"Ushmartem va'asitem ki hi chokhmatchem uvinatchem le'einei kol ha'amim asher yishme'un et kol hachukim ha'ele."
"We shall keep and do, for this is your wisdom and understanding in the eyes of all the nations who will hear all these statutes." Let's protect and fulfill them. Let's observe them, because they are our wisdom and understanding before all the nations who will hear and comprehend these laws.
Why is it important for other nations to understand, see, or perceive how the people of Israel observe the laws? This is one of the questions we always ask ourselves. Is the Kadosh Baruch Hu at the service, so to speak, of the people of Israel? Is the Kadosh Baruch Hu only concerned with the people of Israel? What is this widely discussed and oft-mentioned concept of the chosen people?
One of the answers to this question can surely be found in this verse, 4:6, in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy). It seems that it is indeed important that we not be a closed-off people, fulfilling the Mitzvot only among ourselves, but rather that they are to be shared so that the rest of the world also receives the message of the Torah.
Throughout the entire Torah and Tanach—the Jewish version of the Bible, of course—we see that there were indeed situations in which the Lord communicated with and tried to reach other nations, starting with Adam and continuing with Bilam, that sorcerer whom some called a prophet because he had direct communication with the Creator, and who was not part of the people of Israel.
Joseph himself was dedicated to demonstrating that all the power he had was not his own but emanated from the Lord, and he spread this message, as did Moses, which is precisely why he and his brother Aaron used the staff.
The Lord is not only for the Jewish people; He is concerned and involved with all nations, and that is one of the messages of this week's parashat Vaetchanan. We must understand that while we have a special tradition for ourselves, our tradition has always taught that we must seek peace, that we must educate our children not with hatred but with love for those around us, transmitting our values.
We must strive for a world in which all its inhabitants can enjoy greater social justice, for there is no possibility that a person who is hungry, lonely, or suffering from poverty can lead a rich spiritual life.
At the beginning of the parashah, Moses shares with the people that he pleaded with God to enter the Promised Land with them, but his request was denied. Resigned to his fate, having accepted the divine verdict, and just before he sadly ascended Mount Nebo, where he would see the entire expanse of the land into which the people he had led for more than 40 years would enter—but not him—Moses resumes his farewell speech, reminding the people of the necessary tools to maintain a solid and direct relationship with their God.
He asks them to listen and pay attention, reminding them of the covenant at Sinai and the Ten Commandments, and he brings to mind for those gathered before him what happened when their hearts lacked sufficient faith and love, so that they may strive and act in a manner worthy of the land they are about to receive.
He acknowledges that during the forty years in the desert, being the mediator between the people and God exhausted him, and at many moments he was unable to control his anger.
Moses utters the words of the Shema, the creed of Judaism, and commands Israel to show their love for Adonai and to keep the divine laws and ordinances. He warns the people not to commit idolatry by worshipping the gods of the nations they will conquer in Israel.
“Shema”. Listen. Listening is the way of loving, of acting out of love and not fear. Personal listening binds us all together—a great family, a tribe, a nation, a generation with the generations that preceded us—and unites us in a living human tapestry. “Rikma enoshit achat chaia.”
This “rikma enoshit chaia”, this living human tapestry, obliges us to be sensitive in our listening and in our perception of those around us. The Shema Israel, of course, alludes to divine unity, but it teaches us that the basic prayer of our people is about listening. This listening must also be universal.
We must be sensitive to the suffering of our own people and those not in our immediate circle too.
We are going through moments of anguish, not only because of the hostages who have been missing for far too many days but also because of the war that has been raging in Israel on multiple fronts. The uncertainty faced by families relocated to safety from the dangers of attacks from the north and near the Gaza Strip only adds to the anxiety of constant attacks by those who seek the destruction of the people of Israel and those who dissent in thought, feeling, and prayer from the violent extremists who today represent terrorism.
Let us strengthen our living human tapestry, our “rikma enoshit chaia”, so that more hands may fortify us in moments of distress and we may find solace in the unconditional love that comes from feeling embraced by it.
This Shabbat is also called “Nachamu”, Consolation. The text of Isaiah opens with a call to comfort and continue comforting, directly linking the mourning for the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash, the Great Temple of Jerusalem, to the magnitude of the consolation and redemption needed.
Today, as the crisis deepens, as we carry on for more than 10 months, 315 days, with our hearts anchored in October 7th, the need for acts, words of comfort, relief, solidarity, and encouragement grows more intense. We need to say and share these with one another.
We desperately need all the hostages to be released now.
We need leadership that will put aside personal, spurious ambitions and interests now and think of the suffering and pain of its people.
Perhaps this week's parashah will inspire those who have turned a deaf ear to the suffering around them.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Gustavo Geier