Va'etchanan - the Sabbath of Comfort-2

Preparing the Next Generation

‘O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?”  (Deuteronomy 3:23–24)

This  Torah portion begins with Moses reminding the people of how he pleaded with God for the privilege of entering the Promised Land, but God refused to grant his request. Moses would not enter the Promised Land because he disobediently struck the rock twice in the wilderness of Zin, instead of speaking to it as God commanded.  (Numbers 20) This happened when the nation’s water well dried up after his sister Miriam died.  Moses and Aaron prayed about the situation, and God told Moses to give the people water by speaking to the rock. But Moses, who was angry with the people for their whining, called the people rebels and implied that it was he and Aaron who were providing for them. Some have suggested that speaking to the rock might have symbolized speaking God’s Word (as given to Moses) and striking the rock may have represented Moses’ effort. Though Moses and Aaron were called to lead the Israelites, performing many signs and wonders, it was God who was providing for them, miraculously supplying life-giving water when necessary. As a result, God told Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in Me enough to honor Me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."  (Numbers 20:12)

Moses Smites the Rock in the Desert, by James Tissot

Rabbinic tradition says that Moses begged God 515 times, (taken from the gematria or numerical value of the word va’etchanan).  Moses tells the people how he asked God, “‘Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.’  But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me.  ‘That is enough,’ the Lord said.  ‘Do not speak to Me anymore about this matter.’”  (Deuteronomy 3:25–26) God said, “No.” Although Moses would get a glimpse of the Land of Promise, he would be among those of his generation who would die in the wilderness because of their sins.  His successor, Joshua, would cross over the Jordan with the new generation of Israelites who would conquer the Land. “But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.”  (Deuteronomy 3:28) Joshua, whose Hebrew name is Yehoshua (the Lord is Salvation), takes the people into the Promised Land, where they will take hold of all that God has promised. He is a type of the Messiah, Yeshua (which is a form of the name Yehoshua), will take His people into the true Promised Land of Heaven where we will not perish but inherit eternal life. We can learn a lesson from Moses remaining on the other side of the Jordan. There are times when, despite our earnest begging and pleading, God in His perfect wisdom, justice, and mercy simply says "no," and that is the end of the matter.  God may even ask us to encourage someone in the next generation who will carry the torch further than we have, and we need to accept this decision with a grace born of humility.

 

Forty Ethiopian immigrants from the absorption center in Tzfat join eight
teens from Great Britain to celebrate in Jerusalem their Bar Mitzvah (Son
of the Commandment), the Jewish rite of passage in which teens assume
moral responsibility for their own actions and become eligible to be called
to read from the Torah.

El Kanah: The Jealous God

Before Moses surrenders the leadership of Israel to Joshua, he exhorts the people to keep God’s Torah and to live in obedience to God’s ways so that they may take possession of the Land.  He tells them: “Now, Israel, listen to the laws and rulings I am teaching you, in order to follow them, so that you will live; then you will go in and take possession of the land that Adonai, the God of your fathers, is giving you.”  (Deuteronomy 4:1) Moses reminds the children of Israel how they stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and received the Ten Commandments.  He warns them not to forget the Torah of God, and to diligently teach God’s commandments to their children and grandchildren.

 

A young man has his Bar Mitzvah (Son of the
Commandment) in Jerusalem. 

  

In telling them this, he reminds them three times that God spoke from the fire at Sinai in which He did not have a form.  Therefore, because they saw no image of God, they are not to carve for themselves images of God, which is detrimental to faith, nor of other gods, which is idolatry. This prohibition of the making of carved images is accompanied by the warning that God is a consuming fire: “Watch out for yourselves, so that you won’t forget the covenant of Adonai your God, which He made with you, and make yourself a carved image, a representation of anything forbidden to you by Adonai your God.  For Adonai your God is a consuming fire, a Jealous God [El Kanah].”  (Deuteronomy 4:23–24) The name of God used in this verse is El Kanah (Jealous God).  This name is also mentioned elsewhere in this Parasha in Deuteronomy 5:9, 6:15 and in Exodus 34:14 (see also 1 Kings 19:10, 14 in which kanah is often translated as zealous.)

 

A Jewish bride and groom stand under the chuppah.

The names and titles of God declare to the world who He is.  They also answer our deepest questions regarding our relationship to God.

The name El Kanah reveals that God is protective of His people and His relationship with them.  In the same way the relationship between a husband and a wife is sacred, He will not share our praise and devotion with other gods. In fact, the covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai is likened to a marriage ceremony, complete with the cloud covering symbolizing the chuppah (marriage canopy) and the ketubah (marriage contract), outlining the responsibilities and privileges of both bride and bridegroom and the agreed upon vows. God is, therefore, asking His people to be faithful unto Him, forsaking all other gods.  All forms of idolatry and worship of false gods is “spiritual adultery,” and can be likened to an unfaithful spouse who commits adultery.The Lord lovingly and faithfully watches over His Bride, and jealously guards her, like a passionate husband protecting His bride.

Israeli bride and groom share a kiss in the shade of a tree.