Parshas Eikev contains some of the Torah's most beautiful descriptions of Eretz Yisrael. As Moshe Rabbeinu prepares the nation to enter the Promised Land, he does not describe merely a place of physical beauty or agricultural abundance. Rather, he describes a land whose very essence...
Parshas Va'eschanan contains many of the foundational passages of our faith and practice of Torah and mitzvos. Among them are the Aseres Ha'Dibros, Krias Shema, the command to love Hashem, the obligation to teach Torah to our children, and the first appearance in the Torah...
Parshas Devarim is always read on the Shabbos preceding Tisha B'Av, known as Shabbos Chazon, named for the opening words of the Haftorah: Chazon Yeshayahu - "The vision of Yeshayahu ben Amotz, that he foresaw regarding Yehuda and Yerushalayim” (Yeshayah 1:1). The Torah reading and...
This Shabbos we read Matos-Masei, which brings the forty-year journey through the wilderness to its close. These two parshios review many of the practical, spiritual, and national preparations necessary for building a Torah society in the Promised Land. Parshas Matos opens with the laws of vows...
In this week’s parsha, Pinchas, the Bnei Yisrael – in their 40th year of desert wandering – continue to prepare for entry into the land of Israel. In the beginning of Perek 27, the Torah tells us about the Bnos Tzelafchad, five righteous women from the...
Parshas Balak introduces us to one of the most fascinating and complex figures in the Torah: Bila’am. Endowed with extraordinary prophetic ability, Bila’am possessed gifts that few people in history ever attained. Yet despite his remarkable talents, he is remembered not as a model of...
Parshas Korach recounts one of the most tragic episodes in the Torah. Korach - a first cousin of Moshe and Aharon - together with Dasan, Aviram, and two hundred and fifty leaders of the nation (most of whom were from the tribe of Reuven), challenges...
Toward the end of Parshas Shelach, following the episode of the spies, the Torah introduces the mitzvah of hafrashas challah (Bamidbar 15:17-21). Hashem commands: וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר, דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵהֶם בְּבֹאֲכֶם אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מֵבִיא אֶתְכֶם שָׁמָּה...
In the beginning of Parshas Naso, the Torah continues the census of the nation. Hashem commands Moshe: נָשֹׂא אֶת רֹאשׁ בְּנֵי גֵרְשׁוֹן - Take a census (lit. lift up the heads) of the sons of Gershon (Bamidbar 4:22). On a simple level, the Torah is...
With the arrival of Shavuos, we celebrate one of the most transformative moments in Jewish history: Matan Torah. More than a commemoration of a past event, Shavuos is the annual re-experiencing of our standing at Har Sinai and our acceptance of the Torah anew. Yet unlike...