Perashat Re'eh 5778

Perashat Re'eh 5778

There are many factors which can affect a person's path in life. We are greatly influenced by our families. The genetic make-up of a person can also significantly impact one's life. Additionally, our level of education can often lead us to certain paths in life. The Rambam speaks about how the social circles we keep are an inseparable part of the decisions we make. Yet, do these factors determine our destiny?

This week's perasha establishes the principle on which the entire Torah is built, the existence of free will. "Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing: that you will heed the commandments of Hashem, your God, that I command you today. And the curse: if you will not heed the commandments of Hashem, your God, but turn away from the way I command you this day, to follow other gods that you did not know" (Deuteronomy 11:26-28). These pesukim clearly express the foundations of our faith. We are given free will and the choice to decide between blessing or curse, good or evil, life or death. The choice is ours alone. 

The famous saying of our sages, "Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except for the Fear of Heaven", underscores the fact that the circumstances of our life, such as genetics, family and social dynamics, are solely in the hands of Heaven. What we make of our circumstances depends absolutely upon the individual. 

Let us not be fooled by charlatans and manipulators claiming to be rabbis and trying to silence the idea of free will. They deceive by suggesting that one's name or birthday, or similar nonsense, shapes one's life. By stressing these absurdities, they create a system of dependence in which they hold the key to determining another's fate. These imposters who exploit the public, demand a significant amount of money for blessings and the removal of Ayin Hara or claim to see one's future should be shunned by our communities. 

We must remember what it says in the perasha and throughout the entire Torah. Although there are a good many forces that affect us, there is nothing more significant than one's own free will, and there is no better reversal of a heavenly decree than Teshuba, Tefillah and Sedaka.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Mimoun Miller