In the last parsha of the Torah, V'Zot HaBracha, Moshe dies. But what matters is not that he died- rather, the way he died. Moshe approached God alone. There were no adoring crowds. No family surrounding him. It was just the man and his Maker. And this is something that will happen to us all. We will all, ultimately, approach God. The question to be answered is simply this: have we lived a life that we are proud to show to God?

Before he dies, Moshe is called eved Hashem, servant of God. This is the highest compliment a mortal can receive. It means a person was successful in acting as a channel to bring God's presence to this world, and to perform God's will. As we end our series of podcasts here, my hope is that you too will aspire to be and ultimately become an eved Hashem. I hope you find God and cling to Him, and I hope He helps you when you struggle. It has been my pleasure to learn with you, and I hope you continue to learn as we begin the cycle of Torah reading again- with Bereishit.

This week's parsha, Haazinu, is actually a song! Moshe wanted to make sure that the core ideas of Judaism would be accessible to everyone, whether or not they were able to read. In this song, we focus on some important ideas. These include:

In this week's parsha, Vayelech, we learn:

In Parshat Nitzavim, we learn that:

In this week's parsha, Ki Tavo, we discover:

In this week's parsha, Ki Teitzei, we explore laws that address human dignity and responsibility. These include, but are not limited to:

The big ideas behind these laws still resonate today.

In this week's parsha, Shoftim, we learn about the importance of leadership, government, and systems of checks and balances. Some of the important topics covered in this parsha include:

We are all governed by the same God, and must all follow His law.

In this week's parsha, Re'eh, we learn some very important things. These include:

In this week's parsha, Ekev, we learn not to discriminate between mitzvot that seem very important, like not killing, and those that seem less important, like keeping kosher. All mitzvot are important, whether we recognize it or not.

Additionally, we learn about Moshe's amazing leadership qualities, which featured perspective-taking, and the importance of cultivating a robust relationship with God. We need to remember to turn to God in times of distress and times of joy, and not to act like a fair-weather friend.

God loves us, and even when He gives us consequences, He does so in the hope that we can improve.

We conclude the parsha with a focus on those who are marginalized, such as the widow, orphan and stranger. God wants us to help these people, and not to forget that we too were once strangers in Egypt.

In this week's parsha, V'eschanan, we learn many beautiful concepts. These include: