The Pshat Heard 'Round the World

For this commandment which I am commanding you today is not too wondrous for you, nor too distant. It is not in the heavens, such that you should say, “who will go up to the heavens and take it for us and inform us of it that we may do it; Nor is it over the sea, that you should say, “who will cross for us to the other side of the sea and inform us of it that we may do it. For this thing is so very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart to do it. Devarim 30: 11-14. So, it’s that easy, says Moshe, over three thousand years before Nike: Just do it!! The only problem is: what is “it”? Not such an easy question. Many of us are most likely walking around, carrying out our daily tasks with a mixture of freshness and drudgery, but in background that question keeps asking itself, punctuated a bit differently: what is it? But although Rosh Hashanah is almost upon us, let’s not get too wistfully philosophical – at least not yet. Let’s ...

Parashat Ki Tavo is best known for serving as home to the Tochechah, the long, hair-raising curse/prophecy uttered by Moshe toward the close of Devarim. It’s also familiar to us from the Pesach sedcr, since its opening passage, the mitzvah of bringing bikkurim , first fruits, contains the verses expanded upon by the Haggadah, Arami Oved Avi. Sandwiched between those two “big-name” passages is a passage a bit less dwelled-upon: the command to conduct a ceremony of blessing and curse on Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Eval upon entry to the land. It is this ceremony, with its Arur HaIsh (“cursed be the man”) rhythmically intoned by the Kohanim, and the antiphonal choral Amen responses of the tribes, echoing off the two mountains, which grabbed my attention this year. The people had already been initially instructed regarding a blessing and curse ceremony upon entry into the Land, in Parashat Re’eh. That command was phrased generally; here we have a dramatic description of a ceremony which mus...

Parashat Ki Tetze is comprised of one of the largest, and perhaps the most diverse collections of mitzvot in the entire Torah. A whole jumble of topics – new mitzvot and those we’ve seen before, ritual and ethical, from the sublime to the SEEMINGLY trite, addressing individual and family, clan and society. What holds them all together? Is there a thread running through all of them? Rashi tries his hand at finding that thread. He begins with the first mitzvah – the law of the captivating war captive. He understands its provisions as intended to curb the Jewish soldier’s desire for the gorgeous, goyish woman by having him exposed to her in her mourning and degradation – perhaps he will not follow through with making her his wife, and set her free. But if he DOES follow through, Rashi understands that the Torah warns us that he will end up hating her. Ah, a hated, originally non-Jewish wife, in his household with a beloved, Jewish-from-birth wife – a recipe for domestic fireworks. ...

Parashat Shoftim is most appropriately named. This week’s parashah concentrates our focus on dimension of living Torah which engages the larger social structures. We are given guidelines for armed conflict, the nature of monarchy in Israel, the workings of our judiciary, etc. The first verses of the parashah immediately launch us into a realm beyond our own cognizance: if we are in doubt, or in conflict regarding a whole range of matters, we much take that doubt and conflict to the judges and act precisely in accordance with their ruling, straying not an iota, neither left nor right. The midrash fixes on those words and insists: even if they tell you that your left is right or your right is left. In manner which echoes some of the most famous political philosophers, the Torah insists we cede to government – in our case, G-d fearing, Torah masters – a significant segment of our own autonomy to decide matters, for the good of the collective. But wait a second, just who are these j...