Deuteronomy 25:17-19 teaches “Zakhor – Remember what Amalek did to you…do not forget.” Rabbi Malka cited these verses when addressing an Israeli audience in the mid-1970’s, to warn of the start of a disturbing trend – Holocaust denial. Today Holocaust denial is prevalent on social media and in academia. We have a sacred duty to remember.
Rabbi Sacks writes about the limitations on a father’s capacity to dictate which of his sons inherits, and how much. Inheritance laws overrule his love or preference for a particular wife or son. He discusses the various references to ahuvah and senuah in different portions, and the negative outcomes for not following the laws of inheritance.
Rabbi Ruditsky discusses the nuances of “stand” and “endure”, omeyd and kayayam, and how they are used in Pirkei Avot and the mitzvoth addressed in Ki Teitzei.
Rabbi Greenstein, as one of the 5 featured authors in the weekly drash a few month back, wrote about God’s seemingly irrational instruction to Moses to destroy the Midianites. Rabbi Greenstein writes that “the fact that there needs to be an explicit command to take vengeance upon the Midianites is a reflection of how exceptional it is. It is an acknowledgement that revenge is not usually a correct response to wrongdoing.”
Rabbi Ruditsky writes about the underlying concept of the ritual that is executed when a corpse is found lying in an open area. The key theme is the acknowledgment of social responsibility, for the person who is deceased, for the perpetrator of his/her death, and for the community who was not aware of the needs of the deceased.
In the attached article, Rabbi Axelrad compares and contrasts the relationship issues in this parashah to contemporary customs.
Rabbi Sacks writes about the meaning of humility, and when leadership incorporates it and when they don’t. Many great leaders, elected or otherwise, possess many good qualities, but not always humility. The parashah refers to kings, who typically were never humble, yet should have tempered their power with humility.
Rabbi Sacks looks at parashat Re’eh from the perspective of joy, and rejoicing, a contrast from the frequent intense focus on social justice and righteousness. He observes that simcha occurs 7 times in this parashah alone. Please follow the link below to read his full article:
Moses continues to communicate God’s message to the people, telling them that God gives them a choice of blessing or curse: when they possess the land they must obey God’s laws to ensure continued blessings; otherwise they will be cursed.
Rabbi Ruditsky focuses on the repetitive theme of social concerns relating to the Shemitah, Kosher laws, and Peah. He connects it to the reference in the Aleinu prayer to perfecting the world under the sovereignty of the Almighty. Among other things, this is analogous to ridding our world of hate and discrimination, aka social action.