Deuteronomy 21:10-25:19 Shalom! This Shabbat’s reading is from Parashat Ki Teitzei (Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19), one of the richest portions of Aurayta, filled with a great multitude of laws that touch upon war, family, morality, commerce, justice, and compassion. It is a portion that demonstrates the extraordinary breadth of Aurayta’s concern, for it descends into the practical […]
Commentary on Parashat Shoftim
Deuteronomy 16:18-21:9 Parashat Shoftim is deeply concerned with the establishment of righteous order within Israel. It sets forth laws concerning judges, priests, kings, prophets, warfare, and communal responsibility. The central theme is the necessity of justice grounded in the will of Mar-Yah, not in human ambition or partiality. The text demonstrates that Israel was to […]
Commentary on Parashat Re’eh
Deuteronomy 11:26–16:17 In this week’s portion we see that Mosheh summons Israel to contemplate the profound reality of covenantal choice. “Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse” (Deut. 11:26). This is a covenantal decree that touches the very destiny of the people of Israel. The blessing is linked to obedience, […]
Commentary on Parashat Eikev
Deuteronomy 7:12 – 11:25 Parashat Eikev follows directly upon the covenantal exhortations of Parashat Va’etchanan, but the tone here shifts from recalling Israel’s past failures to showing us the blessings that attend obedience and the dangers that accompany pride or forgetfulness. Our reading is a reminder that the walk of the covenant is not only […]
Commentary on Parashat Vaetchanan
Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11 Parashat Va’etchanan is the second parashah of Sefer Devarim, a book framed as the final testament of Mosheh to the generation born in the wilderness—those who will soon cross the Yarden into the Land of Promise. The portion begins with Mosheh’s earnest supplication to Mar-Yah for permission to enter the land, and proceeds […]
Commentary on Parashat Devarim
Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22 With the reading of Parashat Devarim we start the final book of Aurayta. Some refer to Deuteronomy as a relisting of the Law, however, it is far more than a simple recapitulation. Delivered by Mosheh in the final weeks of his life, east of the Yarden in the plains of Moav, these speeches […]
Commentary on Parashat Matot-Masei
Bamidbar (Numbers) 30:2–36:13; 28:9–15 Parashat Matot-Masei concludes the Book of Bamidbar with a strong theological, ethical, and eschatological resonance. Matot and Masei together form a double portion frequently read in tandem during the Shabbat prior to Tisha B’Av, the national day of mourning over the destruction of the Temple, evoking themes of covenantal responsibility, divine […]
Commentary on Parashat Balak
Numbers 22:2–25:9 Parashat Balak brings us to the account where Gentile kings and pagan prophets attempt to manipulate divine reality, only to discover the unassailable sovereignty of Mar-Yah, the Most High. Situated on the cusp of Israel’s entrance into the Promised Land, this section of Bamidbar unfolds an encounter between Balak, king of Moab, and […]
Commentary on Parashat Chukat
Bamidbar (Numbers) 19:1–22:1 The parashah opens with the phrase “זֹאת חֻקַּת הַתּוֹרָה” — “This is the statute of the Torah…” (Numbers 19:2). The Hebrew word chok implies an edict or ordinance whose reason is not revealed. In contrast to mishpatim (judgments) that appeal to reason, chukkim are decrees given purely by the authority of Mar-Yah […]
Commentary on Parashat Korach
Numbers 16:1-18:32 Parashat Korach is one of the most arresting narratives within the wilderness journey of the children of Israel, for it lays bare the anatomy of rebellion—not merely political dissent, but spiritual insubordination. It exposes the dangers of ungrounded egalitarianism divorced from divine order and vocation. It also affirms Mar-Yah’s sanctification of priesthood, and […]