Aliya Summary: When G‑d gathers His people's exiles, the Israelites
will once again serve G‑d, and will be blessed with abundance in the
work of their hands, the fruit of their wombs, the fruit of their land,
and the fruit of their livestock. Moshe enjoined the people to follow
the mitzvot, informing them that "it is not beyond you nor is it remote
from you. It is not in heaven... It is not across the sea.... Rather, it
is very close to you, in your mouth, in your heart, that you may do
it."
The last three words of the portion are very
instructive. Thoughts, words, deeds. Teshuva, repentance, certainly
contains all three elements. One must act repentant, by stopping to do
the particular sin and by doing the mitzva. He must sincerely regret
having done wrong and accept the proper path for his future. This is in
the realm of thought. And Verbal confession to G-d is an essential
ingredient of the T'shuva process. So too, one can see that many mitzvot
- the whole Torah, really, is kept with words, thoughts, and deeds.
This isn't really an either-or situation. The Aliya can apply both to
the general and the specific.
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