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Torah reading Va’etchanan (ואתחנן): Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11

Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus the Christ) said several times during the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, “You’ve heard it said …, but I tell you ….” Many of the corrections He provided to what God originally intended were similar to the lengthy explanation of the Ten Commandments by Moshe (Moses) in Deuteronomy. This week’s Torah reading, וָאֶתְחַנַּן Va’etchanan (“and I pleaded,” Deut. 3:23-7:11), includes the beginning of Moshe’s elucidation.

Readings & outline

  • Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11
  • Isaiah 40:1–26: Shabbat Nachamu (Sabbath of Consolation)
  • Matthew 23:31–39
  • Hebrews 13:1–21

Here are other readings from MessianicJudaism.net (also has through-the-Bible readings for prophets and B’rit Chadashah) and First Fruits of Zion:

  • Matt. 4:1-11, 22:33-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 4:1-13, 10:25-37; Acts 13:13-43; Rom. 3:27-31; 1Tim. 2:4-6; James 2:14-26 (Complete Jewish Bible by David H. Stern)
  • Luke 22:13-38 (First Fruits of Zion)

Here’s a handy outline of the book of Devarim:

Resources for kids

Hallel Fellowship has curated a list of Yeshua-friendly coloring page sites that can help you help your children grasp Torah studies at their own pace in an entertaining, yet respectful way.

Studies

Listen to recorded studies and read notes from Hallel Fellowship teachers over the years:

"Fearing the Almighty: Balancing reverence and love in our walk with Messiah (Deuteronomy 3-4; Isaiah 40)." Adobe Firefly AI image of a man standing on a mountain overlooking a valley and mountains while holding a large balance in each hand from an outstretched arms.

Fearing the Almighty: Balancing reverence and love in our walk with Messiah (Deuteronomy 3–4; Isaiah 40)

This study on the Torah portion Vaetchanan (Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11) challenges our understanding of God’s glory and how we approach Him in prayer. It reveals that God’s glory is not found in miracles or creation, but in His very words. Altering or disregarding these words is akin to idolatry. The discussion explores the delicate balance of fearing and loving God, and the sobering reality that even Moses’ prayers were rejected. Referencing Isaiah 40, Matthew 23 and other passages, this study urges us to humbly submit to God’s instructions, lest our prayers become an abomination. The way we handle God’s word…
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Heaven won't let go as you are delivered from bondage to freedom (Deuteronomy 4). A hand from above grips a hand from below.

Heaven won’t let go as you are delivered from bondage to freedom (Deuteronomy 4)

Ancient Israel’s path from bondage in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land was a decades-long, multigenerational journey. Our journey from our “house of bondage” (what held us captive to a life apart from the Creator) to freedom in Heaven’s Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus) also spans a lifetime. A key passage in Torah reading וָאֶתְחַנַּן Va’etchanan (“and I pleaded,” Deut. 3:23–7:11) gives us hope that Heaven won’t let go of us when we’re holding up our arms for help from the only true Source. Also addressed in detail in this Bible study is the point of the Law, as expressed by apostle…
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Take comfort that Heaven will deliver us from things worse than death (Isaiah 40): Shabbat Nachamu (Sabbath of Comfort)

Take comfort that Heaven will deliver us from things worse than death (Isaiah 40)

When we think about living in a tumultuous time, when things seem to be coming apart at the seams, nationally or personally, take heart in the comfort that God has carried His people through all sorts of challenges and terrible things. That’s the message we can glean from Isaiah 40, a special parallel reading for the Torah reading ואתחנן Va’etchanan (“and I pleaded,” Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11) about mourning what has been lost and hoping in what lies ahead. No matter what we are facing personally or how bad we think the situation of the country or world, we must remember that there…
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How to pass on a long-lasting legacy of the New Covenant (Deut. 3:23-7:11)

How to pass on a long-lasting legacy of the New Covenant (Deuteronomy 3–7)

There’s a lot of misinformation in the Body of the Messiah about the role of God’s Law in “the gospel” — and whether it can or should have any role at all. But in the Torah reading ואתחנן Va’etchanan (“and I pleaded,” Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11), we see that a heart connection between Heaven and Earth is as much a central message of the 10 Commandments given to Israel by Moshe (Moses) as in the Sermon on the Mount given to Israel by Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus). Our legacy — what will outlive us — is our impact on the culture by Heaven’s…
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Our behavior with others shows how much we really love God (Deuteronomy 5-6)

Our behavior with others shows how much we really love God (Deuteronomy 5–6)

Long before Yeshua’s arrival on Earth in the 1st century, another special anointed one led Heaven’s ambassadors to humanity out of slavery and toward freedom, foreshadowing a greater Prophet Who would take humanity the distance to the Kingdom of God. In the Torah reading וָאֶתְחַנַּן Va’et’chanan (“and I pleaded,” Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11), we see the beginning of Moshe’s (Moses’) explanation of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5), a lesson that stretches almost to the end of the book.
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Don't fall off: Like a tram clings to the cable as it ascends the mountain, so too Moses appeals to the second generation of Israel to cleave to God, Who took them out of slavery in Egypt (Deuteronomy 4:4).

