Torah Parallels

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Ki Savo Stop, Drop, and “Four Score and Seven Years Ago...” By: Daniel Listhaus וְהָיָה כִּי תָבוֹא אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר הֹ' אֱלֹ ק יךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ נַחֲלָה וִירִשְׁתָּהּ וְיָשַׁבְתָּ בָּהּ : וְלָקַחְתָּ מֵרֵאשִׁית כָּל פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר תָּבִיא מֵאַרְצְךָ אֲשֶׁר ה' אֱלֹ ק יךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ וְשַׂמְתָּ בַטֶּנֶא וְהָלַכְתָּ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר הֹ' אֱלֹ ק יךָ   לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם “It will be when you enter the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you as an inheritance, and you take possession of it, and dwell in it, that you shall take the first of every fruit of the ground that you bring in from your land that Hashem, your G-d gives you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that Hashem, your G-d, will choose, to make His Name rest there.” - Ki Savo  26:1-2             The  parsha  starts off with a rather unusual process. After...

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת כי תבא Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus 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? (26:1) 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 ?  [ Peirosh Ha’Rosh ] (26:8) There is a  passuk  in this week's  parsha  with a  remez  to the five  seforim  of the Torah. Which  passuk  is it? Wh...

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Ki Seitzei Hangman, Shovels, and Fingers in Your Ears Kavod Ha'adom vs. Kavod Hashem: Same Difference By: Daniel Listhaus וְכִי יִהְיֶה בְאִישׁ חֵטְא מִשְׁפַּט מָוֶת וְהוּמָת וְתָלִיתָ אֹתוֹ עַל עֵץ :   לֹא תָלִין נִבְלָתוֹ עַל הָעֵץ כִּי קָבוֹר תִּקְבְּרֶנּוּ בַּיּוֹם   הַהוּא כִּי קִלְלַת אֱ־לֹ ק ים תָּלוּי וְלֹא תְטַמֵּא אֶת אַדְמָתְךָ אֲשֶׁר ה '  אֱ - לֹ ק יךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ  נַחֲלָה “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. Therefore, to ...

~ Something to Think About ~ פרשת כי תצא Parsha Stumpers By: Daniel Listhaus (21:11) How could we understand the concept of  eishes y'fas to’ar ? (21:18) How could we understand the concept of  ben sorer u'moreh ? How could we punish him based on his future? Doesn't he have  bechira? (22:7) The  mishna  in  Berachos  states that if one who declares, “Hashem's  rachamim  extends to the bird's nest” we quiet him. a. Where do we see in this week's  parsha  that Hashem's  rachamim  reaches the bird's nest? b. What is wrong with saying such a statement that we quiet one who says it? (22:12) This week's  parsha  contains the basis for the  minhag  to start wearing a  talis  when one gets married. Where is it? (23:8) In this week's  parsha  is an unbelievable example of the extent we must show  hakaras hatov . What is it? Why? (23:14) In th...

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Shoftim Guard Your Gates By: Daniel Listhaus שֹׁפְטִים וְשֹׁטְרִים תִּתֶּן לְךָ בְּכָל שְׁעָרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר   הֹ   אֱל קיךָ נֹתֵן לְךָ לִשְׁבָטֶיךָ וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת הָעָם מִשְׁפַּט צֶדֶק “Judges and officers shall you in all your gates [cities] -which Hashem, your G-d, gives you – for your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.” -Shoftim  16:18              Rashi [1]  explains that this  passuk  (verse)   is teaching us the necessity to have  Batei Dinim  (Jewish courts), as well as officers to enforce the rulings of the  Batei Dinim , in each and every city. Although this is certainly the meaning of the  passuk  on a simple level, many  meforshim  (commentaries) are bothered by the choice of the singular form “ l'cha ” and “ sh'arecha ” (“to you [singular]” and “your [singular] ga...