“Behold, I present before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing that you will listen to the commandments of God, … and the curse if you do not.” These are the opening lines of the weekly Torah reading, Re’eh (Deuteronomy 11:26-28).

In one of his final talks to his people before his passing, Moses reminds them that basically, there are two paths in life open to them. Following the way of God will lead to blessings. But by ignoring our traditions, we will ultimately bring curses and misfortune upon ourselves. Later in the book, Moses will appeal to the Jews to choose the path of life and blessings rather than the other road, which can only lead to troubles and hardship.

There is a well-known story in the Talmud (Eruvin 53b) where Rabbi Joshua was walking toward a certain city

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