July 30, 2009
An early Shabbat Shalom!
I will be chanting the V'ahavta when I read Torah tomorrow night - this familiar passage, which immediately follows the declaration of one God, the Shema, in Deuteronomy Chapter 6, is marked with verbs that challenge us to express what we think and believe through words and action.
The verbs in the this section are…
V'ahavta (LOVE)
V'shinantam (TEACH/REPEAT THEM)
V'dibarta (SPEAK)
U-k'shartam (BIND THEM)
Uch-tavtam (WRITE/INSCRIBE THEM)
Taken together, these words direct us to create close and trusting relationships, to share our values with each other and to a new generation, to hold fast to the principles we live by and to educate others by our example. The V'ahavta paragraph can serve as a curriculum guide for successfully passing on a heritage to a new generation, but it is also about taking on this task as one community. May the values that we practice and teach leave an imprint on us, and may what we do inscribe those lessons on one another's hearts.
L'shalom,
Rabbi Larry
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