Mark Call of Shabbat Shalom Mesa in this week's Torah midrash suggests that Parsha 'Re'eh' (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17) is unique. Not that it covers territory that the Torah hasn't addressed before, one way or another. But that this time it is far more…blunt.
And even the title is straightforward. "Re'eh," can be translated 'behold.' Or just plain, "See!" As if what He was saying could be missed.
The Erev Shabbat reading is clear and unequivocal. But perhaps why this section of Scripture is so often ignored, or even derided. To deal with this honestly is to ruffle feathers. But it's past time.
But that's not really the problem. It's not that the message is even remotely ambiguous. In fact, it's even beyond "self-explanatory."
The problem is that -- for those that most need to "see," it's beyond uncomfortable. It is threatening. Which is perhaps why, Mark suggests, the 'whore church' that should take it to heart, evidently prefers to deny it, ignore it, and, most tellingly, just lie about it.
This is thus a very "uncomfortable" portion, because it is also a matter of life and death.
And 'curses' that are already very clearly in play.
The three elements that make up the heart of the lesson are just plain damning.
"Re'eh: The UN-holy trinity of things Removed and Replaced -- that explains EVERYTHING!"