24 Aug PARASHAT RE’EH: THE REWARD FOR OUTREACH

Among the many

topics discussed in

Parashat Re’eh is the

law of the “Mesit,”

one who tries to persuade his

fellow Jews to abandon the faith

and worship idols. The Torah

foresees the situation where a

person may apply pressure on his

family members in an effort to

drive them to foreign worship.

Indeed, as we know, often the

strongest source of negative

religious pressure comes from

family members. When a person

decides to raise his standards of

Torah observance, some family

members and relatives might

disapprove of his lifestyle changes

and will try dissuading him from

embarking on this road of spiritual

growth. The Torah treats this

phenomenon quite severely,

assigning the death penalty for

those who attempt to convince

others to worship idols. In

formulating this law, the Torah

explains why such an individual is

dealt with so harshly: “For he

attempted to lure you away from

Hashem your God” (13:11). It is

noteworthy that the individual is

deemed worthy of capital

punishment for the “attempt” –

because he tried to lead others

astray. Even if his efforts are

unsuccessful, and the people he

had spoken to remain steadfastly

committed to Hashem and to

Torah, the person is nevertheless

guilty of a grave sin and eligible

for capital punishment. The mere

attempt to lead other Jews away

from Torah is condemnable and a

capital offense. The Saba of Kelm

(Rav Simha Zissel Ziv,

1824-1898) noted that if the Torah

assigns such a harsh punishment

for the mere attempt – successful

or otherwise – to lure others to sin,

then it certainly guarantees

immense reward for those who

attempt to bring others closer to

Torah observance. Whether or not

we are successful, there is great

value in just making an effort,

initiating any sort of sincere

attempt, to lead our fellow Jews to

higher religious standards.

Certainly, if we are successful,

and cause other Jews to draw

closer to Torah, even slightly, then

we cannot even imagine the

reward we will receive. But

regardless, our job is try, to make

an attempt, to do whatever we

can. This is the Misva of our

generation, when there is,

unfortunately, widespread

ignorance and neglect of Torah

tradition. One does not have to be

a trained Rabbi or outreach

professional to perform this

Misva. This is a Misva for each

and every one of us, each person

utilizing his particular strengths

and circumstances toward this

goal. Every small attempt is

valuable. The results are up to

God – but it is up to us to make the

effort and do what we can to help

the Jewish nation draw closer to

the Almighty.