Stop the Flow Before the Flood
The story of Noah and the great flood actually began at the end of last week's Torah portion. That is when G-d determined that the moral corruption of man had reached terminal levels. His decision was to erase all of mankind, indeed the whole world, and start afresh....
Conversation Starter
This week is a time of new beginnings. First of all, we will read this week about Creation: the beginning of plant life, animal life, and ultimately human life. But second, a month of holiday observances: a week of preparatory prayers prior to the new year, Rosh...
At Peace Without a Parachute
In Psalm 130, there is a statement that requires explanation. "If G-d should preserve wrongdoing, HaShem, who will stand? Because forgiveness is with You, in order that You be revered." [130:3-4] The first of these verses seems straightforward: since we all do wrong...
Am I Fulfilling My Purpose?
Rosh Hashanah, the Day of Judgment, is also, per the majority opinion in the Talmud, the sixth and final day of Creation. It is on this day that Adam and Eve, the first couple, were brought into the world. And as we know, Adam was initially Created as a single...
Insanely Sweet
The Torah portion this week opens with the Mitzvah (Commandment) of Bikurim. Farmers would bring the first fruits of their field to the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, and present them as a gift to the Kohain (priest) serving in the Temple. It was a much anticipated and...
A Measured Approach to Change
Moshe (Moses) continues to enumerate in Ki Seitzei, this week's Torah portion, the many Mitzvos (commandments) G-d gave to the Jewish people. This portion actually has the largest listing of Mitzvos of any weekly Torah reading -- 74 in total. Among these is the...
Personal Police
All societies require some means of government to maintain law and order. So the Torah's directive, in the opening of this week's Torah portion, to establish judges and police to enforce the law is not surprising. As the Mishna writes (Pirkei Avos 3:2), "Pray for the...
Moving Mountains
When the Jewish people were on the verge of entering the Land of Israel, Moshe (Moses) reminded them of the abundant blessings promised to those who follow G-d's commandments, and the curses to those who turn away from the Torah and follow other gods. Upon entering...
He’s Got the Goods
The Sages of the Talmud (Brachos 33b) say "Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except fear of Heaven." That is to say, that although it may appear we have control over our activities, the results and our success are actually beyond our control. However, G-d did...
It’s a Pleasure to Serve You
The verses of the Shema begin with a commandment to "Serve G-d with all your heart. (Deut. 6:5)" The word for heart in the Hebrew text is written in a double manner—ordinarily, "with your whole heart" would be written as "Bchol Libecha," but instead the word is...
Believe in the Goodness
In this week's Parsha, the first in the Book of Devarim, Deuteronomy, Moshe recounts before Israel the episode of the spies, in which one representative of each of the twelve tribes entered into Israel to spy it out, and they returned with an evil report (see Numbers...
Start Building Now
The portion this week begins with the laws of vows. The great Chassidic master, Rabbi Tzadok HaCohen ztl, established the following rule of biblical interpretation: the first place a particular word is used in the Torah is the word's essence, its foundation, and...
