Always maintain religious balance

Torah study

RABBI LAURA NOVAK WINER
R'eih/Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17

"Be careful to observe only that which I enjoin upon you: neither add to it nor take away from it." (Deuteronomy 13:1)

"You shall not add anything to what I command you or take anything away from it." (Deuteronomy 4:2)

It is rare that the Torah repeats itself. In R'eih, we have such an example. Deuteronomy 13:1 is a repetition of an admonition given just prior in Deuteronomy 4:2, "Be careful to observe only that which I enjoin upon you: neither add to it nor take away from it."

Rashi interprets these verses that if one is tempted to add to a command, one may actually take away from performance of that command in the end. Why is this lesson repeated?

To understand this principle, we must look at the verse in relation to its placement in the text of R'eih. While our version of numbering chapters and verses demarks this verse as Deuteronomy 13:1, many commentators consider this verse as a summation to the discussion in chapter 12, which instructs the Israelites to create central places of worship and reject idolatrous practices.

What follows Deuteronomy 13:1 is a seemingly disparate list of other rules and warnings for the Israelites.

In Pirkei Avot 1:2 we learn, "The world is sustained by three things: by Torah, by avodah (worship), and by g'milut chasadim (acts of loving-kindness)." When we look at the disparate topics in R'eih, we find the pillar of Torah in the commands about belief in one God; we find the pillar of avodah in the commands about centralizing worship; and we find the pillar of g'milut chasadim in the commands regarding the ethical treatment of others.

When we look to the pivotal verse, 13:1, at the center of this discussion, we see it in a different light. "Be careful to observe only that which I enjoin upon you: neither add to it nor take away from it." These commandments represent the balance of Jewish observance. To add to or detract from any of these commands would impair this equilibrium.

1. "We recognize in the Mosaic legislation a system of training the Jewish people for its mission during its national life in Palestine, and today we accept as binding only the moral laws, and maintain only such ceremonies as elevate and sanctify our lives." (Central Conference of American Rabbis, "The Pittsburgh Platform," 1885)
   
   
2. "We are committed to the ongoing study of the whole array of mitzvot. ... Some of these ... sacred obligations, have long been observed by Reform Jews; others ... demand renewed attention as the result of the unique context of our own times." (Central Conference of American Rabbis, "A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism Adopted at the 1999 Pittsburgh Convention")
   

1. To say that the Torah is fixed poses a challenge to Reform ideology. How did the early Reform Jews come to grips with this in the Pittsburgh Platform of 1885? How have current leaders addressed this challenge in the 1999 Statement of Principles?
   
   
2. Another message of R'eih is that we need to establish a balance of Torah, avodah, and g'milut chasadim in our lives. How do you create this balance in your personal life?