Posted on

Re’eh 5784

[Print]

Small gifts, large benefits[1]

נתון תתן לו ולא ירע לבבך בתתך לו כי בגלל הדבר הזה יברכך יקוק אלקיך בכל-מעשך ובכל משלח ידך
Give and give to him, and it should not be bad in your heart to give to him, for due to this matter Hashem your G-d blesses you, in all of your deeds and in anything your hand accesses[2]

In discussing the mitzvah of tzedaka, the Torah uses a repeated phrase of נתון תתן, often translated as you shall surely give. Literally, it means give you shall give. This repeated expression teaches us that we are to give tzedaka to a poor person even a hundred times[3].

Continue reading “Re’eh 5784”

Posted on

Eikev 5784

[Print]

How can it rain on shabbos?[1]

ונתתי מטר-ארצכם בעתו וגו’‏
I will give the rain of your lands in its proper time…[2]

In the second paragraph of Shema, we are told of all the things that we will receive if we keep the Torah. The inverse is also true, that if we don’t keep the Torah, we will be withheld all of Hashem’s good, or worse. One of the blessings promised is that of the rain of the lands falling in its proper time. What’s interesting is we find a parallel verse in parshas Bechukosai, famous for the curses that could befall the Jews, but also some blessings. There, it says, “I will give your rain in its time”[3]. Why is it that here the verse says, “your land’s rain”, but there it says, “your rain”?

Continue reading “Eikev 5784”

Posted on

Devarim/Tisha B’Av 5784

[Print]

Ending the wrath; ending the decree[1]

ותרגנו באהליכם ותאמרו בשנאת ד’ אותנו הוציאנו מארץ מצרים
They grumbled in their tents and said: “With Hashem’s hatred of us He took us out of the land of Egypt”[2]

We find a parallel verse in Psalms to the one in our parsha, which says: “They grumbled in their tents; they didn’t listen to the voice of Hashem. He raised His hand [in oath] against them to cast them down in the wilderness and to cast down their descendants amongst the nations, scattering them in the lands”[3]. Rashi there explains that at that very moment, the destruction of the Temple was decreed. That very night that the Jews cried in vain (believing the spies that the land of Israel isn’t worth conquering) was Tisha B’Av. Hashem said that since they cried for no reason, they will have a reason to cry for the generations.

Continue reading “Devarim/Tisha B’Av 5784”

Posted on

Mattos/Masei 5784

[Print]

The significant circle dance[1]

זה הדבר אשר-צוה יקוק לבנות צלפחד לאמר לטוב בעיניהם תהיינה לנשים אך למשפחת מטה אביהם תהיינה לנשים
This is the matter that Hashem commanded the daughters of Tzelophchad, saying: “You shall marry those who are good in your eyes. However, you’ll only marry into the tribe of your father”[2]

At the end of every parsha is a pneumonic device to help remember the number of verses in the parsha. A word or several words are chosen whose numerical value is the same as the number of verses. Usually the word should have some sort of connection to the parsha, although it’s not always self-evident. One easy example is parshas Tzav, (צו in Hebrew), which has 96 verses, the same as the numerical value of the word צו. At the end of parshas Masei is a surprising pneumonic device. There are 132 verses in the parsha, and the words with that value are מחל”ה (83) חול”ה (49), which equal 132.

Continue reading “Mattos/Masei 5784”