We read the curses in this Parasha just before the New Year because we want the end of the year to be the end of the curses. That way, the new year can begin with blessings.
Fair enough, but the reading of this Parasha so close to Rosh Hashana is suggestive in other places too. The Parasha begins with two statements, one a recitation of Jewish history when one brings first fruits to Yerushalayim. ...Read more...
The Baal Koreh last Shabbat afternoon chuckled before starting. As the Kohen came up, the reader opened the Torah and laughed. He realized that this Parasha has a built-in trap that every reader must take care to avoid. This morning’s Parasha begins with the words, “Ki Tetzei l’milchama,” when you go out to war. But so does the chapter before. If one searches out only those first words, one can...Read more...
This is the political scientist’s Parasha. The Seforno identifies this as the Parasha of leadership. We hear about four types of leaders: the judge, the Kohen, the prophet and the king.
The judge’s job is to know the relevant law and to apply it fairly. We’re told we have to support the Kohen so that he can maintain a level of Kedusha, or holiness. The prophet is supposed...Read more...
The Parasha begins with a stark choice: I place before you blessing and curse. The binary leaves no middle ground. It reminds us that there are two types of people in the world: those who divide the world into two kinds of people and those who do not.
But the binary is not about truth and falsehood, or really any ideology at all. It is about the possibility of making choices which...Read more...
