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Can they tell you not to covet?

It’s all very well to say, “Don’t covet”, but how can anyone – even God – order it? There’s only a problem if we consider the Decalogue to be ten legislative commands, but the truth is that the...

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Back the future – Va’et’channan

Moses & Aaron with the Ten Commandments, by Aron de Chavez c.1675Parashat Va’et’channan contains a repetition (with some changes) of the Ten Commandments, which we encountered for the first time in...

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Shema: The polemical prayer – Va’et’channan

By the time of the Second Temple it was the accepted practice to say the Shema twice daily, evening and morning. Special importance was attached to the first line, with its affirmation of God and His...

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Body & soul – Va’et’channan

The Torah portion begins with Moses speaking. He says Va’et’channan el HaShem – “I besought the Lord” (Deut. 3:28). The verb he uses is Hitpa’el, reflexive. The Hitpa’el is used in such phrases as “I...

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The threefold task – Va’et’channan

Moses tells the people to listen to the commandments and do three things – to study, observe and do them (Deut. 5:1). The duty of studying the laws is discussed in the Gemara Kiddushin 40b. It asks...

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The first commandment

Though we use the phrase, “The Ten Commandments”, the Decalogue is ten Words or Principles. The first says that there is One God and He brought us from bondage to freedom. After proclaiming His...

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Changing the Ten Commandments – Va’et’channan

The sidra contains a second version of the Ten Commandments, but the wording does not entirely accord with the more common version found in Parashat Yitro in the 20th chapter of Sh’mot. Check one...

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The “K’ri’at Shema” secret – Va’et’channan

The K’ri’at Shema, the twice-daily proclamation of the Shema, emanates from this week’s Torah portion. It is the basic statement of Jewish identity and belief. JH Hertz called it “the keynote of all...

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The Ninth Commandment

The ninth of the Ten Commandments warns us against bearing false witness. Looked at as a courtroom rule it means that a person who has been where something took place and has seen or heard what...

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Listen & perceive – Va’et’channan

A significant feature of this week’s reading is the Shema, the command to Israel (Deut. 6:4) to listen to the announcement that “HaShem is our God, our unique God”. This is not the only place in the...

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