha Love your friend like you love yourself means. He says that we don't eat because it's a Mitzvah to eat. He says that we eat because we are hungry. Veahavta LeRe'echa Kamocha means love your friend just like you love yourself. No one loves themselves because it's a Mitzvah to love yourself. That would be strange. Hashem put into you, a natural love for yourself. If you were in a building, lo Alenu , and there was a stampede, you wouldn't run out because it's a Mitzvah, you run out because it's a natural instinct to save yourself. When someone else is in trouble, you supposed to save or help them because of that natural instinct, thinking, How can I sit by and watch while he is suffering? So right now, we seemingly have two different approaches (or a machloket/conflict ) to this Mitzvah. We learned one opinion yesterday, from the Chafetz Chaim, and from the Sefer HaBrit, that we have to love our friends like we love ourselves because Ani Hashem '- because Hashem commanded us- not just because we want to be nice. We learned that we shouldn't just give somebody a ride because it's a nice thing to do, we should have in mind that it's a Mitzvah. But, on the other hand, now we are hearing that we should love our friends like we love ourselves, as a natural instinct and tendency, and not for any religious purpose. A rabbi once visited another, sick Rabbi, and was treating him very nicely. The sick Rabbi told the visitor, “ I don't want to be you're etrog.” He felt like he had become a Mitzvah item- a sick man there for the Mitzvah of bikur holim. He felt like the visit or shouldn't just do it for the Mitzvah, he should be doing it out of love. So what is the answer? We will continue tomorrow B'ezrat Hashem.

پاراشا رعه Parashat Re'eh Insights by Rabbi Benjamin Lavian

Re'e Part 6: The Shalosh Regalim - Can God Command Happiness? (16:1-17)Sefer DevarimSponsorship AvailableThis part in Parashat Re'e taught by Rabbi Menachem Leibtag TanachStudy.com  

The Pasuk says in this week’s Parasha, Re’eh: “נתן תתן לו ולא ירע לבבך בתתך לו – when we help people financially, we are supposed to give them happily, with a smile on our faces.” We should be happy that we have the merit to give Tzedaka. Moreover, we should feel that the people we give to are doing us the favor, by being the vehicle through which we can fulfill this great Mitzvah. The Pasuk says openly, we will be blessed for the Tzedaka that we give, and it doesn’t only mean financially. The Sefer Emunah Shelemah told a story of a Rabbi Yechezkel who was a Gabai Tzedaka. He was told about a Chatan who was an orphan with no money, and he was marrying a poor bride whose parents couldn’t help at all. Her father was sick, and they couldn’t even pay for their own expenses. R’ Yechezkel spoke to a few people and got some money for them, but he really needed a large sum for this. There was a wealthy man that he knew who was always happy to give Tzedaka, so he traveled to his home to request help for this couple. When he arrived, he saw the wealthy man was distraught, his son was very sick and the situation was dire. Everybody in the house there was crying. R’ Yechezkel didn’t know what to do. It was a bad time for them, but this couple was also in trouble. He said, “I’m sorry to hear this. I hope your son has a Refuah Shelemah very soon. I just want to tell you that there’s an orphan who’s getting married who needs a lot of help. Could you give something to help?” The wealthy man said, “I’m sorry, not now; I can’t think straight.” R’ Yechezkel then told him, “The merit of helping a needy couple get married is unimaginable. Perhaps that can be the merit that will turn the tides and help give your son a Refuah Shelemah.” The wealthy man then perked up. He said, “You’re right. How much do they need?” After hearing the amount, he gave them the entire sum plus more. Baruch Hashem, the same night, the doctor said, “Things have turned for the better.” And the boy ended up making a complete recovery. The wealthy man said afterward, “Hashem is so kind, He sent me the Tzedaka opportunity right to my door. The doctors couldn’t believe how quickly things changed, but we know it was the רופא כל בשר-the Divine Healer who gave the word and, suddenly, my son became better.” Tzedaka can give us miracles. In our community, we recently lost a very big Ba’al Tzedaka, Mr. Al Gindi, Alav Hashalom. He helped countless people and organizations throughout his lifetime, and he always gave generously and happily. His son told a story about his father’s honesty, which is part of the secret to wealth. When the World Trade Center came down on September 11, one of his major department stores in that neighborhood was ruined as well. When it came time to collect the money from the insurance company for the damaged goods, he was told to submit receipts and proofs for all his orders that were delivered to that store. They had ten million dollars worth of receipts, but technically only eight million of it was actually in the store at the time, and two million dollars of goods were still on the way and not harmed. He could have easily submitted the receipts for the full ten million and collected the insurance on all of it, but he said, “That would be dishonest, and we don’t do anything dishonest.” After that area was restored, he wanted to open up that store once again. He put in a request to the city and was told that the city wants all the stores back and is offering money to each store that will open again. “And for your store,” he was told, “they’re offering two million dollars.” When Mr. Gindi heard that number, he said, “That’s Hashem, giving us the money honestly. We didn’t have to get it dishonestly.” And that is the absolute truth. Whatever we’re supposed to have, Hashem will give us. We never have to do anything wrong to get it. When we earn our money the right way and we use it the way that Hashem wants us to use it, then we are truly blessed. Shabbat Shalom.

