How weighty and influential are our actions? One might think their actions and its effect only affect himself, whether for better or worse. However, it’s quite possible that just one single deed of just one person, can potentially have not just an individual or communal effect, but even a global impact.
Our parsha begins with a pasuk that may—at first glance—seem somewhat enigmatic: “See, I present before you today—blessing and curse.” Indeed, Rav Yosef Salant asks three questions just on this pasuk:
1) Why does the pasuk use the term “see?” “Seeing” is used in reference to a physical entity! Shouldn’t the pasuk have told us to “hear?”
2) The pasuk begins in singular form—“Re’eh” (“see”), but concludes in plural form—“Lifneichem” (which although is translated as “before you,” nevertheless is a plural term). Why the switch?
3) The term “today” implies that the blessings and curses are being said at this moment. But weren’t they actually said at Har Gerizim and Har Eival after the Jews crossed the Yarden (and entered Eretz Yisrael)?!
Rav Salant asks another question as well: At Har Gerizim and Har Eival, the 12 tribes were equally divided into two camps—six of the tribes standing on one mountain, and the other six on the other mountain (Mishna, Sotah 7:5). Why weren’t the Jewish people, instead, huddled together as one?
The Gemara says that, “A person should always see himself as if he is half-guilty and half-meritorious. If he did one mitzvah, he is fortunate—for he has tipped (the balance) for himself toward the side of merit. If he committed a single transgression, woe to him—for he has tipped (the balance) for himself toward the side of guilt.” The Gemara
quotes Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, who took this idea a large step further and imparted the following idea: “Since the world is judged on the basis of the majority of its inhabitants, and an individual is judged on the basis of the majority of his deeds, one should see himself as half-guilty and half-meritorious, as well as seeing the world as equally populated—half by righteous individuals and half by wicked individuals. Thus, if a person did a single mitzvah, he is fortunate, for he has tipped the balance for himself and for the entire world toward the side of merit. But if he committed a single transgression, woe to him—for he has tipped the balance for himself and for the entire world toward the side of guilt, as it is stated (Kohelet, 9:18), ‘And one sinner will forfeit much good,’” (Kiddushin 40b, with Rashi).
Based on this Gemara, Rav Salant seems to suggests the following explanation (according to my limited understanding at least): “The reason why the Jewish people were divided into two halves is to drill home the message of the above Gemara by painting the following picture: ‘On one mountain, the blessings were said, as if to show that half the nation is on a level worthy of the blessings (i.e., they are meritorious), since they have kept the Torah; and on the other mountain, the curses were said, as if to show that the other half of the nation is worthy of curse (i.e., they are guilty), for they have not kept the Torah.’”
“Hence, this scene is intended to create a visual, an imagery—to make it seem like half the nation is meritorious and half the nation is guilty. This is to inspire Bnei Yisrael to comprehend the great responsibility that is placed on each and every one of them—and that they should always see themselves and the entire world in a half-meritorious, half-guilty perspective, just like this visual that is being shown to them now where the tribes of the nation is equally divided into two camps and by one, the blessings are stated (signifying merit) and by the other, the curses are stated (signifying guilt); and thus, if just one person performs just one mitzvah, he tips the balance for himself and for the entire world toward the side of merit, and if one of them does just one transgression, he tips the balance for himself and for the entire world toward the side of guilt.”
The beginning of our parsha of Re’eh is coming to prepare us to inculcate that visual and that lesson. That’s why the pasuk uses the term “see,” because they should—quite literally—see with their own eyes how the nation is split into equally divided camps, and based on that visual, they should inculcate the teaching and lesson of the aforementioned Gemara, that it lies within a person’s power—through any action that he may come to perform—to tilt himself and the entire world to the side of merit, or the opposite.
That’s why the parsha begins in the singular, individualistic form, but yet concludes in a plural form—to teach us that every individual (hence the singular form) should see and thus understand that the world (hence the plural form) depends on him—i.e., that every person through his actions can uplift an entire world of people to the side of merit, or to lower them to the side of guilt.
That’s why the pasuk says “today,” to teach us that every day, and at every moment, a person is to see—i.e., to visualize—this imagery and, thus, comprehend his impact on himself and world; as the aforementioned Gemara states, “A person should ‘always’ see himself … etc.,” (“Be’er Yosef,” Re’eh).
Our actions don’t necessarily remain within our personal sphere when performed. They can have a worldwide effect. They could be so potent—for better or worse. As the Chatam Sofer—based on the aforementioned Gemara—says, “Therefore, when one comes to do any action, one should say to himself, ‘Through this (action), I am either killing the entire world, or I am giving life to it,’” (“Torat Moshe,” Re’eh). The Rambam’s terminology is “…if he committed one transgression, he has tipped the balance for himself and for the entire world to the side of guilt, causing destruction to it. If he did one mitzvah, he has tipped the balance for himself and the entire world to the side of merit and has rescued them and caused them to have salvation,” (Hilchot Teshuva, 3:4).
A person—through his deeds—could bring so much benefit to himself and the entire world, or the opposite. This is the power endowed to each and every one of us. By increasing in Torah and mitzvot, we could not only bring much life, goodness and salvation to ourselves, but also, to the entire world.
Binyamin is a graduate of Yeshivas Rabbeinu Yitzchok Elchanan, and of Wurzweiler School of Social Work.
