This week’s portion is called Re’eh, which means “to see.” The majority of this biblical story surrounds the idea of blessings and curses, so why then, was it given the name, To See? Why not call the portion: Blessings and Curses?
The kabbalists reveal that so much of our experience of life is dependent upon that which we choose to see. This is the portion that Rav Berg was born in. It is no wonder that he would often say, “If you look for the good, you will find it. If you look for the bad, you are sure to find that too.” It’s true, for almost every person and every situation, there is good in it, and there is bad. This is the deal we made when we ate from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil, we chose a reality where both must exist, so that we could choose.
Now our free will is the work of deciding to focus on what we want to experience. Even when it comes to life’s more challenging moments, we always have a choice: to see the hardship or to find the opportunity for growth that is there. In this way, we can come “to see” that the greatest blessing of all is to understand that everything and everyone is a blessing.