VaEtchanan: The Power of Failed Prayer

Introduction

One of the deepest teaching of the Torah is hidden right at the beginning of parshat Va’etchanen. Why was Moshe pleading to enter the land when he knew the Divine decree, and what can his struggle teach us about our own prayers?

Credits:
Larry Kluger – Creative Consultant
Arlene Harel – Production Coordinator

Mike Feuer

Rabbi Mike Feuer teaches Striving for the Divine, Rav Kook, and Jewish History at Pardes. He studied at Yeshivat HaMivtar, the Mir Yeshiva, and Sulam Yaakov, where he received rabbinic ordination and later served as Educational Director. Mike’s teaching combines rigorous textual analysis with a deep love of the poetry and spirituality found in Torah.

Since making aliyah in 2001, he has been the program director of a post-high school yeshiva and taught history, Jewish thought, and Bible in several Jerusalem yeshivot and midrashot. Today, as a consultant, spiritual counselor and creator of the Jewish Story podcast, Mike is driven by the power of story to shape our world.