Torah Parallels

~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 . However, t

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Ki Savo The Secret Life of Avatar City By: Daniel Listhaus אָרוּר הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה פֶסֶל וּמַסֵּכָה תּוֹעֲבַת ה' מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי חָרָשׁ וְשָׂם בַּסָּתֶר וְעָנוּ כָל הָעָם וְאָמְרוּ אָמֵן “‘Accursed is the man who will make a graven or molten image, an abomination of Hashem, a craftsman’s handiwork, and emplace it in secret.’ And the entire people shall speak up and say, ‘Amen’.”  - Ki Savo  27:15 בַּבֹּקֶר תֹּאמַר מִי יִתֵּן עֶרֶב וּבָעֶרֶב תֹּאמַר מִי יִתֵּן בֹּקֶר מִפַּחַד לְבָבְךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּפְחָד וּמִמַּרְאֵה עֵינֶיךָ אֲשֶׁר תִּרְאֶה “In the morning you will say, ‘If only it were evening!’ And in the evening you will say, ‘If only it would be morning!’ – for the fright of your heart that you will fear and the sight of your eyes that you will see’.” - Ki Savo  28:67             The Torah [1] describes that half of  B’nei Yisroel , divided by  shevatim  (tribes) went up on  Har   Gerizim  and the other ha

~ Thoughts on the Parsha ~ Parshas Ki Seitzei Partners in Crime By: Daniel Listhaus לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּכִיסְךָ אֶבֶן וָאָבֶן גְּדוֹלָה וּקְטַנָּה : לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ בְּבֵיתְךָ אֵיפָה וְאֵיפָה גְּדוֹלָה וּקְטַנָּה :   אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה וָצֶדֶק יִהְיֶה לָּךְ אֵיפָה שְׁלֵמָה וָצֶדֶק יִהְיֶה לָּךְ לְמַעַן יַאֲרִיכוּ יָמֶיךָ עַל הָאֲדָמָה אֲשֶׁר ה '  אֱלֹ ק יךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ :   כִּי תוֹעֲבַת ה '  אֱלֹ ק יךָ כָּל עֹשֵׂה אֵלֶּה כֹּל עֹשֵׂה עָוֶל “You shall not have in your pouch a stone and a stone – a large one and a small one. You shall not have in your house a measure and a measure – a large one and a small one. A complete [perfect] and honest stone shall you have, a complete [perfect] and honest measure shall you have, so that your days shall be lengthened on the land that Hashem, your G-d, gives you. For an abomination of Hashem, your G-d, are all who do this, all who act fraudulently.” - Ki Seitzei  25:13-16             As is true of most of  Sefer Devari

~ 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] gates”). If the Torah was speaking to the entire  B'nei Yisroel  and commanding them to institute a judicial system, th