Friends, the extra coffee I drank this AM got me inspired. Here’s another limerick that reflects on the mitzvah of building a parapet around the top of the roof of your house. If when building a house you forget To furnish a parapet If some careless clown Should climb and fall down His bruises could […]
Ki Tetzei
This week’s parasha – Ki Tetze – has the unique distinction of containing more commandments than any other parasha in the torah. The groups of laws found here include family laws, laws concerning executed criminals, domestic laws, laws about marital and sexual misconduct, forbidden relationships, as well as a lot of other social, cultic, poverty, […]
Shoftim
Shoftim continues with Moses’ teaching about rules of governance once the children of Israel enter into the promised land. The insistence that any society created be based on justice and shun corruption by leaders and the avoidance of contamination by Canaanite culture is a central theme of Deuteronomy. F>or jurists to be fair and true […]
Torah Commentary – Re’eh
The Torah Portion Re’eh begins with God’s words as communicated by Moses. “See: I’m putting in front of you today a blessing and a curse:” (Deuteronomy 11:26)* We learn that we’ll receive God’s blessing if we listen to (and act upon) God’s commandments. We’ll be cursed if we don’t listen and allow ourselves to be […]
Torah Commentary – Ekev
The Torah Portion, Ekev, begins with Moses teaching the children of Israel that if they listen to, observe, and do what God has commanded, they will be God’s partners in the covenant which God made with their ancestors. If they behave according to God’s laws, God will bless the children of Israel with fertility, prosperity, […]
Reeh Limerick
Reeh has many themes including prohibitions against pagan worship; deliniating the holiday cycle and the importance of taking care of the stranger and those less fortunate in our midst. It also continues the Deuteronomic theme of blessings and curses. God gives a commandment this day A Blessing for those who obey But if you choose […]
Torah Commentary – Va-Etchannan
I have four words to introduce the Portion, Va-Etchannan – “midrash” and “back-to-school.” Let’s start by making a midrash. A midrash (plural-midrashim) is a story commentary which Rabbis throughout the ages have created to “fill in the blanks” in the Torah narrative and to answer perplexing questions which the narrative raises. In the opening lines […]
Eikev Limerick
This week’s parasha continues with Moses’ admonition to the Israelites not to forget the lessons learned during the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. In particular, it addresses the concept of hubris: understanding that any successes and/or failures in the land are directly the results of God’s reward or punishment. When you’ve tasted the […]
Vaetchanan
This week’s parasha is the Motherlode. It contains, arguably, the most important Jewish texts in the Torah -the Shema and Aseret Ha-Dibrot– the Ten Commandments. Moses continues with his review of the journeys of the Israelites – reminding us that even though he will not enter into the of Canaan himself, we still need to […]
Torah Commentary – Devarim
We have become accustomed to studying Portions where God speaks through Moses, but in Devarim, the first Portion in the Book of Deuteronomy (Sefer Devarim), Moses speaks on his own. Moses is fully aware that this is his final chance to address the children of Israel; that his death is imminent; that he won’t be […]
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