Re’eh
This week I had a few days off and was able to go to Scotland and walk up Ben Nevis. In the past couple of years I have taken the children (in particular Tzvi who shares my love of strenuous hiking!) up a number of mountains. But there was something special about the Big Ben. As we approached the summit via a mountain ridge (known as the CMD arete) we were able to see the imposing muscular North face whose top was shrouded in gloomy clouds. I was suddenly hit by the grandeur and majesty of this dramatic mountain and felt a powerful sense of my smallness in the face of nature. This led me to realise just how insignificant I am in the presence of Hashem who is not only creator of the entire universe but transcends any definition or form!
During Covid lockdown lots of people have taken to the mountains or just simple hiking or walks through nature. There was an article I saw that scientists have conducted a study of people who go on what they call “awe-walks” and how they inspire positive emotions.
This concept comes from our Torah tradition :
Rambam (Maimonides 1135-1204) writes in his code of Jewish law:
What is the path to love (and awe) of God? When one ponders God’s great and wonderful acts of creation, and sees in them a genius that has no comparison, then automatically a person will love, praise, glorify – and deeply desire to know the greatness of God. (Foundations of Torah 2:2)
Which brings me to the beginning of this weeks Parsha Re’eh. Moses instructs the people
“And it will be, when the Lord, your God, will bring you to the land to which you come, to possess it, that you shall place those blessing upon Mount Gerizim, and those cursing upon Mount Ebal.”
In a nutshell the people are to reconfirm their commitment to the moral and spiritual covenant with God as they enter the land of Israel and embark on the grand mission to create a society founded on justice and compassion- to be a light to nations.
After my hike up Ben Nevis I finally understand why the scene of the blessing and the curse must take place facing two mountains.
Mountains more than any other terrestrial feature inspire awe. They physically tower over us giving us a sense of our infinitesimally small position in the grand scheme of things.
King David understood mountains when he wrote Psalm 121 “I lift my eyes to the mountains from where does my help come from?”
“My help comes from Hashem maker of heaven and earth”.
We all need from time to time to realise our smallness and vulnerability, to face up to our deep need for Hashem in our lives. He is there for us every moment but often we are distracted by the mundane. Sometimes we get caught up in pettiness. Mountains help us put ourselves into the correct perspective. They help us reconnect to our souls and tune into that deeper need for connection with Ultimate Reality.
But in Judaism as great as that deep sense of awe is in the presence of Hashem, it is not enough. We must translate that awe into our practical everyday lives by being more ethical, moral, spiritual through the laws of the Torah.
Mountains are awe-inspiring and the Torah is awe of God put into action.
Shabbat Shalom
Exposure to the beauty of nature is something, sadly, that relatively few people access, either because they are urban dwellers who have no desire to step out of their concrete jungle or they are so fixated on phones or tablets, not the Torah variety, they spend much of their lives looking down, the opposite of what Rabbi Danny experienced on his visit to Scotland. In the absence of being surrounded by the majesty of G-d’s creation, we can, vicariously, appreciate our wonderful world through art, particularly evocative pastoral music, al la Beethoven, Mendelssohn or Sibelius; but better, by far, enjoy nature, as the Baal Shem Tov did, first hand!
BLESS you for expressing love and awe for. GOD s creation.
Psalm. 121 says so very much