{"id":10697,"date":"2023-08-11T17:00:35","date_gmt":"2023-08-11T16:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/?p=10697"},"modified":"2025-08-17T14:36:34","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T13:36:34","slug":"rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/","title":{"rendered":"PARSHAT RE'EH \u2013 ALLTAGSLEUTEN"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u05d1\u05e1”\u05d3<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

26<\/em><\/strong> Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: 27<\/strong> the blessing, if you shall hearken unto the commandments of the L-rd your G-d, which I command you this day; 28<\/strong> and the curse, if you shall not hearken unto the commandments of the L-rd your G-d, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which you have not known. (Devarim 11:26-8)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            What is a blessing, and what is a curse?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            The word beracha<\/em> has the connotation of \u201cexpansion\u201d.  Despite the fact that a beracha is a way of expressing gratitude to G-d for what He has given us, we don\u2019t use the Hebrew word for \u201cthanks\u201d (hoda\u2019ah<\/em>) anywhere in the blessing.  When we make a beracha on some item of enjoyment, we use the language of blessing, to indicate that our interaction with the goodness of G-d\u2019s world causes an expansion in the awareness of Him.  Thus, a shiny, red apple has the potential to be more than a mundane pleasure; it can be an opportunity to increase our G-d-consciousness; berachot, <\/em>then, are a meditative device to enable us to reach this consciousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            The Seforno on our verse states that \u201cblessing\u201d refers to a level of abundance, endowment and success that goes well beyond what could be expected–a magnification of the good–whereas \u201ccurse\u201d refers to destruction, a ruinous state that also goes well beyond expectation.  G-d\u2019s promise of reward and punishment for mitzvah observance or lack thereof is not measure for measure, not success or failure. This teaches us that, for the religious individual, there is no middle ground, no status quo. It\u2019s either blessing or curse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            Parallel to this idea is the notion, put foward by Rabbi Bachye Ibn Piquda, the author of one of the oldest mussar<\/em> tomes, Chovot HaLevavot<\/em> (Duties of the Heart).  He categorizes all areas of human endeavor into two possibilities: mitzvot<\/em> and aveirot<\/em> (transgressions).  Note that he is not referring to the technical mitzvot of the Torah, but rather all other, non-ritual activity that people engage in in order to sustain themselves, such as eating, working, exercising, creating, and experiencing.  Whether these activities are mitzvot<\/em> or aveirot<\/em> depends upon the element of l\u2019shem shamayim<\/em>\u2014the extent to which you are doing them, \u201cfor the sake of Heaven\u201d.  All things that people do can serve as aids to their observance of the Torah if their intention is directed that way.  If their intention is to facilitate their connection to G-d, and to amplify their service of G-d, then the activity is a \u201cmitzvah<\/em>\u201d; if not\u2014if the intention is simply to benefit oneself\u2014then the activity is an aveirah<\/em>, a sin.  It follows then that a person who does these \u201cmitzvot<\/em>\u201d is a \u201ctzaddik<\/em>\u201d (righteous), whereas a person who does these \u201caveirot<\/em>\u201d is a \u201crasha<\/em>\u201d (evil) (Sha\u2019ar Avodat Elokim, chapter 4).  (See Ohr Gedaliahu, Parshat Re\u2019eh,1<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            This idea is very intimidating, because it brings the potential level of Divine scrutiny much closer than we would like.  No one can hide behind their appearance any longer, once we begin to screen for l\u2019shem shamayim<\/em>.  You can look or act as holy as you\u2019d like, or as casual as you\u2019d like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            On the other hand, this idea is very encouraging, because it means that each of us has many more opportunities to stay spiritually connected than we realize, and well beyond the borders of what we tend to label \u201creligious\u201d activity.  Without deeper consideration, we might consider our technical involvement with prayer as the \u201choly\u201d part of our lives, whereas the office, the kitchen, the gym, the art studio, and the concert hall are relegated to the \u201cother\u201d zone, a mundane world that does not necessarily have meaning.  The problem with this is that it leaves us with a spiritual life that is compartmentalized, and that is antithetical to our religion.  Asceticism may be a means of facilitating our spiritual growth along the way, and ensuring that we do not become addicted to the transient, corporeal aspects of this world.  But the ultimate aim of Torah is kedushah<\/em>–holiness–where all of the elements of human involvement are brought under the umbrella of divine service and sanctified.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

            A happier, well-rounded person of sound mind and sound body is a stronger vessel for holiness, and more likely to exert him or herself in the performance of mitzvot.  Depending upon the person, getting fit with divine joy may involve sports, a good laugh, connection time with the family, or a water slide.  If these things are done for the sake of Heaven, to create a happier servant of G-d, then they are mitzvah activities, and the person involved has integrated the elements of his or her life properly.  Honesty with yourself will enable you to determine what you truly do or do not need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            The spiritual experience in This World is a cyclical, not a linear, growth trajectory.  In one moment, a person may find him or herself capable of an intense level of involvement in Divine activity, while the next moment is one of confusion, distraction and a contracted consciousness, like, \u201cwho has time for this? I gotta get to work!\u201d  Even the greatest tzaddikim have their spiritual ups and downs, moments when they are ascending the heights of heaven through learning and prayer, followed by moments when they are hunting through the aisles at the supermarket.  But, \u201cwithout flour, there is no Torah\u201d (Avot 3:17); people have to eat, they have to restore themselves in order to pick up the torch again.  For this reason our Sages of blessed memory have said, \u201csometimes the [temporary] nullfication of Torah is its fulfillment\u201d (Menachot 99b; see Likutei Moharan<\/em> I:16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            May we be joyous in the living of life and connected to G-d at all times.<\/p>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good Shabbos! Shabbat Shalom!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Rabbi Tani Burton<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a9 Copyright, all rights reserved. