Month: July 2026

Parsha summary
In the third portion of the book of Deuteronomy, Moses continues his speech, addressing themes central to the Jewish faith. If the people of Israel keep the commandments of the Torah, God will uphold the covenant and bless them with offspring, crops, flocks and herds, health, and dominion over their enemies. Moses describes the conquest of the land as a gradual process and encourages the people not to fear. Moses warns against haughtiness of heart as a sin that can lead to destruction and exile. The people hear about their past sins: the sin of the calf and the breaking of the tablets of the covenant, the sin of the spies and the forty years of wandering in the desert. Despite the sins, God continues to choose the people of Israel and commands
He must adhere to the Torah. „And it shall be, if you earnestly obey,” the second part of the Shema, is taken from the portion of Eikev. Finally, the people of Israel receive the promise of long life and inheritance of the land in peace and security.

Three portions were joined together to create „Shema Yisrael”: the "Shema” portion from the book of Deuteronomy, the "Vehaya Im Shamoa” portion, which is in this week's Torah portion, and the Tzitzit portion from the book of Numbers. The first two portions are written on every mezuzah and are also included in tefillin. Yet, I am confused every time I hear or read them.

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5) from the Parashat Va'etchanan command is about absolute love and devotion, without reason and without purpose. There is no attempt here to give a reward for the commandment or to explain it. In contrast, in this week's Torah portion it is written: "And it shall be, if you will diligently listen to My commandments” (Deuteronomy 11:13), a logical and clear explanation is given for the reward of the commandments, and also a threat of what will happen if we do not fulfill them.

Isaiah Leibowitz interprets, according to Maimonides, unconditional love of God as serving God for His sake alone, and fear of God out of a desire to receive a reward or out of fear of punishment as serving God not for His sake. The large gap between these two approaches, which appear within the Shema and in close proximity in Moses' words, cannot be a coincidence or a mistake.

There may be room for both approaches: there are Jews who will observe commandments for reward, and there are those who will serve God out of pure love. Alternatively, it is possible that the approaches diverge over time: sometimes a person sees the personal request for reward as a childish stage of faith and can serve God with all their might, but sometimes they cry out to heaven for personal and specific help, and even bargain and make vows in exchange for reward.

Perhaps work that is not for its own sake is everyday belief, and we strive to reach a higher level of unconditional belief. Whether between one person and another, or between different times or levels of belief, the two approaches coexist, contradict each other, and perhaps even complement each other.

"and now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you? Only to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”.
And here are the three principles of our Jewish lives: reverence, love, and work.

Shabbat Shalom.

The question of why Moses, the greatest of prophets, the man who led the Israelites out of Egypt, brought down the Torah from Mount Sinai, and guided the people for forty years, did not merit bringing the people into the Land of Israel is one that occupies many. Is it merely a consequence of his alleged sin when he expressed doubt, or is there a more "rational" answer to this question?.

 
I have been involved in leadership for most of my adult life – teaching, researching, and also leading myself at times. I want to offer the leadership perspective.
The Torah may be trying to tell us that leadership is not just a quality of an individual, but a fit between the person and the task before him and the generation. Professor Micha Popper, recipient of the Israel Prize for Management Sciences in 2026, and my teacher and mentor, has written many studies and books dealing not with the leader himself, but with the social situation and the followers. In recent years, Professor Popper accompanied the civil awakening of January 23 and recently published his book "When the Public Rises - The Awakening of the Best Israeli Identity." The book documents and analyzes this tremendous social movement and also offers courses of action for the future.

And let's return to Moses. He was the leader the people needed to go from slavery to freedom. He was a revolutionary; he shattered the old order and stood up to Pharaoh. He shaped a new national identity, gave the people a vision and values, and transformed a collection of slaves into a people with a destiny. This was leadership of profound change, of inspiration, and of creating a new reality.
After forty years in the desert, the mission changed.
The challenge is no longer to convince people that it's possible to dream of the Land of Israel. The challenge is to build it. To conquer, divide the land, establish institutions, manage disputes, lead different tribes, and create a routine of life for a free people in its land.
Different leadership is needed.

Joshua ben Nun is not a “mini-Moses.” He is a different kind of leader. Less charisma and more perseverance. Fewer miracles and more hard work. Less of a new vision and more of the realization of the vision that has already been created. Joshua does not ask, “Where are we going?” but rather suggests, “How do we get there?” He understands that the historical moment on the eve of entering the Promised Land requires a transition from arousal to action.
This is one of the most important lessons about leadership: there is no one-size-fits-all model. The question is not who is the greater leader, but what leadership is required in a given reality. I am also thinking about this lesson in the Israeli reality of recent years.

In January 2023, an unprecedented civil awakening arose in Israel. Hundreds of thousands of citizens, myself included, from all sectors of Israeli society, took to the streets out of a deep sense of responsibility for the country. We hadn't seen ourselves as activists before. We established organizations, led initiatives, mobilized volunteers, forged new partnerships, and proved that civil society has immense power. The engine behind this awakening was leaders who knew how to offer a vision and show the way to the masses who came.

 
After October 7th, the same civilian leadership emerged with even greater strength. The same people enlisted in the reserves, established aid networks, cared for the displaced, farmers, families of hostages, and systems that the state struggled to operate at the required speed. Civil society once again proved that it is capable of anything, as long as there are those who offer direction and lead towards a common goal and purpose.
I think we've reached an inflection point. The point where a significant turning point occurs, changing the entire reality.

Protest and social activism are essential tools in a democracy. They are the wake-up call that alerts, warns, corrects, and reminds the government that it serves the public. However, civil protest cannot be the permanent state of a society. Ultimately, decisions are made in the Knesset and the government, in local authorities, and in public service. That is where laws are written, budgets are set, institutions are established, and policy is built.

If the leaders of the civil awakening remain only outside the system, they may leave the building work to others.

Therefore, it seems to me that the time calls for a transition from the leadership of Moses to the leadership of Joshua. Not a transition from values to politics, but a transition from values expressed in the street to values that shape the country. Not a surrender of activism, but its natural evolution. The demonstration is not the end of the road; it is the beginning of responsibility.

Joshua did not begin his journey on the day he was appointed leader. For years he learned from Moses, served, commanded, bore responsibility, and prepared himself for the moment he would be called upon to lead. In our society too, people are needed who are ready to take the next step – to run for office, to serve in the Knesset, in local government, in government ministries, and in public service, and to turn the values they fought for into policy and action.
Perhaps this is the message the Torah seeks to teach us: there is a time to part the Red Sea, and there is a time to pave roads in the promised land. There is a time to take to the streets, and there is a time to enter committee rooms, the plenum, government offices, and decision-making centers. Both tasks are essential, but each belongs to a different social situation.

Our generation's challenge is not only to fight for the character of the State of Israel and Israeli society, but also to be ready to build it. This is the transition from Moses to Joshua—from a leadership of awakening to a leadership of fulfillment.

And the political context requires no elaboration. Get up and fix it!

Shabbat Shalom!