Questions & Commentary on Parashat Re'eh

1. What does the Torah mean when it says that we should "hold fast" or "cleave" to God? Why is "holding fast" to the Lord so important?  How is it accomplished? 

Rabbi Jason Sobel

Frequently, Scripture uses repetition to stress the great significance of key concepts and commandments. Twice in last week's Torah portion (Deuteronomy 10:20, 11:22) and once in this week's parasha (Deuteronomy 13:5), we are exhorted by God through Moses to "cleave" to the Lord our God. The Torah's repeated emphasis on this matter should cause us to pause and ponder both the meaning and importance of "holding fast" to God.

In Deuteronomy 13:5, the children of Israel are exhorted to: 

Follow none but the LORD your God, and revere none but him; observe his commandments alone, and heed only his orders; him shall you serve and to him shall you hold fast.

The phrase "shall you hold fast" is a translation of the Hebrew verb tidbakun, which literally means to "cleave." This term is closely related to the concept of devequt, which in Jewish thought refers to a state of continued closeness to God. 

The Ramban (Moses ben Nachman or Nachmanides), a renowned mystic and scholar who lived in Spain during 13th century, defined the Torah concept of devequt as follows:

It warns man not to worship God and somebody else beside him; he is to worship God alone in his heart and his actions. And it is plausible that the meaning of "holding fast/cleaving" is to remember God and his love constantly, not to divert your thought from him in all your earthly doings. Such a man may be talking to other people. But his heart is not with them since he is in the presence of God. It is plausible that those who have attained this rank do, even in their earthly life, partake of eternal life, because they made themselves a dwelling place for the Shekina [God's manifest Presence in the World].

Ramban on Deuteronomy 11:22 

Thus, devequt is adhering and attaching ourselves to God in such an intense way that all our thoughts, words, and deeds are focused on him, so that our life and our will becomes one with his. We are called to cleave to God like a husband who leaves his parents to cleave to his wife (Genesis 2:24).

Cleaving to God is foundational to our physical and spiritual well-being as Deuteronomy 4:4 states, "But you who cleave to the Lord your God are alive, everyone of you this day." This verse implies that cleaving to the Lord is the only means of achieving true and lasting spiritual life. 

Our Sages however were perplexed by the concept of devequt since God is described as a consuming fire throughout the Torah (Exodus 24:17; Deuteronomy 4:24, 9:3). How is it literally possible for a person to cling to the Eternal One and not be destroyed? One solution was to attach oneself to a great prophet and tzaddiq like Moses, who, on the basis of their deep knowledge and intimate relationship with God could helps us achieve devequt:

Moses our teacher is the intermediary between Israel and the Holy One. "And they believed in the Lord and in Moses his servant" (Exodus 14:31). How can one cleave to God, for after all, faith and knowledge of God are expressions of devequt? Scripture answers: "they believed . . . in Moses his servant"; by believing and being attached to Moses, who attained knowledge of God and devequt with God, as a gift of grace, they were able to believe in the Lord . . . Thus, through Moses they were able to attach their minds and heart to God.

R. Yaakov Yosef, Ben Porat Yosef, p. 9b  

For us, as Messianic Jews, Messiah Yeshua is the Prophet like Moses who helps us achieve the highest level of devequt. Through faith in and faithfulness to Yeshua and his Messianic Torah, we begin to experience the ultimate goal of devequt, which is yichud, union with the God. Thus, devequt resulting in yichud is the natural out-working of being "in Messiah" as Yeshua states in John 17:20-23: 

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word; that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you; that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And the glory which you gave me I have given them, that they may be one just as we are one: I in them, and you in me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent me, and have loved them as you have loved me.

By cleaving to Messiah Yeshua like Israel cleaved to Moses after leaving Egypt, we are able to attach ourselves to the Eternal One, thereby achieving a continual state of union with God, a constant awareness of his presence in our lives, and abundant life now and in the World to Come.

2. Why does the Torah portion begin with the command re'eh "to see," and what does that have to do with a relationship?

Joshua Brumbach

According to the Jewish philosopher Abraham Joshua Heschel, from the beginning of creation, God has been in pursuit of a relationship with us. Part of any relationship is in understanding the role we each play, and in protecting that relationship.  Whether familial, romantic, or professional, every relationship entails that we establish boundaries and safeguards to maintain and mature those connections. When those boundaries are violated, the consequence is that we often end up overstepping our relational positions, and possibly end up putting the relationship in jeopardy.  

The very first word in this week's Torah portion is re'eh. This word, from which we get the name for this week's portion, is conjugated in an imperative form. Meaning that it is a command to do, to pay attention to, and "to see to" all the instructions God is setting forth. The book of Deuteronomy is actually a repetition of the entire Torah, and this week's portion is an even further condensed repetition. Within Parashat Re'eh are found the majority of the biblical commands. As such, the opening verse of the portion speaks of the importance of re'eh, "seeing" to all that God requires of us. 

The mitzvot serve as boundaries in the Jewish people's relation to God. When we, as Messianic Jews, violate the boundaries of our relationship, and either put another love ahead of us, introduce practices that are offensive, or invest in that which has no value, we weaken our relationship to God. We strengthen our relationship by observing those safeguards, and "seeing" to invest in that which will promote and mature our relationship instead of violating it. 

When we invest in our relationship with God, and draw closer in our spiritual paths by observing that which the Torah puts forth, we are choosing to see spiritually. Parashat Re'eh gives us the keys to establishing those boundaries, the steps in centering our entire lives around our relationship with God. This week's portion guides us through the observance of kashrut, the dietary laws, the rules for offering gifts (tithes, offerings, and sacrifices), and for the mo'edim, the prescribed set times when God chooses to meet with us. The appointed times of the shalosh regalim, the three pilgrimage festivals when we are to appear before God - Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot - are all opportunities God gives us to pursue our relationship with him.

Why does this week's Torah portion begin with the command re'eh "to see?" Because God wants us to see spiritually in order to see physically that which he commands. May God see fit to cause our relationships with him to become deeper, and may we, through our blessed Messiah Yeshua, have the ability to greater follow in his footsteps, and protect the boundaries of our relationship with our Creator.