And If You Go, No One May Follow, That Path Is For Your Steps Alone (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Ripple")

          It has been quite the emotional week. We arrived in Israel. Our son became Bar Mitzvah as he was called to the Torah and read from the Torah standing before the Kotel in Jerusalem. We will be in Efrat for Shabbat as he read Parsha Re'eh as well as chants the Haftarah as well. Besides the joy and pride we all felt for our son, as is typical of everything Jewish, our simcha was mixed with a bit of heart-ache. This also the week of my grandfather's 3rd yartzeit. I never realized until I began writing my speech for my son, that his Hebrew birthday and my grandfather's yartzeit according to the Jewish calendar are both Parsha Re'eh and are a few days apart. 
          This week's Parsha is Re'eh. Moshe continues his discourse. He has already explained the Mitzvot, and he continues to do that. Moshe has alluded to the blessings of life if B'nai Yisroel follows God's commandments. He has and continues to allude to the curses that will befall B'nai Yisroel if they violate the most important commandment-idolatry. "See I present before you today a blessing and a curse" (Deut.11:26). V'haklalah Im Lo Tishm'u el Mitzvot Adonai Eloheichem V'sartem Min Ha'Derech Asher Anochi M'taveh Etchem ha'yom La'lechet Acharei Elohim Acheirim Asher Lo Y'Datem-"And the curse: if you do not hearken to the commandments of the Lord your God, and you stray from the path that I command you today, to follow gods of others, that you did know." (Deut. 11:28) Moshe presents B'nai Yisroel with two pictures, a world when B'nai Yisroel lives up to it covenant with God and one in which they don't.  He reminds B'nai Yisroel of the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel (the Land of Israel), the consumption of foods that are consecrated to the Kohanim and he warns B'nai Yisroel to avoid imitating the Rituals and Rites of the Egyptians and the Canaanites. Moshe reminds B'nai Yisroel to be careful of false prophets, avoiding non-kosher foods, not living in wayward cities, forgiving loans after seven years, caring for the less fortunate and celebrating the three pilgrimage festivals of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Below are my words to my youngest child and only son at the time of becoming  Bar Mitzvah on Thursday morning of Parsha Re'eh.

          "So I wanted to offer you an eitzah that is based on your Parsha, that comes from the Sfas Emet, the Gerrer Rebbe  from about 1870-1905. It was said that when the Sfas Emet died, a great light in that part of the world was extinguished. So for me, when I want to get in touch with my inner jewish hippy, my inner Hasid, I gravitate towards the Sfat Emet.  The Torah tells us: Ki Im El HaMakom Asher Yivchar Adoshem Eloheichem miKol Shivteichem LaSum et Shmo Sham L’Shichno Tidreshu Uvata SHama – Rather, only at the place that Hashem, your God, will choose from among all your tribes to place His Name shall you seek out his Presence,his dwelling, and come there. Certainly this is reminiscent of the Kadosh Baruch Hu, at the time of the Akeida, telling Avraham that he will show him where to go with his son Yitzchak. Its reminiscent of Avrham as much younger man, leaving his home and going to a place that God would show him., Certainly we could understand Moshe’s words as  reminding B’nai Yisroel of the sanctity and the importance of Israel, and the centrality of Israel to Torah and Jewish identity. 

           The Torah uses words like seek.  Torah tells us that God will choose a place.  The Sfas Emet reminds us that that HaShem’s choice is not revealed until B’nai Yisroel “seeks”.  Because we are commanded to seek Shechino, his dwelling, we are tasked to seek holiness. Holiness is in Time and Space. Holiness is in your Neshama, Holiness is in your choices and in the way you live your life. That is the constant choice you will make HaYom. Today – and after you make such a choice today; that will lead you to another choice tomorrow. Each and every day requires you to make a choice to seek holiness, to seek Shechino, to seek the goodness that resides in you.  My son, you are a seeker, you seek knowledge, you seek light, you seek goodness,  and you seek to bring goodness to the parts of the world you touch: whether it is your affectionate nature, your inquisitive mind, your  winsome smile and personality;  or the fact that you are the kid that sees a child sitting alone, looking upset, and you check on that child, or include that child in whatever it is you and your friends are doing. You’re the kid that instinctively looks out for those younger, weaker and more vulnerable.  Continue to be a seeker, always be a seeker, seek to improve yourself, seek knowledge, seek goodness, seek  holiness, and as you have come to understand, seek the best possible you that you can be.  When you seek, you will clearly see the choices laid before you and you will always choose wisely.  Today - and and all the "Todays" that will follow."

Peace,

Rav Yitz