Thoughts on the Weekly Parsha from COVENANT & RABBI LORD JONATHAN SACKS ZT"L Former Chief Rabbi of the CONVERSATION United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth

לעילוי נשמת May the learning of these Divrei Torah be HaRav Ya'akov Zvi ben David Arieh zt"l

have, and lived? Has any god ever tried to לעילוי נשמות take for himself one nation out of another פנחס בן יעקב אשר וגולדה בת ישראל דוד אייז ע״ה ,nation, by testings, by signs and wonders עזריאל בן אריה לייב ומעניה בת יצחק שרטר ע״ה by war, by a mighty hand and an out- Dedicated by stretched arm, or by great and awesome Dr. Robert Sreter DDS., M.S. deeds, like all the things the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? (Deut. 4:32-34)

The Fewest of The Israelites have not yet crossed the Jor- dan. They have not yet begun their life as All Peoples a sovereign nation in their own land. Yet Moses is sure, with a certainty that could uried inconspicuously in this only be prophetic, that they were a people week’s parsha is a short sentence like no other. What has happened to them with explosive potential, causing B is unique. They were and are a nation sum- us to think again about both the nature of moned to greatness. Jewish history and the Jewish task in the present. Moses reminds them of the great Reve- lation at Mount Sinai. He recalls the Ten Moses had been reminding the new gener- Commandments. He delivers the most ation, the children of those who left Egypt, famous of all summaries of Jewish faith: of the extraordinary story of which they “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord are the heirs: is one.” (Deut. 6:4) He issues the most Has anything so great as this ever hap- majestic of all commands: “Love the Lord pened, or has anything like it ever been your God withMazel all your Tov heart to and with heard of? Has any other people heard the allDr. your Robin soul Zeiger and with & Dr. all Jonathan your strength.” BenEzra voice of God speaking out of fire, as you (Deut. 6:5)on theTwice marriage he tells of theirthe people son to Mazal Tov to Mazal Tov to David & Ilana Goodman and family Devra & Gidon Ariel and family on the marriage of their daughter on the birth of a grandson

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Want to donate directly to NATAL? Go to www.natal.org.il 31 King George, Jerusalem | 02-563-7155 | Web: SherlockSHats.com teach these things to their children. He that Abraham’s children would be gives them their eternal mission state- numerous, uncountable, as many as the ment as a nation: “You are a people holy stars of the sky, the dust of the earth, and to the Lord your God. The Lord your God the grains of sand on a seashore? What of has chosen you out of all the peoples on Moses’ own statement at the beginning of the face of the earth to be His people, His Devarim: “The Lord your God has increased treasured possession.” (Deut. 7:6) your numbers so that today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky” (Deut. Then he says this: 1:10)? The Lord did not set His affection on you The simple answer is this. The Israelites and choose you because you were more were indeed numerous compared to what numerous than other peoples, for you are they once were. Moses himself puts it this the fewest of all peoples. (Deut. 7:7) way in next week’s parsha: “Your ancestors The fewest of all peoples? What has who went down into Egypt were seventy happened to all the promises of Bereishit, in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars in the SHABBAT AFTERNOON PARSHA SHIUR sky” (Deut. 10:22). They were once a single with Rabbi Chanoch Yeres will RESUME on Shabbat Nachamu, family, Abraham, Sarah and their descen- July 24th- Parshat Va’etchanan at 5:00pm dants, and now they have become a nation

OU ISRAEL CENTER 17 of twelve tribes. unique history will show that, in the words of the Prophet Zechariah (4:6), “‘Not by But – and this is Moses’ point here – com- might nor by power, but by My spirit,’ says pared to other nations, they were still small. the Lord Almighty.” “When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and In itself, Israel would be witness to some- drives out before you many nations—the thing greater than itself. As former Marxist Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaan- philosopher Nicolay Berdyaev put it: ites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites, I remember how the materialist interpre- seven nations larger and stronger than tation of history, when I attempted in my you …” (Deut. 7:1). In other words, not only youth to verify it by applying it to the des- were the Israelites smaller than the great tinies of peoples, broke down in the case of empires of the ancient world. They were the Jews, where destiny seemed absolutely smaller even than the other nations in the inexplicable from the materialistic stand- region. Compared to their origins they had point . . . Its survival is a mysterious and grown exponentially but compared to their wonderful phenomenon demonstrating neighbours they remained tiny. that the life of this people is governed by Moses then tells them what this means: a special predetermination, transcending the processes of adaptation expounded by You may say to yourselves, “These nations the materialistic interpretation of history. are stronger than we are. How can we drive The survival of the Jews, their resistance to them out?” But do not be afraid of them; destruction, their endurance under abso- remember well what the Lord your God did lutely peculiar conditions and the fateful to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. (Deut. 7:17-18) role played by them in history: all these Israel would be the smallest of the nations point to the particular and mysterious for a reason that goes to the very heart of foundations of their destiny.1 its existence as a nation. They will show Moses’ statement has immense the world that a people does not have to be large in order to be great. It does not have to 1 Nicolay Berdyaev, The Meaning of be numerous to defeat its enemies. Israel’s History, Transaction Publishers, 2005, 86. ניקוי ספות ניקוי שטיחים ניקוי מבנים פוליש Polishing & Cleaning of Carpet cleaning Sofa cleaning renewing of decks offices and Shuls

