In Vayikra 23:27, G-d informs the people of Israel, “On the tenth day of this seventh month [Tishre] shall be a day of atonement, a holy convocation shall it be unto you.” And, unlike Sabbath, no part of Yom Kippur is reserved for enjoyment. G-d commands us, “You shall afflict your souls.” Our Sages explain…
In the beginning of the Torah portion of Ha’azinu (Devarim 32: 7-9), we read: “Remember the days of yore, understand the years of generation after generation. Ask your father and he will relate it to you, your elders and they will tell you. When the Supreme One gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children…
In Vayikra 23:24-25, G-d tells us: “In the seventh month [Tishre] on the first of the month, you shall have a day of rest, a memorial of blowing of horns, a holy convocation. You shall do no work…” Rosh Hashana – the only holiday that lasts for two consecutive days in the Land of Israel…
In the beginning of the Torah section of Nitzavim, we read: “You are standing today, all of you, before the L-rd, your G-d: your heads, your tribes, your elders, and your officers – all the men of Israel” (Devarim 29:9). On this verse, the famous medieval commentator known as Rashi comments: “Since Israel was going out from…
In the Torah section of Ki Tavo, as he nears the end of his final exhortation to the nation of Israel before taking leave of his earthly existence, Moses emphasizes: “This day the L-rd your G-d commands you to perform these decrees and the statutes … You shall hearken to the voice of the L-rd your…
“When you will go out to war against your enemies…” (Devarim 21:10). So begins the Torah section of Ki Tetze, the reading from the Torah, the five books of Moses, that is read one week of every year by observant Jews the world over who adhere to principles and tradition laid before our ancestors by our greatest…
We read in the Torah section of Shoftim (Devarim 17:8-11): “If a matter of judgment is hidden from you, between blood and blood, between verdict and verdict, between plague and plague, matters of dispute in your cities … You shall come to the priests, the levites and to the judge who will be in those days;…
In the Torah portion of Re’eh, we read, “You are children to the L-rd your G-d, you shall not cut yourselves” (Devarim 14:1). Our Sages teach us (Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 13b-14a) that this verse also instructs us not to “cut” or break up our community into different groups. But this prohibition does not apply to…
The Torah section of Eikev begins (Devarim 7:12-15): “And it will be because of your listening to these ordinances, and your observing and performing them; then the L-rd your G-d will safeguard for you the covenant and the kindness that He swore to your forefathers. He will love you, He will bless you and He will…
In the Torah section of VaEtchanan, G-d commands the people of Israel, “Safeguard the Sabbath day to sanctify it… Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is the sabbath of the L-rd your G-d, you shall not do any labor” (Devarim 5:12-14). In the Babylonian Talmud, Bava Kamma 2a, our…
