08-07-2025 Va’Etchanan

This coming Shabbat is called the “Sabbath of  Consolation.” Now that we have finished Tisha b’Av we  enter a period of spiritual reconstruction terminating with  the High Holidays. The Haftarah read on this Shabbat  comes from the Book of Isaiah (Chapter 40: 1-2) where it states the famous words “Nachamu, Nachamu Ami/Take  comfort-take comfort my people.” The repetition of the words reminds us that there are two ways to comfort  another, by words and by deeds.  

With the fast of Tisha b’Av behind us, we note a change of  tone in the parashyot (plural of parashah) from foreboding  to self-determination. The name of this week’s parashah  is “VaEtchanan” (I beseeched You), and you will find it in  the Book of Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11. The parashah reminds us that it is we who must determine the flow of  our life’s narrative. Va’Etchanan is one of the Bible’s most  meaningful sections. It seems to speak directly to us. It  teaches us the importance of resilience in the face of  tragedy and how we honor G-d by how we choose to live  our lives. This section contains both the Ten  Commandments and Judaism’s most famous watchword “the Shma.”  

Parashat Va’Etchanan is the only weekly portion that  begins with a human being speaking in the singular first  person form of the verb. In this case, the speaker is Moses. Traditionally, Moses, known for his modesty and  deep humility, speaks in the name of G-d and directly to  the Children of Israel. Perhaps Moses realized that he  could no longer afford self-effacement. Stepping into  center stage, Moses might have realized that if he were to  leave a legacy he had to go from the language of “you” to  the language of “I”. 

There is a great deal that can be learned, both on the  micro and macro levels, from this shift of verbal usage. On  the micro level, this week’s section teaches us that without  a sense of passion, no amount of skill will get a person to  his or her Promised Land. Success comes as much from  tenacity as it does from brilliance of mind. Just as  Ecclesiastes teaches us: “col dvar b’ito/there is a time for  everything” so too does this Biblical verbal shift remind us  that a part of life’s success is how we frame our life’s  narrative. Do we live in self-doubt and fear, or do we  choose a life of self-determination and creativity? 

The text also reminds us on the macro level that nations  also need to explain themselves, that perhaps  unfortunately politics and life are as much about style as  they are about substance. Perhaps that is why Moses  asks the question “Ha’Shomea am kol Elokim midabber  mitock ha’esh casher shamata atah vaYechi/Has there  ever been (another) nation that has heard the voice of G-d  speaking out of the midst of fire, as you heard (G-d) and  survived?” (4:33). Moses’ question is essential, especially  in a world in which Western values and Judaism are often  unjustly under attack.  

To paraphrase Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) there is a time to be  silent and a time to speak out, a time for peace and a time  for war, a time to speak in the “You” and a time to speak in  the “I”. The difficult part is knowing when and how to  choose which is the appropriate time for each action. How  do you make your choices?