The Greatest Comfort

A thought on Parashas Va'eschanan and Shabbos Nachamu

This week has been a week full of questions, starting with Tisha B’av where we take the day to question Hashem for all the suffering we have endured as a people and continuing into some of the tragedies which took place this past week in the Jewish community. 

Perhaps, it is not coincidental that we celebrate this Shabbos as Shabbos Nachamu with the reading of Parashas Va’escahanan.

The Parashah too is full of questions.

Moshe relates that he begged and pleaded with Hashem to help him understand why he cannot enter Eretz Yisrael. Hashem refused to discuss the matter with Moshe. 

Moshe goes on to encourage the people to keep the mitzvos and to be an inspiration for the nations of the world.  Moshe explains the importance of safeguarding and remembering the most monumental events in our history as a people, Matan Torah and Yetzias Mitzrayim, and the importance of  passing them on to the next ge…