Some might wonder why we still care about the Reeh. Well, as with all things in the Torah, the message is as vibrant today as it once was. Nothing has changed; the only thing that has changed is how we perceive the world around us. Sure, technology changes, but the laws of nature and those of the land don’t change, which is why Reeh is still important to this very day.
Moses’ powerful message
This portion of the Torah begins with Moses giving a powerful message to the Israelites. It sets the theme throughout the parashah for the consequences of following or rejecting God's laws. Moses also instructs people about the danger of idolatry.
The blessing and the curse
Moses spells out in no uncertain terms what will happen if people don’t obey God’s commandments. The blessings and curses were spelled out on two mountains, Mount Gerizim for the blessings and Mount Ebal for the curses. Those mountains were visual reminders that people could look at to remember both the curse and the blessings. Think of them as friendly reminders as to why people should understand that there are both blessings and curses for their actions.
God wants people to obey the commandments, and those who do will be blessed. Anyone who doesn’t follow his word will be cursed. It’s a fairly simple concept, but for many people, it’s still pretty far-fetched even in today’s world. People have difficulty understanding that if they don’t obey, the curse that is put before them will be something their imagination can barely comprehend.
The dangers of idolatry
It’s easy to forget in today’s world how people once worshiped other Gods and idols. The laws prohibiting idolatry were important because they instructed that all places of idolatry needs to be destroyed. No places of worship of idols can legally exist and not a single one should be open to the public.
Idolatry was so feared in ancient Israel that people were instructed to kill anyone who practiced it. The parasha says that it doesn’t matter if the person is your relative or best friend, if they worship idols, they need to be killed. It sounds like a harsh stance, but in reality, the Israelites were trying to protect their national identity from idolatry.
Centralized worship brings people together
Unlike the Canaanites, the Israelites were to bring their sacrifices and offer to a central location. It was the place where all the tribes would gather to give their offerings. The centralized nature of the worship meant that people from all tribes were getting together and increasing their bond.
The idea that everyone has to go to the same place of worship compared to having many small local shrines is important because it sets the stage for unity and brings together like-minded people for a single cause. No longer are the Israelites strung all over without a singular place of worship; now they are together, and their strength in numbers is something people will notice.
Dietary laws and tithing become law
The parasha lists the clean and unclean animals from Leviticus. People are also instructed to give 10% of all their produce. In the third year, they were instructed to give their tithe to the poor and to the Levites.
The reason for the laws is to set God’s people apart from everyone else. The goal was to instruct people how to worship and how to live so they wouldn’t fall into the same traps as everyone else. As you can imagine, even during these harsh times, it seemed that people had mixed feelings about them.
Today, we can still learn from these lessons
Idolatry is still alive and well, though it takes different forms in today’s social media influencer world. It’s easier than ever to idolize someone for all the wrong reasons, and people do it by the minute. Tithing is still important as it is a means of helping the poor, and what we eat is still crucial to maintaining our health and our identities.
Wishing you a wonderful and sacred day!
See you in my next post,
Tohar Liani