תפקיד

This week’s Parsha is ראה. The Netivot Shalom points out that the very first Pasuk of ראה אנוכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה, “See that I am giving you today, a blessing and a curse.” The problematic word in the Pasuk is “נותן”. Usually, the word נותן would mean a מתנה, a gift. A blessing could be a gift, but how could a curse be a gift? The Ari ז״ל is quoted here who explains that there is a very definite message to be learned. The ברכה mentioned here, refers to one who fulfills his תפקיד, purpose, in this world. The קללה refers to one who does not put his G-d given gifts to work in this world. This is a very serious question we will need to answer when we leave this world. Did we reach our potential and try to achieve all that we could. One of the stories that already came out regarding Rav Shteinzoltz, זצ״ל, is that he said on numerous occasions that he realized he was blessed with a brilliant mind. He was merely trying to use this gift fully, when writing and sharing his Torah with others. This is what is meant by ״נותן״. Blessings if we fulfill our תפקיד, and curses if we don’t.