Parashat hashavua --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/torah-y-jasidut/message

Re'e Part 5: Shemitta - A "Holy Economy" for a "Holy Nation" (15:1-23)Sefer DevarimSponsorship AvailableThis part in Parashat Re'e taught by Rabbi Menachem Leibtag TanachStudy.com  

Re'e Part 4: Animals You Can Eat, and Food You Must Tithe (14:3-29)Sefer DevarimSponsorship AvailableThis part in Parashat Re'e taught by Rabbi Menachem Leibtag TanachStudy.com  

Seeing the Blessing and the Curse – and Getting with the Program Parashat Re'eh: Which Way Are You Going? Science, Prophetic Torah and the Holy Temple This week's Torah portion of parashat Re'eh is a call for the Children of Israel to become a just, sensitive society in the land promised to the forefathers, always to remain focused on the presence of G-d in their midst. The Land of Israel, Moshe teaches, is the physical embodiment of holiness by Divine decree, from the beginning of time, by its very nature, and thus it will naturally nurture this people to become this sensitive society. The whole Torah, especially the action oriented mitzvoth, and particularly in the Land of Israel, is about developing a heightened sensitivity to ‘avodat Hashem'…serving G-d through everything that we do. And in our Torah portion this week, the concept of the permanent location of the Holy Temple begins to emerge and take shape: for the first time we are told about ‘The place that Hashem your G-d will choose from among all your tribes to place His Name, there shall you seek out His presence and come there.' (12:5) In this week's episode of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, our hosts examine the challenge of ‘seeing the blessing and curse' presented in parashat Re'eh, connecting these timeless truths with the fabric of our contemporary reality. -- Rabbi Chaim Richman Jerusalem Lights |Torah for Everyone Donate to help support the work of Jerusalem Lights at infojerusalemlights@gmail.com or: https://paypal.me/JerusalemLights?locale.x=en_US Subscribe to our newsletter at www.rabbirichman.com Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUpVZ_6uuXGnknp2dJD6pSA/featured Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiChaimRichman/ In the USA: Jerusalem Lights Inc. Post Office Box 16886 Lubbock Texas 79490. In Israel: Tel 972 54 7000395 Mail: PO Box 23808, Jerusalem Israel

Mr. Nachliel Selavan - Archaeology - Re'e: "Jerusalem the Chosen Place" This part in Parashat Re'e is taught by Mr. Nachliel Selavan TanachStudy.com  

R. Dr. Yoni Grossman - Literary Analysis - Re'e: "Passover - Structure and Meaning"This part in Parashat Re'e is taught by Rabbi Dr. Yoni Grossman TanachStudy.com  

Re'e Part 2: The Place that Hashem Will Choose - Biblical Jerusalem (12:6-28) Sefer DevarimSponsorship AvailableThis part in Parashat Re'e taught by Rabbi Menachem Leibtag TanachStudy.com  

Re'e Part 3: BAD INFLUENCES - Beware! (12:29 - 14:2)Sefer DevarimSponsorship AvailableThis part in Parashat Re'e taught by Rabbi Menachem Leibtag TanachStudy.com  

Jumash diario, Parashat Reé 02 - Rabino Iehoshua Rosenblum

Jumash diario, Parashat Reé 03 - Rabino Iehoshua Rosenblum

Jumash diario, Parashat Reé 04 - Rabino Iehoshua Rosenblum

Jumash diario, Parashat Reé 05 - Rabino Iehoshua Rosenblum

Jumash diario, Parashat Reé 06 - Rabino Iehoshua Rosenblum

Re'e Part 1: Blessings & Curses and Intro to the Chukim U'Mishpatim Section (11:26 - 12:5) Sefer DevarimSponsorship AvailableThis part in Parashat Re'e taught by Rabbi Menachem Leibtag TanachStudy.com  

Jumash diario, Parashat Reé 01 - Rabino Iehoshua Rosenblum

The question of “What will keep the Jews safe?” has been on the minds of every Jew for thousands of years. No matter the promises of Enlightenment and the celebration of citizenship, Jews were never 100% certain that antisemitism was over. No longer do we argue, “IS anti-Semitism still present?” Now, we spend our time debating: How bad is it? Who is most responsible for it? Can it ever be defeated or diminished? And what choices do we have as we live through the waves of hatred, violence and fear? Using excerpts from Parashat Re'eh, Rabbi Frimmer explores the Israelite (and modern Jewish) shift from power to vulnerability, from conviction to uncertainty.

Parashat Re eh with Rabbi Asher Meza of TorahJudaism.com

The JTS Torah Commentary Podcast for Parashat Re'eh 5778 by Dr. Yitzhak Lewis.

Porción # 47 / Deuteronomio 11:26 - 16:17 con Julio Rubio (Dudu). - La palabra Reé en hebreo ??? significa "Mira, Observa" y nos habla de las bendiciones y maldicionesque debian ser pronunciadas en diferentes montes al entrar a la tierra prometida, tambien abordaremos el tema del cuidado con el nombre sagrado junto con algo del diezmo y del año de shmita (sabático) bienvenid@s a nuestro programa de hoy!

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Re’eh (August 14, 2015). Most of us don’t live religious lives because we don’t believe in a commanding God. But what if we had the equation backwards?  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Re’eh (August 15, 2015). Not only is loving criticism of Israel kosher, it’s commanded.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Re’eh (August 23, 2014): The quality of our life is often dictated by how we choose to see our life. And how we relate to the world is strongly connected to how we choose to view the world.

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Re’eh (August 22, 2014): Whether or not Michael Brown’s killing was racially-motivated, the wounds it exposed and the tensions it ignited cannot be ignored by the Jewish community. The Torah calls for us to build a just society.