Re’eh (See) Deut. 11:26–16:17

Worshiping the God We Know

“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse—the blessing, if you listen to the commandments of ADONAI your God that I am commanding you today, but the curse, if you do not listen to the commandments of ADONAI your God, but turn from the way I am commanding you today, to go after other gods you have not known.”

—Deuteronomy 11:26–28

Parashat Re’eh begins with one of the Torah’s most powerful appeals: “See!” The Hebrew word רְאֵה (re’eh) is a singular command, as though Moses were addressing every individual personally. The covenant was given to Israel collectively, yet each person was responsible to see, understand, and choose the path set before them.

The choice was between בְּרָכָה, b’rachah—blessing—and קְלָלָה, k’lalah—curse. These were not arbitrary rewards and punishments. They represented the consequences of two opposing ways of life: listening to ADONAI and walking in His ways, or turning aside to follow gods Israel had not known.

This language of “knowing” is central to the portion. Israel was not being called to serve an unknown or hidden deity. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had revealed Himself through His acts of deliverance, His covenant, His commandments, and His abiding presence among His people. Israel was therefore called to worship the God they knew.

The God Who Does Not Change

One of the great challenges confronting Yeshua’s community of faith has been the belief that God and His ways gradually changed over time. As the early believing community became increasingly separated from its Jewish and biblical foundations, many began to draw sharp distinctions between the God revealed in the Tanakh and the God proclaimed in the Apostolic Writings.

Scripture, however, presents one God with one consistent character and redemptive purpose.

“For I am ADONAI. I do not change.”

—Malachi 3:6

Yeshua and His earliest disciples did not proclaim a new deity or establish a faith disconnected from Israel’s Scriptures. The Torah, Prophets, and Writings were their Scriptures. The Apostolic Writings must therefore be understood in harmony with that earlier revelation, not as a contradiction or rejection of it.

Applications of certain commandments may differ according to place, priesthood, Temple, or covenantal circumstance, but the holy character of the God who gave them does not change. His righteousness, mercy, faithfulness, and opposition to idolatry remain constant.

The Place Where ADONAI Would Cause His Name to Dwell

As Israel prepared to enter the Promised Land, Moses repeatedly instructed the people not to imitate the worship of the Canaanite nations. Their altars, sacred pillars, and worship sites were to be removed. Israel was not permitted to worship ADONAI according to pagan customs or personal preference.

“You are not to act like this toward ADONAI your God. Rather you are to seek only the place ADONAI your God chooses from all your tribes to put His Name to dwell—there you will come.”

—Deuteronomy 12:4–5

The Canaanites established worship sites upon mountains, hills, and beneath trees they considered sacred. Israel, however, was not to create an independent and chaotic system in which everyone worshiped according to what seemed right in his own eyes. ADONAI Himself would determine the place, order, and manner of Israel’s sacrificial worship.

This command was not about divine control detached from relationship. It was about protecting Israel from idolatry and teaching the nation how to approach the Holy One. Torah revealed God’s character so that His people would worship Him as He truly is—not according to human imagination or the customs of surrounding nations.

Even when the reasons behind every command were not immediately apparent, Israel had already witnessed the faithfulness of ADONAI. He had heard their cries in Egypt, redeemed them from slavery, carried them through the wilderness, and revealed His presence among them. Obedience was therefore not meant to be blind submission to an unknown power. It was a response of trust toward the God who had made Himself known.

Gerizim, Ebal, and the Covenant Choice

Moses instructed Israel to proclaim the blessing upon Mount Gerizim and the curse upon Mount Ebal. These two mountains stand opposite one another near ancient Shechem, forming a natural setting in which the tribes of Israel would publicly affirm their covenant responsibilities.

The location carried deep historical significance. Near Shechem, ADONAI first promised Abraham that the land would be given to his descendants, and Abraham built an altar there (Genesis 12:6–7). Jacob later settled in the same region and erected an altar (Genesis 33:18–20). It was also at Shechem that Jacob called his household to remove their foreign gods (Genesis 35:2–4).

Israel’s declaration between Gerizim and Ebal was therefore connected to the promises given to the patriarchs. The nation was inheriting the land by God’s faithfulness, but remaining faithful within that land required a continual rejection of idolatry.

Centuries later, Mount Gerizim stood at the center of the dispute between Jews and Samaritans. The Samaritans regarded Gerizim as the divinely appointed center of worship, while the Jewish people recognized Jerusalem as the place where ADONAI had caused His Name to dwell.

This was the historical and theological issue behind the Samaritan woman’s question to Yeshua:

“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you all say that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

—John 4:20

Yeshua did not evade the dispute or treat both claims as equally valid. He answered:

“You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

—John 4:22

Yeshua affirmed the revelation entrusted to Israel and the place Jerusalem occupied within God’s redemptive order. His declaration that “salvation is from the Jews” means that God’s saving work cannot be separated from Israel, Israel’s Scriptures, Israel’s covenants, or Israel’s Messiah.

