This week’s parasha is entitled Ha’Azinu, which means “give ear.”  A modern-day translation would be a command to “listen” to what is about to be said.  Ha’Azinu covers all of Deuteronomy, Chapter 32, which contains 52 verses.  With this being Shabbat Teshuvah, the Great Sabbath of Repentance that occurs between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, […]

The name of this week’s double parasha is Nitzavim-Vayeilech: Nitzavim means “those taking a stand,” and Vayeilech means “and he went,” and this parasha covers Deuteronomy 29:9 through 31:30.  Moses stresses to the Israelis the importance of following the terms of this covenant.  Everyone there was standing in Adonai’s presence to enter a covenant with […]

Once I was on an Orthodox Jewish website doing some research. As I read their “Ask the Rabbi” section, an article caught my eye. The question was whether motives mattered when giving tzedakah? The person writing was concerned because they gave regularly, but lately were giving hoping that the Lord would then have their daughter […]

This week’s Torah portion is entitled Ki Teitzei, which means, “when you go out,” and covers Deuteronomy 21:1 –25:19. This passage deals with issues related to morality, marriage, divorce, following through on vows, and other issues.  We will not be able to cover every topic presented in this passage, so I would suggest that you […]

A.W. Tozer believed that the truest measure of a man is how he thinks about God. Perhaps the truest measure of a nation is how its judicial system functions. When innocent people go to prison because ambitious prosecutors suppress evidence, or officials commit perjury, or judges allow their political biases to influence cases, the judicial […]

Shabbat Shalom, this week’s parasha is Re’eh, which means, “see,” and covers Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17. The start of this parasha is Moses telling the Jewish people that he is setting before them a blessing and a curse. The blessing is if they obey the commandments of God, which he is about to tell them. The curse […]

This week’s Torah portion is called Eikev, meaning “Because,” which in this case means, “as a result,” and it covers Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25. The charge to Israel was special and distinguishing. Israel was set apart, and distinguished, from all other nations of the earth. No people knew the LORD by signs and wonders, by […]

This week’s Parasha is V’Etchanan – it means “and I pleaded”.  It covers Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11. This Torah portion covers two main themes – a reiteration of the Ten Commandments found in Exodus 20, as well as the Shema.  There is also a commandment of putting on Tefillin and affixing the Mezuzah to our doorpost. In […]

This Shabbat brings us to the introduction of the fifth book of Moses, known in the English Bible as Deuteronomy and in the Hebrew Bible as D’varim – “Words”. The book begins, These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel across the Jordan in the wilderness…. Normally, the Hebrew names of the books […]

The parashas for this Shabbat are Mattot and Massei, translated “tribes” and “journeys” and bring us to the end of BaMidbar (Numbers). Chapter 30 discusses the importance of vows. If someone swears an oath, they’re obligated to make good on it. But this passage contains provisions by which a father or a husband could nullify […]