R'eh

Parshas R'eh leads with a vision of the spiritual climax of the journey of Bnei Yisrael that began with the exodus from Egypt. V'hayah ki y'viacha Hashem Elokecha el ha'aretz asher ata ba shamah l'rishtah...ki im el hamakom asher yivchar Hashem Elokeichem mikol shivteichem lasum es shmo sham l'shichno sidrashu uvasa shamah. Bnei Yisrael are about to enter the Holy Land and are assured that there will be a special place in this special land: the place of the Beis HaMikdash.

As we reach this spiritual climax the Torah informs us of two interesting, seemingly mundane, laws. Firstly, although prior to the building of the Beis HaMikdash people were allowed to bring certain sacrifices anywhere in the land, after the building of the Beis HaMikdash the bringing of sacrifices was restricted to the confines of the Beis HaMikdash.

Second, although prior to the building of the Beis HaMikdash if one wanted to have a meal of meat he was required to bring a korban Shelamim (no meat was allowed to be eaten if it was not part of a korban), afterwards Bnei Yisrael would be allowed to eat meat through the laws of shechitah wherever they reside, rather than bringing a korban.

Why, at this wondrous moment of spirituality informing us of the building of the Beis HaMikdash where the shechinah will reside in this world, does the Torah limit the kedusha of korbanos to the one site and introduce the seemingly mundane laws of shechitah - laws that change the previous status of kedusha through the bringing of korbanos to the secular one of shechitah?

The Torah is teaching us two lessons. Once we enter Eretz Yisrael and are no longer constantly receiving overt miracles in every aspect of life, like the manna, or living under the ananei hakavod, then we need to grasp reality. This transition has two parts. The first is a realization that seemingly mundane, secular, unholy acts can actually be made holy and sacred. Shechitah, if done according to the dictates of halachah, raises the seemingly mundane act of slaughter into one that resembles a korban. Indeed, Chazal explain that this is the reason why the laws of shechitah are introduced here, in connection to korbanos. Therefore, it is specifically now when we enter the Land and are told of the building of the Beis HaMikdash that the Torah needs to inform us that the Beis HaMikdash is not the only holy place. We need to infuse kedusha into each and every part of our lives in each and every place that we are, even if it is the seemingly most physical, mundane act like eating.

But there is a second lesson. Even though every part of our lives needs to be infused with kedusha, we must recognize that there are times and places of greater kedusha. Therefore, we must set aside times and specific places to reach greater levels of kedusha. These times and places are to be the instruments to stimulate us to greater levels even after we are removed from those times and places. They are to be used to springboard us to the next plateau of holiness in which we can establish ourselves until we can move to a higher one.

Shabbos is holier than other days of the week. Batei Medrash, shuls are holier than our offices. We need to incorporate the holiness of Shabbos and the beis medrash into our weekdays and homes and offices so that we can bring greater kedusha to each part of our lives. And then, each Shabbos, each time we enter the beis medrash, we are implored to strive to reach the holiness it represents and raise ourselves, even slightly, to another plateau.

The Torah is not limiting the kedusha through these two laws. Instead, it is expanding it by introducing kedusha to our non-miraculous, everyday lives. It is giving us the formula to turn every facet of our lives into ones that are infused with kedusha.