Parshat Re'ay

The Power of the Curse

Moshe begins this week's parsha by telling Israel that they have choice: "a blessing or a curse". "You shall place those blessing upon Mount Gerizim, and those cursing upon Mount Eval" (Devarim 11:29).

This ceremony is not performed until Israel crosses over the Jordan, as described in Yehoshua chapter 8.

The concept of a curse is strange concept for the modern world. However, the ancient world believed that the spoken word took on a power of its own, and curses therefore, could wreak havoc.

We can see this concept from a strange story that appears towards the end of Sefer Shoftim. A young man from the Ephraim hill country, called Michayahu, stole eleven hundred silver pieces from his mother. His mother, not knowing that her son was the thief, put a curse on him. This shocks him into confession: "Behold the silver is with me, I took it (Shoftim 17:2)."

His mother immediately responds: "Blessed be my son to the Lord." Learning this as a child, I wasn't sure what to make of this response. However, if we put ourselves into her mindset, we can understand that the power of her curse frightened her now that she realized that it would be utilized against her son. She could not cancel the curse as it already existed. Her only option was to counteract it, by immediately blessing him.

This mindset can also help us understand the son. He had no problem stealing, not even from his own mother, but it was the fear of the curse that made him retract.

The story continues. Michayahu' s mother decides to dedicate the money to God and to build a shrine to him: "I have dedicated the silver before the Lord from my hand for my son to make a graven image and a molten one" (ibid 3).

Once again, they were still frightened of the curse and so they dedicate it to God in order to counteract it.

He then employs a wandering Levite to act as his priest, and his house becomes a place of worship to the local populace. "Micah said, 'Now I know that the Lord will be good to me, because I had a Levite as my priest (ibid 13).'"

Micha's success makes him think that the curse had been lifted. However, note that the author has changed his name from Michayahu to Micha. The removal of God's name is a stunning criticism by the author…and the story ends with Micha being betrayed.

While we must be careful with our words, God's law is not a system of superstition and incantation, it is our actions that count, and no amount of prayer can counteract our lot if we are morally repugnant. Moshe teaches us that we have to chosse blessing, not a prayer, but a way of life.

Last year's Sedra Short on Parshat Re'ay entiled: " The Empty-Handed Slave" appears at http://parshablog.blogspot.com/2008/08/parshat-reay-empty-handed-slave-torah.html

Another Sedra Short on Parshat Re'ay entiled: " Doing the What Seems Right " appears athttp://parshablog.blogspot.com/2007/08/parshat-reay-doing-what-seem-right.html

A further Sedra Short on Parshat Ekev entiled: " The Place " appears athttp://parshablog.blogspot.com/2006/08/parshat-reei-place-in-this-weeks.html

Parshat Ki Tavo

The Mountain of Curse

Moshe ordered the people that soon after they crossed over the river Jordan, they should perform a ceremony of blessing and curse:

"When you cross the Jordan, the following shall stand upon Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin. While the following shall stand upon Mount Eval for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naftali" (Devarim 27:12-13).

Sefer Yehoshua chapter 8 describes how Israel followed Moshe's instructions.

While Mount Evil is known as the "mountain of curse", its partner Mount Gerizim was witness to a curse a couple of hundred years later.

Sefer Shoftim records how Gidon, the judge who was offered, but turned down, the monarchy, had seventy sons. One of those children was called Avimelech. His mother was a "concubine from Shechem" (Shoftim 8:31).

Shechem was city whose inhabitants were not Israelite, but were nevertheless, Israelite citizenry. At times they were loyal to Israel, but at other times they were loyal to their Canaanite origins.

Avimelech approached them pointing out the benefits to them if they helped him seize the leadership of Israel and so they enabled him to hire mercenaries who helped him execute all his brothers, save the youngest, Yotam, who managed to escape.

And so "the inhabitants of Shechem and all Bet-millo assembled, and they went and made Abimelech king" (ibid 9:6).

Some time later, Yotam ascended Mount Gerizim and cursed the people in Shechem below. He told them a story of the trees approaching first the olive tree, then the fig tree and finally the vine, to be their king. All these trees that produce luscious fruits refused. Finally they approached the bramble who agreed to be their king.

The olive, fig and vine trees represent Gidon and his sons who refused the monarchy, while the bramble refers to Avimelech, who seized it.

The bramble is appropriate for Avimelech. It, like Avimelech, is produced by a mixture of seeds. It produces no fruit and its thorns prick those who approach it. More than that, it steals the water from the surrounding tress and destroys the wealth of the earth it grows on.

However, it does have redeeming feature, it can provide shade. Shade, or security, is something positive a ruthless dictator can provide his people. The needs of the people sometime require such leadership.

Yotam told the inhabitants of Shechem that if they made Avimelech their king because they needed this type of leadership, than all well and good, but they should note that if not: "let fire come out of the thorn, and consume the cedars of Lebanon" (ibid 15).

The bramble is a very dry bush with little moisture. In hot weather it can catch fire. When it does so, it destroys all the trees that surround it.

Yotam tells Shechem that that is the fate that awaits them. Indeed, that is what occurred.

It is difficult to know whether Yotam was cursing, prophesying or merely predicting this course of events, however, like this week's parsha, is teaching a life lesson of cause and effect.

We may benefit from the pleasure that unfaithfulness to God might bring us, but in the long term, the price we pay is not worth it. The sin can eventually consume us.

Rather then reaping the curse of Mount Gerizim, it would be more beneficial for us, to reap its blessing.

Last year's Sedra Short on Parshat Ki Tavo entiled: "The Return to Egypt", appears at http://parshablog.blogspot.com/2007/08/parshat-ki-tavo-return-to-egypt-as-well.html.

Another Sedra Short on Parshat Ki Tavo entiled: "The Tochecha", appears at http://parshablog.blogspot.com/2006/09/parshat-ki-tavo-tochecha-these-are.html.