Parashat Ha Shavua Commentaries

"When you go to war against your enemies..."(Deuteronomy 20:1)   Chapter 20 of Deuteronomy prescribes a number of rules about going to war. From what we learn in the Torah itself and in the books of Former Prophets, the Israelites often were at war. Thus these rules, even if they seem arcane to us, probably guided our ancestors in their wars. Read more...

 Today's Torah portion begins with some of the most famous lines of the entire Torah.  "See, this day I set before you blessing and curse: blessing, if you obey the Commandments of the Lord, your God, that I enjoin upon you this day; and curse, if you do not obey the Commandments of the Lord, your God."   Read more...

What is the proper emotional attitude to take toward God?  In our day, as in the past, religious human beings divide into two general camps.  Some argue that we must fear and venerate God, while others stress the need to love God.   Read more...

  May I have a word with you? The opening words of the fifth book of the Torah begin simply enough, "These are the words that Moses spoke (diber) to all Israel."   The Rabbis of the ancient Midrash Sifre Devarim note that every place the Tanach uses the verb 'daber'  indicates harshness or rebuke, whereas the Hebrew word 'amar' conveys a sense of praise.    Read more...

Occasionally, we hear of an act of self-sacrifice so sweeping and powerful that it commands the respect of all who encounter it:   A mother and father who willingly undergo life-threatening surgery to try to save the life of a beloved child; a Rabbi, nun, or minister who works with people suffering from highly contagious illnesses without regard to the threat to their own lives,  brave men and women who volunteer to serve as soldiers in dangerous missions or wars because the cause is just, civil rights volunteers who stand up to the prejudice and hatred of their own societies Read more...