In this week's parsha, V'eschanan, we learn many beautiful concepts. These include:

• Recognizing that sometimes God says no. God is not a vending machine. Our relationship with Him is not transactional. God said no to Moshe, and sometimes He says no to us. We need to learn how to carry on anyway.


• Understanding that the mitzvot are the word of God and they cannot be tampered with. We cannot add to them or take away from them.


• God loves us, and we can always come back to Him, even when we have thwarted His will or abandoned His law for a time.


• One of the ways we show God we love Him is to bind his words upon our brows, have them spill from our lips, and share them with our children.


• We are meant to be the people who show the way to others- especially the idolatrous nations, who practiced evil ways. For this, we need the courage of our beliefs.