Dear Friends, If there appears among you a prophet… saying, “Let us follow and worship another god”… do not heed the words of that prophet… he shall be put to death; for he urged disloyalty to the Lord your God… If your brother… or your closest friend entices you in secret, saying, “Come let us Continue Reading »
Therefore, shall you place these my words in your heart and in your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as totafot between your eyes. D’varim / Deuteronomy 11:18 Rashbam1, one of the great medieval commentators who primarily focuses on the Peshat, the Continue Reading »
I pleaded with the Lord at that time… Devarim / Deuteronomy 3:23 Rabbi Shmuel Bornsztain1, in his commentary to the Torah, Shem Mishmuel, cites a teaching of his grandfather, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk2, who taught regarding our verse, “These things sit upon the heart like a stone, waiting for a unique moment when the Continue Reading »
These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan. Devarim / Deuteronomy 1:1 The Gra1 parsed the opening words of this passage giving particular emphasis to the middle phrase. “These are the words that Moses addressed to”, the central and essential element that Moshe urged Continue Reading »
The second of our two Torah portions designated for this Shabbat opens with: These were the marches of the Israelites who started out from the land of Egypt, troop by troop, in the charge of Moses and Aaron. Moses recorded the starting points of their various marches as directed by the Lord. And these marches, Continue Reading »
The Israelites are approaching the end of their journey to the Promised Land. In preparation for the next stage a census is performed, and the population is recorded. Immediately following the enumeration of the people, the Torah deals with the apportionment of the land. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Among these shall the land be Continue Reading »
“How fair are your tents, O Jacob, Your dwellings, O Israel!” Bamidbar / Numbers 24:5 Balaam’s praise of Jacob’s tents and Israel’s dwelling places is amongst the most famous of biblical passages. Over the centuries it has been understood in a variety of ways. The BeSh’T(1) said a Jew’s “ohel/tent” is his ḥitzoniyut, his external appearance; it should Continue Reading »
… the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “You and your brother Aaron take the rod and assemble the community, and before their very eyes order the rock to yield its water… “Listen, you rebels, shall we get water for you out of this rock?” Bamidbar 20:8,10 Our Torah portion contains the well-known narrative in Continue Reading »
For all the community are holy, all of them, and the Lord is in their midst. -Bamidbar / Numbers 16:3 Our parasha opens with a challenge to the authority of Moses and Aaron as leaders of the Israelites. Korah and his cohorts, Datan and Aviram, “rise up against Moses together with two hundred and fifty Continue Reading »
The Lord bestow His favor upon you and grant you peace. B’midbar / Numbers 6:26 The K’tav Sofer (1) begins his commentary to our verse, the third and final passage of Birkat Kohanim, the priestly blessing, by citing Midrash Rabbah on the Book of Numbers which states: Peace when you enter, peace when you depart, Continue Reading »
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