Jewish Recovery Thought - Re'ei
By Rabbi Ben A.
"See, I give you today [both] a blessing and a curse. The blessing [will come] if you obey the commandments... The curse [will come] if you disobey the commandments...."
Deuteronomy 11:26-28
This week’s reading begins by stating: "See, I give you today [both] a blessing and a curse. The blessing [will come] if you obey the commandments... The curse [will come] if you disobey the commandments...."
The command to “see” means to look deeply into the matter. But why should it take such profound consideration to choose a blessing over curse? Even a superficial assessment of the two options should be enough.
The answer is, however, that to understand the nature of the curse, one needs to look deep beneath its face value. Since freedom of choice is essential to man’s service of G-d, He has created a balance between good and evil. This balance, however, is strictly for the purpose of providing the appearance that there are really two equal options. In reality, evil in and of itself has no substance or purpose. It exists only to provide the possibility of choice, so that man can take credit for his good, have a sense of dignity and appreciate the good that he chooses.
This knowledge – that the entire purpose of evil is only that it be overcome by man – makes our service of G-d much easier. But to perceive this truth, one must “see.” One must pierce through the illusion that evil exists in its own right and see that it is nothing more than a means to an end, to allow him to become truly closer to G-d.
While we may not have any choice about being alcoholic, we do have the choice whether or not to take that first drink. We know that to choose sobriety is to choose a blessing and that to choose alcohol is to choose a curse. But the curse does not exist for its own sake. It itself has no purpose other than to give greater meaning and value to the blessing. We are not battling between two equal opposing forces. The curse brought on by taking that first drink serves no true purpose other than to propel us into doing something that most non-alcoholics never can – to appreciate sobriety and its blessings as something precious, as something we had to actually choose.
3 shares:
I was reading the Gutnick chumash, and on the same passage one of the commentators asks; if everything G-d does is good, how can you say it’s a curse? He answered that if your following the commandment you will see everything blessings, if your not following the commandments then when things come at you that you don’t like, you will perceive them as curses. I was taken aback by this, if you listen to the third step audio Yisrael talked about taking ourselves out of the equation and believing that G-d is in total control. When I am actively working my program, this is second nature. When I am lax, it is difficult to remember what a good program looks like.
My blessing is my curse, my affliction, curse sounds so voodoo "ish". My affliction has brought much pain, sorrow, and dissappointment to me and those around me. However, now that I know the solution, (key), to adapting to my affliction, it has brought me great joy as well as to those around me and because of those around me. A blessing is something personal that the blessed may or may not choose to share w/the community. A curse will ultimately show its ugly head and force the hand of the community, if it is a noble one, to get involved. My community did not waiver when the call came and I,as well as they, are stronger, better, and more noble for it. The father has afflicted many so that many more will rise to the challenge of rightiousness and humanity. If it were not for said curses, we would have never met, there would be no friendship house or circle, no sober nights out,and no walks for friendship, and that would truly be a CURSE! I AM BLESSED!!!
The thought this week sparked in my mind a conversation i once had about judaism. Just as i have chosen recovery by working the steps; i had to choose to practice my judaism before it began to have meaning for me. I followed for many years growing up not by choice but because that is what i was suppose to do. In recovery, needing to find a deeper relationship with my higher power i again looked to my roots. I Then chose my Judaism as a pathway to G-d and in turn it has opened my understanding and continues to lend enlightenment to my 12 step program and build my relationship with G-d.
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