Re'eh: seeing and imagining

 Re'eh: seeing and imagining

The parsha asks us to visualize ( re'eh) a blessing  that is a reward for obedience to the commandments. Much of the parsha deals with economic inequality.  It is an invitation to see how inequitable the world is. 

The sacrificial rite repeatedly emphasizes the inclusion of the widow, the orphan, the Levite. It instructs the Israelite performing these  acts of  allegiance to include those who are excluded from the economic system. The tithe supports these same, disadvantaged people. The prosperous  are instructed to lend to the poor.  Employment contracts are limited to six years and include a severance package.  Only large animals may be slaughtered for meat, and sacrificial flesh may only be eaten for a limited time, forcing sharing of the food. 

There are the disturbing  contradictory passages: (15;4) אֶ֕פֶס כִּ֛י לֹ֥א יִֽהְיֶה־בְּךָ֖ אֶבְי֑וֹן there shall be no needy among you

and (15;11) כִּ֛י לֹא־יֶחְדַּ֥ל אֶבְי֖וֹן מִקֶּ֣רֶב הָאָ֑רֶץ For there will never cease to be needy ones in your land

I do not want to resolve the contradiction by emphasizing the "among you,"  On can live in a neighborhood where the poor are  banned, hence not visible (re'eh).  This solution is an efes, a zero. 

The subsequent verses state that the absence of the poor is predicated on adhering to the commandments. The commandments demand helping with the poor with loans, fair employment and support.  Fulfillment of these statutes would minimize the number of poor people. 

I think that he word  evyon   is related to the word for stone, even. ( Hebrew has strong letters that are full consonants and weaker letters, like yad and vav that are really vowels and thus, subject to omission.  Omitting these letters from Evyon yields even - stone) There is an aspect of poverty that is stone-like:  A degradation of worth, not meriting  consideration, a fungible existence.  These are the people stepped over ( or stepped on). 

I contrast this with another word for the poor: ani.  This is a word that conveys the idea of begging.  A merchant is sometimes called a canaani ( as in Aisheth  Chayil), perhaps because he entreats the purchaser.  There are circumstances when people beg although they are not degraded; and there are certainly  people in great need who do not beg.  Both should be in our field of vision. 

The word dal (which appears as part of the word yechdal in the second sentence)  also means poor.  Its fundamental meaning is lacking.  It is the objective aspect of poverty. 

In many parts of the world, starvation is limited to behaviors that seem volitional (although they are usually driven by psychiatric disease).  Anyone who is starving and asks  (begs) for food will be fed.  In this sense, perhaps, in those places, there are no needy.  The Utopian statement: there shall be no needy among you is fulfilled. But that does not seem sufficient.  There is still lack  (dal) and disrespect for the less fortunate and, perhaps worst of all, a failure to see the needs of the needy. 

If we do not look at the stones,  we will trip on them.  If we want to see (re'eh)  the  blessing, we must look at the problems and act accordingly.