Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Sukkot Spread Your sukkah of peace over us, The sukkah of compassion, life, and peace. The Sukkah of Peace – Dream and Reality They offer healing offhand for the wounds of My people, saying "Peace, peace," but there is no peace (Jeremiah 6:14). Saying "Peace, peace," but there is no peace – They say "peace" but behold; there is no peace, for the enemy comes daily. (ReDaK ad loc) R. Mani of Sha'ab and...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Ha'azinu – Shabbat Teshuva OPEN A GATE FOR US AT THE HOUR OF THE GATE'S CLOSING – FOR THE DAY HAS PASSED When is the Time for Ne'ila? The rabbis of Caesarea say: Rav and R. Yohanan disagree about it. Rav said: At the closing of the gates of Heaven. R. Yohanan: At the closing of the gates of the Temple. (Yerushalmi Berakhot 4:1) And so they established a service following the minha...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Rosh Hashana BEHIND YOUR VEIL, YOU BROW LIKE AN OPEN POMEGRANATE. (Song of Songs 6:7) Reish Lakish said: The sinners of Israel are untouched by Gehinnom's fire. kal va'homer referring to the Golden Altar. The Golden Altar was overlaid with gold no thicker than a dinar coin, but it withstood the fire for some years, but the sinners of Israel are filled...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Nitzavim-Vayelech AND A LATER GENERATION, YOUR DESCENDANTS, WHO WILL RISE AFTER YOU, ALONG WITH THE FOREIGNER WHO COMES FROM A DISTANT LAND, WILL SAY, UPON SEEING THE PLAGUES OF THAT LAND AND THE DISEASES WITH WHICH THE LORD STRUCK IT: SULFUR AND SALT HAVE BURNED UP ITS ENTIRE LAND! IT CANNOT BE SOWN, NOR CAN IT GROW , NOT ANY GRASS WILL SPROUT UPON IT. IT IS LIKE THE OVERTURNING OF SODOM, GEMORRAH, ADMAH...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Ki Tavo THE LORD WILL OPEN UP FOR YOU HIS BOUNTEOUS STORE, THE HEAVENS, TO PROVIDE RAIN FOR YOUR LAND IN SEASON AND TO BLESS ALL YOUR UNDERTAKINGS. YOU WILL BE CREDITOR TO MANY NATIONS, BUT DEBTOR TO NONE. THE LORD WILL MAKE YOU THE HEAD, NOT THE TAIL; YOU WILL ALWAYS BE AT THE TOP AND NEVER AT THE BOTTOM – IF ONLY YOU OBEY AND FAITHFULLY OBSERVE THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD YOUR...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Ki Tetseh WHEN A MAN HAS TAKEN A BRIDE, HE SHALL NOT GO OUT WITH THE ARMY OR BE ASSIGNED TO IT FOR ANY PURPOSE; HE SHALL BE EXEMPT ONE YEAR FOR THE SAKE OF HIS HOUSEHOLD, TO GIVE HAPPINESS TO THE WOMAN HE HAS MARRIED. (Devarim 24:5) He shall be exempt one year for the sake of his household – The passage in parashat Shoftim refers to someone who is engaged to...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Shoftim FOR IT IS THE LORD YOUR GOD WHO MARCHES WITH YOU TO DO BATTLE FOR YOU AGAINST YOUR ENEMY, TO BRING YOU VICTORY. (Devarim 20:4) Since the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and to deliver your enemies to you, let your camp be holy; let Him not find anything unseemly among you and turn away from you. (Devarim 23:15) For it is the Lord Your God...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Reeh AT THE END OF EVEN YEARS YOU SHALL MAKE A SHEMITAH . THIS SHALL BE THE NATURE OF THE SHEMITAH: EVERY CREDITOR SHALL REMIT THE DUE THAT HE CLAIMS FROM HIS FELLOW; HE SHALL NOT DUN HIS FELLOW OR KINSMAN, FOR THE REMISSION PROCLAIMED IS FOR THE LORD. (Devarim 15:1-2) To abandon debts in the Shemitah year, about which it is said but you must remit whatever is due you from your kinsman...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Ekev AND YOU SHALL TEACH THEM TO YOUR SONS TO SPEAK WITH THEM, WHEN YOU SIT IN YOUR HOUSE AND WHEN YOU WALK ON THE WAY AND WHEN YOU LIE DOWN AND WHEN YOU RISE. (Devarim 11:19) And you shall teach them to your sons,] to speak with them – From the moment your son knows how to speak, teach him, Moses commanded us the Torah (Devarim 33:4). Let him learn speech through this...
Shabbat Shalom The weekly parsha commentary – parshat (link to original page) Click here to receive the weekly parsha by email each week. Parshat Vaetchanan YOU SHALL NOT TRY THE LORD YOUR GOD AS YOU TRIED HIM IN MASSAH (Devarim 6:16) You shall not try the Lord your God – this is explained by the phrase as you tried Him in Massah. That is, do not say "If the Lord is in our midst to perform miracles for us, or if when we serve Him we succeed, have enough food to satisfy us and live well – then...