Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17
In this week’s portion we see that Mosheh summons Israel to contemplate the profound reality of covenantal choice. “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse” (Deut. 11:26). This is a covenantal decree that touches the very destiny of the people of Israel. The blessing is linked to obedience, the curse to rebellion, and the nation is reminded that its future hinges upon fidelity to Mar-Yah.
This portion encompasses some of the most defining ordinances that would shape Israel’s collective identity. It sets forth the command to establish worship only in the place that Mar-Yah Himself shall choose, thereby eradicating idolatrous practices from the Land. It provides safeguards against false prophets and seducers who would lure Israel into apostasy. It reiterates dietary distinctions, establishing holiness as a visible marker in the life of the nation. It commands tithes for the Levites and the poor, institutes the release of debts in the Sabbatical year, and upholds the ethical obligation to liberate Hebrew servants. The parashah culminates with the laws of the three pilgrimage feasts—Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot—which sanctify Israel’s sacred time and bind the people together in communal worship.
Re’eh represents both continuity and fulfilment. What Mosheh lays before Israel as a covenant of obedience is brought to completion in Yeshua Mshikha, who affirms that He came not to abolish but to fulfil the Torah (Matt. 5:17). The central sanctuary points beyond the Temple of stone toward the Temple of His Body; the Sabbatical release finds its consummation in the liberty He proclaims to the captives; and the pilgrimage feasts unfold into the mysteries of the Cross, the Spirit, and the ultimate indwelling of Mar-Yah with His people.
Re’eh is a prophetic foreshadowing of the greater covenant in Yeshua. It summons both ancient Israel and the present-day Assembly, under the guardianship of the family of Yeshua, to choose the way of blessing, to eradicate idols from the heart, and to live a life consecrated wholly to Mar-Yah Alaha.
The Covenant Decision (Deut. 11:26–32)
The portion begins with Mosheh’s solemn proclamation: “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse” (Deuteronomy 11:26). The blessing is conditional upon obedience to the Commandments of Mar-Yah; the curse, upon disobedience. Israel is to enact this covenantal declaration upon entering the Land, upon Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.
This duality is is very much sacramental. Life itself is sacramentally divided by one’s orientation toward Alaha. St. Paul echoes this in the apostolic writings. “Do you not know, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are… whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” (Romans 6:16). Thus, the Aurayta’s dichotomy between blessing and curse is transfigured into the apostolic dichotomy between life in Mshikha and life in the flesh.
The Eradication of Idolatry (Deut. 12:1–32)
One of the most defining elements of this week’s reading is the insistence on a single, central place of worship, chosen by Mar-Yah, in which sacrifices are to be offered. This centralisation was to prevent syncretism with the nations, whose worship was scattered in various locations.
Here we see both historical and theological development. The Temple in Jerusalem became the embodiment of this command. Yet in Yeshua, the Temple finds its fulfilment: “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up… he spoke of the temple of his body” (John 2:19–21). The worship once tied to a physical location is now oriented toward the risen Body of our Messiah, who, in His Person, is the true dwelling of the Shekhinah.
For early Assembly of Jerusalem, this teaching did not abolish Temple worship at once, but they recognised in Yeshua the deeper reality—the inner chamber not made with hands, eternal in the heavens (see 2 Corinthians 5:1).
False Prophets and Seducers (Deut. 13:1–18)
The text warns against prophets, dreamers, or even close relatives who might seek to draw Israel after various deities. The severity of the injunction—calling for death against such deceivers—underscores the absolute gravity of idolatry.
In the apostolic age, the principle endures, though transfigured. The Apostle John says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of Alaha: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). The Assembly is to test doctrine and spirit, preserving purity of worship centred in Yeshua.
Thus, within the New Covenant community, the underlying truth of Aurayta—absolute fidelity to Mar-Yah—remains binding.
Tithes and Provision for the Needy (Deut. 14:22–29)
The tithe is commanded primarily as a social provision. Every third year, the tithe is laid aside for the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow. Here we see the social dimension of holiness—faithfulness to Alaha necessarily expresses itself in generosity to the vulnerable.
Yeshua affirms this when rebuking the Pharisees: “Woe unto you… for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of Aurayta, judgment, mercy, and faith” (Matthew 23:23). True tithing is not ritualistic tokenism, but covenantal justice.
Mar Ya’aqub the Tzadik, in the first century, wrote that it is our obligation, as practitioners of the true religion, to take care of widows and orphans. This is what our tithe and alms are for in these days, showing our obedience to the Commandments. (James 1:27)
The Sabbatical Release and Social Justice (Deut. 15:1–18)
The remission of debts every seventh year and the command to release Hebrew servants demonstrate a vision of economic balance. Israel is not to allow a permanent underclass. The land and its produce belong ultimately to Alaha, not to man.
This anticipates the greater Jubilee in Mshikha, proclaimed in Yeshua’s words: “The Spirit of Mar-Yah is upon me… to preach deliverance to the captives… to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18). The Aurayta’s economic rhythms foreshadow the eschatological freedom found in the Kingdom.
The Pilgrimage Festivals (Deut. 16:1–17)
The parashah concludes with a focus on the three regalim—Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. These pilgrimages embody Israel’s covenantal identity and rhythm of worship. They sanctify time and unite the nation around the presence of Mar-Yah.
In the New Covenant, these feasts point to Yeshua. Pesach is transfigured into the Paschal mystery of the Cross; Shavuot into the outpouring of the Rukha d’Kudsha at Pentecost; Sukkot into the eschatological dwelling of Alaha with man in the New Jerusalem. Yet the rhythm remains—the Assembly still lives by sacred seasons, orienting its life around the mysteries of salvation.
Conclusion
Parashat Re’eh sets before Israel the great choice of life or death, blessing or curse. It enjoins fidelity, centralised worship, purity, justice, and generosity. In Yeshua Mshikha, these Commandments are not annulled but brought to their intended understanding. The physical Temple points to His risen Body; the dietary separations to holiness in the Spirit; the Sabbatical release to the Jubilee of salvation; the festivals to the liturgical life of the Kingdom.
This week’s reading reminds us that holiness is concrete, covenantal, and communal. It calls us to orient all of life toward Mar-Yah, revealed in Yeshua, and to walk faithfully in the covenant path laid before us by the Apostles and the Assembly of Jerusalem.