The name of the Parshah, "Re'eh," means "See," and it is found in Deuteronomy 11:26.
“See,” says
Moses to the
people of Israel, “I place before you today a blessing and a curse”—the blessing that will come when they fulfill G‑d’s
commandments, and the curse if they abandon them. These should be proclaimed on
Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal when the people cross over into the
Holy Land.
A
Temple should be established in "the place that
G‑d will choose to make dwell His name there,” where the people should bring their
sacrifices to Him; it is forbidden to make offerings to G‑d in any other place. It is permitted to
slaughter animals elsewhere, not as a sacrifice but to eat their
meat; the blood (which in the Temple is poured upon the altar), however, may not be eaten.
A
false prophet, or one who entices others to worship
idols, should be put to death; an idolatrous city must be destroyed. The identifying signs for
kosher
animals and fish, and the list of
non-kosher birds (first given in Leviticus 11), are repeated.
A tenth of all produce is to be eaten in
Jerusalem, or else exchanged for money with which food is purchased and eaten there. In certain years this
tithe is given to the poor instead. Firstborn cattle and sheep are to be offered in the Temple, and their meat eaten by the
kohanim (priests).
The
mitzvah of
charity obligates a Jew to
aid a needy fellow with a gift or loan. On the
Sabbatical year (occurring every seventh year), all loans are to be
forgiven. All indentured servants are to be set free after six years of service.
Our
Parshah concludes with the laws of the three pilgrimage festivals—
Passover,
Shavuot and
Sukkot—when all should go to “see and be seen” before G‑d in the
Holy Temple.
Learn:
Re'eh in Depth
Browse:
Re'eh Parshah Columnists
Prep:
Devar Torah Q&A for Re'eh
Read:
Haftarah in a Nutshell
Play:
Re'eh Parshah Quiz
