The Library

In this parsha, Moses gives his final blessing to the bnei Yisrael. The Ohr Hachaim points out that Moses had suffered for forty years from his cantankerous people. Moses had only one wish, to be allowed into the Holy Land, but he was denied this fervent wish because of t...

Moses reprimands the Israelites as "a perverse and twisted generation" (Deuteronomy 32:5). When we allow our desires to influence our thinking, we can be "perverse and twisted." One recovering alcoholic said, "In all my years of drinking, I never once took a drink unless...

Moses said, “I am 120 years old this day. I can no more go out and come, and Hashem has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’” All his life, Moses aspired to spiritual growth, and reached heights unachieved by any other human being. No further growth was p...

“You are standing here today, before Hashem…the covenant which Hashem seal with you today…but with whoever is here today, and with whoever is not here with us today” (Deuteronomy 29:1-14) The repetition of “today” is unnecessary for the context of Moses’ message. It add...

The dire consequences that will befall you will be “Because you did not serve Hashem with joy” (Deuteronomy 28:47) If we are not feeling joy in performance of the mitzvos, we must not be doing them right. The knowledge that we are doing what God wants us to do, thereby fu...

"You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together." (Deuteronomy 22:10). Chinuch explains that the two animals pull at different rates, and one or both will suffer. Chinuch explains that this applies to human relationships as well. Two people with conflicting personali...

"You shall not accept a bribe, for the bribe will blind the eyes of the wise " (Deuteronomy16:19) We are all judges, making many judgments every day. Every desire that one has is a bribe, affecting one's judgment to favor the desired act. A recovering alcoholic said, "In ...

You shall tithe all the produce of your fields (Deuteronomy14:22). The Hebrew text lends itself to an interpretation that if you tithe your produce, G-d will bless you. You will not lose by tithing. The Chafetz Chaim told of a peasant who brought his bundles of grain to t...

“This shall be the reward because you hearken to these ordinances” (Deuteronomy7:12) The Hebrew word for “because” in this verse is eikev, which also means “a footstep”. Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sasov said that a person should consider each step one takes. Life is a mission, a...

“And you, who are cleaving to G-d, you are alive this day” (Deuteronomy 4:4). Chasam Sofer says that a person’s evil instinct tells him that he can never meet all the Torah’s demands all his life. Inasmuch as that is futile, one may as well give up the battle now. Moses t...

"G-d, your G-d was with you, you lacked for nothing" (Deuteronomy 2:7) The wise King Solomon said, "One who desires money is never satisfied with what he has" (Ecclesiastes 5:9). So it is with all physical pursuits. They are insatiable. An alcoholic saw a sign on a t...

The Torah says that if a person makes a vow, “He shall not desecrate his word - according to whatever comes out of his mouth he shall do.” The Torah places great emphasis on truthfulness. Breaking one’s word is a “desecration” of speech. Perhaps, animals do communicate...

Moses asked Hashem to appoint a leader to succeed him, “A person who can understand and relate to each individual” (Numbers 27:16, Rashi). Hashem responded, “Take to yourself Joshua, a man in whom there is spirit.” How does Hashem’s response satisfy Moses’ request? The ...

The evil sorcerer, Bilam, tried his utmost to destroy Israel with curses, but Hashem foiled his plans, and so twisted his tongue that his words came out as blessings rather than curses. Seeing that his efforts were fruitless, Bilam resorted to another maneuver. Knowing ...

In this portion, the Israelites complain that they have no water. Hashem tells Moses to order a rock to give water. Since in a previous episode, Hashem told Moses to hit the rock with his rod, Moses did so again. Hashem told Moses that he forfeited the right to enter Cana...

Korah challenged the right of Aaron to the kehuna (priesthood). Arguing that everyone has a right to kehuna, he performed the incense service, which may be done only by a kohane. He and his followers died, thus proving the authority of Moses that Aaron was the kohane, and...

There were two episodes of spies sent to Canaan. Those sent by Moses resulted in a disaster from which we still suffer thousands of years later, whereas those sent by Joshua resulted in triumph. Why the radical difference? Hashem had promised the Israelites the conquest o...

The Torah relates that the people (ha’am) were as if in mourning (Numbers 11:1), but does not say what they were displeased about. The commentaries say that these people (ha’am) were the Egyptians that joined the Israelites in the exodus. They were trouble makers all alon...