Dear Friend,
This week we read the Torah portion “Va’et-chanan” (Deuteronomy
“Va’Et-chanan” contains 8
positive commandments (“do’s”) and 4 negative commandments (“do not’s”).
Our Torah portion contains
many fundamental passages such as the repetition of the Ten Commandments (first
mentioned in Exodus 20- compare the passages to see the deliberate differences)
and the first paragraph of the Shema, which contains the commandments of loving
G-d, providing children with a Jewish education, wearing Tefillin and placing a
mezuzah on the doorposts of our homes.
Our portion begins with
Moses recounting how he implored G-d to allow him to enter Eretz Yisrael. His
request was rejected and he was instructed instead to climb the mountain and
behold a panoramic view of the Promised Land.
(Deuteronomy 4:2) We are
commanded not to tamper with the Torah- neither to add to it nor to subtract.
Anyone who dares to alter the commandments, for any reason- even to “increase
synagogue attendance”, “modernize services” or “prop up participation in Jewish
life”, is declaring G-d forbid, that the Creator & Giver of the Torah did
not anticipate societal and technological advances. Such an attitude completely
undermines the Jewish concept of an eternal, omniscient G-d. There is enough room to maneuver within the
framework of Jewish law to produce creative educational programs, exciting
services and means of encouraging participation without compromising eternal
Torah principles.
(Deuteronomy 4:4) “But you
who cling to HaShem your G-d - you all live today.” Those who say that the
Torah needs to be compromised in order to preserve it, watch their descendants
drift into the fog of assimilation. Only those who cling to an unadulterated
Jewish way of life will merit true Jewish survival.
To those who are afraid of
“what the Gentiles will think” of our Torah observance, the Torah says, “You
shall safeguard and perform the[ laws of the Torah] for it is your wisdom and
discernment in the eyes of the peoples, who shall hear all these laws and
proclaim, “Surely a wise and discerning people is this great nation!”
This is demonstrated by a
remark of a great Czech leader. A member of parliament made a disparaging remark
about the “pedantic” nature of Jewish law. “How ridiculous are these Jews!
Their religion tells them to put their right shoe on before the left!” The wise
(non-Jewish) statesman responded that a nation that pays so much attention to
their actions and to the minutiae of the law is bound to create a superior
society and to achieve great things.
The unique status of the
Jewish People as a “Chosen People” is contingent upon remembering our covenant
to fulfill the laws of the Torah. Memory is part of our national psyche- a Jew
who forgets will cease to be a Jew.
(Deuteronomy 4:7-10) “For
which is a great nation that has G-d close to it the way HaShem our G-d is,
whenever we call to Him? And which is a great nation that has righteous laws
such as this entire Torah…? Only beware for your soul lest you forget… and
remove from your heart all the days of your life. And make them known to your
children and your children’s children- the day you stood before HaShem at Horev
(
The HAFTARA (excerpt from the
prophets) this week is the first in a series of seven “Haftarot of
Consolation”. These are read between Tisha B’Av and Rosh Hashanah. This week we
read from Isaiah 40:1-26. The Haftara begins with the stirring words “Comfort,
comfort My People”, says your G-d. “Speak to the heart of
THE FIFTEENTH OF AV
The fifteenth of the month
of Av has the status of a minor festival. This year that date occurs on
Wednesday August 13.
Until Talmudic times,
the fifteenth day of the month of Av was celebrated as a day of joyous
festivities. The daughters of
A number of reasons
for celebration are mentioned in the Talmud. Here is a partial list of reasons.
One reason is directly
linked to the ninth of Av. It was decreed that the generation that cried when
they heard the slander of the spies regarding the
Every year on the eve
of the ninth of Av they would dig graves and go to sleep in them. Some would
not wake up. This ritual continued until the fortieth year. That year, every one
awoke the next morning. They thought they had miscalculated the date &
repeated this on the following five nights. On the 15th they saw the full moon
and realized that their original calculation had been correct (full moon
indicates the middle of the Hebrew month). They understood that the decree for
that generation to die in the desert had run its course and was now over. The
next generation was now ready to enter the
It is the date that
the cutting of wood for the altar was completed before the waning of the summer
sun. After this date the length and intensity of daylight was not enough to
thoroughly dry out newly cut wood and prevent it from becoming wormy, thus
disqualifying it from use on the altar. The donated wood was brought with
fanfare to the
On this date, the
cruel Roman oppressors finally permitted the burial of the victims of the Roman
massacre at Betar. This day was commemorated since it is an important mitzvah
to bury the dead and also to commemorate the miracle that occurred. The corpses
of the victims remained intact until they were buried.
Don't forget to visit our
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Shabbat Shalom.
Best wishes,
Rabbi Baruch Price
