A Past and Present Connection
Our parsha explores the nature of the Jewish people’s connection to the Land of Israel. Interestingly, it seems that there are two distinct reasons that the Jewish people merit to enter and live in the Land. Towards the beginning of the parsha we have several verses that focus on the Jewish people’s fulfillment of the […]
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The All-Inclusive Redemption
This week is known is Shabbat Nachamu, when we read the beautiful haftorah of consolation. As usual, it is also parshat Va’etchanan. In what way is this week’s Torah portion connected with the theme of consolation and redemption? Rabbi Pinchas Friedman offers the following explanation. A highlight of the parsha is the foundational verse: “Hear […]
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The Mourning of Jerusalem
One of the most iconic and stirring kinnot is “Eli Tzion.” The opening line and refrain reads as follows: “Wail Zion and her cities like a woman in labor having contractions.” This is stirring imagery and depicts the depth of the pain of Zion over her destruction and exiled children. In his commentary on this […]
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The End of the Journey
Our parsha opens with a list of the forty-two stations at which the Jewish people stopped in their journey through the desert. The commentators discuss why this section needed to be included in the Torah. What are the future readers of the Torah to gain by reading this long list of stations? The Akeidat Yitzhak […]
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For the Love of Zion
The end of our parsha focuses on the request of the tribes of Reuven and Gad to stay on the eastern side of the Jordan River and not in the Land of Israel proper. Even though they and Moshe reach an agreement that is amenable to both parties, nonetheless, the Rabbis are critical of their […]
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The Humility of Jerusalem
When the time came for Moshe to choose the next leader of the Jewish people, he naturally thought of his own children. However, it was not to be. In a choice that apparently surprised even Moshe, God told Moshe to appoint his student Yehoshua in his place. Yalkut Shimoni teaches as follows: Moshe thought that […]
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Seeing the Good of Jerusalem
In the beginning of one of his attempted curses, Bilam refers to himself as setum ha-ayin. The word setum is not easily translated and the commentators debate if this means that his eye was closed or open. The Or HaChaim explains that Bilam had the capacity to damage via his gaze. When he wanted to […]
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The Holistic Delight of Jerusalem
In the midst of the Torah’s discussion of the laws of ritual impurity contracted via contact with a corpse, the following phrase appears: This is the ritual (Torah): When a person dies in a tent, whoever enters the tent and whoever is in the tent shall be impure seven days. The Talmud homiletically interprets this […]
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The Peaceful Strength of Jerusalem
The midrash compares Korach to the subject of the following verse in Mishlei: “A rebellious brother – a strong city.” Korach was a brother – a leader within his nation and a relative of Moshe and Aharon. The “strong city” refers to the Torah, which Korach attacked. The prooftext that a “strong city” refers to […]
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The Living City
The Land of Israel is a unique location. Most lands are merely places where people live, a setting for their lived experience. Land is inanimate. It is treated as part of one’s financial portfolio. The Land of Israel, though, is different. The Torah treats it as almost a sentient being that responds differently based on […]
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