Family Parsha
Va'etchanan Q & A

I was standing between G-d and you. (5:5)

Question: Instead of "I was standing" wouldn't it have made more sense for Moses to have said "I stood"?

Answer: The Talmud1 says that G-d so despises arrogant people that He cannot dwell together with them. Moses is telling the people that when G-d descended upon Mt. Sinai He became united with the Jewish people through Torah. However, they must always remember that "I" -- being egoistic and conceited -- "stands" -- is a barrier -- between a person and G-d.

Honor your father and mother as G-d, your G-d, has commanded you. (5:16)

Question: The famed commentator Rashi explains that, "as G-d has commanded you," means that the commandment to honor parents was first given in the desert before Sinai at Marah.2 Why is it necessary to tell us this in the Ten Commandments?

Answer: Many mistakenly interpret the commandment of honoring parents as reciprocation for the care the parents bestowed upon their children. Torah, however, regards this as an erroneous rationale.

In the wilderness, everyone, young and old, children and parents, were sustained through the manna which fell from heaven. Their clothes miraculously grew with them and were cleaned and pressed by the clouds of heaven. The parents did not have to work to earn a livelihood in order to be able to provide for their children. Nonetheless, under such circumstances, G-d commanded the honoring of parents. Thus, honoring parents is not an act of reciprocity in which the parents are "paid back" by the children, but even when parents do nothing for their children, they must be honored merely because of who they are.

Who can assure that this heart should remain theirs, to fear Me and observe all My commandments all the days. (5:26)

Question: What does the word "theirs" mean in this context?

Answer: The Midrash3 says that "The wicked stand in subjection to their heart, but the righteous have their hearts under their control." The heart is the source of desires and passions, which the wicked are not able to resist, but which the righteous withstand.

The evil inclination attempts to distract man from fearing G-d and observing His commandments. Therefore, the Torah advises those who wish to overcome temptation that "this heart should be theirs" -- controlled by them and not controlling them.

And write them on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates. (6:9)

Question: Why is the mezuzah affixed to the doorpost in a slanted position?

Answer: For a home to have the proper atmosphere, harmony and peace must prevail among all those who dwell in it, and this is achieved by promoting a spirit of cooperation. Putting the mezuzah on an angle instead of upright is thus a message that all those who enter the home must be willing to bend in conflicts with other people.