Spending time in New York is always a wonderful opportunity to improve my patience. Being spoiled for over a decade with virtually no traffic in Boise, I’m at a disadvantage when I attempt to navigate the streets of New York. Traffic, offensive driving, delays and tolls are just some of the inarguable ‘perks’ of New York’s roadways.
Add in the ubiquitous one-way streets, and planning to get somewhere barely ever takes the amount of time you had anticipated. Traversing Manhattan a couple days ago, I spent fifteen minutes driving around one block. When I arrived at the corner, I saw that I could not turn onto the one-way street during certain hours of the day. So I had to spend another ten minutes driving several blocks – to arrive at the same intersection, from a different angle.
One way streets do have some benefits, but it does take quite a bit of adapting from the 2-way universe of Idaho.
***
One of the highlights of this week’s parsha of Va’etchanan is the Ten Commandments.
The truth is we should already be familiar with the Ten Commandments. We read about the Giving of the Torah in the Book of Exodus, much earlier. In this week’s parsha, Moshe recounts the story of the Giving of the Torah – and the Ten Commandments are repeated. There are a few unique differences between the first recording and the second (most notably, “Guard the Shabbat” versus “Remember the Shabbat”). But even so, 95% is identical.
If so, one wonders, why did G-d feel it necessary to repeat the Ten Commandments? The Torah is usually quite concise in its wording. Yet here, virtually the same words are repeated verbatim. Even the few differences could easily have been included the first time around!
***
Actually, the Jews received two sets of tablets with the Ten Commandments. The first were shattered by Moshe after he saw the Jews had sinned with the Golden Calf. After they repented G-d gave the second set. However, Moshe’s recounting in our parsha is about the first Ten Commendments! In other words, both times the Torah tells us the words of the Ten Commandments, it is talking about the same narrative. The first is mentioned twice and the second isn’t mentioned at all! (To be sure, the words on the second were identical to the first).
So, what is the meaning of repeating the Ten Comandments.
Chassidic thought explains the difference between the episode as it is discussed in the Book of Exodus/Shemot and the Book of Devarim/Deuteronomy (this week’s parsha). The first time it is G-d’s description of what transpired. This time around Moshe is doing the talking – “You were shown in order to know that G-d is the only G-d…. G-d spoke with you face to face…G-d spoke all these words to your entire assembly.”
The Torah repeats it to demonstrate that it isn’t sufficient to be recipients of the Torah. To merely receive the Torah from G-d’s perspective falls short. We must also internalize the Torah personally. We must make Torah values part of our own lingo. Our psyche, our minds and hearts must embrace Torah. When Torah is perceived from the human vantage point, it fulfills its purpose: Divine wisdom that has become embedded and integrated as part and parcel of human wisdom.
However, there is one great hazard in our endeavor to internalize the Torah. We may assert our own intellect and outlook so emphatically that we forget it is G-d’s Torah. Understanding the Torah, bereft of acknowledging its Divine source, becomes a purely human act. Experiencing G-d’s presence in the Torah prevents of from viewing it as merely an intellectual pursuit. Torah is thus what it is meant to be – an encounter with the Divine.
This is why the second recounting of the Ten Commandments is really talking about the first Giving of the Torah. Although the message is primarily empowering us to absorb Torah into our own human perspective, the Torah nonetheless reminds us that G-d’s perspective cannot be absent.
A world of only one-way streets is no good. Even New York has plenty of 2-way streets! But sometimes a one-way street is important.
Here the Almighty reminds us that the Torah is meant to be a two-way street, with Divine direction and human implementation. But one direction always prevails.