The first pasuk in Re’eh starts “Re’eh anochi nosen lifneichem hayom bracha u’klala”, “See, I have set before you today blessing and a curse.” There is a glaring question – if Hashem loves us so much, why would he place a curse before us? Furthermore, as we will see later in the parsha, these terms “bracha u’klala” translate to wealth and poverty. Why doesn’t Hashem tell us the end result immediately?
By stating “bracha u’klala” as opposed to wealth and poverty, Hashem is teaching us a very important lesson. The terms “bracha u’klala” over here are not referring to the physical wealth and poverty that we are thinking of; rather, it is our outlook on what Hashem bequeaths to us in life. If one has good Mazal and is rich, it is not inherently a blessing for him. For if he uses his money negatively, it becomes a Klala, a curse for him. For example, if a person uses his wealth to support worthy tzedakah organizations, then his wealth is a bracha, whereas if he uses it for unworthy causes, it is a klala for him. Poverty is the same – if one, through his poverty, starts denying Hashem, then it is truly a curse for him. However, if one’s poverty leads him to strengthen his Emunah and trust in Hashem for his next meal, it is indeed a brachah for him.
That is why the pasuk says bracha and klala as opposed to wealth and poverty. Wealth is not necessarily good and poverty is not necessarily bad. With our power of bechirah, we can transform our life into one of bracha or k’lala.
Many years ago, there was a young girl from the Schiff family who had an unusually beautiful voice. However, for a religious girl in Vienna, Austria during the early 1900’s, her gifted voice didn’t afford her much opportunity. Then one day an agent for the opera got wind of the young Jewish “wunderkind” and offered her the incredible opportunity to sing in the renowned Vienna opera.
The girl was thrilled beyond words, but when her parents heard about the offer, they were crestfallen. All of their efforts to convince their daughter that the opera was no place for a Torah-observant girl fell on deaf ears. Her father brought her to their Rav, R’ Shlomo Baumgarten, who also tried to convince her that she should not pursue the tantalizing offer. When R’ Shlomo saw that he could not sway her, he suggested to her father that he bring her to R’ Yitzchak Meir, the Kapichinitzer Rebbe, who was in Vienna at the time.
Immediately, father and daughter set out to visit the Rebbe. The young woman was certain that the Rebbe would lambaste her about how evil she was for even contemplating such a career, and she prepared herself for the confrontation. To her surprise, the Rebbe’s reaction was vastly different. After listening carefully to the predicament, the Rebbe remarked that he understood how hard it was for her and what a difficult dilemma she found herself in. Then he asked her, “Tell me, mein tachter - my daughter, why do you want to join the opera so badly? Is it for the money?”
She thought for a moment and then replied that it wasn’t for the money but the opportunity for fame. If she joined the opera, everyone would know her name.
The Rebbe closed his eyes, deep in thought, and then replied: “Listen closely, my daughter. It is the dream of every Jewish woman to merit a child who will illuminate the world through his Torah learning.
What if I promise you that if you sacrifice your chance for fame, you will be blessed with a child whose Torah will light up the world and will be one of the greatest halachic authorities of his time? You will have nachas from him, not only in this world, but even when you leave this world as well. Your fame will come, but it will be through him. Would you give up the offer for such a guarantee?”
She wiped away her tears and nodded that she would indeed give it all up. When she left the Rebbe, she informed the agent that she was no longer interested. All of his cajoling and persuading could not shake her adamant resolve. She forfeited the chance of a lifetime for a guarantee of eternal nachas.
When Rav Segal heard of this story, he wanted to know what became of the Rebbe’s promise. After doing some research he discovered that this girl eventually married and had a son by the name of Shmuel. Today he is Rav Shmuel Wosner shlita, Av Beis Din of B’nei B’rak, author of the Shevet Halevi and one of the outstanding halachic authorities of our time.
When Rav Segal approached Rav Wosner to ask if the story was true, Rav Wosner emotionally replied that although his mother indeed had a stunning voice, she had never recounted that story to him. Then, with tears in his eyes, Rav Wosner explained that it made sense. “When I left home to learn in the famed Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin, my mother begged me to never stop learning. She told me then that she gave up everything for my Torah learning. I now understand what she meant.”
Hashem can bless you with a nice voice which can be a blessing or a curse, depending on how you use it. Imagine, had this young girl accepted the contract, her beautiful voice would have turned into a tremendous klala. The fact that she gave up the opportunity to sing publicly turned into the most amazing bracha, as she was zoche to have a child who would become a gadol hador. Each trait that we are given, each talent, strength, and also our weaknesses are all opportunities for greatness. If we use these characteristics as means to grow closer to Hashem, then we transform them to blessings. However, the opposite is also true. If we use our unique capabilities just to promote ourselves in the world of fame and wealth, then these very traits become a curse in our lives. Let’s fill our lives with the joy of Hashem’s bracha, as we use His gifts to become better ovdei Hashem.
