A beautiful woman

                   (Deuteronomy 21:11)

Elul 13, 5778/August 24, 2018

This week's Torah reading of Ki Teitzei opens with the words "When you go out to war against your enemies... " (Deuteronomy 21:10) and closes, 109 verses later, with the words "you shall obliterate the remembrance of Amalek from beneath the heavens. You shall not forget!" (ibid 25:19) Sandwiched between these two calls to war is a rich compendium of commandments regulating various aspects of our personal lives. Yet, while parashat Ki Teitzei is literally teeming with life, it nonetheless begins and concludes rather ominously, with references to war, and in war there are winners and losers.

Love and War

A soldier in a heathen army would have no compunction over taking, raping, and disposing of a captive woman. Not so in the army of the LORD.

THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION:

Ki Tetze (כי תצא | When you go forth)

Torah: Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19

Haftarah: Isaiah 54:1-10

Gospel: Matthew 24:29-42

From among your brothers

                   (Deuteronomy 17:15)

Elul 6, 5778/August 17, 2018

It has been quite a journey for Moshe and the children of Israel. A shepherd in exile, chosen by G-d to lead his people to freedom, who tried to argue with G-d his way out of the assignment which he felt he was very under-qualified for, Moshe not only brought the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage by bringing the world's most powerful nation to its knees, but, once out of Egypt and squarely in the middle of nowhere, he turned his ragtag band of runaway slaves, who left Egypt at midnight with all their belongings slung over their shoulders, into a people: a people who lived peacefully together by a covenant they signed with G-d, traveling through the wilderness with the G-d of Israel, through ecstatic highs and catastrophic lows, and are now encamped upon the eastern bank of the Jordan River, receiving their final marching orders from Moshe, who won't be joining them on the other side.

The King's Copy and the Rule of Law

If Yeshua is the king of the Jews, then the laws that pertain to Jewish kings apply to Him. Even the Messiah is not above the rule of law.

THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION:

Shoftim (שופטים | Judges)

Torah: Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9

Haftarah: Isaiah 51:12-52:12

Gospel: John 14:9-20

The place which HaShem your G-d shall choose

                   (Deuteronomy 12:5)

Av 29, 5778/August 10, 2018

This week's Torah reading, Re'eh, opens with a challenge and a riddle:

"Behold, I set before you today a blessing and a curse. The blessing, that you will heed the commandments of HaSHem your G-d, which I command you today; and the curse, if you will not heed the commandments of HaSHem your G-d, but turn away from the way I command you this day, to follow other gods, which you did not know." (Deuteronomy 11:26-28)

Twinkling of an Eye

Don't blink! You might miss it. When the redemption comes, things will change in the blink of an eye.

THIS WEEK'S TORAH PORTION:

Re'eh (ראה | See)

Torah: Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17

Haftarah: Isaiah 54:11-55:5 (Shabbat Rosh Chodesh: Isaiah 66:1 - 66:24)

Gospel: John 6:35-51

Bless HaShem, your G-d, for the good land He has given you

                     (Deuteronomy 8:10)

Av 22, 5778/August 3, 2018

"And it will be, because you will heed these ordinances and keep them and perform them, that HaShem, your G-d, will keep for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers." (Deuteronomy 7:12) Anyone familiar with the Hebrew original, knows that the word translated into English as "heed" is actually "heel," (eikev, in Hebrew). Our sages provide different insights into Torah's unusual usage of the word eikev - heel - in this instance, but one thing is for certain: when discussing Israel's relationship to the land of Israel, the mention of the bottom of the foot is (surprisingly perhaps), sublimely appropriate. Our heels are our constant point of contact and connection to the land of Israel, about which G-d told Avraham, "Rise, walk in the land, to its length and to its breadth, for I will give it to you." (Genesis 13:17) Walk the land! Make it yours! This is the message of this week's Torah reading, Eikev - Heel: walk the land, possess the land, inherit the land. Every aspect of our being takes an active part in our bond with our land, the land promised to us, the children of Israel, by G-d. Even the lowest, literally most base portion of our body, our heels, play an integral part in our love and fidelity to our land. It is our heels that allow us to be upright, and it is upon the blessed land of Israel that they stand.