Parshas Re'eh - an iffy proposition

This week’s Torah portion opens with a straightforward proposition: “See, I have set before you this day a blessing and a curse. A blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day. And a curse, if you will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God but turn aside from the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which you have not known.” (Devarim 11:26-28).

Nehama Leibowitz points out that this balanced proposition includes an anomaly that is evident only in the Hebrew text – the word for “if,” that follows the words “A blessing” is asher whereas the word for “if” that follows the words “A curse” is im. What should we make of these differing clauses? Mrs. Leibowitz offers three possible answers.

The Malbim suggests that the word asher after the words “A blessing” can also be translated as “that” and this implies that the fulfilling the commandments is a reward into itself. In secular terms, this corresponds to the axiom that “virtue is its own reward.” Rashi, elucidated by Mrs. Leibowitz, suggests that the term asher informs us that the blessing in the verse refers actually to the expansive world we’ve already been granted, which offers us tremendous opportunities. Rabbeinu Bahya suggests that the word im (after the words “And a curse”) is a more ambivalent and less certain term, to subtly communicate the idea that adherence to the Torah is the more reliable path.

All three answers offer encouraging perspectives to each of us whenever we struggle to fulfill a particular mitzvah or avoid a poor course of action. We can focus on the reward of virtue, the inherent uncertainty of life outside Torah, or the foundation of blessing we’ve already received. None of these ideas will ward off a challenging passage but may serve as a useful beacon to help us get to the other side of the bridge.