I mentioned the serendipity of the placement of the double Parasha last week in the way it emphasizes the importance of Eretz Yisrael.  The timing is also explained by the need to make sure this week’s Parasha always comes out before Tisha B’Av is observed. We hear Moshe Rabenu retell the story of the spies, which originally culminated in a disaster on  this day, on Tisha B’Av.  

The book of Devarim is Moshe...Read more...

If it looks like a grab-bag of topics in the Parasha, look again.  There are five parts of the Parasha -- the reward of Pinchas, the counting of the Jews, the story of the daughters of Tzalafchad, the appointment of Yehoshua, and the run-down of the extra offerings for the holidays.  They all have one thing in common: the theme of substitution, or succession. The Parasha is about the transition that has taken place in the final year...Read more...