Shabbat Nahamu
Triennial Cycle III: Deut. 5:1-7:11
Humash Etz Hayim, page 1015
Haftarah: Isaiah 40:1-26, page 1033
- (5:1-18) A recapitulation of the Ten Commandments.
- (5:19-30) Moses reminds the people of how they begged him in terror to bring them the rest of God’s words.
- (6:1-3) A warning regarding the observance of the Mitzvot.
- (6:4-9) The Shema.
- (6:10-25) An exhortation to keep the words of the Torah coupled with a reminder of all the good things God has done for His people.
Ve-etchanan, a very rich Parshat
Drash – Steve Schlosser
Ve-etchanan is one of the richest Parshat in the Torah.
Not only do we have a repetition – and expansion on – the Ten Commandments we also have the declaration of the Shema, the central description of the Jewish belief system and the instruction set that governs much of our ritual life. Within this cornucopia I want to focus on one of the Commandments because I’ve often asked why it is stated as it is; Commandment 8, “Thou Shalt not Steal”. Why didn’t G-d say, “Thou Shalt not Rob”?