Parsha Ve’etchanan — A light to the Nations
This week’s weekly Torah reading deals with God, the land of Israel, and features the 10 “Commandments”. There is a calling for to keep these commandments and be a light to the Nations.
Deuteronomy 4:6
ושמרתם ועשיתם כי הוא חכמתכם ובינתכם לעיני העמים אשר ישמעון את כל־החקים האלה ואמרו רק עם־חכם ונבון הגוי הגדול הזה׃
Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, who, when they shall hear all these statutes, shall say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
So, let's fast forward till today — Are we a light to the Nations? This is a universalistic calling. It is a call to the people living in their Land to share wisdom and understanding.
Unfortunately, despite our best efforts in hitech, humanitarian aid, exporting Medtech saving lives, bringing Agro Tech to the world, the IDF being the most compassionate army in the world, giving equal opportunity to all citizens and freedom of religion We are still vilified and hated by the world.
We are plagued by particularism, sectarianism (putting group Interests before others), and a lack of unity even amongst the religious who at least keep the commandments.
How did we sink so low? What can do it about? How can we be a light to The Nations?
And what is this wisdom and understanding”
Judaism survived and flourished by the moral calling of the Torah. It survived because of faith in one God. It was this dual calling of God inspired Morals — to do good to others and be a partner in making the world a fairer place that survived throughout the centuries.
What is missing in the Israel and Jewish conversation is God. Without the recognition of God, higher power to account for, we are left with the chaos that is the world today — Wars, a Lack of respect for those who disagree and who are different. Even with UN SDGs, which are the basis of ESG and Climate Change, the fight against Poverty, the world is failing, Why?
Because God is missing from the conversation. God Commanded us to look after the world. Instead, we have greed and abuse of precious world resources with too much wealth and power concentrated in the few. And These people dictate how the Wealth is divided. Even when you have so-called good intentions by Warren Buffet and Bill Gates, these efforts are misguided and not effective.
In our relations with the non-Jewish world, God is missing from the conversation. Our leaders do not thank God and attribute too much power and wisdom to themselves. My neighbour , Rabbi David Rosen who is involved in Interfaith initiatives https://www.ajc.org/bio/david-rosen said after his visit to Indonesia implied — The Establishment does not get it. the way to peace is by bringing God into the conversation — The Abraham Accords/movement recognizes this. Imagine — if our message to Hamas / PIJ would be — We are all children of one God, with different paths — Do you think that God wants war and terror, hate and destruction? Let’s beat our swords into plows for a better world for all.
Indeed, we have just celebrated Tisha B’Av. Did I say celebrate? We celebrated our return to our Land, and connection to the Temple and the destroyed vision and Torah of Jerusalem which is being rebuilt. We celebrated in the calling for Geulah and Redemption. The world needs Redemption. Redemption implies a better and fairer world -a universalistic calling with a strong particularistic base — strength in the knowledge of moral calling for a fairer world under the guidance of God.
From Zion, the Torah will go out, and the word of God from Jerusalem.
As we enter Shabbat Nachamu, Israel and the world needs Nachamu (Compassion). The people of Israel need Compassion. We need to hear the word/the calling of God from the heart of Jerusalem.
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I am sharing the words of NACHAMU AMI- Sung & Composed By R’ Shlomo Carlebach Z”L- Nachamu Ami Concert
I’d like to sing one more, a little bit sad song, a little bit happy, both…
Lekovod this Shabbos.
Give me harmony… friends, really give me harmony, hold on to the last note…
Can you imagine, can you visualize, can you think about,
About 2,400 years ago, somewhere on a street corner,
In the Holy City Yerusholayim,
and maybe maybe maybe, it was on Motzaei Shabbos.
Yeshaya Hanavi, the holy prophet Isaiah,
came down somewhere, somewhere, from the Har Habayis.
You know, sweetest friends, let me tell you,
According to our tradition,
Everybody knows that the Haftorah,
The portion of the prophet we read after a certain portion of the Torah,
That means that the prophet prophesized this on that Motzaei Shabbos,
Of the portion of that week,
Without getting involved in the depths of it right now…
So Shabbos Va’eschanan, 2 thousand, 400–500 years ago,
Yeshaya Hanavi listened to the Parsha of Va’eschanan,
And he came down to the streets, and he prophesied and he said,
,נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי
.יֹאמַר אֱלֹקֵיכֶם
,דַּבְּרוּ עַל לֵב יְרוּשָׁלַיִם
.וְקִרְאוּ אֵלֶיהָ
See, my sweetest friends, it says נַחֲמוּ נַחֲמוּ עַמִּי
Console my people, don’t ever stop consoling them,
And then it says, דַּבְּרוּ עַל לֵב יְרוּשָׁלַיִם
Speak into the heart of Yerusholayim,
וְקִרְאוּ אֵלֶיהָ , and call out to her.
You know, sweetest friends, sometimes a person is desperate for consolation,
Sometimes a person is desperate for one good word,
But when you want to give it to them, they run away.
Can you imagine Moshiach would walk in right now?
Most of us would just run through the window, (Couldn’t believe it)
I wanted it so much, I can’t believe it…
So he says דַּבְּרוּ עַל לֵב יְרוּשָׁלַיִם
But she runs away,
Don’t stop- וְקִרְאוּ אֵלֶיהָ — Run after her.
Keep on crying loud, it’s true, it’s true.
Yeah, now, I know it’s so true,
Sometimes, you wanna talk to your children, they’re crying, and they run away.
’Cause they’re waiting for Moshiach so desperately…
Give me harmony one more time…
,דַּבְּרוּ עַל לֵב יְרוּשָׁלַיִם
.וְקִרְאוּ אֵלֶיהָ
Al Eileh — על אלה
Asay Lemaan — עשה למען
Eliyahu Hanavi 1- אליהו הנביא
Lemikdasheich 2- למקדשך
Yehi Shalom — יהי שלום
Sourced from: https://www.jyrics.com/lyrics/nachamu-ami-%D7%A0%D7%97%D7%9E%D7%95-%D7%A2%D7%9E%D7%99/