Va’eschanan - 6th Portion

Join me as we learn kumish for Friday parasan the sixth tower reading chapter 5 verse uh chapter 6 I'm sorry verse four in the previous to readings we continued to learn about Moshe reminding the Jewish people of the importance of following the observances and commandments that God has given them and we mentioned the ten commandments and other commandments ment as well. Today's Torah reading is going to focus on one of the most fundamental verses in the Torah. A Torah reading which is obligated for one to read morning and evening, which that is the shama. Verse four here, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. What is he telling them here? What is he telling them with this commandment? besides following God's commandments because we are legally follow uh legally obligated to follow the commandment over here Moshe is also asking of the Jews for an emotional connection with God rashi this is the way one can explain what those words mean the Lord our God the Lord is one our God the God who is our God currently that we believe in him we know about him he's our God not anyone God eventually also be a god of one of all people will come to identify as it says in that will come a time the coming of Moshiach that all nations of the world will come to identify and see the greatness of God it says in that day his name will be one and God will be one that everybody in the world will identify and recognize the greatness of one God we also find asidism explains and it tells tells us the word is made up of three letters. The alf is one, the is eight and the dal is four. The dal being four symbolizing four corners of the world world. The being eight to seven heavens and the earth and the alf is one god who is in everything and in every place in every space and everything that exists in the world is all god. Moshe now continues with telling the Jewish people the obligation to love god. And by recognizing and understanding and realizing that God is in everything and God is everything, you will then come to you will then come to love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your material means. Do the commandments out of love. There is a there's you can't compare the difference between a person who does something out of love or somebody who does it out of fear out of awe. A servant a servant who's working for his master does it out of awe. A person's afraid he might lose his job. He might not get the amount of money. So then when things get difficult he leaves it. But when you do it out of love, like a child to a father, then you continue to do it notwithstanding what it may be and not recognize and withstanding the hardships that come with it. With your two inclinations, your godly inclination, your animalistic inclination, another explanation, that meaning even if a person sees things which he may ask and wonder why is God doing this? And therefore, don't ask about God's ways. Recognize that everything that God is doing is out of your love. And when you love somebody, you don't question why they do something. Even if he takes your life with all your money, people who their money is more value to them than their body. Therefore, he says, even if he takes your life and then even if you're money. Another explanation. The word doesn't only mean material means every measure that God measures you with whether he measures you by good and good or God forbid the opposite. So to as King David says unto him in Psalm 116 where he talks about the God I will pick up a cup of salvations and then God will bring to me and then I will call out with the name of God which is good. But then he also talks about there in the same verse of God forbid some sorrow or tragedy strikes him, he will also call out to God. Here we're saying that regardless of what the situation, a person will always love God. Verse six and those words that I command you today will always you will keep upon your heart. What's the love and how does one express the love for God is by the very fact that you recognize who God is and you follow what God tells you to do. That's the way you express and show your love that you have for God that I command you today. Don't look at it as a decree upon from the king that a person that an old old decree from the king that you don't respect and you don't and you don't give it any uh credence could be considered as something as new and valuable something which is exciting and everybody's running to get it. This is like an exciting letter that the king sent that and I commanded you wish and aspire to follow. Verse eight, I'm sorry verse seven. And you shall teach them with your to your children and you shall with your students and you shall discuss it with them when you sit in your home when you lie go on the way when you lie down when you wake up. means that you should be sharp. You should know it well and you should be able to discuss and elaborate. It should be something with which you're fluent in. That if somebody were to ask you a question in the Torah, you wouldn't have to stutter and stumble about what to say and start effing and and not knowing what to say. You should be able to give him a clear, concise, and articulate answer immediately. to your children. This doesn't only mean to your children. This can also refer to your students that you should teach your students and we find in many places that even students are called children as it says you are God's sons, God's children. It talks about the children of the prophets which is referring to the students of the prophets. We find it says that he taught that he taught Torah to all the Jewish people and they were all he called them my children my children please don't go away so just like the children just like the students are called children so to the teacher is called father it says that as Alicia called his teacher Elijah the prophet of Israel my father my father the writer of the Jewish people and you will have what to discuss with them. That what should be your primary discussion that you have with your children and students should be about the words of Torah. Make the words of make the words of Torah your primary discussion and everything else secondary. Do not make the words of Torah as a secondary discussion. I would think that even if a person goes down to sleep in by half a day, this will be considered that he'll have to say therefore he says also when you get up would think that even if he has to get up in the middle of the night that he should also say that when you stay in your home when you go in the way the Torah is giving us the normal time of when people usually go to sleep is at night and when they wake up is in the morning. the way people wake up and people go to sleep by the normal behaviors. And therefore, it tells us that when should a person uh when should a person say the sha when they lie down and when they go to sleep is at night, not in the middle of the day. If a person lies down that he has to say the shama and when you wake up is in the morning that you have to say the shama then as well. So the shama the obligation of saying shama and the positive commandment of saying shama is twice a day. Once in the morning, once in the evening, you have a positive commandment to say the schma is seen from this verse. An interesting vert addage or that's once somebody said on this verse and you should teach your children and you should talk about it with them. So there was once this old Jew who