Rabbi Mario Gurevich
Beth Israel Synagogue
Aruba
Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse.
Today’s reading begins with a strange command: behold. And I say strange because our monotheist history has had more to do with the auditory stimuli than with the visual. The commandments had already prohibited the reproduction of images, and of course, any kind of worship related with them.
Moreover, we are constantly reminded of the need to hear, to listen attentively.
Last week, on the reading of Ekev, Moses says to the people: “And it shall come to pass, because ye hearken to these ordinances, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep with thee the covenant and the mercy which He swore unto thy fathers” (Deut. 7:!2).
There’s a commentary by Rashi which refers to the word “hearken” (listen), pointing out, obviously without much detail, that just by listening we will be rewarded with the covenant of mercy, a covenant of love.
A relation such as this is not forged simply on obedience but rather on love. And love lives in the small things, in the details, in that particular attention that “hears” the whispers, the intentions, the unexpressed wishes and needs.
That same hearing appears in the heart of what we consider the most concise expression of the Jewish faith: “Shema Israel… Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One”.
To hear this sentence immediately followed by love: “Vehahavta… You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your being”.
Then, why are we commanded to behold today? Because God tells us that He has placed blessing and curse before us, and that it is up to us to see carefully and make the right decisions in this life.
Just as there are people who speak and say nothing, there are those who look but do not see; the information is there, but they pass before it without even realizing it.
God created an organized world, one of which principles is that of action and reaction, or cause and effect. However, the human capacity to deny the effects is overwhelming.
Denial can happen regarding absolutely light things, such as eating a second helping of dessert without believing that we will not be able to button up our clothes the next day, to the commitment of crimes without believing that someday we will be discovered.
Somehow, this is a re-edition of the Temple destruction theme: a long series of prophets warned that the consequences of the people’s transgressions would be defeat, destruction and exile. Didn’t they believe them?
Because for each true prophet, there were many false prophets. Against whom today’s parashah warns us, in which could well be the corollary of the issue “to see” and “to listen”:
“If there arise in the midst of thee a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams… thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet…” (Deut. 13:2-3).
The voice of the false prophets, external or internal, tells us: “You can do whatever you want, everything will be all right.” The true prophecy warns: “Be aware of the consequences of your acts.”
To not do so can lead us to results as trivial as gaining a few extra grams, or as cosmically catastrophic as the destruction of the Temple and the absence of the Divine Presence in our lives.
May we always be able to hear the voices of silence so that we may build loving relations in our surroundings, and see the blessings and curses we face every day so that we may make the correct decisions that will direct our lives.
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