Kehillah on the Beach

by Rabbi Rachelle Nelson

Parashat Re’eh

One of the most important teachings in Parashat Re’eh concerns our responsibility toward people in need. Moses commands the Israelites:

“Patoach tiftach et yad’cha—You shall surely open your hand to your brother, to the poor and to the needy in your land.”

The Torah recognizes that poverty will always exist, but it does not allow us to become indifferent. We are instructed to give generously and without resentment. Yet perhaps the Torah is asking us to offer more than money. It is also asking us to open our hearts and recognize the humanity and dignity of every person we encounter.

I often think about the home in which I was raised. We never lacked food, shelter, or love. These were blessings I could depend upon, and as a child, I naturally assumed that everyone lived with the same sense of security. As I grew older, I came to understand how fortunate I had been—and how many people throughout our world go hungry, live without safe shelter, or struggle each day for the basic necessities that so many of us take for granted.

I have a painful memory that has remained with me for many years. I was going to lunch with a group of people when a man approached us and asked whether we had any change. As I immediately reached into my pocket, the person beside me shouted, “Get away—you stink!”

I had never witnessed such anger and cruelty directed toward a poor and vulnerable human being. Those words shook me to my very core. I have never forgotten the expression on that man’s face or the painful realization that poverty can cause someone to be treated as though they are somehow less worthy of kindness and respect.

In Pirkei Avot, The Ethics of Our Ancestors, we are taught: “Let your house be open wide, and let the poor be members of your household.” I am certainly not suggesting that we begin inviting hundreds of strangers into our homes. I am suggesting, however, that whenever and wherever we encounter someone less fortunate than ourselves, we greet that person with warmth, compassion, and respect.

Perhaps this is the deeper meaning of opening our hands. Before we can truly give, we must first see the person standing before us and ask ourselves, “What if this were me?”

May Parashat Re’eh remind us never to harden our hearts, never to look away, and never to forget that every human being is created b’tzelem Elohim—in the image of God.