…ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, Upright and just is He. Devarim 32:4 This belief is fundamental to Judaism and it is key to the way we understand evil and suffering in the world – a difficult but necessary belief. It teaches us that bad things happen, but God is just. Is He corrupt? No –…
“Antisemitism – the hatred of difference – is an assault not on Jews only but on the human condition.” FIND MORE RESOURCES ON ANTISEMITISM Explore the life and work of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Discover articles, videos, books, commentary, and educational resources from an international faith leader, ambassador for Judaism and Jewish values, respected moral philosopher, and award-winning author. This…
The Parsha in a Nutshell Vezot Habracha is Moshe’s blessing, delivered at the end of his life to the Israelites, tribe by tribe. It concludes emotionally with the story of the death and burial of Moshe. Moshe dies in the land of Moab, in an unknown location, so that “to this day no one knows his burial place” (Devarim 34:6)….
…of Yaacov’s children remained within the fold. There is a fascinating argument in the Mishnah on the meaning of Devarim 14:1, the passuk that says about the Jewish people, “You are children of the Lord your God.” Rabbi Yehudah said this applied only when Jews behaved in a way worthy of the children of God. But Rabbi Meir said that…
…this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” (Devarim 4:5–6) Why did Moshe, or God, care whether or not other nations saw Israel’s laws as wise and understanding? Judaism was and is a love story between God and a particular people, often tempestuous, sometimes serene, frequently joyous, but close, intimate, even inward-looking. What has the rest of the world…
…Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not feel superior to his people or turn from the law to the right or to the left.” (Devarim 17:19-20) Even a king, someone whom all are bound to honour, is commanded to be humble – “not feel superior to his people” – so…
…a leader. Moshe does indeed find leading Bnei Yisrael to be a tough task. In Devarim, he expresses his struggles handling the community’s burdens alone. His frustrations reach their peak in Beha’alotecha, where he confronts God about the immense responsibility, feeling incapable and even wishing for death over his inability to bear the burden. It’s hard to believe that this…
…always invoke this idea in their Inaugural Addresses in language that owes its cadences and concepts to the book of Devarim. So, for instance, in 1985 Ronald Reagan spoke of America as “one people under God, dedicated to the dream of freedom that He has placed in the human heart, called upon now to pass that dream on to a…
…is saturated with the language of love. The root a-h-v appears in Shemot twice, in Vayikra twice (both in Lev. 19), in Badmibar not at all, but in Sefer Devarim 23 times. Devarim is a book about societal beatitude and the transformative power of love. Nothing could be more misleading and invidious than the Christian contrast between Christianity as a…
…is not arbitrary, a mere decree. First, especially evident throughout the book of Devarim, is the giving of reasons for the commands. Often, though not always, the reason has to do with the experience of the Israelites in Egypt. They know what it feels like to be oppressed, to be a stranger, an outsider. I want you to create a…