14 Aug PARASHAT VA’ET’HANAN: OUR SPIRITUAL GENES

We read in Parashat
Va’et’hanan the first
of the three paragraphs
that comprise the
Shema text which we
recite each morning and evening. This first
paragraph contains the command, “Ve’ahabta
Et Hashem Elokecha Be’chol Lebabecha
U’b’chol Nafshecha U’b’chol Me’odecha”-
“You shall love Hashem your G-d with all
your heart, with all your soul, and with all
your means” (6:5).
Rashi explains the precise meaning of this
command, to love Hashem with all our
“heart,” “soul,” and “means.” Loving Hashem
“with all our heart” requires us to devote
ourselves to Him with both “sides” of our
heart – with our Yeser Tob (good inclination)
and our Yeser Ha’ra (evil inclination). We
serve Hashem with our Yeser Tob, of course,
by acting upon our desire for goodness, and
performing the Misvot. We serve Hashem
with our Yeser Ha’ra by subduing our
negative tendencies, overpowering our sinful
inclinations in faithful obedience to G-d.
The command to love Hashem “with all your
soul,” Rashi explains, means that, if necessary,
we are to be prepared to surrender our lives
for Hashem. Under certain circumstances, we
are required to sacrifice our lives rather than

abandon our faith, as, unfortunately, many
Jews have been forced to do throughout the
ages.
Finally, Rashi explains the command to love
Hashem “Be’chol Me’odecha” to mean that
we must be willing to part with our money for
Hashem’s sake. We must avoid violating His
laws even at great financial expense.
The Ba’al Ha’turim (Rabbenu Yaakob
Ben Asher, Germany-Spain, 1269-1340)
comments that these three commands
correspond to the three Abot (patriarchs). The
command to love Hashem with all our heart, he
explains, is associated with Abraham Abinu,
about whom it is said, “U’masata Et Lebabo
Ne’eman Lefanecha” – Hashem “found His
heart faithful” (Nehemya 9:8). Abraham was
the paragon of unconditional and unwavering
faith in Hashem, a man whose heart was pure
and unquestioning in its devotion to G-d. He
sets the example we must follow in fulfilling
the command to serve Hashem “Be’chol
Lebabecha.”
Yishak Abinu, of course, was prepared to
surrender his life to Hashem at the Akeda,
when G-d commanded Abraham to sacrifice
his son upon an altar, rescinding the command
only at the final moment, just as Abraham
lifted the knife. Thus, Yishak is the exemplar

of “U’b’chol Nafshecha,” the willingness to
sacrifice one’s life for Hashem.
Finally, Yaakob Abinu pledged to G-d as he
fled from his brother that he would donate
one-tenth of all his earnings (Bereshit
28:22). In fact, Yaakob ended up giving to
his brother all the money he earned during
his years outside Eretz Yisrael, in exchange
for Me’arat Ha’machpela, the burial site
of the patriarchs. Yaakob exemplifies the
willingness to part with one’s money for the
sake of Hashem, and so he is associated with
the command, “U’b’chol Me’odecha.”
The Ba’al Ha’turim adds that the word
“Ve’ahabta” (“You shall love”), with which
this verse begins, has the same letters as the
word “Ha’abot” – “the patriarchs.”
Why is this important? What significance
is there is to this connection between the
command of “Ve’ahabta” and the three
patriarchs?
Very often, religious life can appear very
difficult, and even intimidating. The
numerous restrictions and obligations can
make us feel discouraged, and many people
feel they simply lack the inner strength, the
resolve, the discipline or the skills to observe
the Torah. The requirement to subdue our
Yeser Ha’ra, and to make the considerable

sacrifices entailed in serving Hashem, can be
daunting. The Torah therefore alludes in this
verse to the example set for us by our Abot,
to remind us of our origins and roots. We
have outstanding “spiritual genes.” As the
descendants of Abraham, Yishak and Yaakob,
we have inherited their faith and their
strength. They set for us the precedent of
overcoming difficult challenges in the service
of Hashem, of steadfast devotion to Him
even in times of hardship. We must not feel
discouraged or intimidated by the Torah’s
obligations, but should instead feel confident
in the “genes” we have received, in the power
that we have as the heirs of our righteous
forebears, which enables us to fully commit
ourselves to the divine will.