Jacob was fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau and on his way to Charan he falls asleep. He has an incredible dream: a ladder reaching up from the earth to the heavens, with angels going up and down.
Yitzchak, arguably the most enigmatic of the Patriarchs, had a most unusual pursuit: digging wells.
“Abraham was old, well on in years [literally: “he came with his days”]; and G-d blessed Abraham with everything.”
G-d sends His angels to destroy the city of S’dom but first they are to save Abraham’s nephew Lot and his family. An angel instructs them: “Run for your life! Do not look back nor stop anywhere in the plain.”
Abraham’s nephew, Lot, was taken captive by an alliance of four kings who were battling another alliance of five kings.
A question has been raised: why did G-d mention food for the people first and then for the animals. Doesn’t this contradict the Torah’s well-known instruction for us to feed our animals before feeding ourselves?
The central Mitzvah of the upcoming festival of Sukkos is to dwell in a Sukka – a temporary hut for seven days. This Mitzvah requires of us to move our meals, among other functions, into the Sukka for one entire week.
“Moses summoned Joshua and said to him before the eyes of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you shall come with this people to the Land that G-d swore to their forefathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.’”
One of the most unusual Biblical commandments is the one which can only be performed when one is unaware that he or she is performing it!
The Torah exhorts us to pursue justice. Towards that end, the Torah commands us to appoint judges and officers in all of our cities. That general exhortation is followed by a more specific one: “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof (you shall surely pursue righteousness).”
“G-d your G-d you shall follow and Him shall you fear; His commandments shall you keep and to His voice shall you listen, Him shall you serve and to Him shall you cleave.”
There is an enigmatic statement in the Midrash about the opening words of this week’s parsha
Moses pleads with G-d to be able to cross over the Jordan. Moses’ desire to be in the Land of Israel was so great that, according to our Sages, he devoted 515 prayers to get G-d to rescind His decree that Moses could not enter the land.
November 13, 2018