“For my sin I admit, I worry about my transgression.” (Psalm 38:19) The Book of Psalms, indeed, the Bible often uses parallelism – the same idea is expressed in two ways. This is how this verse is usually understood. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov took it in another direction: David was… Read More »PSALM 38:19 – THE WORRY OF SIN
“A man has joy through the utterances (ma’aneh) of his mouth…” (Proverbs 15:23) The word for utterances, “ma’aneh” can also mean ‘restrictions’. This verse can be understood to be teaching that “the one who restricts his speech can have joy!” (R’ Elimelech of Lizhensk) By Rabbi Michael Skobac © Copyright,… Read More »PROVERBS 15:23 – RESTRICTIONS CAN HAVE JOY
“After Hashem, your God you shall follow…and cleave to Him” (Deuteronomy 13:5) There are two Hebrew words that can mean ‘after’. One is achar and the other is acharei. In his commentary to Genesis 15:1, Rashi explains that achar implies proximity, where one event follows immediately after another; while acharei… Read More »DEUTERONOMY 13:5 – DISTANCE VERSUS PROXIMITY
“See, I place before you today a blessing and a curse” (Deuteronomy 11:26). According to R’ Ovadiah Seforno, we are warned here against thinking there can be a middle ground in our spiritual lives. There are only the two extremes of either blessing or curse. The Kotzker Rebbe was fond… Read More »DEUTERONOMY 11:26 – A BLESSING AND A CURSE
“I took hold of the two tablets and threw them from my two hands and broke them in your sight” (Deuteronomy 9:17). According to the Talmud, the broken pieces of the shattered tablets were gathered up and placed in the ark along with the new tablets that replaced them (Berachos… Read More »DEUTERONOMY 9:17 – LESSONS FROM BROKEN EXPERIENCES
· “Now, O Israel, what is Hashem, your G-d asking of you? Merely to fear Hashem your G-d, to follow in all His ways, to love Him and to serve Hashem your G-d wholeheartedly and with your entire being” (Deuteronomy 10:12). The Talmud (Berachos 33b) asks: Is fear of G-d… Read More »DEUTERONOMY 10:12 – FEAR OF HASHEM
“You have been defiant with G-d…” (Deuteronomy 9:24) This is usually translated as ‘You have been defiant against G-d’. But R’ Menachem Mendel of Riminov notes that we should not ignore the literal meaning. There are those who are defiant WITH G-d – they exploit and distort G-d for their… Read More »DEUTERONOMY 9:24 – DEFIANT
“Hear O Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is One!” (Deuteronomy 6:4). This is a profound verse, and there may be other ways to parse the words. One possibility suggested by Rabbi Norman Lamm in his brilliant book on the Shema is: Hear O Israel Hashem our G-d: Hashem is… Read More »DEUTERONOMY 6:4 – LISTEN UP
“From there you shall seek Hashem your G-d and you will find Him, but you must search for Him with all your heart and all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29). The Kotzker Rebbe taught that even after you have found Hashem, you must continue to seek Him wholeheartedly. This is because… Read More »DEUTERONOMY 4:29 – CONTINUE TO SEEK
“When you slaughter an offering to Hashem, you shall slaughter it to find favor for yourselves.” (Leviticus 19:5) How can we bring an offering to Hashem now, when there is no Holy Temple? The Karliner Rebbe explained that the literal meaning of the Hebrew in the last phrase of this… Read More »LEVITICUS 19:5 – THE WILL TO OFFER
