Torah Parallels

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת האזינו Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus (32:2) Rashi 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 (32:9) Rashi 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...

~Thoughts On The Parsha~ Parshas Ha'azinu 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 ascend, an...

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת וילך Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus “ Vayeilech Moshe... ” Where did Moshe go? (31:1) The S'forno 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? (31:1) How did Moshe know when he was going to die? 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 w...

~Thoughts on The Parsha~ 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 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 ...

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת נצבים Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus (29:13-14) The passukim   say, “Not with you 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? (29:15) The passuk says,   כִּי אַתֶּם יְדַעְתֶּם אֵת אֲשֶׁר יָשַׁבְנוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר עָבַרְנוּ בְּקֶרֶב הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר עֲבַרְתֶּם Why switch from “that which we passed ” to “that which you passed ” (29:28)There are nekudos (dots) above certain letters/words in the passuk . Why is this and why over those particular ones? (30:12) The Rosh and Da’as Zekainim mention that there is a remez in the passuk that in the zechus of bris millah , Moshe was able to enter shamayim . Which zechus millah is being referred to? And why this particular zechus ? (30:19) Rashi writes ...

~Thoughts on The Parsha~ Parshas Nitzavim Following the Leader 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: “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.” - Nitzavim 29:9-10             Rashi [1] writes that on the day of his death, Moshe rabbeinu gathered all of B’nei Yisroel before Hashem in order to enter them into the bris (covenant) between them and Hashem. Every single member of K’lal Yisroel was present and Moshe addressed them as a nation. Indeed the Torah itself records Moshe’s speech to B’nei Yisroel...