Parashat Re’eh 5784

See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Eternal your God that I enjoin upon you this day; and curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Eternal your God, but turn away from the path that I enjoin upon you this day and follow other gods, whom you have not experienced. (Deut. 11:26-28)

As I read the opening words of this week’s parashah, I felt a sense of deja-Jew – I felt like I had read this once before in Torah, but it was different. Indeed, as the Children of Israel are poised to enter into the Promised Land, a land that this generation of Israelites had not seen before (save for Joshua and Caleb), they are being told to follow God’s ways and find blessing… and find curse if they stray away from God.

The Eternal said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you; I will make your name great, And you shall be a blessing.” (Gen 12:1-2)

It seems to me that Abraham had received a very similar message from God. This was a singular charge: Go, Abram, to a land that I will show you (that you have not been to before). Trust Me… Follow Me… Stay with Me… You will become a great nation… and you shall find blessing.

So many generations have passed. Indeed, Abraham has become a great nation, and the singular charge is now addressed to the whole community: Trust Me… Follow Me… Stay with Me… You have become a great nation… and you shall find blessing.

The greatness of the fledgling Israelite nation is that this is a people who are being taught to care for and about each other. We hear echoes of God speaking to God’s self about Abraham:

“For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of the Eternal by doing what is just and right, in order that the Eternal may bring about for Abraham what has been promised him.” (Gen. 18:19)

In our portion, we hear Moses instructing the Israelites, as Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in his essay on The Politics of Freedom summed it up:

“We have been charged by [God] to feed the poor and bring the orphan and widow, the landless Levite and non-Israelite stranger, into our midst, sharing our celebrations and days of rest. We have been commanded to create a just society that honours human dignity and freedom.”

Indeed, Abraham’s instructions of doing what is just and right echo their way through the generations to this great nation as they prepare to enter their Promised Land.

And what of the blessing? Abraham was told that he will be a blessing; is it possible for a people to be a blessing as well?

What does it mean to “be a blessing”?

Rashi (Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac, 1040-1105) teaches that to “be a blessing” means “blessings will be given through (Abraham), as up to now they have been given through God. God blessed Adam, Noah and Abraham; from now on, Abraham will bless whomever he likes.” (Rashi on Gen. 12:2) Perhaps Rashi is teaching us that to be a blessing, one becomes a “bless-er” – one who blesses others.

Gersonides (Ralbag or Rabbi Levi ben Gerson, 1288-1344) adds another layer to understanding what it means to be a blessing. He taught that “to be a blessing” is to “be a [person] of blessing – one whose actions make [them] worthy of receiving divine providence.” (Ralbag on Gen. 12:2)

What actions can be worthy of God’s protective care?

Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger, director of international relations for Roots/Judur/Shorashim, brings a Kabbalistic insight into what those actions can be by inviting us to become a vessel for God’s creative energy by paying forward – if you will – the blessings that we receive.

Schlesinger gets specific: “How do you be a blessing? With a smile, or with a hug. By always thinking of giving, of helping, of lending a hand. … By opening up to a stranger, by making someone feel at home. By teaching, and helping others to learn. By offering insight and inspiration. By encouragement or a kind word.”

And now, as a people, we are called upon to choose blessing – to choose following God’s ways, and in the process, as a society, become a blessing. We can bless others with goodness and generosity. Our actions can be worthy of the divine. And we can be open-ended vessels of light and goodness to others.

Encamped on the eastern side of the Jordan River, we stood ready to go to a land we did not know, yet ready to step forward with a plan to be the best we can be; a light of goodness unto the nations. The charge remains with us to this day – each of us as individuals and as the Jewish people.

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Enid Lader (AJR ’10) is the Rabbi Emerita at Beth Israel – The West Temple in Cleveland, Ohio. She serves on the AJR and ARC Board of Directors, and is the visiting rabbi for the Jewish residents of Kendal at Oberlin, a senior community. She and her husband, Harry, enjoy the blessings of grandchildren and retirement.