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Created: 21 August 2025

In my travels around the country (except for the area around Gaza), life is going on almost as usual. You wouldn’t easily know that there’s a war going on. However,  a significant number of people are doing reserve service, and there are occasional protests that block major roadways (which is very annoying).    

I’ve gone to national parks, malls, and other public venues with my grandchildren, and it is truly beautiful to watch how Traditional, Orthodox, ultra-Orthodox, secular, right-wing, left-wing and every other type of Jew (and non-Jew) are comfortable coming together in the same place with no problems whatsoever.  Usually everyone is respectful of each other, but sometimes things can get ugly. A positive atmosphere can be nurtured if people take to heart the first sentence of this week’s Torah reading.      

This week’s parasha begins with the word “Re’eh” (see) which is written in the singular, but then the verse shifts to “lifneichem” (before you) which is written in the plural. Why the grammatically inconsistent shift? R. Efraim Luntshitz (1550-1619) in his commentary on the Torah called Kli Yakar suggests that the answer can be found in the Gemara (Kiddushin 40b), where we are told that each person should see himself as 50/50 merits and demerits and his very next action will sway his destiny. Furthermore, he should look at the world as 50/50 and that his actions will impact the whole world. This possibly is why Moshe highlights the singular and the plural. We are responsible for our own actions, but we also have the ability to impact the whole world. This idea is not just metaphysical. Every action we take impacts others in the real world. They look at what we do, and we serve as either a positive or negative influence.