A recapitulation of the laws with some additions. Moses addresses the children of Israel and presents them with some warnings.
Consider the following:“Clean up the mess you made” (i.e., you made the mess, now clean it up). “Go find the keys that you lost” (i.e., you lost the keys, now go and find them). “Fix the window you broke.” (i.e., you broke the window, now go and fix it). “Throw out the food you burned.” (i.e., you burned […]
The Talmud relates that one day Choni HaMagel (1st century BCE) was traveling on the road when he encountered a man planting a carob tree. How long does it take for this tree to bear fruit? Seventy years. Are you certain that you will live another seventy years? I found ready grown carob trees in the world; as my forefathers planted […]
Jerry Lewis was a 20th century Jewish comedian. During the taping of the last episode of his (about to be cancelled) show, he quoted an old Jewish saying his mother had taught him, gam zu l’tovah, “this too is for the best” (lit. good). The first verse in this week’s Torah portion mentions a hint of the […]
Today is the final day of Sukkot, which will conclude with Simchat Torah and the reading of the final Parsha of the Torah. In it, Moses died alone on a mountain with G-d, just as he had been alone with G-d years earlier when he caught sight of a bush in flames and heard the […]
Look at a list of NBA champions and you’ll see that basketball’s history has been dominated by elite, very tall, Centers. Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain dominated the ’60s. They were followed by Kareem in the ’70s and ’80s, Hakeem Olajuwon in the ’90s, and Shaquille O’Neal in the 2000s. But that’s no longer the case. What happened? How can a league be dominated […]
What if there’s only enough penicillin for one person but there are a few people in the hospital who need it? What criterion should the doctor use in making a decision? The answer is found in this week’s Parsha.You are standing today, all of you, before G-d: the heads of your tribes, your elders, and […]
This week’s Parsha opens with the mitzvah to bring the first fruits (bikurim) to Jerusalem. (Practically speaking, because we no longer have the Temple, we can no longer fulfill this mitzvah.) Back in the day, the bringing of the bikurim was done with grandeur. A procession of people would come with their fruits, led by musicians and […]
We no longer can identify who the biological decendants of the ancient Egyptians are and therefore the commandment in the verse below no longer applies. Nonetheless, its underlying lessons are as applicable as ever.]…Do not despise the Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land. (Deuteronomy 23:8)In addition to enslaving the Jews for over two […]
When the Jewish people would come into the Land is Israel, they are told not to engage in one of the most common activities of the gentile nations of the time—witchcraft.Whoever does these things is an abomination to G-d…Walk with a pure heart with HaShem, your G-d. (Deut. 18: 12-13)Although we don’t find too many Jews today being […]
For a seven-day period you will celebrate before Hashem, your G-d… for Hashem, your G-d, will bless you in all your produce and in all the work of your hands, and you will have nothing but joy. (Deut. 6:15)Are the words “you will have nothing but joy” a mitzvah? Rashi says no, rather they are a promise […]
You will eat and be satiated and bless G-d, for the Land that He gave you.(ibid. 8:10).When we eat a meal with bread, we recite special blessings afterward, the source of which is found in the verse above. Two questions: (1) Does G-d really need my blessing? (2) Many world religions have blessings connected to […]
Do not add to the word which I command you, nor diminish from it, to observe the commandments of the Lord your G-d which I command you. Your eyes have seen what G-d did at Baal Peor…(Deuteronomy 4:2-3)The verse above warns us not to add or subtract mitzvot. From an academic perspective, this is obvious and […]
Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Devarim (Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22)An Uncluttered MindThis week’s Parsha contains part of Moses’ parting words said during the last five weeks of his life. It begins with his giving rebuke to the nation, and we can learn from the way he does it.The Jews of that generation made a number of poor choices, decisions that […]
Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: V’zos HaBracha Rejoice in the Book And this is the blessing, wherewith Moses, the man of G-d, blessed the Children of Israel before his death (Deuteronomy 33:1). Why is Moses called “the man of God” in this verse? The Midrash answers that, “Moses was not called ‘the man of God’ until he spoke […]
One of the most basic foundations of Judaism is expressed in this week’s Parsha. It is the idea that G-d’s judgements are just. The Rock [G-d] — perfect is His work, for all His paths are justice… (32:4) This concept is mentioned in the Jewish mourning process when the mourners are required to recite the verse […]
This week’s Parsha is a continuation of the speech Moses gave before he died. He reiterates the choice G-d has given the Jewish people, a choice that each generation has made ever since. Will we stay true to Judaism or will we get absorbed in the host nation in which we find ourselves? The fact […]
[Note: We no longer can identify who the biological decedents of the ancient Egyptians are and therefore the commandment in this verse below no longer applies. Nonetheless, its underlying lessons are as applicable as ever.] …Do not despise the Egyptian, for you were a stranger in his land.(Deuteronomy 23:8) The Egyptians had enslaved Jews for […]
Do not plant an idolatrous tree – any tree – near G-d’s altar… (Deut. 16:21) Sacrifices occupy an outsize position in the Torah and are easily misunderstood. We reject the notion that these offerings give G-d anything. How could they? A perfect G-d cannot be made more perfect. We cannot “feed” or “sustain” Him. The Hebrew […]
You are children of the Almighty, your G-d. You shall neither cut yourselves nor make any baldness between your eyes for the dead. For you are a holy people to the Almighty, your G-d …(14:1, 2) There is a Torah prohibition to against cutting oneself or tearing out one’s hair when grieving over the loss […]
Do not add to the word which I command you, nor diminish from it, to observe the commandments of the Lord your G-d which I command you. Your eyes have seen what G-d did at Baal Peor…(Deuteronomy 4:2-3) The verse above warns us not to add or subtract mitzvot. From an academic or empirical perspective, this […]
This week’s Torah reading is the beginning of the last of the five books of the Torah and was spoken by Moses during the last five weeks of his life. It begins with his giving rebuke to the nation. We can learn a number of lessons about rebuke by analyzing how carefully he chose his […]
This week’s Parsha contains the poetic parting words of Moses: Listen heavens and I will speak; let the earth hear the words of my mouth! (32:1) This verse begins Moses’ farewell song to the People by calling upon the heaven and earth to be witnesses to what he will be saying. He asks the people […]
See–I have placed before you today life and good, death and evil… I invoke the heavens and earth today to bear witness against you. I have placed life and death before you, blessing and curse; and you shall choose life, so that you may live; you and your offspring. (Deuteronomy 30:15-19) Rashi explains how heaven […]
The following dialogue is from the film Manhattan: Yale: You are so self-righteous, you know. I mean we’re just people. We’re just human beings, you know? You think you’re God. Isaac: I . . . I gotta model myself after someone. Can one mode oneself after G-d? According to classical Jewish wisdom, the answer is […]
In 2012 the wonderful book The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg was a trailblazer in explaining how habits that we might not even realize we have can dictate our lives. Habits emerge without our permission and are so powerful because they create neurological cravings, […]
One of the little known mitzvot in the Torah is the prohibition to unnecessarily destroy organic or inorganic matter. This prohibition is learned from the following verse. When you besiege a city for many days to wage war against it to seize it, do not destroy its trees by swinging an ax against them, for […]
Leading The Jewish high court has a rule when judging a defendant for a capital crime: the judges always look for some reason why the defendant shouldn’t get the death penalty. Perhaps he wasn’t aware of the severity of his crime, maybe it was inadvertent or a host of other reasons. When vote is taken, […]
