Parashat Re'eh

Torah Portions

Re’eh (“See”) details a series of laws in advance of the Israelites’ entrance into the Land of Israel. These include the obligation to destroy idolatry, laws of tithing and charity, dietary laws, holiday laws, and the prohibition of offering sacrifices outside of the place designated by God.

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Destroying Idols

TANAKH

Like the rest of the book of Deuteronomy, Parashat Re’eh comprises speeches by Moses to the people of Israel in anticipation of their entering the promised land without him. Here, he instructs them to destroy the other nations’ implements of idolatry after their conquest.

Tear down their altars, smash their pillars, put their sacred posts to the fire, and cut down the images of their gods, obliterating their name from that site. Do not worship your God יהוה in like manner, but look only to the site that your God יהוה will choose amidst all your tribes as God’s habitation, to establish the divine name there. There you are to go,

Deuteronomy 12:3-5

On the Menu, Off the Menu

TANAKH

Deuteronomy 14 details dietary restrictions, including permitted and forbidden species of mammals, birds and fish, as well as other rules. It begins with mammals, both listing species and explaining the characteristics that make them permitted.

and any other animal that has true hoofs which are cleft in two and brings up the cud—such you may eat. But the following, which do bring up the cud or have true hoofs which are cleft through, you may not eat: the camel, the hare, and the daman—for although they bring up the cud, they have no true hoofs—they are impure for you; also the swine—for although it has true hoofs, it does not bring up the cud—is impure for you. You shall not eat of their flesh or touch their carcasses.

Deuteronomy 14:6-8

Three Pilgrimage Holidays

TANAKH

The end of Parashat Re’eh describes each of the three pilgrimage holidays of Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot. It closes with verses summarizing the set of three holidays.

Three times a year—on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, on the Feast of Weeks, and on the Feast of Booths—all your males shall appear before your God יהוה in the place that [God] will choose. They shall not appear before יהוה empty-handed, but each with his own gift, according to the blessing that your God יהוה has bestowed upon you.

Deuteronomy 16:16-17

The Source of Good and Evil

MIDRASH

The Torah portion opens with the promise of God’s blessing and the threat of God’s curse. A homily from the midrashic collection Devarim Rabbah questions the nature of divine involvement in human affairs.

Another matter, “see I” – Rabbi Elazar said: When the Holy One blessed be He said this matter at Sinai, from that time: “From the mouth of the Most High, evil and good do not emerge” (Lamentations 3:38). Rather, on its own, evil befalls those who perform evil, and good occurs to those who perform good. Alternatively, Rabbi Ḥagai said: [God said:] ‘Not only did I give you two paths; I went beyond the letter of the law, and said to you: “You shall choose life”’ (Deuteronomy 30:19).

Devarim Rabbah 4:3

How Do You Like Your Meat?

COMMENTARY

The Torah portion includes rules for slaughtering and eating animals not being brought as offerings. Rashi, the renowned 11th-century northern French rabbi, comments on the verses phrase by phrase, giving context, lessons, and practicalities of these laws

כי ירחיב וגו׳ WHEN [THE LORD THY GOD] SHALL ENLARGE [YOUR BOUNDARY … AND YOU SHALL SAY, I WILL EAT FLESH … YOU MAY EAT FLESH] — The Torah teaches the proper rule of life — that one should not desire to eat flesh unless he lives amidst abundance and wealth (cf. Sifrei Devarim 75:5; Chullin 84a; see also Rashi on Leviticus 17:13). בכל אות נפשך וגו׳ [YOU MAY EAT FLESH] IN EVERY LONGING OF YOUR SOUL — In the wilderness, however, the flesh of a non-holy animal was forbidden to them as food, unless one first dedicated it to the altar and offered it as a peace-offering (Sifrei Devarim 75:4…

Rashi on Deuteronomy 12:20:1-21:2

Is This a Prophet?

