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Re'ey: Zemer of The Week

PARSHAT RE'EY
 
The zemer for this week: מנוחה ושמחה
 
 
This zemer describes the rewards that await those who observe and honor the Shabbat. Its author’s first name was Moshe, and he wrote the zemer during the early half of the 1500s.
 
Central elements of this parsha include joyful tasks (and times) for serving and emulating Hashem, the blessings Hashem will give his treasured nation if they perform these mitzvot, kashrut laws, and the ways in which we should rest in the seventh year (including rest for avadim, financial obligations, and the Land).
 
Some of the zemer’s connections to the parsha:
  • 2nd word of title: “שמחהו” (“And joy”), and Last line of 4th stanza: “אכול בשמחה” (“Eat in joy”) – Simcha is a recurring theme in the parsha – e.g., the joy of bringing korbanot to Yerushalayim (Devarim 12:12 and 12:18), of bringing ma’aser and ma’aser money to Yerushalayim (Devarim 14:26), and of celebrating Shavuot (Devarim 16:11) and Sukkot (Devarim 16:15).
  • 2nd line of last stanza: “רוח נדיבה” (‘A spirit that is generous”) – The parsha describes our responsibility to generously help and provide tzedakah to the needy. Based on Sotah (14a), Rashi (in Devarim 13:5) emphasizes that in doing so, we should follow Hashem’s example, in that He is gomel chasadim, He buries the dead (e.g., He buried Moshe, whose name is the acrostic formed by the first three stanzas of this zemer), and He visits the sick (e.g., He visited Avraham in Bereishit 18).
  • Last line of 4th stanza: “כי כבר רצך” (“Because He has already shown you favor”), and 3rd line of last stanza: “Yizku l’rav tuv” (“They will merit much good”) – The parsha details the variety of blessings that Hashem will bestow on us if we listen to Him (e.g., Devarim 14:24, 15:4, 15:10, and 15:18).
  • 1st line of 3rd stanza: “הוא אשר דבר לעם תוסגול ” (“He is the One who spoke to his treasured nation”) – We are called Hashem’s “Am Segula” in Devarim 14:2.
  • 3rd line of 2nd stanza: “תנין ... וחית ראמים ” (“Sea giant ... and mighty animals”) – Devarim 14:9-10 details the signs by which we know if a fish is kosher, and Devarim 14:4-8 details the signs by which we know if an animal is kosher.
  • Last line of 3rd stanza: “כי בו שבת ק-ל מכל מלאכתו” (“Because Hashem abstained on it from all of His work”) – One of the reasons that we follow the Shemittah cycle of 6 years of work followed by a year off (Devarim 15:1) is to follow Hashem’s example from Yemay Bereishit.
    • First word of zemer and its title: “מנוחה” (“rest”) – In the 7th year (and 7th day of each week), Bnai Yisrael are to rest from their work.