VA'ETCHANAN - Hear O' Israel: Love the LORD and Prepare the Way!
Shabbat Shalom!
This week’s Torah portion is (vahet, chanan) Va’etchanan (וָאֶתְחַנַּן), meaning “And I Pleaded” or “And I Implored.”
Although the portion begins with Moses recalling his plea to enter the Promised Land, its focus quickly turns to preparing the second generation of Israel spiritually for life in the land.
Standing on the plains of Moab, Moses’ concern is for the next generation.
He reminds Israel of God’s covenant, repeats the Ten Commandments, gives them the Shema (“Hear, O Israel”), and commands them to love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and strength.
He warns them not to forget God once they become prosperous, but to faithfully teach His Word to their children from generation to generation.
Together with our readings from Isaiah 40 and Luke 3, our readings today reveal to us that before God fulfills His promises, He prepares His people.
Before Moses passes, he prepares Israel to enter the land.
The prophet Isaiah prepares Israel in the era of the divided kingdom with comfort, hope, return and restoration even though exile will eventually come.
In the Gospels, John the Baptist prepares Israel for the coming of the Messiah.
Today’s readings confront every generation with the same question : When we hear God’s voice Will we faithfully respond?
Today we’ll be reading from:
TORAH: Deuteronomy 4-7.
PROPHETS: Isaiah 40:1–26.
GOSPEL: Luke 3:1–15