COMMENTARY

Parashat Re’eh discusses the eventuality of a ‘prophet’ attempting to lead people to idolatrous practices. In his commentary on the Torah, 13th-century Spanish scholar Ramban debates what the verses mean by a ‘prophet.’

IF THERE ARISE IN THE MIDST OF THEE A PROPHET, OR A DREAMER OF DREAMS. Scripture calls him “a prophet” on the basis of his own claim, for it is he who claims, “G-d spoke with me while I was awake and I am His prophet sent to you [to command] that you [worship idols,” as mentioned in Verse 3]. But it is possible that Scripture alludes to that which is true [that the person does indeed possess certain prophetic powers], for there is a prophetic potential in the souls of some people by which they know of things to come without the person knowing whence it comes to him…

Ramban on Deuteronomy 13:2:1-2

Children to God

MIDRASH

In Parashat Re’eh, Moses tells the people of Israel that they are children of God. Sifrei Devarim, an early midrashic work on the book of Deuteronomy, reports a debate between Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Meir about when and how Moses’s designation applies.

(Ibid. 14:1) "Children are you to the L-rd your G-d": R. Yehudah says: When you deport yourselves as children, you are called "children"; when you do not deport yourselves as children, you are not called "children." R. Meir says: In either instance you are called "children," as it is written (Jeremiah 4:22) "They are foolish children," and (Ibid. 32:30) "children without faith," and (Isaiah 1:4) "seed of evildoers, perverse children," and (Hoshea 2:1) "Instead of being said of them, 'You are not My people,' it will be said of them 'children of the living G-d.'"

Sifrei Devarim 96:9

The Dubious Case of the Wayward City

TALMUD

Among other rulings against idolatrous temptations, Parashat Re’eh discusses the case of an entire city condemned for falling into idolatry. The Talmud casts doubt about whether such a city could ever really exist.

The Gemara raises a similar question: In accordance with whose opinion is that which is taught in a baraita: There has never been an idolatrous city and there will never be one in the future, as it is virtually impossible to fulfill all the requirements that must be met in order to apply this halakha. And why, then, was the passage relating to an idolatrous city written in the Torah? So that you may expound upon new understandings of the Torah and receive reward for your learning…

Sanhedrin 71a:16-17

Opening Your Hand

CHASIDUT

Within a few verses, Parashat Re’eh twice uses the phrase ‘open your hand’ to encourage generosity in loaning to the needy. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov, a creative and controversial Chasidic master of the turn of the 19th century, offers a teaching based on that phrase about the essential connection between opening and charity.

And charity is always a beginning, as in (Deuteronomy 15:8), “open, you shall open [your hand to him].” Even where an opening and a beginning already exist, charity opens more and more, widening the opening further. When a person wants to embark upon a particular path and devotion in worshipping God, he needs to make an opening in order to enter that path. This is as in “all beginnings are difficult,” because at the beginning one must break through and open a new entrance. It is therefore very difficult…

Likutei Moharan, Part II 4:2:4

Keeping the Year in Order

HALAKHAH

How can a calendar stay aligned with the solar seasons while the months are defined by the lunar cycle? Rambam’s famed 12th-century code of Jewish law, the Mishneh Torah, explains how a verse in Parashat Re’eh informs the structure of the Jewish calendar.

A leap year is a year that includes an additional month.The extra month that is added is always Adar, and thus the year contains two Adarin: the first Adar and the second Adar.
Why is this month added? Because of the season of spring, so that Pesach will fall then, as [implied by Deuteronomy 16:1]: "Take heed the month of spring" [This command can be interpreted to mean, "Take heed] that this month falls in the spring season. Were the month [of Adar] not to be added [from time to time], there are times when Pesach would fall in the summer, and times [when it would fall] in the rainy season…

Mishneh Torah, Sanctification of the New Month 4:1

"Three times a year shall appear each of your males in the presence of the Lord your God in the place that He chooses: on the festival of matzot..". Mahzor (Festival Prayer Book), Austria 1823; Cover: Italy 20th century. Gift of Dr. Harry G. Friedman, The Jewish Museum NY