Yeshua then pointed toward the coming hour when true worshipers would worship the Father “in spirit and truth.” This did not mean that God’s earlier revelation had become false or irrelevant. Rather, through Messiah, worship would no longer be confined by geography. The knowledge of Israel’s God would extend to the nations, just as the prophets had foretold.

True worship must still be grounded in truth. We cannot worship God as we imagine Him to be; we must worship Him as He has revealed Himself.

The Torah’s Test of a Prophet

Re’eh next presents a sobering warning concerning false prophets:

“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams rises up among you and gives you a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder he spoke to you comes true, while saying, ‘Let us go after other gods that you have not known, and let us serve them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams.”

—Deuteronomy 13:2–4

The Hebrew word for prophet is נָבִיא, navi. The precise etymology of the word is debated, but its biblical function is clear: a prophet is a spokesperson commissioned to communicate the word of God.

Deuteronomy teaches that supernatural activity alone does not authenticate a prophet. A sign may appear astonishing. A prediction may even come to pass. Nevertheless, if the messenger uses that experience to lead Israel away from ADONAI and His commandments, the messenger is false.

The decisive question is not simply, “Did something miraculous happen?” The decisive questions are:

Does this message lead us toward ADONAI or away from Him? Does it deepen covenant faithfulness or encourage lawlessness? Does it agree with what God has already revealed, or does it invite us to abandon His Word?

Miracles are not the highest test of truth. Faithfulness to ADONAI is.

God even warns that such an event may be permitted as a test “to find out whether you love ADONAI your God with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 13:4). The false prophet appeals to spectacle, but the faithful servant remains anchored in covenant love.

“You will follow ADONAI your God and fear Him. His commandments you will keep, to His voice you will listen, Him you will serve, and to Him you will cling.”

—Deuteronomy 13:5

Yeshua and the Charge of Leading Israel Away

For centuries, many within Judaism have regarded Yeshua as a false prophet because they were taught that He rejected the Torah and encouraged His followers to abandon Israel’s covenantal way of life. Tragically, this perception was strengthened when influential voices within later Christianity portrayed Yeshua as the founder of a new religion opposed to Judaism and the Torah.

If Yeshua had truly encouraged Israel to abandon ADONAI, follow other gods, or reject the Torah, the warning of Deuteronomy 13 would rightly apply to Him. But this portrayal does not reflect the Jewish Messiah presented in the Apostolic Writings.

Yeshua declared:

“Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets! I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill.”

—Matthew 5:17

He taught His disciples to love ADONAI with all their heart, soul, and strength, drawing directly from the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4–5). He resisted temptation by quoting Deuteronomy. He observed the biblical festivals, worshiped in the synagogue, honored the Temple, and directed people toward the God of Israel.

Yeshua did not lead Israel toward an unknown god. He revealed the Father whom Israel already knew. He confronted distorted traditions and hypocritical applications, but He never condemned the Torah itself. Rather, He embodied its righteousness, exposed its deepest intentions, and called His followers to a life of faithfulness flowing from a transformed heart.

He is the goal toward which the Torah points—the Word made flesh and the promised Messiah through whom the knowledge of the Holy One is brought to its appointed fullness.

Defending the Honor of Our Rabbi

As followers of Yeshua, we should be prepared to answer false charges made against Him. Yet we must consider how His honor is best defended. Anger, hostility, and harsh words rarely reveal the character of the Messiah we claim to represent.

A story is told of a Chassidic rabbi whose opponents repeatedly slandered him. His disciples became furious whenever they heard their teacher insulted, but one disciple always remained calm.

The others asked him, “How can you remain silent when people say such terrible things about our rabbi?”

He answered, “When I hear someone speaking evil about my teacher, I think, ‘If that person truly knew my rabbi, he would never speak this way. Since he clearly does not know my rabbi, he must be speaking about someone else. And if he is speaking about someone else, why should I become angry?’”

We defend the honor of Yeshua most powerfully by making Him known as He truly is. We do this not only through teaching, but by living lives that reflect His humility, holiness, mercy, and faithfulness. When we answer hatred with love, extend mercy to those who misunderstand us, and walk in obedience to ADONAI, we present a more faithful picture of our Rabbi.

See What Is Before You

The call of Re’eh remains before us: “See.”

See the blessing and the curse. See the difference between worshiping according to human imagination and worshiping the God who has revealed Himself. See beyond impressive signs and examine where a message ultimately leads. See Yeshua within the world of Torah, Israel, covenant, and prophetic expectation.

The question is not merely whether we claim to know God, but whether we are willing to know Him as He has chosen to reveal Himself.

May we cling to ADONAI, listen to His voice, and walk faithfully in His ways. May our lives reveal the true character of Yeshua our Messiah. And may the day come soon when the earth is filled with the knowledge of the glory of ADONAI as the waters cover the sea.

Shalom in Messiah,

Erez Aiger