Eikev (Deuteronomy 7, 12 – 11, 25) – the central religious concepts of the Bible
In the Torah reading of Eikev, there is a verse that stands out as capturing the essence of the Biblical conception of religion - “And now, Israel, what does the…
Vaetchanan (Deuteronomy 3, 23 – 7, 11) – the great declaration of faith, Shema
The verse Shema (usually translated as “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one”), the great declaration of faith of the Jewish tradition, which appears in the…
Devarim (Deuteronomy 1, 1 – 3, 22) – the remarkable response of Moses to the command of God to make war against Sichon
Toward the beginning of the Book of Deuteronomy, which is written in the form of a speech given by Moses to the Israelites prior to entering the land of Canaan,…
Masei (Numbers 33, 1 – 36, 13) – settling the land of Israel
In the Torah reading of Masei, there is a verse that stands out in importance in the Jewish tradition relating to the settling of the land of Israel (Numbers 33,…
Matot (Numbers 30, 2 – 32, 42) – the Bible is Zionistic but not anti-diaspora
There is a remarkable passage in the Torah reading of Matot in which the tribes of Reuven and Gad have a discussion with Moses concerning the conquering of the…
Pinchas (Numbers 25, 10 – 30, 1) – is zealotry the way of God in the Biblical conception?
At the end of the previous Torah reading of Balak, Pinchas, who is a priest, takes a spear and stabs to death an Israelite man and Midianite woman, without due…
Balak (Numbers 22, 2 – 25, 9) – the Biblical opposition to magic and sorcery
The central figure of the Torah reading of Balak is not Balak, the king of Moab, but Bilaam, the sorcerer - and, the Torah reading of Balak is actually…
Chukat (Numbers 19, 1 – 22, 1) – do commands of God that are seemingly without reason require blind obedience?
The Torah reading of Chukat opens with the laws of the red cow, which are regarded in the Jewish tradition as among the most mysterious of the laws of the…
Korach (Numbers 16, 1 – 18, 32) – peace above truth as the essence of an argument for the sake of Heaven
In the Torah reading of Korach there is a rebellion against Moses and Aaron led by Korach, Datan and Aviram (Numbers 16, 1-3). Actually, there appears to be two separate…
Sh’lach (Numbers 13, 1 – 15, 41) – the sin of the spies
The Torah reading of Sh’lach opens with a story that stands out in the Bible - the story of the sin of the spies. Their sin in bringing an evil…