Shabbat Vayelech
- Shuvah
Torah:
Deuteronomy 31:1 - 31:30
Haftarah:
Hosea 14:2-10; Micah 7:18-20; Joel 2:15-27 | Shabbat Shuva
“Shuva,
Yisrael - Return, O Israel (Hosea 14:2)”
Dear Friends,
The Sages call this week “Shabbat Shuvah”— the
“Sabbath of Return”—named after the first word of this week’s haftarah, in
which the prophet Hosea enjoins the people of Israel to repent from their evil
ways and return to God.
The Talmud (Brachot 10a) relates a chilling
conversation between the prophet Isaiah and the King Hezekiah of Jerusalem as
the king lay sick in bed. The prophet told the king that he would die for
failing to engage in the mitzvah of having children. When the king expressed
remorse for his sin Isaiah told him, “The decree [of death] has already been
decreed.” Hezekiah refused to accept the prophet’s decree, declaring that, “I
received [the tradition passed down] from my grandfather [King David]: Even if
a sharp sword is hanging over one’s neck, a person should never hold himself
back from [asking for] forgiveness.” Hezekiah was indeed correct. God accepted
his repentance and he recovered from his illness.
George Eliot once said, “It is never too late to be
what you might have been.” Shabbat Shuvah reminds us that there is still much
more that we can and must do. Everyone has the opportunity during these Ten
Days of Repentance to change and return to his or her better self.
I send you and your families my fondest wishes for a Shanah Tovah – a healthy, happy, prosperous and sweet New Year!
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Eitan Weiner-Kaplow
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