D’vrei Torah

This week’s Torah portion emerges from the power of the 10 Days of Awe, the High Holy Days.  Talk about timing! This is another one chapter portion that sees Moses’s final instructions as he prepares [Read more…]

Vayelech in its own way is a strange portion. It is one chapter that is filled with interesting issues. Moses is, for the time being, accepting of his death. He charges Joshua to be strong [Read more…]

So we come to Nitzavim! This is one of the most powerful of our portions. We will meet it again in many congregations, on Yom Kippur. The passage follows right on last week’s portion and [Read more…]

Ki Tavo presents us with a portion that challenges much of our theological foundation. The portion is filled with a series of blessings and curses based on the Deuteronomic literary construct of: if you follow [Read more…]

What a portion we have this Shabbat!  There is a year’s worth of conversation in just one portion. We have a ton of issues around family dynamics and inter-personal relationships; women, captives, divorce, compassion, warfare [Read more…]

Shoftim is one of our more famous passages. It focuses on the development of a society based on the concept of justice. Easily the most famous passage from this portion is from 16:20 and the [Read more…]

R’eh is a powerful portion. It wastes no time in reminding us that life will present us with choices between good and evil and that  blessings will flow if we follow God’s Commandments. If not, [Read more…]

Eikev is a challenging portion. There are moral issues here (7:16ff,). Also the challenges described by God between the blessings of following the commandments and the promised punishments if we fail. There is even the proof [Read more…]

This is a powerful Torah portion. How can it not be with the 10 Commandments repeated (5) and the Sh’ma (6:4). Torah study classes this Shabbat will have their hands full. As I was looking at some [Read more…]