Deuteronomy · Weekly Torah portion
Parashat Vaetchananוָאֶתְחַנַּן
Torah reading
Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11
Haftarah
Isaiah 40:1-26
What happens in Vaetchanan
Moses pleads — vaetchanan — to enter the land, and is refused; he may see it from the mountain, no more. What follows is the heart of Jewish liturgy: the Ten Commandments retold, and the Shema — 'Hear O Israel' — with the V'ahavta: love God with all your heart, teach these words to your children, bind them as a sign, write them on your doorposts. Always read on Shabbat Nachamu, the Shabbat of comfort after Tisha B'Av.
Big themes
- Hear, O Israel
- Teaching your children
- Comfort after sorrow
If this is your bar or bat mitzvah portion
The Shema — likely the first prayer you ever learned and the one on every mezuzah — comes from this parsha. Its command is to listen. In a world of constant noise, 'Shema' may be the hardest mitzvah of all: stop, and truly hear.
Learning to chant Vaetchanan?
Ready 13 builds a verse-by-verse practice plan for this exact portion — chanted reference audio, karaoke highlighting, trope games, and a countdown that keeps the big day on track.
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