Ki Tetse is highly focused on the moral behaviours of the nation of Israel in every aspect of society. There are more commandments mentioned in this parasha than any other. At the end, however, Moses implores us to remember the unexpected attack of Amalek on the Israelites in the desert on the way out of Egypt. We discuss what the ideological differences between Amalek and Israel are and how they apply to us today.

Shofetim presents the governmental system that would serve the nation of Israel under God in covenant. The Supreme Court of Israel was the ultimate legal authority and they ruled on and interpreted Torah's law. In this episode we explore the nature of this authority, what we do when we no longer have it, and what principles we can glean from it for our times.

Moshe presents two paths before the people. The path of blessing and the path of curse. There is apparently no in between. We explore the reason for this stark binary option and its implications on how we live our lives.

In this episode we consider a message Moses relays to the nation: Be sure to remember you did not merit coming into the Promised Land.

We consider entitlement, and circumstances of life that come to us despite our actions rather than because of them and how we might deal with them.

Before Moshe dies, he speaks to the people of what they must know before entering into the Promised Land as a sovereign nation. He reminds them that God did not choose them because of a quantifiable factor, but because he loves them. We explore the implications of that int his episode.

The book of Debarim opens with Moses' final words to the Children of Israel before he dies. This is significant because we are introduced to him as being "not a man of words". Moses goes through one of the greatest arcs of personal development in the Jewish Bible. In this class we examine the nature of that development and what we might take from it for our own lives.

These parashot close the book of Bemidbar. God orders a punitive strike against Midian for sending their women to seduce the men of Israel towards licentiousness and idol worship. Yet, after the war, the men bring back the very women that ensnared them as spoils. Moses is furious and commands that they not be allowed to live.

In this episode we look at what motivates us and how we might relate to why we do what we do.

The daughters of Tselofhad famously protest their loss of their father's real estate in the promised land due to being excluded from inheritance because they are women. They bring their complaint to Moses who brings it directly to God and God comes out in favour of the women. This parasha is often read during the 3 weeks between 17 Tamuz and 9 Ab. We explore the role of women in the issues that created these fast days as well as in the story of the sisters Tselofhad.

This year we look at Perashat Hukat. 38.5 years have passed since last week's parasha. And the current cohort of the Israelite people are the children of those who had left Egypt but perished in the desert as a result of the poor report of the 12 spies. In this episode we look at paradigm shifts, changing realities, and surviving them.

Korah raises a rebellion against Moses and Aaron and insists that the entire nation is holy and does not need the two of them as leaders. Yet, he insists that his system is correct and challenges the leadership with a veiled bid for his own. In the end, Korah is literally ejected from the nation by God Himself and swallowed by the earth. In this episode we look at what the Talmudic sages thought happened to make Torah do this and we explore some of the deeper ramifications for ourselves.