Re’eh

Chevre, this week’s parsha is רְאֵה (Re’eh). One of the sections this week talks about the prohibition to copy the religious rites of the Canaanites. When Amazonians go for PR Speaker training, we learn about how Amazon does not look at competitors, but only talks to customers. Here, we are told the Torah is God’s word to us and we should do what God says. In this case, with rites and prayers, God is our customer. So we are free to be Customer Obsessed. How should we be Customer Obsessed here? The parsha tells us about a bunch of ways including Kosher food, tithes, rules around loans, the 3 pilgrimage festivals (Aliyah LeRegel, Pesach, Shavuot, Sukkot). And where is the center of all of this effort? Not in your own Data Center (or a local alter), but in Jerusalem at the Holy Temple (or extending the analagy, an AWS Region, Local Zone, Wave Location or Outpost). This may be more of a stretch than most weeks, but centrality of Jerusalem and the Holy Temple cannot be overstated. Shabbat Shalom and Chodesh Tov.