Torah Parallels

Rosh Hashanah and Parshas Ha'azinu Rock and Role-Model By: Daniel Listhaus “ The Rock, perfect is His work, for all His ways are justice; a G-d, faithful, without iniquity. “Righteous”, and it is proper.” - Ha'azinu 32:4 Rashi 1 explains this passuk as dealing with the concept of middah-k'neged-middah , that Hashem punishes and rewards accordingly, in exact measure-for-measure. This does not mean that the punishment or reward must come directly after each action is done, only that, ultimately, each person will receive exactly the verdict he deserves. However, there is another way to learn this passuk . This passuk , in the beginning of shiras Ha'azinu , is actually quite similar to one of the p'sukkim in shiras Chanah 2 . When Chanah davened to Hashem for a child, she said, “There is none Holy as Hashem, for there is none beside Him; nor is there any rock like our G-d.” The Gemara 3 makes a limud from here that the words ein tzur k'elokeinu (there is n...

Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech To Fear or Not to Fear,That is the Question By: Daniel Listhaus “ I call the heavens and the earth to bear witness against you: I have placed life and death before you, blessing and curse; and you shall choose life, so that you and your offspring shall live - to love Hashem your G-d, to listen to His voice and to cleave to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days...” - Nitzavim 30:19-20 The Gemara 1 quotes Rebbe Chanina as saying, “Everything is in the hands of Heaven except for the fear of Heaven”. This seems to mean that the only thing left for us to control is the single choice of whether to fear Hashem or not. How could this be? We strongly believe that man was given bechira (free choice). So how could we say that there is really only one area in which we have a say? If this were true, it greatly limits our privilege of bechira . However, we cannot argue on the Gemara . So, it must be, that in reality there is only one choice to make in ...

Parshas Ki Savo Stop, Drop, and “Four Score and Seven Years Ago...” By: Daniel Listhaus “ It will be when you enter the land that Hashem...gives you as an inheritance...that you shall take the first of every fruit of the ground that you bring in your land that Hashem...gives you...” - Ki Savo 26:1-2 The parsha starts off with a rather unusual process. After dwelling in Eretz Yisroel , one must bring his first fruits to the kohen. The Torah 1 relates that each person comes before the kohen and says, “I declare today to Hashem, your G-d, that I have come to the land that Hashem swore to our forefathers to give us.” The kohen then places the basket of bikkurim (first fruits) before the mizbeach Hashem (altar of Hashem) and the individual then continues with a whole Gettysburg address: “ An Aramaean (referring to Lavan) would have destroyed my father, and he descended to Egypt and sojourned there, few in number, and there he became a nation – great, strong, and numerous. The Egyp...

Parshas Ki Seitzei Kavod Ha'adom vs. Kavod Hashem Same Difference By: Daniel Listhaus “ If a man will have committed a sin whose judgment is death and he shall be put to death, and you shall hang him on a wooden beam. His body shall not remain for the night on the wooden beam, rather you shall surely bury him on that day, for a hanging person is an insult of Hashem...” -Ki Seitzei 21:22-23 Rashi 1 comments that we do not leave the body hanging because man is made in the image of Hashem, and the Jews are His sons. To leave a body hanging would therefore be a degradation of the King. Rashi continues and gives the following moshol (parable): There were two identical twin brothers. One became a king, while the other became involved in thievery and was hung. Whoever would see him hanging would say, “The king is hanging!” There are a couple of questions here which beg to be asked on this Rashi. Granted, man was created with the image of Hashem and we are His children. However, at t...