Life Ain’t Straightforward

26: Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse.

This first passuk of Parshat Re’eh seems very straightforward. Sort of linear. A simple cause and effect; do the right thing, and you will be blessed; do the opposite and the opposite will happen. But is it really all that simple? Yes. Judaism, at its core, is built on action. It’s an action religion, unlike other religions, that the primary focus is “believe, believe, believe”. Being a practicing Jew demands action. The mitzvot are our actions that we do, and they are the direct instructions on how to live a life full of meaning and purpose.

Yet in life, the choices we face are rarely black and white. Life, in all its complexity (aka: life), presents us with a spectrum of decisions that don’t always fit neatly into the category of “right” and “wrong.” Take for example, making it in business while doing it ethically – not so clearcut.

Imagine standing at a crossroads, the Torah in hand, and in front of you, two paths: one leading to blessing and the other to the opposite. The choice seems obvious, doesn’t it? But the reality is that these paths aren’t always well-marked. They’re often winding, with obstacles and (most definitely) detours that test our strength to do what is right. We might think that “If only life were as simple as the Torah presents it here!” But perhaps this is exactly the point. The Torah doesn’t complicate the truth; it presents it in its most perfect form and our challenge is to apply this to even the smallest of decisions in our daily lives.

Yet, how do we navigate these unclear areas, where the path to doing the right thing (leading to blessing) isn’t totally clear? The beauty of the Torah is that it doesn’t leave us to figure it out alone. It provides us with infinite wisdom through stories that can help guide us through life’s complexities. Take, for example, the story of Yosef and the wife of Potiphar, which, among many other stories in the Torah, involved individuals faced with impossible choices, yet made the correct one’s. The stories of the Torah aren’t fairytales for enjoyment, they are roadmaps for us to live life in its correct way.

In our daily lives, we often seek straightforward answers. We want to know that if we do X, we will get Y (good luck to all the social media marketers out there trying to prove their budgets to their decision makers). Judaism teaches us that while the principles are clear, applying them requires wisdom, a “Rosh Gadol” approach, that is not about rigidly following a formula like a computer program, but about internalizing the values of the Torah so that, when faced with decisions, we can make the correct one.

As we go about our lives, let’s remember that the choices we make each day, however small they may seem – are opportunities to receive blessings and while the road may be winding, with the Torah as our guide, we can only succeed and be blessed.

Shabbat Shalom!