Re'eh - How can Blessing and Curse be Together?

Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse.

רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה

Dvarim 11:26

The Kedushat Levi raises the question: why does the opening verse mention “blessing and curse” together?

Rather, these two concepts could be presently separately, like in the midrash - Dvarim Rabbah.

של הקב"ה, ראה כמה דברים משמרים אותו, אימת, בשעה שאת משמר דברי תורה, הוי נתתי לפניך ב' דרכים ברכה וקללה, ברכה אם תשמעון וקללה אם לא תשמעון.

Striving to not Make a Habit of our Service

In order to understand why Blessing and Curse are presented together, the Kedushat Levi explains that we must first explore a major concept in how man serves Hashem. One should not allow their heart to become haughty and one should not even perceive in his own eyes his service of Hashem. For Torah, Mitzvot, Love and Fear of Hashem are our ways for relating to Hashem, and one feels these ideas in their soul, then one’s service may fall (G-d forbid) from a high level to another level, dropping further  until one comes to simply desire material things.

The Nothingness of Being

Rather our thoughts should be to the opposite, and one should not dwell upon their service as being anything (but nothing) and one should have no feelings towards their service to Hashem. One’s heart should be hollow, and broken from the sense of distance felt at not yet having really started to serve Hashem at all.

When we set ourselves in concentration on the greatness of Hashem, how He is the essence, source for the whole world and surrounds and fills the world, that no thought can sufficiently grasp this idea at all. All of the worlds, souls, angels, and holy spiritual elements (Seraphim, Ofanim, Chayot) – all of these are made insignificanse (reduced to nothing) before Him, and are as if there is nothing before Him.

Like it is written on how the heavenly elements praise Hashem:

"כולם אהובים, כולם ברורים, כולם גיבורים, כולם קדושים וכולם עושים באימה וביראה רצון קונם"

"והאופנים וחיות הקודש ברעש גדול מתנשאים לעומת שרפים לעומתם משבחים ואמרים"

Then one will be awakened as it says in Tehilim:

“My soul yearns, yea, it pines for the courts of the L-rd; my heart and my flesh pray fervently to the living G-d”

נכספה וגם כלתה נפשי לחצרות ה לבי ובשרי ירננו אל א-ל חי  

Tehilim 84:3

This is meant to create a sense of excitement in our relationship with Hashem, that it should be a mixture of sweetness and friendship.

Always Feeling New

We should be driven to yearn and to desire to fulfill the service of Hashem all the time, yet still be at a state where we feel as if we have never served Hashem at all.

When one dives deep into these thoughts and concentration, this is can result in reaching a great spiritual level.

Hashem will come and bring excitement to one’s heart. While in one’s own eyes, one should see themself as nothing, and have no feeling towards one’s service. One’s heart should be broken in considering how far away we are from Hashem. Our of perception of His greatness, we will not start serving Him at all, rather just consider how great He is, what He is, and what it really means to serve Him.

As it says in Tehilim:

Sound the shofar on the New Moon, on the appointed time for the day of our festival.

  תקעו בחדש שופר בכסה ליום חגנו

Tehilim 81:4

One who serves Hashem can be known by the nickname of Shofar (שופר). This comes to be represented by the expression of “שיפרו מעשיכם”  (Improve your actions).

‘Tiku’ comes from language in the verse:

When he saw that he could not prevail against him, he touched the socket of his hip, and the socket of Jacob's hip became dislocated as he wrestled with him.

 וַיַּרְא כִּי לֹא יָכֹל לוֹ וַיִּגַּע בְּכַף יְרֵכוֹ וַתֵּקַע כַּף יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב בְּהֵאָבְקוֹ עִמּוֹ

Breisheit 32:26

So your service to Hashem should always be ‘blown’ (like a Shofar) in your heart, and should always be new (חודש), just as though you have never served (תקע) Hashem at all.

Sing a New Song

This idea is of singing a new song to Hashem, is seen the verse in Tehilim:

A song. Sing to Hashem a new song, for He performed wonders; His right hand and His holy arm have saved Him.

 מזמור שירו לה  שיר חדש כי נפלאות עשה הושיעה לו ימינו וזרוע קדשו

Tehilim 98:1

That is to say, one should always sing a new song, or for us make our tefillah and brechot, and ultimately our divine service new and fresh. How can we get inspiration to accomplish this? From deeply concentrating on the wonders and greatness of HaKodesh Baruch Hu, by grasping how His amazing yet hidden presence, and expanding our perception to how high and lofty Hashem truly is, that none of the worlds, angels  and souls can even grasp this at all.

This is what should excite our souls, where we come to a point that we don’t even consider any of the service that we have done, rather and we should always sing a new song, as if we have never served Hashem at all, as if right now, this is the first time we are approaching Hashem.

Like New

This is like an explanation brought from the Baal Shem Tov,

He was accustomed to walk a child slowly. Then the more one grows up, our behavior turns to routine. Yet really we should walk in such a way by which we perceive Hashem as wondrous and hidden and that no thought can truly comprehend Him. However we have become too accustomed, habituated, in our service to Hashem and we have lost the perception of the wondrousness of Hashem. Rather, by being in awe of Hashem, we can then step back and sense just how we have not yet started to serve Hashem. Everyday  divine service should be something new. That is the significance of the ‘new song’ that every day should be perceived as brand new.

Not Yet Started

Now we can understand this in the context of what Chazal says in Ketubot.

