Weekly Reading Insights: Va'etchanan 5783

Overview of the Torah Reading

To be read on Shabbat Va'etchanan - 11 Menachem Av 5783 /July 29

Shabbat Nachamu*

Torah: Deut. 3:23-7:11
Haftorah: Isaiah 40:1-26 (1st of the Seven Haftorahs of Consolation)
Pirkei Avot:  Chapter 3

Va'etchanan is the 2nd Reading out of 11 in Deuteronomy and it contains 7343 letters, in 1878 words, in 122 verses

Va’etchanan opens with G-d’s refusal to allow Moshe to enter the Land. Next, Moshe reminds the Jews how they were taken out of Egypt, given the 10 Commandments, taught Torah, and should not stray from G-d and His laws. Moshe invokes heaven and earth as witnesses in warning the Jews of the consequences of erred ways. Then, Moshe designates 3 of the locations of the cities of refuge for the unintentional murderer. Following this is the review of the giving of the 10 Commandments and the famous verses of “Shma” and “Ve’ahavta”. The Jews are again reminded to keep G-d’s mitzvos and avoid the consequences of sin, particularly idolatry and assimilation.

*So called because this haftorah begins with the word "Nachamu" (Be comforted) and is the first of seven Haftarot of Consolation.
The prophet comforts the people with the description of the era of Mashiach and the revalation of G-d's glory.

An Essay from
Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter, Director of Ascent

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This week's Torah portion, Va'etchanan, teaches us about the mitzvah (precept) of putting on tefilin (phylacteries). The verse says "You should tie them for a sign on your arm, and they should be an ornament between your eyes." (Devarim/Deuteronomy 6:8).
It is interesting to note that the verse chooses different language for the arm tefilin and for the head tefilin. For the arm tefilin it says, "You should tie…", and for the head tefilin, it says, "… they should be an ornament…". This teaches us that the commandment of the arm tefilin is primarily in the tying. This is not the case with the head tefilin, where the commandment is that it should rest on the head. This means that as long as the head tefilin are in place, one is fulfilling the mitzvah.

Why the difference, and how can we understand this in relation to serving G-d?
There is a spiritual difference between the head and the arm tefilin. The Code of Jewish Law (OrachChaim 25:5), explains that the tefilin that we tie on the upper arm [points toward and] corresponds to the heart and teaches us about our emotional attributes, that we should subjugate them to G-d instead of focusing on worldly matters. The heart is the main source of our desires and the thoughts of how to achieve them. On the other hand, the head tefilin correspond to our brain, to subjugate "the soul, that resides in our brain" (Tanya), to G-d.
We can use this teaching to understand the difference between the arm and the head tefilin.

In relation to the emotions of the heart, no one is in complete control of transforming physical worldly desires to complete love and compliance with G-d's desires. Only the select few righteous tzadikim can completely control their hearts. Therefore, the commandment of the tefilin on the arm is not at all that tefilin should rest there (like the head), but rather the whole commandment is in the action of tying. This is telling us that even though we cannot completely transform our heart from physical desires to loving G-d, it should be constantly subjugated to loving G-d. However, we can "tie" our hearts, we can force it, meaning we can restrain our hearts' impulses by not acting on the negative worldly desires that we feel.

This is not the case with the brain. Our brain is in our control. Even if we do not feel like it, we can use our brain to move forward. Every Jewish person is able to choose what to think and meditate on. A stray thought might arise, but it is possible to reject it. That is why the commandment of the head tefilin is something continuous, as long as it is on one's head. The brain can be continually subjugated to Divine service. Just as it is true with tefilin, it is true with all of the commandments and all of Jewish life.
[Adapted from Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson.Likutei Sichot ("Collected Talks"): An Anthology of Talks. Kehot Publication Society. Volume 29. Page 22 as reproduced in Likrat Shabbat]


Shabbat shalom, Shaul

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For last year's essay by Rabbi Leiter on this week's Reading, see the archive.

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Ascent Lights

G-d Fulfills Righteous Wills

By Shaul Yosef Leiter

Exile can be compared to pregnancy. Just as during pregnancy the discomfort grows, so too the pain of the exile grows from minute to minute; Just as the birth of a child is anticipated, so too do we look forward to the end of the exile which will herald a millennium of revelation.

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