How will liars be punished? Who will bring forgiveness to us? These are themes of this week’s reading. The spies sent to check out the land, came back with false reports of dangerous giants and plagues to frighten the Hebrews which happened, except to the women who listened to Joshua and Caleb who told the truth. The…
Who will be our leaders? Who can foretell the future? These were issues for Moses. He asked Hashem to help selecting new wise elders from each tribe. Two of them separated themselves, not feeling qualified, but the spirit of insight touched them. Eldad from the tribe of Benjamin and Maidad from Ephraim and both prophesied Moses’…
Where can Hashem talk to us? In the last lines of this parsha. It is said that Moses, the humblest of beings, would enter before the holy ark and the messages would come from between the two cherubim. Here the aleph – the silent one – is the message. A reminder that we are the interconnected emanations of…
Is the time of miracles over? This week’s parsha lists all the tribes and their functions. They are our ancestors carrying the Torah and its wisdom forward. And those who actually carried the sacred aron – ark – were of the Levi tribe and it is said that when the people moved and these Levites specifically, the…
How to appreciate the blessings we are given? Shabbos is one way. This parsha is famed for its painful reproofs for abandoning the teachings and ethics and connection to Hashem who created us and everything. But the parsha begins with stating the blessings we receive for our gratitude and faith. It speaks of the rain…
Who are the righteous? This parsha speaks to the shmita, in the past celebrated every seventh year. A time where we are not to plant or reap, but to let the land alone, and trust that Hashem will provide. Seven becomes a theme in our history. Here are the seven generations oftzadikim who courageously raised us to deeper spiritual connections…
What prompts us to charity? In the midst of a passage on counting the 49 days of the Omer, which here are indicated in the sky by each week’s association with the various sephirot, helping us to reach a higher consciousness, there is mention of leaving the fallen gleanings of the harvest for the poor and…
This parsha contains many mitzvot and most significant of all is the instruction you shall love the stranger as yourself. As the sages have commented, this is not an easy assignment. When the master Hillel was challenged to share the essence of Judaism while he stood on one foot, Hillel rephrased this to a more…
How do we make choices? Are we prepared? These are themes in this parsha. There were two identical goats, one was to be a holy sacrifice and the other taken to the desert to be thrown to a symbolic negative image called Azazel. How to decide? Often we can’t make clear distinctions. We need help. And on…
How do we deal with liars, people who spread false words and accuse others unjustly? It’s called lashan hara – evil speech – and it is regarded as one of the worst actions any of us can do. It hurts the falsely attacked, the one who listens and even the one who makes the unfounded statements. It’s…