Re'eh: Finding Our Purpose in Life

By Zachary Fish

רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה׃

אֶת־הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־מִצְוֺת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם׃

וְהַקְּלָלָה אִם־לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ אֶל־מִצְוֺת יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם וְסַרְתֶּם מִן־הַדֶּרֶךְ אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם לָלֶכֶת אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יְדַעְתֶּם׃

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

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

and curse, if you do not obey the commandments of your God יהוה, but turn away from the path that I enjoin upon you this day and follow other gods, whom you have not experienced.

The opening pesukim of the parsha at first glance seem very straightforward: if you do good Hashem will reward you, and if you do bad Hashem will punish. This is a message we learn very early on in our Jewish education, the concept of sechar v’onesh.

However, there are many textual questions that need to be asked.

Why does the pasuk use the language of re’eh, see? Is it possible to actually see a blessing or a curse? Why does the pasuk start in the singular, re’eh, and then switch to the plural, lifneichem, within just three words? How does the language of notein lifneichem, give before you, make sense for a curse? Why is there such a hyper focus on the word “hayom”, today, which is mentioned three times in three pesukim? And lastly, if the message is that there is schar v’onesh, why doesn’t the Torah just use the words sechar v’onesh?

The Nesivos Shalom offers a profound approach in the pesukim that answers all of these questions. He explains that the pesukim are not merely conveying the fundamental and necessary concept of reward and punishment, but something even more profound: the idea that we each have a purpose in this world. Every person has a mission in the world and the greatest beracha is when someone is able to be in line with that mission, whereas the greatest kelala is when someone is missing the point of why they are here.

But how does one know what their mission is in life? It would be easy if Hashem let us know, but we are left in the dark!

That is what the beginning of the parsha comes to answer. Re’eh, See! See that everything that Hashem gives to you, whether that be your natural inclinations, what happens to you or around you, are all indications from Hashem regarding what your mission in this world is. We just have to be willing to keep our eyes open to see these messages and be introspective enough to understand them. Everything that Hashem has set up in our lives, whether it seems like it or not, is an opportunity for us to fulfill our divine purpose. Not only do our natural inclinations to good Hashem guide us, but the Nesivos Shalom explains that even our yetzer hara is a major indication of our purpose;why else would Hashem give it to us? The Nesivos Shalom likens all the occurrences in our lives to a bas kol, for they are the medium in which Hashem can communicate to us.

Everything that we are given has the potential to be for beracha, connecting us to our mission in avodas hashem, or kelala, distancing us from it. That is why the pasuk uses the language of natan. is being given are all the physical and tangible things that Hashem presents to us, which all have the potential for beracha and kelala.

Additionally, while the Nesivos Shalom does not say this explicitly, this could be why Re’eh is in the singular. While it is true that everyone has a mission (lifneichem), each person has to search for it themselves. No two people, circumstances, or lives are the same and therefore no two purposes in this world can be the same. Each individual must realize, meditate on, seek out, and figure out for themselves what Hashem has given them in this world, what they are able to do, and therefore what their purpose is.

Lastly, why does the pasuk focus on the word “hayom”? The Nesivos Shalom explains this is because each day has its own mission and purpose. While it might be very daunting to try and figure out one’s whole mission for the rest of their lifetime, it is a lot easier to take it day by day. And that is what the pasuk is telling us. Each day Hashem presents us with different situations and occurrences, each one presenting us with different opportunities to attain beracha or kelala that are unique to that day. Our job is to properly respond to what is given to us each day. every day we act in the correct way according to what is before us, all these days will add up to a life lived with great purpose.

Hopefully we can use parshas re’eh as a reminder that a life of avodas Hashem is a lot more than just reward and punishment, but a life in which we can serve Hashem by fulfilling the purpose for which we were created, and that in order to do this we just need to keep looking for the messages and opportunities Hashem is sending each and every day.