{"id":258,"date":"2025-08-20T14:05:37","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T14:05:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jgov.org\/en\/?p=246"},"modified":"2025-08-20T14:05:37","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T14:05:37","slug":"commentary-on-parashat-reeh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/torah\/commentary-on-parashat-reeh\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary on Parashat Re\u2019eh"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deuteronomy 11:26\u201316:17<\/em><\/p>\n

In this week\u2019s portion we see that Mosheh summons Israel to contemplate the profound reality of covenantal choice. \u201cBehold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse\u201d (Deut. 11:26). This is a covenantal decree that touches the very destiny of the people of Israel. The blessing is linked to obedience, the curse to rebellion, and the nation is reminded that its future hinges upon fidelity to Mar-Yah.<\/p>\n

This portion encompasses some of the most defining ordinances that would shape Israel\u2019s collective identity. It sets forth the command to establish worship only in the place that Mar-Yah Himself shall choose, thereby eradicating idolatrous practices from the Land. It provides safeguards against false prophets and seducers who would lure Israel into apostasy. It reiterates dietary distinctions, establishing holiness as a visible marker in the life of the nation. It commands tithes for the Levites and the poor, institutes the release of debts in the Sabbatical year, and upholds the ethical obligation to liberate Hebrew servants. The parashah culminates with the laws of the three pilgrimage feasts\u2014Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot\u2014which sanctify Israel\u2019s sacred time and bind the people together in communal worship.
\n<\/p>\n

Re\u2019eh represents both continuity and fulfilment. What Mosheh lays before Israel as a covenant of obedience is brought to completion in Yeshua Mshikha, who affirms that He came not to abolish but to fulfil the Torah (Matt. 5:17). The central sanctuary points beyond the Temple of stone toward the Temple of His Body; the Sabbatical release finds its consummation in the liberty He proclaims to the captives; and the pilgrimage feasts unfold into the mysteries of the Cross, the Spirit, and the ultimate indwelling of Mar-Yah with His people.<\/p>\n

Re\u2019eh is a prophetic foreshadowing of the greater covenant in Yeshua. It summons both ancient Israel and the present-day Assembly, under the guardianship of the family of Yeshua, to choose the way of blessing, to eradicate idols from the heart, and to live a life consecrated wholly to Mar-Yah Alaha.<\/p>\n

The Covenant Decision (Deut. 11:26\u201332)<\/strong>
\nThe portion begins with Mosheh\u2019s solemn proclamation: \u201cBehold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse\u201d (Deuteronomy 11:26). The blessing is conditional upon obedience to the Commandments of Mar-Yah; the curse, upon disobedience. Israel is to enact this covenantal declaration upon entering the Land, upon Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.<\/p>\n

This duality is is very much sacramental. Life itself is sacramentally divided by one\u2019s orientation toward Alaha. St.\u00a0Paul echoes this in the apostolic writings. \u201cDo you not know, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are… whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?\u201d (Romans 6:16). Thus, the Aurayta\u2019s dichotomy between blessing and curse is transfigured into the apostolic dichotomy between life in Mshikha and life in the flesh.<\/p>\n

The Eradication of Idolatry (Deut. 12:1\u201332)<\/strong>
\nOne of the most defining elements of this week\u2019s reading is the insistence on a single, central place of worship, chosen by Mar-Yah, in which sacrifices are to be offered. This centralisation was to prevent syncretism with the nations, whose worship was scattered in various locations.<\/p>\n

Here we see both historical and theological development. The Temple in Jerusalem became the embodiment of this command. Yet in Yeshua, the Temple finds its fulfilment: \u201cDestroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up\u2026 he spoke of the temple of his body\u201d (John 2:19\u201321). The worship once tied to a physical location is now oriented toward the risen Body of our Messiah, who, in His Person, is the true dwelling of the Shekhinah.<\/p>\n

For early Assembly of Jerusalem, this teaching did not abolish Temple worship at once, but they recognised in Yeshua the deeper reality\u2014the inner chamber not made with hands, eternal in the heavens (see 2 Corinthians 5:1).<\/p>\n

