The story of Va’etchanan opens with Moses pleading with the Creator through prayer. Moses knew that prayer was a powerful tool for connecting to the Creator. He was not praying because he wanted something; rather, it was to maintain his connection to the Light of the Creator. When we ask for help through prayer, we, too, are fostering a close connection to this divine energy. Prayer should not be something we do only in times of need; it’s an important tool to use all the time to connect to the Light.
The Shabbat of Consolation, or Shabbat Nachamu, does not teach us to ignore negative events. Yes, the Temple was destroyed, and a great deal of pain ensued from that terrible event. But should we continue to weep simply because we don’t see the results? Or should we work to create better ones? It is written that baseless hatred caused the destruction of the Temple. Only selfless love can restore it. So, it’s essential to ensure that learning to love unconditionally is our spiritual work.
The second reason for this week’s powerful energy is astrological: Mercury goes retrograde. The first part is in its sign of exaltation, Virgo, and the second part is in Leo. As one of the worker bees of the zodiac, Virgo strives for perfection, or at least to “fix” whatever is going wrong in our lives. This is not the time to weep for the past and dwell in our sorrow but to really connect with the Light of the Creator and pray as Moses did.
This energy will be strongest between August 4th and August 14th, before Mercury enters the second part of the retrograde period in Leo, the sign of the heart. This is a key moment. Mercury retrograde in Leo helps us answer two very important questions: Who am I? And What do I want? When we truly know ourselves (as Leo encourages), we can connect to our hearts.
Similarly, our heart’s longing is the compass that always guides us to ourselves. When we know where we are going, we will know how to get there. Mercury retrograde in Leo is our unique chance to find out what we’ve been called to do in this lifetime. Hence, Va’etchanan—the pleading of Moses through prayer. This is the time to build the connection to the Creator and open our hearts through prayer.
