Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

When the Lord enlarges your territory, as He has promised you, and you say, "I shall eat some meat," for you have the urge to eat meat, you may eat meat whenever you wish. If the place where the Lord has chosen to establish His name [the Temple in Jerusalem] is too far from you, you may slaughter any of the cattle or sheep that the Lord gives you, as I have instructed you; and you may eat to your heart's content in your settlements....But make sure that you do not partake of the blood, for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the life with the flesh. Read more...

This week is Shabbat Nachamu the Shabbat of "comfort." It is named that because of the first verse of the haftarah that is read this week: "Comfort, oh comfort My people, says your God." (Isaiah 40:1) Shabbat Nachamu is always the first Shabbat after the fast of Tisha b'Av when we mourn, amongst other things, the destruction of the First and Second Temples. Read more...

Each Shabbat as we read the Haftorah, we can find a connecting theme that links it to that week's Torah portion, illustrating why it was chosen to be read on that particular Shabbat. This Shabbat, in addition to reading to Parashat Devarim, we also read a special Haftarah for which the Shabbat is given a special name, Shabbat Hazon (Shabbat of Vision), named for Isaiah's prophetic vision in foretelling the destruction of the Temple. Read more...

If you are acquainted with someone who is of a particular traditional bent and/or knowledgeable of Jewish sources - or if you are such a person - you may have heard a sentence like this: "I'll be there at 9 am sharp, bli neder," or this: "I'll pick up a dessert for Shabbos dinner, bli neder." "Bli neder" means "without [making] a vow," and is meant to indicate that the words that precede it should not be considered a religious commitment. Read more...

After the Israelites sin at Baal-Pe'or, God lashes out in anger, ordering Moses to "Take all the heads of the people and have them publicly impaled." Before Moses can act on God's command, a leading Israelite named Zimri and a leading Midianite woman named Cozbi enter the sacred site of the Tent of Meeting and there, before the entire people, begin to copulate. This arrogant escalation of sin inflames Pinhas, the leader of the Levitical guards, who grabs a spear and impales the two sinners. Read more...