During the Nine Days

During the 9 days at least postings will only be to encourage "achdut" i.e. unity whatever our differences since there is more that binds us than divides us.

Here is a timely Dvar Torah for Parshat Dvarim (this week's Sedra portion) extracted from the Ohr Sameach Website:
http://www.os.edu/torah_online/5A1.pdf

Moses knew he had only days to live. Standing on the Plain of
Moab near the banks of the Jordan River, he felt the spiritual tug of the
Promised Land only a stone’s throw away, but he knew he would never
tread on its hallowed soil. He called together the Jewish people and
prepared them for a future without his leadership.
As he reviewed all the turbulent events that took place from the
time of the Exodus until their arrival on the threshold of the Promised
Land, Moses uttered a groan of lamentation. “Eichah?” he declared.
“How can I bear it?”
The commentaries explain that as he contemplated the troubled
past Moses felt a sense of foreboding about the future. In his mind, he
followed the sequence of events to their logical conclusion, and thus, he
foresaw the destruction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem that would
take place nearly a thousand years later. He foresaw the estrangement
of the Jewish people from their Father in Heaven and their banishment
from their homeland. In pain and grief, Moses uttered the word eichah,
which is also the eponymous first word of Lamentations, otherwise
knows as Eichah, the book which was to memorialize the national
tragedy. Therefore, we traditionally read this verse in the chanting style
unique to Lamentations.
What did Moses see in the past and present that convinced him
that a great national tragedy lay in the future? How did he discern the
eventual breakdown in the relationship between the Jewish people and
the Creator?
The commentators explain that contentiousness derives from a
fundamental lack of faith. If a person has a deep and abiding faith in
Hashem, he understands that nothing happens without Hashem’s
approval. Therefore, if he suffers at the hands of another person, he
recognizes it as a test from Hashem. His first reaction is to look into
himself and correct his inner laws. His second step is to deal with the
situation gently, ethically and honorably, just as Hashem would want
him to deal with it.
If a person lacks faith, however, he is not convinced that Hashem is
behind the injustice he has suffered. On the contrary, he is convinced
that he alone controls his destiny. Therefore, when he perceives an
attack, he has no time or patience for conciliation and the niceties of
ethical conduct. He is prepared to fight tooth and nail for his rights.
When Moses considered the combative nature of the Jewish
people, he realized that their faith was flawed. Sadly, he understood that
these flaws would eventually widen into fissures and create a chasm
between them and their Father in Heaven. This was clearly a road that
headed for disaster.
In our own lives, we find ourselves in highly litigious world.
Everyone around us is concerned about his rights and prerogatives and
is ready to go to war to defend them. It makes for stressful living
conditions, because we always find ourselves contending with our
neighbours and associates, with the insurance company, with the landlord, the phone
company, even the grocer on the corner. And even when we win, we
often find ourselves emotionally exhausted and frazzled. But if we could
reach into ourselves for an extra measure of faith, we would recognize
the vicissitudes of modern life as a test of our relationship with Hashem,
and we would respond on a spiritual level. Instead of anxiety and stress,
we would enjoy peace and serenity.