Our parashah this week brought to mind an old joke which goes something like this:  “Pete and Repeat were walking along a fence.  Pete fell off.  Who was left?”  The person you are speaking to says, “Repeat”.  Okay.  “Pete and Repeat were walking along a fence.  Pete fell off.  Who was left?” “Repeat”.  Okay... 

        There are many ways to learn and to teach, and this week Moses essentially covers them all.  Moses repeats the Shema, the Ten Commandments, and many more things too.  Moses also teaches us by his actions, symbolism, speech, by triggering memories, and through stories.  Sometimes his teachings are subtle, sometimes not.  Moses begins our parashah by sharing with the Israelites a lesson he learned firsthand about prayer.

        The only time we know of which Moses prays for something for himself, although it may also benefit the group - in his mind, I assume - his  prayer is answered.  The answer is “No”.  Okay, he records more words, which are full of meaning, as are all the words in the Torah, but what the answer came down to was a simple “No”.  This struck me as a very obvious, and yet often ignored truth.  When we pray, we consider our prayers answered if we get what we want.  This would be a “Yes”.  Keep in mind, when one asks a basically ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question, even if not worded quite that way, “No” is a legitimate answer.  Just not the one we wanted!  This doesn’t mean your prayer wasn’t answered, simply that you aren’t happy with the answer.

        I know, all of the atheists out there could jump on what I just said.  It makes what I said no less true.  I fail to see, understand, or even slightly comprehend how anyone decides not to acknowledge G-d’s existence, but it doesn’t change the fact that our prayers are heard and answered.  Simply stated, that Moses, our greatest teacher, and a man who was indisputably righteous, tells us he received the answer “No” teaches us a lot.

        Moses then goes on to tell us Adonai told him to climb to the top of a cliff, and look westward, northward, southward, and eastward.  Moses was also told to raise his eyes to do so.  Adonai is all around us, we need only open our eyes, figuratively, in order to “see”.  Adonai’s gifts are also everywhere we turn.  Even if we personally don’t receive everything we want, what we personally receive is because Adonai allows us to do so.  This is correct.  No matter how hard one works, or doesn’t, one will receive what one is intended to receive by Adonai’s goodness.

        In this day and age of such relatively high unemployment, the old way of thinking, which held that if you just go out and look, you can find employment, is not necessarily true.  The unemployed and underemployed aren’t necessarily lazy.  Quite a lot of them actually work harder to find jobs then some of those who work.  Even if one looks simply at how hard someone employed works, you still cannot conclude their personal wealth necessarily is directly related to their efforts.  It doesn’t matter how smart one is, energetic one is, etc.  If we were meant to have a lot of money, somehow we will, as well as vice versa.

        By his actions on his last day of life, and of course by his words, Moses teaches us the necessity and the importance of repetition in order to learn.  Not only to learn, but to be constantly reminded of the knowledge we have of and from Adonai.  Moses runs through the Ten Commandments again, along with the Shema and V’yahaftah.

        In so doing, he is a living example of the very human need to utilize not only words, but also symbols, as well as remembering to always keep Adonai, and the laws we were given, in the forefront of our minds, hearts and souls.  We are taught through the very words of the Shema and V’yahaftah themselves to think of Adonai when we wake up, when we go to sleep, when we are walking, talking to our children, when we sit down, when we leave our homes, and even when we arrive back home.  In other words, there should never be a time we aren’t actively thinking of Adonai, and acting accordingly.  We are also told to place these words upon our hands, between our eyes, on the doorposts of our house, and upon our gates.  This is to be understood literally, as well as figuratively.  We need to be mindful (between our eyes) of what we think, say, and do.  We need to remember our work is also (place these words upon your hand) a reflection of our connectedness with Adonai.

