Moses tells the people of Israel how he implored G‑d to allow him to enter the Land of Israel, but G‑d refused, instructing him
instead to ascend a mountain and see the Promised Land.
Continuing his “review of the Torah,” Moses describes the Exodus from Egypt and the Giving of the Torah, declaring them unprecedented events
in human history. “Has there ever occurred this great thing, or has the likes of it ever been heard? Did ever a people hear the voice of G‑d speaking out of the midst of the fire . . . and live? . . . You were shown, to know, that the L‑rd is G‑d . . . there
is none else beside Him.”
Moses predicts that in future generations the people will turn away from G‑d, worship idols, and be exiled from their land and scattered
amongst the nations; but from there they will seek G‑d, and return
to obey His commandments.
Our Parshah also includes a repetition of the Ten Commandments, and the verses of the Shema, which declare the fundamentals of the Jewish faith:
the unity
of G‑d (“Hear O Israel: the L‑rd our G‑d, the L‑rd is one”); the mitzvot to love G‑d, to study
His Torah, and to bind “these words” as tefillin on our arms and heads, and inscribe them in the mezuzot
affixed on the doorposts of our homes.
