Rabbi Buchdahl teaches that “rebuke” – the usual translation of tochecha – doesn’t quite capture the meaning. The root means “evidence”; giving someone tochecha is like holding up a mirror to them. Tochecha, in reality, relates to love. What do love and tochecha have to do with Yom Kippur?
DetailsRabbi Leibtag asks the question: Who’s to blame when something goes wrong? God states, as fact, that the people will go astray and break the covenant. Yet the purpose is not to depress Moshe, but to give the people the necessary tools in case the situation does arise. The tool comes from the Shira.
DetailsScholars throughout the ages see Moses in different ways. He is said to have dialoged with the angels, who questioned why humans would be given something so sacred. He is unique when compared to other prophets; he was wide awake when he received his prophecies, God’s communications were not oblique, and God spoke to him as a man speaks to his friend.
DetailsRabbi Tuchman writes about the parashah as if it is another moment of revelation. The Torah exists within each of us. She writes that when we welcome Jews from all backgrounds into our communities, we find the Torah within them and it is deeper, and more spiritually alive.
DetailsAs Moses is close to death, his concern for the people is to preclude any future generation saying that they are not bound by the covenant, only their ancestors. His statement “Whoever is not here” cannot refer to Israelites at the time who were somewhere else; the text informs us that the entire nation was present. Therefore, it can only refer to future generations. Rabbi Sacks questions how we can be obligated without consent.
DetailsRabbi Fox raises the question of what was actually written on the stones. Moses instructs the nation to record the Torah on 12 stones, but no other detail is provided. Commentators present different options: the 613 Mitzvot, the entire Torah…Moses also gives instructions on reciting blessings and curses from 2 different mountains. Yet, what were the blessings? Were they assumed to be the opposite of each curse? e.g. refrain from creating an idol vs creating an idol
DetailsThe scholars of AlephBeta refer to the 2 laws that will only go into effect when the Israelites enter the land: bikkurim, or first fruits, and ma’aser, or tithing. The scholars observe that there is a very specific passage that must be recited when offering the first fruits; one that references the redemption to Egypt, with a Divine promise to inherit the land. The act of tithing relates back to Jacob, who made a vow to give a ma’aser to God.
DetailsRabbi Sacks comments on the interesting fact that there is no word in Biblical Hebrew for the verb “obey”, yet there are 613 commandments. The verb “sh’ma” has many meanings. In Genesis 21:12 it means to actively respond to what someone else wants. The implication is that in the Torah there is no concept of blind obedience.
DetailsRabbi 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.
DetailsThe 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.
DetailsThe 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.
DetailsRabbi 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.
DetailsAnat 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.
DetailsMoses 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.
DetailsMaharat 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.
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