In our fast paced lives of today, we want fast answers and quick solutions. We send messages by voice mail, e-mail and fax. News in one part of the world is instantaneously transmitted across oceans - a true global village. We get impatient with slow modems. We have little time to read. Even books are on tape these days.

For those of us who are impatient and want to know the history of the Jewish people while standing on one foot, then this Sedra is for you. Four chapters in Dvarim, chapters 8, 9, 10 and 11, give us a quick overview of the story of the Jewish people - the Exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, the Golden Calf, the wandering for 40 years in the desert, and the preparation to enter the Land of Israel. Homework for this Shabbat is to read those four chapters. Take turns reading a paragraph each as you go around the table on Friday night and Shabbat lunch. It will be like a tour of Jewish history in 30 minutes!

If the essence of Jewish history is in this Sedra, then there must be a hint as to the way we should relate to Hashem and Jewish history. And there is. In Chapter 10, verse 12, the Torah says:

And now Israel, what does the Lord your G-d ask of you? Only to fear Hashem, your G-d, to go in all His ways and to love Him, and to serve Hashem your G-d, with all of your heart and with all of your soul…

Is that all? All Hashem asks of me is to serve Him with every ounce of my strength, body and soul? That sounds like a very difficult task! Why does Hashem say "only to fear Hashem…?" Why does Hashem make such a difficult challenge sound so easy? The answer is because He also gives us the way to achieve this goal with one simple word in this verse. Take a guess at which word it is: fear, love, serve, all, soul? No. The word is "now". Don't worry about yesterday or tomorrow. Just think about this moment, this second - and make this second count in serving Hashem. Are we alive, do we appreciate all of the work that went into creating this beautiful Shabbat table? Are we aware of all of Hashem's gifts to us, right now?

We do have control and power over our attitude. We can look at all of life as a wonderful gift from Hashem and be thankful to Him, or we can take life for granted. The hint that Hashem gives us is to live in this moment. Seize the moment. All of Jewish history referred to in these chapters are individual moments, joined together over many, many years. That means in this moment you are living within Jewish history. In fact, you are making Jewish history. When you keep Shabbat, sing a song at the Shabbat table, say or listen to a Dvar Torah - you are helping to create a Shabbat atmosphere now, and are making this moment count. You are fulfilling this verse: "all that Hashem wants from you…" is to serve Him, now.

Don't worry about tomorrow - just enjoy Shabbat now, and you will be capturing this moment - and you will be fulfilling the verse…"to serve Hashem with all your heart and with all your soul" - right now.