V’etchanan, Deuteronomy 3:24 – 7:11

In the second portion of Deuteronomy, Moses continues with his theme of reminding this generation to stay the course of the covenant and not to be distracted by idolatry. He reminds the Children of Israel particularly about the importance of the law and the rules of our tradition and of observing them scrupulously.

Because of recent brushes with idolatry at Baal –Peor and by coming into contact with the many nations they will battle to capture the Promised Land, the temptations to throw off our covenantal traditions will be many. Moses warns the Israelites that their idolatry will lead to their downfall. But he offers sage advice that stands the test of generation.
In verses 29 and 30 of chapter 4, Moses tells the Children of Israel, “But if you search there for Adonai your God, You will find God, if only you seek God with all your heart and soul, when you are in distress because all these things have befallen you and in the end return to Adonai your God and obey.”

The path to teshuvah, to return to God is always possible. One must search not only the land but within oneself to seek that connection with God.

This portion is read on Shabbat Nachamu—that Shabbat that follows our national day of mourning, Tisha B’Av the ninth of Av. On this day we remember and lament the destruction of both the first and second temples in Jerusalem. We read the book of Lamentations, fast and mourn the many difficult moments in our history, from the exiles of Babylonia and Rome to the Inquisition and the Warsaw Ghetto.

One traditional explanation for the destruction of the Temples has been the idolatry of the Children of Israel. Thus when we read Moses words warning the Children of Israel about the importance of maintaining the covenant and the connection to the Holy One of IsraelÂ’s Covenant during a time we mourn the destruction of the very site of the Holy OneÂ’s dwelling place upon earth-we cannot help but try and heed his words. We must search the land but also within ourselves to rebuild, renew, and reconnect with God. Even as we lament and ask why the destruction of our sacred Temples, we must begin a journey to reconstruct our relationship with the Divine. Even as we question, we must search our very being to rekindle the flame of faith.

No wonder that in this parasha Moses repeats the Ten Commandments. Through the law that makes us a people, through the core values of our covenant, we can begin to renew and make stronger those bonds that we may feel have been shattered.

And to truly build upon and meditate upon our path to renewal of our relationship with God, Moses recites the Shema and V’ahavta. Through these sacred words that have become central to our worship service, the Jew search heart and mind and soul to build a love of God and Covenant. Through these holy words we connect to one another as a Jewish people across time and space and we connect to the Divine Spirit of the Universe—that we Jews call God.

Yes, whenever we have doubts, whenever we are tempted by the idolatry of our day and time, be it money, power, sex or drugs; whenever we want to rekindle our faith and seek and search our hearts, the Shema prayer can help us connect through words to a holy place.

Moses seems to have understood this in this weekÂ’s parasha. The Rabbis who in there wisdom created the cycle of reading of this weekÂ’s portion to be read following Tisha BÂ’Av when our people experienced such pain and grief and mourning and questioning of their faith understood the healing power of the Shema as well.

May we put the Shema prayer upon our lips and use it to connect, rekindle and seek out our relationship with the Divine.

Posted by Lee at July 28, 2004 02:34 PM