Torah Parallels

Parshas Noach Better Bitter By: Daniel Listhaus וַיָּחֶל עוֹד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיֹּסֶף שַׁלַּח אֶת הַיּוֹנָה מִן הַתֵּבָה וַתָּבֹא אֵלָיו הַיּוֹנָה לְעֵת עֶרֶב וְהִנֵּה עֲלֵה זַיִת טָרָף בְּפִיהָ וַיֵּדַע נֹחַ כִּי קַלּוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ “ And he waited for again another seven days and again he sent out the dove from the ark. The dove came back to him in the evening – and behold! An olive leaf it had plucked with its mouth. And Noach knew that the waters had subsided from upon the earth.” -Noach 8:10-11 Safe inside the security of the teivah (ark), Noach had no way of knowing when the earth would be dry and ready for man again. After sending the raven out unsuccessfully, Noach sent out the dove to determine if the land was ready for them to exit the teivah . The first time the dove was sent, it returned right away because it could not find a place to rest. Noach then waited another period of seven days and sent out the dove a second time. This time, the dove came back w...

Parshas Vezos Haberachah, Succos, and Parshas Beraishis The Heart of it All By: Daniel Listhaus וְלֹא קָם נָבִיא עוֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמֹשֶׁה אֲשֶׁר יְדָעוֹ ה ' פָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים : לְכָל הָאֹתוֹת וְהַמּוֹפְתִים אֲשֶׁר שְׁלָחוֹ ה ' לַעֲשׂוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם לְפַרְעֹה וּלְכָל עֲבָדָיו וּלְכָל אַרְצוֹ : וּלְכֹל הַיָּד הַחֲזָקָה וּלְכֹל הַמּוֹרָא הַגָּדוֹל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹקים אֶת הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹקים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא אֹתָם “ Never again has there arisen in Israel a prophet like Moshe, whom Hashem had known face to face; for all the signs and wonders that Hashem sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his slaves and all his land, and for all the strong hand and for all the great awesomeness that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Israel.” - Vezos Haberachah 34:10-12 “ And G-d created man in his image, in the image of G-d He created him....” - Beraishis 1:27 This last p...

פרשת וילך Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About “ Vayeilech Moshe... ” Where did Moshe go? The S'forno (31:1) 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 ? 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 who brought them. What does this mean? Rashi (31:29), in an answer to a question of his, writes that a rebbe considers his  talmid like himself. If so, how did Ra...

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 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 of the proofs . The proof that Rabban Gamliel brought from Torah is fr...

פרשת נצבים & ראש השנה Parsha Stumpers and Something to Think About... At the end of parshas Nitzavim , Hashem tells us: הַחַיִּים וְהַמָּוֶת נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ , הַבְּרָכָה וְהַקְּלָלָה ; וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים -- לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה , אַתָּה וְזַרְעֶךָ - “I have placed life and death before you, blessing and curse; and you shall choose life....” A few questions should immediately come to mind: a. Chazal teach us that a “ nesinah” (a “giving”) is shaveh perutah (value of a perutah coin). In order for there to be two equal things that Hashem is giving before us, it must therefore be that they are both “valuable” (at least in our eyes). Last time I checked, though, Death's & Cursing's popularity was quite down. How could we understand that it is a “ nesinah” ? b. Also, if this is our big choice of bechirah , isn't it a bit unfair to word the choice as a choice between life and blessing versus death and curse? It seems pretty obvious which one to choose. Sho...

~Thoughts on the Parsha~ Parshas Nitzavim And Rosh Hashanah Restart Your Engines By: Daniel Listhaus וְשַׁבְתָּ עַד הֹ ' אֱלֹקיךָ וְשָׁמַעְתָּ בְקֹלוֹ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשֶׁךָ כִּי הַמִּצְוָה הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם לֹא נִפְלֵאת הִוא מִמְּךָ וְלֹא רְחֹקָה הִוא : לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִוא לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲלֶה לָּנוּ הַשָּׁמַיְמָה וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה : וְלֹא מֵעֵבֶר לַיָּם הִוא לֵאמֹר מִי יַעֲבָר לָנוּ אֶל עֵבֶר הַיָּם וְיִקָּחֶהָ לָּנוּ וְיַשְׁמִעֵנוּ אֹתָהּ וְנַעֲשֶׂנָּה : כִּי קָרוֹב אֵלֶיךָ הַדָּבָר מְאֹד בְּפִיךָ וּבִלְבָבְךָ לַעֲשֹׂתוֹ “ And you will return unto Hashem, your G-d, and listen to His voice, according to everything that command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and all your soul.” “ For this commandment, which I command you today, is not hidden from you and is not distant. It is not in the heavens, for you to say, 'Who can ascend...