Judaism’s Message
Aug 9, 2003 By Marc Wolf | Commentary | Va'et-hannan | Tishah Be'av
Reenacting an historical moment through liturgy and deed is a forte of Judaism. Our calendar year overflows with holidays and observances that transport us to our former days and inspire us to reenter the narrative and relive salient moments of history. This week in particular, observing the 9th of Av, we read of the destruction of the Temple and continue the mourning of our ancestors for the calamities that befell them. While it is possible to read this narrative as a preventive measure to ensure that we, too, do not fall victims to George Santayana’s dictum condemning us to either learn from our history or repeat it, I believe that Judaism’s message is a blessing, not a curse. It is a blessing for us to be able to relive life’s difficult moments – and the reason why can be gleaned from Moses’ behavior and our parasha this week.
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The Day After Destruction
Jul 24, 2010 By Mychal Springer | Commentary | Va'et-hannan
The dreaded has happened. The inconceivable has come to pass. The Temple has been destroyed. Our center is no more. Our sense of safety is shattered. The world is no longer familiar. We are in a place of disorientation. So this Shabbat we begin the hard work of consolation: Nachamu, nachamu ami (“Comfort, oh, comfort My people, Says your God” [Isa. 40:1]).
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Humility: God Is Above and Below
Aug 8, 2014 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Va'et-hannan
Parashat Va鈥檈t-hannan, the second Torah reading of the book of Deuteronomy, places much of its emphasis on the loyal observance of mitzvot, God鈥檚 commandments.
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Pluralism From the Bible to Israel
Jul 31, 2015 By Alex Sinclair | Commentary | Va'et-hannan
鈥�Shamor vezakhor bedibur ehad鈥� (鈥渒eep鈥� and 鈥渞emember鈥� in one utterance), we sing in Lekhah Dodi (a phrase originally found in the Talmud, BT Shevuot 20b), because The Ten Commandments were given twice, once telling us to 鈥渞emember鈥� shabbat, and once, in this week鈥檚 parashah, telling us to 鈥渒eep鈥� it.
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Humility Toward God, Even in Victory
Jul 17, 2013 By Matthew Berkowitz | Commentary | Va'et-hannan
Parashat Va’et-hannan, the second Torah reading of the book of Deuteronomy, places much of its emphasis on the loyal observance of mitzvot, God鈥檚 commandments.
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Tears at the Moon
Aug 13, 2011 By Vivian B. Mann <em>z”l</em> | Commentary | Va'et-hannan
Throughout my youth, I sat next to my grandmother in the synagogue. When we recited the Blessing Over the New Moon, in which we beseech God for a spiritually rewarding life that knows no physical impediments, my grandmother would cry. Each month, I remember her tears and they deepen my understanding of the prayer.
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The Comfort of Prayer
Aug 8, 2014 By Jan Uhrbach | Commentary | Va'et-hannan
Parashat Va’et-hannan contains some of the most inspiring and sweepingly grand passages in the entire Torah, and some of the best known, including the Ten Commandments and the first paragraph of the Shema.
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Separation and Connectedness
Jul 17, 2013 By Leonard A. Sharzer | Commentary | Va'et-hannan
In Parashat Va-ethannan, Moses seems to have finally come to accept that he will not enter the Promised Land with the People, whom he liberated from Egyptian slavery and guided during a 40-year trek through the wilderness. As he concludes his first oration, he recalls his pleading with God to allow him to enter the Land, a plea that was denied because of his response to the demand of the People for water. Now, no longer pleading for a pardon, or even a commutation of the sentence, he exhorts the People to follow God鈥檚 commandments and the teachings he, Moses, has transmitted to them.
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