August 2022

Erasing The Name of God

Parashat Re'eh Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17

As we have seen many times previously, the Torah has many levels of understanding as well as application. This week’s portion is no exception. Toward the beginning of our reading we learn of the LORD’s command to the Israelites to obliterate the idols and the high places of the Canaanites when they enter the land given to their ancestors:

The God of Second Chances

Parashat Ekev - Deuteronomy 7:12-11:25

Sometimes we wonder why things happen the way they do. Why do things have to go terribly wrong before they can be made right? Why do things have to break before we tend to them the way we should have in the first place? In this week’s parashah we are reminded of this very fact. As Moses is recounting to the Israelites the various events leading up to their present situation, he recalls the story of the original giving of the Asaret Had’varim, the Ten Sayings (also known as the Ten Commandments):

Shining The Light Of Torah

Va'etchanan (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11)

When most people think of “the Law of Moses,” they don’t get warm fuzzies. But God’s people shouldn’t be like most people. According to this week’s Torah portion, God’s people should be the exception to the rule. We should have a connection with the Torah deep within our hearts. Through Moses, God told the Children of Israel that, when they took His commandments seriously and lived them out, the nations would recognize this and praise God: