Parashat Re’eh 5785-23 August 2025 / 29 Av 5785

Mr. Murthy Gaddi
Aug 21
5 min read

“Re’eh: Choosing the Path of Blessing through Purity, Generosity, and Sacred Order”

"RE’EH: THE DIVINE GIFT OF CHOICE – SEEING BEYOND THE CURSE TO THE INNER BLESSING"

1. The Power of Sight – Free Will and Personal Responsibility

➤ Rashi (Deut. 11:26): Why does the verse begin with “See” in singular but continues addressing the plural? Because each person must “see” for themselves—even if the collective errs, you must choose life and good.This also emphasizes bechirah chofshit (free choice), a central principle of Torah life.➤ Ramban: The blessing and curse are not merely divine reactions, but spiritual consequences inherent in creation, revealed to us through prophecy and mitzvot.

In his Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Teshuvah (Laws of Repentance 5:1–3), Rambam writes: "Freedom of choice is given to every person… Were G-d to decree that one should be righteous or wicked… how could He command, 'Do this,' and 'Do not do this'?"

🔍 Insight: The verse is one of the foundational texts for human free will. Without choice, the entire Torah—its commands, promises, and consequences—loses all moral relevance. Rambam emphasizes that our moral agency is a gift and a test, granting full responsibility for our deeds.

🔸 2. Targum Yonatan – Evil as a Transmutation of Good

Targum Yonatan translates the verse: “See, I give you today the blessing and its transmutation.”🔍 Insight: The “curse” is not an independent entity but rather a distortion or misuse of blessing.This aligns with Kabbalistic views: all reality flows from divine light; what we experience as evil is simply light channeled wrongly or misunderstood.

🔸 3. The Lubavitcher Rebbe – Evil’s Inner Goodness

The Rebbe explains that Moses is giving Israel the power of “sight”—not only literal, but spiritual perception: “The true nature of evil is nothing more than a transmutation and distortion of the divine good. When evil is thus seen, it can be transformed into the good that it essentially is.”

🔍 Insight: This is a Chassidic and Kabbalistic concept of “birur”—refining and redeeming the sparks of holiness trapped in apparent negativity.Evil has no true substance; it is good in disguise, meant to be elevated through teshuvah, awareness, and transformation. Seeing clearly means perceiving even pain or struggle as part of the path toward blessing.

🔸 4. Midrash Tanchuma – Choice is Immediate and Personal

“See”—every person is shown the path. As it says, “Today” — each day, a person is born anew with the choice before him.🔍 Insight: “Today” suggests that every moment of life is a new opportunity to choose blessing over curse.Free will is not abstract—it is a daily encounter with moral decisions.The Midrash adds that Hashem doesn’t force, but invites us to choose wisely and consciously.

🔸 5. Sefat Emet (Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib of Ger) – Vision Precedes Action

The use of “Re’eh” (see) before “notain” (give) teaches that perception precedes receiving.🔍 Insight: Only when one “sees” clearly, with inner eyes, can one truly receive the blessing.Our spiritual clarity of vision shapes how we experience reward or consequence.

🔸 6. Zohar (II, 76b) – The Dual Path

The Zohar teaches that the left and right paths—curse and blessing—are presented so man can unify them in divine service.🔍 Insight:The verse is not only a choice between two paths, but also an invitation to transform even difficulty into divine connection.This is the path of the tzaddikim, who convert darkness into light and bitterness into sweetness.

7. Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Ramchal) – Clarity Through Divine Wisdom

In Mesillat Yesharim, the Ramchal writes that the purpose of life is to gain clarity in one’s mission — and this begins with behirat ha’emet (choosing truth). One must train their inner vision to distinguish between the fleeting shadows of the world and the eternal light of Hashem.“A person is created only to delight in Hashem... but without clarity of vision, he can stumble through this world without ever seeing the path.”This connects directly to Re’eh —seeing the path of blessing, which is Torah and mitzvot, and not being fooled by distractions.

8. Sforno on Deut. 11:26 – See with Wisdom, Not Just Eyes

Rabbi Ovadia Sforno comments that “Re’eh” is not just a call to observe with the eyes, but to reflect with the mind — to perceive the consequences of choices.It is a demand to visualize the future implications of one’s spiritual actions.

9. Midrash Tanchuma (Re’eh 3) – The Eye Sees, the Heart Reflects

The Midrash explains that Hashem says "See" because the soul’s pathway begins with perception. But vision alone is not enough — it must be internalized. “See the blessing and the curse” means: look deeply at how your deeds align with Hashem’s will.

🔹 Summary of the Sages' View on Re’eh

Seeing is not just physical — it is a spiritual act.
Truth (emet) brings unity, clarity, and connection to Hashem.
Falsehood (sheker) brings confusion and separation.
Spiritual vision means seeing Hashem in everything, especially in trials and relationships.
Choosing blessing is about choosing to see life through the lens of Torah and emunah (faith).

🔹 Summary: Sages on Deuteronomy 11:26

Sage / Source	Core Insight
Rambam (Hilchot Teshuvah)	Free will is essential to Torah and moral responsibility.
Targum Yonatan	The curse is a distorted blessing—evil is a misaligned good.
Lubavitcher Rebbe	With true sight, we can transform darkness into light.
Midrash Tanchuma	Every day presents a new personal choice—“today.”
Sefat Emet	Only by perceiving can we fully receive divine gifts.
Zohar	Blessing and curse are opportunities for divine unity and elevation.

🔸 Final Thought

“Re’eh” is not just about information—it is about vision—a call to awaken to the soul’s power to discern, choose, and transform.The Torah does not demand blind faith, but clear vision and engaged responsibility.The greatest blessing is to “see” reality through the lens of the Divine, and then act in alignment with that truth.

“Re’eh” is a call to awaken the soul’s eyes. It invites every Israel to rise above the illusion of fragmentation and distortion and to behold the Divine Presence in all things — in the self, in others, and in the world. As Rebbe Nachman says:

“When you begin to look for the good — you begin to find Hashem.”

RE’EH: THE POWER OF SPIRITUAL VISION — SEEING HASHEM IN ALL THINGS"

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