Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17
Israel is presented with a stark choice between blessing and curse, life and destruction. Laws governing worship, community, and social responsibility are reiterated, grounding freedom in moral discipline. The parashah insists that destiny is shaped by deliberate, collective choice.
When the Torah tells us to choose between a blessing and a curse, it means: Choose after the struggle. The blessing can only be recognized by those who have grappled with its alternative. What one calls a blessing, another may call a curse. What one sees as life, another may call death.
Halacha and the Microscopic Search for God
In Halacha, Jewish Thought and Philosophy and Parashat Re'eh by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Judaism is a protest against taking life for granted. There are no insignificant phenomena or deeds in this world, and it is through Halacha's demands and interference in our daily life that we are made aware of God as our steadfast Companion.
When confronted with death, our first reaction is consternation. We are stunned and broken. But slowly, our sense of shock gives way to a feeling of mystery. The mysterium magnum enters, and a new perspective makes itself known as a kind of revelation and elevation. Suddenly, our whole life, which we knew so well, gradually becomes concealed behind a great Secret. Our speech is silenced. Our understanding fails. There is only awe for the Other.