Deuteronomy 4; Isaiah 40: Cling to your Savior as He takes you into the Kingdom

Imagine life’s journey as a cable car. We are trams, and what we ultimately depend on in life is the cable. Moshe (Moses) in the Torah reading ואתחנן Va’etchanan (“and I pleaded,” Deut. 3:23–7:11) appealed to the second generation post-Exodus to remember the One Who carried them patiently from their life in bondage to freedom. Moshe called born-again Israel to forsake all the pretender gods of the Promised Land, to learn the love the LORD has for them and to leave a legacy so their descendants will turn back from foolishness apart from God — even enslaved again in exile. This same…
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Why the best teachers are teachable (Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11)

Why does God judge the leadership and “shepherds” of Israel more strictly than the followers, the “sheep.” Torah reading ואתחנן Va’etchanan (“and I pleaded,” Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11), we discover why community leaders — at any level, from the nation to the assembly of believers — bear a huge responsibility when they get it wrong. The errors of leadership can cause great harm to the community and split it apart, even more so if their pride precludes them from gathering back into the fold those sheep they have scattered.
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Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11: What’s on God’s heart is to be on ours

This week’s Torah reading, ואתחנן Va’etchanan (“and I pleaded,” Deut. 3:23-7:11), includes the beginning of Moshe’s elucidation. Deuteronomy is Moses’ farewell to the people of Israel. This section in particular focuses on how to love God, what is idolatry and how to avoid idolatry. We don’t make statues and bow to them but we still struggle with idolatry in our own day. How? We worship our stuff, the works of men. We create a lot of things, most of them don’t honor to God. Moses has seen the people backslide over and over again for the past 40 years and he…
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Studies in Torah

Deuteronomy 7-8: God’s tough love

The Torah has a reputation of being offensive, but it is always truthful. The words in Deuteronomy center on God’s statutes, judgments and commandments. When we come to understand and hear God, we start to ask God why? He says, “because I love you.” Why does He punish us? Because He loves us.
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Studies in Torah

Deuteronomy 5: Moses elaborates on the 10 commandments

Yeshua told the devil, “We are to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” The words of God are not limited to the “New Testament,” as a number of Christians assume. Yeshua said, “If you love me keep my commandments.” We believe with all our hearts that Yeshua and the Father are “one.” We understand that the words of the Torah are Yeshua’s words, just like the Sermon on the Mount/Plain are Yeshua’s words. Deuteronomy is not just repeating the prior books like a parrot but adding and elaborating on prior teachings. It shows us not just the…
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Studies in Torah

Deuteronomy 4: Statutes, judgments of the Lord

The very first verse tells you what the entire book of Deuteronomy is about: the statues and judgments of the Lord. A statute is a pre-described task, something that God has explained and given as a task. A judgement tells us how to carry out the decision of a judge. A judgement elaborates how to to perform a particular statute. Judgements are not always negative, sometimes judgements are favorable.
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Studies in Torah

Deuteronomy 7-8: Israel were to be distinct from Gentiles, not isolated from them

God chose the people of Israel as His primary representatives and He wanted them to remain pure and distinct from the Gentiles but He did not call the children of Israel to isolate themselves from the Gentiles. The Gentile nations, for the most part, are have always been obsessed with anger, depression and death. God reveals His will even to the Gentiles where there’s rampant rebellion against it.
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Studies in Torah

Deuteronomy 5: The 10 Words and the Holy Spirit are two sides of same coin

“Then Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: “Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I am speaking today in your hearing, that you may learn them and observe them carefully.” (Deuteronomy 5:1 NASB) On Mt. Sinai, on the day of Shavuot, God wrote His law on stone tablets and spoke them to the people. Two thousand years later, on Shavout, God put His law on His disciples hearts and they spoke to the people and 3000 were saved.
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Studies in Torah

Deuteronomy 4:20-49: Love vs. knowledge

There’s a direct correlation between the increase in knowledge and a decrease in our love and fear of God. Proverbs says that the knowledge and fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. The more God blessed the children of Israel while they were in the land, the more they desired to go after idols and false gods. They served gods who didn’t love them, or even appreciate them. The “principalities of the air” aren’t trying to draw men and women to worship them because they love them. They want power, submission and control over people, they have no interest…
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Studies in Torah

Deuteronomy 4:12-20: You saw no form (of God) on the Mountain

Moses reminds the children of Israel in Deu. 4:15 that they are to “…Watch yourselves carefully, since you did not see any form on the day the LORD spoke to you at Horeb from the midst of the fire.” This is repeated several times to emphasize God’s admonition against idolatry but Moses also prophesies they will ignore this warning and God will have to rebuke them harshly for their idolatry.
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