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Haazinu (Deuteronomy 32:1–52)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Haazinu (Deuteronomy 32:1–52)

In Haazinu (Listen), Moses explains how the history of the relationship between Adonai our God and Israel began. It is a different version/source, and a different story than the ones we read before. In this version, God did not choose us; God won us in a lottery. We are not the chosen people of God, but the people that won Adonai our God in a lottery. There are many nations in the world according to this version, and each has their own God, our lot is Adonai, and their lot is different.

This Week’s Torah Portion: Haazinu (Deuteronomy 32:1–52)

In Haazinu (Listen), Moses explains how the history of the relationship between Adonai our God and Israel began. It is a different version/source, and a different story than the ones we read before. In this version, God did not choose us; God won us in a lottery. We are not the chosen people of God, but the people that won Adonai our God in a lottery. There are many nations in the world according to this version, and each has their own God, our lot is Adonai, and their lot is different.

Haazinu Summary:
Moses sings his last song, a love poem to God and a chastisement of the people, who are not worthy of Adonai. (32:1–6)
The poem recounts the blessings that God has bestowed on the Israelites, the wicked deeds they have committed, and the punishments that God then inflicted upon them. (32:7–43)
God tells Moses to begin his ascent of Mount Nebo, from where he will see the Land of Israel from a distance but will not be allowed to enter it. (32:45–52)

Vayeilech (Deuteronomy 31:1–30)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Vayeilech (Deuteronomy 31:1–30)

Moses the greatest leader, prophet, law giver we ever had dies. He dies without reaching the Promised Land. Moses’ death teaches us a great lesson, we do not get to fulfil everything we wish and aim for. Even Moses the greatest of all dies without getting to his promised land. A Life worth living, a great legacy is when you still have goals you want to achieve, when you still yearn for more.

This Week’s Torah Portion: Vayeilech (Deuteronomy 31:1–30)

Moses the greatest leader, prophet, law giver we ever had dies. He dies without reaching the Promised Land. Moses’ death teaches us a great lesson, we do not get to fulfil everything we wish and aim for. Even Moses the greatest of all dies without getting to his promised land. A Life worth living, a great legacy is when you still have goals you want to achieve, when you still yearn for more.

Vayeilech Summary:
Moses prepares the people for his death and announces that Joshua will succeed him. (31:1–8)
Moses instructs the priests and the elders regarding the importance of reading the Torah. (31:9–13)
God informs Moses that upon his death, the people will commit idolatry and “many evils and troubles shall befall them.” God tells Moses to teach the people a poem that will “be My witness.” (31:14–30)

Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9–30:20)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9–30:20)

“All of you are standing today before Adonai your God – you leaders, elders, officials, and all the men of Israel, your children, wives, and the Strangers in your midst … I am making this covenant,  … not only with you … But also with those who are not here today” (Deuteronomy 29:9-14). All of us are part of the covenant between Adonai our God and everyone who was there in Sinai when the covenant was made. Even if we were not there in body, our spirits were there and we are part of it.

This Week’s Torah Portion: Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 29:9–30:20)“All of you are standing today before Adonai your God— you leaders, elders, officials, and all the men of Israel, your children, wives, and the Strangers in your midst…I am making this covenant, …not only with you…But also with those who are not here today” (Deuteronomy 29:9-14). All of us are part of the covenant between Adonai our God and everyone who was there in Sinai when the covenant was made. Even if we were not there in body, our spirits were there and we are part of it.

Nitzavim Summary:
Moses tells the assembled people that God’s covenant speaks to them and to all of the generations who will follow. (29:9–14)
God warns the Israelites that they will be punished if they act idolatrously, the way the inhabitants of the other nations do. (29:15–28)
Moses reassures the people that God will not forsake them and that they can attain blessings by following God’s commandments. (30:1–20)

Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Ki Tavo (Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8)

This week’s Torah Portion begins with the ritual offering of First Fruits which contains within it the famous phrase from the Passover Seder: “My father was a wandering Aramean…” These words were meant as a reminder that the bounty of our harvest was a gift from God which we who were once wanderers without a land of our own are commanded to share with the less fortunate in our society, those who still wander without a home.

At the end of this carefully scripted ritual come the words: “I have not forgotten.”
The lesson of these words is a simple sermon on the meaning and the purpose of our lives.
When you hold in your hands the first fruits of the harvest of life’s blessings, remember.
Remember and give thanks. Remember to share your blessings. Remember where you came from every step along life’s path. Remember those who helped you to reach this day of blessing. Remember.

