A recapitulation of the laws with some additions. Moses addresses the children of Israel and presents them with some warnings.
Writing in Stone, Not in Pencil There is something striking about this week’s parsha, Re’eh. Moses begins by addressing the lofty destiny of the Jewish people — their choices, their covenant, their future in the Land of Israel. Then, almost abruptly, the Torah interrupts Moshe’s subject and shifts to something seemingly unrelated: the festivals. Shabbos, Passover, […]
The Praying Thief: Faith or Self-Deception? Imagine someone involved in financial fraud and actually asking G-d for help in the enterprise. It seems illogical but the person tells himself, “I support important charitable causes and with this endeavor I will be able to donate a wing to a hospital in Israel. Please, G-d, allow me […]
The Jew You Are, Not Just the Jew You Do When we think of mitzvos, we often picture actions: lighting like lighting Shabbos candles, eating matzah, sitting in a Sukkah or praying, each of which is a concrete behavior with a beginning and end. You do them and then you move on. But there are mitzvos that are […]
The Faithful City Became a Killer’s Den: How the Holy Became Hollow [I want to acknowledge and thank Rabbi Dovid Katz, PhD, Professor of Jewish History at Johns Hopkins and University of Maryland, for directing me to the sources mentioned in this Dvar Torah]Every year, the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av is called Shabbos Chazon—the Shabbat of Vision—named […]
) Believing in Your Future In the past, Jewish farmers would bring their harvest’s first fruits to Jerusalem. They would travel together with other farmers led by oxen whose horns had been coated in gold adorned with olive branches placed on their heads, and flutes musically accompanied the procession; they would travel for only […]
Restoring Dignity Begins with Looking for Lost ‘Objects’ Did you ever notice a watch on a hiking trail or see a jacket on a chair at the theater? Did you keep on walking and ignore it? The Torah addressed these scenarios in a direct way by instructing us to pay attention and stop what we’re […]
A chassid was plagued by constant negative thoughts and couldn’t concentrate due to temptation, fantasy, worry, and anxiety. One night he was so desperate that he went to his Rebbe’s house hoping the Rebbe would impart some wisdom for how to rid himself of these destructive thoughts. He knocked on the front door, but nobody answered. He […]
)A Message from Jewish Mob MomsWe all know the benefit of distancing ourselves from bad influences, especially those who seek to detach us from our Jewish identity. Here are two examples of people who intend to lead Jews astray. The first is of the false prophet.If there should stand a prophet or dreamer who will […]
Our Mezuzah Has Seen It All Having a Mezuzah on a doorpost is an ancient Jewish practice whose source is found in the Torah. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your homes and your gates. (Deut. 11:20) It stands like a watchman every time we pass it when going in or out of […]
An Unusual and Revolting Way to Overcome Fear Imagine a religion whose worship is to go to the bathroom in public in front of an idol? Do you think Jews would be attracted to it? Surprisingly, they were. Your eyes have seen what G-d did at Baal Peor…(Deuteronomy 4:2-3) What was Baal Peor? The Talmud relates two […]
Living with Questions A basic tenet of Judaism is that G-d is 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 above verse at the funeral to remove from their hearts […]
The last mitzvah in the Torah is that every one of us should write—or commission someone to write—a Torah scroll to be used to learn from and serve as the primary text Jewish people should be taught. You might disagree with the Torah but you can’t deny that it is the source of everything Jewish […]
In ancient times, Jews would bring their first fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. A procession would come with their fruits, led by musicians and oxen adorned with gold. The craftsmen of Jerusalem would stop working in order to greet this grand procession. The fruits were brought in baskets; wealthy people would use baskets of gold […]
Compassion Leads to Long Life It’s clinically proven and also common sense that being a kind, compassionate, and generous person contributes to good health and longevity. According to a recent study, people who are compassionate have less stress, and a reduced the chance of heart failure, which leads to longevity. Compassion might not always be the cause for […]
A Watershed Moment for an IDF Mom When the Jewish people would come into the Land of 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. […]
Deliberate Self-Harm 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. (Deut. 14:1, 2) There is a Torah prohibition against cutting oneself or tearing out one’s hair when grieving over the […]
Doing Ritual Without Being Habitual This Parsha is a long speech given by Moses reiterating the basic deal the Almighty offers us: if we observe the mitzvot—even the “small” mitzvot—He will keep the promises made to our ancestors. A public speaking evaluator might analyze it in one of two ways: Moses’ speech was meticulously prepared with conscious […]
Have You Ever Met a Person Who Wants to be an Eagle? The last of the Ten Commandments is an order not covet. Desiring someone or something is a thought; can one be commanded not to want something? You can tell me not to steal, kill, or not do an action, but how can one be […]
Rabbi Berel Wein tells a story from his youth when he was a student in Chicago’s Hebrew Theological College, the Skokie Yeshiva. In 1945, the Cubs made it to the World Series against the Tigers. Rabbi Wein’s friend, who was 13 or 14 at the time, stood in line all night to buy tickets to […]
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 call that changed his life and the moral horizons of the world.There’s no drama related to Moses’ death. There are neither crowds nor weeping. It […]
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. […]
Shortly before Moses died, he wrote a text of the Torah and gave the scroll to his (Levi) tribe (Deut. 31:9). Although Torah scrolls have been preserved over the generations, they have also been disgraced by our enemies. Here is one example. For many years during the Roman occupation of Israel, it was forbidden to publicly […]
Behold, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil…(Deut. 30:15) Doing good is a choice, but it is not limited to acts of beneficence, it also means that you see the good in your life, health, family, friendships, sustenance and so many other blessings that many people overlook. We choose whether […]
In the past, Jewish farmers would bring their harvest’s first fruits to Jerusalem. They would travel together with other farmers led by oxen whose horns had been coated in gold adorned with olive branches placed on their heads, and flutes musically accompanied the procession; they would travel for only two-thirds of the day, which allowed […]
Name a mitzvah that most people never do. Clue: It has to do with birds. When you find the nest of a kosher bird, you take the eggs but send the mother away first. Although the Torah almost never mentions the reward for any given mitzvah, here is one notable exception, and the reward is […]
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 […]
The tragic recent death of a community member dear to us all has been a source of pain for our community. We mourn with Marty’s family and due to a number of people asking for the notes of the Rabbi’s eulogy, we have included it after the weekly dvar Torah. Rabbi O’s Weekly Parsha: Re’eh (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17) […]
When playing basketball, you better be aware of the coach’s existence because it affects the way you conduct yourself at practice and at the game—even off season. If you get involved in an activity the coach frowns upon, it might jeopardize your chance of being successful on the team. The same is true of being […]
For which is a great nation that has a G-d Who is close to it, as is our G-d in all our calling to Him (Deut. 4:7).Is prayer only for big things? No, it’s for everything. The Talmud (Brachot 5b) relates the following incident. Rav Huna had 400 barrels of wine that spoiled. His colleagues told him to […]
The Parsha contains Moses’ parting words said during the last five weeks of his life and begins with giving rebuke to the nation.The Jews of that generation made a number of poor choices, decisions that affected their future as well as the future of all Jews succeeding them. Moses’ approach was not to reprimand explicitly, […]
