We look forward to seeing you for our regular Friday night services tonight, July 19th, at 7pm in which we will usher in Shabbat with our beautiful song filled services.   Shabbat shalom to you and your families.

Cantor Ben-Moshe’s Message:

This week we read Parshat Va’et’hanan, the second parshah of the Book of Deuteronomy, which begins with a moving account by Moses of his plea to God to enter the Land of Israel.  It is surely one of the great tragedies of the Bible that Moshe Rabbenu, Moses our Master Teacher, who worked so tirelessly to bring the People of Israel out of Egypt and to the Promised Land, was unable to enter the Land himself.   Our parshah contains a number of significant passages.  One is the Torah reading for Tish’ah B’Av, the Fast of the Ninth of Av which we just observed last week.  The reading begins with a warning that forsaking the Covenant with God could lead to exile from the Land which B’nei Yisrael were about to enter, a warning which came true in 586 BCE.  However, the passage ends with a message of hope-that even in exile, if we seek out God and devote ourselves to living up to our end of the Covenant, then deliverance will surely come, and exile will come to an end.    Parshat Va’et’hanan also contains a recapitulation of the Ten Commandments, with one notable change.  In the original account of the Revelation on Mt. Sinai, the Fifth Commandment begins with the words “Zachor et Yom HaShabbat l’kad’sho“-“Remember the Sabbath Day to make it holy”.  In our parshah, the wording is “Shamor et Yom HaShabbat l’kad’sho“-“Observe the Sabbath Day to make it holy”.  Of course, it is not enough to remember, to be aware of Shabbat-we must also observe the Shabbat, do the things which make Shabbat not just another day, or even a weekend day, but rather a holy day of rest and restoration of the soul.  The Midrash teaches that the words “Zachor“, “Remember”, and “Shamor“, “Observe”, were spoken and heard at the same time during the original Revelation, but were written down separately.  Both are of course,equally necessary.  The most significant part of Parshat Ve’et’hanan is the first paragraph of the Sh’ma’-“Hear (or Pay Attention!)  Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.  And you shall love….”  The Sh’ma’ is the very heart of our liturgy, of our prayer service.  Morning and evening, every day we declare our loyalty and fealty to God, and our recognition that God alone is the center of all being.  These words are so significant that they are ideally among the last words said by a dying Jew.  The Sh’ma’ is ultimately the answer to the destruction, loss and grief of Tish’ah B’Av-our faith in the One God endures, even if Temples and monarchies are destroyed.    May we soon see the Final Redemption, when all suffering will cease, and see the Day which is all Shabbat for all eternity.  Shabbat Shalom.