Voices of WRJ: Va-et’chanan

By Nanci Pompan This parashah finds the Israelites about to enter the Promised Land after wandering through the desert for forty years following their flight from Egypt. The word “Va-et’chanan” means “I pleaded” which refers to Moses who pleaded with God to be allowed to go forward with his people. God emphatically tells Moses not to beseech him again and, instead, tells him to go to the top of Pisgah and look over the land that he will not be able to enter. Moses is told to instruct Joshua who will take over as leader and “imbue him with strength and courage”. (Deut 3:28) By this time, most of the original generation of Israelites are no longer living and the new generation doesn’t know all that happened over those forty years. So, Moses urges the people to follow all God’s commandments, to love God, and to pass on this love to future generations. He says, “And make them known to your children and to your children’s children.” (Deut 4:9) There are several themes in this parashah. First is the transfer of leadership from Moses to Joshua. This happens in our sisterhoods, too, as one president passes on her knowledge of her sisterhood and its minhag (customs) to the next. Another theme is an emphasis on shared memory. Since most of the Israelites weren’t present at Sinai, or Horeb as it is called in this parashah, Moses recounts the journey and the Ten Commandments. (Deut 5:6-18) He has to remind them of what can happen to them if they don’t obey the commandments or love God. But, Moses explains, if they do all God has commanded, they’ll be able to stay in the Promised Land forever and all nations will respect them. To me, the most important theme is that we need to teach the commandments, our history, and God’s love to future generations. This parashah contains the Sh’ma and the V’ahavta, two of the most important prayers in our liturgy. (Deut 6:4-9) Most of us are familiar with the Debbie Friedman version of the V’ahavta which says “And thou shalt teach them diligently onto your children”, but one can also translate the verse to read “Impress them upon your children”. (Deut 6:7) The Hebrew word v’shenantam (impress) comes from the Hebrew word for tooth (shen). Just like our teeth leave an indelible impression when we bite down on something, so it is incumbent on us to impress our commandments on our children. Impress is a much stronger word than teach. How do we make an impression on our children? How do we leave a mark? One way is to repeat the lessons over and over, every day, just as it says in the prayer. Modeling the behavior we want our children to exhibit is important. But, we can’t do it alone. We need other role models in our children’s lives and programs our children can experience. WRJ literally puts our money where our mouth is. Through the YES Fund (Youth, Education, and Special Projects), WRJ raises money to support our youth through Reform movement camps, NFTY, and PJ Library. We support youth programs around the world. We educate those who will leave impressions on our children by supporting Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and other progressive Jewish institutions of higher learning that train rabbis, cantors, and Jewish educators. Every WRJ district will be holding its convention this October or November. At these conventions, you can find out more about the YES Fund. You’ll gain leadership skills and programming ideas you can take back to your sisterhood. Most importantly, you’ll learn about the work of WRJ to ensure the future of Reform Judaism for our children and future generations, just as we’ve been commanded. Nanci Pompan is the first vice-president and president-elect of the WRJ Atlantic District and a proud member of the WRJ Board of Directors. She is a currently the treasurer of the Sisterhood of Temple Emanu-El in Westfield, New Jersey, where she has held many offices, including president.