Blessing or Curse: How Everyday Choices Can Change Your World

Parashas Re'eh (Deb/Deut. 11:26 - 16:17)

“See, I present before you today a blessing and a curse.  The blessing: that you hearken to the commandments of YAHUAH, your Elohim, that I command you today.  And the curse: if you do not hearken to the commandments of YAHUAH, your Elohim, and you stray from the path that I command you today, to follow gods of others, that you did not know.”

(Deb.11:26-28)

This Parashas is about choice and free will as the children of Yisrael are being prepared to cross the Jordan (Yarden) to enter the Land He will cause them to inherit.  Moshe puts the commandments into perspective, saying that the choice of whether or not to accept the Torah is nothing less than the choice between blessing and curse.

Recurring commands throughout this parashas are: do not eat the blood but pour it out on the ground, bring your tithe and offerings to the place where YAHUAH your Elohim chooses to place His Name, and the command to eat what is clean and not to eat the unclean animals.  The fact that these points are mentioned more than once shows their importance. 

YAHUAH has laid out the choice for mankind to choose between the blessing and the curse! He has given us free will to choose between life and death.  It’s not as cut and dry as it may sound. It’s the small decisions we make everyday that will determine our outcome, the quality of life we are given.  

Overcoming Evil

It is taught that in the Garden of Eden the evil inclination was described as an outside whisper from the serpent to deceive or influence Adam or Hawath (Eve) to disobey the Commands of YAHUAH.  After they disobeyed Elohim and were punished with banishment from Eden, the spirit of good and evil were intertwined and internalized.  

Now, having the evil inclination inside of us, we must strive a little harder to choose good over evil in our decision making on a daily basis.  The Sages teach that when we choose good over evil that the Heavens rejoice over us, and we earn acceptance from YAHUAH for our victory.  Even when we mess up or sin afterwards, the good choice we made is still counted as a win on our side of the good inclination.  

Every time we overcome the evil inclination, we move closer to Elohim, and Eden becomes a little more repaired.  

The evil inclination was created by YAHUAH to make us better and to elevate our souls in the world of free will.  One could look at the evil inclination as a bad coach. Maybe he or she curses while instructing. Maybe he’s too aggressive or mean towards the players, but ultimately, they want to see you become a star player and even do better than they did at their best.

Sometimes the push or pull of the evil inclination can seem to be beyond our decision making ability.  In these situations one must repent, acknowledge that YAHUAH is Greater than all, and ask Him to help and strengthen you.  This is where the importance of knowing YAH’s commands and laws come in hand. They brace the soul so to speak in choosing good over evil.  

The Choices We Make

This week, I was cutting grass with the tractor. As I was cutting the little opening leading to the pond, I knew better but kept going forward close to the water. I was looking around at what the beavers had changed and observing the water levels.  Where I would usually stop, I kept going a little further until my front wheels dropped a little, and I could no longer back up.  

I was so frustrated at my mistake and having to walk all the way back to the house to explain what happened and get help. I became angry after my brother and I were not able to get the tractor unstuck.  I tried to shake it, but I could not settle the rest of the day and night until I saw a Youtube short from a Rabbi.

He said that sometimes we are pushed by Elohim with certain situations so we can realize how close He is and ready to help.  In order to push someone, you have to be right by them at an arms length.  This gave me comfort, and I remembered the term Elisheva taught us in the previous Shabbat service, “Ein Od Milvado” which means “There is nothing besides Him.” I immediately said it out loud.  

Although I was praying when I first got the tractor stuck, I let my frustration turn to anger, and it ruined my mood the rest of the day. I couldn't regain my happiness until I saw that Youtube short from the Rabbi.  A couple days later, we were able to find a local tow truck that came and pulled the tractor out very quickly with no problems. I accidentally went too far, but when I turned to YAH, He blessed me with joy and help out of the situation.

The next day, I made the decision to pick grapes for a fellow Yahudite who now lives farther away and deals with ailments.  Knowing she had asked for these grapes multiple times before, we decided it was the right time to harvest the wild grapes as they have a short window to gather after ripening.  

While I was foraging through the brush finding grapes, I had some thorns cut my ankle pretty badly, but I just said “YAHUAH is Righteous.” I know that I can receive punishment for my sins at any time, and it is often a lot less severe than what I may have deserved.  

So I continued on picking grapes and thanking YAH for His goodness. While pulling vines, I realized I had a bundle of poison ivy which brushed on my arm earlier in another spot where it was entwined with a thorny plant, and it made a couple small welts on my arm.  This time, as I pulled the bundle of vines which had the poison ivy, it dragged across my face. I immediately said, “Ein od Milvado.” I felt my eye twitch a little but just kept picking and thanking YAH.  

After I was done I washed the grapes off with the Mayim Chayim (Living Waters), which is the water that comes from our well springing from the faucet coming from under The Sanctuary that is blessed of YAHUAH. I rinsed off my arms and face and noticed there was no effect from the poison ivy.  I was so thankful and happy!  My decision to show kindness to someone else by gathering the grapes they had been wanting helped to change the physical outcome in the natural world.  

Blessings for Us & the World

This life of free will is truly a blessing! Even though it may not always be smooth and easy, if we trust in YAH and make His commandments our foundation of life, then we too can play a part in Tikkun Olam,  making the world a better place and moving one step closer to our return to Eden!  We must continue to choose light over darkness in order to better mankind.  

I say today: look no longer at your past mistakes and sins, but give thanks to YAHUAH your Elohim for giving us life today and another chance to make the right choice - choosing good over evil.  The choice is yours! Do what it takes to receive all the blessings that YAH has for us in the land of the living! 

HalleluYAH, and blessed be His Name!