Whoever lives in the Land of Israel may be considered to have a G-d,
but whoever lives outside the Land may be regarded as one who has no G-d.

Ketubot 110B 

Here The Kedushat Levi gives an interesting twist on this piece, explaining that anyone that lives in the (metaphorical) Land of Israel  is in gashmiut (the physical, material realm).  To what is this compared to? This is the person who perceives what he has and realizes what he possesses, that he is satisfied with how he serves Hashem. This can be considered as one who has G-d.

However for the one that lives in the (metaphorical) Chutz L’aaretz (outside of Israel),  this refers to the person that is disconnected from the material and physical, and perceives himself as despicable and is truly insignificant, having not yet established his divine service. This is the meaning of has no G-d, that is to say one who has not yet started to serve Hashem.

Renewing and Invigorate

This is the meaning of the verse in Yesheyahu:

But those who put their hope in Hashem shall renew [their] vigor, they shall raise wings as eagles; they shall run and not weary, they shall walk and not tire.

  וקוי ה יחליפו כח יעלו אבר כנשרים ירוצו ולא ייגעו ילכו ולא ייעפו  

Yesheyahu 40:31

“Shall renew” refers to recharging, to an energy that is constantly changing, that doesn’t stand still. This is the approach for making one’s service new everyday.

“Not tire” this comes from the language of “OAF” – a bird, or to fly higher. That is to say to not perceive oneself as having become a servant of Hashem yet, rather the opposite that we must strive to climb higher and higher.

“Not weary” that in our own perception, we have still not reached any level for how properly serving Hashem and have not yet started to serve Him, at all.

This is represented by the eagles as seen in the verse in Tehilim:

Who sates your mouth with goodness, that your youth renews itself like the eagle

 הַמַּשְׂבִּיעַ בַּטּוֹב עֶדְיֵךְ;    תִּתְחַדֵּשׁ כַּנֶּשֶׁר נְעוּרָיְכִי

Tehilim 103:5

That our divine service and relationship with Hashem should not become stale, but in a state of renewal.

Mitzvah from Sin

If one person of the people of the land commits a sin unintentionally, by his committing one of the commandments of Hashem, which may not be committed, he incurs guilt;

וְאִם נֶפֶשׁ אַחַת תֶּחֱטָא בִשְׁגָגָה מֵעַם הָאָרֶץ בַּעֲשֹׂתָהּ אַחַת מִמִּצְוֹת ה אֲשֶׁר לֹא תֵעָשֶׂינָה וְאָשֵׁם:

Vayikra 4:27

What is the sin referred to here? That is carrying out a negative commandment. In other words when one does a mitzvah, it can appear as though he has transgressed a negative commandment. The Kedushat Levi means to say that by doing a mitzvah, one’s own sense of importance grows, and that haughty self-perception in and of itself is a sin.

This is can be compared to the discussion in Sukkah “A stolen or a withered palm-branch  is invalid.  It would be a mitzvah fulfilled through a transgression [which is forbidden]” (Sukkah 30A)

Sin from Mitzvah

Here Chazal brings the concept of ‘mitzvah habah m’aveirah’ – a mitzvah that comes from a transgression, just as a stolen offering is despised on the alter. So where one’s sense of self-importance grows from the performance of mitzvoth, this leads to arrogance and is really considered to be a transgression. We have the opposite of the situation from Gemarrah Succah, rather than a mitzvah from a transgression, we see here how a transgression comes out of performing mitzvoth.

The concept that Hashem ‘despises stealing in this world’ applies to our discussion, where  through the performance of mitzvoth one’s sense self importance can grow, and become satisfied with our own sense of importance. This is like stealing. How? Stealing is the act of coming into possession without exerting effort (you didn’t plow the field and nurture the product, you just stepped over the fence and stole the produce). Likewise we really only perform mitzvoth because they came from Hashem, and He chose us, and He gave us His Torah. We have merited to perform mitzvoth, and His Laws and to enlighten our eyes through his Torah. Ultimately mitzvoth have been given to us with the purpose of giving us the tools to be able to grasp His service and how to serve Him, and enhance our relationship with Hashem.

Answer:  Why is Brecha and Klala Together?

Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse.

רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה

Dvarim 11:26

-        ראה : seeing or having clarity for achieving

-        אנוכי נותן לפניכם : according to your capability you should serve a complete service by way of blessing

That is to say that you will continue to carry the yoke of heaven upon yourself, since blessing is from the language of “המשכה” (continuation) like “בריכות מים” (pools of water). Pools of water remain full even as we scoop buckets of water out. This is applied to how by way of deep concentration on Hakadosh Baruch Hu – how He is the essence and source of everything and surrounds and fills all the world and all the souls, angels, and heavenly spirits are insignificant before Him, like absolute nothingness. Out of this our souls should grow excited, reaching out to connect to Hashem.

-        קללה  : that is to say by way of the blessing it continues to impact one’s soul and by virtue of his great achievements in connection to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, thus we have ‘the curse.’

That is to say that one should not consider themselves as being anything, rather regard oneself as despicable and having not accomplished and or reached a meaningful place in one’s existence.  One should remain in the direction of self-degradation, and then one will be cursed in one’s own eyes. This ultimately makes the individual into the right vessel for eternally receiving the influence of Hashem, since only an empty vessel can properly receive Hashem’s influence.

The blessing gives us the strength and drive to carry the yoke of heaven on our shoulders, while accompanying curse keeps our own sense of self-importance in check and serves as the foundation for our relationship with Hashem.