Moshe passes before death camp the camp of the children of Israel, saying goodbye and encourage them. He promised that after his death, Gd will not leave the Jews, to help them defeat the enemy on the other side of the Jordan. Moshe publicly encourages his successor Yehoshua bin Nun, thereby enhancing its credibility in the eyes of the people. Prophet then taught the people the commandments "hakeel": once in seven years, the feast of Sukkot, all Jews, including children, must come to the temple, where the king read to them excerpts from the book "Deuteronomy", which refers to the faithfulness to Gd and His Testament, the reward for the observance of Torah law and punishment for their violation. Then Gd tells Moshe to come together with Joshua in the mobile temple where the new leader of the nation will receive instruction. God knows that, he settled in the Land of Israel, the Jews will forget him and begin to worship idols. Then Gd completely "sokroet His face", and the Jews will feel that they are given at the mercy of the enemy, and no one to protect them from persecution. Gd tells Moshe and Yehoshua to write the song "Aazinu" as evidence of the sinful thoughts of the children of Israel. Moshe records the song and sends it to the Jewish people. After completing the writing of the Torah, the prophet tells the Levites to put the text in the Ark of the Covenant as an eternal standard.


***


"I absolutely will surely hide My face in that day for all the evil that he did when he turned to other gods" (31:18).

In the middle of the empty street wept bitterly little boy.

- What's the matter, Ingel? - sympathetically I asked a passing Rabbi.

- We played ... - kid barely squeezed the words out between sobs. - We were playing hide and seek ... I hid behind the barn.

The boy raised his tear-stained face.

- Well, well, I listen - encouraged him equal.

- I hid, but ... but ... - tears prevented him from speaking.

- So what happened? - it bothered the rabbi.

- I hid - finally said the boy - but no one was looking for me.

The rabbi smiled gently.

- You should not cry, - he said quite seriously. - You were in good company.

The boy stopped crying in surprise and looked at Rav.

- Yes, you have excellent company. Gd, too, hiding from people, but few people trying to find him.

Our world - a cosmic game of hide and seek. We get an invitation to a show called "Life". At the invitation lies the great mystery. Who brought us here? Who provides all our needs? What we want from the organizer of this game?

To complicate the game and increase its rates, we offer a variety of temptations and false moves, designed to distract us from the goal of the game. But the main organizers provided us with a map and compass, which, if we use them correctly, will lead us to success. By these means, the orientation we can find him and to understand the purpose of their existence.

A compass and a map called the Torah. Following her instructions, we can easily find out from the contours of the One who wrote it. But if we neglect the Torah, turn away from it, he will hide from us farther and farther away.

"I am absolutely, I will hide My face ..." In the holy language of categorical action is expressed by doubling the verb. Therefore, the literal translation of this verse is: "I will hide, I will hide My face" ( "Be-Anokhov haster Astir Panay"). In most of the grammatical structure is the meaning of "concealment" of which the Torah says.

There are two types of "hiding". In one of them, we know that there is, there is a Creator, but we can not find him. Other concealment is a situation in which we do not even know what to look for someone. Concealed from us the fact of concealment. This is the highest, the ultimate form of concealment that we are not even aware that someone should look for. It seems to us that chaos - is the norm being that the way of the world and that he has no Boss.

This is a serious matter. With such a view of things, there is nothing to encourage us to seek God and its secret connection between the phenomena and events. "Yes, the world is cruel and absurd, - shall we say - that he was and always will be."

It is said that the ignorant are in bliss. It is true, but only so long as they do not open their ignorance. One day they suddenly wake up from their complacency in the Supreme Court, where they will have to answer in full for the years of "bliss."

But even for them in store window in the true reality. It opens once a year, on Yom Kippur. Soon, very soon we will get another chance to shake off the stupor and speak directly to the One who created us and came up with this standard of performance. If we diligently seek Him, you will surely find.


"Come back, I will forgive everything"


"Return, O Israel, Gd, your Lord, for you have stumbled on his guilt" (Hoshea 14: 2).

Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur - the first Shabbat of the year. It is believed that the Sabbath sets the tone for all subsequent Saturdays. Therefore we must carefully keep it holy. The Talmud says: if the Jews held the first Shabbat of the year according to the rules, without any violations, no people and no civilization could not rule over them.

The first man Adam was made on Friday afternoon to immediately experience the bliss of spiritual Sabbath rest. But even before the onset of the Sabbath, he committed the original, is still not atone for sin.

And Shabbat Teshuvah, repentance, which is closely linked to the Jewish tradition. The sages of the Talmud teach that teshuva preceded the creation of the world. Therefore, man, who returned to Judaism as if standing on the world. At the mystical level Shabbat emits a brighter light than all the other six days of the week, as it reflects the splendor of the world to come.

The first Shabbat of the year is called "Shabbat Shuva." "Shuva" in Hebrew - "return" or "repentance." With this word starts author, a special excerpt from the book of the prophets, who finished reading this weekly section - "Shuva Yisrael ...", "Return, O Israel, Gd, your Lord, for you have stumbled on his guilt."

If the court has sentenced a man to death and rejected all appeals, his last chance - to throw himself at the feet of the king. Prophet Hoshea encourages Jews to prostrate himself before the King of kings, pray to Him for mercy. Because He alone can undo a harsh sentence and forgive us all our sins and errors.


Nachum Purer