ParshatVa’etchanan, the second parsha of Deuteronomy (Devarim 3:23-7:11), opens with Moshe pleading to God to reverse the decree that he would not lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Though this story is several thousand years old, its portrait of a leader struggling with stepping down remains, as we’ve recently been reminded, stunningly relevant in our day.

The whole portion is worth a read because there’s lots of famous stuff in here (see how many verses in our liturgy you can spot!). But for context, all you’ll need to read is these 18 sentences:

Deuteronomy 3:1-11 and 3:23-29.

Please bring your favorite Torah translation, because we’ll hop around a little. But as usual, no Hebrew knowledge is necessary to follow along.

We’ll start at 8:15 and be done by 9:30 for those who plan to attend services.

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