Tag: deuteronomy
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When the Torah Re-Wrote the Rules for Eating Meat
During the forty years of Israel’s journey through the wilderness, the only meat the Israelites consumed was meat that had been sanctified and offered at the altar. Every animal slaughtered was part of a sacrificial rite, its portions divided among God, the priests, and the family who brought the offering. Eating meat was therefore an…
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Appoint Judges and Constables at Your Gates
Our parasha opens with the Torah instructing the Israelites to appoint magistrates and constables at the gates of every city. (Deuteronomy 16:18) Rashi explains that the magistrates judge matters of law, while the constables enforce the magistrate’s decisions— “with a stick or a strap”—until the recalcitrant party accepts the ruling. The author of Shnei Luchot…
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Finding Ones Voice
This week I share a teaching from The Sefat Emet, Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter (1847–1905), one of the most influential Hasidic masters of the late 19th century. He comments on the very first verse of the Book of Deuteronomy, our parsha hashavuah, our Torah portion for this week: “These are the words that Moshe…
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Do you Believe in Miracles?
In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses assembles the Israelites on the plains of Moab, poised to enter the Land promised to our ancestors. In a series of three speeches, Moses recounts the history of the past forty years, reviews old laws and imparts new ones, exhorts the people to follow the commandments and castigates them…
Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph 