Re'eh - Seeing clearly

Parshat Re'eh - Deut. 11:26 - "See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse .  .  .  ."

Parshat Re'eh begins by commanding us to "See" - to open the eyes of our heart and behold the world that has been set before us. This clear seeing is both our redemption and our blessing. Only when our vision is no longer obscured by false beliefs, fear, or the illusion of separateness, can we experience the freedom to choose the blessing that is being offered to us. We are commanded first to see, because without that clear vision, it may not be possible to discern the blessing from the curse. 
(source: Rabbi Shefa Gold- Torrah Journeys)

Eikev - Freedom from our changing moods

Deutoronomy 8:14. “and your heart grows haughty, and you forget the Lord, your God, Who has brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage”

So often it is our heart, our emotion, that leads us to act the way that we do, whether for good or for ill. A midrash* catalogued the many moods of the heart displayed in the Torah as follows:

The heart speaks (Ecclesiastes 1:16 ), sees (Ecclesiastes 1:16 ), hears (1 Kings 3:9), walks (2 Kings 5:26 ), falls (1 Samuel 17:32), stands (Ezekiel  22:14 ), rejoices (Psalm 16:9 ), cries (Lamentations  2:18 ), is comforted (Isaiah  40:2 ), is troubled (Deuteronomy 15:10 ), becomes hardened (Exodus 9:12. ), grows faint (Deuteronomy 20:3 ), grieves (Genesis 6:6 ), fears (Deuteronomy 28:67 ), can be broken (Psalm 51:19 ), rebels (Jeremiah   5:23 ), invents (1 Kings 12:33 ), cavils (Deuteronomy 29:18 ), overflows (Psalm 45:2 ), devises (Proverbs 19:21 ), desires (Psalm 21:3 ), goes astray (Proverbs 7:25 ), lusts (Numbers 15:39 ), is refreshed (Genesis 18:5), can be stolen (Genesis 31:20 ), is humbled (Leviticus  26:41  ), is enticed (Genesis 34:3 ), errs (Isaiah 21:4 ), trembles (1 Samuel 4:13 ), is awakened (Song of Songs   5:2 ), loves (Deuteronomy 6:5 ), hates (Leviticus 19:17 ), envies (Proverbs 23:17  ), is searched (Jeremiah 17:10  ), is rent (Joel 2:13 ), meditates (Psalm 49:4 ), is like a fire (Jeremiah 20:9 ), is like a stone (Ezekiel 36:26  ), turns in repentance (2 Kings 23:25 ), becomes hot (Deuteronomy 19:6 ), dies (1 Samuel 25:37), melts (Joshua  7:5 ), takes in words (Deuteronomy 6:6 ), is susceptible to fear (Jeremiah 32:40 ), gives thanks (Psalm 111:1), covets (Proverbs 6:25 ), becomes hard (Proverbs 28:14 ), makes merry (Judges 16:25 ), acts deceitfully (Proverbs 12:20 ), speaks from out of itself (1 Samuel 1:13 ), loves bribes (Jeremiah 22:17 ), writes words (Proverbs 3:3 ), plans (Proverbs 6:18 ), receives commandments (Proverbs 10:8 ), acts with pride (Obadiah  1:3 ), makes arrangements (Proverbs 16:1 ), and aggrandizes itself (2 Chronicles  25:19 ).

When we sit quietly, observing the changing moods of the heart, we begin to have compassion for our volatile selves. Eventually, we remember that there is something unchanging and steady that we can rest in. In that moment, we are freed from the bondage.


* Source: Thank you to Wikipedia for pointing me to the midrash!! (Ecclesiastes Rabbah <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecclesiastes_Rabbah>  1:36.)