Parshat Re’eh
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Overview

Blessing and curse

·  Blessing for obeying the Law and curse for disobedience, connected with idolatry.

·  Blessing spoken from Mt. Gerizim; curse from Mt. Ebal.

Sanctity of the Land

·  Decrees and ordinances to be observed in the Land.

·  Utterly destroy idols and places of their worship.

·  Do not worship Hashem in the same manner or places, but in the place He chooses.

Eating meat

·  The people may slaughter and eat meat in their cities.

·  Do not eat the blood; life is in the blood.

·  Difference made between animal sacrifices and unconsecrated meat.

Sacred foods to be eaten in the chosen place

·  Tithes of grain, wine, oil, firstborn of cattle and flocks, as well as offerings.

Do not copy the rites of the Canaanites

·  Drive out the nations lest you be attracted to their practices.

·  Do not inquire how they served their gods.

False prophets

·  Do not listen to a prophet who encourages you to serve other gods—even if he shows a sign or wonder.

·  Cleave to Hashem with all your heart and soul.

·  A false prophet shall be put to death.

·  Even a close relative or friend who entices you to idolatry shall be put to death – have no mercy.

·  If a city falls into idolatry, investigate. If it’s true the inhabitants are to be killed, its booty gathered into the square and burned, and the city never rebuilt.

Treasured people

·  Do not cut yourselves or make a bald spot between your eyes for the dead.

·  You are a holy people.

Permitted and forbidden foods

·  Animals with a cloven hoof that chew a cud are permitted; animals lacking either trait are forbidden, such as the camel, the hare, the hyrax, and the pig.

·  Fish with fins and scales are permitted; others water creatures are unclean.

·  Clean birds are permitted.

·  Forbidden birds: nesher (eagle), peres (vulture), raah, ayah, dayah, oreiv, bat haya’anah, tachmos, shachaf, netz, kos, yanshuf, tinshemes, ka’as, rachaman, shalach, chasidah (stork), anafah, duchifas, atalef.

·  Flying swarming creatures are unclean and forbidden.

·  Do not eat any carcass; you may give it to a gentile or stranger.

·  Do not cook a kid in its mother’s milk.

Tithe

·  Tithe your entire crop.

·  Eat it before Hashem in the place He will choose to rest His Name.

·  If the journey is too long, you may exchange it for money and buy food at this place to eat for the tithe.

·  Tithe to the Levite, the proselyte, the orphan, and the widow in your cities.

Remission of loans

·  At the end of seven years there shall be a remission of loans.

·  You may not press your brother for payment, but you may a gentile.

·  There may not no destitute among you.

·  Blessing of obedience: You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will dominate many nations, but they will not dominate you.—Dvarim 15:6

·  You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to your poor, and to your destitute in your Land. – Dvarim 15:11

Jewish bondsman

·  A Hebrew bondsman shall serve for six years and be released in the seventh.

·  Do not send him away empty handed.

·  Remember you were slaves in Egypt.

·  If he wishes to stay, pierce his ear, and he shall be an eternal slave.

Firstborn males

·  Firstborn males of cattle and flocks are sanctified to Hashem.

·  They are to be sacrificed and eaten in the chosen place.

·  If it is blemished, it is not to be offered to Hashem, but may be eaten in the cities for meat.

Three pilgrimage festivals

·  Three times a your all your males should appear before Hashem in the place He will choose…and he shall not appear before Hashem empty handed, everyone according to what he can give, according to the blessing that Hashem, your Gd, gives you. —Dvarim 16:16

Pesach

·  Pesach in springtime

·  Pesach lamb offered in place Hashem chooses.

·  Matzot eaten for six days.

·  The seventh day is a holy convocation.

Shavuot

·  Count seven weeks from when the sickle is first put to the standing crop.

Sukkot

Seven day period when you gather in from your threshing floor and from your wine cellar.

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