Friday, August 18, 2006

Re'eh

1. Great plural blessing
rains on individuals
as each of us needs

Rabbi Dovid Feinstein addresses the question of why G-d says to see in singular (re'eh) that a blessing is put before you, in plural (lifneichem). His answer is that while blessings are sent to everyone, they reach every individual in the exact way that he or she needs.

2. What is the blessing?
the blessing is if you listen
that is the blessing

Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch notes that the Torah states that you will see a blessing if you listen to G-d, but then the blessing is not stated. He explains that listening is the blessing itself, i.e. that besides any other rewards observing a Torah lifestyle is its own blessing.

3. Like sand and like stars
we are each a whole and part
to shine and align

Rabbi Josh Hoffman explains that the plural is used in addition to the singular to stress that each individual must balance their own needs with their responsibility as part of the greater whole. After individual needs are met a person must apply their own gifts on a national level. This fits with why Avraham was told that his descendants would be like the sand and the stars. Every star shines alone, but every grain of sand blends in with the others, thus representing the individual and communal aspects of Jewish life.

7 Comments:

Blogger rabbi neil fleischmann said...

Here's one more piece that I left out of my email but thought someone might "get."



For so many years

this week reminded Harold

of his wife named Ray



My father turned to the man next to me the other morning

(I was sitting in between dad and man) and commented,

"When this parsha comes around I think of Harold.

He always used to say 'this is my wife's parsha.'"

When the man looked at him blankly my father explained that Harold's wife's name was Ray.

August 20, 2006 at 7:43 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Really, really nice. I also appreciate the clarity of this format.

August 20, 2006 at 7:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

every time you do that "Like sand and like stars" it reminds me of like the sand in the hour glass these are The Days Of Our Lives. That one was right up there with All My Children.
Your post reminds me of when Hagar is thrown out of Avraham's house in Parshat Vayeirah as per Sarah's request the Torah says something like and Ha-shem opened up Hagar's eyes and behold there was a well. the point is that the well is there the whole time, but she has to look and open her eyes in order to find it. OY, i really need to look up the source. I'm like telling over something that I learned in third grade, and i can't even remember what i did yesterday. but...i think that my point was or is that the blessing is to be able to SEE and HEAR that which is in front of us. am i making any sense? If so may we all be blessed with just that. Bob

August 21, 2006 at 6:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

btw i am really sorry that i can't make it to your show tomorrow night! they always seem to be on nights that i have conflicts. maybe i shouldn't have so many conflicts =) anyhow, good luck, i'm sure that you'll be great! ms.usa

August 21, 2006 at 6:35 PM  
Blogger rabbi neil fleischmann said...

thank you bob/msusa. i appreciated the torah you shared. it fascinates me how there are things that some of us know since third grade and others with simlar experiences sometimes don't hear those same ideas till much later. i recently heard that idea about the well being there the whole time from my friend Jon Gross (who i think thought he thought of it). but it is a great idea. and you brought back memories of watching the days of our life with my grandmother when i was a kid. thanks for the thoughts about tonite - PG all will be good.

August 22, 2006 at 7:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

it's interesting that you became the comedian, because i used to watch I Love Lucy with my grandmother msrip! i can still hear her infectious laugh and this goes back more years than i care to count.

August 22, 2006 at 8:43 AM  
Blogger rabbi neil fleischmann said...

Hmmm. It's amazing how much of an under rated healthy effect sitcoms can have on people. I remember an old aunt of mine who used to go through Tehillim regularly, who I never thought of as a TV fan. Once we were visiting her and she was excited about the episode of Mary Tyler Moore that she had seen the night before. She said that it was so funny that she couldn't stop laughing (it had something to do with slapstick surrounding a large wedding cake.)

August 22, 2006 at 9:47 AM  

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