Standing Strong |
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Re’eh— Behold
Deuteronomy 11:26– 16:17 Isaiah 54:11– 55:5 Matthew 25:31– 46 |
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Isaiah 11:6 2 Thessalonians 2:15 |
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This week’s Parasha reading has a couple of items on which I wish to focus. First is to debunk the myth that all temptations come to us by way of Satan. The second is the need for the whole community to act as individuals while being held accountable as a complete community for the actions of each one within it.
I have heard from so many sources over the years on items such as |
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temptation and I must admit that I used to listen to what was told to me purely because of the position the person held. I rarely questioned what was told to me by people of authority within organized religion. After all, don't our teachers, priests, rabbis, clergy, etc know much more than me and I shouldn’t I just trust them, right? WRONG. The number of people led down false trails by leaders in the church is huge. How does this happen? Don't we watch them to see if what they say will happen will come true prior to accepting what they say? This warning is given to us in this week's Parasha. If there should be in your midst a person who has prophecy and produces a sign or a wonder AND THE WONDER COMES TRUE, and speaks to you to saying let's follow other G-ds, you are to put this person to death as they speak against the L-rd G-d. Verse 13:4 states "for the L-rd, your G-d, is testing you to know whether you love the L-rd, your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul."
There is something very big here. Someone can have a prophecy, sign, or wonder come true and not be from G-d even when they claim to be speaking in G-d's name, and the test is coming from G-d. Read it again. “...for the L-rd, your G-d is testing you…" I heard a priest years back find fault with the prayer that says, lead us not into temptation, stating G-d would never lead us into temptation. As a young child I accepted what he said, assuming he must know what he was saying. Does this statement that G-d would never tempt us line up with scripture? Obviously when we read this week's passage, it does not.
One of the greatest accomplishments of the last 200 years was the taking of scripture and putting it into the common tongue of those wishing to read it. There are very few Greek scholars and very few Hebrew scholars available to the common masses to let the words taught be checked against scripture.
G-d does test us. This is pure and simple. This also allows us to debunk such statements as "You must be doing something wrong for G-d to be allowing this in your life." I must say I much prefer the balanced approach I have heard from some of the rabbis I know who state things more along the line of “You are doing nothing wrong but G-d is testing you. He must have something big in mind for you in the future that He is giving you such a test now.” I am not saying that G-d does not use punishment and situations to correct us when we do things wrongly, I'm just saying we need to look at both to have a good balance.
On to the second item.
The Torah portion for this week starts with, “Behold I set before you today a blessing and a curse.” The Hebrew word Re’eh (behold or see) is in the command form and is in the singular. Thus, each person as an individual is told to behold, look, see what is before you. The individual is to understand in heart, mind, and soul what is being shown. The Hebrew word lifniekhem (before you) is in the plural form. There is a change of tense halfway through the sentence. What is set before you is for the whole of the community. The whole of the community will be held accountable to the standards put forward, and reap its reward according to the following of each individual. Wow.
This is demonstrated in Scripture in Joshua, Chapter 7, when Achan, through not following the L-rd’s command pertaining to booty taken from the spoils of war, caused the L-rd to withdraw from His people and resulted in their not being able to stand before their enemies. One person is mentioned as stealing a garment, 200 shekels of silver and 50 shekels weight of gold. This one person caused the entire nation of Israel to suffer defeat in battle and the death and injury of numerous of his brethren. One person can bring judgment upon a nation. We must hold each other up to live in the way the L-rd commands. This has to be done in love and compassion.
The care for the community does not function only in this way. The L-rd G-d tells us in this week’s portion that we are to help supply for the needy among us. Chapter 14 tells us to take the tithe from produce of every third year and use it to feed the Levite, the stranger who dwells among you, the fatherless, and the widow, that the L-rd many bless you in all the work of your hands. Deut 15:7 tells us we are to open our hand wide to the poor and lend them what they need, even if the year of release is imminently on the horizon of time. Chapter 16 tells us we are to rejoice before the L-rd during His appointed feasts with free will offerings. We are to rejoice before the L-rd with our families, servants, Levites, the stranger who dwells within the gates of our cities, the fatherless and the widow. By everyone giving from what they have, a great equalizer comes into play and everyone gets to rejoice equally before the L-rd G-d.
We each must realize that our actions affect the whole community in which we live. G-d does judge us also as a group, and with that knowledge comes the responsibility to uphold each other in living as we should; getting the log out of our own eye before assisting others with their weak spots; and assisting to provide for those in need, even if they are strangers and not part of our “community.” May G-d assist us all in this walk.
Selah. |