Do Not Flatter the Wicked
In the Torah section of Mas’ei, we read (Bamidbar 35:31-33): “You shall not accept ransom for the life of a killer who is worthy of death, for he shall surely be put to death. You shall not accept ransom for one who fled to this city of refuge to return to dwell in the land, […]
Unquestioning Loyalty
We read in the beginning of the Torah section of Matot (Bamidbar 31:1-2), “And G-d spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Take vengeance for the children of Israel against the Midianites; afterward you will be gathered unto your people.’” G-d tells Moses that he is to wage war against the Midianites as retribution for their wrong-doing towards […]
Two Hands are Better than One
Upon discussing the Torah section of Pinchas, the renowned rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Torah Va’Daat, R. Avraham Yaakov Pam makes an intriguing comment (Sholom Smith, A Vort from Rav Pam pp. 194-195). We read how Moses asks G-d to appoint a successor to him to lead the children of Israel into the promised land. G-d tells him to place […]
Need to See Things for What They Are
In the Torah section of Balak, we read one of the most unusual narratives in the entire Holy Scriptures. The king of Moav, Balak chooses to hire Bilam, a sorcerer, to curse the children of Israel and, thereby, attempt to force them away from the promised land and its surroundings, consequently averting the assumed danger […]
Need to Scrutinize Our Actions
In the Torah section of Chukat, we read (Bamidbar 20:7-13): “And G-d spoke to Moses saying: ‘Take the staff and gather together the assembly, you and Aaron your brother, and speak to the rock before their eyes that it shall give its waters. You shall bring forth for them water from the rock and give […]
What Comes to Mind Need Not Come to Mouth
In the Torah section of Korach, we learn of a fierce attack that erupts. The attack is against none other than Moses, the selfless leader of the people of Israel who led them out of Egypt and intervened on their behalf with G-d. The attacker is Moses’ own cousin Korach – jealous of Moses’ leadership […]
Turn for the Worse
Upon reading the Torah section of Shelach, we learn that from the desert, Moses sent spies to scout out the land that G-d promised to the nation of Israel. Ten of the twelve spies returned with a negative account of the land, thereby weakening the will of the children of Israel who had come forth […]
In All My House He is Trusted
The Torah portion of Beha’alotkha concludes with a narrative surrounding Moses and his brother and sister Aaron and Miriam in which G-d testifies to Moses’ unique status. In this narrative (Bamidbar 12: 6-8), we are told that Miriam and Aaron complained that Moses kept himself separate from his wife Tziporah. In response, G-d tells them: […]
The Thought Can Make All the Difference
In the Torah section of Naso (Bamidbar 6:1-21), we find an elaboration on the subject of the Nazirite: “A man or woman who shall dissociate oneself by taking a Nazirite vow … From new or aged wine shall he abstain, and he shall not drink vinegar of wine or vinegar of aged wine; anything in […]
A Marriage Made in Heaven
“And G-d spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai.” So begins the first verse of the Torah section of Bamidbar, which begins the fourth book of the five books of Moses by the same name. As regards this verse, R. Shimshon Pincus notes an oft asked question: Why of all places was the Torah […]