The Holodeck- Parshat Re'eh

28 Av, 5775

Back in the early nineties, there was an episode of Star Trek The Next Generation, in which Commander Data was attempting to learn the meaning of humor. Data was an android, so he had trouble understanding certain human characteristics such as humor and other emotions.

To practice his humor, he goes into the “Holodeck”- a place on the ship that creates virtual realities. The “Holodeck” gives him a comedy club scene with an audience, and Data gets on the stage to practice his stand up routine.

At first, Data is pleased because the audience roars with laughter at his jokes. But after some time, Data notices something is fishy. He begins to deliberately say things that are not funny at all, but the audience still laughs. Data realizes that the Holodeck computer is simply making the audience laugh at whatever he says. Disappointed, Data leaves the stage.

Now, why is Data disappointed?

Of course, it’s because his goal is not to simply experience an audience laughing at him. His goal is to get funnier. To do that, he needs a realistic, critical audience to get good feedback.

Spiritually speaking, it’s the same. We need the friction of a world with both blessings and curses in order to master the art of life.

What is your goal in this life?

If your goal is only for the world to give you what you want, you had better get a Holodeck. Then you can program it to do whatever you want it to do.

But if your goal is to master this life, then the world is perfectly calibrated for helping you do that!

And what does it mean to “master this life”?

There was once a farmer named Moishe, who owned many horses. But, after a series of unfortunate incidents, he lost all of his animals except for one old horse. One day, his last horse escaped, leaving Moishe with nothing.

The villagers came to console him: “Oy Moishe, we are so sorry. What great sin could you have committed to bring this curse upon yourself?”

Moishe replied, “Maybe curse, maybe blessing. We don’t know.”

Later that week, just before Shabbos, the horse returned- with an entire herd of wild horses! Moishe’s son was able to move all the wild horses into their fenced field. Instantly, Moishe was a rich man.

The villagers returned: “Oy Moishe! What a blessing! Surely you have done some great mitzvah to deserve such a reward!”

Moishe just said, “Maybe a blessing, maybe a curse! Who knows?”

After Shabbos, Moishe’s son began the task of breaking in the wild horses. While he was working a particularly feisty one, he was thrown and broke his leg.

Again the villagers came: “Oy Moishe, I guess those horses were not such a blessing after all! Now your only son is worthless! How will you get any work done? How could you have brought such a curse upon yourself?”

Moishe simply replied, “Well, we really don’t know… maybe it’s a curse, maybe it’s a blessing.”

The next day, some Russian soldiers came through the village, drafting all the young Jewish men into the army. But, Moishe’s son was spared on account of his broken leg.

Again the villagers came- “Oy Moishe! Hashem has surely blessed you by causing your son to break his leg!”

Where does it end?

Mastering life means getting free from the impulse to constantly judge everything.

Of course, it’s natural, and to a certain degree necessary, to judge. But if you are constantly blown around by the shifting winds of circumstance, compulsively judging everything that happens as either a blessing or a curse, isn’t that itself a curse?

This week’s reading begins with the words: “Re’eh anokhi notein lifneikhem hayom brakha uklalah-  See- I place before you today blessing and curse.”

“Today”- meaning now- there is the potential for either blessing or curse.

How to choose the blessing?

It goes on to say, “et habrakhah asher tishma’u el mitzvot- the blessing- that you listen to the commandments.”

There are three levels of meaning here in the word “mitzvot” or “commandments.”

First, this moment in which we find ourselves is itself a “commandment.” Meaning, it is what it is. It has authority. We surrender to this moment or we struggle in vain. This moment has already become what it is!

The second level of meaning is that “mitzvah” is related to the Aramaic word “tzavta” which means not “to command”, but “to connect”.

How do you connect deeply with someone? By listening to them!

So the sense of “listening” is a metaphor for connecting. When we “hear” what someone is saying, it means that we deeply connect with the speaker- “I really hear you, man!”

So if you want blessing and not curse, connect with this moment- be present to what is, regardless of whether it seems like a blessing or a curse to your mind or your heart.

Accept the blessing and the curse- that’s the blessing!
Prefer the blessing and not the curse- that’s the curse!

But in order to do that, you have to be aware of your situation: “Re’eh- See- I place before you today blessing and curse.”

The sense of “hearing” is a metaphor for connecting, while the sense of “seeing” is a metaphor for understanding. We “see” that something is the case- “Oh, I see now!”

The automatic, unconscious impulse is to be like the villagers, stuck in the curse of judging blessings and curses. It’s only natural!

But to go beyond that, you need to be aware: Simply listen to the fullness of how it is. Let go of the judging mind.

Once you do that, you are free. Like Commander Data, you will be happy if the audience is not laughing at your jokes. That’s how you learn! Like the farmer, you will respond to each situation as it is, without the excess drama.

And that brings us to the third meaning of “mitzvot”- the plain meaning of “God’s commandments.”

When you free yourself from compulsive judgment, seeing the Whole, then you know you are not something separate from the Whole. Your actions flow from that Oneness, in service of the Whole- in service of God. Then, all your actions are truly mitzvot- expressions of God in the world.

On this Shabbos Re’eh, the Shabbat of Seeing, may we all “see” our Divine potential in this moment, to “hear” the Divine Voice as this moment, and to do blessing for each other moment by moment, uniting heaven and earth one step at a time.

Good Shabbos!
-b yosef