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 […]
The Witness of John – John 1:19–27
The priests and Levites from Jerusalem question John: “Who are you?” He confesses plainly, “I am not Mshikha” (v. 20). He identifies himself as “the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of Mar-Yah, as said the prophet Isaiah” (v. 23). This passages echoes Deuteronomy 18:15–19, where Mar-Yah promised a Prophet […]
Haftarah Commentary Isaiah 51:12–52:12
The Haftarah associated with Parashat Shoftim comes from Isaiah, a prophet whose voice calls out both judgment and consolation. The section chosen (51:12–52:12) is marked by reassurance, hope, and the proclamation of redemption. It connects intimately with the Aurayta portion’s theme of justice and righteous authority, for here Mar-Yah Himself declares that He is Judge, […]
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 […]
A Prophetic Word for the Appointed Season
Thus says Mar-Yah, the Holy One of Yisra’el, El Shaddai, who stretches forth the heavens by His breath and establishes the earth upon the waters: “The time has come when I shall move swiftly in the earth. I have summoned the nations to account, and I have weighed them in My balances. Behold, they are […]
A Call to Discern the Appointed Times
Shalom to the faithful remnant, As we pass into the unfolding days of August, let us not forget the charge that was sounded at the threshold of this prophetic season. The time of shaking has commenced in the concrete movements of history, nature, and the human heart. It is a divinely appointed moment in which […]
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 […]