        Moses not only reminds the Israelites of the importance of teachings the words and wisdom of the Torah to our children and grandchildren, he is doing so himself simultaneously!  Moses was a living example of the concept of “living Torah”.  By this, I mean both the fact that he himself was a living example of the words of the Torah, but also that the Torah itself will continue to “live,” as long as it is constantly studied, discussed, and acted upon!  The importance of the Torah cannot be underestimated, which is why we are told by Moses to never change a word or letter of it.  Neither are we to add to it, nor to subtract from it.  Our generations need to have the ability to study exactly what Adonai gave to our ancestors.

        Moses keeps changing his “voice,” from first person to third person, as well as the tense.  There also is an emphasis on “this day”.  Since the Torah we read today, the Hebrew version, is exactly the same as what Moses wrote millennia ago, what did Moses mean by “this day”?  Every day when we wake up is “this day”.  There should never be a day we aren’t cognizant of Adonai, and our relationship to and with Adonai.  There should never be a day our thoughts, words, and deeds don’t align with the laws Adonai set forth for us. 

        ‘Us’ actually means everyone.  The laws Adonai gave us were meant to teach us how to universally get along with each other.  By keeping Adonai in our thoughts, and cognizantly reflecting Adonai’s teachings through our words and deeds, we will create a messianic world.  A world where peace reigns always.  A world which has been looked forward to by generations of generations of all people.  Only through the observance, knowledge of, and keeping of the words and wisdom of the Torah will we partner with Adonai to bring about a loving, kind, caring, peaceful world.  One for which we have prayed.  We must actively become partners with Adonai, each and every one of us.  It is through our own efforts we will all be rewarded by Adonai meeting us, joining with us, and rewarding us with the countenance of Adonai.  We won’t have the wonderful, peaceful, loving world we pray for through prayers alone.  We must each become part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. 

        So when you wake up, leave your house, speak with your children, etc., and through everything you say and do, reflect how you want people to act.  Say what you mean, act in accordance to your words - make your words the words of Torah.  Be a living example to all of righteous, kind, loving, just, peaceful, and fair behavior.  Walk the walk, don’t just talk the talk.  Be what you want others to be.  Think of and care about much more than just yourself.  Remember too, Moses taught us we can see Adonai if only we open our eyes and look around us.  We must teach this until our dying day.  Repeat, repeat, repeat, the words of Torah all day, all night, each and every day, your whole life long.  Teach these words, act in accordance with them, and look up and recognize Adonai.  Appreciate what you have. Our parshah this week tells us, reminds us, and reminds us again to remember, and teach, where we live, what we own, and the money we make, is exactly what G-d allows us to have.  “No” is an answer to our prayers we must learn to accept for ourselves. 

        It is in our portion this week we are also taught the wicked will be rewarded in this life for any good deeds they perform, because they will not be rewarded in the world to come (Deuteronomy 7:10).  I made certain to include this because we humans sometimes wonder why evil people seemingly hold some semblance of power, money, and whatever niceties go along with these.  For the unfortunately growing number of us who were used to being the ones who helped others, and gave money and what it buys to help others, we now find ourselves in the humbling position of needing to receive help.  Remember, your need enables others to give, and perform mitzvot.  Things come and go, money comes and goes, and people in our lives come and go too.  Adonai always has been and always will be in existence.  The gift of the existence of the Torah, its words, its wisdom, contains everything we need to learn, know, and remember.  The Torah teaches us basic truths which never change.  These truths were as applicable to our ancestors’ lives as they are to us now.  Not for nothing, but even the best of us human beings will never receive everything we want.  This isn’t to teach us Adonai doesn’t love us, just that we cannot see or even understand the bigger picture.  Through good times and bad, Adonai is, was, and always will be there, and this we need to remember, teach, remember, teach, remember, remember, remember.

        We cannot know the “mind” of Adonai.  We can, however, act in accordance with the words of the Torah.  We can teach the Torah, and are in fact obligated to teach until our dying day.  Moses didn’t just say this, he did this too.

        Shabbat Shalom!  I’d love to know what you think!