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18 TORAH TIDBITS 1429 / VA'ETCHANAN 5781 implications for Jewish identity. The proposition implicit throughout this Meir year’s Covenant & Conversation is that Golan Jews have had an influence out of all www.golan-realestate.net proportion to their numbers because we Ramat Denya: Half two-family, 6 room Meir Golan are all called on to be leaders, to take 158 sqm + attic, garden, terrace, balconies, responsibility, to contribute, to make a Old2 Katamoncovered parking,: 4-room very apartment bright, view, in a small potential and quiet for street, 101 significant expansion,5,000,000 nis difference to the lives of others, to bring sqm,Bayit renovated, Vegan: very 8 room bright garden and airy, triplex, master 184 bedroom, sqm, Safe room (mamad), sukkah balcony, view, elevator, 3,400,000 NIS the Divine Presence into the world. Pre- charming sukkah balcony facing view, 2 large gardens, p. entrance, bright and airy, private roof, cisely because we are small, we are each Old4,490,000 Katamon NIS: 4-room apartment, 90 sqm, well split, bright, airy, Old Katamon: 4-room apartment, 95 sqm, sukkah summoned to greatness. sukkah balcony facing a magnificent panoramic view, 3 exp. Shabbat elevator,balcony, parking, overwhelming 3,290,000 NIS panoramic view, Shabbat elevator, private parking, 3,290,000 NIS S. Y. Agnon, the great Hebrew writer, com- OldRechavia: Katamon 5-room: Spacious apartment, 3-room apartment130 sqm, balconies,in a very quiet street, 75 4 exposures, elevator, small and quiet building posed a prayer to accompany the Mourner’s sqm,4,950,000 sukkah balcony NIS facing a green and pastoral view, 3 exp. Shabbat Kaddish. He noted that the children of Israel elevator,Givat private Mordechai: parking 3, storeroom & 4-room, apartments,2,690,000 NIS renovated, bright, elevator, parking, storage, have always been few in number compared 1,690,000/2,250,000 NIS to other nations. He then said that when Rasko: 3-room apartment, 63 sqm, bright, 1st floor, elevator,NIS 1.89 million a monarch rules over a large population, Old Katamon, Baka, Rasko & Arnona: 2-6 room they do not notice when an individual dies, apartments & well-designed penthouses in new projects!! high specifications, wide balconies, view, for there are others to take their place. “But parking, elevator, storage our King, the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He … chose us, and not because the only thing that ever has.” Gandhi said: we are a large nation, for we are one of the “A small body of determined spirits fired by smallest of nations. We are few, and owing an unquenchable faith in their mission can to the love with which He loves us, each one alter the course of history.”3 That must be of us is, for Him, an entire legion. He does our faith as Jews. We may be the fewest of not have many replacements for us. If one all peoples but when we heed God’s call, of us is missing, Heaven forfend, then the we have the ability, proven many times King’s forces are diminished, with the con- in our past, to mend and transform the sequence that His kingdom is weakened, as world. it were. One of His legions is gone and His greatness is lessened. For this reason it is 3 Harijan, 19 November 1938. our custom to recite the Kaddish when a Jew dies.”2 Covenant and Conversation 5781 is kindly Margaret Mead once said: “Never doubt supported by the Maurice Wohl Charita- ble Foundation in memory of Maurice and that a small group of thoughtful, committed Vivienne Wohl z”l.These weekly teach- citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is ings from Rabbi Sacks zt"l are part of the ‘Covenant & Conversation’ series on the weekly Torah reading. Read more on 2 Quoted in Leon Wieseltier, Kaddish, www.rabbisacks.org. London: Picador, 1998, 22-23. OU ISRAEL CENTER 19