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Even though Parshat Vezot Ha'beracha is read over and over again during Simchat Torah it is probably one of the least understood and studied…
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Jewish thought teaches that the physical and spiritual worlds are meant to function harmoniously. Both are essential, and a proper balance must be…
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One of the most vexing issues in Biblical interpretation is the relationship between pshat, loosely translated as the plain meaning of the Biblical…
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In the secular world in which we live it can be—and often is—hard to feel the presence of G-d. The Western world has turned religion into…
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When studying Torah we must study not only its content, but also its form; not just what the Torah says, but also how it says it. Proper study…
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Evil does not exist in a vacuum. A culture is needed for evil to be nurtured, in which it can grow and develop. And when that happens,…
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“Guard the month of the spring, and make Pesach to the Lord your G-d, because it was in the month of the spring that the Lord your G-d took you out…
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One often hears the lament that it is difficult to be a Jew. There are seemingly endless demands from morning to evening, 365 days a year, year in…
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"And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land which You have given me" (Devarim 26:10). The Israeli farmer was to…
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A legal brief and a good story are two very different forms of writing. We have even coined a term, legalese, to describe the distinct writing…
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The land of Israel is a special, holy land and thus, all produce grown on it has properties of holiness. This is the underpinning of such laws of…
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“At that time I pleaded with G-d, saying, ‘O G-d, Lord…please let me cross the Jordan. Let me see the good land across the Jordan…
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The narrative portion of the Torah has come to an end. The last book of the Chumash, that of Devarim, concentrates on the charge that…
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“Today I [Moshe] am 120 years old, and I can no longer come and go." (Devarim 31:2). After 40 years of dedicated leadership, it was time…
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Judaism has long understood that politics and religion are a dangerous mix. Political office was destined for those from the tribe of Judah and the…
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The Talmud declares that wisdom depends on the ability to make distinctions. It is for this reason that havdalah, the ritual marking the end of the…
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Attempts to understand the rationale behind the mitzvoth of the Torah have generated much debate and discussion through the millennia. Many have…
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“Eicha esa, how can I alone carry your contentiousness, your burdens and your quarrels?” (Devarim 1:12). After 40 long years, the Promised Land is…
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In one of the great mistakes in history, Alfred Nobel was lucky enough to read his own obituary—a result of an error of an editor who printed…
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Parshat Ki Tavo opens with the mitzvot of bikkurim, the farmers’ bringing of his first fruits of the land to the Temple, and viddui maaser, the…
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Moshe Rabbeinu was a most humble person. We know this because the Torah tells us so, the only trait of Moshe that the Torah actually enumerates. But…
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Imagine being told on your deathbed that your life’s work may be for naught. Moshe Rabbeinu put heart and soul into forming a nation that would…
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With less than two weeks until Rosh Hashanah, the theme of teshuva begins to take centre stage. While the cycle of Torah reading--and for…
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Showing extra sensitivity to the needs of the poor, the widow, orphan, servant, and stranger is a central theme of the Torah. This is especially so…