Transcript
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Hello children. This is one of the most
important and moving portions in the
Torah. Moshe prays and pleads with God
to let him enter the land of Israel. Why
does Moshe ask for mercy and not for
justice? After all, he does so many good
things for the Jewish people. The sages
teach us that the righteous always ask
for mercy, not for merit. They know that
everything is kindness from God. Moshe
did not say to God, "I deserve it." But
rather, "Please grant it to me as a free
gift."
Moshe says to God, "I have begun to see
how great and mighty you are. I want to
see more." And what does Moshe ask for?
Moshe wants to see the holy land of
Israel. He wants to see Jerusalem and
the magnificent Lebanon. But what is
God's answer? Enough for you. Do not
speak to me anymore about this matter.
That's enough for you. Do not continue
to ask about this. I'll tell you that
Moshe prayed to God 515 prayers. If so,
why did God tell him to stop praying?
Because if Moshe, our teacher, had
prayed one more prayer, God would have
accepted his prayers and would have had
to let him enter the land.
Let me remind you why God did not let
Moshe enter the land.
Because of what happened at the waters
of Mariva when Moshe struck the rock
instead of speaking to it. God who is
all merciful tells Moshe to go up to the
top of the peak and look. Lift your eyes
westward, northward, southward, and
eastward and see the land of Israel, for
you will not be able to enter it. God
showed Moshe all of the land of Israel
from the top of Mount Nabbo. Moshe sees
the entire holy land from north to
south, from east to west.
Now Moshe goes back and reminds the
Jewish people of the ten commandments
they received at Mount Si. Why does he
repeat them? Because he wants the new
generation to remember that great
moment. Moshe tells the Jewish people,
"God spoke with you face to face like a
father speaks with his young son. I am
the Lord your God who brought you out of
the land of Egypt from the house of
slavery. This is the first commandment.
You shall have no other gods before me.
Only God is the Lord and there are no
other gods. You shall not take the name
of the Lord your God in vain. It is
forbidden to swear in God's name even
about true things. Keep the Shabbat day
to make it holy. Honor your father and
your mother so that your days may be
long. This is the only commandment among
the ten commandments that promises a
reward. Why? Because honoring parents is
the hardest thing for children. So God
encourages us with his special promise
unlike the other commandments. Do not
murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not
steal. Do not bear false witness. And do
not the envious. And now we come to the
most famous part of the portion here. Oh
Israel, the Lord is our God. The Lord is
one. This is the most well-known verse
in Judaism. What does Schma mean? It
doesn't just mean to listen with your
ears, but to understand, accept, and put
it into practice.
And you shall love the Lord your God
with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your might. We need to love
God with all our heart, our soul, and
our possessions. We must always teach
our children Torah at home, on the way,
before going to sleep, and when we wake
up in the morning.
In the Schma passage, the commandment of
putting on fillin is also mentioned. And
you shall bind them as a sign upon your
hand, and they shall be as ornaments
between your eyes. This teaches us where
the tilain should be placed on the arm
and on the head. And you shall inscribe
them upon the doorposts of your house
and your gates. From here, we learn that
a muza should be placed at the entrance
of the house. Now, Moshe goes on to tell
the people about the wonderful land they
are about to enter. The land of Israel
is such a special land.
It has seven species, the seven most
important types of food that grow in the
land of Israel. In the land of Israel,
there will be no hunger. You will have
everything. But Moshe warns the Jewish
people and says, "Remember to recite
grace after meals, after eating bread,
as it is said in the verse, and you
shall eat and be satisfied and bless the
Lord your God for the good land he has
given you." After eating and being
satisfied, you must bless and thank God.
Now Moshe goes on to warn the people
about a great danger. What is the
danger? Forgetting God. How could that
happen? Yes, it can happen. A person
gets used to receiving everything. Life
is good for him and suddenly he forgets
who gave him everything. It doesn't
happen all at once, but rather it's a
slow process. A person starts out poor
and humble. Then God blesses him. He has
a beautiful house, herds, and money. He
starts to feel strong and independent.
And then he forgets. He begins to think,
"My own strength and the power of my
hands have made me all this wealth. My
power and courage brought me all this
success."
That's a big mistake. It is God who
gives you the strength to succeed. The
next topic the portion discusses, Moshe
sets aside three cities of refuge on the
east side of the Jordan. What are cities
of refuge? If someone kills a person
accidentally without intention, he can
flee to a city of refuge and be safe
there. The avenger of blood, the
victim's relative, cannot harm him
there. Why do we need cities of refuge?
Because the Torah wants to create a
balance between justice and mercy. On
one hand, someone who kills must pay a
price. On the other hand, if it was by
accident, he doesn't deserve to die.
Moshe warns again and again against
idolatry. Why? Because at Mount Si, you
didn't see any form or image. God spoke
from within the fire, but you didn't see
him in any form. It's forbidden to make
idols. God warned that if the Jewish
people worship idols in the land of
Israel, the heavens and the earth are
witnesses. They will be sent into exile
from the land. But even if it happens,
there is hope. Even in exile, if you
return to God, he will take you back.
Then Moshe emphasizes the fundamental
belief of Judaism. There is none besides
him. What does that mean? There is
nothing in the world that exists without
God. Everything depends on him.
The Jewish people were privileged to
have a unique experience that no other
nation had to hear the voice of God
directly.
Moshe passed on the most important
messages to the people before entering
the land of Israel. He knew he will not
be going with them. So, he makes sure
they remember the most important
foundations of Jewish faith.
But there's more. What does Moshe tell
the people and how are his words
received? We will tell you in the next
episode.
