Parasha Vaetchanan (ואתחנן) — Devarim 3:23 – 7:11. Read on Shabbat, August 14, 2027.
Summary of Parasha Vaetchanan
Moshe recounts that he pleaded with G-d to let him enter the land, but G-d refused and only allowed him to behold it from the summit of the Pisgah; it is Yehoshua who will lead the people. Moshe then urges Israel to observe the laws, neither adding to them nor taking away from them, for they are Israel’s wisdom in the eyes of the nations. He recalls the revelation at Horev, where the people heard a voice but saw no form, and warns against all idolatry. He foretells that if the people turn away, they will be scattered among the nations, but that from there they will be able to seek G-d and find Him, if they seek Him with all their heart. Moshe designates three cities of refuge east of the Jordan. He then repeats the Ten Commandments and recalls that the people, in their fear, had asked him to serve as an intermediary. Next comes the first paragraph of the Shema: “Hear, O Israel, G-d is our G-d, G-d is One,” followed by the command to love G-d with all one’s heart, with all one’s soul and with all one’s might, to teach these words to one’s children, to bind them as a sign upon the hand and between the eyes, and to write them on the doorposts. Finally, he forbids alliances with the peoples of the land and recalls that Israel is a people chosen out of love.
The Themes
- Moshe’s prayer
- “Shema Yisrael,” the oneness of G-d
- Teaching one’s children
Rav Raphaël Benizri’s Lectures on Vaetchanan
There are no lectures by the Rav on this parasha yet. Find all the available lectures on the Weekly Parasha page.
A Question for the Shabbat Table
The Shema asks us to love G-d “with all your heart”: how can this love find expression in our daily lives?
← Parasha Devarim · All the parashiot · Parasha Ekev →
Summary by the Pensées Juives editorial team. The Rav’s teachings are found in his lectures, linked above.