Good Judgement

Parshat ראה speaks of the choices placed before every Jew, of the blessing and the curse. Rabbi Twerski spoke of how, as a human being progresses, it becomes easier to reason with them.

A young child does not have the ability to reason. We need to protect them from danger without explanation. As they get older, we are able to begin to get them to understand why it is necessary to act in a certain way.

Knowing that an individual has this ability to reason, it makes it so difficult to understand why mature adults are capable of making such bad decisions. They might choose to poison themselves with smoking, or drug and alcohol abuse, knowing that these are very harmful to them.

One’s judgement is distorted not by what he should believe, but by what he wants to believe. People are influenced by biases that blind them.

We must clearly understand that one’s life is dear enough that he should willingly accept discomfort for the sake of survival.

Moshe Rabbeinu is telling the nation that life presents many options to them. He encourages them to make the wise decisions that will lead to life and blessings.