DEUTRONOMY VII:12-XI:25

WALK IN GOD’S PATHS

Veatah Israel, ma HaShem Elohecha doresh mimechah: “And now, Israel, what does HaShem, your God, require of you?” is Moshe’s (Moses’)introduction to clarify what are the fundamental bases of the relationship between Jew and God, the Hebrew people and the Creator. Because both the individual and the collective established a Brit, a covenant, with God. 

Moshe knows the sentence: he will not enter the Promised Land; therefore, he uses the last stage of his life to recount the reciprocal relationship between people and God. An initial strained relationship in the first years after the exodus from Egypt, which will continue with similar characteristics in the future. The history of the Jewish people is the story of periodic disobedience of Divine dictates, indiscipline that is accompanied by a genuine protest at an apparent absence of Divine protection against the onslaught of enemies. 

If, on the one hand, the people are guilty of rebellion—according to the perception of those who showed heroism and altruism, martyrdom and dedication for maintaining the monotheistic ideal in an idolatrous environment of carnal satisfactions, and the demand that desires be met immediately—God appears to be not entirely innocent either. On many occasions the Hester panim, the temporary concealment of God from the scene of history, is felt. At least this is the human perception. ́

In our chapters, Moshe specifies what God really requires of us: “Walk only in His paths, love Him, and serve Him with all your heart and spirit.” Specifying which is the “path” that leads to God may require research and study; on the other hand, “loving” God “with all the heart and spirit” is a subjective condition that is rooted in intuition and the affective quality of the individual. Love can have various origins: it can be the result of a personal experience, a favor received.

Although the basis of “love” for God has a difficult root to identify, it can be cultivated and nurtured through the awareness of the existence of a single God, creator of the earth’s energy that provides food, organizer of the celestial orbits. The supreme being who cares about the individual destiny of people. “Walking in His paths” requires intellectual reflection. According to Maimonides, the relationship between man and God must have a fundamental intellectual ingredient. Two aspects can be considered: the wisdom contained in the Torah, which serves to define the “path” and, an alternative way, the study of science. Jewish tradition states that the patriarch Avraham based his faith on a single God by observing a vast number of stars in the sky, an endless firmament that testifies to a Creator who cannot be subject to the laws that describe earthly existence. 

For Judaism, however, “walking in His paths”, in addition to an intellectual idea and activity, implies the implementation of certain specific principles, a daily conduct guided by certain rules that lead to harmony among men and make possible coexistence in society. It is the world of the Mitsvot, the specific and concrete tasks that regulate respect for one’s neighbor, for one’s property and for one’s rights. They cultivate reverence for daily prayer, unbreakable ties with God and the Promised Land through Tefillin (phylacteries) and Tsitsit, (tussles or fringes in the corners of a square garment) as a kind of flag that should remind us of the inescapable commitment to the fulfillment of the Divine Will.

It should be noted that “love” must be a reciprocal relationship. We love God and he loves us. We set out to discover what the basic structural elements of the universe are, and God provides us with the intellect that can investigate and discover, reveal and understand more, and deeply. We observe the Mitsvot and with their fulfillment we grow spiritually, develop sensitivity for the less fortunate, prepare the environment for a messianic era of harmony and understanding between people, Jews and Gentiles together, to the encounter with the one God.

MITZVAH: ORDINANCE OF THE TORAH IN THIS PARSHA

CONTAINS 6  POSITIVE MITSVOT AND 2 PROHIBITIONS

428. Deuteronomy 7:25 Not to gain profit from the ornaments of an idol

429. Deuteronomy 7:26 Possess no object belonging to the worship of idols, nor derive any benefit from them

430. Deuteronomy 8:10 Bless God after eating bread

431. Deuteronomy 10:19 Love those who convert to Judaism

432. Deuteronomy 10:20 Fear God

433. Deuteronomy 10:20 Pray to God

434. Deuteronomy 10:20 Associating with and adhering to Torah scholars

435. Deuteronomy 10:20 Swearing by the Name of God by making a vow