Ki Tavo Summary:
The Israelites are instructed to express their gratitude to God for their bountiful harvests and freedom from slavery by tithing ten percent of their crops for the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. (26)
The people are told to display on large stones God’s commandments for all to see. (27:1-8)
The Levites are to proclaim curses upon those who violate God’s commandments. (27:15-26)
The Israelites are told that if they obey God’s mitzvot faithfully, they will receive every blessing imaginable. They are also told that if do not fulfill their brit with God, many curses will descend upon them. (28:1-69)
Moses reminds the Israelites of the miracles they witnessed in the wilderness and commands them to observe the terms of the covenant so that they may succeed in all that they undertake. (29:1-8)

Ki Teitzei (Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Ki Teitzei (Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19)

This week’s Torah Portion is a cacophonous collection of odd laws and commandments with no apparent order or overarching purpose: We begin with rules of war, followed by laws regarding family, animals, and property; Civil and criminal laws are delineated, laws of sexual relationships, interaction with non-Jews, loans, vows, and divorce; various business laws: fair wages, proper weights and measures. It all sounds like a run on sentence that lasts for four chapters in the book of Deuteronomy, and then it ends with a call to Remember Amalek and all that they had struggled against in their journey from slavery to freedom – now ready to enter the Promised Land.

And then we understand, Moses is saying goodbye. The Children of Israel are stepping forward into their own future. And, like a parent sending a child off to College or to War, or to Work in a far away land, Moses is just rattling off all his final instructions on how to live a good and prosperous life and most importantly, how important it is to remember who you are and how you came here.

Ki Tietzei is a parents prayer, scattered perhaps but heartfelt, a blessing of sorts that we might remember how we came to be standing here this week, so many thousands of years after we set forth on this journey. Ki Teitzei is a blessing from Moses and a hope of remembrance. May this be our blessing.

Ki Teitzei Summary:
Moses reviews a wide variety of laws regarding family, animals, and property. (21:10–22:12)
Various civil and criminal laws are delineated, including those regarding sexual relationships, interaction with non-Israelites, loans, vows, and divorce. (22:13–24:5)
Laws of commerce pertaining to loans, fair wages, and proper weights and measures are given. (24:10–25:16)
The parashah concludes with the commandment to remember for all time the most heinous act committed against the Israelites—Amalek’s killing of the old, weak, and infirm after the Israelites left Egypt. (25:17–19)

Shof’tim (Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Shof’tim (Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9)

How many trees are there in the Redwood forest? On the surface, the answer to this question seems unimaginably large. And yet, beneath the surface of the question there lies a deeper response:
One.

Above the surface, the old growth trees of the Redwood National Park cover nearly 39,000 acres of centuries old majestic forest. But, beneath the surface the roots of the trees grow deep and wide intertwining with one another, spreading out their tendrils, reaching out to one another just as they reach deep within the earth. Together they form one vast organism, one living thing, whose life is dependent upon the sum of its parts.

In this week’s portion Shoftim we read:
When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the axe against them. You may eat of them, but you must not cut them down. Are trees of the field human beings to withdraw before you into the besieged city? (Deuteronomy 20:19)

The great Spanish commentator Ibn Ezra read the last part of this verse not as a question, but as a statement. “The trees of the field are human beings.” And to destroy one human being is to destroy an entire world. These are the roots of our Jewish value to heal and protect the earth.

We are all one. We are all a part of one life and one living being. When we destroy any part of our world, we destroy ourselves.

Shof’tim Summary:
Laws regarding both sacred and secular legislation are addressed. The Israelites are told that in every dealing they should pursue justice in order to merit the land that God is giving them. (16:18–18:8)
The people are warned to avoid sorcery and witchcraft, the abhorrent practices of their idolatrous neighbors. (18:9–22)
God tells them that should an Israelite unintentionally kill another, he may take sanctuary in any of three designated cities of refuge. (19:1–13)
Laws to be followed during times of peace and times of war are set forth. (19:14–21:9)

R’eih (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: R’eih (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17)

For the poor shall never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, saying: “You shall surely open you hand unto your poor and needy kin, in your land.” (Deuteronomy 15:11)

There is a legend in the Talmud about Rabbi Akiva who was challenged by a Roman General who said:
“If your God loves poor people, why doesn’t your God provide for their needs.” Rabbi Akiva replies: “So that we might be saved from hell by caring for their needs ourselves.”
The Roman General responds: “On the contrary, this is what makes you deserving of hell.
Let me demonstrate in a parable. A king is angry at a servant, locks him up in prison, and commands that he shall be given no food or drink. If someone went and fed him a gave him drink, wouldn’t the King be mad?”
Rabbi Akiva answers: “Let me tell you a parable. A king is angry at his son and locks him up in a prison. He commands that he shall have no food or drink. If someone went and fed his son and gave him something to drink, when the king heard of this, wouldn’t he give that person a reward?”

And, are we not all the children of God?

