The sort of hidden theme to Sefer Devarim is this passuk, “השיבנו ה' אליך ונשובה חדש ימינו כקדם - Bring us home Hashem, and we are coming, renew our days like they once were.”
This Shabbat, we start and we finish. We start Sefer Devarim, and we also read the third and final of the Haftorat of Tochacha. The rest of the Haftorot in Sefer Devarim are the Haftorot of Nechama, of consolation. All in the spirit of Hashem telling us “come home”.
At the end of Eicha on Tisha B’av, we say Hashiveinu. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is all about “Hashiveinu”, it’s there and in the background. We need to believe it.
This week’s Parsha starts off with Moshe speaking to Klal Yisrael and of his sensitivity to the dignity of Klal Yisrael, he does not say “Remember when you messed up, doing this wrong and that wrong etc” Instead it is “Remember when we were there, and there, and the other place, and Hashem was not happy with us”. He was using the names of the places as a point of reference to hint at what they did, while trying to protect their dignity.
Rashi tells us, that this was for the purpose of giving them mussar. The Ramban has a different understanding however. The Ramban learns that this was to teach the Jewish nation that no matter what a person has ever done, Hashem in his infinite Midat Hachesed, always forgives and gives him a new chance.
My dear friends, let us take a look back at what we have gone through over the last couple of years, we have suffered, Oh!!!! have we suffered, so many people have been murdered, there are still hostages yearning to be free, so much antisemitism all over the world. How much more can we suffer??? These nine days feel like months, when we sit and say Eicha, how can we not remember our trials and tribulations? How can we not remember all those soldiers just pulled away from us, while fighting for our freedom? How much more must we suffer??? As we end these nine Days, days when we are supposed to feel the lack of a home, and the ones occupying the Har Habayit, our ultimate home, are doing a great job at showing us that we are not home just yet.
So let this story sink into us and let us cry together “השיבנו ה' אליך ונשובה חדש ימינו כקדם”. Bring us home Hashem, and let us merit to see Moshiach speedily in our times and let’s pray with all our hearts for the return of our hostages, for all those who are sick and injured, for peace and calm as well as praying for our soldiers and emergency service personnel who risk their lives to defend and help us, as well as those who need healing, shidduchim, children or parnassah and may we be blessed to have just continuous joy and to only go from one simcha through to the next, the most awesome, gorgeous, beautiful, peaceful, happy, healthy, amazing, relaxed, spiritual, sweet Shabbat and an easy and meaningful fast.
NUMBER OF MITZVOT: 2
MITZVOT ASEH: 0
MITZVOT LO TAASEH: 2
NUMBER OF PESUKIM: 105
NUMBER OF WORDS: 1548
NUMBER OF LETTERS: 5972
HAFTORA:
Yeshayahu 1:1 - 27
(Some read it to the special melody of Eichah)
This Shabbat, the day before the fast of Tisha B'Av, is called Shabbat Chazon - the 'Shabbat of Vision,' because of the Haftora which is read from the first chapter of the Book of Yeshayahu, which begins "Chazon Yeshayahu - (the vision of Yeshayahu...)". In it, he prophesies about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Beit Hamikdash.
(The three Haftorot of the three weeks preceding the Ninth of Av, are called the — שלש דפורענותא - the "Three (Haftorot) of Punishment").
Next Shabbat August 9th, IS TU B'AV.
