Parshas Re'eh - choosing life

The passuk says at the beginning of this week’s sedrah (11:26)

רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה

Behold I place before you today a blessing and a curse.

The Yalkut Shimoni comments on this passuk:

ברכה וקללה - למה נאמר. לפי שנאמר: החיים והמות נתתי לפניך הברכה והקללה, שמא יאמרו ישראל הואיל ונתן המקום לפנינו שני דרכים דרך החיים ודרך המות נלך באיזו מהן שנרצה. תלמוד לומר: ובחרת בחיים. משל לאדם שהיה יושב על פרשת הדרכים והיו לפניו שני שבילין, אחד שתחלתו מישור וסופו קוצים ואחד שתחלתו קוצים וסופו מישור, והיה מודיע את העוברים ואת השבים ואמר להם: שאתם רואים שביל זה שתחלתו מישור כשתים ושלש פסיעות מהלך במישור וסופו לצאת לקוצים, ואתם רואים את שביל זה שתחלתו קוצים כשתים ושלש פסיעות אתה מהלך בקוצים וסופו לצאת למישור. כך אמר להן משה לישראל: אתם רואים את הרשעים שהן מצליחים בשנים ושלשה ימים הן מצליחין בעוה"ז וסופן לדחות באחרונה, ואתם רואים צדיקים שמצטערין בעולם הזה כשנים ושלשה ימים הן מצטערים וסופן לשמוח באחרונה...

Why does the passuk says that Hashem has placed before the benei yisrael a blessing and a curse? Because the passuk says, “Life and death I have placed before you, a blessing and a curse.” Lest the benei yisrael say since Hashem has placed two paths before us, we can go in whichever path we chose. Therefore the passuk says, “And you shall choose life.”

A parable to a person who sat at a cross-roads and there were before him two paths, one whose beginning was level but ended in thorns, and one whose beginning was thorns but in the end was level. And he advised the passers-by and he said to them; “The path that you see is level, if you go two or three steps down it, it is no longer level but becomes thorny. And you see this path that is thorny, if you go two or three steps down it, it becomes level.”

So Moshe said to the benei yisrael, “You see that the reshaim are successful. For two or three days they are successful in olam hazeh but in the end they are pushed away. And you see that tzadikim may suffer in olam hazeh. For two or three days they suffer but in the end they will rejoice…”

• Why would the benei yisrael say that they could go in either path, surely they are bound to observe the Torah?

The passuk in Nitzavim (30:19) that is quoted by the Yalkut Shimoni says

הַעִידֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ הַחַיִּים וְהַמָּוֶת נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה אַתָּה וְזַרְעֶךָ

I witnesses the heavens and the earth against you today that I have placed life and death before you, a blessing and a curse, and you should choose life, in order so that you and your children should live.

• If the passuk means to say that it is optional for the benei yisrael to choose the path of blessing or the path of curse, and Hashem is merely giving them good advice – but not forcing them – to choose blessing, then why did Moshe testify the heavens and the earth against the benei yisrael? Since the hand of the benei yisrael is not forced in this matter, there is no need to bring witnesses to testify against them?

The Michtav Me’Eliyahu explains as follows:

The Medrash Rabbah says (Shemos 17)

"וּלְקַחְתֶּם אֲגֻדַּת אֵזוֹב" הדא הוא דכתיב (משלי ט"ז, ד') כל פעל ה' למענהו אתה מוצא שכל מה שברא הקדוש ברוך הוא בששת ימי בראשית לא ברא אלא לכבודו ולעשות בהן רצונו ביום הראשון ברא שמים וארץ אף הם לכבודו בראם שנאמר (ישעי' ס"ו, א') כה אמר ה' השמים כסאי ואומר (תהלים י"ט, ב') השמים מספרים כבוד אל וכן האור שברא לכבודו הוא דכתיב (שם ק"ד, ב') עוטה אור כשלמה מה נברא ביום שני רקיע לכבודו בראו שיעמדו שם המלאכים ויהיו מקלסין אותו שנאמר (שם ק"נ, א') הללוהו ברקיע עזו מה ברא ביום שלישי דשאים ואילנות ומצינו שהדשאין מקלסין להקדוש ברוך הוא שנאמר (שם ס"ה, י"ד) יתרועעו אף ישירו ומנין אף האילנות שנאמר (דה"א ט"ז, ל"ג) אז ירננו עצי היער מלפני ה'...

The passuk says, “Hashem wrought everything for His sake.”

Everything that Hashem created during the sheshes yemei bereishis He only created for His honour and so that through then His will would be done...

On the first day Hashem created the heavens and the earth which reflect His glory…

On the second day Hashem created the firmament wherein the malachim stand and praise Hashem…

On the third day Hashem created plants and trees and we find that the plants praise Hashem and so too the trees…

Based on this medrash, the Michtav Me’Eliyahu explains that once the benei yisrael entered into a covenant with Hashem, then they agreed that perforce a kiddush Hashem would emanate from their story, regardless of whether or not they would keep the Torah. However, if they would choose to keep the Torah, then the kiddush Hashem that would emanate from their story would be one in which it is apparent how Hashem rewards those who keep the Torah. 

On the other hand, if the benei yisrael would not keep the Torah, they would always be forced to do teshuva in the end, as the passuk in Yechezkel (20:33) says

חַי אָנִי נְאֻם ה' אלוקים אִם לֹא בְּיָד חֲזָקָה וּבִזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה וּבְחֵמָה שְׁפוּכָה אֶמְלוֹךְ עֲלֵיכֶם

“As I live,” says Hashem, “If not with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm and with fury poured out, will I reign over you.”

In this way, a kiddush Hashem would result from the teshuvah of the benei yisrael, and they would also be rewarded for this kiddush Hashem that would result from this tortuous path they had travelled; however this is a more difficult path than the former option.

This is the meaning of the “good advice” that Hashem gave to the benei yisrael. Hashem recognised that the benei yisrael had accepted to be bound in a covenant with Him, and they accepted to be punished if they would not keep the Torah, and they accepted that Hashem would be justified in forcing them to do teshuvah, and they understood that Hashem promised them that they would still be rewarded for the kiddush Hashem that would emanate from such a history.

However Hashem advised the benei yisrael to always make sure that the kiddush Hashem that would result from their covenant with Him, would be one wherein it would be evident that Hashem rewards those who keep the Torah, and not one in which it would evident that the will of Hashem will be done, regardless of the path chosen by the benei yisrael.

Moshe testified the heavens and the earth against the benei yisrael in this regards, because since the heavens and the earth were only ever created in order to bring praise and honour to the name of Hashem, therefore once the benei yisrael agreed to be bound to this original purpose of creation, it would be inevitable that a kiddush Hashem would result from their history, whether via a level path or whether via a thorny and difficult path.

Just as the very plants and trees sing to Hashem, because they are part of a world which Hashem created for His glory, so too when the benei yisrael entered into a covenant with Hashem, they became the people that would always declare the praise of Hashem in the end. However only the benei yisrael can ensure that this kiddush Hashem will result from their being rewarded for having guarded the Torah and from choosing the path which is thorny in the beginning but which is clear in the end.