Parshat Hashavua

  Parashas Re'eh

  I.  The Need for Extra Motivation
  "Behold, I have set before you this day a blessing and a curse." (Devarim
11:26)


  The Midrash (Devarim Rabbah 4:1) tells us that the blessing and the curse
promised to B'nai Yisrael, if they keep or, God forbid, neglect the Torah,
were to show us what is right and what is wrong.  We would think think that
all the laws in the Torah were meant to teach us what to do, and the
blessings and curses were only to motivate us to keep these laws.  How do
the blessings and curses given on Mount Gerizim "show us the proper path to
take"?
  Were it not for the extra motivation given on Mount Gerizim, we would not
be able to properly define our obligations to Hashem; we would rationalize
ways to free ourselves from the yoke of the mitzvos.  Even clear-cut
halachos can easily be swept away by our yetzer hara if we don't remember
that there is a terrible punishment for neglecting the mitzvos – and a
sublime reward for fulfilling them.
  Deep within our souls, we all recognize the responsibility to keep the
mitzvos; nevertheless, our yetzer hara can easily drag us off track –
unless we keep in mind the reward and punishment that hinges on our actions.
The fear of punishment – and the faith in ultimate reward – give us
the power to fight our yetzer hara and reveal the truth within us.
  The seas of life are often quite stormy and confusing, and we can easily
lose our bearings.  At such points in life, if we look inwardly at the
compass of our neshamah, we can determine the proper direction in which to
travel.  The yetzer hara is a crafty and cunning foe who will exert himself
heroically to try to confuse us.  If we remind ourselves of the infinite
reward and the agonizing punishment that we bring upon ourselves with our
deeds and thoughts, we will cut through the fog and confusion of the yetzer
hara's rationalizations and see the truth with unerring clarity.


Shabbat Shalom