…9:4), and Moses even re-emphasises this command in his great closing address in the book of Deuteronomy (Devarim 12:23-25). What is so wrong with eating blood? Maimonides and Nahmanides each offer a different interpretation. For Maimonides this is part of the Torah’s continuous battle against idolatry. He compares the language the Torah uses for the prohibitions of idolatry and eating…
…become the next prophet after Moshe. It meant that anyone, by discipleship and dedication, could aspire to Rabbinic leadership and the crown of Torah. Hence we find in the sources a paradox. On the one hand, the Torah describes itself as an inheritance: “Moshe commanded us the Torah as an inheritance [morasha] of the congregation of Jacob” (Devarim. 33:4). On…
…us the question of the religious significance of the land of Israel. Israel is clearly central to Judaism. The overarching story told in Tanach is the promise of and journey to the land. Jewish history begins with Abraham and Sarah’s journey to it. Shemot to Devarim are taken up with the second journey in the days of Moshe. Tanach as…
…that we would hear anybody suggest simcha, joy. This is a word that appears only once in each of the other books of the Torah but it appears twelve times in Devarim, seven of these times in this very parsha of Re’eh. It be a surprise that simcha is so often mentioned here. The story of the Israelites so far…
…them, because you can eat their fruit. Do not cut them down. Are the trees people, that you should besiege them? However, you may cut down trees that you know are not fruit trees and use them to build siege works until the city at war with you falls. (Devarim 20:19–20) This may sound like simple, additional detail to the…
…the fifth chumash we read, Sefer Devarim, that living in a society of wealth, that’s also a great challenge. Living with prosperity and with Western world developing, flourishing, good, positive world. You wrote that a society that faces a crisis, okay, it’s hard. But it’s maybe harder when the society is not facing any crisis. I really liked it because…
…the Torah tells us to do, to examine the evidence well, and see “emet nachon hadavar” [Devarim 13:15] if the thing is true? None of that. Just simple condemnation. Now, I happen to have the privilege of knowing Jordan Peterson. I went to interview him at his home in Toronto, and we had a long conversation together, which you can…
…down into Egypt … Then the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm … He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; and now I bring the first-fruits of the soil that You, Lord, have given me.'” (Devarim 26:5-10). In the context of…
…hearing rather than seeing. Its key word is Shema, meaning: to hear, listen, understand and obey. The verb sh-m-a is a dominant theme of the book of Devarim, where it appears no less than 92 times. Jewish spirituality is about listening more than looking. That is the deep reason why we cover our eyes when saying Shema Yisrael. We shut…
…it is a religion of the ear. It emphasises hearing rather than seeing. Our key word is Shema, meaning: to hear, listen, understand and obey. The verb sh-m-a is an important theme of the book of Devarim, where it appears 92 times. Jewish spirituality is about listening more than looking. That is the reason why we cover our eyes when…