Torah Parallels

  Torah Parallels Parshas Devarim לע ל וי נשמת האדא בת מרדכי A Blessing, Not in Disguise   In the middle of Moshe's mussar , reflections, and remarks to B'nei Yisroel , Moshe reminds B’nei Yisroel that throughout their forty years in the desert, Hashem had blessed them with everyt hing - לֹ֥א ח ָס ַ ֖ ר ְת ּ ָ דָּבָֽר.     R ashi (Devarim 2:7) elaborates that Moshe was saying as follows, " because Hashe m has blessed you, you should not make yourselves appear poor. "   At first glance, this is surprising. Aren't we taught to display ourselves with humility and simplicity, as opposed to flaunting wealth? Why would Rashi interpret the passuk as an encouragement to appear affluent and "show off" in response to being the recipient of beracha from Hashem? Is this a middah we really want to strive to achieve?   Perhaps Rashi is teaching something much subtler. He isn't encouraging us to project wealth ; he is telling us not to project pove...

Parshas Mattos- Masei: Salute the Messenger The Torah (Bamidbar 31:2) describes that Hashem c ommand ed Moshe to go to war with Midia n because of Midian’s actions , and Moshe immediately assembles an army . Curiously, when the army departs (Bamidbar 31:6), it is not Moshe who leads them but rather Pinchas. Why is it that Mosh e wouldn 't be engaged in the battle in some form?    T he Midrash Rabbah (22:4) fills in the missing detail. Moshe felt it was inappropriate for him to personally wage war against Midian because that was the land that had once given him refuge. After fleeing Egypt, Midian became the place where he found safety, married Tzipporah, and built his family. Although Midian now deserved punishment for leading Klal Yisrael to aveiros , Moshe could not be the one to strike the nation from which he had once benefited. The Midrash expresses this with a great visual: " בור ששתית ממנו מים אל תזרוק בו אבן " ; "Do not throw a stone into the well f...