Deuteronomy 1:1–3:22
Parshat Devarim
Devarim opens the last book of the Torah: Moses' farewell address to the people on the plains of Moab in the final weeks of his life. He reviews the forty years in the desert, from the appointment of judges to the sin of the spies and the first conquests east of the Jordan. Devarim is always read on the Shabbat before Tisha B'Av.
Essays
Parsha Devarim – Snow White In his final soliloquy, Moses recounts the events since the exodus from Egypt. He describes the defeat of the two Emorite kings… Parsha Devarim – Chatzeiros: The New Math! Division generates and multiplies negativity; while adding senseless love subtracts and eliminates our exile! Parsha Devarim – Cooking the Books Creative accounting is immoral, especially if it concerns our own self-assessment. We are guilty of “cooking the books” by underestimating our true value just as when we overstate it. Parsha Devarim – Don’t Exaggerate The more Divine and real an obstacle is, the greater the power we were given to overcome it! Parsha Devarim – Double Edged Sword When you see a person whose past leaves much to be desired and who needs guidance, rather than tell them simply what they did wrong, show them how they could use the same energies for good. Instead of focusing on their negative choices, emphasize how the very same circumstances that led to their deg Parsha Devarim – Gentle and Subtle A good leader commands. Sometimes he commands us to do something. Sometimes he commands us to be independent. Parsha Devarim – Go North! Not all evil was created equally. Some forms of evil must be destroyed. Some forms actually contain a spark of goodness. They are salvageable. Moshiach will rid the world of the former and empower us to convert the latter. Parsha Devarim – Grammatically Correct Who is he real realist? The pessimist or the optimist? Both, when combined! We believe that the future will be good, but we must act as if it wouldn’t happen without our efforts. Parsha Devarim – Moses Rebukes-Praises While Moses was berating his people for their worshipping of the Golden Calf, he was also attempting to invoke G-d’s love for His people, whose generosity knew no bounds. Parsha Devarim – Nine Steps Towards Perfection Waiting for an exciting event need not be a source of anxiety. Waiting for a future event requires internalizing features of that event now! Preparing for the ideal Messianic Age requires living that ideal life now! Parsha Devarim – Numbers in Deuteronomy True Life is two dimensional. If chai (18) is synonymous with life then the number 36 (lamed vav) represents life in its fullest, two dimensional sense. Are you a lamed vavnik? Parsha Devarim – Our Day in Court We demand equal representation and treatment of people. We must hear both sides of a dispute before deciding who is right. We too have two internal forces. We must not allow our natural instincts (derived from our “Animal Soul”) to voice their opinion before we listen to our conscience; our G-dly so Parsha Devarim – Revealing the Love Subtlety is an art form and should be used sparingly. Tough love is a necessary tool to help those with a hard crust; but open love is the goal Parsha Devarim – Speak Softly When we suffer, we cannot take harsh talk. In times like these, we need the warm embrace of our heavenly Father. Parsha Devarim – Stop Circling the Mountain! Some reach out to G-d scale and conquer mountains. Some believe in themselves for salvation. Torah teaches us to search for, discover and reveal our inner G-dly strength to surmount all obstacles. Parsha Devarim – Strings Attached and the Disengagement Process While life is mostly about engagement; there are times when we must disengage. Disengagement is positive when it is from a stifling atmosphere. Parsha Devarim – Tisha B’av-Loss of Sanity Mourning the destruction of the Temple is about grieving the loss of G-dly innocence and sanity in our world. Prayers for the Temple is about the restoration of G-d’s palpable presence in our physical existence. The rebuilt Temple will thus restore innocence and sanity to a terribly flawed world! Parsha Devarim – The Essence of Gold There are two ways of viewing wealth. We can either see it through a smokescreen or see its naked essence. Seen through the smokescreen of human nature it will corrupt. Removing the fog transforms wealth into a powerful vehicle to spiritual growth. Parsha Devarim – The Power of Mishnah A soul is a terrible thing to waste. It is equally tragic when we forget we possess it. Parsha Devarim – What Are We Mourning? An anniversary of an event is when the event come to life again. An anniversary of a tragedy is when we focus on what we lost and endeavor to restore it with even greater vigor. Parsha Devarim – When Enough Is Not Enough! We fail when we embrace and institutionalize our G-d given limits. Nothing is sweeter to G-d’s “ears” than the music created by going beyond our “enough-ness” mindset. Parsha Devarim – Wrong Way Do Not Enter “A journey begins with but one step,” is a popular adage. Our path to total and immediate Redemption needs one small, even imperceptible, redirection Parsha Devarim – Years of Royalty Kings wage war. Some wars are external others are internal. A Jewish monarch must know which battles to choose and when he should fight them.