Re'eh - Seeing

(26) See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: (27) the blessing: if you listen to the commandments of your God ה' that I enjoin upon you this day; (28) and the curse - if you do not listen to the commandments of your God ה', but turn away from the path that I enjoin upon you this day and walk after other gods, whom you have not known.

(1) ראה, look closely and see that your matters will not be mediocre/middling /compromising, like the behavior of the nations of the world. [Remember that] surely I present you today with [the choice of] a blessing and a curse - and they are two extremes/opposites. The blessing [is an extreme in that it] is more success than you need. Whereas the curse [is another extreme] making sure that you have less than your basic needs. The two of them are before you to attain, according to what you will choose.

(1) Look, I place before you today. “See” is like speaking to an individual. “Before you” is like speaking to many people. This is what our Sages teach us (Kiddushin 40b): A person must always view things as if the entire world is half righteous and half wicked. If one performs a single mitzvah they tips themself and the entire world to the side of merit. Therefore Moshe spoke to every individual, “See” that they should see in their thought that every single action affects all of them.

Moses had something else in mind when he said ראה אנכי, "look at me!" Maimonides explains in Hilchot Teshuvah (Ch. 5) that every person has the potential to become the equal of Moses. This is precisely what Moses meant. He said: "Take a good look at me! Everything that I have accomplished, you are able to accomplish for yourselves!" Whenever a person aspires to serve God they are not to look at people who have been under-achievers compared to themself and to use such a comparison in order to pat themself on the back on their relative accomplishment, but they are to train their sights on those who have achieved more than they have and use this as a challenge to set their spiritual sights ever higher.

(1) (Devarim 11:26) "Behold, I set before you this day blessing and curse": Because it is written (Ibid. 30:19) "The life and the death have I set before you, the blessing and the curse," lest Israel say: Since the Holy Bountiful One has set before us two ways, the way of life and the way of death, we can choose whichever we wish; it is, therefore, written (Ibid.) "and you shall choose the life, you and your seed." An analogy: A person is sitting at the crossroads, with two paths stretching away, one, whose beginning is level and whose end is thorns, and one whose beginning is thorns and whose end is level. They apprise a passersby: This path whose beginning you see to be level — for two or three steps you will walk on level ground, and, in the end, on thorns. And this path whose beginning you see to be thorny — for two or three steps you will walk in thorns, and in the end you will walk on level ground. Thus did Moses speak to Israel: You see the wicked prospering — For two or three days they will prosper in this world, and in the end, they will be cast away... They see the righteous suffering in this world. But their end is to rejoice... it is written (Psalms 97:11) "Light is sown for the righteous one...

Meaning that the choice in a human's hands to choose good or evil...this is why one says the blessing, "the one who gives the human understanding..." It seems that the meaning of "today" is that every day there is a new choice. For after a human sins, choice leaves that person..."the wicked with the permission of their hearts/minds." In any case, the Holy Bountiful One renews every day the Work of Creation, and gives a new choice to every human being every day so that they can to good anew...

Everything is from God. In times of trouble it is human’s nature to shout and cry out to God, “What have You done to me?” Yet at the time when God bestows goodness, the person's eye is clouded from seeing that it is from God. Then they say, “My power and the strength of my hand has made me this wealth [Devarim, 8:17],” therefore God shows him, “See! I give before you,” meaning that everything is from God.