Rav Zachariash’s weekly blog on the parsha
You shall surely give him, and let your heart not feel bad when you give him. (Devarim 15:10) There is a well-known saying from the chasidish and litvish greats: when giving charity, one must ensure that the poor person is treated with dignity. Beyond the simple understanding, that part of the mitzvah is also to [...]
“…and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul…” (Devarim 11:13) Rashi – “Serving Hashem with all your heart” – this refers to davening One of the most basic aspects of being a religious Jew is to pray – and to do so with kavana. As we approach the Yomim Noraim, [...]
“…for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the eyes of the nations…” (Devarim 4:6) Many people feel that once Tisha B’Av has passed, we have completed our avodah and are now free to use our time as we wish. Chazal, however, teach us that this is not so. In fact, the calendar moves [...]
"Then you answered and said to me, We have sinned against the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us. And you girded on every man his weapons of war, and ventured to go up into the hill." (Devarim 1:41) We often struggle to get ourselves [...]
“And Moshe said to them, ‘If you will do this thing…and be guiltless before the Lord, and before Yisra᾽el; and this land shall be your possession before the Lord.’” (Bamidbar 32:20-22) Moshe Rabbeinu makes an agreement with the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe regarding the conditions under which they will receive their [...]
“Pinchas… turned back My wrath… and I did not destroy the Children of Israel” (Bamidbar 25:11) From the difficulties that people face in making decisions, it becomes clear that the struggle is rarely about choosing between right and wrong. More often, the real challenge is identifying what is right and what is wrong. And sometimes, [...]
“Let me die the death of those who are straight (in their ways)…” (Bamidbar 23:10) Many people go on a diet, convinced that this time they are going to stick to it and keep the weight off forever. I once heard a very famous Jewish speaker, Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky, ask, “Which cookie is the most [...]
“Yiftach said to the elders of Gilad, ‘[Very well,] if you bring me back to fight the Ammonites and G-D delivers them to me, I am to be your commander.’” (Judges 11:9) When facing an exam, people don’t just cram or pull “all-nighters”. Many also try to build their self-confidence. They become convinced that with [...]
AND KORAH CONVENED [ALL THE CONGREGATION] AGAINST THEM, by means of scoffing language: that whole night he went round to all the tribes and tried to win them over: “Do you really think that I care for myself alone? It is only for all of you that I have a care! These men come and [...]
“…that you may look upon it…” (Bamidbar 15:39) I was having a discussion with someone from the shul this week and the conversation turned to a common human tendency: when things go wrong, we immediately notice and complain. Yet when things go right, we often take them for granted, assuming that is how it is [...]
