For Parashat Ki Tavo אָר֣וּר הָאִ֡ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יַעֲשֶׂה֩ פֶ֨סֶל וּמַסֵּכָ֜ה תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת יְיָ מַעֲשֵׂ֛ה יְדֵ֥י חָרָ֖שׁ וְשָׂ֣ם בַּסָּ֑תֶר… מַקְלֶ֥ה אָבִ֖יו וְאִמּ֑וֹ … מַסִּ֖יג גְּב֣וּל רֵעֵ֑הוּ… מַשְׁגֶּ֥ה עִוֵּ֖ר בַּדָּ֑רֶךְ… מַטֶּ֛ה מִשְׁפַּ֥ט גֵּר־יָת֖וֹם וְאַלְמָנָ֑ה… שֹׁכֵב֙… מַכֵּ֥ה רֵעֵ֖הוּ בַּסָּ֑תֶר… לֹקֵ֣חַ שֹׁ֔חַד לְהַכּ֥וֹת נֶ֖פֶשׁ דָּ֣ם נָקִ֑י… אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹא־יָקִ֛ים אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י הַתּוֹרָֽה־הַזֹּ֖את לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת אוֹתָ֑ם וְאָמַ֥ר כָּל־הָעָ֖ם אָמֵֽן: …
For Parashat Ki Tetze The opening paragraph of Parashat Ki Tetze (Deut. 21: 10-14) is shocking. In it, the Torah instructs Israelite soldiers how to capture and then violate the women of the enemy: (י) כִּֽי־תֵצֵ֥א לַמִּלְחָמָ֖ה עַל־אֹיְבֶ֑יךָ וּנְתָנ֞וֹ יְיָ אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ בְּיָדֶ֖ךָ וְשָׁבִ֥יתָ שִׁבְיֽוֹ (יא) וְרָאִיתָ֙ בַּשִּׁבְיָ֔ה אֵ֖שֶׁת יְפַת־תֹּ֑אַר וְחָשַׁקְתָּ֣…
For Parashat Shofetim Halakha, the Jewish legal system, is a labyrinthian structure of arguments and counter-arguments, with hundreds of rabbis in each generation opining on numerous matters, and only few rising to the status of authority recognized by all. Tens of thousands of volumes published and probably a thousand others…
For Parashat Shofetim Parashat Shofetim opens with a call for Justice for All (Deut. 16:18-20): שֹׁפְטִ֣ים וְשֹֽׁטְרִ֗ים תִּֽתֶּן־לְךָ֙ בְּכָל־שְׁעָרֶ֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְקֹוָ֧ק אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ לִשְׁבָטֶ֑יךָ וְשָׁפְט֥וּ אֶת־ הָעָ֖ם מִשְׁפַּט־צֶֽדֶק לֹא־תַטֶּ֣ה מִשְׁפָּ֔ט לֹ֥א תַכִּ֖יר פָּנִ֑ים וְלֹא־תִקַּ֣ח שֹׁ֔חַד כִּ֣י הַשֹּׁ֗חַד יְעַוֵּר֙ עֵינֵ֣י חֲכָמִ֔ים וִֽיסַלֵּ֖ף דִּבְרֵ֥י צַדִּיקִֽם צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף לְמַ֤עַן תִּֽחְיֶה֙ וְיָרַשְׁתָּ֣…
וָאֶתְחַנַּ֖ן אֶל־יְיָ בָּעֵ֥ת הַהִ֖יא – I was pleading with God at that time… That sentence always struck me as very personal. Its first word gives the Parasha its name, which is the only one spoken in first person (VaEra is a quote of God addressing Moshe). Those few words are…
The Torah refers to the content of the Tablets of the Law, given to Moshe on Mount Sinai, not as the Ten Commandments, but rather as עשרת הדברים – the Ten Concepts (Ex. 34:28; Det. 4:13; 10:4). That is because the first and the last of the ten concepts cannot…
First Two of the Ten Concepts וַיִּכְתֹּ֣ב עַל־הַלֻּחֹ֗ת אֵ֚ת דִּבְרֵ֣י הַבְּרִ֔ית עֲשֶׂ֖רֶת הַדְּבָרִֽים He [Moshe] wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten concepts (Ex. 34:28) This passage teaches us that the term “Ten Commandments” is a misnomer. There are two other references to the Ten Commandments…