by Rabbi Margie Cella
Moses continues to address the nation, reminding them of what God expects of them when they enter the land. They are warned against worshipping foreign gods and reminded that they are to worship and bring their sacrifices only at the central place that will be designated by God. Moses tells them once again what animals they may and may not eat and warns that they are not permitted to either add to or diminish the commandments of God.
Every seventh year is designated as a sabbatical year for the land to rest: no crops are to be harvested, and all debts are cancelled. Any person that frees a slave must provide him with animals, grain, and wine to help sustain him as he sets up a new life; he is not to be sent out empty-handed.
God says, “There shall be no poor among you, for the Lord shall greatly bless you in the land which . . . God gives you for an inheritance . . . ” (15:4) At first glance, we may read this as a promise. It is, however, a commandment. In the next seven verses Moses explains that this will happen only if the people are vigilant to observe all the mitzvot. When there is a poor person in our midst, we may not turn away; rather, “you shall open your hand wide to him,” (15:8) and you may not bear resentment towards him. The section finishes with the statement, “the poor shall never cease out of the land.” (15:11) In other words, since there will always be poor among us, God commands us to work towards eradicating their poverty. “You shall open your hand wide to him and lend him sufficient for his needs.” (15:8)
Oseh shalom, Maker of Peace, may we truly see (Re’eh) the poor around us, and open our hands and our hearts in love.
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