False Prophets and Seducers (Deut. 13:1\u201318)<\/strong>
\nThe text warns against prophets, dreamers, or even close relatives who might seek to draw Israel after various deities. The severity of the injunction\u2014calling for death against such deceivers\u2014underscores the absolute gravity of idolatry.<\/p>\n

In the apostolic age, the principle endures, though transfigured. The Apostle John says, \u201cBeloved, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of Alaha: because many false prophets are gone out into the world\u201d (1 John 4:1). The Assembly is to test doctrine and spirit, preserving purity of worship centred in Yeshua.<\/p>\n

Thus, within the New Covenant community, the underlying truth of Aurayta\u2014absolute fidelity to Mar-Yah\u2014remains binding.<\/p>\n

Tithes and Provision for the Needy (Deut. 14:22\u201329)<\/strong>
\nThe tithe is commanded primarily as a social provision. Every third year, the tithe is laid aside for the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. Here we see the social dimension of holiness\u2014faithfulness to Alaha necessarily expresses itself in generosity to the vulnerable.<\/p>\n

Yeshua affirms this when rebuking the Pharisees: \u201cWoe unto you\u2026 for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of Aurayta, judgment, mercy, and faith\u201d (Matthew 23:23). True tithing is not ritualistic tokenism, but covenantal justice. <\/p>\n

Mar Ya\u2019aqub the Tzadik, in the first century, wrote that it is our obligation, as practitioners of the true religion, to take care of widows and orphans. This is what our tithe and alms are for in these days, showing our obedience to the Commandments. (James 1:27)<\/p>\n

The Sabbatical Release and Social Justice (Deut. 15:1\u201318)<\/strong>
\nThe remission of debts every seventh year and the command to release Hebrew servants demonstrate a vision of economic balance. Israel is not to allow a permanent underclass. The land and its produce belong ultimately to Alaha, not to man.<\/p>\n

This anticipates the greater Jubilee in Mshikha, proclaimed in Yeshua\u2019s words: \u201cThe Spirit of Mar-Yah is upon me\u2026 to preach deliverance to the captives\u2026 to set at liberty them that are bruised\u201d (Luke 4:18). The Aurayta\u2019s economic rhythms foreshadow the eschatological freedom found in the Kingdom.<\/p>\n

The Pilgrimage Festivals (Deut. 16:1\u201317)<\/strong>
\nThe parashah concludes with a focus on the three regalim\u2014Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. These pilgrimages embody Israel\u2019s covenantal identity and rhythm of worship. They sanctify time and unite the nation around the presence of Mar-Yah.<\/p>\n

In the New Covenant, these feasts point to Yeshua. Pesach is transfigured into the Paschal mystery of the Cross; Shavuot into the outpouring of the Rukha d\u2019Kudsha at Pentecost; Sukkot into the eschatological dwelling of Alaha with man in the New Jerusalem. Yet the rhythm remains\u2014the Assembly still lives by sacred seasons, orienting its life around the mysteries of salvation.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/strong>
\nParashat Re\u2019eh sets before Israel the great choice of life or death, blessing or curse. It enjoins fidelity, centralised worship, purity, justice, and generosity. In Yeshua Mshikha, these Commandments are not annulled but brought to their intended understanding. The physical Temple points to His risen Body; the dietary separations to holiness in the Spirit; the Sabbatical release to the Jubilee of salvation; the festivals to the liturgical life of the Kingdom.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s reading reminds us that holiness is concrete, covenantal, and communal. It calls us to orient all of life toward Mar-Yah, revealed in Yeshua, and to walk faithfully in the covenant path laid before us by the Apostles and the Assembly of Jerusalem.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deuteronomy 11:26\u201316:17 In this week\u2019s portion we see that Mosheh summons Israel to contemplate the profound reality of covenantal choice. \u201cBehold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse\u201d (Deut. 11:26). This is a covenantal decree that touches the very destiny of the people of Israel. The blessing is linked to obedience, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-torah"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}