?Return to Me and I will return to you.? (Malachi 3:7)
In this week?s parasha, we find a continuation and conclusion to the covenant of blessings and curses presented by Moshe to the people of Israel in parashat Ki-Tavo (chapter 28). The striking element in this covenant is the role Eretz Israel plays as the medium and barometer of mitzvah observance.
After Moshe warns of the inevitable exile from the land, he adds an element of hope. Even when the curses materialize, there is a possibility of repentance and restoration. In the first ten verses in chapter 30, the verb shav (return) appears seven times, highlighting the entire process of teshuva.
The first stage begins with ?vahashevota el levavecha...? - ?you shall call them to mind....? Ironically, when in galut, you will undergo introspection.
This leads to the next stage, ?veshavta ad Hashem Elokecha...? - ?you shall return to the Lord your God...? ? return to mitzvah observance.
These two stages of return are reciprocated by God: ?veshav Hashem Elokecha et shevutcha verichamcha veshav vekibetzcha mikol ha?amim...? - ?then the Lord your God will return your captivity, and have compassion upon you, and will return and gather you from all the nations...?
God responds to our initiative of teshuva/repentance, with teshuva/restoration in two stages as well. Return of the exiled and dispersed and restoration. The process culminates only after we are once again in Eretz Israel, wherein our hearts are ?circumcised? to properly love God, and from where God will seek vengeance against our foes. At that point, teshuva is again employed ? returning to full mitzvah observance ? for now we can fulfill the mitzvot that can only be performed in the land of Israel.
This final stage of our repentance evokes a response from God, the restoration of the blessings in bounty. The unit ends with a reminder as to how the process is set in motion: ?ki tashuv el Hashem Elokecha bechol levavcha uvechol nafshecha...? - ?if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul?. We have to initiate.
The intention here is not only to inspire hope following exile, but also to teach us what teshuva is all about. It is a two-part process played out in three stages ? returning to ourselves, returning to mitzvah observance, and only once in Eretz Yisrael (i.e., part two), full repentance through the mitzvot of the land.
It is also a process reciprocated by God. Our return catalyzes His restoration and redemption through the land. On a national level, complete teshuva can only be fulfilled in Eretz Yisrael. Return to Eretz Yisrael is an expression of God?s returning to us (see Megillat Ruth, chapter 1).
God assures us that if we initiate, He will return to us as we do to Him - Shuvu Eilai veAshuva Aleichem... Aloh ? Na?aleh!
In this week?s parasha, we find a continuation and conclusion to the covenant of blessings and curses presented by Moshe to the people of Israel in parashat Ki-Tavo (chapter 28). The striking element in this covenant is the role Eretz Israel plays as the medium and barometer of mitzvah observance.
After Moshe warns of the inevitable exile from the land, he adds an element of hope. Even when the curses materialize, there is a possibility of repentance and restoration. In the first ten verses in chapter 30, the verb shav (return) appears seven times, highlighting the entire process of teshuva.
The first stage begins with ?vahashevota el levavecha...? - ?you shall call them to mind....? Ironically, when in galut, you will undergo introspection.
This leads to the next stage, ?veshavta ad Hashem Elokecha...? - ?you shall return to the Lord your God...? ? return to mitzvah observance.
These two stages of return are reciprocated by God: ?veshav Hashem Elokecha et shevutcha verichamcha veshav vekibetzcha mikol ha?amim...? - ?then the Lord your God will return your captivity, and have compassion upon you, and will return and gather you from all the nations...?
God responds to our initiative of teshuva/repentance, with teshuva/restoration in two stages as well. Return of the exiled and dispersed and restoration. The process culminates only after we are once again in Eretz Israel, wherein our hearts are ?circumcised? to properly love God, and from where God will seek vengeance against our foes. At that point, teshuva is again employed ? returning to full mitzvah observance ? for now we can fulfill the mitzvot that can only be performed in the land of Israel.
This final stage of our repentance evokes a response from God, the restoration of the blessings in bounty. The unit ends with a reminder as to how the process is set in motion: ?ki tashuv el Hashem Elokecha bechol levavcha uvechol nafshecha...? - ?if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul?. We have to initiate.
The intention here is not only to inspire hope following exile, but also to teach us what teshuva is all about. It is a two-part process played out in three stages ? returning to ourselves, returning to mitzvah observance, and only once in Eretz Yisrael (i.e., part two), full repentance through the mitzvot of the land.
It is also a process reciprocated by God. Our return catalyzes His restoration and redemption through the land. On a national level, complete teshuva can only be fulfilled in Eretz Yisrael. Return to Eretz Yisrael is an expression of God?s returning to us (see Megillat Ruth, chapter 1).
God assures us that if we initiate, He will return to us as we do to Him - Shuvu Eilai veAshuva Aleichem... Aloh ? Na?aleh!