R’ Hirsch connects the first 5 Commandments to the last 5 in a general sense, but I think there’s a 1-to-1 parallel we can draw between them, with an important (and scary) lesson that comes out of it.
Category: Sefer Devarim
Who supports whom?
In parshat v’Zot HaBeracha, Moshe Rabbeinu blesses each of the Shevatim of the Jewish people (except Shimon). Each tribe gets, their own blessing, but for some reason, the blessings of the tribes of Yissachar and Zevulun are bundled up together into one bracha. וְלִזְבוּלֻן אָמַר, שְׂמַח זְבוּלֻן בְּצֵאתֶךָ; וְיִשָּׂשכָר, בְּאֹהָלֶיךָ And of Zevulun he said:… Continue reading Who supports whom?
Nitzavim/VaYalech- Have it Your Way
“You stand today, all of you, before the LORD your God: your chiefs, your tribes, your elders and your officers, even all the men of Israel, 11your little ones, your wives, and the alien who is within your camps, from the one who chops your wood to the one who draws your water. Why does… Continue reading Nitzavim/VaYalech- Have it Your Way
Ki Seitze- Money is no Object
No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the assembly of the LORD; none of their descendants, even to the tenth generation, shall ever enter the assembly of the LORD, 4because they did not meet you with food and water on the way when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the… Continue reading Ki Seitze- Money is no Object
Shoftim- Judge Favorably
You shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your towns which the LORD your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment (Obviously not the simple understanding of the verses, but…) the verse is telling man how to relate to himself as opposed to… Continue reading Shoftim- Judge Favorably
Re’eh- The Words of the Sages
שְׁמֹר וְשָׁמַעְתָּ אֵת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּךָּ לְמַעַן יִיטַב לְךָ וּלְבָנֶיךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ עַד־עֹולָם כִּי תַעֲשֶׂה הַטֹּוב וְהַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ׃ ס You shall guard and you shall listen to all of these things that I command you so that it shall be good for you and your children after you forever when you do… Continue reading Re’eh- The Words of the Sages
V’eschanan- Start me Up
41Then Moses set apart three cities across the Jordan to the east, 42that a manslayer might flee there, who unintentionally slew his neighbor without having enmity toward him in time past; and by fleeing to one of these cities he might live: 43Bezer in the wilderness on the plateau for the Reubenites, and Ramoth in… Continue reading V’eschanan- Start me Up
Parshat Dvarim: Two sided Coin
Parshat Dvarim In this week’s Torah portion we start the new book of Dvarim. As I learned this week’s portion I imagined the last 30 minutes of a movie where everything all seems to come together. The Children of Israel–led by Moses- are at the border of Israel ready to enter the land. Not knowing… Continue reading Parshat Dvarim: Two sided Coin
Hindsight Is 20/20
In this week’s parsha, Moshe recounts the events of the Jewish People’s travels through the desert. As part of this description, Moshe describes how Hashem gave us the land on the eastern side of the Jordan river, owned previously by Og and Sichon and their nations. It says: כד קוּמוּ סְּעוּ, וְעִבְרוּ אֶת-נַחַל אַרְנֹן–רְאֵה נָתַתִּי… Continue reading Hindsight Is 20/20