Re'eh
Deuteronomy 11:26 – 16:17
Moses sets before the people a stark choice: blessing and curse, obedience and rebellion. He commands that upon entering the Land, the blessings be proclaimed on Mount Gerizim and the curses on Mount Ebal. The parasha then lays out laws for centralized worship — sacrifices may only be offered at the place God will choose — and warns against false prophets and enticers to idolatry. The dietary laws are reviewed, the sabbatical year's release of debts is commanded, and the three pilgrimage festivals — Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot — are prescribed, with the instruction that no one shall appear before God empty-handed.
Key figures
- Moses — Presents the choice of blessing and curse, legislates centralized worship
Famous verses
- 11:26 Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse:
- 15:7-8 If there be among you a needy man, one of your brothers, within any of your gates, in your land which Hashem your God gives you, you shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your needy brother;
Haftarah: {'ref': 'Isaiah 54:11-55:5', 'connection': "The third Haftarah of consolation; Isaiah promises that afflicted Jerusalem will be rebuilt with precious stones and her children taught by God — reflecting Re'eh's vision of a blessed, obedient Israel in its Land."}
Total gematria: 525,023.