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V‘zot HaBerachah: Well “They“ Killed Moses (Deut 33:1 – 34:12)

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The life cycle that was and is the Torah cycle of 5772 is at an end, what began with a beginning for everything is now ending with the death and burial of just one man…Moses.

I often wonder what exactly did Moses see as he gazed into the Promised Land from a far. Did he see Israel as it was at that time? Was he seeing the rule of King David? The establishment of Modern Israel or the Messianic Age? I really do not think what he saw matters because whatever reflected through his pupils is the last thing he experienced. The point I am meandering around is maybe Moses’ death blow was delivered by Hashem via Eretz Israel.

A close friend of mine married the grand daughter of a South Vietnamese hotel tycoon, when it became apparent that Vietnam was to unite under a communist system he suffered a massive heart attack [Read more…]

CPTB Split EP Vol. 6 (Nitzavim and Vayelech)

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This week’s Torah portion is a double portion and continuing in the format used for other double portions the Dvar for this week will follow the split 7 inch record format where each chapter gets its own track. So here you have it folks Circle Pit The Bimah Split EP Vol. 6.

Parsha Nitzavim (Deuteronomy 23:9 – 30:20)

1. Cousin Moishe

Parsha Nitzavim begins with Moses addressing all within the ancient Hebrew camps. This included men, women, children, and the hewers of wood and drawers of water. A lot of research has went into defining just who exactly the hewers and drawers were and why they are mentioned specifically. In the grand scheme of things its just easier to think of them as cousins, still family just not of our specific household. Even today the Jewish people have cousins some are close like Noahides and Samaritans (they are a good people and yes they [Read more…]

Ki Tavo: Plaster Caster (Deut 26:1 – 29:8)

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In this week’s Torah portion Ki Tavo the twelve tribes are divided in half and placed upon two mountains facing each other, in the valley between the tribes the Levites yell out blessings and curses attached to our convenient with Hashem. I am unable to fathom how exciting it was to yell AMEN! after each proclamation. Imagine the excitement felt after a lifetime spent fighting and wandering to finally stand opposite the shore of stability and a new and better way of life.

The ancient Hebrews are commanded to raise pillars inscribed with the Torah and cast them in plaster once they settle in the Promised Land. This may seem odd but in actuality this act makes a lot more sense than say sending a multi-colored sheet up a pole. Flags are great when your working in government, fighting on the battle field, and letting your neighbors know, “hey I am originally [Read more…]

Shoftim: We The People of Hashem (Deut 16:18 – 21:9)

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After reading Shoftim I was poking around on Wikipedia and something really caught my eye. Normally for the sake of ranting I have stayed away from other commenters during this Torah cycle but the author of Wikipedia’s Shoftin entry compared this week’s portion with a constitution and that comparison fits perfectly.

This week Moses provides the basic structure for a sane society. Rules for judges, the kingship, Levites, prophets, witnesses, war, unaccounted corpses, and cities of refuge are lain out not just for the ruling classes but for all rungs on the social ladder. Often times it is easy to look back at the time when the Torah still relatively new and think wow such a barbarous time people and society sure has changed.

Societies the world over have changed and most lawful nations in same way follow many of Shoftim’s declarations. In the west our legal system is structured in a way [Read more…]

Parsha Va‘etchanan: The Ups And The Downs (Deut 3:23 – 7:11)

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The upside to this week’s Torah portion is Moses’ continued sermon reiterating the commandments Hashem has revealed to the Jewish people. Va’etchanan reminds us to never add or subtract from the Torah, never bow to other gods, the Big Ten are repeated, and the importance of marrying other Jews is stressed. Deuteronomy or Devarim is a book whose biggest contribution, in my opinion, is presenting all of the commandments given throughout the Torah in one book. For the ancient Hebrews this is Moses’ way of reminding a people who can generally be assumed as largely illiterate Hashem’s divine commandments, for the current day Jew Deuteronomy makes everything easy to find and convenient. Talk about a timeless win win.

For every upside there is undoubtedly a downside and Va’etchanan has a downside of biblical proportions (pun intended). This week’s portion translates as “and I pleaded.” Moses and the ancient Hebrews are encamped along [Read more…]

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