Naomi Graetz: Va’etchanan and Shabbat Nachamu When Comfort Becomes Dangerous

Naomi Graetz observes that Shabbat Nachamu very quickly follows Tisha B’Av, moving us rapidly from devastation to consolation, yet the rapid shift doesn’t quite work. She states that Lamentations emphasizes that “there is no comforter”. This is the defining condition. The lack of a neat resolution is reflected in Moses’ situation: he pleads to enter the land and is refused, without compromise or opportunity for appeal. He does not achieve fulfillment.

Rebecca Good: Va’etchanan Emunah (Faith)…Is It Enough?

Rebecca Good considers Moses at the time when he becomes aware that he will not enter the Promised Land. She writes that when Moses struck the rock, he did what he wanted to do, instead of what God told him to do. Although he had faith in God, he lacked the confidence that God would deliver.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, z/l: Va’etchanan The First Commandment

Rabbi Sacks writes about the divergence between the interpretations of Judah Halevi and Maimonides. For Maimonides, the basic principle is faith; a realization that there is a “First Being” who brought everything into existence. According to Halevi, the statement “I am the Lord your God…” is preliminary to the commands, explaining why the Israelites should be bound by the will of God.