Parashat Nitzavim (Rosh Hashanah): Only Today
The Torah portion of Nitzavim deals mainly with the covenant between God and the Jewish People. The key word in this portion is “today." You...
Category : Deuteronomy – Dvarim
Ki Tavo: Only Blessings
Parashat Ki Tavo includes a long list of afflictions (sometimes called “curses”) that will befall those who rebel against God.[1] In his Beit Midrash, Rabbi...
Gematria Shorts for Ki Tavo
Parashat Ki Tavo is the 50th parashah in the Torah and there are exactly 50 letters in the parashah’s first verse (וְהָיָה כִּי תָבוֹא אֶל...
Ki Teitzei: Birds and Getting Rid of Egocentricity
“If, along the road, you chance upon a bird’s nest… and the mother is sitting over the fledglings or on the eggs, do not take...
Gematria Shorts for Ki Teitzei
The first words of parashat Ki Teitzei are, “When you go out to war upon your enemies” (כִּי תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה עַל אֹיְבֶיךָ), whose value is...
Shoftim: Learning to Take Responsibility
“And they shall make this declaration: ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done.’”[1] וְעָנוּ וְאָמְרוּ יָדֵינוּ לֹא שָׁפְכוּ...
Gematria Shorts for Shoftim 5782
The gematria of the opening phrase of Parashat Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18) “You shall appoint judges and officials in all your communities” (שֹׁפְטִים וְשֹׁטְרִים תִּתֶּן־לְךָ בְּכׇל־שְׁעָרֶיךָ),...
Re’eh: Paths of Divine Service: From Lithuania to Breslov
In Parashat Re’eh, the Torah restates that there are only a limited number of kosher cattle, “This is the cattle that you may eat, ox, sheep,...
Gematria Shorts for Re’eh 5782
In Parashat Re’eh God warns us (Deuteronomy 12:30), “Beware of being lured into their ways [of the people inhabiting the land]” (הִשָּׁמֶר לְךָ פֶּן תִּנָּקֵשׁ...
