One of the most disturbing things about modern Jewish life is the difference in attachment to religion between Israel and the Diaspora. Outside of Israel, while assimilation and apathy are a problem, many Jews who are not personally observant still are members of synagogues and involved in communal Jewish life. In Israel, there is a far sharper divide, with many if not most non-observant Israeli having nothing to do with synagogues and ignorant of Judaism. This situation, however, may have deep roots, foreshadowed in our Parshah. During the ‘mini-rebuke’, also read on Tisha B’av, Moses warns the people of exile and that in that exile they will be forced to serve idols. The commentators have puzzled over the meaning of this punishment. Some regard it as meaning that the Jews in exile will be forced to work for or pay tax to upkeep idolatrous institutions, as indeed happened after the destruction of the Temple by the Romans. Others, however, see this as a foreshadowing of the idea that Jews living outside Israel ’serve idols in purity’. The very fact that Jews are living in a non-Jewish environment influences their attitudes and even their religious life. It is thus harder to serve G-d outside Israel, something also hinted at in this passage where the Torah states that Jews in exile will have to ‘seek G-d’. In Israel it is not necessary to seek G-d as His presence is more manifest and there is less interference from non-Jewish influences. If we apply this idea to the current situation we can achieve both understanding and a degree of optimism. Jews in Israel can more easily feel Jewish even without a formal connection to Judaism. Jews living outside Israel, even if personally not observant, need to affiliate in order to maintain their Jewish identity. Many Israelis first real connection with a synagogue comes only when they move to the Diaspora and feel the need to express their Jewish identity. In Israel such belonging was natural. The corollary of this analysis, however, is that in Israel it is easier to be Jewish if you want to. While those estranged from Judaism in the Diaspora often find the road back difficult, in Israel myriad opportunities are available. Thus while the need to ‘seek G-d’ in the Diaspora may lead to stronger Jewish affiliation, in the end, it is in Israel that even the most secular Jew can more easily find Him.

 

ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS

Rishon	Moses begs to be allowed to enter the Land but is refused.
Sheni	The warning against following other gods and the punishment: exile and destruction.
Shelishi	Moses sets aside three cities in Trans-Jordan to serve as cities of refuge.
Revi’i	The Revelation at Sinai and The Ten Commandments.
Chamishi	The people’s response to the Revelation.
Shishi	The Shema. Don’t forget G-d from the midst of prosperity.
Shevi’i	The command to destroy idolatry.
Haftorah	Isaiah 40;1-26: G-d comforts Zion

 

Sidra Statistics

Parshat Va’ethanan

·               has 105 verses;

·               is the  2nd  in Deuteronomy,  45th  in the Torah

·               6th longest in Deuteronomy, 

·               33rd  longest  in the Torah  

·                has  8 pos + 4 neg = 12  mitzvot.