Dear community members,

We are halfway through the summer. The fireflies are still congregating in droves in parks and backyards, and the days and evenings are warm. At the same time, reminders of forest fires in northern Ontario are coating our skies and sunsets, and our city is still recovering from the impacts of the Canada Day storm. 

It is a perfect time to take a pause and reflect. Where are we now? What do we value? And where do we want to go from here? 

This week’s parsha is Va’etchanan and it provides us with important ideas to consider. As a continuation of last week’s parsha, Moses is sitting with the new generation of Jewish people who are on the precipice of entering the Promised Land. The two parshas make up Moses’ “review of the Torah.” He recounts his failed attempts to convince Hashem to allow him to enter the Promised Land. He then describes the Exodus from Egypt and Hashem’s Gift of the Torah to the People of Israel. He reminds the people of the laws and teachings of the faith, and the fundamental principles of the Torah. He repeats the Ten Commandments and recites the opening verses of the Shema, stating our believe in Hashem’s unique oneness. 

Moses spends his time reminding the People of Israel of the basic texts of our religion and underscoring the idea that our survival as a nation and a people (whether on the precipice of entering the Promised Land, in exile, or in 2026) depends on our link to the Torah, to that which binds us. The Torah connects us to each other and to Hashem, binding us as a faith and as a community. 

In reminding us of all of these teachings, the parsha reinforces the role that we all have to play within our community. Amid global, national, and local uncertainty and circumstances beyond our control, we have guidance on how to treat one another, how to make the right choices and chart the right path for ourselves and our neighbours for positive impact on the community around us.  

In this vein, it has been so heartwarming to see the outreach of support and helping hands within our community following the July 1 floods. The social media posts on the Jewish Ottawa Helps Facebook group paint a portrait of community putting the teachings of our holy texts into action. People are offering support for flood clean up, hot water access, and kind and encouraging words to fellow community members. 

As we move into the second half of the summer, let’s keep these ideas in mind. That our community’s survival, sustainability, and strength is grounded in the teachings that link us together. And that while we cannot control everything around us, we can control how we put those teachings to use with our neighbours and community members.

Shabbat Shalom,

Danya