515 Prayers
"Vaeschanan" has the numerical value 515 — the number of times Moshe prayed to enter the Land. He was told to stop before the 516th. Sometimes the answer is no; the prayers were still not wasted.
Midrash Devarim Rabbah 11:10
Permanent Parsha Library
Divrei Torah on Parshas Va'eschanan
Looking for a Dvar Torah on Parshas Va'eschanan? This permanent library brings together the Torah For The Table selections for Parshas Va'eschanan from every available year, including quick vorts, material for children and families, stories, printable Torah sheets and longer pieces for deeper learning. Choose an individual selection below to read more about it before opening or printing the PDF.
Parshas Va'eschanan Divrei Torah at a Glance
The Torah For The Table archive currently includes 16 selections for Parshas Va'eschanan across 1 Jewish year. Use the year collections below to browse earlier material, or choose an individual Dvar Torah to preview and print.
Adults: 9Children: 3Families: 4Short Vorts: 3Essays: 7Questions & Answers: 1Stories: 5
Parshas Va'eschanan Collections by Year
Brief Insights on Parshas Va'eschanan
Quick Torah thoughts that can be shared at the Shabbos table.
On Your Heart, Not In It
The Shema says the words should be "on your heart" — not in it. Words rest on the heart until a moment cracks it open, and then they fall in.
Kotzker Rebbe on Devarim 6:6
Comfort, Doubled
"Nachamu nachamu ami" — comfort is said twice. Chazal read it as comfort for the destruction and comfort for the exile that followed. Real consolation addresses both the wound and the long aftermath.
Yeshayahu 40:1; Haftaras Nachamu
Printable Divrei Torah for Parshas Va'eschanan
These selections are drawn from the Torah For The Table archive. Open any PDF directly in your browser to read it, then use the browser menu if you wish to print or save it.
The Weekly Dvar
Adults · Short Vorts · 2 pages · 5786
This issue of The Weekly Dvar for Parshas Vaeschanan includes three standalone essays: one on Shabbos Nachamu as an ir miklat, one on the power of an ayin tovah, and one on self-esteem in avodas Hashem. It also contains short Torah insights on Tehillim, personal tafkid, and bitachon, plus a halacha discussion on counting berachos for early Shabbos, and weekly scenarios and riddles.
Sichos Yisroel
Adults · Essays · 6 pages · 5786
This essay from HaRav Yisroel Brog focuses on the power and centrality of tefillah (prayer) in the life of a Jew. Through stories involving the Brisker Rav and personal counseling cases, Rabbi Brog explains that life's challenges are Hashem's way of inviting us to daven—and if we pray properly, our prayers will work. He emphasizes that one must remove 'blockages' like gezel (theft) to ensure tefillos are accepted, drawing on Midrashim about Yaakov Avinu's purity and nighttime recitation of Tehillim in galus. The essay concludes with practical guidance: find a quiet place, pour out your heart, and trust that sincere tefillah brings results.
Parsha Questions & Answers
Children · Questions & Answers · 2 pages · 5786
This document presents 20 question-and-answer pairs on Parshas Va'eschanan, drawn primarily from Rashi's commentary. Topics include Moshe's prayers to enter Eretz Yisrael, the Aseres Hadibros, Shema Yisrael, tefillin and mezuzah, and the reasons Hashem chose Bnei Yisrael, offering readers bite-sized Torah insights on key pesukim from the parsha.
Timely Torah Insights
Adults · Essays · 2 pages · 5786
This publication contains two essays for Parshas Va'eschanan. The first essay explores the theme of Shabbas Nachamu and Tu B'Av as days of renewal and rebuilding after Tisha B'Av, comparing them to Yom Kippur in their power to start anew. The second essay discusses the halachic issue of saying Krias Shema on condition when one is concerned about missing the proper time, exploring various rabbinic opinions on whether mitzvos can be performed conditionally.
Toras Avigdor Junior
Children · Stories · 10 pages · 5786
This essay from Toras Avigdor develops a single theme across three labeled parts: the importance of being a 'listener' (shomeia) as commanded in Shema Yisroel. It explores how we must carefully choose what we hear—listening only to Hashem's voice through Torah, parents, rabbis, and nature—while guarding our minds from corruption. The essay emphasizes Shabbos as a special day for listening to both Torah and the voice of Creation.
Toras Avigdor
Adults · Essays · 10 pages · 5786
This is a single essay (Toras Avigdor) on Parshas Vaeschanan exploring the deeper meaning of 'Shema Yisroel.' It develops the theme that 'listening' is a Jew's life career—listening exclusively to Hashem through Torah, parents, teachers, and creation—while closing one's ears to secular voices and corrupting influences. The essay emphasizes that what we hear shapes who we become, that Shabbos is the Day of Listening, and that we must guard our ears as carefully as we protect our homes.
