Parsaht V’etchanan; Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

Once again, this week the children of Israel hear the Ten Commandments. The first version is recorded in the book of Exodus chapter 20. God speaks from Mt. Sinai to the people. But here in this week’s portion, V’etchanan in Deuteronomy, Moses reiterates the words. He tells the people in this portion the importance of observing the covenant once they have crossed over the Jordan. And although he won’t be with them he strongly urges their faithfulness to the tradition. Moses tells us “The Eternal our God made a covenant with us at Horeb, It was not with our ancestors that the Eternal made this covenant, but with us, the living every one of us who is here today. (Deut. 5:2-3).” This emphasizes for the Children of Israel the notion that this amazing revelation of the Torah and all its laws and teachings was not just something that happened previously—but is ongoing. This is a very special theological point. In essence time is suspended. Although the generation of Israelites that stood at the base of Mt. Sinai and had that direct experience is not the generation poised to enter the Promised Land nevertheless this is revelation is supposed to be as real to this generation as it was to their parents. This is a tall order. The revelation and the special nature of the revelation is ongoing. It doesn’t stop. This revelation at Sinai is in essence an Eternal Revelation for the Jewish people.

And so Moses once again recounts the sacred words that bind God to Israel and Israel to God. Moses says, “Hear O Israel, the laws and rules that I proclaim to you this day! Study them and observe them faithfully, (Deut. 5:1).” Thus the eternal revelation must be “owned” by each generation through the study and ultimately the inculcation of the covenant in our children. We cannot have the voice of God or even Moses intone the Ten Commandments in our day. But we can imagine ourselves standing at Sinai and if we can imagine ourselves there, we can place ourselves in that direct line of receiving the Torah and placing it in our midst.

This portion reminds us of this very point. In the words of the V’ahavta prayer the opening paragraph which is found in this week’s portion, says to “Teach these to your children!” This covenant, this promise, this Torah is indeed not just for the desert generation, or the generation who left Egypt but for every generation. This is Moses’ emphasis and ours today. It is the gift that keeps on giving. We must place the Torah in our midst. We must study it and pass it on to the next generation. No one will do this for us. But it now rests upon our shoulders to do.

May we rise to the occasion.