Ve'ethchanan: Tough Love

Ve'ethchanan: Tough Love

The parsha says: Love the Lrd your Gd... or else.

It starts by telling us that Moshe, who was denied his dream of entering the land for one vague transgression, is told to  stop asking for mercy.  There will be  very limited  mercy (even for) him, he will get to see the land, but not enter it. Moshe then tells the people, repeatedly,  to be very careful in following the law. duh!

The parsha contains the ultimate summary of the law, the 10 commandments.  And the ultimate pledge of allegiance: the Shema.  It is like a national archive. 

Today is the first day of the 13th cycle of daf yomi.  The first mishneh discusses the time for the recitation of shema, the shema that is defined in the parsha. Coincidence...sure! 

It is also the 15th of Av, a day traditionally assigned for the finding of a spouse and the day I met my beloved wife. Coincidence...sure!

The shema tells us to love the Lrd. To love the Lrd that gave us the land ( and took it away, and gave it again, and took it away, and allowed the Holocaust, and gave the land ,again, to the Jews).  The Lrd that gives us life and mercy and takes away mercy and has mercy again. 

The mitzvoth are instruction how to love Gd.(?) I don't know the best way to love. Not Gd, Not my wife, not my children, not me. So I will try to follow instructions.(?)