Parashat Va’etchanan (To Implore or Beg)
D’varim (Deuteronomy) 3:23–7:11
In our weekly parasha, we read one of the most famous prayers in Judaism called “The Shema”:
Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might (everything that is within you). These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach (repeat) them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
I believe this is such a beautiful prayer with some very important points which we often miss when we only put the emphasis on the opening “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!”. Before I continue with some thoughts about this, I would like to share a thought on the first word that is used here, which I believe is important for us to understand in order to grasp the rest of this prayer. The word “שְׁמַע” (“Shema”) in Hebrew has a more nuanced meaning than just “hear”. It means to hear, but also to understand, comprehend, accept, receive a request and comply with it. In other words, it is important for us to understand that hearing is followed by action, and therefore, I believe that verses 5–9 are equally as important as verse 4.
We are to love our God with all our heart, soul, and everything that is within us. God wants all of us, not just part of us. He doesn't just want the areas that we feel good about, are comfortable with, or just the areas with which we agree in Scripture. I personally believe this is the reason Yeshua repeated the next verse when He was challenged by one of the Torah experts on what the greatest command is:
But the Pharisees, when they heard that Yeshua had silenced the Sadducees, gathered together in one place. And testing Him, one of them, a lawyer (Torah expert) , asked, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Torah?” And He said to him, “‘You shall love ADONAI your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’The entire Torah and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:34–40 TLV
As with so many other commands from the Torah (God’s teachings), Yeshua shows us that one of the ways we demonstrate our love for God is how we love our neighbor; both are a reflection of each other.
Coming back to our parasha, I now turn to verse 6:
These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
God desires every part of us, but it all starts from our hearts! Through Yeshua, God provided a new covenant as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:33: “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put My Torah within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
Here is a part from these verses that we often miss:
You shall teach (repeat) them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:7–9
Our words must be followed by action; otherwise, they are empty words without meaning. I often hear statements that we are “losing the future generation.” I personally believe many youth walk away from the LORD because we have lost sight of the importance of teaching them again and again, not just in words, but also by the way we apply the Word to our lives. As the above verses command, this should be done repeatedly throughout the day. In short, God ought to be the center of our lives in all that we say and do.
He gave us His everything; the least we can give Him is our all.
Shabbat Shalom,
Moran
Did you know? — Lone Soldier
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8 Comments on “Give Him Your All”
I totally agree
Excellent teaching
As always
Dick and Jan Fura
Thank you for this powerful teaching Moran.
I pray that God will continue to increase your faith and understanding in his Word with perfect judgment. Your writings are a much needed encouragement in a world of darkness.
Over the years, as I was being extracted from the theological teachings of men in organizations known as “churches,” as Yahweh taught me to become as a little child and believe in His Name alone, I have grown to love and trust Him more and more, as I look to him to lead me into the true church. Isaiah 28:9. Hosea 6:3 Debut 32:2
When I obey His word (Torah) the interaction with those around me is certain to accomplish what He wants it to. I am amazed at his love and control . I don’t even have to talk about Him ( and shouldn’t) until /unless he brings it about. There is a certainty that his Spirit is working when we are quiet and humble ourselves under His mighty hand.
I believe this is one of the reasons that God’s Name ,nor His control are mentioned once in the book of Esther, yet His powerful hand is at work in the smallest details of that time to accomplish an astronomical purpose because of Esther’s obedience. She acknowledged her God in all her ways. She must have been so very afraid ,but God strengthened her by Mordecai’s words of truth.
Yahweh’s plan of purpose will be accomplished in every detail of our lives, IF we believe in His Name and seek his will, wait upon Him and acknowledge Him in all our ways.
That is why the scripture says Yahoshua came to magnify the law , not to abolish it. He can teach us the right way ( right judgment) to think and what to say and do in any given situation, and He alone will bring about the result.
We ( within ourselves) can not possibly attain to the perfection that great law does require… that is why faith in His Name is how we will attain as we run the race… As God did cease from his work on the seventh day..Exodus 20:11, and hallowed , that His people should not work , in the Magnification of that great Law( Hebrews 4:10), we should cease from our own work ( self judgement).
Everyday should be a sabbath (day of rest) from our work (our own judgment) … in this we take hold of His covenant (judgment) and keep His sabbath everyday.
When I start to think I must try to talk to my grown children about reality ( which is God) , He lets me know that I need to wait upon Him and trust him with my whole heart and hand my children to him. That way I can step aside and let the Spirit do His work in my heart and in theirs.
I believe that being quiet and waiting upon God is a work in action . It takes faith to do nothing when that is what faith requires and the whole world is screaming, the religious leaders and secular alike (humanism) that we must do something!!
Faith and waiting upon Him will bring fruitful works in His perfect timing.
This is so important to understand during this time in history when mankind , through “higher education, “ wants to take full control of our thoughts and actions.
Let us look to Yahoshua , the son of the living God , to lead us, just as God’s Spirit led the children of Israel into the promise land by obedience to the son of Nun..Yahoshua.
Yah said.. for My Name( Spirit) is in him ..Exodus 23:21.
For His ways are far higher then our ways Isaiah 55:9
Let us build upon the rock. That rock is the apostles ( all Jews) doctrine. Acts 2:42. Mat 16:18-19
Upon this rock I ( Yahoshua ) will build my church.
Let us believe in the word.
John 1:14. Revelation 19:13
Dear Mary,
We appreciate your engagement with Moran’s Scripture commentaries so much! Thank you for your thoughtful responses; you are clearly seeking the LORD and it’s encouraging to see this reflected in your comments.
Just one point of clarification that we want to make: In Hebrew, there is a difference between the names of Yehoshua (יהושוע) and Yeshua (ישוע). You often use these names interchangeably, but they are, in fact, two separate people; Yeshua is the Messiah and Yehoshua is Joshua, the son of Nun. We just want to make sure that at least on our end, we differentiate between Yeshua and Yehoshua.
Blessings!
The HFI Team
Hi HFL team,
Thank you for the clarification on this vitally important issue.
I didn’t mean to imply that Hoshea, son of Nun, and Yahoshua Messiah were the same people. I agree that they are two different people, but one in Spirit; both anointed with God’s Spirit, and both anointed with God’s Messianic name.
By the Holy Spirit Moses Joined the two names together (Yah, I Am in meaning ) and Hoshea ( meaning Salvation), anointing the son of Nun with God’s Messianic name, because he was chosen to lead Israel into the land that God promised them. Exodus 23:21
In the same way Yahoshua, son of Nun’s name was conceived from the mouth of Moses by the Holy Spirit, so was Yahoshua Messiah conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary.
Yahoshua the Messiah is the one I am trusting to lead me into the New Jerusalem, the heavenly promise land.
His name and HIs Spirit are one.
That is what I believe. Because it is what God’s Spirit has taught me.
Mary
Hi HFI Team,
I didn’t mean to imply that the son of Nun and the Messiah were the same person, but I do believe they are one in Spirit and in Name.
Mary
Hi HFI Team,
I didn’t meant to imply that the Messiah and the son of Nun were the same person.
I do believe both Have the same Spirit and name.
Mary
Hello HFI Team,
I didn’t mean to imply that they were the same people.
Yes. I know that the son of Nun and the Messiah are two different people, but with the same Spirit and the same name.
Moses anointed the son of Nun and changed his name to Yahoshua ( God’s Messianic name ) by the Holy Spirit, same as Yahoshua the Messiah was conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit.
That is what I believe because that’s what God has shown me.
Thank you for the encouragement. I’m praying for all of us .
Mary