Aug 11/07 - Parashat Re'eh

Commentary by Rabbi Alan Green

 

“See, I have set before you this day, a blessing and a curse: the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day; and the curse, if you don’t listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, but stray from the path that I command you this day, to pursue other gods, which you have not known.”

Deuteronomy 11:26-28

We live in an age of skepticism—one which has conferred many benefits upon many millions of people. The scientific skepticism born in the Renaissance, which gave birth to the scientific, industrial, and political revolutions that have shaken the world down to our present day, now dominates every area of modern life.

This might explain why the usual reaction of a modern, educated adult to a faith-statement is some variation of “I’ll believe it, when I see it.” In fact, we only see what we already believe. Our culture and education create internal reality maps which no longer contain coordinates for religious practice or belief. Our internal conditioning precludes the capacity to believe that something is real without tangible proof.

How amazing then, that Parashat Re’eh begins with the very opposite of “I’ll believe it, when I see it.” Parashat Re’eh instructs us to “See it, when I believe it.” Having our eyes wide open and seeing the way God really intends for us to see allows us to break free of our skeptical internal conditioning. Modifying our perceptual grid is the only way to perceive the reality of Blessing and Curse, and to successfully distinguish between these two.

But what does the reality of Blessing look or feel like? What does it mean to lose the reality of Blessing, and become subject to the influence of the field of Curse? An important clue is provided by the phrase, “to pursue other gods, which you have not known.”

In ancient times, the danger of idolatry was literal, and dangerous. In virtually every civilization on earth, polytheism was the order of the day. Perverse religious practices, like child sacrifice, sacred prostitution, and self-flagellation were perfectly common. The religion of Israel could easily have been swallowed by the sea of foreign observances that surrounded it on every side.

Over the millennia, religion has undergone a tremendous evolution. There is little danger from this kind of idolatry today. However, the danger of pursuing “other gods,” is still very real. Human consciousness is constantly being pulled in two directions: the direction within, which is the direction of Spirit, and Oneness of God; and the direction without, which is the direction of material objects, and of distraction, cynicism, and despair.

The magnetic influence of Spirit is far away from most of us. More immediate, and powerful, is the magnet of materialism. The “iron filings” of our awareness are magnetized by the external objects of sense, and thus the lesser joys of material life—wealth, power, status, possessions, and so on—are the ones most attractive and enjoyable to us.

The problem is that no material possession or attainment is ultimately satisfying. As soon as the novelty of the new car or home wears off, the desire for a nicer car or a larger home is born. Today, most of us are very well off. But who among us doesn’t want more than they already have? Who among us isn’t driven to sacrifice their time, energy, and their very lives for the sake of superficial, material attainments?

This is what it means “to pursue other gods.” This is what it means to be subject to the Curse of being cut off from the Oneness of God and our true spiritual Self—the magnet that lies within. When the iron filings of our awareness are magnetized by this spiritual magnet, the world and its distractions appear in an entirely different light.

The small light generated by a candle may appear very bright when it shines in a dark room. But bring the candle outside, into the brightness of the mid-day sun, and it will barely be seen. The small brightness of the candle is nullified by the brilliance of the light of day.

Similarly, when we experience the Blessing of a life lived under the sway of Spirit, the glitter of material life is nullified, as it were, by the brilliant sun of the Oneness of God.

In the light of the Spirit, a car is seen to be just a car; a house is seen to be just a house; and a person is seen to be just a person—as they are. In the light of the field of Blessing, no object, or person, can be mistaken for being the end-all and be-all of one’s happiness, or of one’s misery. No object or person can relegate us to a state of object- or person-dependence. No object or person can “curse” us with sadness, cynicism, or despair. When the field of Blessing holds sway in our awareness, despair is impossible.

But how do we attain to this field of Blessing? How do we place ourselves under the influence of the inner magnet of the Spirit? By making a conscious decision to do so. In the words of our Parashah, “if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day.” The power to live a life of Blessing, or of Curse, is entirely in our hands. And it is in our hands to do so “this day;” to choose a life of Blessing, even as we read these words—at this very moment.

Shabbat Shalom.