Gratitude During Challenging Times
This week鈥檚 parashah begins with the verse专职讗值讛 讗指谞止讻执讬 谞止转值谉 诇执驻职谞值讬讻侄诐 讛址讬旨讜止诐 讘旨职专指讻指讛 讜旨拽职诇指诇指讛 變 / 鈥淏ehold, I set before you today blessings and curses鈥� (Deut. 11:26). Within the context of the biblical narrative, this verse refers to a choice given to the Israelites upon entering the Promised Land: they could either choose to follow God鈥檚 commandments and reap rewards, or not to follow God鈥檚 commandments and suffer negative consequences. The blessings and curses set before the Israelites are enumerated in Deuteronomy 27鈥�28, and were read publicly upon entering the Land, as recounted in Joshua 8:30鈥�35.
But what can this verse mean to us today, in the twenty-first century, when we are no longer standing on the border of the Promised Land following a forty-year trek in the desert? If the Bible speaks to people in all times and places, how can we discern the verse鈥檚 relevance to our own lives?
I understand the word 讛址讬旨讜止诐/ 鈥�today鈥� in the same way that the Midrash understands the words 讛址讬旨讜止诐 讛址讝旨侄讛 / 鈥渢his day鈥� in Exodus 19:1 and Deuteronomy 27:9.
讘旨址讞止讚侄砖讈 讛址砖讈旨职诇执讬砖讈执讬 诇职爪值讗转 讘旨职谞值讬志讬执砖讉职专指讗值诇 诪值讗侄专侄抓 诪执爪职专指讬执诐 讘旨址讬旨讜止诐 讛址讝旨侄讛 讘旨指讗讜旨 诪执讚职讘旨址专 住执讬谞指讬變
鈥淚n the third month since the children of Israel鈥檚 leaving the Land of Egypt, on this day, they arrived at the wilderness of Sinai.鈥� (Exod. 19:1)
讛址住职讻旨值转 讜旨砖讈职诪址注 讬执砖讉职专指讗值诇 讛址讬旨讜止诐 讛址讝旨侄讛 谞执讛职讬值讬转指 诇职注指诐 诇址讛’ 讗直-诇止讛侄讬讱指
鈥淏e silent and hear, O Israel; this day you have become a people of Hashem your God.鈥� (Deut. 27:9)
Why does the Torah use the words 鈥渢his day鈥� in each of these verses? Exodus 19:1 would read better with the words 鈥渙n that day,鈥� and Deuteronomy 27:9 doesn鈥檛 actually take place on the day the nation entered a covenant with Hashem! In his commentary on each of these verses, Rashi, the preeminent medieval 绿帽社 biblical exegete, references midrashim (cited in Yalkut Shimoni 273 and BT Berakhot 63a, respectively) which present the idea that on any given day that these words are read or heard鈥�meaning on every single day鈥�it should feel as though the event in question (receiving the Torah or entering into a covenant with God) is occurring 鈥渢oday.鈥� Similarly, in our verse in Parashat Re鈥檈h, on any given day that we read these words, we are being told that God is giving us blessings and curses.
In the biblical narrative, 讘旨职专指讻指讛 讜旨拽职诇指诇指讛 (previously translated as 鈥渂lessings and curses鈥�) refers to a choice between receiving blessings or curses, depending on our behavior. Yet this phrase does not have to be read as a choice. Rather, it can be understood to encompass both: God giving us both blessings and curses at the same time. Life is full of both positives and negatives simultaneously. We all have blessings for which we鈥檙e grateful and experience hardships that feel like curses; they co-exist in our lives, and we don鈥檛 get to choose only the good or only the bad.
In this verse, the Torah is directing us toward the realization that both the good and bad in our lives come from God, as is written: 讗指谞止讻执讬 谞止转值谉 诇执驻职谞值讬讻侄诐 / 鈥淚 am giving you.鈥� Indeed, 绿帽社 practice acknowledges that both the positive and negative in our lives come from God. The Shulhan Arukh, OH 222:1鈥�2, teaches us that upon hearing good news or experiencing something extremely positive, we recite either the blessing Hatov vehametiv / 鈥淲ho is good and causes good,鈥� or Sheheheyanu / 鈥淲ho has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season.鈥� We also recite a blessing upon hearing bad news or experiencing something extremely negative, that of Dayan ha鈥檈met / 鈥淲ho is the True Judge.鈥� It is not our place to accept the good that God gives us and reject the bad; we don鈥檛 get to pick and choose God鈥檚 lot for us. Additionally, we are not to blame God for the negative things we suffer while taking credit for the positive things in our lives; Deuteronomy 8 already warned us against that.
鈥淏eware lest you forget your God . . . and you say in your heart: 鈥楳y power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.鈥� But you shall remember your God, for it is He that gives you power to get wealth . . .鈥� (Deut. 8:11, Deut. 8:17鈥�18)
The first word in our parashah, Re鈥檈h / 鈥淪ee,鈥� charges us to recognize that all of the above are true. The 12th century Spanish biblical exegete Rabbi Avraham ibn Ezra notes that the command 鈥渞别鈥檈丑鈥� is written in the singular despite Moshe鈥檚 speaking to all the Israelites, because Moshe addressed each individual who was present. We can learn from this that it is incumbent upon each and every one of us to internalize the verse鈥檚 message.
Each of us must recognize that we receive both blessings and curses from God every day. Sometimes it is easy鈥攁nd during these challenging days of pandemic, perhaps almost unavoidable鈥攖o get caught up in the travails of the day and lose sight of the blessings in our lives. It is also easy to take certain privileges for granted and stop being consciously grateful for them. But the opening verse of this week鈥檚 parashah enjoins us to recognize and appreciate every good thing with which God blesses us, even at a time when we may be contending with challenges and losses that would have seemed unimaginable a year ago. We are literally instructed to 鈥渟ee鈥� God鈥檚 gifts.
May we all strive not to lose sight of our blessings, and in recognizing them every day, merit increased peace and joy in our lives.
The publication and distribution of the JTS Commentary are made possible by a generous grant from Rita Dee (锄鈥漧) and Harold Hassenfeld (锄鈥漧).
