Torah Portion of the Week

Re'eh ראה

Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17

Parshat Re'eh ('See') opens with Moses setting before the people a stark choice: 'See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse — the blessing if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, and the curse if you do not.' He designates Mount Gerizim for the blessing and Mount Ebal for the curse. The parsha then legislates the centralization of worship at 'the place the Lord will choose' — abolishing local altars and requiring all sacrifices to be brought to the single chosen sanctuary. Extensive laws follow: the prohibition of idolatry and enticement, dietary laws distinguishing permitted and forbidden animals, the sabbatical year and release of debts, treatment of the poor, Hebrew slaves, and firstborn animals. The parsha culminates with the three pilgrimage festivals — Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot — when all males must appear before God at the chosen place, 'and none shall appear before the Lord empty-handed.'

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1 of 7

Blessing and Curse — Gerizim and Ebal

ברכה וקללה — גריזים ועיבל

Deuteronomy 11:26–12:10

Moses declares: 'See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing — that you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you today. And the curse — if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God and turn aside from the way I command you today, to follow other gods that you have not known.' He instructs that upon entering the land, the blessing shall be proclaimed on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal — both near Shechem, beside the oaks of Moreh. The Israelites are commanded to destroy all the pagan worship sites: 'You shall tear down their altars, smash their pillars, burn their sacred posts, cut down the images of their gods, and obliterate their name from that place.' In contrast, Israel must worship only at 'the place that the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to establish His name.'

2 of 7

The Chosen Place — Centralizing Worship

המקום אשר יבחר ה' — ריכוז העבודה

Deuteronomy 12:11–12:28

Moses elaborates: 'To the place that the Lord your God will choose to make His name dwell there — there you shall bring all that I command you: your burnt offerings and your sacrifices, your tithes and your contributions, and all your choice votive offerings that you vow to the Lord.' They may eat meat freely in their settlements — 'the unclean and the clean may eat of it, like the gazelle and the deer' — but the sacred offerings must be consumed only at the chosen place. The one absolute prohibition: 'Be strong not to eat the blood, for the blood is the life, and you shall not eat the life with the flesh. You shall not eat it; you shall pour it out on the ground like water.' Moses charges: 'Be careful to heed all these words that I command you, that it may go well with you and your children after you forever, when you do what is good and right in the eyes of the Lord your God.'

3 of 7

Against Idolatry and Enticement

נגד עבודה זרה והסתה

Deuteronomy 12:29–13:19

Three sources of idolatrous enticement are addressed with increasing severity. First, the Canaanite practices: 'Do not inquire about their gods, saying: How did these nations worship their gods, that I may do likewise? You shall not do so to the Lord your God, for every abomination that the Lord hates they did for their gods; they even burn their sons and daughters in fire.' Second, the false prophet who performs signs and wonders to lure Israel after other gods — 'that prophet shall be put to death, for he spoke falsehood about the Lord your God.' Third, the enticer within one's own family — 'if your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or your beloved wife, or your closest friend entices you secretly, saying: Let us go worship other gods' — one must not yield or show pity. Finally, if an entire city turns to idolatry (the 'ir ha-nidachat), it must be utterly destroyed.

4 of 7

Dietary Laws — Permitted and Forbidden Animals

דיני כשרות — בהמות מותרות ואסורות

Deuteronomy 14:1–14:21

'You are children of the Lord your God' — therefore Israel must maintain its holiness even in eating. The signs of permitted land animals: split hooves and chewing the cud. The camel, hare, rock badger (which chew cud but lack split hooves) and the pig (which has split hooves but does not chew cud) are forbidden. Fish must have fins and scales. A list of forbidden birds is given. All winged swarming things are unclean, but clean winged creatures may be eaten. 'You shall not eat anything that has died of itself; you may give it to the stranger in your gates or sell it to a foreigner.' The section concludes: 'You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk' — the basis for the separation of meat and dairy.

5 of 7

Tithes and the Sabbatical Year

מעשרות ושנת השמיטה

Deuteronomy 14:22–15:6

The tithe obligation: 'You shall tithe all the produce of your seed that comes from the field every year.' The tithe of grain, wine, and oil — and the firstborn of cattle and flock — are to be eaten before the Lord at the chosen place. If the distance is too great, the tithe may be converted to money and spent at the chosen place on 'whatever your soul desires.' Every third year, the entire tithe is deposited locally for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. Then the sabbatical year (shemitah): 'At the end of every seven years you shall grant a release. Every creditor shall release what he has lent to his neighbor; he shall not exact it of his neighbor and his brother, because the Lord's release has been proclaimed.' God promises: 'The Lord will greatly bless you in the land He is giving you as an inheritance to possess — if only you will diligently obey the Lord your God.'

