The first promise given to Avraham (Bereishit 12:2) was that he would be made into a goy gadol, “a great nation,” but it is only
We always read Parshat Devarim on the Shabbos preceding Tisha B’Av. This is obviously fitting as the parsha begins by discussing the apparently imminent entry
All over modern Israel, one finds miklat signs, directing passers-by to the nearest bomb shelter. They serve as a painful and poignant reminder of the
As Jews, we are used to fighting for both our physical and spiritual survival. Classic sources saw this duality in the two festivals of Purim
By Rabbi Moshe Hauer There is an enormous amount of debate and commentary regarding the incident recorded in our parsha that resulted in Moshe and
The story of the spies abruptly interrupted the march of Jewish history from Egypt to Eretz Yisrael. Eretz Yisrael is the land that Avraham recognized
In our parsha (8:6), Moshe is instructed to “take the Leviim (Levites)….” Rashi notes—as he does in several other places—that when the Torah speaks about
As Jews, we are often subject to attack and have had many seek to deny us the right and the ability to defend ourselves. We
The Talmud notes that there are two sections in the Torah known as tochacha, each containing a litany of dire warnings. Both are read at
Whatever the challenge or difficulty, we do so much better when we do not experience it alone. As Rashi in this week’s parsha makes clear:
While in other faiths the men of the cloth preside over death and dying by administering last rites, the priestly class of Klal Yisrael—the Kohanim—were
We must build our own society with its own value system. “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: ‘I am Hashem, your
