This week's portion is one of several in Deuteronomy in which Moses lays out the rewards for keeping God's commandments, and the punishments for not doing so, upon entering into the Land of Israel and dwelling therein.
Three points stand out: one, that Moses begins with the blessings, not the curses; two, that he admonishes the Israelites not to think their future success comes from their own efforts; and three, that this is a rain-watered land.
Unlike Egypt, Moses says, where the Nile causes crops to grow almost without effort, rain-dependent Israel requires careful attention, cultivation, and planning. It also requires a spiritual mindset attuned to heaven, not earth.
This portion, one of the shortest, repeats the terms of the covenant: do good, and receive reward; do evil, and receive punishment. The Torah makes clear that this applies to individuals: it cautions against rationalizing sin.
Deuteronomy 29:18 says: "When he hears the words of this oath, he may bless himself in his heart, saying, ‘I will enjoy peace of mind even if I follow my heart’s illusions.’ As a result, God will add the punishment for his 'drunk' (unintentional) sins to the punishment for his 'thirsty' (intentional) sins."
The punishment for sin is one thing; the punishment for excusing oneself from the moral rules is that you are punished even for inadvertent sins.
The lesson: don't try to make up an independent morality, separate from the one God provides to the people. If you could ever do such a thing, you'd be so great that you'd be worthy of being punished for even inadvertent sins.
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This week's show will be slightly different from the norm: we'll focus on clips and topics, rather than guests -- and that, hopefully, will mean more input from the callers (unless you are all watching football on opening weekend).
Topics:
- The state of the economy
- The fight against crime
- The midterm election fight
- The struggle for peace between Russia and Ukraine
- The airstrike on the Venezuelan drug cartel
- The attempt to sink Kennedy
- The war in Gaza
- The case against Harvard
- The Trump presidency
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