Parashat Re'eh: Seeing with the Eyes of the Soul

Parashat Re'eh: Seeing with the Eyes of the Soul

Parashat Re'eh always comes just before Rosh Chodesh Elul, the month of introspection, self-awareness, and preparing our hearts for the High Holidays. It is a time to ask,

“Who am I, and how do I see myself, other people, and G-d?”

In this week's parashah, the Torah teaches an unusual law: when we experience the death of a loved one, we are not permitted to harm our bodies in our grief. Mourning is part of our human experience and is a result of the love we have for others. To mourn is to love. However, the Torah is teaching us not to injure or self-mutilate ourselves. 

“You are children of the Eternal, your God. You shall not gash yourselves or shave the front of your heads because of the dead.” (Devarim 14:1)

Judaism teaches that we are not bodies that happen to have souls; we are souls living in bodies. The body is the vessel that carries the soul through this world. At death, we lose the physical presence of the person we love, but we do not lose their soul. The soul continues its journey into the spiritual realms.

The Torah then gives another seemingly unrelated teaching: Do not divide yourselves into factions. The Jewish people are meant to remain one and be unified.

Both teachings remind us to see beyond the physical.

Just as we recognize that a person's deepest identity is their soul, we are also called to recognize that every Jew is also, at their core, a soul. We may disagree. We may have different personalities, opinions, or life experiences. But beneath those differences, we are all connected as part of one great soul-family. We are all interconnected and dependent upon each other.

Parashat Re’eh and the month of Elul invites us to remember this reality.

Perhaps when I remember that the person standing in front of me is first and foremost a soul created in the image of Gd, I become more patient, more compassionate, and more willing to judge them favorably.

We as souls have the capacity to choose how we think, how we respond, and how we relate to one another.

May this month of Elul help us see with the eyes of the soul- to deepen our connection to G-d, to one another, and to the very best version of ourselves. Striving to make the world a better place in partnership with others.

Much love and Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov