Dvar Torah Parsha Va-Etchanan 5783

D’varim 3:23 -7:11

Few in Number

Parsha Va-Etchanan (“And I pleaded) begins with Moshe relating to the people how he pleaded with Hashem to allow him to enter the Holy Land, but he was denied. Moshe here says it was on account of the people, I guess conveniently forgetting that in Numbers we learn it was because he brought water from the stone following Miriam’s death in anger and forgetting to give credit to Hashem. Instead, he tells him to climb Mt. Pisgah and see the land from there. He is then to give Joshua instructions for it will be him who enters the new land as leader of the people. We then get a review of the miracles along the way. He cautions against any sort of graven image, including no sculpted images of male, female, or beast for worship. Also, not to worship the stars. Others may do so, but G_d’s people have been set aside and must worship only Adonai.

There is a warning that if they make idols, they will be banished from the land. Again, this suggests these words may have been written following the defeat and banishment of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BCE or even following the Babylonian exile.

We find in Devarim (Deuteronomy) 4:35 a clear statement of monotheism while other parts of Devarim suggests gods for other peoples. But the cautionary note is given, obey G_d alone and all will be well.

Then Moshe sets aside three cities east of the Jordan as refuge cities, those being Bezar, Ramoth, and Golan. He then relates the decalogue, following a short restating of their journey in the desert. He, unlike the original telling where he was alone with Adonai, he claims all the people were privy to his conversation with Hashem. Of course, it has been mentioned before that there are signs these words were written much later. But even if these words were spoken by Moshe, it occurs to me that my own memory is not the best at 76 years of age. How much more so at 120!

In Devarim 6:4 we find the Shema and V’ahavta prayers, the very foundational text of our Jewish faith. Shema reminds the people of Hashem’s essence while the V’ahavta prayer is how the people internalize the teachings and impart them to the next generation. It follows in fact with an admonishment not to worship other gods and to pass the teachings on to the next generation.6:20 has in fact been incorporated into our Pesach seder.

In chapters 7:1 – 5, Hashem tells them to destroy the people in the land they are to occupy. It’s a terrible thing to command, and writings later, not to mention archaeological evidence fortunately say this did not in reality happen.

Devarim 7:7then goes on to relate what I want to talk about at this writing. “It is not because you are the most numerous of peoples that Hashem grew attached to you and chose you--, indeed you are the smallest of peoples, but it was because Hashem favored you…”

What do the Rabbis have to say about this? Rashi says midrashically it means it is because we did not make ourselves great that we were chosen by G_d. Indeed, it is because we are small, that we were chosen to carry out G_d’s work. Rashbam says it is to remind us that it is Hashem who has allowed us to do what we have done. In Israel, Hashem would lead the Israelites to victory despite being outnumbered.

Of course much time has passed since those days when Joshua led the people into Canaan and created the Israel of the Bible. Still today, our numbers are small compared to the world around us. In the US, we are second only to Israel in the number of Jews living here. Yet we are only 2.4% of the population here. Worldwide, we number two tenths of one percent. There are some solid reasons for that. First, over the centuries following exile, we suffered ongoing persecution and pogroms, attacks during the crusades, and the rise of antisemitism over those centuries culminating in the Holocaust. A second reason is that we do not seek to convert others.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks offers this question. Could it be that through the Jewish people, Adonai is telling humanity that it is not necessary to be numerous to be great? Humanity is not judged by size, rather its contribution to human heritage. We have made contributions to this world disproportionate to our size. We may be .2% of the world’s population, yet 20% of the Nobel laureates are Jewish. Look at our contributions to art, science, medicine, literature, poets, writers, artists, doctors, lawyers, the list goes on.

Our mission is a simple one. Live Jewish values, and work to repair the world. Through gemilut chesed, through repairing wrong by others or ourselves, by remaining true to our personal and communal lives. I might add to this, our emphasis on study, questioning, wrestling with Hashem all the way to where we are today. Yes, we are surrounded by nations larger and stronger than us. But this culture, this tribe has survived all the world’s great empires, offering hope. Our hope comes from a power higher than ourselves.

I would finish with two quotes. “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead. “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” Gandhi. Baruch Hashem!!!