Re'eh

This Shabbat would be a great Shabbat to spend in Har Bracha, Itamar, Elon Moreh or one of the other truly outstanding settlements in the area of Shechem. In fact, I even considered it myself but chickened out over the idea of having to come home to Beit Shemesh at night. For those who don't know - the only way to get to these settlements is through the extremist Arab village of Hawara, birthplace of many a suicide-bomber. Don't write my convictions off too fast, though. I did recently visit Har Bracha, including the Samaritan community. And I brought my kids. It is likely the most outstanding place in all of Judea and Samaria.

I bring this up because this week's parsha, Re'eh, highlights this area. Moshe tells the Jewish people that they will have a choice. A choice to accept the Torah and receive reward, or to reject it and receive, well... A ceremony of acceptance of the Torah was to be held on the mountains of Gerizim and Eival immediately after entering the land of Israel. The city of Shechem (known as 'Nablus' on CNN) sits in a valley in between these two mountains, each of which is home to Jewish settlements with the most ideological settlers.

Other topics in the parsha include the laws of shechita, that meat may not be eaten unless it is slaughtered according to very specific regulations as well as a number of other Kashrut related precepts, the rules of Ma'aser Sheini (a tithe of 10% of one's produce - still applies today - move to Israel for more information.), Shemitta - the Sabbatical year of rest for the land, and a review of the festivals of the Torah.

And we can't forget a biggie: False Prophets and Idol Worship (you know: Mohammed, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Shabbtai Zvi, and many others). Here's a tip: If you know someone who is preparing to declare himself a prophet, a messiah, or G-d - do not sell them a life insurance policy as the Torah's punishment for such people is clear.

Dvar Torah / Short Story-
While this week's parsha delves into issues of Charity and helping the poor, we are often blinding as to some of the most important components of charity. Yes, money is important and one should distribute generously.However, in addition to giving 10% of ones income to charity, one should also give 10% of one's time to charity through volunteering and the like (Ruling of Rav Moshe Feinstein).

Treating kindly and with dignity those who are in unfortunate circumstances is important too! Once Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt'l and a student were rushing to an important meeting and were running late. A poor elderly Jew stopped them for a donation and then proceeded to tell Rav Feinstein about his problems. Rav Feinstein gave him a few dollars and stood listening to him as though he had all the time in the world. The student wondered if perhaps Rav Feinstein had concluded that they were too late for the meeting. However, when the poor man finished, Rav Feinstein began to walk even more quickly then before. The student asked him "Why did you stand and listen? Couldn't you just have given him the money and moved on since we are in such a rush?" Rav Feinstein responded that listening to someone unburden his heart can be worth even more to the person than money.

THIS WEEK: Blessing of the Month of Elul. Rosh Hashanah is on its way!