Parashat Re'eh: The choice is yours!

From the Divre Torah od Rabbi Yaakob Savdie, Brooklyn NY:

Our parasha begins with a choice we must all make:
"Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: The blessing, if you shall listen to the commandments of Hashem your G-d, which I command you this day:
And the curse, if you shall not listen to the commandments of Hashem your G-d, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day..."

Hmmm... tough choice! the blessing or the curse? I think I'll take the blessing...sound easy enough!


To make the choice even simpler Moshe Rabenu instructs them to do the following when they enter Eretz Yisrael:
"You shall set the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal"
There is to be a demonstration that appeals to their sense of sight. The blessing is to be stated on one mountain & the curse on another. The two mountains are situated near each other but are total opposites: Mt. Ebal is barren,wasted & desert-like. Mt. Gerizim is rich, beautiful & green. It is truly an amazing sight. (If you'd like a picture of it email me) The "blessing" & the "curse" are clearly visible.


There is but one problem. Moshe speaks of “today” over and over again in these pesukim. See the blessing and the curse before you today! How can the Mountains of Ebal and Grizim concretize the point if Am Yisrael hasn't seen them yet?


I believe the key word here is "today". Surely when presented with the choice of Moshe we would all choose the path of blessing.
The challenge is what we do today. The challenge is to realize that each & every action of ours forces us to choose a path.


As we get caught up in the daily stress & tumult of this world the two distinct paths may become obscured. It is not always so simple to recognize the proper path. Under pressure certain "cursed" actions may appear to "blessed" & vice versa. This is why Moshe presents us with the image of these two mountains. There is no confusion as to which mountain is blessed & which is cursed. If we want the "blessing" we must be able to see past our initial confusion & interpret each situation properly. The choice in front of us should be clear as night & day. Once that's done the rest is easy.


So... which will it be?
Yaakob Savdie