Torah PortiorLY

Teach God's Laws
To Each Generation

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their children. There is a comfort in
knowing that this love is reciprocal.
This implies that the law and love -\
are intertwined. Just as God is the
parent and teacher to the Jewish
people, we are the child or the stu-
dent. It is out of love and respect for
God that we honor and imitate
Him. Following God's command-
ments and teaching them to our
n this week's parsha, all of the
children motivates us to be more
miraculous acts that God has
moral and set examples for our chil-i=1,
rendered for the Jewish people
dren.
We also are expressing our love
are recalled. God took us out
for God and striving for holiness,
from Egypt, delivered us from our
just as we wish our chil-
enemies, fed us manna and
dren to do with us as a
saved us. Furthermore, God
model.
promises repeatedly what
How, then, is this
wonderful deeds He will yet
accomplished?
Many early
perform for the Jewish peo-
scholars
have
studied
the
ple. He will bless us and
efficacies
of
various
teach-.,--
deliver us from our ene-
ing ideas. In my study with
mies, will give us the land
Rabbi Joseph Krakoff of
and its abundance that was
Congregation Shaarey
promised in the covenant
Zedek I learned some of
and will cause us to multi-
them.
ply. God, the loving parent,
FAYE
Rashi stated, "Your chil-
graciously indulges us with
ULLMANN
dren
are your disciples"
promises yet to be fulfilled.
Special to the
and
"You
are the children
What does God require
Jewish News
of the Lord, your God."
of the Jewish people in
This creates an image of us--\,
return? As written in
learning directly from God and then
Chapter 10, "... to revere God, to
passing that knowledge to our chil-
walk in His ways, to love Him and
dren.
to serve Him." Elsewhere in this
Said Sforno, a 16th-century bibli-
parsha (Chapter 11:19), God speaks
cal
commentator from Italy: "Teach
that in regard to His laws, "... ye
them
by constant review and with
shall teach them to your children,
sharpness resulting in reasoned
talking of them when thou sittest in
proof."
thy house and when thou walkest by
Rabbi Dr. J.H. Hertz, editor of
the way, when thou liest down, and
the
Hertz Chumash, wrote, "Prick
when thou risest up." We are told to
them
in so that the words remain
teach this to children from one gen-
indelibly
upon their hearts. Let
eration to another. To follow God's
them
have
a clear, and not a con-
ordinances and transmit them to the
fused
or
stammering
knowledge of
next generations is what God
the duties and teachings of their
expects from us.
faith."
The words from this parsha are
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch,
the very words that we declare in the
leader of 19th-century orthodoxy,
Shema, the daily prayer of Jewish
stated, "First imprint it in short,
identification that is the watchword
sharp, concise sentences and then
of our faith. The Shema is the
impress it by conversing and debat-
essence of what we, as Jews, believe.
ing on it."
In saying the Shema we reaffirm our
It is precisely because of this focus
belief that God is one, that God is
on teaching Torah to our children
unique and that God is our creator.
for thousands of years that we have
Essentially, a loving God tells us to
come
to be known as "the people of
obey the commandments, the Torah
the
book".
We continue to operate
and all of His teachings. The people
community-
and synagogue-based
of Israel return God's love by abiding
schools
almost
everywhere we live.
by those laws and teaching them to
Enrollment is increasing in day
Faye Ullmann, a past president of
schools and nursery schools.
Women's League for Conservative
Worldwide, new learning centers are
Judaism, is a member of Congregation
being established. Programs for
Shaarey Zedek and teaches preschool
study in Israel thrive. Enthusiastic
at Congregation Beth Abraham Hillel
adults (particularly, in our commu-
Moses.
nity) fill up classrooms and book-

Shabbat Eikev:
Deuteronomy 7:12-
11:25;
Isaiah 49: 14-51:3.

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