They both rise on one and the same soil, both are watered by one and the same fall of rain and dew, the same air breathes over both of them… and yet Eval remains in barren bleakness while Gerisim is clad to its summit in embellishment of vegetation.

We return to an old problem with this verse. Could it be that the all knowing God really needs to test the people in order to see whether or not they would keep His commandments?

Indeed, Ibn Ezra’s comments here amount to something like “I already wrote about this earlier.”

Given the great number of laws in Judaism, we may be tempted to conclude that doing good in God’s eyes means no more or less than keeping the law. However, we find in our parsha that this is not the case.

Moshe joins a long tradition of deathbed reprovers. It is a list that includes Yaakov, Yehoshua, Shmuel, and David. What is it about this practice that makes it so worthy of imitation by our greatest leaders and teachers?

The Tribes of Gad and Reuven just want a place to live. But Moshe goes right into panic mode. What is he so afraid of? And why should we be so afraid of it as well?

This episode carries different meaning this year. As I listened to it, I was surprised how different elements in it now became resonant.

Listen to the Parsha Pick-Me-Up to learn about zealotry, Pincha's moment, and the Jewish interest.

"Let my death be the death of the righteous! Let my end be like his!"

What is it that Bilaam asks for? He seeks the profound, things that we all seek.

Take three minutes to listen to the Parsha Pick-Me-Up to learn more.

Usually, just a moment or two of reflection can help us understand why the Sages comment on a phrase or verse. But some comments are stumpers.

This week, the Sages tell us that when Moshe and Aharon gather the people together, it is an example of the "few taking hold of the many," as though this is something I would not have figured out myself.

But there is something rather surprising and beautiful here, if we take a few steps backwards to understand the meaning of this seemingly innocuous comment.

Take a few minutes to listen to the Parsha Pick-Me-Up to find something both practical and wonderful.

Does Korach have the right priorities?

Generally speaking, when we study the story of Korach and his group, we highlight his terrible moral and political errors. However, when we study Rashi, we find a positive lesson regarding Korach’s priorities.

The Spies saw what happened to Miriam. Yet, they seemed to miss something. Is it possible that we are missing something as well?