6 of 7

Generosity to the Poor and the Hebrew Slave

נדיבות לעני ודיני עבד עברי

Deuteronomy 15:7–15:23

Moses commands open-hearted generosity: 'If there is among you a poor person, one of your brothers, in any of your gates in your land that the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother. You shall surely open your hand to him and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be.' He warns against the calculating thought of withholding charity as the sabbatical year approaches: 'Beware lest there be a base thought in your heart... and your eye be hostile toward your poor brother and you give him nothing — he will cry to the Lord against you and it will be sin in you.' When a Hebrew slave has served six years, he goes free in the seventh — and not empty-handed: 'You shall furnish him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor, and your winepress.' If the slave loves his master and chooses to stay, his ear is pierced with an awl at the door and he serves permanently. The firstborn of cattle and sheep are sanctified to the Lord and eaten at the chosen place.

7 of 7

The Three Pilgrimage Festivals

שלוש רגלים

Deuteronomy 16:1–16:17

The three festivals when all males must appear before the Lord at the chosen place: Passover (Pesach) — 'Observe the month of Aviv and keep the Passover to the Lord your God, for in the month of Aviv the Lord your God brought you out of Egypt by night.' The paschal sacrifice is offered at the chosen place; unleavened bread is eaten for seven days, and 'bread of affliction' recalls the hasty departure. Shavuot (Festival of Weeks) — 'You shall count seven weeks from when the sickle is first put to the standing grain; then you shall keep the Festival of Weeks to the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering.' Sukkot (Festival of Booths) — 'You shall keep the Festival of Booths for seven days after you have gathered from your threshing floor and your winepress. You shall rejoice in your festival — you, your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow.' The summary principle: 'Three times a year all your males shall appear before the Lord your God at the place He will choose... and none shall appear before the Lord empty-handed; each shall give according to the blessing of the Lord your God that He has given you.'

Prophetic Reading

Haftarah הפטרה

Isaiah 54:11–55:5

ישעיהו

Isaiah's vision of a rebuilt Jerusalem with sapphire foundations — the third of the Seven Haftarot of Consolation — parallels the parsha's vision of blessing in the Promised Land.

Full Text

Parshat Re'eh

Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17 · 126 verses

First Aliyah

ראשוןDeuteronomy 11:26–12:10

Chapter 11

פרק 11

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26 רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָֽה

27 אֶֽת הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל מִצְוֺת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּֽוֹם

28 וְהַקְּלָלָה אִם לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ אֶל מִצְוֺת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם וְסַרְתֶּם מִן הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם לָלֶכֶת אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹֽא יְדַעְתֶּֽם

29 וְהָיָה כִּי יְבִֽיאֲךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה בָא שָׁמָּה לְרִשְׁתָּהּ וְנָתַתָּה אֶת הַבְּרָכָה עַל הַר גְּרִזִים וְאֶת הַקְּלָלָה עַל הַר עֵיבָֽל

30 הֲלֹא הֵמָּה בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן אַֽחֲרֵי דֶּרֶךְ מְבוֹא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בְּאֶרֶץ הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי הַיֹּשֵׁב בָּעֲרָבָה מוּל הַגִּלְגָּל אֵצֶל אֵלוֹנֵי מֹרֶֽה

31 כִּי אַתֶּם עֹבְרִים אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן לָבֹא לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם נֹתֵן לָכֶם וִֽירִשְׁתֶּם אֹתָהּ וִֽישַׁבְתֶּם בָּֽהּ

32 וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם לַעֲשׂוֹת אֵת כׇּל הַֽחֻקִּים וְאֶת הַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּֽוֹם

26 See, this day I set before you blessing and curse:

27 Blessing, if you obey the commandments of the ETERNAL your God that I enjoin upon you this day;

28 And curse, if you do not obey 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.

29 When the ETERNAL your God brings you into the land that you are about to enter and possess, you shall pronounce the blessing at Mount Gerizim and the curse at Mount Ebal.—

30 Both are on the other side of the Jordan, beyond the west road that is in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the Arabah—near Gilgal, by the terebinths of Moreh.

31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and possess the land that the ETERNAL your God is assigning to you. When you have occupied it and are settled in it,

32 Take care to observe all the laws and rules that I have set before you this day.

26 רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָֽה

26 See, this day I set before you blessing and curse:

27 Blessing, if you obey the commandments of the ETERNAL your God that I enjoin upon you this day;

28 And curse, if you do not obey 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.

29 When the ETERNAL your God brings you into the land that you are about to enter and possess, you shall pronounce the blessing at Mount Gerizim and the curse at Mount Ebal.—

30 Both are on the other side of the Jordan, beyond the west road that is in the land of the Canaanites who dwell in the Arabah—near Gilgal, by the terebinths of Moreh.

