“David Harbater is a master teacher and an inspired reader with a thousand theological insights”

The first two paragraphs of the Shema appear in consecutive Torah portions. Last week, in Parashat Va’etchanan, we read: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.” This week, in Parashat Eikev, we read the second paragraph, beginning: “And it shall come to pass, if you faithfully obey My commandments…” The Sages explain that these two passages represent two successive stages of religious commitment. The first is קבלת עול מלכות שמים, accepting the sovereignty of Heaven. The second is קבלת עול מצוות, accepting the obligation of the commandments. The order is essential. Before we can commit ourselves to God’s commandments, we must first recognize God, believe in God and love God. The first paragraph establishes the relationship; the second translates that relationship into a life of obligation and action. Faith and love provide the foundation upon which the mitzvot are built. But there is another progression between the two paragraphs—one that often goes unnoticed—and it concerns the education of our children.

The opening words of this week’s haftarah are among the most comforting in the Bible:“Comfort, oh comfort My people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and declare to her that her term of service is over, that her iniquity is expiated”(Isaiah 40:1–2). After the three weeks of mourning that culminate in Tisha B’Av, we read Isaiah’s prophecy announcing a dramatic reversal of fortune.Tisha B’Av commemorates the devastation of Jerusalem; Isaiah announces that Jerusalem will be comforted. Tisha B’Av recalls exile; Isaiah describes a highway through the wilderness along which God and the exiles will return. Tisha B’Av awakens the fear that God has abandoned His people; Isaiah declares that God is returning as both sovereign and shepherd. Yet we read these words on Parashat Vaetchanan, which presents us with a strikingly different story.