Tag: Parashat Ve’etchanan

Why the best teachers are teachable (Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11)

Post author By Jeff
Post date July 28, 2018
No Comments on 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.

Tags Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 03, Deuteronomy 04, gezerah - gezerot - fence around the Torah, Parashat Ve'etchanan

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Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11: What’s on God’s heart is to be on ours

Post author By Daniel
Post date August 20, 2016
No Comments on Deuteronomy 3:23–7:11: What’s on God’s heart is to be on ours

Photo Credit: Heart in my Hands by Freeimages.com/Chelsee Tysoe. Creative Commons License.

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 knows human nature enough that this pattern is not going to end. He knows they will do things they should not do, because they are humans and they do what humans do. This book offers both hope and warning.

Tags Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 03, Deuteronomy 04, Deuteronomy 05, Deuteronomy 06, Deuteronomy 07, eternal life, First Commandment, Parashat Ve'etchanan, salvation, The Shema - Hear O Israel

Discussions Torah

Deuteronomy 7-8: God’s tough love

Post author By Richard
Post date January 7, 2012
No Comments on 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.

Tags choq - statute - Strong's H2706, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 07, Deuteronomy 08, God's protection, manna, mishpat - judgment - Strong's H4941, mitzvah/commandment, Parashat Ekev, Parashat Ve'etchanan, tsara'ah - leprosy - Strong's H6883, tsir'ah - hornet - Strong's H6880

Discussions Torah

Deuteronomy 6: Teaching children to respect, follow the LORD

Post author By Richard
Post date December 31, 2011
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We are told to follow the LORD’s commandments, the statutes and judgements. The commandments, statutes and judgements are written down so that we will “fear” the Lord and that we will teach that fear to our children and grandchildren.

Tags 'ahav - love/like - Strong's H157, choq - statute - Strong's H2706, Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 06, echad - one - Strong's H259, entromos - trembling - Strong's G1790, fear, fear that leads to repentance, me'od - might/strength - Strong's H3966, mishpat - judgment - Strong's H4941, mitzvah/commandment, pachad - dread/fear - Strong's H6343, Parashat Ve'etchanan, phobos - fear/respect/reverence - Strong's G5401, qanna - jealous - Strong's H7067

Discussions Torah

Deuteronomy 5: Moses elaborates on the 10 commandments

Post author By Richard
Post date December 24, 2011
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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 words of God but the heart of God. When you love someone you want to know what is in their heart.

Discussions Torah

Deuteronomy 4: Statutes, judgments of the Lord

Post author By Richard
Post date December 17, 2011
No Comments on 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.

Tags Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 04, judgment, Parashat Ve'etchanan, Pentecost/Shavuot, statute

Discussions Torah

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

Post author By Richard
Post date August 11, 2007

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.

Tags Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 07, Deuteronomy 08, Parashat Ekev, Parashat Ve'etchanan