Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

As one exits the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem, the final site is a sign written in Hebrew and in English. It is a profound quote from the Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Chassidic Judaism in the eighteenth century: 

Forgetfulness leads to exile, while remembrance is the secret of redemption.

What does this mean? Let’s explore the implications. According to our Torah portion for this week, the king of Israel is commanded to write a copy of the Torah for himself as a reminder of his responsibilities as the leader of a holy nation bound to a covenant relationship with the Creator of the Universe:

And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left. (Deuteronomy 17:18–20)

The king of Israel represents the nation of Israel. Therefore, when the king is diligent to uphold the Torah, he is considered righteous and the nation is blessed. But when the king forgets the precepts of the Torah, he is deemed wicked and the nation is therefore judged and led into exile. 

Parashat Re'eh (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17)

Have you ever heard of the Snowball Effect? As you know, the Snowball Effect is a process that begins with something that is seemingly insignificant but then builds on itself, becoming exponentially larger over time. It comes from the concept of a snowball rolling down a hill. In theory, it picks up both mass and momentum the longer it rolls. After just a little while it would become quite massive and very difficult to stop. This concept has been applied to many things, but it has spiritual applications as well. In Pirkei Avot, Ben Azzai tells us: 

Run to pursue a minor mitzvah [commandment], and flee from a transgression. For a mitzvah brings another mitzvah, and a transgression brings another transgression. For the reward of a mitzvah is a mitzvah, and the reward of transgression is transgression. (m.Avot 4:2)

This is the principle of the Snowball Effect. If we begin traveling in a certain direction—whether toward or away from spiritual matters—we will create a momentum that will be difficult to stop. If we succeed in surrendering one area of our lives and being obedient to one instruction from the Torah, we will naturally be inclined toward the next one. We will find that obedience will have become a little easier. However, the reverse is also true. If we refuse to be obedient to one of the Torah’s instructions, then it will be more difficult to obey other instructions. Soon we will find ourselves in a place of utter rebellion, where even the easiest commandments are forsaken. This is the principle behind the introductory words of this week’s Torah portion: