Torah Parallels

ראש השנה Rosh Hashanah Stumpers and Something to Think About… We know that a person's parnasah is fixed on Rosh Hashanah. Which three expenses are not included in this equation? Why is it that two days of Rosh Hashanah are kept even in Eretz Yisroel , whereas other yomim tovim are celebrated there for only one day? At the end of every slichos in the Tefillah of Mi She'anah we say, “ Mi she'anah l'avraham avinu b'har ha'moriyah hu ya'a'nei'nu ” - "He Who answered Avraham our father on Har HaMoriyah, may He answer us.” What, though, was Avraham's tefillah on Har HaMoriah ? Why are we allowed to eat honey? Usually, if an animal/creature is not kosher, then its products are not either kosher. A bee is not kosher, so why is its' honey? Why do we eat the apple before the other simanim which include some which are of the shivas ha’minim?a

פרשת האזינו Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About Rashi (32:2) explains that the Torah gives the simile of Torah being like dew as opposed to rain because rain is annoying to people as opposed to dew which everyone is happy with. Rashi gives two examples of how rain is annoying to some people: It is annoying when one is trying to travel and it is annoying for someone who has an uncovered barrel of wine. Why does Rashi feel it is necessary to give any example at all, let alone two of them Rashi (32:9) describes that Avraham + Yitzchak + Yaakov with the qualities they represented are like three strands of string twisted together into a strong rope. Similarly we find in the Gemara Berachos when Moshe was fighting on B’nei Yisroel’s behalf and davening that Hashem not wipe them out. Moshe said that unlike his own descendents which would only have him – a “one legged stool” – to rely on, B’nei Yisroel are backed by a “three

~Thoughts On The Parsha~ Parshas Ha'azinu And Rosh Hashanah Cheating Death By: Daniel Listhaus וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה לֵאמֹר: עֲלֵה אֶל הַר הָעֲבָרִים הַזֶּה הַר נְבוֹ אֲשֶׁר בְּאֶרֶץ מוֹאָב אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי יְרֵחוֹ וּרְאֵה אֶת אֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַאֲחֻזָּה: וּמֻת בָּהָר אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹלֶה שָׁמָּה וְהֵאָסֵף אֶל עַמֶּיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר מֵת אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ בְּהֹר הָהָר וַיֵּאָסֶף אֶל עַמָּיו: עַל אֲשֶׁר מְעַלְתֶּם בִּי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמֵי מְרִיבַת קָדֵשׁ מִדְבַּר צִן עַל אֲשֶׁר לֹא קִדַּשְׁתֶּם אוֹתִי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: כִּי מִנֶּגֶד תִּרְאֶה אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְשָׁמָּה לֹא תָבוֹא אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי נֹתֵן לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל “Hashem spoke to Moshe in the middle of that day, saying, “Ascend to this mount of Avarim, Mount Nevo, which is in the land of Moav, which is before Yericho, and see the land of Canaan that I give to the Children of Israel as an inheritance, and die on the mountain where you will

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 ? How was this different from Yaakov’s response to Pharoah when asked how old he was? 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? The passuk (31:14) says “

פרשת נצבים   Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About 1.      The passuk (29:13-14)   says, “Not with y ou alone do I forge this bris  and this oath, but with whoever is here, standing with us today before Hashem, our G-d, and with whoever is not here with us today…” How could a bris be made with people who are not present? 2.     There are nekudos (dots) above certain letters/words in the passuk (29:28). Why is this and why over those particular ones? 3.     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 th

~Thoughts on The Parsha~ Parshas Nitzavim-Vayeilech Chutes and Ladders: Our Weakness is Our Strength By: Daniel Listhaus אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי ה' אֱלֹקיכֶם רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם זִקְנֵיכֶם וְשֹׁטְרֵיכֶם כֹּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל: טַפְּכֶם נְשֵׁיכֶם וְגֵרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בְּקֶרֶב מַחֲנֶיךָ מֵחֹטֵב עֵצֶיךָ עַד שֹׁאֵב מֵימֶיךָ: לְמַעַן הָקִים אֹתְךָ הַיּוֹם לוֹ לְעָם וְהוּא יִהְיֶה לְּךָ לֵאלֹקים כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לָךְ וְכַאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לַאֲבֹתֶיךָ לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְחָק וּלְיַעֲקֹב : “You are standing today, all of you, before Hashem, your G-d; Your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers – all the men of Israel; your small children, your women, and your convert who is in the midst of your camp, from the hewer of your wood to the drawer of your water, for you to pass into a covenant of Hashem, your G-d, and into His oath that Hashem, your G-d forges with you today, in order to establish you today as a people to Him and that He be a G-d to you, as He spoke of

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Ki Savo The Three Lively Hallows: Reign in the Rain Versus Formation Skydiving By: Daniel Listhaus יִפְתַּח ה ' לְךָ אֶת אוֹצָרוֹ הַטּוֹב אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם לָתֵת מְטַר אַרְצְךָ בְּעִתּוֹ וּלְבָרֵךְ אֵת כָּל מַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶךָ וְהִלְוִיתָ גּוֹיִם רַבִּים וְאַתָּה לֹא תִלְוֶה “Hashem shall open for you His storehouse of goodness, the heavens, to provide rain for your land in its time, and to bless all your handiwork; you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.” - Ki Savo 28:12             Immediately after the Torah lists the curses of those who violate various mitzvos , the Torah writes about the goodness that comes when we in fact listen to the word of Hashem and follow His commandments. [1] The passuk describes that one of the rewards we receive from listening to Hashem is that Hashem will open His storehouse and allow it to rain. The Torah here is clearly communicating the connection between the world of ruchniyus (spirituality) and ga