Parashat Devarim / Shabbat Chazon

 

By Rabbi Shai

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This week we begin Sefer Devarim—Moses’ long, heartfelt farewell. But this isn’t just a recap. It’s a retelling of our story, offered with love, urgency, and hope. Moses isn’t simply recounting events; he’s helping the people make meaning of their journey.

And it’s no coincidence that this portion is read on Shabbat Chazon, the “Shabbat of Vision,” which falls right before Tisha B’Av—the day we mourn the destruction of the Temples and all the brokenness that has followed.

But Shabbat Chazon isn’t just about loss. It’s about the power of inner vision. The great Chassidic teacher, the Piaseczna Rebbe, taught that even in the darkest times, we must nourish a holy imagination—a vision of who we are and who we’re becoming.

Devarim and Shabbat Chazon ask the same thing of us: to stop, to look honestly at our past—not to get stuck in it, but to learn from it. To say, “This is where I’ve been. This is what I’ve survived. And this is who I choose to be next.”

Our personal and collective stories are still being written. The pain is real, but so is the possibility.

This Shabbat, may we embrace the power of sacred memory—not as a weight, but as wings. And may our vision for SOJC and for ourselves be filled with compassion, renewal, and hope.

Shabbat Shalom!