R’eih Summary:
God places both blessing and curse before the Israelites. They are taught that blessing will come through the observance of God’s laws. (11:26–32)
Moses’ third discourse includes laws about worship in a central place (12:1–28); injunctions against idolatry (12:29–13:19) and self-mutilation (14:1–2); dietary rules (14:3–21); and laws about tithes (14:22–25), debt remission (15:1–11), the release and treatment of Hebrew slaves (15:12–18), and firstlings (15:19–23).
Moses reviews the correct sacrifices to be offered during the Pilgrim Festivals—Pesach, Sukkot, and Shavuot. (16:1-17)

Eikev (Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Eikev (Deuteronomy 7:12–11:25)

“Remember all the way that Adonai led you in the wilderness these forty years” (Deuteronomy 8:2)

Can we imagine remembering everything that happened to us in the last 40 years? Try to remember what happened to you in the last 40 years? Hope we can be as thankful as the Israelites were, for the food we ate every day, for the clothes we wear, for our shoes, for all the miracles of every day!

Eikev Summary:
Moses tells the Israelites that if they follow God’s laws, the nations who now dwell across the Jordan River will not harm them. (7:12–26)
Moses reminds the people of the virtues of keeping God’s commandments. He also tells them that they will dispossess those who now live in the Land only because they are idolatrous, not because the Israelites are uncommonly virtuous. Thereupon, Moses reviews all of the trespasses of the Israelites against God. (8:1–10:11)
Moses says that the Land of Israel will overflow with milk and honey if the people obey God’s commandments and teach them to their children. (10:12–11:25)[And if You] Obey [These Rules]
Deuteronomy
7:12–11:25
And if you do obey these rules and observe them carefully, the Eternal your God will maintain faithfully for you the covenant made on oath with your fathers. – Deuteronomy 7:12

Va-et’chanan (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: Va-et’chanan (Deuteronomy 3:23-7:11)

“I pleaded with Adonai … and God did not hear me” Moses begs God to let him cross the Jordan into Israel, God answers: enough, I do not want to hear this no more.

From Moses we learn that not all our prayers can be answered. We always need to desire and want more, knowing that not everything we want to achieve in our lives, not everything we wish for will be answered.

Va-et’chanan Summary:
Moses pleads with God to let him enter the Land of Israel with the people, but God once more refuses his request. (3:23–28)
Moses orders the Children of Israel to pay attention and follow the laws given by God in order to be worthy of the land they are about to receive. (4:1–40)
Specific areas of the land are set aside to serve as cities of refuge. (4:41–43)
The covenant at Sinai and the Ten Commandments are recalled. Once again, the people are exhorted to heed God’s commandments. (5:1–30)
Moses speaks the words of the Sh’ma, the credo of Judaism, and commands Israel to show their love for Adonai and keep God’s laws and ordinances. (6:1–25)
Moses warns the people not to commit idolatry by worshiping the gods of the nations they will conquer in Israel. (7:1–11)
I [Moses] Pleaded with the Eternal
Deuteronomy
3:23–7:11
I pleaded with the Eternal at that time, saying, “O Eternal God, You who let Your servant see the first works of Your greatness and Your mighty hand, You whose powerful deeds no god in heaven or on earth can equal! Let me, I pray, cross over and see the good land on the other side of the Jordan, that good hill country, and the Lebanon.” – Deuteronomy 3:23-25

D’varim (Deuteronomy 1:1−3:22)

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This Week’s Torah Portion: D’varim (Deuteronomy 1:1−3:22)

“Moses began to expound this Torah” (Deuteronomy 1:5)
Already in the Torah, we see Moses giving commentary to the words of the Torah.
Since the days of Moses till our time, it is up to us, it is our duty to make sure that the Torah stays relevant to our lives by continuing to expound it and make the teachings and laws of the Torah meaningful for our lives.

D’VARIM SUMMARY:
Moses begins his final words of instruction to the Children of Israel, focusing first on recounting their physical journey. (1:1–21)
Moses reviews the people’s reactions to the negative reports of the spies and the appointment of Joshua to succeed him. (1:22–45)
Moses recounts that all of the Israelite warriors who left Egypt died, as God had intended, and the people continued their wanderings and defeated their enemies. (2:14–3:11)
Moses reiterates that the Land of Israel was allocated to the Israelite tribes. (3:12–22)
D’varim
The Words
Deuteronomy
1:1−3:22
These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan. – Deuteronomy 1:1D’VARIM SUMMARY:
Moses begins his final words of instruction to the Children of Israel, focusing first on recounting their physical journey. (1:1–21)
Moses reviews the people’s reactions to the negative reports of the spies and the appointment of Joshua to succeed him. (1:22–45)
Moses recounts that all of the Israelite warriors who left Egypt died, as God had intended, and the people continued their wanderings and defeated their enemies. (2:14–3:11)
Moses reiterates that the Land of Israel was allocated to the Israelite tribes. (3:12–22)
D’varim
The Words
Deuteronomy
1:1−3:22
These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan. – Deuteronomy 1:1