In our Parashat Vaetchanan we meet Moses, who speaks these words to the people, as they are standing on the edge of the Promised Land — but his concern is not military readiness or economic planning. His focus is moral visibility:
“See, I have taught you statutes and laws… Guard them and do them, for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations… For what great nation has God so near to it… and what great nation has righteous laws like this Torah… Only guard yourself and guard your soul exceedingly, lest you forget… and make them known to your children and your children’s children.”
Moses is telling Israel: You are not just inheriting land — you are inheriting a mission.
That mission is not just to preserve the Torah for ourselves, but to embody it so fully that others see its beauty without us needing to explain it.
“Wisdom That Is Seen”, Not Just Spoken.”
The verse says, “in the eyes of the nations.” It’s not enough to claim Torah is wise — people must be able to “see” its wisdom in our actions. That means integrity in business, kindness to strangers, fairness in judgment, and mercy in strength. These are not public relations strategies; they are living testimonies.
“Closeness to God as a Way of Life”
For what great nation has God so near to it… whenever we call upon Him?” This is not just about miraculous intervention. It’s about the constant awareness that God is present — in how we speak, how we decide, how we respond to others. When that awareness shapes our lives, people feel it even if they cannot name it.
“Guarding the Flame for the Next Generation”
The warning is sharp: “Guard yourself… lest you forget.” Forgetting doesn’t mean erasing facts from memory — it means letting the passion, the wonder, and the gratitude fade until the Torah becomes routine. The antidote? Tell the stories. Show the life. Let children see Torah alive in the way we live, not only in the words we teach.
Moses knew that the greatest threat to the covenant was not armies or exile — it was forgetfulness. If we forget to live the Torah visibly, we stop being a light to others. But when we live it — honestly, humbly, consistently — the light becomes impossible to ignore.
May we guard the flame, live in the awareness of God’s nearness, and leave a trail of living Torah that others cannot help but see — so that one day, someone who doesn’t know our prayers or our history can still say, “I saw God’s truth in the way you lived.”
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Refael Cohen