[Par-lite] For Parshat Re'ay - part two

Wed Aug 24 09:38:33 EDT 2011

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     THE TANACH STUDY CENTER
[http://www.tanach.org]

          In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag

     Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem
Leibtag

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          PARSHAT  RE'AY  - Part Two

     Bad influences?  Surely we should stay
away from them,

but how do we identify them?  In Parshat
Reay, we find an

example of how the Torah deals with this
problem, as Bnei

Yisrael prepare to enter the land.

INTRODUCTION

     Our previous shiur on Parshat Re'ay,
discussed how

"ha'makom asher yivchar Hashem" - emerged as
its primary

topic. Even though this holds true for
chapters 12 and 15,

chapters 13 and 14 appear to form a
digression from this

topic.

     To illustrate how the topic of 'bad
influences' is

sandwiched with the topic of "ha'makom asher
yivchar", the

following table summarizes the main topics of
the Parsha:

* HA'MAKOM ASHER YIVCHAR HASHEM

12:1-19 - Establishing the Bet ha'Mikdash as
the national

center

12:20-28 - Permission for eating meat outside
of that center

* BAD INFLUENCES

12:29-31 - Don't seek after the gods of the
nations of Canaan

13:2-6   - Don't follow the instructions of a
false prophet

13:7-12  - Don't follow a family member who
may lead you astray

13:13-19 - Ir ha'nidachat - when an entire
city goes astray

14:1-21  - Misc. dietary laws (what one
cannot eat)

* HA'MAKOM ASHER YIVCHAR HASHEM

14:22-27 - Eating "maaser sheni" (there) in
years 1,2,4,& 5

14:28-29 - Giving this "maaser" to the poor
in years 3 & 6

15:1-18  - The laws of "shmittah" for the 7th
year

15:19-23 - Bringing the 'first born' to
"ha'makom asher..."

16:1-17  - Celebrating the "shalosh regalim,
ba'makom asher..."

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     As you most probably have guessed by
now, in our shiur we

will search for a theme that ties all of
these topics

together.

FOUR 'BAD EXAMPLES'

     To begin our shiur, we must first
explain why we

categorized all of the topics in chapter 13
as 'bad

influences'.

     Note how each topic relates to a certain
warning that

'somebody else' will not lead you astray
towards following

other gods.

     First we find a warning against
following the gods of

your 'non-jewish' neighbors (12:29-31).  Then
we are warned

not to follow a charismatic leader (be he a
'prophet' or

'dreamer'), even if he performs a miracle,
should he suggest

that we worship a different god (13:2-6).
Afterward, we are

warned against following a family member or
close friend who

may secretly suggest that we worship a
different god.

Finally, as a society, we are warned not to
allow an entire

town to go astray; and if so, that entire
town must be

destroyed.

     Note how we find examples of influences
from:

a) society at large, i.e. our global
community

b) our leaders, either religious or lay

c) our family and close friends

d) our city, i.e. our local community

     These laws are followed by a lengthy
list of dietary laws

in 14:3-21.  Note however that the reason for
keeping these

laws is given both at the beginning and end
of this unit, in

14:2 and 14:21 - for you are an "am kadosh
l'Hashem elokecha"

- a designated [holy] nation for your God -
hence you must

separate yourselves from them.

     Even though the Torah does not explain
HOW these laws

accomplish this goal, we know quite well from
our daily life

how the laws of "kashrut" severely limit our
cultural contact

with people of other religions.  Therefore,
we find yet

another example of how the laws of the Torah
protect us from

the influences of those who may lead us
towards following

other gods.

     With this in mind, we must now consider
the connection

between this unit of 'bad influences' and the
primary topic of

"ha'makom asher yivchar Hashem".

INFLUENCES - GOOD & BAD

     When we consider the purpose of
"ha'makom asher yivchar

Hashem", i.e. the establishment of the city
of Yerushalayim

and the Bet ha'Mikdash as the nation's
vibrant cultural and

religious center, we find yet another example
of what will

influence the society of Am Yisrael, this
time from the

positive aspect.

     In other words, Parshat Re'ay discusses
all types of

influences that will shape the nature of
society (as Bnei

Yisrael prepare to enter the land). First and
foremost, by the

establishment of "ha'makom asher yivchar
Hashem" and the

requirement that every jew frequent that site
and eat his

"maaser sheni" in Yerushalayim, we assure the
proper

development of Am Yisrael as an "am kadosh
l'Hashem".

     By warning against bad influences, the
Torah attempts to

make sure that the fabric of that society
won't crumble.

     In Parshat Shoftim, we will find
additional examples of

what will provide a 'good influence' upon the
nation. The

Torah will discuss the judicial system, the
priesthood, and

the various other institutions of political
leadership in

their ideal form.

                         Till then,

                              shabbat shalom

                              menachem

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