Sunday, August 1, 2021

Re'eh: An Inner Secret

 

by Rabbi Alon Hazi

BSD 

See I set before you today a blessing.....[Re'eh 11:26]
ראה אנכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה 

Why is the word  "lifnechem" used rather than the word "lachem" - [to you] - which would seem to be the more obvious word choice in Hebrew? 

The inner secret:  The word “lifnechem” means in front of you but also means “to your inside “ 

The word ‘anochi’ appears when the Torah was given, in the Ten Commandments: “I am HaShem your G-d′′ When He says “I am” He uses the word anochi rather than “ani.” 

The word chosen here is parallel that use. The word lifnechem means in Hebrew “in front of you” but also “to your inside.” So it actually comes to say that HaShem was giving the Torah from the inside of Himself to the inside of bnei Yisrael. 

When it says “face to face”   -  The face, pnimi, refers to the penimuyit, the inner dimension. 

Today:  HaYom - means to say that the blessings will come like daylight, in a revealed and renewed way. Like each day is new, like it never came before. 

Blessing: The origin of the word bracha used is found in ‘lehavrich’ which is a word for bending a grape vine down arched to the ground and burying it which causes the grape vine to grow stronger. First it was on top but now it is brought low in order to strengthen the flow of abundance. 

How we bring down the bracha is by studying the Torah and keeping the commandments. 

Have a blessed week, ′′And He will give you rest from all your enemies all around, and you will dwell securely.”