31 For you are about to cross the Jordan to enter and possess the land that the ETERNAL your God is assigning to you. When you have occupied it and are settled in it,

32 Take care to observe all the laws and rules that I have set before you this day.

Chapter 12

פרק 12

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1 אֵלֶּה הַֽחֻקִּים וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִים אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְרוּן לַעֲשׂוֹת בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָתַן יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי אֲבֹתֶיךָ לְךָ לְרִשְׁתָּהּ כׇּל הַיָּמִים אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם חַיִּים עַל הָאֲדָמָֽה

2 אַבֵּד תְּאַבְּדוּן אֶֽת כׇּל הַמְּקֹמוֹת אֲשֶׁר עָֽבְדוּ שָׁם הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם יֹרְשִׁים אֹתָם אֶת אֱלֹהֵיהֶם עַל הֶהָרִים הָֽרָמִים וְעַל הַגְּבָעוֹת וְתַחַת כׇּל עֵץ רַעֲנָֽן

3 וְנִתַּצְתֶּם אֶת מִזְבְּחֹתָם וְשִׁבַּרְתֶּם אֶת מַצֵּבֹתָם וַאֲשֵֽׁרֵיהֶם תִּשְׂרְפוּן בָּאֵשׁ וּפְסִילֵי אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶם תְּגַדֵּעוּן וְאִבַּדְתֶּם אֶת שְׁמָם מִן הַמָּקוֹם הַהֽוּא

4 לֹֽא תַעֲשׂוּן כֵּן לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם

5 כִּי אִֽם אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם מִכׇּל שִׁבְטֵיכֶם לָשׂוּם אֶת שְׁמוֹ שָׁם לְשִׁכְנוֹ תִדְרְשׁוּ וּבָאתָ שָּֽׁמָּה

6 וַהֲבֵאתֶם שָׁמָּה עֹלֹֽתֵיכֶם וְזִבְחֵיכֶם וְאֵת מַעְשְׂרֹתֵיכֶם וְאֵת תְּרוּמַת יֶדְכֶם וְנִדְרֵיכֶם וְנִדְבֹתֵיכֶם וּבְכֹרֹת בְּקַרְכֶם וְצֹאנְכֶֽם

7 וַאֲכַלְתֶּם שָׁם לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם בְּכֹל מִשְׁלַח יֶדְכֶם אַתֶּם וּבָתֵּיכֶם אֲשֶׁר בֵּֽרַכְךָ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶֽיךָ

8 לֹא תַעֲשׂוּן כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר אֲנַחְנוּ עֹשִׂים פֹּה הַיּוֹם אִישׁ כׇּל הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָֽיו

9 כִּי לֹא בָאתֶם עַד עָתָּה אֶל הַמְּנוּחָה וְאֶל הַֽנַּחֲלָה אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָֽךְ

10 וַעֲבַרְתֶּם אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן וִֽישַׁבְתֶּם בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם מַנְחִיל אֶתְכֶם וְהֵנִיחַ לָכֶם מִכׇּל אֹיְבֵיכֶם מִסָּבִיב וִֽישַׁבְתֶּם בֶּֽטַח

1 These are the laws and rules that you must carefully observe in the land that the ETERNAL , God of your ancestors, is giving you to possess, as long as you live on earth.

2 You must destroy all the sites at which the nations you are to dispossess worshiped their gods, whether on lofty mountains and on hills or under any luxuriant tree.

3 Tear down their altars, smash their pillars, put their sacred posts to the fire, and cut down the images of their gods, obliterating their name from that site.

4 Do not worship the ETERNAL your God in like manner,

5 But look only to the site that the ETERNAL your God will choose amidst all your tribes as God’s habitation, to establish the divine name there. There you are to go,

6 And there you are to bring your burnt offerings and other sacrifices, your tithes and contributions, your votive and freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and flocks.

7 Together with your households, you shall feast there before the ETERNAL your God, happy in all the undertakings in which the ETERNAL your God has blessed you.

8 You shall not act at all as we now act here, everyone as they please,

9 Because you have not yet come to the allotted haven that the ETERNAL your God is giving you.

10 When you cross the Jordan and settle in the land that the ETERNAL your God is allotting to you, and you are granted safety from all your enemies around you and you live in security,