Torah Parallels

  ~ Thoughts on The Parsha ~ Parshas Va’eschanan Log Trucks and Vineyards By: Daniel Listhaus שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה' אֶחָד: “Hear, O Israel: Hashem is our God; Hashem is One.”  - Va’eschanan 6:4             The Shema is one of the most fundamental passukim (verses) which children are taught from a very early age. After all, the first paragraph of Shema encompasses the concept of kabalas o l malchus shamayim (literally: accepting the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven). [1] Furthermore the Yerushalmi [2] says that all of the aseres ha’dibros (ten commandments) are hinted to throughout the entirety of Shema . There is no doubt that the Shema is core to Judaism and represents all of B’nei Yisroel purely accepting the Torah and mitzvos under Hashem’s reign. This was in fact the declaration made by the Shevatim to Yaakov avinu stating their absolute commitment to Hashem and the Torah. [3]             The Medrash [4] states that Kriyas Shema consists of 248 [5] words

~ Something to Think About ~ מטות    פרשת   Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus 1.     (31:3) If Hashem didn’t command to fulfill right away, why was it mutar for Moshe to do so? 2.     ( 31 :7) Why did the tzitz specifically stop Billam and the kings of Midian from being able to fly? 3.     (31:7) How could witchcraft allow people to fly if in order to do kishuf one needs to be standing on the ground? (See Rashi Genara Sanhedrin 44b)

~ Thoughts on The Parsha ~ Parshas Mattos-Masei Sickness or Symptom By: Daniel Listhaus וְאֶת מַלְכֵי מִדְיָן הָרְגוּ עַל חַלְלֵיהֶם אֶת אֱוִי וְאֶת רֶקֶם וְאֶת צוּר וְאֶת חוּר וְאֶת רֶבַע חֲמֵשֶׁת מַלְכֵי מִדְיָן וְאֵת בִּלְעָם בֶּן בְּעוֹר הָרְגוּ בֶּחָרֶב “They killed the kings of Midian along with their slain ones: Evi, and Rekem, and Tzur, and Chur, and Reva, the five kings of Midian; and Billam son of Beor they killed with the sword.”  - Masei 31:8             When describing the battle that took place between B’nei Yisroel and Moav, the passuk (verse) singles out Billam and mentions that he was killed by sword. Rashi [1] writes that the passuk does so because when Billam came against B’nei Yisroel he did so with their craft of tefillah (prayer) because Billam knew that B’nei Yisroel triumph only with their mouth through prayer and supplication. Therefore Billam came and seized their craft by cursing them with his mouth. Rashi continues and explains that when B’nei Yisroel fo