Does Judaism seem to favor any one of the five human senses? Prayer liturgy might direct us to the sense of sound as most important – the Shema, our central prayer, commands us to listen. Jewish practice might draw us to the sense of taste since specific foods are so deeply embedded within holiday observances. For example, what is Shabbat without challah? Or Chanukah without latkes? However, neither of these gets top billing this week. It is our sense of sight that this week’s Torah portion instructs us to focus on. Not only are we to see, but to be seen as well.
The parsha opens with Deut 11:26 telling us to “see that we have before us blessing and curse.” And, when we arrive at the end of this week’s reading, in Deut 16:16, we are told of the three pilgrimage festivals, Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot, where we are to show up in community to be seen. What is it that Torah is inviting us to see in terms of blessing and curse? We show up for each other at the appointed times in the appointed seasons.