Making the Ideal Real

Making the Ideal Real
D’var Torah for Parashat Va-et-chanan (Deuteronomy 3:23—7:11)
By Rabbi Boaz D. Heilman
August 12, 2011


The Promised Land is a promise waiting to be actualized.

Moses recognizes that truth—not without bitterness and some blame—as his pleas with God (va-et’cha-nan) to be allowed to enter the Promised Land are turned down in no uncertain terms. It will not be Moses who will lead the Israelites into their promised homeland, but rather Joshua.

Moses knows the road ahead is not going to be easy. The Land Of Canaan, as Israel was called at that time, was populated by fierce peoples whose physical prowess matched their ignorance and immoral practices. Israel will have to rely on another kind of strength to gain the Promised Land. Yes, there will be wars. Joshua, Moses’s long-time assistant, follower and companion, learned much during the years he served Moses. His orientation, however, was that of a general. He would lead the Israelites into battle, but he would also teach them how to remain true to the ethics and morals that God and Moses had taught the People.

It was God’s strength that freed the Israelites from Pharaoh’s grip; it will be with God’s strength that the Children of Israel will enter the Promised Land. With wisdom, understanding and faith they will have to make it their—and God’s—Promised Land.

From his perch on the top of Mt. Nevo in the land of Moab, Moses can see not only the whole country of Israel, he can also see far into the future. He knows the difficulties that the people will encounter in years to come. Israel—at the crossroads of the world’s trade routes—comes with a price. Not only will empires compete for control over this tactical spot; they will bring with them cultures and customs that will tempt the Israelites with their glitz and glitter. Yet the residence of the Israelites in the Promised Land is conditional upon their following God’s ways. Following the example of other peoples and other gods will undo the connection between the People and the Promised Land. Return to God—teshuva—will hasten also their ultimate return to the Land.

The mezuzah that adorns the doorways of Jewish homes contains a reminder of the loving and faithful relationship between God, the People and the Land of Israel. The Sh’ma and Ve-ahavta, written in tiny letters on a parchment that a mezuzah houses, are also central in our prayer service. These verses are quoted in this portion of the Torah. So are several other sections and verses that are prominent in holiday celebrations and our prayers. Together they contain the essence of our faith. But they are merely reminders. Our real charge is to actualize and maintain that relationship. That is done first through the pursuit of justice.

As his first act in preparing the Children of Israel to settle in the Promised Land, Moses establishes three refuge cities on the eastern shore of the Jordan River—yet before they cross the Jordan into Israel proper. These cities are to serve as sanctuary for hunted men and women until due process can be applied. Bloodshed is abhorrent to God regardless of where we live, in Israel or among the Nations. Justice is the first step in the conquest of any wilderness and the actualization of a Promised Land upon it.

The Ten Commandments, first iterated in Exodus, chapter 20, are repeated almost verbatim in this portion. More than the law against murder, which God imposes on all human beings, the Ten Commandments are addressed specifically to the Jewish People. These form as the core and basis for Judaism both as a legal religion and as a civil way of life based on rules of ethics and morality. The repetition of this code of laws forms the underpinning of the Covenant between God and Israel.

If we, the Jewish People, are to be recognized as a “great nation…, a wise and understanding people,” (Deut. 4:6), education of future generations must be yet another value intrinsic to our culture. The “Ve-ahavta” reminds us to “teach these words diligently to our children” (Deut. 6:7). These words are then followed by a similar instruction that we repeat at every Passover Seder: “When your son asks you… ‘What are the testimonies, the statues and the ordinances which the Lord our God has commanded you?’ You shall say to your son, ‘We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the Lord took us out of Egypt with a strong hand’” (Deut. 6:20-21).

The belief in God and God’s protective relationship with Israel; the requirement to pursue justice; the importance of teaching these values to our children—these are the secret of Israel’s strength. These are the pillars upon which the Promised Land is built.

It is said that the Mashiach—the longed-for Messiah—is already among us. All that we are waiting for is for him to actualize. Similarly, wherever we live is the Promised Land. All we have to do is to actualize it: to build it and to maintain its structure, values and rules. Not an easy task, yet one we can all participate in, one word, deed or step at a time.


©2011 by Boaz D. Heilman