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our blogs may contain text\/quotes\/references\/links that include copyright material of Mechon-Mamre.org<\/a>, Aish.com<\/a>, Sefaria.org<\/a>, Chabad.org<\/a>, and\/or AskNoah.org<\/a>, which we use in accordance with their policies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u05d1\u05e1”\u05d3 26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you shall hearken unto the commandments of the L-rd your G-d, which I command you this day; 28 and the curse, if you shall not hearken unto the commandments of the L-rd your G-d, but turn aside […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11818,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10697","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-parshot-of-the-rabbis"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPARSHAT RE'EH - EVERDAY PEOPLE - Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"PARSHAT RE'EH - EVERDAY PEOPLE - Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u05d1\u05e1”\u05d3 26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you shall hearken unto the commandments of the L-rd your G-d, which I command you this day; 28 and the curse, if you shall not hearken unto the commandments of the L-rd your G-d, but turn aside […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-08-11T16:00:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-17T13:36:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Plaatjes-BLogs-82-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"245\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Rabbi Tani Burton\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Verfasst von\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Rabbi Tani Burton\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Gesch\u00e4tzte Lesezeit\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5\u00a0Minuten\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/\",\"name\":\"PARSHAT RE'EH - EVERDAY PEOPLE - Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Plaatjes-BLogs-82-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-08-11T16:00:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-17T13:36:34+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/ee25496aa35faa3557056233f8eebdd7\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"de\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"de\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Plaatjes-BLogs-82-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Plaatjes-BLogs-82-1.jpg\",\"width\":650,\"height\":245},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"PARSHAT RE’EH – EVERDAY PEOPLE\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/\",\"name\":\"Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach\",\"description\":\"Sukkat Shalom is an international community of B'nei Noach - Noahides, where you can find information about Noahism and Judaism.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"de\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/ee25496aa35faa3557056233f8eebdd7\",\"name\":\"Rabbi Tani Burton\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"de\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88cd1f7ebcb6ef160b60f837d559bcfcda3f09430c62f90741a85bc9f39e706b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88cd1f7ebcb6ef160b60f837d559bcfcda3f09430c62f90741a85bc9f39e706b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Rabbi Tani Burton\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/author\/rabbi-tani-burton\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"PARSHAT RE'EH - EVERDAY PEOPLE - Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/","og_locale":"de_DE","og_type":"article","og_title":"PARSHAT RE'EH - EVERDAY PEOPLE - Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach","og_description":"\u05d1\u05e1”\u05d3 26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse: 27 the blessing, if you shall hearken unto the commandments of the L-rd your G-d, which I command you this day; 28 and the curse, if you shall not hearken unto the commandments of the L-rd your G-d, but turn aside […]","og_url":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/","og_site_name":"Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach","article_published_time":"2023-08-11T16:00:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-17T13:36:34+00:00","og_image":[{"width":650,"height":245,"url":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Plaatjes-BLogs-82-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Rabbi Tani Burton","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Verfasst von":"Rabbi Tani Burton","Gesch\u00e4tzte Lesezeit":"5\u00a0Minuten"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/","url":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/","name":"PARSHAT RE'EH - EVERDAY PEOPLE - Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Plaatjes-BLogs-82-1.jpg","datePublished":"2023-08-11T16:00:35+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-17T13:36:34+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/ee25496aa35faa3557056233f8eebdd7"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"de","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"de","@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Plaatjes-BLogs-82-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Plaatjes-BLogs-82-1.jpg","width":650,"height":245},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/rabbi-tani-burton-parshat-reeh-everyday-people\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"PARSHAT RE’EH – EVERDAY PEOPLE"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/","name":"Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach","description":"Sukkat Shalom ist eine internationale Gemeinschaft von B'nei Noach - Noahiden, wo Sie Informationen \u00fcber Noahismus und Judentum finden k\u00f6nnen.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"de"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/ee25496aa35faa3557056233f8eebdd7","name":"Rabbiner Tani Burton","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"de","@id":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88cd1f7ebcb6ef160b60f837d559bcfcda3f09430c62f90741a85bc9f39e706b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/88cd1f7ebcb6ef160b60f837d559bcfcda3f09430c62f90741a85bc9f39e706b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Rabbi Tani Burton"},"url":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/author\/rabbi-tani-burton\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10697","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10697"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10697\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22523,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10697\/revisions\/22523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11818"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10697"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10697"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sukkatshalom-bneinoach.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10697"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}