Re’eh
Deut. 11:26 - 16:17
Précis: Moses begins by quoting God, saying “Behold (re’eh), I set before you a blessing and a curse this day.” The blessing flows from observance of the laws and the curses result from violations. A concern with idolatry permeates the following verses. The parasha explains that there will be a single site for sacrifices. A test for a false prophet and the punishment of an idolatrous city are included. The parasha then shifts to other subjects: a prohibition against self-mutilation, the biblical basis of the laws of kashrut, tithing so that the needs are met for the Levites, the “stranger, the fatherless, and the widow.” Remission of debts, freeing of Hebrew slaves, and the dedication of firstborn cattle are discussed, as are the commandments for the observance of Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot.
Deut. 15:7-8 “If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward them. Rather, be open handed and freely lend them whatever they need.”
Deut. 15:15-10 “Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore, I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land.”
This week’s teaching is all about the mitzvah of tzedakah, usually translated as “charity.” It is, however, much more than that. The best translation implies a demand for social justice. Rambam held that one who refused to give charity could be impelled to do so by a Jewish court. As Rabbi Sacks taught, “Charity is always voluntary. Tzedakah is compulsory.”
The quoted verses suggest that we should not begrudge the poor among us. To do so robs them of dignity. Maimonides states that we should give to the poor so that they, in turn, can give to the poor. Thus, tzedakah includes the obligation to ensure that everyone has the dignity inherent in giving to others.
Judaism never romanticizes poverty or ignores its pain. Again, Maimonides: “The well-being of the soul can only be obtained after that of the body has been secured.” One cannot be spiritually fulfilled with no food, no roof, no medical care, or being crushed by financial worries.
Does this speak to us today? A society, like ours in 21st century America, says that success can be achieved only by pulling oneself up by one’s bootstraps. Maimonides rebuts this presumption by declaring that the highest degree of tzedakah is enabling those challenged by poverty to prosper, even to the point of providing employment.
Or as the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu is said to have remarked, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
