David Schwartz Hy"d

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Haazinu: G-d's servants or His sons?

Only through the combination of two attributes can we fulfill completely the words of the Song that promise: “because it will never be lost from the mouth of their offspring”

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

The Song of Torah, the Song of happiness

A careful reading truly shows that it is not the “sanctity of the Torah” that serves as a guarantee of its fulfillment but the “Song of the Torah.”

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Ki Tavo: Serving G-d through joy

Happiness is a critical and essential part of service to God, and we must strive to find this joy within us when we observe the mitzvot.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Ki Tetse: Three mitzvot between man and G-d

In a parsha with tens of mitzvot between man and his fellow man, three are between man and G-d, but that is not coincidental.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Shoftim: Serving justice in the courts

Whatever the case, a judge obviously is obligated to aim for truth and integrity even when the tools of justice may impede his way.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Re'eh: Why is the reward for charity spelled out in the Torah?

The reward of a mitzvah is a consequence whose purpose is meant to continue the kindness of God in the world.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Ekev: LIfe's purpose

What does it really mean to be alive? Rabbi Asher Weiss Shlita answers the question.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Vaetchanan: God hears every prayer

With such a powerful prayer, Moshe’s question cries out to the heart of heaven. How can it be that his prayer is returned unanswered? And ours?

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Establishing a court system

Moshe opens his address in Devarim with words of mussar, or moral chastisement, about the importance of establishing a court system. Why is that?

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

“How can it be that your brothers go to war and you remain here?”

Could there be a wrong greater than that from an ethical, moral or religious point of view?

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

An eternal message in the story of Tzelafchad's daughters

We can find the proper way to serve God through this parsha, which includes wording that can lead one to believe mistakenly that the Torah has been changed on account of this appeal of the daughters of Tzelafchad.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Agony and tribulations are part of Jewish history from the start

Our tribulations bring our people to the requisite question: Why have we endured so much suffering? What is the central reason we have experienced so much pain?

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

The tragic substitute for not speaking to the rock

The nation of Israel keeps falling into a poor state of faith, even though its entire existence in the desert is nothing but an obvious miracle. Since Moses and Aaron do not elevate the people's faith by talking to the rock, another measure is needed.

Le'David Barchi Nafshi:

Preposterous conflicts

In a time of argument, even preposterous words settle into the hearts of man and kindle the fire of conflict. That is what happened in the story of Korach.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

The great value of serving God with love

Why shoould tzitzit be a mitsva that depends on whether you choose to wear a four cornered garment? Why not make it obligatory all the time.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Behaalotcha: What was so bad about the Israelites' complaints?

The purpose of the Torah and mitzvot is to foster a connection between the people of Israel and God, They wanted the opposite.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

God created His world for it to be used by us

Yearning for holiness should not come at the expense of participation in this world and in community life, with all that such implies.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Bamidbar: The tent of meeting

On whatever path man may choose to go, he must place God’s Tent of Meeting in the center of his consciousness.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Not for any reward

The doctrine of reward and punishment at the opening of the parsha arouses our wonder. It is worthwhile to clarify the meaning of this important religious axiom.

“Le’David Barchi Nafshi”

‘Please, God, for I am your servant!’

Being a slave to man can not coexist with the servitude to God.

Le’David Barchi Nafshi:

Why is counting the Omer found in the Torah reading on holidays?

And why are there so many commandments where one recalls the Exodus from Egypt? The answers to the two questions are connected.

“Le’David Barchi Nafshi”:

Kedoshim: It depends on you

The Torah lights the path and provides tools to guide man through his life. “You shall be holy because I the Lord, your God, am holy” is essentially the conscience that the Torah supplies to man.

Acharei Mot: What does "living" by the commandments really mean?

People display their religiosity in diverse ways, but perhaps the words "live by them" reveal how God wants us to build an observant life.

Bedikat Chametz - what do we really want to find?

What is the purpose of finding chametz that we just hid a few minutes ago? How exactly can we call this procedure a “search for chametz”? The answer is a profound insight into what bedikat chametz really means.

Tazria: A directive toward a life of holiness

God demands we live a life of good deeds towards others and this upholds the world. Therefore, many commandments in the Torah are commandments of interpersonal nature.

Shmini: When the climax meets a great tragedy

“Le’David Barchi Nafshi” is a compilation of essays written on the weekly Torah reading by David Schwartz, Hy"d, who fell in Gaza. First published on the occasion of his marriage to Meital, David’s unique Torah thoughts that delve into the depths of the Torah are shared now to elevate his memory and sanctify his soul.