used to say if you learn with your children then you'll have what to talk to them. The study of Torah creates a bond between parent and child, between spouses that gives them the ability to discuss and talk even in superficial things. Verse eight, [clears throat] and you should bind them as a sign upon your arm and as a reminder between your eyes. This refers to the fillin on the arm. These are the went on the head and because where does the word tapus come from? Is it a Hebrew word? So therefore Rashi explains because the amount of scrolls that were in the that are in the head fillin that in the handful there's only one scroll all four sections all wrapped in one. In the head fill in there's four scrolls. All the four sections are split up into four. So the word tap gives you the word four scrolls. How is that? in the lang in the language of um African or whatever it may be in that area the country the word comes to mean the word to so tat pat which or kasp meaning in there you have double two which is four scrolls inside there as well so kaspi so you have soim so you have tat kaspi you have Two, the word tap means twice two, which is the four scrolls that are in the head film. This is brought in the Talmud. The Talmud learns the word to mean. Verse N. And you should inscribe them upon your doorposts of your home. The word meaning without it's written meaning it's a singular as long as you have one doorpost on the right hand side it's a door is already obligated to have a muza gateways to tell us that all gateways even the courtyards of cities or countries or areas all need all gateways are obligated to have a muza over here as well. It's very important that we note that one of the concepts of the oral law is that they explain what the written law is that while the Torah doesn't tell us clearly what you have to write, how you have to write it, what the fillin is, all the details of the laws is described in the Moshe told them wrote only very vague but he told them the explicitly how the fillain has to be why it has to be black and how it is to be written and what scrolls should be inside and so too with the muzus. And that's how we have the laws of the muzus and verse 10. The Torah now continues as Moshe tells the Jewish people how they have to remain loyal to God. Verse 10, God will bring you to the land that he swore that he will give to your forefathers to give to you great and good cities that you did not build them. You're getting them readym made. Verse 11, houses full of good things. You did not fill them and y sister sistns that you did not you on their own vineyards and olive trees. You did not plow, you did not sew and you will eat and you will be satiated. What does it mean? like dug out the because the land was full of rocks and stones. That's why you have to use the word to dig out because since it wasn't a very soft so therefore it doesn't say shovel out. He uses the terminology to have to bang it out with a to hammer and a chisel because there was a lot of stones and rocks there. Verse 12, you must be aware we should not forget the god lest you forget the god who took you out of Egypt from the house of slaves. What does it mean? The house of slaves like the says from a place where you were serving as a slave a place where you served as slaves. Verse 12. Verse 13. You must revere God in his and his and worship him and in his name you shall swear. If you have all these attributes and and and you behave accordingly that you're aw of his name and you serve him properly then you'll be able to swear properly in his name because you are fearful and awe of God's name then you going to be careful in the oath that you take to make sure that this is not a lie or false because if you're not ready to make sure and be there and have the awe of God when you say God's name then don't take an oath at all. Verse 14 do not go follow after the other deities from the other gods that the nations around you. This applies doesn't have to be only to ones that are close but the ones that are very far. But the only reason why he mentions the ones that are close because the ones that are close is the ones that you see that are going after their their idolatries. Therefore, they have to be warned about it extra and careful to know that they should be aware of it. Verse 15, because your God, your God is a zillas god. And lest the wrath of God of your God be kindled against you and he will destroy you from the face of the earth. Verse 16. [clears throat] in at the massa and what is it says when we went out of Egypt we tested God with water as it says that they argued with motion they asked is God here amongst us and they therefore trying to challenge to see is God here verse 17 be careful to diligently safeguard the mitzvah that God gives you and his testimonies and his statutes his rules that he commands you. Verse 18, and you'll do what is proper and what is right in the eyes of God and what is good in the eyes of God. So it should be good for you and therefore you'll be well with you and be able to come and take possession to the good land that God has promised to your forefathers. What does it mean that it's proper and good? This is a law given to the judges that when a person comes to a court case, the first thing that you try that a judge tries to do according to Jewish law before ruling is to come to some type of compromise as [snorts] well that many times even though the letter of the law will say a but we try to act beyond the letter of the law and this is what it means that you should do what is right and what is good or what is just and what is good that though technically you can get away with it but is this the right thing in the spirit of the law. A try to make a compromise and b to act beyond the letter of the law. Verse 19. This way that God can then in order to drive out all your enemies from before you as God has spoken. What does it mean as God has spoken? Where did where did he say this? This is already in in chapter 23 previously that God says I will wipe out all the nations that you come upon them that God is saying that he will create some distraction for everybody that's there and therefore you'll be able to conquer the land easily. Verse 20, if your child will come to ask you at the point in the future, saying, "What are these testimonies, rules, and ordinances that we're following that God has commanded us to commanded you to do? What does it mean tomorrow?" Not literally tomorrow. There could be a tomorrow, which means in the later time. That's what it refers to when he says tomorrow. You must say to your child, we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt. And God took us out with an outstretched with the with the strong hand, with the mighty hand. 22 and God has given us wonders and miracles. big ones and then as well caused um terrible terrible things, terrible signs for Egypt into all his household and we witnessed it. We saw it before our own eyes. Verse 23, God took us out of there in order that he can bring us and give us the land that he swore to our forefathers. 24. And God commanded us to perform all these rules. All these are here to cultivate a certain respect and awe in God. And it is for our good to do them all the days to keep us alive as we are today. Verse 25. And for this will it will be a merit for us when we safeguard and keep as all the commandments that God has given us before God as God has commanded us to do. This concludes the sixth Torah reading of