Voices of WRJ: R'eih

"See (r'eih), this day I set before you blessing and curse" begins R'eih: a blessing for following God’s commandments and a curse for failing to do so. It goes on to detail a variety of commandments, including laws of kashrut; treatment of the stranger, the needy, the widow, the orphan, and the Levite; and how to observe Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Why start with “see?” The text could have simply read, “This day I set before you a blessing and a curse.” Why is that word “see” needed at all? It seems to function as an opening exclamation point, providing emphasis: sit up, take notice, and pay attention. In the South we might say “Listen up, y’all!” Well, then…why isn’t the first word “Listen?” Perhaps we need to engage multiple senses to really get the message. We need to visualize the choices being put before us, not just hear the recitation…we don’t all learn in the same way. Sports psychologists teach athletes to “see” in their mind’s eye: a runner will mentally review a course or an ice skater will visualize their routine before a competition. (As an aside, this might be something to remember when sharing choices with others: we may need to present the options in multiple ways, so that they can be understood by the listeners/observers in the way that works best for them.) Do we “see” the potential consequences of our choices? It’s not always obvious what choice we should make, and that which appears to be a blessing may turn out to feel like a curse…and vice versa. How many times has each of us looked back at a decision we made and thought “well, that did not turn out quite as I expected.” I know for me, that’s been true for everything from personal relationships to job/relocation choices to setting short-term personal priorities. Yet while we each can attempt to learn from any unanticipated result and then use that information to “see” the implications of a similar choice in the future, none of us has a crystal ball…and the choices keep coming. Hugely important in all of this: the fact that God demands that we “see” the choices in front of us implies that we may exercise free will in the decisions we make. We get to set our priorities and choose our actions, and sometimes that choice is hard. Trying to be thoughtful and responsible in that process may sometimes require taking an unpopular position. A couple of thoughts on WRJ and choice: In our society “freedom to choose” and “pro-choice” are phrases inexorably linked to a woman’s right to choose an abortion rather than to proceed with an unwanted pregnancy. WRJ has tirelessly advocated for and defended this right, and we will continue to do so even as others in our society seek to chip away at it with a goal of ultimately delegitimizing this important choice. Women have the choice to affiliate or not. This is true of affiliation with the Reform movement, congregations, and individual women’s groups in those congregations. We need to make these choices attractive for them, creating caring communities in which they can thrive, helping them understand the power of our collective voices, and cultivating their personal and spiritual growth. One final thought: I’d like to think that while each of us can strive to see the options before us and make better choices in the future, some things truly are bashert—and are best left that way.