“I can see clearly now, the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind 

It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-shiny day “ 

Our portion begins with these words: “See, this day I set before you blessing and curse.” 

Why start with the word “See”? In other translations you might see “Behold,” which essentially means see. I think it is there for emphasis. Stop. Look. See. This is important. 

We have a choice between blessing and curse. Sometimes it is not easy to see the blessings.  

Later in our portion we are given very specific mitzvot, commandments, laws to follow.  We are told not to gash our skin. We are told how to treat slaves because we were slaves in Egypt. We are taught to tithe. We are taught to love the stranger, the widow, and the orphan. We are told some of the laws of kashrut and some of the laws of the three pilgrimage holidays.  Some of you see these rules as obligations. Some of you see them as an encumbrance, a burden, obstacle. 

And we are taught how to treat poor people: 

“If, however, there is a needy person among you, one of your kin in any of your settlements in the land that your God יהוה is giving you, do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kin.”  

So if we open our hands and our hearts, then there will be no needy? No so fast. 

 It goes on later to say that there will always be needy. “For there will never cease to be needy ones in your land, which is why I command you: open your hand to the poor and needy kin in your land.” 

Isn’t this a contradiction? 

 I am reminded of what Tevye said, “it is no great blessing to be poor, but it is not great honor either.” He was singing about what it would like to be a rich man. It is his dream of what it would be like to be rich. He wants a big house with one long staircase just going up and one going down and one more going no where just for show. And with a giant sigh, he sings, “If I were rich, I’d have the time that I lack to sit in the synagogue and pray and maybe have a seat by the eastern wall.” 

Perhaps Tevye knew that quote from Moses, “Man cannot live on bread alone” (Deuteronomy 8:3 and Matthew 4:4.) We need spiritual nourishment too. 

A long time ago, I fell in love with a man who was older than me, but he was committed to social action, he loved going to synagogue and he talked about G-d. He, like I had wanted to be a rabbi. I saw someone so different from the household I grew up in. We worked on lots of tikkun olam projects. Feeding the hungry, working on housing issues, interfaith dialogue. The Merrimack Valley Project was founded on our dining room table.  

But one of the seminaries told him he was too old to learn Hebrew, so he signed up for Ulpan at Hebrew College. He continues to learn every day and to work for the world that he thinks the prophet demands. 

Sometimes now people tell me that they “see” an old man. Or tell me he is just an old man.  

Our senior citizens have a lot of wisdom. They have much to teach us. My colleague, Rabbi Susan Elkodsi has just put the finishing touches on a new Torah commentary. Midrash Hazak Torah wisdom by 70 over 70.  

One of the things my husband taught us is a difference between Judaism and some forms of Christianity. In the Gospels we learn that “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20), and “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). It seemed to him that sometimes we as a society glorify being poor and that ultimately that glorification keeps people poor.  

We hear a lot about the poor these days. Things like they should just work. That they should pull themselves up by their bootstraps. That there shouldn’t be any free handouts.  

That is not what our text this morning is saying. Both our Torah portion and our haftarah portion which tell us to treat the poor with dignity and respect. 

Ho, all who are thirsty,
Come for water,
Even if you have no money;
Come, buy food and eat:
Buy food without money,
Wine and milk without cost. 

As part of our High Holy Day observance, we will once again be collecting food, and money for what is nationally called the Kol Nidre Isaiah food drive. Isaiah, quoting G-d asks, “Is this the food I desire?” The answer is a resounding no.  

“It is to share your bread with the hungry,
And to take the wretched poor into your home;
When you see the naked, to clothe them,
And not to ignore your own kin.” 

This is how we love our neighbors as ourselves. This year the cans and the money will go to the Community Crisis Center. Our neighbor, run by our own Maureen Manning.  

What do you see this morning? Do you see the poor person? Do you see the old person? Do you see blessing, or do you see curse? 

David Brooks’s new book, How to Know a Person, is really about how to see a person. It is well worth the read. One of its best chapters is about to accompany and walk with other people.

Soon we will be doing a heshbon hanefesh, an accounting of the soul, Often times, in our liturgy, the accounting is all negative, an alphabetical list of sins recited in the plural. But we can build a positive heshbon, both as individuals and as a community. Here is one that our Torah School students created several years ago: 

A Positive Assessment of CKI 

We are: 

Accepting
Beautiful
Coming together as community to celebrate
Diverse
Eating
Friendly and fun which make us ferkelmpt
Games and Gaga
Hebrew
Inclusive
Joyful
Kind
Learning
Meaningful
Nice
Optimistic with lots of opportunities and olives
Patient
Quality
Respect with ruach, reading and religion
Singing
Teaching Torah
Understanding
Valuable and venerable
Worship
Xcellence
Young at heart
Zest for learning and life 

     Ruach 5780 

What I see today is that each of you is a blessing.