Zera Shimshon
Adults · Essays · 2 pages · 5786
This Zera Shimshon newsletter presents two independent vorts from Parshas Vaetchanan, exploring why Moshe yearned to enter Eretz Yisrael (to have Hashem as his G-d through his own merit) and why Hashem told him 'enough' as he told Korach (because Hashem judges the righteous to a hair's breadth). It also includes a personal miracle story about a cancelled surgery attributed to merit from supporting Zera Shimshon Torah.
Torah Sweets
Families · Short Vorts · 7 pages · 5786
This is an expanded Shabbos Nachamu / Tu B'Av edition newsletter featuring multiple independent articles and stories. Key pieces include Rabbi Zisha Kohn on the theme of consolation and making a 'full circle to Geulah,' Rabbi Moshe Klein on the Haftarah's message that Jews are like powerful stars, insights on living in the present moment, a discussion of Shalom Bayis principles, short inspirational stories, and various Torah thoughts from multiple contemporary authors on Parshas Va'eschanan.
Pirchei Weekly
Children · Stories · 4 pages · 5786
This issue of Pirchei Weekly includes a Torah essay on Parshas Vaeschanan exploring how Reuven merited having the first city of refuge by attempting to save Yosef, a biographical piece on R' Yosef Eliyahu Henkin highlighting his charity work and personal piety, a historical segment on Tu B'Av, halacha guidelines for the day, and a comic-style story about R' Dovid Leibowitz's respect for his students and fundraising dignity. It also contains davening tips, yahrtzeit information, and reference material like zmanim.
Torah Tavlin
Adults · Essays · 2 pages · 5786
This issue covers the themes of Shabbos Nachamu and the parsha Vaeschanan. It includes divrei Torah on topics like cherishing Shabbos, the significance of remembering the Churban, and the importance of teaching Torah to children. It also features stories illustrating emunah during the Holocaust and the integrity of Torah-observant youth, alongside halachic guidance about mourning practices and a series on living a Torah-centered life.
Aderaba
Families · Stories · 2 pages · 5786
This issue of Aderaba, focused on shmiras haloshon (guarding one's speech), features three distinct stories: a halachic scenario about speaking negatively of a social skills coach, a case of mistaken judgment about a bachur allegedly 'cheating' on a shmiras haloshon test, and a true account of kindness transforming a difficult laundromat manager. Each story illustrates the importance of judging others favorably and understanding situations before speaking.
Peninei Mechkerei Eretz
Adults · Essays · 2 pages · 5786
This essay explores the Tenth Commandment's prohibition against coveting, analyzing the textual break in the verse that separates 'lo tachmod' (you shall not covet) from 'lo titaveh' (you shall not desire). The Rambam counts these as two distinct prohibitions—one against inner desire and one against acting on that desire—while the Maharal explains they form a single dibbur because desire naturally leads to action. The piece concludes with a story from the Maharal's yeshiva about a poor student who struggled with stealing but ultimately resisted temptation and was rewarded.
Torah Wellsprings
Adults · Essays · 30 pages · 5786
This issue of Torah Wellsprings for Parashas Voeschanon presents five distinct Torah essays. The topics include: rejoicing in Hashem's promise of consolation after Tisha b'Av, the importance of studying Torah especially during vacation times, praying with humility for undeserved gifts, understanding that all tefillos are answered even if not immediately, and the mitzvah of giving chizuk and planting hope in others.
The Sorts of Tidbits
Families · Short Vorts · 1 page · 5786
This is a reference-style weekly Shabbos publication providing reminders, schedules, and brief Torah insights for Parashas Va'eschanan. It includes zmanim information, Daf Yomi schedules, a parshah summary, haftarah overview, Tu B'Av historical notes, mitzvah highlights, and a short vort on the consolation theme of Shabbos Nachamu—essentially a curated collection of practical Shabbos information rather than a sustained narrative or essay.
Mi Ka'amcha Yisroel
Adults · Stories · 4 pages · 5786
This essay explores how Torah creates wise people rather than merely containing wisdom, using a story of Rav Moshe Galante and a sheikh who possessed mystical knowledge but lacked understanding of Torah's meaning. The piece argues that the 'seventh wisdom' is internalizing and truly understanding Torah teachings rather than just recognizing their holiness.
ArtScroll by the Shabbos Table
Families · Stories · 4 pages · 5786
This weekly Torah newsletter contains multiple distinct pieces: a Pirkei Avos commentary on learning Torah as a spiritual dwelling place, an essay on Tu B'Av emphasizing the value of every moment of Torah study, a hashgachah pratis story about a man receiving divine encouragement, a weekly parshah question for kids, Daf Yomi schedules, and an installment of the ArtScroll history series discussing the debate over publishing the Machzor.
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