Rabbi Barenblat compares her experience as a juror to the mitzvot of the parashah: to pursue justice, to appoint magistrates, and to be wholehearted with your God. She writes that jury service exhorts us to be impartial in our judgments, to hold deep empathy, and work to mitigate our biases.
The texts stipulates that the king shall not only write his own Sefer Torah, but also study from it daily so that he shall be God-fearing. Rabbi Sacks references the Kaplan and Alter translations, which state that the king shall not be haughty or superior over his brothers. He then considers Solomon, who as king, broke all of the rules that this parashah prescribes, resulting in the division of the kingdom.
The texts stipulates that the king shall not only write his own Sefer Torah, but also study from it daily so that he shall be God-fearing. Rabbi Sacks references the Kaplan and Alter translations, which state that the king shall not be haughty or superior over his brothers. He then considers Solomon, who as king, broke all of the rules that this parashah prescribes, resulting in the division of the kingdom.
Rabbi Straub observes, in his LGBTQ perspective, that in Re’eh, everything is understood as black and white; everything is either “good” or “bad”. Everything that is not “good” must be destroyed. He observes that the text seems to invent, or emphasize, intolerance in its instructions to destroy evidence of Canaanite presence, etc.
Anat Barber questions why Moses is retelling the narrative, including the negatives as well as the positives. His message, she states, is that he is reinforcing the power and value of memory.
Moses frames this parashah with a blessing and a curse at the beginning, and a choice between good and evil at the end. Rabbi Sacks cites Maimonides, who interpreted the passages as free will. He extends his discussion to observe that this is first attempt to create a free society in history.
Adon Olam Medley
Cantor Azi Schwartz
Cantor Gideon Zelermyer
Cantor Naftali Hershtik
Cantor Netanel Hershtik
Cantor Chaim David Berson
Cantor Nati Baram
The Hampton Synagogue
Thanksgiving Concert 2017
70th Birthday Tribute to Cantor Naftali Herstik
Maharat Rori Picker Neiss introduces the theme from the very beginning of the parashah: “If you eikev obey these rules”. Translators generally consider the word eikev to be extraneous to the sentence. She cites Rashi, who interprets it to mean that even the lighter commands—like something we would walk upon with our heels—must also be observed. We should remain vigilant about actions that we don’t notice.
Shlomo Katz references Deuteronomy 8:7-10 – ‘God is bringing you to a good land, where you will lack nothing for resources…’ He observes that Eretz Israel is the place that gives life to the Jewish soul, to lose the idolatry of the diaspora, and develop holier character traits. The Gemara understands this as the land “has the ability to flavor and elevate a person’s spirituality”.
Rabbi Sacks writes that the text in Eikev explicitly refers to God’s love for us: “His covenant of love”, and that He will love you and bless you. The root a-h-v appears 23 times in Deuteronomy, and only 4 times elsewhere in the Torah. He disputes the Christian contrast between Christianity — a religion of love and forgiveness – and with Judaism – a religion of law and retribution.