Parshat Va’etchanan
Moshe (Moses) tells the people of Israel how he implored God to allow him to enter the land of Israel, but God refused...
Parshat Va'etchanan
(Devarim 3:23-7:11)
Moshe (Moses) tells the people of Israel how he implored God to allow him to enter the land of Israel, but God refused, instructing him instead to ascend a mountain and see the Promised Land.
Continuing his "review of the Torah," Moshe describes the Exodus from Egypt and the Giving of the Torah, declaring them unprecedented events in human history. "Has there ever occurred this great thing, or has the likes of it ever been heard? Did ever a people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire…and live? … You were shown, to know, that God is the God… there is none else beside Him."
Moshe predicts that, in future generations, the people will turn away from God, worship idols, and be exiled from their land and scattered amongst the nations; but from there they will seek God, and return to obey His commandments.
Our Parshah also includes a repetition of the Ten Commandments, and the verses of the Shmah which declare the fundamentals of the Jewish faith: the unity of God ("Hear O Israel: God our God, God is one"); the mitzvot to love God, study His Torah, and bind "these words" as tefillin on our arm and head and inscribe them in the mezuzot affixed on the doorposts of our home.
(Used with permission from chabad.org)
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