This week we read a Torah portion called Re’eh, which means “See,” and begins with this word: “See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: blessing, if you listen to/heed the commandments of the Eternal your God that I enjoin upon you this day; and curse, if you do not listen to/heed the commandments of the Eternal your God, but turn away from the path that I enjoin upon you this day and follow other gods, whom you have not experienced (Deut 11:26-28).
See, we are told, that a significant choice is before you. Before choosing the spiritual, ritual and ethical path that we are being called to follow, we are called to take note that we have a choice. While the mitzvot are, literally, commandments, the very text that records them also explicitly recognizes and calls us to recognize that we can choose whether or not to heed them.
Interestingly, the words to see and to hear are both used metaphorically in these verses. We can understand that we have a choice whether or not our eyesight is sharp, and we can heed wise counsel whether or not we hear it with our ears or learn it in some other way. But the use of “see” to convey recognition and “listen” to convey obedience express the importance of our achieving understanding and action through our lived senses. We are not to heed the mitzvot as automatons but as living, sensing beings.
This is expressed again in the citation above, when the text describes “other gods” as those gods “whom you have not experienced.” Here God reminds the Israelites that they are not being asked to act on a theoretical faith alone, that they have lived experiences of the Holy One’s impacts in their lives.
This reminder is of course for us too. This “One” or “Oneness” who calls us to heed the voice of conscience is the same Source of the experiences of our lives – the smell of freshly picked flowers and fruit, slow healing from injury, the lift in our spirits from a call or hug from a trusted friend.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller
Re’eh (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17) Torah Reading Aug. 8, 2026
August 5, 2026 by Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller • D'var Torah, Julie Saxe-Taller
This week we read a Torah portion called Re’eh, which means “See,” and begins with this word: “See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: blessing, if you listen to/heed the commandments of the Eternal your God that I enjoin upon you this day; and curse, if you do not listen to/heed the commandments of the Eternal your God, but turn away from the path that I enjoin upon you this day and follow other gods, whom you have not experienced (Deut 11:26-28).
See, we are told, that a significant choice is before you. Before choosing the spiritual, ritual and ethical path that we are being called to follow, we are called to take note that we have a choice. While the mitzvot are, literally, commandments, the very text that records them also explicitly recognizes and calls us to recognize that we can choose whether or not to heed them.
Interestingly, the words to see and to hear are both used metaphorically in these verses. We can understand that we have a choice whether or not our eyesight is sharp, and we can heed wise counsel whether or not we hear it with our ears or learn it in some other way. But the use of “see” to convey recognition and “listen” to convey obedience express the importance of our achieving understanding and action through our lived senses. We are not to heed the mitzvot as automatons but as living, sensing beings.
This is expressed again in the citation above, when the text describes “other gods” as those gods “whom you have not experienced.” Here God reminds the Israelites that they are not being asked to act on a theoretical faith alone, that they have lived experiences of the Holy One’s impacts in their lives.
This reminder is of course for us too. This “One” or “Oneness” who calls us to heed the voice of conscience is the same Source of the experiences of our lives – the smell of freshly picked flowers and fruit, slow healing from injury, the lift in our spirits from a call or hug from a trusted friend.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller