In this week’s Torah portion, Re’eh, we hear a powerful message right from the start:  

.רְאֵה אָנֹכִי נֹתֵן לִפְנֵיכֶם הַיּוֹם בְּרָכָה וּקְלָלָה 

“See, this day I set before you blessing and curse” (Deuteronomy 11:26). 

It’s a beautiful reminder that life is full of choices and that freedom to choose is a core part of our life. The Torah doesn’t just tell us what to do — it gives us the space to decide for ourselves. Every day we get to decide who we want to be, how we want to show up and how we choose to treat people around us. 

But Jewish tradition doesn’t stop at “you have a choice.” It also says: you have a responsibility. One of the most powerful Jewish ideas is to choose a path that leads toward greater freedom — for ourselves and for others. That freedom isn’t just political or physical – it’s spiritual, emotional, communal. From Yetziat Mitzrayim (the Exodus from Egypt) to the weekly rituals of Shabbat and the pursuit of justice, we are constantly nudged toward liberation. To stay still or accept stagnation is to miss a fundamental purpose of Jewish life: to keep moving toward more wholeness, more dignity, more life and a future full of profound wisdom of change. 

So Parashat Re’eh isn’t only about blessings and curses — it’s really about the power we each have to shape our lives and our world. The choices we make every day matter. And when we choose to move toward freedom, dignity, and care — even in small ways — we’re helping build the kind of world the Torah dreams of. What’s one choice you can make this week that brings a little more freedom or light into your life?