Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
In This Week’s Parashah: מָה בַּפָּרָשָׁה
- Moshe continues his speech to Benei Yisrael. He talks about how he begged God to let him enter Eretz Yisrael. God said he could not because he was going to die, but God allowed him to see the land from a distance.
- He gives strong encouragement to the people to follow the Torah, and warns them that they could be kicked out of Eretz Yisrael if they worship idols. However, Moshe promises that God will never forget the בְּרִית (brit, covenant) with our ancestors, and Benei Yisrael can always return to God.
- God’s revelation at הַר סִינַי (Har Sinai, Mount Sinai) was an awe-inspiring experience. Moshe reminds the people of how powerful it felt and reviews the עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת (Aseret Ha-Dibrot, Ten Commandments).
- The verses that form the first paragraph of Shema also appear in our parashah. They emphasize that we must love God and keep the words of the Torah close by.
- Benei Yisrael must destroy the idols of the nations living in Eretz Canaan, and not marry people from these nations.
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