by Rabbi Joshua Heller.

On July 24th, Jews around the world will observe Tisha B'Av, mourning the destruction of the First and Second Temples and commemorating many other tragedies of Jewish history. The literary centerpiece of the holiday is the book of Lamentations, Eikha, which mourns the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem and the exile of the Jewish people from its land. The book's refrain is the word "Eikha," asking the question "How could it be?" - "How could it be that the teeming city lay desolate, that God rejected God's people?" (Lam 1:1, 2:1, 4:1, 4:2)

Devarim, the Torah portion read in the week preceding Tisha B'Av, contains a premonition of that sentiment of doom. Moses proclaims what would seem to be wonderful news, or at worst a mixed blessing: the Jewish people have grown so numerous that Moses no longer has the stamina to serve as its sole judge and dispense justice to the whole nation.

Rabbinic legend explains that with each legal case, the parties multiplied witnesses and arguments, and brought new evidence after the cases would have appeared to have been closed, so that the only way to hear them all was to appoint judges and leaders who could share the burden. Our reading of the situation, however, is transformed from one of administrative overload to one of religious pathos when Moses uses this the striking, tragic word, asking "Eikha - How can I bear unaided the trouble of you, and the burden, and the bickering?" (Deuteronomy 1:12) Our musical tradition accentuates the negative connotation of the word, as that single verse is read in the same uniquely haunting melody reserved for the mournful book of Eikha. There is, as we will see, a special significance to the link between the "Eikha" of this parasha and the "Eikha" of Tisha B'Av.

The word "Eikha" by its very meaning suggests the asking of a rhetorical question. The listeners and readers of the book were keenly aware of the devastation its author described, and he did not provide detailed answers to the question of "why." Even though certain national tragedies defy full explanation, those who heard his lamentation had previously heard many prophetic warnings about Israel's misdeeds, whether ritual, moral, or political, which led it to destruction.

Shabbat Nachamu
Deut. 3:23-7:11 (p. 755)
Haftarah: Isaiah 40:1-26 (p. 776)

Summary of the parasha:

The parashah continues Moses' review of the history of the Israelites. Speaking on a personal note, Moses tells the people that his pleas to God that God relent and permit him to enter the Promised Land are to no avail.

Beginning to anticipate his taking his leave of the people, Moses suggests that they remember well their experiences in Egypt and at Horev (Sinai). He urges them to keep in mind that these remarkable occurrences point to a single God, who has a special relationship with Israel. Moses cautions the people to avoid the idol-worship that is so widespread among the peoples who live in the Promised Land. If the Israelites fail to keep their covenant with God that failure will result in exile, although God will not abandon the people of Israel even then. Moses recapitulates the Ten Commandments, with some minor variations from the version found in Exodus.

The passage that we use as the opening paragraph of the Sh’ma is drawn from this parashah. This paragraph stresses the need to love God and to remember God’s commandments. It describes rituals whose likely purpose is to remind us of our relationship with God and of our broader obligation to observe many commandments. The mandate for living a life imbued with Jewish consciousness, as well as communicating our Jewish heritage to the next generation, is spelled out within this familiar passage.

Not only are the Israelites instructed to remember their shared experiences of God’s protection, they also are expected to communicate to their children, at an appropriate time, the significance of their shared history. (Several verses from this section are quoted in the Passover seder.)

The Israelites are to avoid the religious practices of the local polytheists and to remember that God’s relationship with Israel is not based on their impressive population numbers, but rather on their loyalty to God’s covenant.

(Prepared by Rabbi Avram Kogen. Edited By Cantor S. Levine.)

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. (6:5)

LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD: This means that through your actions you should cause others to love God. (That is, you should be a role model for the imitation and service of God) You should learn Torah and serve teachers of Torah, as well as engage in honest business practices and speak kindly to others. Then other people will say about you that you are a student of (God's) Torah who behaves pleasantly and with integrity. (By loving and respecting you, they will come to love and respect God.) -- Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Yoma 86a

WITH ALL YOUR HEART: This means that you should love God with both your good and evil impulses. -- 
WITH ALL YOUR SOUL: This means that you should love God even if God takes your soul away, (that is, takes your life). Based upon this verse, the sages taught that a person should bless God for the evil things that happen to him as much as for the good things.
WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT: This means that you should love God using all of your financial means. 
-- Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Brakhot 54a