It is supremely relevant that our national return to our homeland causes such paroxysms of fury among the nations of the world - and tragically among certain of our own people - who hate being confronted with the truth of the Torah’s decrees.
Survival is not enough. There is also an obligation to preserve the truth about what happened.
Have we really been listening to the song? Have we allowed the Torah to speak to us again?
All the prophecies of the prophets are written in condensed form in this Torah portion. All the descriptions in the portion are, in fact, descriptions of the Mashiach.
Nitzavim promises that G-d will bring us back. VaYelech tells Yehoshua that he must lead the people in taking possession of the Land - and that is in our hands.
Upon entering the Land of Israel, we rose to a higher level. We went from a level in which every Jew is judged individually for his thoughts and actions to a level in which the individual takes responsibility for all of Israel.
“Even if a person has been a sinner all his life and does Teshuva at the end, it is effective." (Rambam, Hilchot Teshuva 2:1)
Since Hashem already entered into a covenant with them at Har Sinai, what need was there to enter into a further covenant with them, here?
The one thing new money cannot buy is old money, so the people at an 1897 gala rented someone else’s past for the evening. It was ancestry as wishful thinking. Which brings me to the opening of Parshat Ki Tavo - the exact opposite.
The past tells us only how long we have already waited. It cannot tell us how quickly things may change.
Good people leave behind an outstanding legacy through others, and future generations benefit from the example that has been set.
We must not ignore the goodness, kindnesses, miracles, and wonders that the Lord, Blessed be He, performs for us day after day.
I know the title of this article will trigger almost every Jew and please every antisemite. But I say to both of you, don’t judge an article by its title. Read on and see what I mean.
The farmer does not simply bring his fruit to Jerusalem. He tells a story.
There are four languages of the redemption promised by Hashem, - for which, the four glasses of wine are drunk at the Seder - but there is a fifth promise as well. Which promise is that?
We are not the givers, but are merely transferring what Hashem has allotted. Happy is the one who has the merit to serve as Hashem’s delivery person.
What was wrong with the Moabites and the Ammonites?
Isaiah’s message was one of consolation, but also of responsibility.
The manner in which we confront the wiles of the yetser ha’ra in its efforts to subvert our avodat Hashem, is the true measure of our service of our Creator.
The Torah's lesson is one Israel learned tragically on October 7: Do not mistake quiet for a permanent change in the intentions of those who wish us harm.
Because of the closeness to his family, a person ometimes allows himself to speak ill of his wife, husband, children, uncles, and other relatives. This is an unfortunate error.
It is painful to note that, today, the degree of assimilation in the USA is such that, in the not distant future, the once robust American Jewish community will be a shell of its former self.
Note: The parapet around the roof of a house protects the house. “You shall not place blood in your house": inside the house - inside the national home - must be a safe place.
A house can contain people who are different from one another, each with his own character and his own way, and yet they are all living under the same roof. That is the picture we should have of Am Yisrael.
We are expected to rise, to rebuild and to act.
What does the Torah mean when Moshe communicates that the prophet must be 'Like me'?
Hashem adjures us to ‘cleave to Him’ - and as Hashem is upright and righteous, one who wants to cleave to Him, has to also be ‘upright and righteous’.
The Torah teaches that stealing from the community is not less serious than stealing from an individual. In some ways, it is even more dangerous.
Giving enemies, who are sworn to our destruction, parts of Israel is equally emphatically not the Jewish way of relating to them.
Our generation has been given something Jews prayed for over the course of centuries: the ability to defend ourselves in our own land.
"Re'eh" means "see." We must see beneath the surface. See that within us lies the history of the world, - and adjust accordingly.
Sefer Devarim does not replace the Torah given in the first four books; it illuminates it. The Regalim are an example.
For generations, some tried to frighten Jews away from their faith. Others tried to argue them out of it. The Malbim finds the strength to prevail prophesied in this week's Haftorah.
We need to make the choice between blessing and curse, and by our ethical conduct, we decide for ourselves which way our faces incline.
One of the great elements of the practice of sending food parcels is that it’s not just those who receive who benefit, but those who send the food, they rejoice.
As bewildering as the world can be, the parasha and haftorah assure us of our wonderful future. Our enemies, whether on the battlefields or in the international courtrooms, are destined to fail.
Judaism affirms the tenet of reward and punishment. But we are not privy to the guidelines the Creator utilizes in implementing this principle.
The combination of physical and spiritual advancement in the modern Jewish state propels us towards the redemption represented in our haftarah by כַּדְכֹד.
The test comes when falsehood is persuasive, when it is wrapped in emotion, reinforced by success and presented by someone who appears impossible to dismiss.
One who is closer to the Land of Israel, and demonstrates a greater connection to it, comes first for blessing.
The renewal of the Land mirrors the renewal of the nation.
We were chosen, but non-Jews should not believe that they are completely relieved of the responsibility of observing Mitzvot.
Why is it important to stress that we were given the land because of our forefathers' merits? Famous commentators give their explanations below.
This week's Torah portion presents the only two blessings that are Biblical commandments.
It is worthwhile to study this Haftarah because it describes what is destined to take place amongst the People of Israel, and indeed we are witnessing it with our own eyes.
The gates are open. With a little courage and faith, you too can be here, a free Jew in the Jewish Homeland.
Parshat Eikev reminds us that humility is not the enemy of achievement but its proper companion.
What does it mean to love God וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ - "with all your might"?
The Torah does not necessarily have to remain the exclusive province of the Creator. A miraculous transformation can occur, and it can become the Torah of man.
Why the need to explain it in seventy languages, as Rashi writes, specifically at this time, as they were about to enter the Land? - what is the meaning of: ’he explained it in seventy languages’?
HaRav Tzvi Yehuda would ask his gathered students in the large Beit Midrash of the yeshiva: “What is the very first thing Moshe teaches the Nation, who are all waiting to hear the explanation of the Torah from Moshe himself?
Why is the infamous weeping of the generation of the wilderness called a "baseless weeping"? Because in truth they had no reason to weep.
Reflecting on the war against Midian, this week's Torah portion highlights the extraordinary miracle that not a single Jewish soldier was lost in battle, drawing a timeless lesson about the power of Jewish unity and the heavy cost of internal division.
If the next generation is not anchored in Torah and yirat Shamayim, everything else we build is standing on unstable ground. This week's parshiyot teach that to us.
There is a very peculiar Talmudic tradition about the purpose of the new moon sin-offering. For whom does this offering atone?
Within every person is a beautiful soul with light to contribute, but many are rendered mute by the traumas of the past.
Zelophehad's daughters stand as veritable beacons during these dark days, showing us where love for the Land of Israel can lead us.
When someone expresses a new theory on a significant matter for consideration, the reflexive response is often, “Where is it written?" or “Who said that?"
When thoughts of repentance arose in the hearts of the sons of Korach, they were moved to atone for their dishonor, by an offering of praise found in the Book of Psalms.
The daughters of Tzelophchad and the mission of Jeremiah.
