Torah Parallels

פרשת וילך Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About “ Vayeilech Moshe... ” Where did Moshe go? The S'forno (31:1) and others explain that Moshe said to B'nei Yisroel, “ I am old  and no longer able to go and come back...and even if I was able to, still Hashem  said to me that I anyway cannot enter into Eretz Yisroel .” What was the point of  the first half of Moshe's statement? Let him just say that Hashem said he cannot  enter Eretz Yisroel ? What is significant about dying on the same day one is born? There are many differences between what Hashem told Yeshoshua and what  Moshe told Yehoshua. What are these differences? And why the differences? Rashi (31:12) says that the men come to hakhel to learn, the women to hear, and  the children to give reward to those who brought them. What does this mean? Rashi (31:29), in an answer to a question of his, writes that a rebbe considers his  talmid like himself. If so, how did Ra...

Parshas Vayeilech and Shabbos Shuvah The Ripple Effect: Splash Out of Your Bubble or Take it to the Grave By: Daniel Listhaus וַיֹּאמֶר ה ' אֶל מֹשֶׁה הִנְּךָ שֹׁכֵב עִם אֲבֹתֶיךָ וְקָם הָעָם הַזֶּה וְזָנָה אַחֲרֵי אֱלֹהֵי נֵכַר הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר הוּא בָא שָׁמָּה בְּקִרְבּוֹ וַעֲזָבַנִי וְהֵפֵר אֶת בְּרִיתִי אֲשֶׁר כָּרַתִּי אִתּוֹ “ Hashem said to Moshe, 'Behold, you will lie with your forefathers, but this people will rise up and stray after gods of that which is foreign to the land, in whose midst it is coming, and it will forsake Me and it will annul my covenant that I have sealed with it.'” -Vayeilech 31:16 The Gemara 1 relates that a group of heretics asked Rabban Gamliel, “How do you you know that Hashem will resuscitate the dead?” Rabban Gamliel responded with a proof from Torah, a proof from Nevi'im (Prophets), and a proof from K'suvim (Writings) 2 , however the heretics did not accept any of the proofs . The proof that Rabban Gamliel brought from Torah is fr...

פרשת נצבים & ראש השנה Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About... At the end of parshas Nitzavim , Hashem tells us: הַחַיִּים וְהַמָּוֶת נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ , הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה ; וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים -- לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה , אַתָּה וְזַרְעֶךָ - “I have placed life and death before you, blessing and curse; and you shall choose life....” A few questions should immediately come to mind: a. Chazal teach us that a “ nesinah” (a “giving”) is shaveh perutah (value of a perutah coin). In order for there to be two equal things that Hashem is giving before us, it must therefore be that they are both “valuable” (at least in our eyes). Last time I checked, though, Death's & Cursing's popularity was quite down. How could we understand that it is a “ nesinah” ? b. Also, if this is our big choice of bechirah , isn't it a bit unfair to word the choice as a choice between life and blessing versus death and curse? It seems pretty obvious which one to choose. Sho...

~Thoughts on the Parsha~ Parshas Nitzavim And Rosh Hashanah Restart Your Engines By: Daniel Listhaus וְשַׁבְתָּ עַד הֹ ' אֱלֹקיךָ וְשָׁמַעְתָּ בְקֹלוֹ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשֶׁךָ כִּי הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם לֹא נִפְלֵאת הִוא מִמְּךָ וְלֹא רְחֹקָה הִוא : לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִוא לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲלֶה לָּנוּ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה : וְלֹא מֵעֵבֶר לַיָּם הִוא לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲבָר לָנוּ אֶל עֵבֶר הַיָּם וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה : כִּי קָרוֹב אֵלֶיךָ הַדָּבָר מְאֹד בְּפִיךָ וּבִלְבָבְךָ לַעֲשֹׂתוֹ “ And you will return unto Hashem, your G-d, and listen to His voice, according to everything that command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and all your soul.” “ For this commandment, which I command you today, is not hidden from you and is not distant. It is not in the heavens, for you to say, 'Who can ascend...

~Thoughts on the Parsha~ Parshas Nitzavim To Fear or Not to Fear,That is the Question By: Daniel Listhaus רְאֵה נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ הַיּוֹם אֶת הַחַיִּים וְאֶת הַטּוֹב וְאֶת הַמָּוֶת וְאֶת הָרָע הַעִידֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ הַחַיִּים וְהַמָּוֶת נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה אַתָּה וְזַרְעֶךָ “See - I have placed before you today life and good, and death and evil...” “ 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 30:16; 19-20 Rashi 1 comments that Hashem places two choices before us – good and evil – of which we must choose one. The consequences are clearly defined. Choosing good results in life, and choosing evil results in death. ...

פרשת כי תבא Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About [For those who didn't read the d'var Torah:] Why is it that upon the time of  bringing bikkurim is the proper time to say the whole tefillah of history starting  from Lavan and Yaakov? What is the connection to bikkurim ? And why must it be  said to the kohen as opposed to one saying it to himself in the field? The Mishna in Bikkurim (1:4) states that a ger (convert) brings bikkurim but  cannot be korei (read) the paragraph which is recited because he is not able to  say “l'a'voseinu” since his ancestors were not Jewish. If so, why is it that a ger could say “elokeinu v'elokei avoseinu” in shemoneh esreh ? There is a passuk in this week's parsha with a remez to the five seforim of the  Torah. Which passuk is it? What are the remazim ? And how do they hint to  their respective sefer they are hinting to? In the passuk of “ baruch ata b'vo'echa... ” Rashi ...