VA’ETCHANAN, DEVARIM 3:23-7:11,
Tisha B'Av, Shabbat Nachamu,
The commandment of the unification of God.
The commandment of loving God.
The commandment of Torah study.
The law of the recitation of Shema morning and evening.
The commandment of the tefillin of the arm.
The commandment of the tefillin of the head.
To affix a mezuzah on entrances.
Not to test a true prophet more than is necessary.
The commandment of killing the seven nations
Not to grace and to have mercy on an idolaters.
Not to intermarry.
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In Parshat Va'etchanan, Moshe contends with Hashem; Moshe pleads one more time to be able to enter Land of Israel.
But Hashem shuts him down (3:26):
וַיִּתְעַבֵּר יְהוָה בִּי לְמַעַנְכֶם, וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֵלָי; וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי, רַב-לָךְ--אַל-תּוֹסֶף דַּבֵּר אֵלַי עוֹד, בַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה.
“But the Lord was angry with me because of you, and He did not listen to me, and the Lord said to me, "It is enough for you; speak to Me no more regarding this matter””.
Hashem’s response to Moshe is not easy to understand. It seems that Hashem in a certain sense has limits (as we do) beyond which He will not go.
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I think there is a connection between Moshe’s attempt to resist Hashem’s decree and the finality of Hashem’s response in a Kinah that we recite this week on Tisha B’Av.
Once a year we also contend with Hashem (as per Rabbi Solovoichek).
On Tisha B’Av in Kinah 7 we make this challenge to Hashem:
“How did you rush in your anger to eradicate your faithful ones at the hand of the Edomites…”?
I don't know the answer to either challenge, but sooner or later going to shiurim either I'll figure out or some Rabbi will teach me (B'ezrat Hashem).
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n Va’etchanan, Rabbi Riskin comments on the Laws and Statutes that we are required to learn, not just for ourselves, but for how the nations of the world will view and judge us. Rabbi Riskin’s comments are presented in a 8 minute video that is well worth viewing:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ji-YeBsS3FQ
In Chapter 4, verse 6, Hashem says as follows:
“And you shall observe and do, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations, who will hear all these statutes and say, "Only this great nation is a wise and understanding people. "”
In his commentary, Rabbi Riskin is right on target.
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At Chapter 5 Moshe repeats the Ten Commandments, reminding us that the Sinai covenant was not limited to those who were physically present at Mount Sinai. You and I and all of us were there.
We are instructed to tell our children as to why we observe all the commandments: “We were slaves in Egypt, and G‑d took us out in order that we serve Him, so that we could reap the rewards for doing so.”
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At 6:4-9 we are presented with “Shema Yisrael”, a central prayer in our liturgy. In contrast to the Ten Commandments, it is a commandment to recite Shema Yisrael twice a day. At its basic root, Shema Yisrael is about monotheism, but on the same token the Ten Commandments expresses the oneness of God:
“לֹא־יִֽהְיֶ֥ה לְךָ֛ אֱלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִ֖ים עַל־פָּנָֽי”
“Thou shalt have no other gods before Me”.
But yet there is no Mitzvah to recite the Ten Commandments.
Any thoughts?
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At 7:3
"You shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your daughter to his son, and you shall not take his daughter for your son".
Perhaps a thousand years later in the Book of Ezra, Chapters 9 and 10, intermarriage becomes an issue, and we cast out our foreign wives along with their children.
Intermarriage was also frowned upon during the reign of the Maccabees. They looked back at Queen Esther's marriage to Achashverosh and her to be in disrepute. That is one reason why the Fast of Esther was not celebrated.
Today we look to the findings of the Pew Center survey as it relates to intermarriage in the USA:
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/05/11/marriage-families-and-children/
" Fully 42% of all currently married Jewish respondents indicate they have a non-Jewish spouse. Among those who have gotten married since 2010, 61% are intermarried".
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The Haftarah portion is from the Book of Isaiah (40:1-26),
It begins: "Console, console My people," says your God
נַֽחֲמ֥וּ
נַֽחֲמ֖וּ עַמִּ֑י יֹאמַ֖ר אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶֽם
This Sabbath is called Shabbat Nachamu, the "Sabbath of comforting that takes its name from the haftarah from Isaiah in the Book of Isaiah 40:1-26 that speaks "comforting" the Jewish people for their suffering. It is the first of seven haftarot of consolation leading up to the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach,ז''ל , sings "Nachamu, Nachamu Ami". It is beautiful..
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