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Re’eh (Behold) Parsha – Weekly Torah Portion

Re’eh (Behold) Parsha

Deuteronomy, 11:26-16:17
 This Week’s Torah Portion | July 28 – August 3, 2013 – Av 21-27, 5773

In A Nutshell

The portion, Re’eh (Behold), begins with Moses’ words to the people to come and see the blessing and the curse, which the Creator commands them. If the people adhere to the Creator’s commandments they will be blessed. Otherwise, they will be cursed.

Afterward, Moses surveys before the people the preparations to enter the land of Israel, the duties and the prohibitions that accompany the entrance, the work of the Creator specifically in the Temple, and the prohibition to listen to false prophets that deflect the people from the serving the Creator. The portion also cites the laws of Kashrut,[1] tithing, Shmita (remission), and the three festivals on which it is customary to make an Aliya la Regel (pilgrimage) to Jerusalem.

Commentary by Dr. Michael Laitman

The Torah speaks only about the inner meaning of all the matters just mentioned. It is written, “Behold,” referring to the reception of light of Hochma, which is seeing. Seeing is the highest of the five senses, and marks the highest level of attainment. When a person truly sees whether what is happening is a blessing or a curse, he is standing right before the entrance to the land of Israel.

Eretz Ysrael: Eretz means Ratzon (desire), and Ysrael (Israel) means Yashar El (straight to God). In other words, Eretz Ysrael is a desire aimed entirely toward bestowal, toward mutual guarantee, connection between everyone “as one man with one heart.” At the foot of Mount Sinai we accepted the condition, “love your neighbor as yourself,’ to be “as one man with one heart.” Forty years later we complete the correction and are ready to enter the land of Israel, where all the desires are connected in true mutual bestowal. This is why it is called Yashar El (straight to God). The Creator—the quality of bestowal and love that exists in the world—governs the whole of reality.

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Glossary – Re’eh (Behold) Parsha – Weekly Torah Portion

Glossary of Terms Used in the Re’eh (Behold) Weekly Torah Portion

Blessing

If we want to reach the quality of bestowal, the light affects us and builds that quality in us.

Curse

The opposite of a blessing. If a person wishes to have the intention to receive, to exploit others, to receive from them, that person suffers blows that teach him that he should be the opposite. It always works that way.

A Must, as Opposed to a Prohibition

Correction as opposed to corruption. It is forbidden to be in the egotistical will to receive. Rather, it is a must to correct it into a desire with the aim to bestow.

Place

A place is a desire. There are no places. The world we are in is called an “imaginary place.” It seems to us that we are in a place, in space, in a universe, but the truth is that it is a desire of the Creator where we perceive certain phenomena.

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What Is The Pentateuch?

What Is The Pentateuch

If you have ever wondered about the mystery of life, if you’ve contemplated the meaning of existence for even a moment, or dreamed of finding the “elixir of immortality,” hold tight the Pentateuch; it is for you.

The Pentateuch – Encrypted In Desire

When you pick up the Pentateuch and start to read, little do you know that its content is encrypted. You read and regard the information as a collection of stories, occasionally stopping to wonder what all the fuss is about. The Pentateuch is the foundation for all of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, and cited continuously by sages, philosophers, writers, and… politicians. But what is so special about it? Allow me to reassure you that if you aren’t satisfied with the Pentateuch as a historical epic, there is nothing wrong with you. It is a sign that you’re searching for the hidden meaning; and if you’re really searching, you will invariably find it.

For millennia, scholars have been trying fruitlessly to solve the mystery of this code. Yet, they have been trying to solve it with reason, and this has been their downfall. You cannot crack this code with reason, so don’t even bother trying.

To reveal the secrets of the Pentateuch, you need only one “tool”—desire. It is a magical word, one that has great significance.

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